Valentinos dinner review
City centre Italian restaurant with a good vibe and relaxed atmosphere.
43 Foregate Street, Worcester, WR1 1EE
the restaurant
If you live in Worcester, you will almost certainly have passed Valentinos. They have been serving food here since 1995 and in Upton-upon-Severn for seven years prior to that. My Valentinos Italian restaurant dinner review was on a wet, miserable evening. However, what better night for some hearty Italian food?
The phone was answered by a friendly employee and the table reservation was made. There wasn’t an option to book online, but I could have emailed or used their contact form. However, I booked only a couple of hours beforehand and thought phoning was better. It was a miserable, wet night in Worcester and we were glad to get off the sodden street. We were offered a choice of tables – either near the window, or towards the rear of the restaurant. The restaurant is simply decorated with pictures of towns and cities in Italy. We were seated near to a picture of Lake Garda where we holidayed four years ago.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was really good. The chatter and noise created an energetic feel and it is good to be able to talk without being overheard by the next table. The waitresses were friendly and engaging.
the food
Seated at our table to the rear we ordered drinks and checked out the menus. The main menu is large with 12 starters, and then choices of pasta, risotto, chicken dishes, steaks, fish dishes, pizzas and salads. Christina selected Garlic Mushrooms and Risotto Marinara from the fixed price menu. Available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays it offers a starter and main course for £12.95.
Daughter and I shared an antipasti for £10.95 from the à la carte menu. The bread was lovely, the meat was what you would expect, the olives were tasty and succulent, and I did enjoy the tomatoes. Christina’s Garlic Mushrooms were a sizeable portion for a starter and covered in a copious amount of garlic butter – just as it should be! They were served in a proper mushroom dish.
My daughter chose the Margherita Pizza. The dough is made on the premises – in fact you can see it being made! She has a well developed taste range and enjoys trying new dishes. So it puzzles me why she always chooses the most boring of pizzas – the margherita! But she liked it. Christina enjoyed her Risotto Marinara which contained generous quantities of mussels, king prawns, and squid, and was served with a rich tomato and basil sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed my dish of Tagliatelle Salmone. The salmon and asparagus in a cream and white wine sauce hit the right notes. All the dishes were of generous proportions and we were too full to sample their desserts.
If you are looking for an Italian restaurant in Worcester, this could be a good choice!
dietary requirements
Gluten-free pasta is available. The menu asks you to make staff aware of any allergies you have.
things to do near Valentinos
Valentinos is just a couple of minutes’ walk from the heart of Worcester. It is barely 100 yards from the Odeon cinema, so ideal if you fancy a meal after a film. This restaurant is also perfect if you are meeting a friend at the station and going for a meal, being only a one-minute walk from Foregate Street railway station. It is less than ten minutes on foot to the riverside and the racecourse.
menus
The menus could be improved. There is the main, fixed and drinks menus, and a separate wine menu. They all had a different style which made them look messy. A couple of the menus were very slightly scruffy on the corner. I would prefer, especially in these times of Covid, a menu printed on thin paper and disposed of afterwards.
Valentinos have responded to say my comments have been noted and they acknowledge the issue. The menus are sanitized after use, and this is taking its toll on them.
facilities
parking
The restaurant does not have a car park. There is street parking outside the restaurant and we found a space just 20 yards away. However, it is pot luck, and you will be less likely to find a space at weekends. Nearby are Crowngate, Silver Street, and Sansome Walk car parks.
disabled access
This restaurant is not suitable for wheelchairs as there are a couple of steps at the entrance.
children
High chairs are available and smaller portions of anything on the menu (including smaller size pizzas) can be provided for children.
toilets
According to Christina, the toilets were modern, stylish, beautifully decorated and spotless. Hearing that, I wish I had visited the gents!
take-away
All dishes on this menu are available for takeaways.
Valentinos Italian restaurant dinner review
I hope you have found my Valentinos Italian restaurant dinner review useful. For more ideas check out my other dinner reviews.
Visit: Wednesday 21 October 2020
Visit Valentinos’ website.