Paolo's Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in Hertsmere

For the people that like quick short reviews then Paolo’s Italian Kitchen is simply amazing. Don’t think about going, just go, you wont be disappointed. Easiest 10/10 review I could ever give. For those that like a more detailed review read on….

Well, it took way longer than it should have but we finally got the chance to go to Paolo’s Italian Kitchen and we were simply blown away with how good it was. This was the restaurant of choice for our 18th Wedding Anniversary and I can confirm that it was an outstanding choice. A good review should explain why it was so good so I will do my best to share accordingly.

Firstly we were welcomed at the door by the host who was very polite and showed us to our table. This was a cosy booth suitable for 4 people so it was very spacious and very comfortable for the 2 of us. The staff were very helpful and polite throughout our visit and tended to our every need as you would expect. It has to be said that feels like a lovely place to be and suited our celebration perfectly.

So, onto the food… OMG it was exceptional!!! If you were to ask me if I’ve ever had a better meal I would be extremely hard pressed to think of somewhere that was better …or even as good for that matter.

For starters we both chose Bruschetta which is toasted garlic bread, vine tomatoes, fresh basil & balsamic reduction. This was a lovely starter which was full of flavour and presented beautifully. This was such a good choice because it set the taste buds off nicely and was a light dish allowing plenty of compacity for the mains (and at that point hopefully a desert).

For me I chose the “BISTECCA DI COSTATA AL PEPE VERDE” which is ribeye steak (Cooked Medium rare), green peppercorn sauce, crispy onions, truffle & parmesan fries. The steak was cooked to absolute perfection and on the first mouthful made me close my eyes and savour the flavour, yes this sounds like an over the top description but an honest accurate one lol. The big surprise me was the fries, in my experience fries are just fries aren’t they?? Well I learnt this is not the case as these were the business! If you’ve never had truffle & parmesan fries then its worth the visit alone just to try them, my mouth is watering now writing this.

My wife chose “SPAGHETTI AI GAMBERONI” which is tiger prawns, cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilli, san marzano tomato sauce. She said that the Prawns were huge and the dish was “absolutely lovely”. My wife isn’t one for in depth descriptions so trust me that’s a big compliment.

Finally the desserts. We didn’t really need a dessert but why wouldn’t you when the food has been so enjoyable… so we did. I chose “BROWNIE AL CIOCCOLATO” which is chocolate brownie and salted caramel ice cream and my wife chose “TORTA DI FORMAGGIO” which was which was Sicilian lemon & Mascarpone baked cheesecake with a whipped pistachio cream (Cheesecake of the week). The theme of this review doesn’t change with the desserts, they were simply epic and a prefect conclusion to a wonderful meal. Like the rest of the meal, beautifully presented and utterly mouth-watering.

After we had finished our meal we relaxed for a while and enjoyed another drink before we left. We also had the pleasure of speaking to Paolo himself who paid a visit to our table (as well as others) and asked if we had enjoyed our food and had a nice evening. If I was to describe Paolo I would say he is a larger than life loveable character who is passionate about what he does. He clearly has a wealth of experience and it shows with his exceptional food which is why I felt the need to take the time to write what I hope is a decent review for the experience we had.

So to conclude, if you haven’t guessed already we will absolutely be returning without question!! If you are asking yourself the question “Shall we give it a try” then you really should give Paolo’s the chance to impress you, I’m convinced you will love it.

Finally, Thank you so much Paolo, see...

I reluctantly write this review but feel it completely fitting to my experience. I've visited before and had a truly wonderful experience; I had no hesitation in re-booking (via telephone not online) for two more evenings well in advance. I arrived at 7pm and was advised that the table would be required back by 9pm, I advised that this is not really enough time and that I was not told of this on the phone so the waiter said not to worry, he would shuffle the tables around and we could stay for the evening as I had planned. There were some people in the booth behind us that he said would be finished so they would use their table. I confirmed my next booking and he made a note that we would require the table for the evening. The food was splendid, we all had starters, drinks and mains and asked for the dessert menu. As soon as we were given the dessert menu we were advised to vacate our table, utterly shocked I tried to explain that I had confirmed that the table was ours for the evening. The manager would not let me explain that I had already had this conversation and then said we could have 10 extra minutes, we decided against this, I was so embarrassed as I had been raving about the restaurant for so long. We had to request that the service charge be taken from the bill. I also noted that the party were on their dessert so would have been finished as we were yet to have dessert or coffee. Apparently, you are only allowed a 2 hour slot if you book online, but, I booked over the telephone and was not advised of this and also had the conversation when I first arrived. I am humiliated by the whole experience and sadly, will not be returning as I received very poor customer service,...

Worth the full read – trust me, it’ll benefit you! I had a bittersweet experience at this restaurant last night.

The food was actually quite good — especially the aubergine parmigiana, which was delicious. Our pasta mains were nice too.

However, the service was very poor from both waiters.

First, the wrong order was brought to our table — though one waiter did apologise. Having said that, we had to prompt them that the dish is incorrect!

Then, our table wasn’t cleared after starters, even though it was obviously full. I had to make eye contact (no response) and eventually ask them to clear it.

My empty glass wasn’t taken away, and no one asked if we wanted more drinks. They left my friends empty glass on the table too.

I ordered pasta with extra chicken, but the waiter forgot to add it. When I mentioned it, he just said “sorry” and walked off. He said ask if i want more. Didnt check in on me after. The chef kindly brought some chicken later, but he thought it was to add into the pasta — clearly, the waiter hadn’t passed on the message that I’d already finished! Chef was lovely to be honest.

To top it off, when I placed my napkin in my empty main course plate, the waiter told me, “Next time, don’t leave it in the plate,” which was frankly rude and embarrassing. I thought to myself that there wont be a next time!

Also, this is miniscule but they didnt have a candle on our table when every other table had one.

I understand it was a busy night, but that’s no excuse. Food: pretty good. Service and...