Went here for a family dinner last Sunday. We made reservations and I'm very glad we did, as the place was quite busy. Prezzo used to be a bank, and you can tell from the style of the interior - pillars going up the sides, very high ceilings, etc. It is definitely lively with all tables full, and sitting right in the middle of Torquay.
My boyfriend and I split the calamari to start which at £5.95 was overpriced for the amount you get it. It was just a few rings per person, and while the batter and the pesto mayo were both very good, I think the calamari was overdone. It was too tough. I'm well aware it's supposed to be rubbery but this was far tougher than I expected.
Entrees were better - I got the spaghetti with lobster. One of the nice things Prezzo does is offer a "light" option for almost all pastas, where they give you a smaller portion and add a side salad. The calories go down, and the price goes up by about £1 - guess that salad is pricey to make?? But I got a normal portion which was smaller than I expected - I keep having to remind myself that this is not America! Still it will fill you up! It was a very tasty dish with some grilled vegetables and a nice pesto sauce. Pasta is not homemade but was well cooked. My boyfriend got the steak and rocket pizza which was very nice. The crust was very crisp and there were lots of pieces of steak, cherry tomatoes, olives, and more on each piece.
We split some dessert - the nutella and banana calzones. These were found a little odd by everyone in our group. We all wanted them to be served warmer, but they were really about room temperature. The calzone dough is just pizza dough - so it isn't sweetened with sugar or anything like that. Also the bites around the edges are all just dough - you have to aim straight for the middle to make sure you get nutella and banana in a bite. And those bites were great - how can you go wrong with nutella, but I think they could've changed a few things to make the dish nicer.
Service wasn't terrific. The women who served us seemed genuinely confused at various places. English wasn't their first language which is fine, but they actually seemed to have trouble understanding us. Wine pouring was sloppy and nearly resulted in a spill (on me!) which gave me a little heart attack. And they kept coming round after each course to bring more silverware and napkins. I had my napkin in my lap, and they put a new one on the table before the entree and the dessert, so by the end I had three napkins in my lap for no reason. I just don't think they know what on earth is going on.
I would return since the food is mostly good, but a few changes in service would go a long way to making Prezzo better. read more