I am so lucky to live within walking distance of this restaurant. It is a small neighbourhood…read moreItalian that punches well above its weight both for food and service. I have tried most things on the menu and have never made a bad choice. Their pizzas are spectacular - dough which is tasty, springy and light with a crispy bottom, absolutely perfect for dipping in your friend's spag bol! They make their own secret recipe tomato sauce, which is AMAZING. (Actually it's not a secret recipe at all - Raff will happily share how he makes it, but it sounds more intriguing as a secret!) They have a daily specials board that includes local seasonal produce in really imaginative dishes. I have gone into the kitchen to watch the chefs making a crab ravioli, moments before I ate it! (It was sublime!) Their desserts are too good. They have their regular items such as the tiramisu which melts in the mouth and the Italian ice cream that has real bits of strawberry, pistachio, vanilla seeds and chocolate in it. They also have special desserts that often are just too tempting - sticky toffee pudding, Eton mess with mango, interesting cheesecakes etc. The coffee is delicious and just perfect after a scrumptious meal there! The service is lovely and the atmosphere is down to earth, fun and friendly. I would urge you to go - if you go on a Thursday/Friday/Saturday you might want to book as it is extremely popular with locals.

I really have to rescind for 1 star review for not being able to book the day the restaurant…read moreclosed. I found the restaurant on Facebook. And booked a table that way. The welcome was excellent. The food just what you'd want excellent. I had slow roasted pork belly. Really Italian. Will I I be here during my next visit? Definitely

I'm happy I get to add this place to Yelp because I had such a great experience here last night. I…read morejust moved to London this week and my husband told me this area of Croydon was loaded with restaurants. So I took myself to dinner here and was greeted by a darling elderly gentleman who I presume was the owner. He, and much of the staff, have fairly thick Italian accents so right away, I knew I was in good hands. The staff work collaboratively here so while you may order with one person, another refills your wine glass and and another checks on you to make sure you're happy. Service is amazing here. And everyone is genuinely warm and welcoming. I started off with a 150ml glass of Sangiovese. House wine is ridiculously cheap here - very much like it is in Italy. Nowhere in London have ever been able to get a glass of wine for under £5. For my starter, I had the spinach and ricotta stuffed mushrooms which came on a toasted wedge of sourdough bread. Soo good! I also had the lasagna which I couldn't even finish. It was cheesy and gooey and delicious. 5 stars for service 5 stars for prices 3.5 stars for food It was all delicious except for a teensy bit of cheese overload. I could tell that the food was amazing beneath all these cheese anyhow, so they really don't need it! Grazie, Tre Fratelli, for being my dates on a Friday night.

I order takeout every few months from this restaurant. I've tried the Lasagne which is delicious…read moreand filling and flavoursome, and the Ravioli al Granchio. I would heartily recommend.

Myself, boyfriend and my friend who was visiting decided to come here on a Saturday evening. I…read morebooked a table as I have heard its quite a busy restaurant. We were seated straight away and offered the menu and drinks list. The only thing I didn't like about this place was the service. I found the staff to be quite moody, unfriendly and not very attentive, there seemed to be a group of adults with their children for a birthday who they seemed to be focusing more on than the other customers. Being italian myself I always find italian restaurants have the most friendly staff who always try their hardest to ensure your dining experience is the best it can be...this place had the opposite effect on me. This is a shame as the food is really good and I really enjoyed our meal and variety of cocktails. Some of the younger staff members need to put a smile on their face and be more attentive. Our starters came and we had no knifes, it took too long to get a staff members attention that we gave up and just ended up cutting our starters with the fork. My boyfriend ordered another beer and it was just slammed on the table and the waiter walked off without asking if the rest of us were happy or needed anymore drinks, we then had to try and get another waiters attention again to order more drinks. Its such a shame as I would be happy to go again for the food as it was very tasty, was at good prices and the fact the restaurant itself is really lovely. Its a shame some of the staff aren't as pleasant as the food, not even a thanks for coming when we left.

I have been here once and found it to be very good. Fresh and authentic. It's not cheap but you get…read morewhat you pay for. Nice decor and you can sit inside or out. Friendly staff and I would definitely go back.

Another Italian that gives me a smile every time we meet! L'aragosta can be located in Elmers End…read morearound the green. It's a really great restaurant with the friendliest manager! You can probably get a table any time but it's worth booking to avoid disappointment. Very traditional :)

Lovely small restaurant serving quick italian meals. Good service and great value. Not the type of…read moreplace to linger over a brandy and a coffee but perfect place to eat after work or before moving on.

Well I like this place. Sure it's a little intimidating and a few of the staff seem somewhat…read more"aloof" but the decor is very stylish and the quality of the wines, even the house wines, is excellent. It's hard to believe you're in Croydon. (Not exactly the culinary epicenter of England) Had the Quattro Stagioni pizza (yeah I know pizzas aren't exactly Italian fine food) but it was great - thin crust and plenty of the good stuff - pepperoni, mushrooms, etc. There's a separate desert menu with daily specials. I opted for the profiteroles (obviously), my wife went for the (daily special ) cassata. Both were great. We'll be back for sure.

Italian at it finest : South London prices BUT West End Stylish!…read more My husband and I decided to have date night in our local, over going up Central London . I'm happy to review we were not disappointed by the, tucked under the bridge , Italian in Croydon. The bar is stylish and a pleasant waiting area ,or even a retreat for a quick drink , and the deco in the main area is tastefully stylish! The service was on point , and the food was fresh tasty and wholesome Italian . I've eating calamari at several restaurants, but this was definitely one of the best. The atmosphere was surprisingly buzzing for a Monday night...highly recommended!

Overall: The _WORST_ Italian restaurant that I've ever had the misfortune to stumble across! (Yes,…read moreworse than the Olive Garden!) I used to pass this restaurant every day and was often found drooling at the dessert display at the window. This restaurant had raving reviews and because of this and the desserts at the window, I needed to try it out! This place is pretty full most days, which is somewhat surprising - considering the customer service (or lack of it) AND their awful food. The starter was mediocre - how can you go wrong with avocado, mozzarella and tomatoes? The main course had a side of greasy, rock hard potatoes - yuck! The food was bland and urgh! I have no idea why we decided to stay for dessert, but we did. We HAD to view the dessert display first though (which had now mysteriously moved to the back of the restaurant). In the display, there was a pineapple sliced in half, which was rotting away; the tiramisu looked like it was excessively weeping (God only knows how long that had been there) and all the other stuff looked well-disgusting! We managed to choose a light sponge cake, it was made that day (because it hadn't been portioned out yet, well I can only hope it was made that day!). This place is has bad customer service, is expensive and the food is very poor - my recommendation is skip it!

Simple yet charming, Vinoteca Italiana is gives a sense of tradition and a home-cooked feeling. The…read moreingredients seem fresh and the dishes well ordained with the variety of spices and natural colours that are packed within each recipe. The end result may not be enough to be etched in memory forevermore but as can be seen from the photos the presentation was excellent, the food mouth-watering and satisfying on multiple levels. Everything from the starters (even simple bread and olive oil) to the well proportioned mains to the dessert was consistently appetising, safe and becoming. Perhaps offering nothing extraordinary, but everything though ordinary is done extremely well; I find it unlikely that any other local restaurant will be able to rival the high standards of Vinoteca Italiana in this quiet and humble area of South London.

I haven't had pizza this good in a long time. The crust is amazing. We had the pizza and my friend…read moresaid it was the best he has ever had. We will definitely be back.