Giorgio's Ristorante Italiano - Leeds

I know lots of folks that have dined at Giorgio's (on coupons the cheap stakes) but Marty D does not do that (unless it's a buy 1 get 1 free). Yes the pocket does take a bit of a hit on price especially when you're paying for both yourself and a female companion. I found the service excellent from taking a seat in the waiting area to being seated at the table. 2 courses almost turned into 3 due to the quality of food and customer service but I was full/game over. If you're ever in the top end area of Headingley on an early evening, why not see if theirs a table free you wont regret it.

On a recent Friday my boyfriend and I had played our usual game of who is going to cook the dinner? and came to a stalemate where neither of us were willing to do so. In the end we chose to browse the interwebs for the cheapest deal we could find and came across a fabulous one from gopher deals here at the relatively recent addition to Headingley, Giorgio 's. Since we had no printer we photographed the deal voucher on our phones and called ahead to ensure that it would be alright, which it was! The deal was fifty percent off the food bill, which allowed us to enjoy all three courses without fear of breaking the bank. Our starters were huge. I chose the garlic bread and it was basically a huge garlic bread pizza and wouldn 't have looked out of place as a main. For the next course I chose the lasagna and he had the penne pasta. Sadly for him the penne, although generous, was a touch on the bland side, whereas mine was excellent! I felt guilty enough to share half of mine, which was perfectly cheesy and creamy, but it turned out that this was a good idea since I was so stuffed! We chose puddings also, like gluttons, and I had the vanilla and pistachio ice cream. In a twist of fate I ended up feeling jealous of my boyfriend 's ice cream as it was utterly fabulous, the strawberry was out of this world. Apparently it 's proper Italian gelato, which is massively exciting since I don 't know anywhere else that serves gelato. Yum! To top it all, the service was excellent. We were warmly welcomed, promptly seen to, there was banter aplenty and everyone here was wonderful!. With light fresh decor, fabulous staff and generous meals this place is a winner in my book!

Booked in here for Tuesday 24th April evening when the weather was rubbish and I had the holiday blues so didn 't want to cook and the added bonus of a Groupon voucher to use also swayed my decision. Parking isn 't great to start with and I 'd guiltily parked outside someones house down from the cinema entrance : We entered for them to address us quizzically and claim that even though I 'd called earlier to book us in with my Groupon voucher reference they had nothing in the diary.. We were seated anyway at a very small table squashed right up at the back we had to 'bump ' passed 3 other tables which I found quite rude to the people sat down. We had no sooner got our coats off picked the menu up then we were pounced on to take our drink order efficient maybe or just a bit too eager? We ordered a bottle of red wine anyway not the house which I thought was a bit steep for a basic wine! and it was brought quick as a flash they then expected us to be ready to order we had only been in the place 8 minutes! The waitress was sent back to us and we ordered the meat antipasti to start, followed by the Gnocchi for me Lasagna for the Mr. We were brought a bread basket when the wine was produced however the butter given was solid clearly not to be used!The bread was nice and fresh though. Again, i didn 't even get a sip of my wine before the food was placed in front of us had it been pre prepared sat waiting to be ordered? The starter platter was to feature ' A selection of Italian meats and cheeses served with artichokes, olives and homemade bread ' the only bread we had was from the initial bread basket and I wouldn 't call 2 olives a selection! The meat was good quality but we felt a tad disappointed overall. We then had to wait 15 minutes for our main! My Gnocchi was nice, if a little bit bland, so I needed to be a bit over generous with the seasoning myself it lacked a bit of bite to be honest but the portion size was good. My Mr didn 't have may complaints for the Lasagna other than it could do with a bit more meat! maybe just a man thing! While we were eating, the close proximity of the tables to each other caused a few 'moments ' with the waiters a full portion of chips lost down the back of a diners chair and a bottle of beer knocked off the table when his bum stuck out a bit much in squeezing passed! Not really what I want to watch when having my dinner. We asked for the bill and sat for nearly 10 mins before I got up and went to the counter to ask again they were in no rush to get it paid either so we took the bill to the counter and paid there. I can see a lot of people are impressed with this place and go back on a regular basis I 'm not won over after this visit however. the tables are too close together the service is either too eager or too laid back where is the happy medium the beer wine list is a bit pricey the menu descriptions are a bit over zealous or they need to actually deliver on the description the food lacked seasoning. From when I observed during our meal, they are not short of business and do a good student trade. I 'm not sure for the 'professional ' couple however they have the right service/food/price quality balance I would be looking for to go regularly.

Just been here for a spot of lunch with my pops and am a bit confused as to why we have not been along earlier! maybe we just get sucked in by the promise of moussaka from the olive tree next door! Anyway, a light modern space with a lovely Italian lady (real Italian not the fake Flying Pizza Italian! that gave us a table and told us the specials. broccoli soup sounds quite exciting when said in an Italian accent! I had a pizza for a fiver (lunch menu and wow what a pizza! Had to take half of it home! Dad had the squashed flattened steak in breadcrumbs (the name escapes me and seemed quite happy with it! So i am sure that we will be back, especially when they have delicious Italian bread like that! hmm hmm.

Really great alternative to the chain pizza restaurant in Headlingley. As it's further up the Otley Road it is quieter and more relaxed than the area with the other retailers. The staff are very attentive and quick. The food is delightful and the restaurant has classy modern look. Their lunch deal is a good option for and purse friendly meal and during the evening there is a good choice of Italian favourites and new menu items depending on the season. Well worth a visit.