Situated on the prestigious Malone Road, Giacomo’s Italian restaurant is quite unassuming from the outside with a doorway and a long set of stairs which immediately lead you to the restaurant area.
As we enter at around 6.30pm, the place is empty, not another diner in sight. However, the stone floors and hanging baskets filled with plants definitely give it a European feel, whatever that means. The atmosphere is distinctly Italian, but more like what an Italian restaurant looks like in a Spanish resort. It’s not showy, but is a little kitsch. However, it does the job and with a little imagination it could definitely feel like you’re sitting in a little trattoria nestled in the mountains somewhere.
As a party of seven we sit down and a drinks order is promptly taken. We have a Groupon voucher valid for a main meal and a starter chosen from the main menu in its entirety, which is great as some places often give you a cut down version of the menu to choose from for a deal like this. Have a look at the dinner choices here.
A few other diners trickle in as the evening progresses, it is the middle of the week after all. The service is pretty quick and our starters arrive in no time. Between us we sample the mozzarella sticks, the caesar salad and the cheesy garlic bread. The garlic bread is one of those pizza style affairs, more herby than anything, with roasted garlic on top which is a nice touch, but not garlicky (is that a word?) enough for my own personal taste (however, I am a serious garlic fiend); the caesar salad is to die for, the bacon is warm, the dressing is tasty without being too tangy and overall it’s just a great, simple dish; the mozzarella sticks are nice too, not too stringy or tough, just five slender breadcrumbed sticks of goodness served with a tasty (although cold) tomato based dip. As the plates are set down, my dish is missing a mozzarella stick and the waitress tells me that one of mine has been burnt, so they’re bringing me another in a second. Which they do, much to the bemusement of the second waitress who says she “doesn’t know why”, but “here’s another mozzarella stick”. The starters were all great, not too filling, but tasty all the same.
Next up, the main course. I had the Diavoletto pizza, which was served on a traditional thin base, with jalapenos, green peppers, chilli flakes and salami. It was meant to be served with a chilli sauce instead of the regular base, but I asked for the standard tomato base and I’m glad I did. The pizza was delicious, cooked fresh to order and very very spicy! A definite must try for spice lovers. I also tasted the spaghetti bolognese which was another simple, yet delicious dish, and the Il Tricolore Penne (penne with italian sausage, chicken, broccoli in a roasted pepper cream sauce) which I thought was something a bit different. The only down side was a hair found in the Il Tricolore Penne, but to be honest, it could happen anywhere, so it didn’t really mar the experience at all.
All in all, this is a great little Italian restaurant worth trying. The food is fresh, the beers are cold and the service is prompt. They have quite a few specials on during the week such as 2 courses for 2 people costing only £25 on a Wednesday, 20% off for students and a free coffee when you order any two courses.
#NItoiletWatch
The toilets were clean, if a little cramped. The toilet seat in one of the cubicles was askew and there were no door handles on the cubicle doors, making them difficult to open and close. The hand dryer is lacklustre at best.
