Dal Nonno — Restaurant in Mid Sussex

An Italian family run taverna style restaurant. I was ready to be charmed— I really wanted to love it… but it was a kind of slightly below average place that I wouldn’t visit again.

The menu was outdated (with tinned tuna featuring in some dishes). The place was busy and loud, which would be fine if the food was worth it, but it wasn’t. The service: average (but understandable as they were full. Still, could be a bit better).

The food was a bit disappointing. Things you should never do as an authentic Italian restaurant: 1: serve spaghetti that isn’t freshly cooked al dente. 2: serve pizza with a mostly burnt black undercarriage (I love charred pizza, but this was mostly too burnt. Too much of it was “black”black. It should not have left any self-respecting kitchen). I decided to eat the pizza instead of wait longer, I even ate the burnt bits as they were difficult to avoid. I was super hungry and somehow convinced myself that maybe this was possibly some Neopolitan thing. Upon reflection I should have 100% told them to take it back— that’s on me. But they didn’t come around to ask if everything was okay- that’s on them (even if busy, this is basic non-negotiables of customer service). Had the pizza not been burnt I’d say:

Sauce: sauce was very good. Definitely no complaints with the sauce and topping. The Base: nothing special. A bit too bready. Like someone had commented in a previous critical review— it was like good supermarket quality. But I’m here for authentic Italian grandpa’s special recipe vibes. Chewy, bubbled and crispy crust- was what I was hoping for, but this wasn’t even close.

I’m curious about all the 5 star reviews. Either they don’t know food or there just aren’t many choices around. The food was by no means terrible, it was okay, just average— could easily have been better with more care and attention in the kitchen, service and menu. I came in ready to be charmed by an Italian family run restaurant, I came out thinking it needed a Gordon Ramsey to bring out...

Since posting this review the owner of Dal Nonno has been in touch with an appology and explaining that he had issues with staff sickness that contributed to the administration error. In addition to.this we have been invited back with a generous voucher.

As you can see from my star ratings above it was only the service that was poor which under the circumstances i am now aware of is quite understandable. With this in view i am now happy to give a 5 star review for service as well as for the food and atmosphere.

Dal Nonnos remains a favourite place for us especially because Sebs Nonno was Italian.

We look forward to seeing you again for some more fantastic dinning in this genuinely Italian restaurant.

Pippa

Pippa

This has been a favourite restaurant of my son for some time now so much so he decided to have his 18th birthday family meal here. I booked the table and made it clear it was for an 18th birthday celebration this message clearly did not get the attention this special birthday deserved. 2 other customers had birthdays and a huge fuss was made. You can imagine how he felt when his special celebration was ignored/forgotten or missed. I am so upset not angry upset. I am would say we will not be back apart from the fact that usually we love this...

This was my first time visiting Dal Nonno, and I will definitely be coming back. We came here after searching for somewhere new online.

We called to book on the day we planned to visit and were told that they were fully booked at our chosen time, but could fit us in earlier. It was about half full when we turned up and filled up very quickly. I would advise anyone planning to visit to book well in advance.

The atmosphere and design of the restaurant was very Italian and was quite close to restaurants I visited in Sicily a few years back. The biggest difference was the weather outside, but there's not much anyone can do about that! The music being played was also a little bit too loud, which made it hard to hear other people on the table.

There was lots of choice on the menu, so much that it made it hard to decide what to eat. Next time I visit, I think I'll check the menu on the website so that I can make a decision before I arrive.

We all found that the meal was delicious. All three courses looked and tasted lovely. Nothing was left on our plates by the time we'd finished.

By far the best Italian restaurant outside of Italy. We...