Amazing food as always will definitely be back again amazing starter and main I had brusetta for starters and the ravioli for my main read more

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This place was recommended to us by another establishment who had closed their kitchen for the night. What a pleasant surprise, excellent tasting food, I had the linguini and meatballs, pasta was perfectly cooked, marinara spice was tasty, meatballs were plentiful and cooked to perfection. Wait staff was on top of it, very clean place. Many kudos to the manager, she was a rock star, she was making sure her staff was on point and was there to ensure every guest had a great experience and meal, we thanked her personally. Hope she is there on your dining experience there. read more

We had such a good experience with Italian cuisine in london, we thought this place might be good too, and yes it was too! . So we walked by here during the morning and figured that we wanted this for dinner or later. So we made sure we came back. . So we got fried calamari, fried stuffed mushroom, sauteed shrimp. . Then we have seared sea bass, chicken bacon sweet corn pizza, and tiger shrimp linguine with extra spicy. . The appetizers came out first. We mostly enjoyed the stuffed mushrooms because it was more unique, crispy, and a nice flavor. . The pizza was served in a thin crust. The pizza wasnt our favorite. But it was crispy for sure. . The linguine and sea pass paired so well with each other. Our main focus was having this two dish together. Sea bass was seasoned so well and you can taste the freshness of the bass. The bass was seared crispy on the outside which I loved most. The linguine had a nice creamy sauce to it, it wasn't spicy but it looked very presentable and over all it was delicious. . Overall we had great service. They made sure we have every thing we need on the table. We liked how it was still casual and in a comfortable setting. I liked how the prices are very reasonable and affordable for a family to come out and enjoy a nice dinner. As well if your craving dessert hit up #maggiemays because they are awesome and that's what we did. No regrets. Thanks for reading and have a yelptastic day! read more

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Love the design of the place. Feels like I'm in Italy. And the food was great! We just did the pastas but the serving sizes were perfect. Tasted amazing. Would recommend if you are feeling Italian food for the night. They have a large menu! read more

The service was great, the food was very good. It's a great location to take kids. Kids meal that is a large portion and includes drink and ice cream for only £5.95. Pizza and pasta were enjoyed. read more

Always great experience in here. If you want to get your eat on here is the place to go. Food is awesome value with big portions. Feels authentic Italian in here with both decor and service from real Italians. They have a good selection on the menu. There are menus for different times. Ie Sunday menu I would suggest booking as it can be very busy in here. Especially weekends. Good size of place to bring a group. read more

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I have always been slightly baffled by the phenomenon of Villa Italia. It's a perfectly pleasant restaurant but why on earth do people queue outside for over an hour, even in the rain. I just do not understand it. Am I too old? Am I too lazy? Do they know something that I don't? I NEED to understand WHY PEOPLE DO THIS. Ok, I will calm down and write about the food. I would describe the food as 'safe' Italian - pizza, pasta, fish and chicken. I'm not sure how authentically Italian the recipes are but it tastes pretty good to me. The pizzas have lovely thin crispy bases and plently of topping but there's nothing particularly adventurous among them. I like the chicken and bacon one, but not so much the sweet chilli chicken one, that's just not right. I think some of the main courses are over priced, such as the steak at £18 but I would totally recommend the fudge nut sundae. Drool. To sum up, Villa Toscana is safe and familiar. You won't get any shocks or disappointments and no sense of adventure either. Soemtimes that works for me but WHY DO PEOPLE QUEUE UP FOR HOURS. read more

Villa Italia - Italian Near Me - Belfast, BFS

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The atmosphere and the space are nice but the food is only okay. It's a regular Italian restaurant

Been here several times. Shame they don't allow to to pre-book a table as the queue to get in here is simply ridiculous. The food is moderate, but nothing to shout home about. The service is equally moderate. Have had far better experiences for far less. read more

Were there ever to be an investigation launched to find Belfast's Busiest Restaurant, Villa Italia would win it hands down. It has been around for years, and due to its huge popularity they don't take bookings for less than 6 people, so it's a common sight to see a lengthy queue of people waiting outside to get in. Villa Italia also has a special place in my heart, for boring (to you) sentimental reasons. First date with wife-to-be, our kids' birthdays, etc, so I can't criticise this place. Not that I'd want to anyway. If you've had to queue, it will still be worth it. Charming and rustic interior, great house wines, huge menu (not always a good thing but is here), some of the hardest-working and unflappable, yet still friendly staff you're ever likely to meet. Great value for money too. The maiale ripieno is a personal favourite. And who doesn't love meatballs, spaghetti and parmesan? You'll love this place as much as I do. read more

Villa Italia - Italian Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Phoned up at 7pm on the 20/6/15 to buy my dad a £50 gift voucher for Father's Day. I live in Scotland but know my parents love the place. This is a quote from online.... "To purchase, please call and speak to one of our management team who will be delighted to post the vouchers to an address of your choosing or alternatively you may collect from Villa Italia." Was told to call back on Monday because they were too busy and tomorrow is Father's Day so monday was better for them. Obviously he wouldn't get the voucher till next week sometime but to be told they are too busy after that cr*p on their website. That's one £50 they won't be getting read more

wow. wow.wow!! If you love pizza's come here. If you love Pasta..come here. If you love duck..try theirs. If you love fantastic service and a great dining experience...see above!! I adore Villa Italia! Its the first place my boyfriend took me for a meal in this city and it was fantastic! I cannot recommend the Brushetta enough! Divine! The food is always good and the portions are more than adequate! And talk about a busy place! They offer seating on three levels also catering for big groups and whether one floor is full or it's all three the staff never falter in their high standards! The decor is uber Italian and its quite romantic in a way as well. They don't take bookings because frankly they don't need to so more often than not you'll find yourself in a queue but don't let that put you off or you'll certainly be missing out! read more

Villa Italia - Italian Near Me - Belfast, BFS

Villa Italia, whilst not exactly the most sophisticated establishment in Belfast, is certainly a favourite amongst locals. There are always massive queues sprawling down the street, mostly young people and couples. I was here last Valentine's day to meet some of my friends who had travelled up to Belfast for the weekend. They were having a pre-gig dinner before we headed down the road to The Speakeasy. I joined them late and ordered a bowl of Tortellini Con Salvia which consists of spinach & ricotta tortellini tossed in a cream sauce with ham, mushrooms & fresh sage. It came a a reasonable- £8.95. My friends also opted for paste dishes and recommended the bruschetta starter. Being Valentine's day, the place was jammers with couples, but credit where credits due, the food was served without delay. My pasta was lovely, but nothing fabulous. I travelled around Italy last summer (oh how I wish I could afford that holiday this year! Bloody recession!) so I'd like to think I know a bit about Italian cuisine. I think it's kind of a homogenized version of Italian favourites. Great for a family meal or a no fuss date. read more

A sound comes to mind when I think Villa Italia. Mmmmmmmmmmmm I'd eat here every night! Smashing restaurant, great food and staff read more

1 terrible experience from one of my favourite restaurants, booked for 2 @ 6 30 pm arrived 5 mins early , could see empty tables couple customers waiting in front of us , no one approached us at 6 45 I called waitress to book in ,checked passports ,got table ,my starter fine , unfortunately lady I was with didn't tell me till after she had finished her pear starter that it had no blue cheese on it, her steak fine ,but I ordered green tea and guinness no problem till I ordered another guinness which came immediately but no green tea had to remind waiter about tea ,which he then brought but didn't remove old pot and cup from table so I sat them on table next to us . Very very disappointing . Sorry but 1 star tonight. read more

Villa Italia is a Belfast institution. People seem to love it and it's been going strong for decades. It's as super busy and super popular as always. I have enjoyed many a tasty pizza and pasta dish over the years within it's faux Italian, rustic setting. However, I must be missing something, because I think it's a good restaurant, but not great. I'd certainly return to dine in Villa Italia, unfortunately it's just not at the top of my list of Italian restaurants. It may have been top notch a decade or two ago with crowds queuing outside to get in - but in recent times there are just too many fine Italian restaurants out there for Villa Italia to compete with. read more

YUM YUM YUM! Lovely food, I had Goats cheese starter...nice nice Cod for main...fantastic CREPES for desert oooh la la!!! Woo Hoo!!! Is all I can say But hey!!!!!!! Dont come late and expect a seat...THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE TASTY WORM Big groups and kids galore...all friendly and they are in no hurry to boot you out unlike some read more

An extremely popular Italian restaurant it seems, right in the heart of Belfast, just down from Queens university. As other reviewers have said, it's a must if you're in the area. They cater for literally everyone; young families, older families, groups and couples young and old. As you can see, there's no targeted demographic in particular, so the place is often very full (and it's a BIG restaurant, but still cozy with really nice decor). Still, the food more than makes up for this, it's amazing they can produce such quality on such a large scale. We found the starters can be quite scant although generally tasty, the portions are small. That's probably intentional though, because the main courses do a lot more than just "fill a hole", portions are rather big! Their mains are by far their strong point, the Venezia pizza, which (unfortunately) I couldn't finish was delicious, as was the lasagne and the beef in particular. For desert I decided to try the Profiteroles which had been recommended before, but personally I found them a let down, quite tasteless pastry filled with plain cream swimming in chocolate sauce, a bit of a mess on the plate. Other deserts we had though, the chocolate orange cheesecake, chocolate cake and pear honeycomb ice cream finished off the evening well. Overall a great restaurant with (lots) of helpful staff. Noisy when full but quite good quality food considering the restaurant's size. Not exactly a 5 star, my starter and dessert could have been better, and we found it a tad on the expensive side, but definitely worth a it a try if you're in the area. One last thing to note too, you can't book a table, so don't be disappointed if you get turned away, this seems to happen quite often! read more

Pre cinema dinner in villa italia, they don't take reservations but we were seated at the bar while we waited. The food didn't disappoint, delicious garlic bread and the king prawns to start, followed by pepperoni and pineapple pizza, finished with an affogato with amaretto! read more

Villa Italia - Italian Near Me - Belfast, BFS

I ate at this cosy (no not small, it has 3 floors!) restaurant recently with my parents who inform me that Villa Italia has been consistently good for many moons, much to the culinary delights of us mere Belfastians. Before the city became such an up and coming place to be and there were far fewer restaurants available, Villa Italia was the place to go for a quality meal in nice surroundings with pleasant staff and all for a good price. I'm glad to see it still has the same ideals. The food I ate here was delicious! I had *pesce spada con finocchi* i.e. swordfish (oh! Something I've never tried before, yay!) and I was pleased to say it was beautiful. It was cooked in the most fantastic sauce, I would have drank it off my plate had manners allowed! My mum had the *spigola conca d'oro* - seabass and my dad tried the *maiale ripeno* - stuffed pork, both of which were excellently prepared, flavoured and cooked. We decided to treat ourselves to a shared dessert (mmm, yummy!) and we opted for the affogato which was mind blowing. The mix of the amaretto, espresso, biscotti and ice cream was just a perfect match. The flavours mixed deliciously and the kick off the shot was great! Our whole bill came to just under £65 which included three mains, one bottle of red wine and a half carafe of the house white (which was average, though was nicer with a few ice cubes, admittedly it was £8 and I got at least 4 glasses out of it, so no complaints) I'm always glad to see a good restaurant busy and Villa Italia certainly wasn't quiet! We were here on a lazy Sunday afternoon and the whole of the bottom floor was packed out, which is definitely a good sign. The décor around the restaurant was so charming, it did feel a little like Italy (minus the hot blooded Italian stallions!) read more

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I don't think the reviews so far have fairly reflected just how nice this place can be. Located along University Road, opposite The Globe, Villa Italia is the finest pizza establishment you are likely to find anywhere in Belfast. The location of the restaurant makes parking difficult but that is completely forgotten when you step inside. You almost feel like you are lost somewhere in Rome and you will never want to leave. The menu does not just boast a huge range of tasty pizzas. It also does many pasta and meat ball dishes, as well as some old European favourites. The meat ball dish is a bit plain so try avoid this. But if you go here and do not get a pizza it is a wasted journey. I recommend the Veneziana pizza, but really any pizza is worthy of trying. As it is a restaurant, you do not have any drink offers. There is a selection of beer and spirits, but the wine is recommended for that special Italian taste. Booking is not required which can mean you may have to wait to be seated but the food makes any wait well worth it. Once seated however, the staff is friendly and the food is served quickly and to the highest standard. Try the profiteroles for dessert if you have the room. Absolutely divine. Pizzas cost £8.95 whilst other meals range between £6.95 - £18.95. A perfect place for friends or to treat that someone special. read more

Villa Italia - Italian Near Me - Belfast, BFS

I think I'm missing something with Villa Italia. Sure it's nice enough, and it's always great to have an old faithful you can go back to, but there's really nothing too exciting about the place to be honest. Maybe years ago, when it first opened and Belfast wasn't well served for restaurants, it was special, but not now, surely. Like it's relatives Scalini and Speranza, it's actually pretty good if you've got a group. Italian food is always the easiest when there are big numbers if you ask me. It's also not too expensive, so you can have a decent meal at a decent price. I just feel like there's not much to get excited about. There are plenty of restaurants that will serve you better food for not much more cash. And you won't have to queue. read more

"Villa Italia has over 300 seats and been well established on the South side of Belfast in the bustling University area since 1998. A listed Georgian building, its success as one of Belfast's most popular eateries, continues to grow, and is obvious by the queues which form on a regular basis outside the door every weekend rain, hail or snow! While sitting under trellises of succulent grapes, surrounded by murals of Italian countryside, terracotta tiles, the subtle smell of garlic in the air and even Italian speaking waiters amongst our staff, one cannot help but feel transported to La Bella Italia itself! " Above is the website blurb and if I were you I wouldn't believe all you read (other than what I write). Just like the likes of Speranza and Scalini's this is a pretty bog-standard Italian restaurant. I've never had a bad experience here but I've never raved about it after either. The prices are ok, but there really is no reason why you wouldn't just go to Pizza Express. read more

I went here with my family, 5 adults and a baby, about 1 yr old at the time, the girl that served us was so accommodating, she took time to talk to my baby niece, keeping her entertained, she brought her a baby size portion of spaghetti bolognese whilst we waited for out meals, the staff checked that everything was OK, made sure we had drinks and anything else we needed. The girl that served us brought my niece a bowl of ice cream over also. She could not have been nicer, best customer service ever. Loved it. read more

Villa Italia - That face when you've ate so much spag bol but just don't want to stop because it just tastes so good - Italian Near Me - Belfast, BFS

I've been going here for several years (about 10 years now) and never had a single problem. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. The service is impeccable, the food is amazing (try the pasta with chicken, cheese and tomato sauce) and it actually LOOKS like a real italian restaurant inside. The prices are very very reasonable too. Only problem being is that you can't book, you have to queue. And it can get VERY busy. But well worth the wait. Try and sit upstairs, the ceiling is awesome!! read more

Awsome Place！ The best appetizer I have ever had in UK! The price is reasonable. Highly recommend! They don't take reservation, so you definitely have to queue if you come after 5:30 especially in weekend. Trust me, they are worthy of the wait! read more

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Famous Belfast restaurant The waiting staff are always friendly & helpful . Great menu that is has many of the Villa classics and the odd new thing. The thing about Villa is that you know what you will get and that it will generally be good. Recommended read more

We were in Belfast July 11-13 and as a result very few restaurants were open in comparison to the usual, so we were happy to have this place recommended to us by the front desk clerk at our hotel. We had excellent, prompt service in a beautiful atmosphere and wonderful, flavourful food. Highly recommend for an amazing meal. read more

Villa Italia - Fried Brie appetizer - Italian Near Me - Belfast, BFS

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Let me start by saying that this place is excellent. I've been there many times and I've NEVER been disappointed. Yes, if you go there any time from 7p.m. on a Saturday evening, you are virtually guaranteed to be queueing. (unless there are 8 or more of you, in which case you can make a reservation). Some Saturdays you'll queue for longer than others, but I'd be amazed if you had to wait anywhere approaching an hour. The restaurant can seat around 300 diners, so that in itself tells you it must be amazing! Where else in Belfast would have 300 people dining with another 60 or 70 standing at the door, every Saturday night?! I'm not necessarily saying that that in itself justifies standing in a queue for 20 or 30 minutes - that depends on how much you can tolerate a queue. Personally, I'd be prepared to stand in a queue for about a quarter of the time I expect the duration of my visit to last, so if I get to a restaurant and reckon that I'll only be queueing for 15 minutes or so, I'll happily hang about - especially if it's a place where I know I won't be disappointed. Anyway, the food is great, and the service is always good, even at peak times. Obviously, it's primarily an Italian restaurant, but it does have variations to the menu on a regular basis. I'd usually be one for the lasagne or spaghetti in here, but I did have medallion of pork fillet one time, which was delicious. I don't think you can argue with the prices either - lasagne with a side order for just over £9? Very reasonable for the city-centre (especially as I never know whether to eat it or climb it - the portion is huge!). Follow this with a Chocolate Nut Sundae for dessert and you will not be disappointed! Starters are all under £5, loads of main courses for £9-£11, desserts all under £5. read more

Even mid week during the holiday season a visit to Vila Italia still involves a short wait in a queue. The food is a pretty safe bet, I had a good tasty portion of Pennette Marcantonio with a creamy sauce involved chicken, sun dried tomatoes and pepperoni. The others contentedly consumed rib eye steak and whiskey sauce and linguine with mussels, finishing with uddings of glorious fresh chocolate fudge cake with a warm sauce and pecan tart gave cheerful end to the meal. I'd recommend it for eating out with children and teenagers. Majolica tiles, trompe d'oeil Roman scenes and carved gilt effect works well for the Italian ambience. Just one thing - for me, a bowl of pasta isn't complete without parmesan cheese and black pepper, so if the staff would give one more second to let us make that request before you dash off the next order then the service would be perfect. read more

Very nice Italian restaurant with nice interior designs. The food was nice, but not amazing. The bill for two came to around £30 so I can't complain. read more

Villa Italia has good atmosphere and good food. The service is a bit haphazard, but for Belfast it is a nice place to go out and eat. The prices are not exceptional, so I do not go here often, but they serve a very decent fare otherwise. Normally I would give only three stars for such an establishment but as they serve gluten free pasta as a substitute for all their pasta dishes at no charge, I give them four stars. read more

Another of my favourite restaurants. Very friendly atmosphere and good food and wine. Although the service is a little slow it's well worth the wait as the food is well prepared, the portions are generous and there is plenty of variety in the menu. Parties of 6 or more can book, but any less than 6 have to queue for a table which is a bit disappointing. read more

An oldie but a goodie! Been here many times and the experience always rates between medium to good. Part of the fun is the whole experience...queuing in the rain, the wait inside for the table, the mock Roman décor, the cheap but palatable house wine, the tables packed with shouting groups, the pleasant surprise when the bill comes. I know this certainly isn't the apex of Italian food but there is uniqueness and certain atmosphere to this place. Throw in the very reasonable prices...eg. Their famous huge Calzone for less than £9, and its easy to have a fun night here. No booking however but you can still roll up in a group of 15 and get seated reasonably sharpish unlike most places in Belfast mid-week or otherwise. Pros: Cheap, fun, unpretentious. Cons: Staff can be a little inexperienced. read more

Villa Italia is a reliable choice for good, basic Italian food and pizzas and I've always enjoyed any meals I've had here. It tends to have a great buzz and atmosphere which makes it a great spot to start a night out! read more

This is a lovely little restaurant with a great atmosphere. Its very laid back, and not pretentious despite its popularity. The menu is huge and its great value for money. I love the pizzas, they are huge so reccomend you share one with someone and get some sides. The only downside is that it can get quite busy, and as you can't book tables you may end up queuing outside in the rain on a friday night waiting for a table. read more

i love this place the food is to die for! It can be very busy but ive been to many birthday/hen night dinners here always a great place to go for a lovely meal out. read more

My goodness this is by far my favourite restaurant. Love Italian food and everything tastes delicious

I have been here a few times with family and also with friends. The food is very nice. I always go for the salmon dish which consists of grilled salmon with mayonnaise. The mayonnaise sauce doesnt go too well with the salmon and the latest time I went there, the salmon skin was burnt. This was unfortunate as the crispy skin is my favourite bit! read more

Good, reliable Italian food! Will never get a bad meal, though I would never say a great one either.