Sicily by Da Scalzo

good atmosphere restaurant with friendly service.Would certainly go again

After visiting this restaurant many times over the last year, it has now changed hands with a much reduced and disappointing menu choice. For starter we ordered the only meat dish - meatballs and by 6:30pm on a Tuesday they told us they had run out . The tables were too close together and the waiters kept knocking my chair every time they passed and it felt like we were joining the couple at the next table we were so close . For all the lack of choice on the menu with some classics now gone - the main course itself was good. I had the lamb fillet which was full of flavour and nicely presented. Not sure I will frequent this restaurant as much as before due to the menu which is a shame ....

We were meeting up with friends for a walk starting in Sloane Square and taking in Battersea Park and Chelsea Old Church. Having not eaten around this area for a while I went by the reviews of others on the website, so pleased I did. Firstly the welcome was excellent, I had warned the restaurant we might not be on time but they made us feel valued and were most accommodating. We sat upstairs so away from others, good as we had privacy but it lacked a little in atmosphere although we could here the music floating up the stairs-just! Our waiter was of the gentle kind and checked our order meticulously. A little slow to serve drinks but I expect it just seemed like that as we had done quite a bit of walking. We had olives with our drinks which were good and water was frequently topped up. I remember paying a lot for water in another restaurant here it was free. The food was great, mostly. Pizza's were huge and tasty, pasta perfectly cooked and very tasty also, tuna nicoise was made with fresh tuna and was excellent, but the risotto was a little bland for my husband who likes spicy food, he could have added some chilli oil and my spaghetti vongole was so good I could have eaten a bit more. Coffee and puds were very good especially the creme brulee. The bill was very reasonable just under £20 a head including drinks, quite acceptable for London and we all had a very relaxing time chatting our way through this real Italian lunch.

A lively, buzzy place for a Saturday night, with friendly service and good food. The house wines, served in carafes, are good value. It's a typical Italian menu. I really enjoyed the minestrone soup; the vitello had a too-sweet marsala sauce, but was otherwise fine. Our friends rated the food good and value for money was reasonable too for central London.

We visited Da Scalzo on 24th January 2009 having been to a matinee performance at the Apollo Theatre in Victoria. We located the restaurant via the Square Meal website. It was excellent in every respect – lovely ambiance (even though at 6pm on a Saturday evening it was quiet), very good food, excellent service and fantastic value for money. There were 4 of us at the meal and had only a main course, dessert and coffee. Each of us had a different main course – sea bream, duck, chicken, pork. The price range was between £12 and £14, and without exception each were very good. An excellent meal overall, coming to just over £100 including a bottle of wine for £18. Well done to the team at Da Scalzo. Unbeknown to us, the restaurant had only been open for 3 months and we wish them every success in what are likely to be difficult trading circumstances in 2009. Whilst we live out of London, we will definitely be back should the opportunity arise.

We had an hour to spend before catching a coach just across the road at Victoria Coach Station, and spotted Da Scalzo, which looked a much better place to pass that time, than sitting on a plastic chair in the chilly coach station! And we were right. Sadly we'd already eaten, but we had a pot of tea, cup of coffee, and a fresh orange juice, at a very reasonable price, and we sat very comfortably in the warm, pleasant surroundings of Da Scalzo. Very friendly service, and nobody tried to hurry us. Next time we'll definitely try the food!