Food review: Luigi's Italian restaurant on Valley Drive

You might have amazing food sitting in front of you, but if the waiters and managers don’t meet that same quality of experience, it can be a real deal-breaker.

But at Luigi’s Italian restaurant, tucked away on Valley Drive, you are greeted like an old friend - every diner is treated as one of their regulars.

The vibrant decor and quirky ornaments peppered around the restaurant really gives the place a homely and unique feel, and it was a genuinely heartwarming moment to see waiters going the extra mile to welcome a family who have only recently moved to the town.

A pizza-style garlic bread made for a light and fresh start to the meal, and although the waiter initially brought out the wrong starter, they were so apologetic and keen to correct their error that it was instantly forgotten.

If anything, seeing the other starter only made you think about what to try next time.

The menu for Luigi’s has a caricature of the man himself on the front, and this prominence only seems right given that Luigi is such a lively and energetic front of house figure and face of the restaurant who seems popular with customers.

The restaurant has been open now for more than 20 years, and going for the first time you can see its universal appeal and why it has been such a success. It’s one of those establishments that seems well-suited for any occasion - a birthday meal, dinner with a partner, or for a big family get-together.

For the main dish, spaghetti pomodoro was a good option as a vegetarian, and it was just a shame that there wasn’t more to enjoy! Next time it would be really tempting to order a pizza, as the restaurant has a tantalising range of both pizza and pasta dishes.

The ultimate indulgence was having chocolate fudge cake at the end, drizzled with chocolate sauce. You can’t really go wrong with a dessert classic, and this one was simply delicious. Paying for the bill at the end, the restaurant staff cheerily say they hope to see you again.

It’s not a throwaway comment, you can tell it’s sincere and heartfelt - and it is that quality of service that has clearly played an instrumental part in securing regular diners.