Strada

Went to Strada last November. Wouldn't go back. The man at the reception had a bit of an attitude. When we arrived there was hardly anyone there and he was acting as if he was doing us a favour by giving us a table! The staff were unsure of themselves, didn't seem to know who had ordered what and which table had ordered their food. When my main course arrived, it was not what I ordered. The manager came over with the meal (after it had been taken away by the waiter) and asked what I had ordered (as I am a veggie and a meat main course was put in front of me). The food was good enough I suppose but would need to change their attiudes as it's not the customers fault when the staff make mistakes.

Oxford Foodie (Unverified), 16/02/10

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Love this place. I have never tried the pizzas but the pasta, risotto and antipasto misto are consistently good with quality ingredients.

The staff are eager to please and I have never been disapointed. Let me assure you I am a local and I do regularly return!

Bella (Unverified), 26/05/09

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Bad, just bad. Pretentious, bad value for money and very noisy. The only people eating here were large groups, tourists or young couples on first date. Why? Because these people come here for a one off. Anyone local would not eat here twice.

Even if I had not been with my Italian boyfriend, I would have been disappointed with my £10 pizza, dry around the edges, consisting of 2 slices of parma ham and two slices of mozzarella on a tiny bit of tomato sauce. No love put into the cooking at all. And to serve a mozzarella and tomato salad for £5, with tasteless tomatoes, and a few slices of mozzarella is a theft.

Definitely not going back to this chain.

kate (DI User), 02/05/09

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A rather soggy version of ciabatta led to better main courses and a very good panna cotta for dessert, full of real vanilla. Most noteworthy was the service which was extremely prompt and courteous and meant that what could have been a rushed and fraught pre-theatre dinner was relaxed and enjoyable.

Nick G (Unverified), 16/02/09

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I've been to Strada in Oxford several times, the most recent being an evening out for my partner's birthday. When booking, I asked for a specific corner table - they were not only happy to oblige, but were actively enthusiastic in meeting my request. Everything was in order when we got there, and we enjoyed the evening immensely.

I have also eaten at Strada in London, Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds, and the one thing I can say about the chain - as a food writer, and an Italian - is that it is good. Consistently so.

The pizzas are generous, the pasta is warm and hearty, and the risotto rich and satisfying. You'll find authentic dishes on the menu such as polenta con funghi and saltimbocca - well-loved classics - which other chains, preferring to stick to the tried-and-tested (and somewhat unimaginative) pizza and pasta combo, rarely bother to attempt. You'll also find a beautifully set pannacotta with mixed berries and a year-round (and very welcome) airing of Italian Christmas cake, with their unctious sticky toffee panettone pudding.

This restaurant is successful for a reason: it turns out high-quality food at a reasonable price, in stylish surroundings.

As an Italian, it goes without saying that I'm not only reasonably well informed about what's authentic on the average 'tavola', but quite fussy about it too. It's in the genes (just ask my aunt, who does a 15-mile round trip to buy bread in northern Italy because she doesn't like what her local baker turns out. Now, *that's* fussy). Either the food is good, or it isn't, period. Indifference in the kitchen just doesn't stand up for the daughters of Garibaldi's bel paese - or its sons, for that matter (try going to some of the well-established chains and you'll know what I mean).

I rarely enthuse about a restaurant chain, but I do about Strada. I wouldn't go there repeatedly, or recommend it to you, if I wasn't completely confident that it would be a satisfactory dining experience.

Elle (Unverified), 22/12/08

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I went to Strada with a large group in August to celebrate a birthday and they were absolutely fantastic! The food was wonderful, as it has been the other two times I have been and the staff were extremely good natured. We were quite a loud group but they handled us very well and we really enjoyed our meal. The last time I went with one other person and the service was impeccable then as well. I highly recommend Strada and will be returning there soon.

Katy (Unverified), 16/10/08

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Visited for a recent family meal and I can only add to the strong reviews shown here already. Strada may be a chain but it serves food that is more akin to an independently run Italian. Probably one of the most surprisingly enjoyable meals I've had in recent memory with no item of mine or my dining companions' being a let-down.

I was impressed initally by the slick, slightly trendy ambience which included some suitably subtle lighting and some nice funky furniture. The staff were all really friendly and very well informed of the menu (though they must get annoyed having to carry all the plates up and down the stairs to the kitchen all the time). I opened up with the antipasto. This is a dish which is hard to get wrong but says a lot about an Italian restaurant and the forthcoming meal. This one was v good with a generous portion of different meats and some really sweet tomatoes and mozzarella. I could have done with another slice of the toasted ciabatta with it though. My companions had the prawns and the brucetta which were thoroughly enjoyed also.

For main I had a truly excellent Pork belly with sage mash and green beans. I was concerned it would be too salty but I shouldn't have worried as it was beautiful. Really well cooked and very tender. The mash was probably even better as was luxuriously buttery and the veg was good too. 2 of my party had good looking and generously served pizzas and my sister had a salmon pasta dish which looked a little apologetic. I couldn't face dessert but had a well made latte whilst my sis had the pannetone. It looked amazing and made me wish I'd made room for it too.

Overall, the prices were reasonable but seemed almost bargainous considering the quality of the fare and I left feeling very contented. If I was being ultra picky i'd say the service was a little slow but I'm more than willing to overlook this. I will return with friends in the imminent future.

Joe B (Unverified), 02/03/08

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It’s been suggested that a place where one restaurant has failed to thrive often retains a whiff of failure that taints the next business to take over the premises. It was reassuring, then, to see the latest venture in what should be a prime spot on Little Clarendon Street as packed and bustling as you’d expect on a Friday night. Already attracting a suspiciously well-turned-out crowd (where do these trendy people usually hang out and should I be worried that I’m never there?), Oxford’s newest restaurant is part of the Strada chain, already known for delivering quality Italian food across much of the south of England. The atmosphere is warm and lively, the service attentive but inoffensively casual. Although the tables seemed rather crammed together when we arrived, our fairly central spot felt surprisingly private, though this must have been an illusion as I spent a couple of quiet moments shamelessly ear-wigging the next door couple who were clearly on a first date. I should think, on this point, that Strada is a pretty decent first-date venue: smart, straightforward, edging toward classy (at least for this die-hard provincial), but essentially unchallenging. A very safe choice, Sir.

The food, well-presented and pleasantly delivered, ranged from the delicious, dangerously more-ish basil pesto and tomato bread (wafer-thin but melting pizza base style), roasted Mediterranean king prawns and a beeyootiful medium-rare rib-eye, to a slightly disappointing spinach salad (more parmesan! More pancetta!) and a sad nadir of (shock!) undercooked potatoes. Actually, we didn’t much care about the potatoes; we were so full of other nice things that it was a relief to have the choice of what not to force down our stuffed gullets taken out of our hands. The Milanese chicken was just the right combination of crispy and succulent, and the accompanying green beens cooked to perfection. In spite of such gorging, my stalwart dining partner managed to tackle a chocolate pudding – hot, gooey: smashing if you have room left for that sort of thing, which we followed with a couple of wicked, bitter, palate-sluicing coffees. The house white, to an ungifted amateur, was very drinkable, and although there were few other wines available by the glass, the choices this propelled us towards were really rather lovely and there were plenty of appealing options available for those who could manage a bottle.

Before going myself, I’d seen Strada’s prices described as “restrained”, and while I’m not sure this really holds true outside London, I do think they represent good value for money. Our evening came in at just over £60 for three courses (well, one pudding and the must-have pesto and tomato bread), coffee, three glasses of wine and a beer. Comfortable, looked after, and very happily fed, I’ll certainly be going back to give the potatoes another chance. Hope that first date went well.

Susie Cogan (DI Staff), 24/10/07

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First heard about Strada from a friend who had visited one of the many in London. So we ventured to this new opening one cold night last week hoping to find the same warmth and friendly service, great food and good selection of wines that my friend raved about from her past visits - and we were not disappointed. I went for the gamberoni starter (giant prawns) and my friend chose the soup from the specials menu. My prawns were amazing, served with a taste tingling sauce which our waitress suggested and some traditional Italian flat bread - and the soup looked very satisfying for a cold winter's night.

For mains my friend went for a caprino pizza, and oh my god the size of it! Our waitress informed us that this was as close to Italian pizza as you will get in the UK. I was very impressed. I went for the risotto frutti de mare (fruits of the sea I think) which was absolutely delicious - full of seafood in their shells and a whole squid... if you like seafood this is a must. Desserts were such a chore to decide between - so many choices, all of which looked as good as the other. I went for the pannetone as I can not find pannetone for love or money outside Christmas - and once again fell in love with it: warm, spongy but not soggy pannetone served with real vanilla ice cream - mm, I almost went to heaven.

To drink we shared a bottle of the Gavi de Gavi white, a very refreshing dry which was very drinkable. We were also offered complimentary filtered water, which was a nice touch. The bill came and I must say we were both very satisfied and had had a great night and were happy to pay the 10% service charge that was added. We were also invited by the manager to have some complimentary limoncello liqueurs which added even more value to this venue and was a very nice suprise with which to end our evening.

All I can say is GO there - great food, service and reasonable prices.

Graham134 (DI User), 23/10/07

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