La Gastronomia /by Sergio Cook for You / — Restaurant in Winchester

We had an absolutely wonderful evening at Sergio's new eatery on Bridge Street!

Sergio's knowledge and passion for food draws from his family's roots across Italy, including Bologna and Napoli, but most importantly Sicily, and the many dishes he has on offer reflect these influences.

Sergio prepared a mixed antipasti board for us, with a variety of delicious pastries, artichoke frittata, lasagna bites, marinated mushrooms and beans. We followed that with rigatoni with salsiccia and cime de rapa (sausage and long stem broccoli), and his traditional spaghetti and meatballs, cooked to his mother's recipe, which were incredibly comforting and just to die for. Somehow we also managed to fit in a slice of Sicilian cassata afterwards - bright green pistachio cake with a ricotta and chocolate chip filling.

It's so wonderful to be getting real Italian food in Winchester, and it's clear that Sergio puts his heart and soul into every dish. He also offers a small range of high quality Italian produce, such as aubergines, tomatoes and olive oil.

We ate downstairs as Sergio is still fitting out the upstairs dining area, and it's BYOB for the time being. We can't wait to come back and sample the Sicilian wines he plans to bring in, and more from his wonderful Italian...

We went here to celebrate my husband’s birthday and we may have found our favorite spot in Winchester. I’ve almost given up on finding an Italian restaurant that serves authentic dishes and Sergio did not disappoint.

Our experience was so lovely, it was weirdly a quiet a day, and it felt like being invited to your Italian friend’s home. Entering the restaurant felt like being transported to Sicily, very unassuming, traditional, and somewhat homey. Sergio explained to us the menu and continued to chat with us whilst he prepared our meals. Kids under 7 are free, which is nice.

We went for the option where he prepares a 5 course dish for us and it was just incredible. He talked to our table about our preferences and then he curates a meal for us with our preferences in mind using whatever freshest ingredients he has. The pasta dishes were so plentiful and we were able to take them home. Each meal had a story. Sergio takes pride on using fresh ingredients and that was well reflected on how our food tasted. It was phenomenal.

I will definitely be returning, and it will feel like another visit to a friend. He did say that depending on what ingredients he has available, he may be able to...

The clerk was rude and scolded the customer.

Thank you for your response. I feel it is necessary to clarify the situation once more.

If your team had not treated us in a disrespectful manner, I would not have taken the time to leave a negative review. Furthermore, our second inquiry—made approximately ten minutes later—was simply to ask whether it would be possible to split our group of eight into two tables of four, to see if that might make accommodation easier. It was a fair and respectful question, yet it was met with an unreasonably hostile attitude.

A responsible and reputable business should not deny such behavior, but instead acknowledge any shortcomings and take steps to improve. That, in my view, is the mark of a truly professional establishment.

I hope this feedback is taken...