La Panza Reviews Summary

Ambiance and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "Thoroughly impressed by the ambiance of this Italian restaurant, which is both elegant and spacious."
• "This place is super cozy and relaxing."
• "Lovely chilled walled garden seating."
• "Such a charming little restaurant in the most random spot next to a busy road!"
• "The place is very twee and welcoming."
• "The restaurant feels run down and claustrophobic."
• "The place, atmosphere is super nice, though."
• "Absolutely lovely evening with some friends today. Super friendly staff, simple but delicious menu and a really cozy atmosphere."

Cons:

• "It's a lovely little building that has lots of character, we were sat upstairs in one of the two side rooms, our table however was propping the door and just behind us was the toilet."
• "Can't speak for the food so not given a 1 star, but the hygiene of the place is disgusting. From the moment we walked in they didn't seem to care at all about cleanliness, the place was very dirty and they sat us right by toilets upstairs which STANK."
• "It's located in the middle of two major thorough fares, no parking, passerby access only."
• "we arrived at the restaurant we had a reservation for two, the waiter received us and took us to the table. that's when the problems started it was a table for two super tight, low that didn't have room to put your legs and it was between a door, very uncomfortable!"
• "Over rated and over priced, small portions to get you to buy more food at more expence, no clarity on the wine size of glass and cost, you're setup to pay more from the start of the meal, bit sneaky when you think about it."

Service and Staff

Pros:

• "The friendly and attentive staff demonstrate a genuine commitment to both culinary excellence and the well-being of the food."
• "La Panza was warm and welcoming to 2 very tired American travelers who wandered in from the Hilton Double Tree Hotel across the street."
• "Friendly and good service."
• "The staff were super helpful and nice."
• "Staff are friendly and attentive."
• "Service was great, too, with our host being a fun, friendly and thoroughly nice guy!"
• "The staff were very friendly and everything and it definitely had the feel a proper Italian restaurant."
• "The staff were super friendly, welcome and courteous and the food was exquisite. Everyone claims to do Italian food but this is the only restaurant that I would say does the only authentic Italian food!"

Cons:

• "Staff were friendly but disorganised and forgetful."
• "Service was a bit shoddy, but I think they had a staff member walk out or something, so that's understandable."
• "A little pricey but all the money goes straight into making some absolutely delicious food and judging by how nice the staff were, paying the staff."
• "The place was under staffed, the food was okay but portions tiny, and I luckily realised I was overcharged by 23 quid just as I was walking out the door."
• "Very authentic, reasonably-priced Italian cuisine served in a quaint setting. All homemade, there is a limited menu but all of it was excellent. The Montepulciano/Sangiovese blend house red is very good value."
• "Had a very disappointing dinner here, the place was under staffed, the food was okay but portions tiny, and I luckily realised I was overcharged by 23 quid just as I was walking out the door."
• "I was expecting much more. I won't be coming back."

Food Quality and Variety

Pros:

• "The wine and cuisine are truly exceptional."
• "Mostly importantly, their food is delicious and cooked with passion!"
• "My salad was delicious 😋 scallops perfect, and the staff were nice, highchair available and decent toilets."
• "Food is delicious. Good spot for a casual daytime date."
• "Food (the most important piece of the dining out jigsaw) is AMAZING!"
• "We ate delicious food and perfect portion sizes for two courses."
• "Honestly, the best gnocchi I've ever had in my life."
• "Excellent food and service."

Cons:

• "The food was OK, the scallops with breadcrumbs was mostly breadcrumbs and drowned out any taste of scallop."
• "The calamari was slightly too oily and the squid was slightly too chewy could have done with being cooked a little longer."
• "The gnocchi duck ragu was fairly bland."
• "Food did not feel very great in all fairness."
• "It did not have that completeness and harmony of flavors that makes up excellent food."
• "I had duck gnocchi and I could reproduce the same quality dish in my kitchen with ready gnocchi bought from store and perhaps a duck sauce from supermarket as well."
• "The food was okay but nothing to shout about, the Calamari was frozen unfortunately so was chewy, the Arancini's were unfortunately also frozen so weren't the best!"
• "Foods are very delicious! I strongly recommend Burrata with Parma Ham and don’t forget to have an espresso after your meal."