Bar Italia

Bar Italia is exactly the kind of old fashioned trattoria where Tony Soprano and crew would go to tuck into gigantic bowls of fresh pasta.
There’s an Italian flag hanging by the kitchen, intimate tables with starched tablecloths and friendly staff that always look like they want to pinch your cheeks. As for the food, we’re talking fresh and home-​cooked classics like risotto, pasta, cannelloni, lasagne, braised and pan-​fried chicken, steak and beef escalope. The carbonara is the best I’ve tasted but my favourite dish has to be the penne arabatia with tomatoes, chilli and parsley.
Accompanied by garlic bread, a green salad and large glass of red wine, it deserves to be in Artie Bucco’s Sopranos Cookbook.

I love Italy and even more so whole heartedly Italian restaurants. This place is exactly the latter, and Liverpool is the better for it. Amongst the plethora of great Italian restaurants this place holds its own. It has been around long enough to have establish itself a decent reputation.
The colourful décor is also refreshingly Italian, making you truly feel as if you were in Rome itself. Whether it is the traditional pasta dishes you’re after or fish, meat and poultry dishes cooked in the traditional Italian way Bar Italia is the place for you.

As soon as I see the word ‘Italia’ alarm bells go off in my head. I instantly think of Bella Italia and that terrible experience I had with a Panini there. But I shouldn’t let it cloud my judgement, because this is one place that uses that word very well.
The staff are friendly and attentive, and really seem like they know their stuff and work there for more than just tips and pocket money. Yes, they’d actually be interested in their chosen profession, and that’s hard to come by. They’re not stuck to one particular table all night, instead they simply go with the flow and as a result all your needs are seen to far more quickly.
It’s not the cheapest bite in town but you’re definitely getting what you pay for with the great service and the lush food. No pizzas to be found here, but there’s a few pastas and plenty of meats including veal, steak, duck, chicken, pork and fish. My advice is to order a side of garlic cheese bruschetta, which is so meltingly oozingly gorgeous you’ll want to go home with it. Refreshingly, some of the mains offer a hint of kick and spice which is definitely something I like to see in Italian restaurants. Puddings are delish — tiramisu as cloudy light as you’d want and caramel parfait a particular delight.
You can also get cheese and biscuits to finish, and those limoncello shots you get and the end of your meal cleanse the palette as well as offering a warming little nightcap. Bliss.