La Locanda — Restaurant in Ribble Valley

It was my son’s 36th birthday. (Jan 2025) With dozens of choices throughout the Ribble Valley for his birthday evening, (including three Italian options) he chose La Locanda (The Inn) (we have been before). And we can say what an excellent choice. We were not disappointed! We knew this isn’t any regular Italian as every plate is cooked fresh and from scratch. So planning to eat at 7pm, we arrived at 6pm. to give an hour in hand. A nice leisurely approach to life. We were seated in the bar area on the ground floor ( the main dining area is upstairs on the first floor. ) (btw - Love the front door auto closer ) After the obligatory drinks were served by mine host, she described some specials, and left us with the menus to choose! And what choices there are. All the dishes are properly written in Italian, but with English descriptions along side. So after much deliberation, we ordered… starters and mains. After about 40+ minutes we were shown to our table in the nicely appointed, rustic dining room - and offered the house selection of a choice of home made breads, balsamic & extra virgin. These came hot and were all scrumptious! Then the antipasto , mains and a birthday cake we brought. Three and a half hours later, we sadly had to leave but, whilst not cheap, the best never is. If you haven’t been to La Locanda of Gisburn then you’re missing a big treat! A BIG Thank you to the clever Chef and team. Absolutely amazing food and superb service, with special mention to our server, Haydn, such a sweetie and a great sense of humour🥰. Gets a 10 from me and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ( my...

Utterly delicious food, ethically and locally sourced, cooked to perfection and served with a smile. We had a musicpaper bread and a bruschetta between us as antipasti. Then a pigeon salad, mozzarella and beef carpaccio as starters, all of which we're delicious although my partner's garlic and chilli king prawns were outstanding!

The pasta dishes were very tasty. Nice size portions all around and very tastt tortelloni parmegiana and wild boar ravioli, but the lamb pappadelle was sublime and the seafood spaghetti cooked.in a paper bag was divine!

Our mains were equally exceptional. The Goosnargh chicken (pictured) was tender a.d juicy, and the wild rabbit perfectly cooked and seasoned. The sides of peas, broccoli and warm garlicky buttery potatoes were fought over due to their deliciousness but the racks.of lamb stole the show! So perfectly cooked and amazingly flavoured and tender.

Desserts didn't fails either. The affogato with hazelnut ice cream was served with a lovely biscuit and was rich, warm (and cold) and all around a delightful combination. The almond and leach tart was heavenly and the olive oil ice cream it came with was a delicious surprise. But the apple cake, which was offered as an alternative to strudel, was outstanding. Light, airy, appley and fabulous.

We had a bottle of red, two beers and three soft drinks and it came to around £300, Inc tip. In fact my only complaint (my only sorrow) is how very far this fabulous family restaurant is from my home! When I'm next in the Dales I'll be sure...

Went here on a "date night" as it was highly recommended. The restaurant is in Gisburn and doesn't have a car park, so you just park on the main road. A very warm welcome and then we sat in the waiting area, asked about drinks and given a menu. We ordered our food (still in the waiting area) and enjoyed the beautiful interior. However, it was over an hour, from the time of our booking, to receiving our food, which we found unacceptable. The restaurant only had 6 tables in; 1 had finished eating. I would have understood if the restaurant was full (waiting an hour for food) but it wasn't. When the food arrived, it was delicious and we both enjoyed it. I wanted to order dessert, thinking they would have something with lemon and when I asked, I got a very firm no. Plus, I didn't know how long dessert would take. The drinks are all organic and natural, so for goodness sake, don't ask for a coke; the hostess nearly had a fit when someone asked for a coke. The bathroom was absolutely gorgeous, very clean, with lots of extras ( see photos). Would I go here again? Possibly, but I'd make sure I had a snack first. Before anyone tells that Italian restaurants are laid back and chilled, that's fine, as long as the customers are made aware of the extremely lengthy wait, for their food. Plus, I've been to other Italian restaurants and not experienced...