The Best Italian Food In Liverpool; Il Forno

I apologise now if this blog post makes you hungry, and I'd understand! I myself am staring at these photos with longing, wondering when to next make another trip to Il Forno, in the heart of Liverpool. You see I recently had my very first visit there, along with Gary, and it basically rocked our socks. Yep.

Il Forno can be found on Duke street in Liverpool, and I was recently invited to come down and try their lunch menu to see what I thought. Italian is my absolute favourite type of food, so I was more than happy to give it a try. So off along I popped, with Gary in tow, to pay them a visit.

I'm very surprised to be honest that I hadn't visited them before now, because I make it my business to try any italian restaurant near me. Perhaps I hadn't gotten around to it yet because I live on the opposite side of town, whilst the restaurant is really in the heart of Liverpool. But you can bet I'll be going back again.

When we arrived, it was really quiet at the restaurant, save for a few customers enjoying lunch and a wine or two (they have a fantastic selection if you're interested in a cheeky drink with lunch!). We were warmly welcomed by someone as soon as we walked in, and the waiting staff was always nearby and on hand during our visit. This alone is one of the best things to experience when visiting a restaurant, because we all know how annoying it can be if you end up waiting twenty minutes to ask for some water, or to pay!

Even as the place started filling up during peak time, the staff were still 100% professional, prompt, friendly and considerate. I honestly cant thank them enough for a wonderful service! As someone who has worked in many customer service related roles before, I know how hard it can be to keep up with a busy work place, and keep customers happy. But I tip my hat to them (okay I'm not wearing a hat, but you get the gist..) as they were perfect.

Now, onto the food of course! The most important bit obviously.
OH MY GOD. As if Zeus himself were in the kitchen zapping away the most delicious meals like a godly Jamie Oliver, to put it one way. With an unbelievable range of yummy dishes to choose from, Gary and I found it hard to decide what we were going to go for, but in the end I stuck to my absolute favourites. I went for the bruschetta, with oven baked italian break, garlic, tomato, basil, oregano and olive oil combined to give the tastiest starter ever.

I then moved onto the Penne All'arrabbiatta; tomatoes, garlic, chilli and olive oil with chunky perfect penne and a light parmesan cheese on top. DELICIOUS. I honestly couldn't have asked for a more perfect dish, and I found myself extremely satisfied (I would return back for this dish alone!).

And finally we both decided to get something sweet before we left; me going for my usual Tiramisu and Gary opting for ice cream. Both were must haves for any sweet tooth and absolutely wonderful!

In short, you definitely need to visit Il Forno Liverpool if you love Italian food, great service, a beautiful space and an experience that'll make you want to visit again and again.

Can't express my thanks enough to Il Forno* for a wonderful visit! I'll certainly be back.