Were my high expectations met at Little Italy in St Andrews?

I had pretty high expectations when I visited Little Italy in St Andrews for a review.

It’s a place I have heard great things about for some time.

It is even praised by Avengers director, Joe Russo, as one of his favourite places to eat in the university town.

So surely it had to be good?

I wanted to find out for myself, so roped in my boyfriend, Michael, to accompany me for a Saturday dinner out.

Modern, colourful and stylish feel to Little Italy in St Andrews

Some restaurants that are well aware of how popular they are tend to give up after a while.

They stop updating the decor and their menu, and still expect the customers to keep rolling in.

Little Italy in St Andrews, I was relieved to discover, is not one of those spots – at least not in regard to decor.

It is modern, colourful and stylish inside, with touches of that homely Italian feel you expect.

The bar is sleek and stylish, and I will be returning for some wine. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Michelangelo’s David is dotted around the place, but not in a tacky way.

The dark lighting inside, plus the colour theming of black and red, create an intimate, romantic feel which to me is synonymous with Italian cuisine.

We get a friendly welcome at the door and are led to a table by the window.

Though there was a noisy group to our left, we are soon too absorbed with the menu to care.

Focaccia, pesto and huge, meaty olives

A quick peruse of the menu, and Michael and I know what we want.

Typically, one of us chooses pasta and the other pizza – a pairing meaning we can get a try of one another’s, of course.

As I was having fish for my starter, I asked which wine the server would recommend.

She suggested the Sauvignon Sicilian (£8), which was crisp and light, with lovely pear notes.

I overhear that the table to our left has forgotten to flag they would like gluten-free pasta, and note that Little Italy staff sort this out without fuss.

Considering how often those with food allergies or intolerances can feel like a burden when eating out, the staff’s swift, pain-free handling of this impresses me.

Our table at Little Italy St Andrews. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Before our starters, the staff provide us an (unexpected but much appreciated) dish of bread and olives.

But it’s not the simple bread and olive offering that you might be picturing.

It’s a sizeable portion of rosemary focaccia, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.

The fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, bread provides the perfect vessel for guiding the delicious olive oil to our mouths.

There’s also a pesto dip, which is delicious and chunky as it should be. Did you know pesto means to pound or crush, and is traditionally made in a mortar and pestle?

The olives aren’t tiny little black ones, which only taste bitter. They’re huge, meaty and moreish.

Seafood starter is worth the effort at Little Italy, St Andrews

The staff are friendly and attentive throughout, topping up the lemon water for the table.

Our starters come along promptly and my gamberoni barcarello (£16) is love at first sight.

The sauce has a lovely flavour to it, with wine, garlic and lemon coming through.

I love that the prawns are butterflied to allow all that juicy sauce to penetrate.

Gamberoni Barcarello starter from Little Italy in St Andrews. — My gamberoni Barcarello starter on our visit to Little Italy in St Andrews. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Although I wasn’t getting much chilli, I did not mind that. The other flavours were strong and worked together perfectly.

The prawns themselves were meaty and delicious, and all of a decent size.

There was a little effort needed to de-shell the prawns, it was worth it to get access to all that perfection.

Michael’s starter, Bresaola al capone (£14), went down a treat too.

The Bresaola (beef, not pork which is unusual for cured meats) was extremely tender.

Bresaola al Capone starter at Little Italy Restuarant in St Andrews. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

The combination of the sharp Parmesan and sour caper meant every mouthful was full of flavour. There is nothing bland about this dish.

Although I am not the biggest fan of cured meats, even I found this to be very tender, not at all chewy as can often be the case.

This starter might have converted me.

Did quality continue for our mains at Little Italy?

I didn’t think the food could get any better than our starters. Truly, they were impeccable.

But then my main arrived – Vitello alla Milanese (£32).

Vitello alla Milanese at Little Italy. — Vitello alla Milanese was a bountiful feast at Little Italy. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

It blew me away. A breaded veal escalope, accompanied by spaghetti in a rich Pomodoro sauce is a match made in heaven.

I’ve had this before elsewhere, though with chicken instead of veal, and I have to say it was the crispiest breading I have had in this dish.

Oftentimes with this dish restaurants pay so much attention to the meat that they forget the spaghetti.

This was not the case at Little Italy.

The Pomodoro sauce, though simple, was rich and flavourful. The tang of the tomato paired well with the sage on the veal.

It was a huge portion as well, one I couldn’t finish, making it well worth the hefty price tag.

The pizza Sofia Loren at Little Italy in St Andrews. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Michael’s main, pizza Sofia Loren (£18) was very tasty too.

The mozzarella was delicious and gooey and there was a nice spice to the pepperoni too.

Though he enjoyed this, it didn’t blow either of us away.

Verdict on Little Italy, St Andrews:

My high expectations for my visit to Little Italy, St Andrews, were absolutely met.

Had I had enough appetite, I would have loved to try their desserts too, but the focaccia before the starter definitely filled me up.

The food is on the pricier side – especially the meat mains – but the quality is there.

For me, the price is worth it, but it does mean that Little Italy should probably be saved for fancy date nights or special occasions, as it isn’t really affordable as a midweek treat.

The venue was pristine and smart, with not even a napkin out of place.

The staff, too, were excellent, and we could see that we were not the only ones getting attentive service.

Perhaps Little Italy, St Andrews, needs no introduction, but for someone who has heard good things for so long, it is good to see that the eatery lives up to its reputation.

Little Italy, we will most certainly be back.