ILONA pasta — Restaurant in Napier

I have so many good things to say about this little place. Amazing! Wow! Incredible food! The chef is a genius 👌 I came to eat 1 or 2 courses and ended up having 3.

Started with the calamari, and it was cooked perfectly. With a beautiful texture and a sauce that was divine. Squeeze the fresh lemon and make sure to eat the other lemons with the squid. Trust me! It really set the tone for the rest of the dishes to come. I'm sorry I loved it so much, I forgot to take a picture.

I had the pork belly fettuccine in a creamy mushroom sauce, and it was so incredible that I had to stop myself from licking the plate. Home-made pasta! In-house fresh micro greens and an eye for presentation, this dish looked and tasted amazing! 😋 I'm salivating now just thinking about how good it was. Incredible!

My date had the seafood spaghetti with prawns, calamari, and mussels in a tomato sauce topped with fish roe. It had fresh basil and parsley from their selection of herbs growing in pots right there in the restaurant. It was mighty impressive, and the taste was out of this world. Believe me when I say as I'm writing this, it's making me hungry again.

Because all of these dishes had been home runs the whole way, I HAD to try the deserts. So, we tucked into the creme brulée. It came with the most delicious feijoa sorbet. It was a frist for me trying feijoa fruits, and this sorbet made all other sorbets second rate. Again, the chef is an absolute passionate genius, and you can taste it in the food.

Don't be afraid of the decorating or the setting because all the talent is exactly where you want it..... in the food and the service. 1 million per cent recommended if you want the best pasta you've ever...

Walk out of this little gem of a restraunt very happy. Cozy and cute dining area, feels pretty special.

Burrata salad 7.6/10 More like buffalo mozzeralla, wasn't as soft like a burrata. Was nice with the garlic bread and tomato.

Pork belly fettucine 9.4/10 I can see why this is one of the two popular dishes they serve. Sensational. Beautiful truffle through the mushroom sauce along with chopped pork through out the dish. The roast pork belly on top is such a good touch too. Must try.

Bestie is back 9.2/10 Another solid plate of italian food. Considerable amount of bacon and mushrooms, creamy sauce goes well with the chicken.

Tiramisu 9.7/10 Man, ive had a few tiramisu in my.life but this in house made one is the best. Right balance of creaminess and coffee. Absolute banger. Loved everthing about it.

Creme brulee 9.6/10 Was nice enough to swap the sorbet side with a vanilla ice cream side which was great. Well executed and had the perfect top to crack.

Overall has to be one of the best places in Napier, walked out feeling so good. Recommended...

Absolutely in love with this place. I have been four times now and have had the lasagna each time, it’s incredibly good. Melts in your mouth, cooked to perfection, an impressive portion for the price and I can barely finish the dish by the end of my night. It is such a delight to have and the atmosphere is lovely and cozy, the only negative I would say is sometimes they are busy so could take a little longer. That negative is barely noticeable because of the lovely staff who make sure you’re happy and have your food at an acceptable time. I would also like to say I got the nachos for the first time and my partner absolutely loved them as well as I did, such a well seasoned chip, a great way to deal with food scraps, an incredibly delicious sauce with fresh vegetables and a punch of flavour. It was an overall 10/10 experience and my...