This branch of the established chain of Italian eateries resonates everything that’s successful about Pizza Express.

The Venue
This Pizza Express is located on Red Lion Street just a heartbeat away from the main hub of Richmond town centre. And with a recent renovation this has certainly improved these restaurants fortunes. A pleasant open plan interior is both pleasing and inviting on first glance. The combination of simple wooden tables and chairs make for a relaxing atmosphere.

The Atmosphere
Depending on what time of the day you go you will potentially bump into yummy mummies in the afternoon and not so yummy businessmen in the evening after a long slog in the office mixed in with groups of couples. A friendly, warm staff to ensures a good ambiance.

The Food
For starters try the Rustica Tomatoes, slow roasted ripe Italian tomatoes which are marinated with fresh herbs and olive oil to bring out the sweet flavours. The Caesar Salad is good value at under £4 and comes with generous shavings of parmesan, anchovies, cos lettuce, croutons and a creamy Caesar dressing.

Mains throw up the usual Italian contenders of pizzas, pastas and freshly made salads. A classic to dish to get your teeth into is the Lasagna Classica, a comforting dish of baked pasta with layers of bolognese sauce, bechamel sauce, parmesan and tomato. The tortellini pasta shells which are stuffed with meat and a combination of cream, ham and parmesan is subtle but works generally on all levels. As for pizzas, one to watch out for is the Capricciosa, with a combination of Prosciutto cotto ham, anchovies, red pepper strips capers and olives, topped with a free range boiled egg. The saltiness of the fish works well with the piquant flavours coming from the olives and capers. For desserts the toffee fudge sundae comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with chewy fudge chunks with a cascade of toffee sauce.

The Drink
There’s a sound list of pre dinner aperitifs including Campari, Martinis or Pimms. For those drinkers watching their weight there’s a low alcohol lager at under £2.50. A range of beers featuring Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Gran Riserva is also available, as well as liquors like Amaretto, Limoncello, Sambuca and Tia Maria amongst others.

The Last Word
A usually solid choice amongst Italian chain restaurants, this pizza express location doesn’t disappoint.

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