L'Osteria

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Reviews

1. River Rose ★★★★★

   Absolutely amazing staff and service. I’ve really enjoyed my experience here. The food is of exceptional quality and value. I had the Bruschetta and the Orecchiette di Manzo al Limone. I’m thrilled with the infusion of flavours and stunning presentation. I’ll definitely be back thank you so much. Extremely impressed and very grateful :)

   almost 3 months ago
2. Paul Southgate ★★★☆☆

   Oh dear God, do these sorts of places still exist? Oh dear God, do these sorts of places still exist? Apparently so, tucked into Bristol like the last Blockbuster video store stubbornly pretending Netflix was just a fad. L’Osteria is that brand of chain Italian that feels less like dining out and more like being processed. It has all the creativity of a boiled potato and all the charm of an airport departure lounge at 5 a.m. You walk in and you know exactly what’s coming, because you’ve been here a hundred times before, just under a different name. The decor is a bland, formulaic mix of mock industrial lighting, motivational signage, and tables so close you can hear your neighbour’s midlife crisis unfold over the house Chianti. The menu, a laminated novella of clichés, offers the culinary imagination of a 1990s package holiday: pizza or pasta. That’s it. Pick your carb, pick your sauce, and don’t expect any surprises unless you count the bill. To be fair, the service was friendly and efficient, in that brisk, slightly robotic way that suggests head office is watching. Orders are taken on a little handheld device, which makes the whole thing feel like your server is sending a text message to their mum rather than taking down your lasagna order. “Yeah, I’ll have the lasagna, please.” Tap tap tap. “Sure thing, hun.” Beep. It’s dining in the age of customer management software. When the lasagna arrived, it was… fine. The culinary equivalent of a shrug. Clearly reheated: bubbling fiercely around the edges yet tepid in the middle, like a bad Tinder date. You can almost taste the microwave radiation. The salad on the side looked like it had given up hope sometime around Brexit. And here’s the real kicker, in this enclave of Bristol, where there are some really quite decent restaurants (Six by Nico, I’m looking at you), you’d have to be truly desperate to come here. Maybe you’ve been turned away everywhere else. Maybe you’ve lost a bet. Maybe you just love the numbing anonymity of chain dining. Whatever the reason, you’re not here for pleasure, you’re here for calories and convenience. L’Osteria isn’t offensive, it’s just depressingly adequate. A culinary beige. It exists in that vast middle ground of nothingness where flavour, passion and joy go to die.

   almost 5 months ago
3. Pavel Brendler ★★★☆☆

   The pizzas Margherita and Calabrese were just drowning in cheese. We had to remove the thick layers of cheese with a fork to make the pizza enjoyable. The salad with goat cheese and beet was actually very good. The service was very kind and fast. We came here on August 24, 2025.

   almost 6 months ago

1. rach bradbury ★★★★★

   Great spot for a casual night out! We were looking for somewhere to stop for dinner after shopping with the kids (11yrs, 9yrs & 3yrs) made to feel so welcome here by all the lovely staff. Pizzas were huge and made with love! The children loved it..we sat outside in the sunshine while they played with other kids in the square (almost was like we were transported to Italy for the evening!) We got to sit and enjoy a lovely chilled evening and the kids had so much fun eating pizza and playing giant snakes & ladders at the 'once a pond a time' exhibition. We ended up staying way longer than expected as its such a welcoming spot. Highly recommended! The price is VERY reasonable too for what you get. Kids can eat from £3.50! Can't wait to come back already.

   almost 7 months ago
2. Amin Nizar ★★★★★

   Ordered a pizza. Was more than enough for atleast 2 people. Taste was great and value for money too. Have indoor and outdoor seatings available. Good location too

   almost 7 months ago
3. Benjamin Teh ★★★★☆

   Food and drink 8/10 Service 8/10 Decor and atmosphere: 8/10 Service speed 7/10 Cost 8/10 The best: Went on a Monday so service was quick. Friendly service and massive pizzas. The worst: Does great in all areas. Doesn't blast my socks off in any particular area. The lowdown: Come here for the pizzas... Some of the group ordered pasta but the winner is Def the pizzas. Cocktails and drinks are good as well, on the pricier side in comparison to the food. Overall great experience.

   almost 3 years ago

1. marius dimo ★☆☆☆☆

   Totally disappointment. Booked a table. Arrived there and somebody took us to a table in the middle of the room. Immediately, I realized that we are in a awful draft so I had to keep my coat on. Atmosphere, wonderful: I am in an Italian restaurant and the music is Spanish / Mexican / Venezuelan. Great! A stuffed menu with everything on it. Small writing and, as I discovered later, not enough information in it. All of us had something different. A plate of soggy pasta with beef older than me. You could not even cut it with the knife. Another plate of pasta, greenish in colour, filled with spinach, that wasn't written in the menu. I had a Caesar salad, already dressed with sauce that contains fish. I don't eat fish. I am allergic. Any other restaurants I have been in bring the sauce separately. After a while they brought me an other bowl, rounded above, filled with lettuce and some chicken breast and cheese above. Even if I asked before oil and vinegar to dress my salad, I haven't seen any of them. Of course, no salt or pepper. The only decent dish was a pizza but we discovered they don't have enough large plates and they brought a paper to put under the margins so the pizza won't touch the table. I could tell you more but I feel I had enough. Just a thanks for the lady that served us extremely professional and was very nice.

   almost 3 years ago
2. gojuryu512 ★★★★★

   We stopped at L’Osteria for lunch whilst visiting the city for a shopping trip. The staff and service were both excellent and the surrounding very modern and well maintained. We had a pizza and a pasta dish and both were really tasty - the pizza must have been 14” across and whilst thin crust it was a challenge. It was a little oily, but not too much and it didn’t spoil the dish - but it was a good job that I hadn’t eaten for 5 hours before else I’d never have finished it. This was our first meal in this chain and we were pleasantly surprised. Good food, reasonably priced and in the centre of the city shops. Recommended.

   almost 3 years ago
3. Chrysanthos George Makariou (Chris) ★★★☆☆

   The food is extremely tasty and authentically Italian while not compromising quantity. We loved our Pizza but the pasta was not as special; I would recommend ordering just Pizzas if you want to play it safe. Unfortunately the experience in terms of Service was surprising! It’s the first time we have eaten our full meal, finished, asked for the bill YET no one asked how our food was and if we need anything else. Maybe more water? How is your food? Nothing! Sadly we were sat close to the entrance and their Work Phone didn’t stop ringing and not at any point did someone answer. No it wasn’t that busy; yes there were many tables free but we were still sat there keeping company to the phone.

   almost 4 years ago

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