Review: Gusto Trattoria in Southport, England - Delicious Italian Food, Excellent Wine List

Many British towns aren't known for their good Italian restaurants, which is why when my family and I were on a recent visit to Southport, England, we were amazed to come across an excellent Italian eatery. Gusto Trattoria is one of Southport's few Italian restaurants but, from our experience eating there, I must say it has to be one of the best. Serving modern Italian cuisine, great pizza and an excellent wine list, we ate there not once, but twice.

Atmosphere and Location of Gusto Trattoria - One of the many restaurants on Southport's famous shopping and dining street, Lord Street, Gusto Trattoria is easy to find. Located at 58-62 Lord Street, Southport, Gusto Trattoria is at the far end, just around the corner and across the street from the Prince of Wales Hotel.

Designed in a contemporary style, the restaurant is open-plan, wih hardwood floors, white walls, and with tables quite a way apart, which makes it lovely for a quiet, intimate evening, as you're not crowded by your fellow diners. We sat at a cozy table in the large windows -- adding nicely to the evening, as I love to look outside a restaurant and watch the passersby.

Menu at Gusto Trattoria - If you're looking for authentic modern Italian food, you're at the right place with Gusto Trattoria, and if you like to have a large choice of menu items, you'll love it here too.

Choices include appetizers like baked mussels and king prawns. We had an order of each and, as both were flavored with garlic and one (the mussels) with cheese, they were an excellent compliment to each other.

Main courses included several pasta and pizza dishes, sandwiches and salads. I recommend the Gusto Sandwich, as the goat cheese was excellent, and my father loved his pasta with tomatoes, olive oil and mozzarella cheese. We also shared a pizza -- pepperoni -- which had a perfect crust and a lovely zesty taste.

For wine lovers, Gusto Trattori has a wonderful wine list. I'm not a huge fan of wine, so I stuck to water and coffee, but my parents were thrilled with a bottle of Rioja wine from Spain.

Prices at Gusto Trattoria are inexpensive for the quality, taste and beautifully prepared dishes. Entrees were in the 7-9 pounds range ($11-14) and the bottle of wine only 25 pounds ($39) which, for a bottle that nice, my parents were quite happy with.

The staff are the restaurant are lovely, the atmosphere is incredibly relaxing and calm, and the food very, very nice. A trip to Southport for an Italian food lover would not be complete without a visit to Gusto Trattoria too.

More Information:

Gusto Trattoria, Southport, England