I’ve been going to Alfresco since it opened. The food has stayed exceptional all that time. The staff are friendly and welcoming and the atmosphere is lovely. Would highly recommend it
A really nice place to eat. Great atmosphere, fantastic food (the pesto on my pasta dish was definitely freshly made) friendly helpful staff. All meals were reasonably priced. I would highly recommend this local restaurant.
I love this place. It is a hidden gem. Excellent food and service and if it is sunny and you get a table out the back it is like being in Italy!
My all time favourite Italian restaurant, good fresh food and most of dishes are to die for. Friendly service and stuff. Great for families, my 11 years old grandson loves it x
Velta Lilija Riekstins
+5
We found the food so good, it's a wonderful restaurant & a perfect place to celebrate a special evening. We hope to have the chance to come back again sometime.
Definitely recommend the ravioli del bosco and the pannacotta �
Great menu, great service, great atmosphere. 10/10.
My husband and I had a wonderful experience dining at this place. Went there on a sunny afternoon and sat at the back of the restaurant (with the glass roof). Lovely ambience and a lively atmosphere - this is a great place to sit back with a glass of wine.
I tried the Gnocchi Smeralda which was out of the world! The sauce is made with some soft cheese and cream and has hints of herbs like basil. The rocket leaves and ham all make for a delicious dish. My husband tried the Pollo Escalope with Spaghetti - really great and extremely filling!
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The highlight of Al Fresco is its décor that reminisces an Italian garden and can visually transport one to Italy. Its leafy decorations surrounding each table, partial glass roof and some exposed brickwork allows for an outdoor dining experience all year round. The lighting, in the evenings, is provided predominantly by lamps fixated to the ceilings and walls, contributing to the warm ambience of the restaurant. The tables’ decorations collude with such themes, with dainty flowers placed on each table, adding a touch of colour.
The menu features a wide choice of food, encompassing a variety pizzas, pastas, seafood, meat, poultry and salads, with an extensive choice for vegetarians. For starters, I would recommend the mixed platters to share. The ‘antipasto marinaio’ is perfect for seafood lovers, far more than enough to feed the suggested two to share. These platters really are the best starters on the menu, which is let down slightly by its other dishes. The funghi pan fried with garlic, for example, was a basic dish of chopped mushrooms fried in garlic and butter and was far too oily and sloppily piled on a plate.
I ordered the ‘Chicken in blue cheese and asparagus sauce’ ( which is unfortunately no longer on the updated menu). The chicken was moist, and well complemented with the creamy sauce. It was served with a side of well seasoned sautè potatoes and boiled broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, which were fairly plain and unfortunately did not live up to the chicken and potatoes.
The service could be improved slightly. Although the staff are friendly, I feel that greater attention could be paid to their customers, for example, greeting guests upon arrival in a swift and friendly manner, as opposed to leaving them to wait around for a few minutes and then vaguely guide them towards a table.
Al Fresco is always busy, being popular amongst locals, therefore booking is recommended for large groups. Its relaxed atmosphere makes it appropriate for all party types, including children and families. The dress-code is fairly informal, however, its picturesque setting makes it the kind of place that would be suitable for a special occasion. I, personally, celebrated my 21st birthday here.
Overall, I would recommend Al Fresco as an alternative to the Italian chains that are overvisited in suburban London. It is definitely one of the better Italian restaurants in the area, and its unique selling point is most definitely its décor and consequent atmosphere. The wide-ranging menu offers something for all tastes, however, some dishes are of better quality and taste than others. What lets the venue down slightly is the service, which could be improved in order to enhance customers’ experiences.
Pan-fried garlic mushrooms or calamari to start and as for the mains you're on your own because I can't decide for myself as there's lots of good food to choose from.
Staff serve with a smile and are always around to help or get you another drink. The atmosphere
is bright and outdoorsy like the name would suggest, you feel like you're dining outside in the Mediterranean. Anywhere you sit can become the best seat in the house.
Food is ok but well worth going for the atmosphere. Great staff
A great atmosphere and truly amazing food, this is a dining experience that is not easily forgotten.
We recently decided to have our end of year staff Xmas party at this restaurant and it was incredible and the whole team had a fantastic time and enjoyed the great hospitality that was on offer.
Many thanks for a fantastic night out.
The Team
Dominic Levent Solicitors
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Hi there guys,
When I was younger, my parents always used to take me to this restaurant. Maybe it was because of the relatively cheap food, the family friendly atmosphere or the surprisingly high quality food. A few years later I therefore decided to pay this restaurant, in which I had enjoyed many a meal as a child, another visit. I was not let down.
I began my meal with the Garlic and Tomato Pizza bread which was cooked to perfection, which i followed up with the Penne All'Arrabiata, which also was delectable. The food was still as fantastic as I remembered it being many years ago.
Special mention must be made of the waiters and waitresses who were friendly and talkative to not only me but those tables around me. The meals were brought to me quickly and the restaurant was overall quite clean. Yes, the restaurant was quite loud but this is to be expected due to the family centric nature of this restaurant.
This restaurant remains a quality place which serves some good grub at a respectable price which is matched with some excellent service. For a lovely lunch with the rest of the family, give Alfresco a try.
We've been there twice and every time the food was great. In this visit, they forgot about our second round of drinks but they reacted fast once we mentioned. The food is really tasty and fresh and cooked to perfection. I had the seafood platter and the liver with onion. Good size portions and good value for money. Recommend. 👍
Pleasant Italian restaurant with generous portions & great variety.
- Pollo e Pane was excellent; tasty spaghetti, & really well fried chicken.
- Antipasto Rustico had plenty to share for 2+ people.
- Deep fried gnocchi was a must try.
Went for a Sunday lunch and couldn’t fault food or service.
Great vegan options, lots of pizza options plus also vegan pasta and salad options.
I enjoyed the vegan pizza pepers olives and vegan mozzarella.
You can swap diary cheese for vegan cheese with all the pizza options.
Always a warm atmosphere, welcoming to large groups. They take reservations.
Staff and friendly and price is fair.
Have been here many times and many more times to come!
A great shame to recently learn this marvelous place has lost its lease. What were the landlords thinking!!
Excellent top-notch food with wonderful service at prices that are not than fair for the quality and quantity delivered. I can't make a favourite as the pasta and pizza choices are all ones I like ALOT!
Will be keeping an eye out for their new location and like many others will be visiting often
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November 2019 update - they've added new items to the prix fix menu so I've added a few more photos...
Original review is below
I'm a regular at Al Fresco (Whetstone , so I though I should write a review of the restaurant that I visit more than any other, (well, it's less than 100 yards from my flat and I don't like cooking!) - as this is my regular restaurant, this review is a little longer than usual... but I hope it all makes sense.
Al Fresco has the best Prix Fixe deal (weekdays only) in Whetstone (IMHO) - it's the best value and has the greatest time-range (eg it starts at 12pm when the restaurant opens and goes on to last entry at 6.30pm - ie as long as you are sat down my 6.30pm, you can have the fixed price menu). This menu has a soft drink (you can upgrade to wine if you want), starter and main course (with a side eg salad or polenta) all for £12.10 (eg £11 meal and £1.10 10% service). There is always a choice of 5 starters and 5 mains - the Prix Fixe menu alternates approximately every week to 10 days.
I've tried to include some photos of Prix Fixe meals I've recently had (I only took the photos as my mother wanted to know what the food was like).
My favourite prix fixe dishes are...
starters: bruschetta, calamari, tuna and bean salad
mains: roast salmon, chicken with asparagus, chicken with spinach, vegetarian pasta with aubergines & olives, (and pizza - but don't tell my GP about the pizza!)
The portions tend to be Large (whether prix fix meals or a la carte) - but they do do doggy bags (eg one of my friends can never eat more than half her pizza, so she always takes the remainder home in a box for her next day's lunch).
The owners have apparently changed recently - but the managers and staff are the same - the core staff always seem to stay for a long time, so as a regular I always get a friendly welcome.
Most of the staff (managers, waiters & cooks) are Italian but they all have a good understanding of English - many of the other lunchtime regular diners are Italian too, which I think is probably the best recommendation for any Italian restaurant.
I have a disability, and the staff almost always get to the front door of the restaurant before me to open it - I appreciate this greatly.
My sister is vegetarian with dietary issues (eg lactose intolerant diabetic) and they always manage to accommodate her needs too.
Friends who used to live in Italy (and now live somewhere else abroad) always insist we go to Al Fresco, as they say it is real Italian pizza (which they can't get where they now live) - it should be real Italian, as the pizza cook is a Real Italian!
They do delivery too (I think this is via one of the well know delivery companies) and every evening there is a queue of delivery people waiting by the pizza chef.
Mustn't forget - they have a loyalty scheme now, so you get c.5% of the value of your meal in points (these add up for a free meal later on).
The service and the food was lovely. My second visit there. If you eat fish I'd recommend the tagliatelle asparagi. It's delicious and is my go to order now! Tried my partners mushroom risotto which was also very good. Thank you Nadia and Henry for the friendly service 😊
Very generous portion of Tagliatelle Asparagi (asparagus & salmon). A good solid meal. The decor aims at rustic & familiar and achieves. It's a small treat to be offered the separate desert menu for temptation even when having lunch.
Lovely Italian restaurant. The food is excellent and the service is friendly and welcoming. Prices are very reasonable too: £8-£20 mains, the starters we ordered were around £6. Beer choice is Moretti or Peroni. Moretti is £3.50. Highly recommended!
The food is really good and price appropriate. Restaurant is extremely large and popular. Lots of big groups celebrating birthdays. Ridiculously noisy if that's OK with you-you'll love it. Personally, I want to be able to listen comfortably to my friends and be somewhere smaller and less frantic.
Good Italian restaurant. Went for a friend's 70th birthday.
A wonderful family friendly Italian - the staff are unbelievably friendly, kind and accommodating. They make sure you have everything you need and more! The food is always delicious, good sized portions and fresh. Cannot fault it, and brilliant value. Thank you for always being great!
We had a very enjoyable family get-together at Al Fresco. All the meals were great, the staff were supportive and friendly.
Was here on Sunday for lunch with some friends and I really appreciate the service and the food, Nichols who was looking after us was great with a lovely smile and very polite, she handle everything with great professional manner.
Well done Nichols and her team.
Will definitely be back
I have been going to Al Fresco for over 30 years and it never fails me. That deliciously welcoming smell hits you the minute you walk through the door. The food, the atmosphere, the service are all excellent. The rustic decor is also lovely.
Generous portions and good value for money.
Very enjoyable meal with friends on Saturday eve. As always, hearty portions at sensible money. No frills, just good honest Italian dishes that I could eat every day!
No wonder this long established restaurant is always busy....a sure sign they are doing something right to keep diners happy.
Absolutely incredible food from here. The food was delicious, service was great, atmosphere was amazing, Im from Manchester and came down here to see my Mrs, and she suggested this place, would love to try this place again :)
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