Review: Prezzo

Prezzo is a chain of Italian restaurants across the UK. The first restaurant was opened on New Oxford Street in London in November 2000 and the business has grown and now offers 150 branches all over Great Britain. They offer great tasting Italian food and aim to seek to restore buildings of local interest, such as the old library in Newbury, the Mills Bakery in Plymouth and listed buildings in Salisbury, Romsey, Mayfair and Dorchester and transform them into their restaurants.

The Exeter restaurant building dates back to 1289 and later became the Turks Head, a pub frequented by Charles Dickens! It has since been transformed over 3 floors and has a really welcoming and intimate atmosphere. Drowned in candle light it has a really romantic feel to it, and we went to try out one Friday evening.

Our table was in really close proximity to a table of 2 and a table of 5, and it almost felt as though we were all sat on one table together, and we could hear every word of the conversation.. It was a Friday evening after all, and I couldn't see a spare table in sight.  Despite this though, the service was really prompt and our orders were quickly taken, and drinks brought over almost immediately.

For starters I went for grilled goats cheese with plum tomatoes and caramelised onions on ciabatta bread with a balsamic glaze. The goats cheese was cooked perfectly and was a lovely gooey consistency. The balsamic glaze perfectly complemented the cheese and the caramelised onions finished everything off perfectly. A great starter that was full of sweet and savoury to get the appetite working.

Nick went for his trademark calamari which was nice and crispy on the outside, but ever so slightly chewy, but by no means inedible or unpleasant. It was served with a nice garlic mayo that went really well with it.




For mains we both decided to go for a V.I.P Pizza which is billed as The ultimate Prezzo pizza - bigger and crispier with even more toppings.  I chose Tre Gusti- Pepperoni sausage, seasoned chicken, pancetta bacon, fresh rosemary, mozzarella, tomato. Good quality meats were complemented with a perfect amount of rosemary, which really made the pizza. The base was deliciously thin and crispy meaning I didn't feel heavily bloated afterwards. The chicken was generously sprinkled on the pizza and was nice tender chunks, a definite win for me.

Nick had Vesuvio- Double pepperoni sausage, and sweet roquito chilli peppers, mozzarella, tomato.  Like mine it was thin and crispy. He said that all the flavours were really well balanced and the topping to cheese ration was perfect. The chillis had a subtle spice but were lovely and sweet, a great addition.

Overall the meal was really enjoyable, and the only downside was that it didn't feel as though we were sat on a table alone. Considering how full the restaurant was, it didn't affect the service in the slightest.

Find your nearest Prezzo on their website


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