La Pergola Restaurant — Restaurant in New Forest

I visited La Pergola on Thursday 13 June at 7.30pm, a weekday during term time. I was with two other people. This was my first visit. I used Google Maps to find the restaurant, which was easy and led me straight to the right place.

I parked in the public New Forest car park on the opposite side of the road to the restaurant, which was very large and had plenty of space. The restaurant had it's own large car park, which had a good number of car parking spaces, but it was already overflowing when we arrived. The car park was right outside the restaurant.

Upon arrival I was greeted by a member of staff who was friendly and welcoming. I had pre-booked a table to avoid any delay on arrival - I was shown straight to my table. The restaurant was a good size with plenty of tables inside and out. The tables were squeezed in to maximise space but at the same time I didn't feel uncomfortable and could move freely. Pre-booking appears absolutely essential as the restaurant was full and, speaking to our waitress, this is the norm.

The restaurant comprises of a good sized main dining area with a bar and toilets. I was well looked after by our waitress, who visited the table often enough to look after our needs and was always on hand if I needed anything. Especially considering how busy the restaurant was, we were very well looked after.

I enjoyed Mozzarella in Carrozza for my starter (mozzarella cheese wrapped with parma ham, breaded and deep fried), Pizza Romana for my main course (tomato, mozzarella, ham, pineapple and oregano) and an amazing cheesecake for my dessert. The food arrived hot, was well presented and tasted good.

What I particularly liked about my visit was the dessert selection. All of the desserts were brought out by hand so you could see what they were like and the portion sizes were very generous. All of the food was of a very high standard. I enjoyed my visit to La Pergola and would come again.

For ease of access I give La Perhaps 5 out of 5. It was easy to find the restaurant using Google Maps - parking and getting to the restaurant was simple.

For food quality I give La Pergola 5 out of 5. The food was well presented, the right temperature and tasted good. There was a good selection of food and I found something that appealed to me easily.

For visitor experience I give La Pergola 5 out of 5. All of the team were friendly and welcoming and I had no issues - we got everything we expected in good time and enjoyed the experience.

For value for money I give La Pergola 5 out of 5. The food was very reasonably priced especially considering the high standard, certainly in line with other similar restaurants that I have visited.

Overall I give La Pergola 5 out of 5 - I really enjoyed my visit and would definitely come and...

From the outside, La Pérgola makes a promise. The façade evokes a corner of Tuscany transplanted into England: a carefully crafted aesthetic, an evocative atmosphere, a name that smells of bougainvillea and long evenings with wine on Italian terraces. You walk in with the illusion of finding authenticity, tradition, and the sacred respect that Italian cuisine deserves.

The interior, impeccably decorated, seemed at first to confirm that promise. However, the cracks soon began to show. There was no music to accompany the evening, only a shrill murmur of diners who, rather than conversing, seemed to compete in shouting. The atmosphere, far from Italian serenity, resembled more a noisy canteen.

The pizza, that flagship of Italian gastronomy, turned out to be little more than a parody. The dough, which should be the soul of the dish, was instead a lifeless body: lacking proper fermentation, devoid of flavor development, and so poorly baked it invited stomach discomfort rather than enjoyment.

The tomato, far from being a concentrate of Mediterranean sunshine, tasted of nothing. A resounding nothing, as if someone had wrung out a damp sponge onto the base and dared to call it tomato sauce.

The mozzarella… difficult to call it that. It was certainly not fior di latte, neither in texture nor in taste: dry, bland, without the creamy softness that characterises a good Italian cheese. If it weren’t for the ricotta, which provided a minimum of moisture, the pizza would have been an arid journey impossible to finish.

The prosciutto, presented as Italian, in reality resembled English cooked ham from a supermarket aisle: characterless, uninspiring, and served in absurdly excessive quantities. The mushrooms, meanwhile, came straight from a tin. Canned mushrooms on a £15.95 pizza? In Italy that would be nothing short of sacrilege.

No trace of fresh oregano, no hint of basil’s perfume. On that day, Mr Basil and Mr Oregano seemed to have taken a holiday, leaving the diner alone before a piece of cardboard disguised as pizza.

🍕 Verdict: a pizza without soul, without flavor, without respect for tradition. At £15.95, the result is more an insult than a gastronomic experience. La Pérgola manages to deceive the eye with its façade and decoration, but fails miserably in the only thing that matters: the food.

⭐ Final rating: 3/10. A place pretty to look at, but not to eat in. If pizza is its calling card, Italy can rest easy: its culinary legacy is in no danger here.

🤌🏼...

I'm quite disappointed in the service at this restaurant. I've driven past this restaurant quite a few times, and I decided to make a spontaneous visit after a hard day of work as a treat to myself. It looks quite picturesque, and the reviews I read seemed to entice. On arrival, I was great by a very friendly older waitress who kindly allocated me a table without a reservation. I was then shown to my table and a waiter, then approached to take my drink order. I asked for a wine recommendation to accompany my choice of meal. However, he seemed unhelpful, giving a very vague suggestion to what I could have. I made my choice of beverage, which I was then served quite promptly. However, on tasting it, I wasn't impressed, so I kindly asked for a more fitting alternative. I gathered the waiter that's served me and was not impressed by my reaction as I then had 'eyes on me', which made me feel quite uncomfortable. For the price of this restaurant's services, I expected to be served a taster to help me make a better selection for my choice of beverage to avoid the unfriendlyness I received. A short while after, my food order was taken. My steak meal arrived and was quite tasty [hence the higher marking]. After finishing my meal, I decided to step outside for a break of fresh air as the restaurant was quite busy and very warm. I left my handbag under my chair as an indication that I was still on site. However, I was surprised to have been chased by the same waiter who rudely implied I was running off without settling my bill I immediately made him aware that I had no intention of leaving the restaurant without settling my bill and had no apology from him for his erratic behaviour. What started out as a fairly relaxing evening turned into anxiety and distress. Management... please have a word with your staff as that kind of behaviour is simply unacceptable. On attempting to return to my table after 7 minutes, I was approached by the previous waitresses informed my bag had been removed from my table because the waiter assumed I had left. As you can imagine... I was not impressed. The same waitress offered me a glass of beverage in compensation for the 'misunderstanding', but at that point, the damage had already been done. This is my honest review and I don't intend to...