A little on the spendy side, but well worth it if you want a great Italian meal. I've walked past…read morethis place dozens of times, but it wasn't until I had a craving for it that I decided to give it a try. They probably don't get a whole lot of walk-in traffic because it's down a long alleyway between Oxford Road and the Hexagon Theatre. Welcomed warmly by the (manager? owner?), I was brought to a table with a lovely view of the restaurant and the massive wine racks. But wine wasn't what I wanted today and I went with a pint of Italian Peroni beer. When it was delivered, the manager started to tell me about the specials when I interrupted him. The starter he mentioned - thin sliced parma ham with melon and fresh figs - sounded so appealing that I knew I had to have it. And when he started listing the mains, it was the scalloped veal that caught my attention. The ham was fantastic. Simply amazing. With the sweet melon and the soft figs, I cleared my plate down the glaxing. And the veal! OMG, so much garlic and so much flavor. I was tearing off pieces of bread and chasing the last few bits around the plate to get all of it. Simply heavenly. An excellent, excellent meal. If you're looking for a romantic date night or perhaps entertaining business colleagues, Pepe Sale is the place for you. Truly magnificent!

This Sardinian restaurant is one that I passed last time I was in Reading, but I judged the book by…read moreits cover and decided to pass since it was located in a semi sketch "alley" and nobody was in the restaurant. Well this time around our host planned a group dinner there and had good things to say about the restaurant. There were 11 of us and we were immediately seated when we arrived. The waters came right away and throughout the evening our servers were very attentive. I started with the antipasti plate that had meats and cheese and it was really good. For my main I ordered the chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with mozzarella and it was amazing. The chicken was juicy and full of flavor. The food was great and all my colleagues enjoyed their meals as well. The only annoying thing was that the server kept correcting our pronunciation of every menu item. None of us tried to pretend we were Italian and did our best to pronounce it, but he was kind of being a jerk in his reprimanding of our poor language. But even with that annoyance, I'd go back when I'm in Reading.

A lovely place to eat in Caversham. I highly recommend it…read more There are a lot of places to eat in Caversham and lots of food choices that you could make but, if you get the chance I would highly recommend that you try this restaurant. It is located on the west side of Prospect Street just north of the Caversham Bridge. It is right off the street with a very nice glass window storefront. I walked in without reservations and was able to get a table early one afternoon. I am fairly certain that this was a fluke since the entire place was full not 30 minutes after we sat down. All this is to say, I would recommend calling and making reservations before you visit. You are greeted by a hostess who takes you to your table. The interior has wood floors, tables and chairs, and brick walls. It has a very nice, bright, and clean look to it. The tables are a mix of small and large tables in 3 areas. We were greeted and seated quickly. The menu has many Italian choices. I tried the Fettucini dish and a cider. The food arrived quickly, was a large portion, and was delicious. The waitress was very helpful and efficient. Overall, this was a lovely find for a wonderful dinner in Caversham. I highly recommend it but make reservations ahead of time. Enjoy.

Absolutely amazing meal. Spent a lot of time in Italy and I can say it's better than a lot of…read moreplaces I've been to there. Such friendly and swift service and the host was extremely welcoming and kind! We will be back very soon. Easily the best restaurant in Reading

Not sure how many times I have walked by this place, but it's on my list for a second visit…read more Classified as a pub, but should be classified as a Mediterranean restaurant as well. Restaurant is upstairs from the pub. Pleasantly surprised by the decor. Good selection of Italian and Greek options. Our waitress was extremely nice and helped me make a tough decision on my main course. I had the veal escalope with tomato sauce and mozzarella. Was done quite well. My girlfriend had the tortellini and it was excellent.

Il Gusto is one of the best italian restaurants I have been to in the UK…read more they serve authentic italian pasta that is cooked to perfection :ie al dente. I had the salmon pasta, with creamy sauce and salmon bits and it was as good as the one i ate at a famous restaurant in Italy. the interior of the restaurant is also a plus point as it looks like an old cottage and the upper floor dining are is just really nice. They have an excellent selection of wine, and the waitress is very attentive, making sure that we are settled and enjoying our meal. Highly recommended. It is also family and children friendly, so excellent for a family night out.

I haven't been here in a while but was just thinking about this place so I thought I'd look it up…read moreand here I am writing a review because I liked it so much. This is some of the best Italian food I've had. If you're ever in Wokingham or nearby, do yourself a favor and try this place out.

This is the best restaurant that I have visited. The…read moreservice, atmosphere and food was excellent. First we were offered some bruschetta and a bottle of red wine. For starters we went for lobster salad and mozzarella carrozza. Both were perfect, the lobster salad was excellent, and both portions were a good decent size. For main course my wife had chicken, ham and asparagus. I went for veal saltimbocca. Both portions were cooked to perfection and served with baby potatoes and a selection of vegetables. The menu had a good selection of veal, chicken , seafood, beef and pasta dishes. Everything looked really good. The meal was finished off with coffee and cannoli/ strawberry cheesecake. A new favourite restaurant for me

I have been treated very unprofessionnally in this restaurant, and I will not step foot in there…read moreagain. I politely said to the manager that my dish had a strange smell (the meat seemed off), and not only he didn't accept it, but he made me feel really bad. Plus, at the end, he charged us the full price even if I returned it after having 2 bites. We didn't accept to pay of course and he got really crossed!!! There are many ok italian restaurants to chose from in Reading, so you are better off going somewhere else...

this is a nice restaurant in reading with a very convenient location If you are looking place to…read morehave coffee and do not like overpriced coffee chains, then give Dolce Vita a try. their expresso based drinks are excellent and the service was good. They also have a very good selection of cold drinks and cakes and nibbles, which is great if you have children in tow. Their service was great and they warmed up my baby milk for my friend without too much fuss, unlike some other coffee shops. The waiter was really helpful and the ambience was good.

Great range of pizza, pasta and other Italian-style dishes. Homemade lemonade is just delicious!!…read moreThe food is somewhat pricey, but it's definitely of high quality. For those looking to save- they usually have a 25% offer during certain times, plus there is a lunch-time menu. However, you have to go to their site to know about it, as you are just given a regular menu. Service is usually quick and super-friendly, and they had a nice heating on during the winter ;)

I pass by this restaurant all the time. I have avoided it because for some reason I allow myself…read moreto go to other chain restaurants every now and then, but this one didn't make the cut (partly because I have a thing against paying to eat pasta in a restaurant unless it's going to be really good). I will be the first to admit I made a mistake. The decor is great, the wait staff are friendly and the ambiance is buzzing. We had some bruschetta capra to start (olive, tomato, cheese, oil, vinegar) and a few Peroni Gran Reserva. Excellent! I had the ravioli marittimo and my girlfriend had a caprina pizza. My ravioli was alright (reason for the 4), but the pizza was great. Cooked well, great flavor. We'll be back for the pizza, bruschetta and peroni!

Great Pizza and a lovely bloke who runs the place.read more

Terrible place, very old and very dirty. The toilet is full…read moreof dirty. The food is nice but when you arrive and check the restaurant you think. take out please? The owner/cook is not too bad quite submissively. During the week the stuff is Italian I believe, you can feel their love for the food and is more genuine than other Italian restaurants.

This was a wonderful find that resulted in a truly delightful experience. It is always interesting…read morewhen traveling to explore local restaurants and to find a true gem like this is exceptional. From the get-go when we entered the restaurant, we were welcomed and the staff was very attentive. They change their menu up often and there were several good options. Being low carb boy, I was looking at the choices, but after our waiter detailed their signature veal dish, we were hooked. It was outstanding and really blew our minds. True meaty goodness that was one of the most phenomenal things I have had in a long time. We are tempted to return just to have that dish again. It is a ball of veal stuffed with ham, Italian sausage and fontina cheese. It is covered in a peppercorn sauce that was incredibly yummy. I cannot recommend this dish more. Truly worth the trip to try. We tend to avoid sugar, but, it was a very special evening, so we tried the Eton Mess and were not disappointed. Not too sweet, with strawberries and blueberries immersed in rich, heavy cream that has roasted almonds and pieces of meringues. I am sure it blew my carb count for the day. I look forward to my return and encourage you to check it out.

This is a fantastic restaurant. I have been here 3 times and had new things everytime (not…read moresomething I do often). The menu is amazingly varied with choices for any taste. There are good vegetarian choices, but plently of good meat dishes. Some of the meals are quite unusual: I have had Venison and Rabbit there. The meals are not cheap (roughly £12-15 per main meal) but I can honestly say they are worth every penny, so worth a special trip. The atmosphere is quiet and cosy; perfect for a romantic dinner. Although I am sure they could cope with bigger groups, they didn't seem to be set up for it so you may need to book ahead. If there are just 2 you should be find without booking on a week night, but I wouldn't risk it on the weekend. The staff are friendly and attentive and will make recommendations from the menu if you want. The wine list is extensive and (althought I am not a wine expert) seemed good. I have always been happy with my choice.

We went there for a birthday celebration and had a company of 20. We were very well taken care of,…read morethe staff were attentive despite our indecisiveness and the busyness of the place on that night. The food was good, the pizzas were not thick and one pizza per person was definitely filling. The pastas were huge, definitely worth the money paid. To top it off, we could use a discount voucher (they constantly updated their website for these vouchers) and we only paid a meagre sum per person although we had much to eat and drink. The ambience was fantastic as well. If there was no large crowds like us, the place would be fantastic for a dinner date.

I had a terrible time last time I was there…read more The fire alarm was going off for at least 30 minutes (it had broken apparently), so you couldn't hear yourself think. Noone came to apologise or anything in that time, just ignored us. When we did get our food (about an hour after we arrived) mine was cold, so I politely sent it (with some salad now on the side) back. And - you've guessed it - they microwaved the whole lot!!! Including my salad! When I said something, they just shrugged and walked off leaving me with it. Noone came to see us, so we just paid and left without finishing our meal. I wish I'd persevered and complained more at the time. Will probably give it another chance at some point as it might have been a one-off but nervous

Great new healthy Italian take away. A must to try as very quick to serve as its all cooked fresh…read morewith polite helpful staff.