Trattoria Raffaele

I am so lucky to live within walking distance of this restaurant. It is a small neighbourhood Italian that punches well above its weight both for food and service.
I have tried most things on the menu and have never made a bad choice. Their pizzas are spectacular — dough which is tasty, springy and light with a crispy bottom, absolutely perfect for dipping in your friend’s spag bol! They make their own secret recipe tomato sauce, which is AMAZING. (Actually it’s not a secret recipe at all — Raff will happily share how he makes it, but it sounds more intriguing as a secret!)
They have a daily specials board that includes local seasonal produce in really imaginative dishes. I have gone into the kitchen to watch the chefs making a crab ravioli, moments before I ate it! (It was sublime!)
Their desserts are too good. They have their regular items such as the tiramisu which melts in the mouth and the Italian ice cream that has real bits of strawberry, pistachio, vanilla seeds and chocolate in it. They also have special desserts that often are just too tempting — sticky toffee pudding, Eton mess with mango, interesting cheesecakes etc. The coffee is delicious and just perfect after a scrumptious meal there!
The service is lovely and the atmosphere is down to earth, fun and friendly. I would urge you to go — if you go on a Thursday/​Friday/​Saturday you might want to book as it is extremely popular with locals.

The quintessential local family business. Everyone is greeted by name with a smile. That’s generally because once you’ve eaten here, you become a regular. And regulars are always friends. Enjoy.

What a lovely, well run, friendly family restaurant. Food is excellent, always fresh specials on offer. They will make whatever changes you want to any of the pizzas, or pasta, which are all delicious. the italian sausage is fantastic and well worth adding to any dish in my opinion