Despite not eating pizza or pasta, Italian restaurants are my favourite kind; if it's authentic…read moreenough, there's always a great atmosphere and the promise of something tasty and, quite simply, a wonderful evening. Gusto always appealed to me, the tinted windows always inspiring a voyeuristic stare and suggesting a restricted exclusivity. I wanted in. The classic Italian food is ideal for lunch or dinner and the restaurant itself, while sophisticated and quite refined is rather laid back and tere is a very informal feel here which is appealing. There is a mix of salad dishes, appetizers and specials available. Insalata dell'Orto e del Mare or Seafood Salad went down a treat; the ingredients were so fresh and tender and only £5. divine. I was really impressed. Forgot to mention- the desserts are AMAZING; Tuscan biscuit; apple tart; pancakes; sorbets there's so much to choose from!

We're in Southport again! I just can't keep away. And yes, it's another Italian! #And I can't fight…read morethis feeeeeling anymooooore#, I'm obviously obsessed with Italian food no matter how much I protest the reverse. This place is packed to the rafters on weekends, after all it's in a prime Southport location on Lord Street where all the very nice shops are and the lovely architecturally historic buildings and the beautiful branch of Waterstones set in an old bank and whatnot. So no doubt hoards descend upon it of an evening, thus you'd be wise to book in advance if you fancy a pizza or pasta here. It's classic rustic Italian fare with a sprinkling of creativity. The salads as starters wind up being absolutely ridiculously huge, and would easily do as a main course despite being only £5.95, and the pizza here is the stuff of legends. Everyone in Southport seems to rave about it and rightly so, it's crisp, fresh and exactly as you'd expect it in Italy with lovely simple thin toppings and doesn't leave you feeling like a doughball by the end of it. There are plenty of pastas to choose from too, and the one with artichokes and truffle oil is just divine. Meanwhile if you're catching lunch there the sandwiches can be made with foccacia. Could I be any more sold? The cheese platter with pears is a glorious way to finish off the meal with a sweet and savoury combo, but if you're in the mood for something far more indulgent there's the quintessential tiramisu, chocolate crepes, pistachio ice cream, apple tart or caramelised fruits with amaretto and marscapone which I really couldn't resist - try it and see what heaven really tastes like. All in all, reasonably priced with great service and a superb wine list in a gorgeous setting. Nothing to complain about here.

As you can probably tell from the name, Salvatore's is not a bog-standard Southport chippy, or a…read morelocal kebab house. Instead it is a lovely, family-run Italian restaurant on Southport's busy Lord Street. Offering its customers a comfortable and casual dining atmosphere with lovely indoor and outdoor seating, Salvatore's is a great place to have a tasty, home cooked Italian meal whilst experiencing quality service whether you are a regular or a first-timer. Their menu is varied and wide ranging, including the usual pasta favourites as well as a good selection of meat and fish dishes, all of which are well worth the price. Salvatore's also has a table d'hote menu which gives customers the chance to have two courses for twelve pounds or three for fifteen, representing great value for money if you're looking to dine out without spending too much money. There are a lot of sub-standard Italian restaurants around these days so it can be quite hard to be enthusiastic about many, but Salvatore's is well worth the plaudits.

Situated on Lord Street and close to the Southport Floral Hall and the Southport Conference Centre…read more There is a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere to Casa Italia. For an italian, the prices are a bit steeper than others I have been too. However, the food is tasty and service very good. The restaurant makes a promise that the meat and fish that appears on their menus will be of the highest quality and sourced from local butchers and fishmongers. That they will NEVER use pasta that is of inferior quality or 'out of date'. That their vegetables (which are bought in daily) are fresh and from local producers or market fresh from Liverpool. So maybe this is way prices are slightly higher? Quite a promise to make. Why not try them out and see for yourself? They have a takeway menu (since 2009), so you can even check it out in the comfort of your own home.

I will be honest, Southport was not looking promising. Then we found this little place among a…read moreplethora of Italian pizzerias offering fresh fish. We ordered the seafood platter which looked heavy on frying but excelled in the cold preserve. A quite excellent crayfish linguini was topped with a small portion of cheese and a highly agreeable port. Lovely service, highly recommended.

Great Italian restaurant. You MUST MUST MUST get the garlic bread (it's the thinest pizza ever and…read moreis perfect for two to share while waiting for your dinner) Staff are helpful and attentive. The food is consistently good. I enjoyed seafood risotto - awesome. Pizzas are great. All kinds of specials. The pannacotta with fresh raspberries is worth saving room for and I"m not a big dessert person! Just two minutes walk from Birkdale train station :) open through the day with interesting small plate options during the afternoon.

Fresh decor, friendly and efficient waiting staff. All dishes well presented, prawn starter…read moredelicious, needed a chunk of bread to dunk in the sauce. Slightly mixed comments on bruschetta as some liked focaccia and some found a little soft in texture but flavours great. Calamari fresh and great texture. Mains of lasagne, sucking pig, lamb and beef All flavoursome, absolutely loved the polenta mash and vegetables perfectly cooked. Puddings of pannecotta, zabaglione, and cappuccino ice cream and cake, all excellent. Bonus points for having Strega to accompany. Highly recommended

Sometimes, when you're a girl in a long-term relationship with a member of the opposite sex,…read moreescaping to an all-female household is a breath of fresh air, hence why I disappear to the seaside town of Southport if I'm in need of a bit of girly company. The brunette who rather loves Italian food was raving about a little restaurant called Volare in her sandy little district so I thought it was only fair to do my civic duty and let you Yelpers know about it. It's traditionally and classically Italian and only fairly young, with a promise to offer proper authentic and beautifully simple Italian food and a Mediterranean atmosphere in a lovely environment. Owned by actual Italian people, Onofrio from Sicily and Cinzia from Puglia who have extensive experience in professional kitchens, catering, holiday hosting and the like, you get a very warm and friendly welcome along with fantastic service. It's family-run too with the kitchen chef being part of the clan as well. The food is lovely, and as I said simplicity is key here - starters like minestrone soup, caprese salad, poached asparagus and antipasto and what's really nice about this place is that they do several different types of bruschetta as well as the quintessential garlic pizza bread. Mmm. Main meat dishes are numerous and served with veggies and there are many delicious pizzas and pastas to choose from. The menu literally has something for everyone, rather a large one for an Italian restaurant but the choice is wide and delicious. I'd highly recommend the tagliatelle rustica with chunks of monkfish, it's moreish. Desserts are fewer with all your usual favourites - tiramisu, profiteroles, ice cream, an Italian cheese selection and some you may not have experienced such as zabaglione and an Italian take on Crepe Suzette. The wine list is nicely extensive too, and overall, the warm service and attention to detail make for a lovely dinner.

Possibly the best Italian food I've had outside of Italy, but style of food aside, it was the best…read morequality and best preparation of any meal I've had in years. I started with burata and Parma ham and it was beautiful. I'm not sure if the burata was house made, but it was fresh and perfect. For main dish I had amazing fillet steak and peppercorn sauce, and, seriously, it would challenge the best steak I've had in Buenos Aires - it was perfectly cooked and so tender it almost melted. The sauce was seasoned just right, and the vegetables that came with the meal were also cooked as they should be. The dauphinois potatoes were also worth a mention - often they are greasy and the temperature is too cold, again, Volare got them just right. I finished with freshly made Zabaglione, and I have to admit, the best Zabaglione I've had previously was from M&S. This was a world apart - served warm, whipped eggs and Marsala, very rich. My dinner mates shared the crepes which came flamed and delicious. Overall, best place I've visited for a long time, and not just in Southport!

I'm not sure who Tony actually is but whoever he is, he must be pretty pleased with his business in…read moregeneral. Tony's is a restaurant and pizzeria that offers its customers a range of Italian dishes that are available to takeaway or eat in their comfortable restaurant setting. The shop is split into two, with the takeaway being situated on the ground floor whilst the restaurant is upstairs, enabling the diners to be able to enjoy their meal without being distracted by the comings and goings downstairs. The restaurant menu features a good selection of pizzas and pasta dishes as you might expect, with all the usual suspects like carbonara, lasagne and margherita making an appearance as well as a few specialities too. The selection of main dishes on the menu is a bit small but does contain some interesting options, including a delicious Bolognese risotto, all of which are very reasonably priced considering their quality. The take-out menu is a bit less varied as to be expected but the quality of food does not decrease, meaning Tony's is a great place to visit for a sit down meal or to grab a pizza to take home with you.

Called into this place looking for lunch while in Southport last weekend and it was so good I felt…read moreit warranted a mention here. Great food, great service, nice atmosphere and reasonable prices.

I give this a 4 star because when I ordered napoli, Spagetti, they gave me pasta when i…read morespecifically said spaghetti. Other than that, it is amazing with amazing service.

Sorrento under its previous guises had been a regular haunt of my friends and I through the years,…read moremainly due to its great offers for lunch. However, those restaurants would leave as quickly as they entered and it's most recent incarnation has never really gained back our regular custom, possibly due to the rise in popularity of other cheaper lunchtime venues such as the Left Bank. However, I decided recently to take the plunge and visit Sorrento, for lunch again, and I was not disappointed. Whilst it's not the cheapest in the village, they offer a 2 course meal for £8.95 at lunchtime or 3 for £11.95, which represents great value for money when you consider the dishes you get. I started with the Spaghetti A'matriciana which had a brilliant blend of flavours as well as a spicy kick. For my second course I ordered tuna steak cooked in garlic and white wine, which offered an interesting mixture of flavours that tamed the palate nicely. It might not be the cheapest, but if you're looking for somewhere a bit more sophisticated than the Left Bank and you have some time on your hands I'd recommend Sorrento, particularly on a nice day when you can sit out in the delightful outdoor area they have.