Italia in West Dorset

Outstanding Italian family eatery away from the hustle and bustle of Bournemouth. Visited on Mothering Sunday - I loved the pizza and, lasagne. Chef even whipped up a creamy penne dish for my nieces.Staff and waiters working here were excellent. Always great at cracking a joke and creating a family atmosphere! Loved it.

A "real" Italian Restaurant! First class food. First class service. Definitely intend going there again before I go home! (Spain!#)

We had a anniversary/birthday celebration with over 20 people the staff were great would go back when in the area

Always love it here. Friendly and good food.... A real treat!

Ok, get a cuppa, it's a long one. The good stuff first. Nice atmosphere, mostly actual Italian staff, reasonably priced, clean loos (one became unusable during service and it was quickly locked up and marked as such). Generally clean and the service was rapid. Those that had the Mussels said the sauce was very good and drained their plates. The aparagus starter was great too, lots of staff. Now for the "debatable". We all had pizza for main. For me, I found it disappointing, seemed to be oven baked (not at pizza oven temps) the base was too heavy and the toppings a bit too generous (but nice quality). Others at the table enjoyed them like this. They seemed to me to be the kind that is cooked in a steel dish. I prefer a thinner base and maybe a lighter topping. Each to their own. I ate it all, so it clearly wasn't that bad huh. The menu was like stepping back to the early 80's or late 70's. I quite like that, not trying too hard, just old style Italian restaurant fare. But if you're looking for fancy adaptations, this isn't it. Now the "not so good". There were some young ladies in the service team and I got the impression that the head waiter was pushing them to keep attending to the tables and I think this led to the service feeling rushed. For instance, right from the off we hadn't even pulled our chairs out to sit down and the young waitress was asking what we'd like to drink. We said give us a minute and she did. About a minute. Drinks ordered and she asked what we'd like to eat, we said we needed a few mins. A minute later another young lady appeared and asked if we were ready to order, we politely said no and she went away. 3rd attempt and we were ready. The food all came in reasonable time and was good or great (depending on your preferences re pizza). But better that way than waiting for ages but I think head waiter needs to stop pushing for "fast" and teach his youngsters how to read the table. I'll happily go back but next time, steer clear of the pizza and see if the other mains are better for me.

Decided to go out for a meal after many months and we were not disappointed with chianti. Excellent food and service superb.

food good, drink service "interesting" vodka lime and soda without the lime or vodka, coke was not working but instead of admitting owner claimed its fine and a new box.food was cooked brilliantly no issues with that at all if drinks service better would have been 5star

Delicious food and great price. Lovely meal out with friends. Staff very helpful too. Can't fault it ☺️

If you’re a young adult, don’t bother going! My family and I used to come all the time when I was younger and used to love it, I was so disappointed when I took my partner for his birthday. We were clearly treated completely different to the other customers, the staff were rude to us and made us feel like we shouldn’t be there. My dessert was just completely broken up as well it looked like it had been found in the bin and put on my plate. Such an upsetting experience for me, I even felt the need fo apologise to my partner for taking him there.

Lovely place for a family meal, very spacious and clean inside with allocated parking behind and parking on the road. The menu is extensive and has something for everyone, good free from options if you call in advance as well. The meals are very reasonable in size and cost, with a good drink selection and dessert coffees. Very authentic atmosphere aided by the owners and great staff, would highly recommend it.