Italian restaurants in Limerick

breakfast roll

Ne ideas for the best authentic Italian restaurant in Limerick city centre? I've heard La Piccola is good? Any other thumbs up for it?

Melion

La Piccola is very nice, a bit pricey though.

h3000

Melion wrote: »

La Piccola is very nice, a bit pricey though.

I think this place is over rated, been there a few times and never taught much of it.
Never really liked Bella Italia either.


I used really like San Lorenzo's but it closed about 2 years back. I don't know of any decent Italian places in Limerick anymore.

Mc Love

La Piccola/ Piccola Italia (right next to each other) would be the best in Italian dining in the city. Just outside the city in Castletroy La Cucina are the best Italian Deli

Is_mise_mimi

La cucina is gorgeous out by Castletroy, also love Tuscany which is over by Synotts!

breakfast roll

Mc Love wrote: »

La Piccola/ Piccola Italia (right next to each other) would be the best in Italian dining in the city. Just outside the city in Castletroy La Cucina are the best Italian Deli

wats the difference withe La Piccola and Piccola Italia? which ones nicer :P

Raiser

breakfast roll wrote: »

wats the difference withe La Piccola and Piccola Italia? which ones nicer :P

Prices and atmosphere - If People pay that bit more for their main course then they will feel entitled to give you shítty looks if your Child makes a sound or you laugh at a joke etc.

Mc Love

breakfast roll wrote: »

wats the difference withe La Piccola and Piccola Italia? which ones nicer :P

One is a pizzeria restaurant and the other specialises in Italian Dining. They are both beside each other and owned by the same family.

munstergirl

Pizza is like real italian pizza, i like it 10 out of 10.

hightower1

La Picola is a hole of a restaurant, the decor is circa 1980's, the place is incredibly cramped and the staff are ignorant to the extent one was walking around muttering swears under her breath every time she left the kitchen.

will never be going back there again.... if your looking for actual decent Italian food for take out only though go to papa gino's across from flanerys by arthurs quay. He's proper old school italian, is cheap as chips, has a proper gas fired stone oven and I will hand on heart say its te very best pizza ever.

Genuine meats on this, no pools of oil you get with apache or dominos and is far healthier as a result. Try it and I absolutely promise you will love it.

Mc Love

hightower1 wrote: »

La Picola is a hole of a restaurant, the decor is circa 1980's, the place is incredibly cramped and the staff are ignorant to the extent one was walking around muttering swears under her breath every time she left the kitchen.

Thats a bit harsh. Everyone I know that has been there has loved it. Its in a basement of course its going to be pretty cramped. Same can be said for the Market square.

You either love it or hate and clearly you hate it.

SuperWoody101

Mc Love wrote: »

Thats a bit harsh. Everyone I know that has been there has loved it. Its in a basement of course its going to be pretty cramped. Same can be said for the Market square.

You either love it or hate and clearly you hate it.

I agree, I never had a problem with the food or the staff, both very good IMO.

Raiser

If I was ever to open a Business I reckon Italian Restaurants have it made - I saw into the Kitchen of one Establishment that has been mentioned on this thread once while waiting for a takeaway and it was literally a line of 15 very large pots of various Sauces etc. sitting there on the cooker top waiting to have their contents dumped in handy portions on whatever pasta was required.

- I'd say the Chef worked 9am-11.30am and then went fishing all day, genius stuff

Stan the man

Today morning, Thomas Street:







http://bocktherobber.com/2010/01/bella-italia-bistro-limerick

I recommend:)

Mc Love

Had lunch there yesterday. Get their lasagne - was unreal! Other Half had pasta al pesto and chicken - tried it and wish I had gotten it, that it tasted so good

Stan the man

^^

I'll go on Saturday (alone!:(). In the evening relationship, and scanned menu.

Mascarpone

hightower1 wrote: »

La Picola is a hole of a restaurant, the decor is circa 1980's, the place is incredibly cramped and the staff are ignorant to the extent one was walking around muttering swears under her breath every time she left the kitchen.

will never be going back there again.... if your looking for actual decent Italian food for take out only though go to papa gino's across from flanerys by arthurs quay. He's proper old school italian, is cheap as chips, has a proper gas fired stone oven and I will hand on heart say its te very best pizza ever.

Genuine meats on this, no pools of oil you get with apache or dominos and is far healthier as a result. Try it and I absolutely promise you will love it.

Sorry to everyone else but i have to agree with this. Food is beautiful but the staff are incredibly ignorant and for that reason i will not be going there again ever

Raiser

Stan the man wrote: »

^^

I'll go on Saturday (alone!:(). In the evening relationship, and scanned menu.

Why would you be going alone Stanley?

Stan the man wrote: »

Oh Scarlett! I got to meet you. Very good picture. Well water is "calm". Wonderful!

Scarlett68 wrote: »

Hey Stan..... we could always do a photowalk together sometime!

Stan the man

^^Hehe!

I felt, I knew that you write. I wrote "PM" to Scarlett two days ago.:D

Battleflag

One of the owners of La Cucina has a great Italian blog - so if you don't want to cash out in the restaurant you try some of her unbelievable recepies

http://italianfoodies.ie/

food porn!

Stan the man

Stan the man wrote: »

Today morning, Thomas Street:

I was there.:D

Not on Saturday, but on Wednesday. I ate a delicious spaghetti and meat balls. They also have good coffee. Nice service. It seems that the two ladies are from Italy!:)

What could be the best advertisement? The fact that the restaurant had customers all the time. Some finished, others just started. I promised the menu.:) This is a different menu. Meals in restaurants are other similar menu.









www.bellaitalia.ie


I greet and recommend.

Aidric

Big fan of Bella Italia here. Reasonably priced food with good efficient service. The food itself has always been faultless.

breakfast roll

So I went to Piccola during the weekend on a weekend trip down to Limerick and have to totally agree with most of the comments made, the staff are so rude and ignorant, especially the italian woman with long hair !! I may be wrong, but I'd say she owned the place, and would it hurt to be smile to customers or at least be nice to them?! all the other waitresses acted as if they couldn't care less about smiling either !

food was nice but I wouldn't say is the best Italian around. would not go back again for that crap service!

Limerick91

I agree with the comments regarding the rude staff at La Picola.

As for Bella Italia I was there last Friday night and they did not sell wine by the glass. The only option was the "muck" that is 1/4 bottles of wine. The better half was not impressed.
Bad form a restaurant not selling wine by the glass

Aidric

Bit surprised by the comments about La Piccola. I never experienced hostility in there and I've been a few times. Last Christmas at our work party they couldn't have been any nicer. Two free rounds of sambuca at the end of the night and all.

Sixaside

Have to agree with some of the negative comments about La Piccola. Used to go there a good bit but found that the attitude of the staff took a turn for the worse over the last few years. Particularly in the restaurant and to a lesser extent in the Pizzeria.

We stopped going there about a year ago but returned a fortnight ago only to find that nothing has changed. Too many issues to go into here. Been trip advised though! It's a pity because the food there is excellent in general. Stuffed mushrooms... mmmmmm.....

Pity I won't be having them again.

Wonder if there are any threads on boards where receipes for people's fav restaurant dishes are posted?

Mc Love

Was in La Piccola at the weekend. Some posters on here must be really picky or finnicky, because I couldnt see anything wrong with the staff. They were very good and even shared a joke with me and my partner. Food was outstanding as always

Raiser

Mc Love wrote: »

Was in La Piccola at the weekend. Some posters on here must be really picky or finnicky, because I couldnt see anything wrong with the staff. They were very good and even shared a joke with me and my partner. Food was outstanding as always

Going by all the previous negative sentiment is it possible they were laughing at you?

Mc Love

Raiser wrote: »

Going by all the previous negative sentiment is it possible they were laughing at you?

No, i was telling them about all the saddo's that come on here and complain, and they are still a successful business which has been in business for over 20 years

pwd

Mc Love wrote: »

No, i was telling them about all the saddo's that come on here and complain, and they are still a successful business which has been in business for over 20 years

nice comeback

brianon

+1 for Tuscany (Castletroy, near Synotts)

Bella Italia ? Imo its crap. just imo.
Lac Cucina (?). Don't like it either.

Mc Love

brianon wrote: »

+1 for Tuscany (Castletroy, near Synotts)

Bella Italia ? Imo its crap. just imo.
Lac Cucina (?). Don't like it either.

Doesnt really matter if you dont like la Cucina, cos it won the best casual dining in Ireland

brianon

Mc Love wrote: »

Doesnt really matter if you dont like la Cucina, cos it won the best casual dining in Ireland

Seriously ? I always wondered about these 'awards' that places get. Seems they (not specifically la cucina) all are best place to eat ... "as awarded by <fill in sponsor here that may or may not involve back scratching>".

Limerick_Lass

brianon wrote: »

Seriously ? I always wondered about these 'awards' that places get. Seems they (not specifically la cucina) all are best place to eat ... "as awarded by <fill in sponsor here that may or may not involve back scratching>".

I know of a place that bought a plaque for an apparent award on the internet! True story.

Ive eaten in La Cucina a couple of times, and ya food has been great ..... BUT ....they did do a huge facebook campaign to get votes for this award!

Raiser

Big business in these Company Awards these days......

- At the end of the day you'd have to wonder why any Organisation would want to spend their times assessing Companies before awarding them "prestigious" awards out of thin air unless they were being handsomely reimbursed for their time, effort and ingenuity in inventing the whole notion in the first place.

Then you get horseshít like the below being paraded around with squeals and giggles of delight:

Well done to McCarthys Centra on Ash Street - Winner of the 2010 best Centra on a Street named after a native Irish deciduous tree Award.

FFS.

Burning Eclipse

Raiser wrote: »

Then you get horseshít like the below being paraded around with squeals and giggles of delight:

Well done to McCarthys Centra on Ash Street - Winner of the 2010 best Centra on a Street named after a native Irish deciduous tree Award.

FFS.

I laughed, because it's true

As for the thread. I have never eaten in Piccola, but have eaten in Bella Italia. Not a fan at all. Doesn't provide particularly good value and have had 2 very disappointing meals there. I got meatballs which were tasty to be fair. OH got lasagna which burnt her mouth it was so hot... on the outside! The inside was frozen solid. Another time our side order didn't arrive, then was included on the bill... Two strikes is enough, so more eating there.

La Cucina in Castletroy is lovely, but I reckon their pizza base is too salty. Overall a treat

Mollywolly

brianon wrote: »

+1 for Tuscany (Castletroy, near Synotts)

Had a bad experience at Tuscany a while ago and haven't been back since. I asked for a risotto and got rice soup with a few rubbery prawns in it and when I eventually complained (at the insistence of the husband) they couldn't see what was wrong. They grudgingly offered a replacement but as husband was halfway through his main course I declined the offer.

On the other hand, been to Bella Italia a few times and always came out a happy camper

Mc Love

brianon wrote: »

Seriously ? I always wondered about these 'awards' that places get. Seems they (not specifically la cucina) all are best place to eat ... "as awarded by <fill in sponsor here that may or may not involve back scratching>".

The 'award' they received was from Restaurant assoc of Ireland and is a fairly prestigious award beating off much of the competition from around the country. They also have bridgestone award for casual dining

Limerick_Lass wrote: »

I know of a place that bought a plaque for an apparent award on the internet! True story.

Ive eaten in La Cucina a couple of times, and ya food has been great ..... BUT ....they did do a huge facebook campaign to get votes for this award!

Their campaign was only worth 30% of the overall vote, it would always come down to the judges to decide who would win

Raiser

Mc Love wrote: »

The 'award' they received was from Restaurant assoc of Ireland and is a fairly prestigious award beating off much of the competition from around the country. They also have bridgestone award for casual dining



Their campaign was only worth 30% of the overall vote, it would always come down to the judges to decide who would win

Have you an interest McLovin?

- In the interests of transparency you should declare where your Salami is at