I had always walked past the Prezzo in Maidstone or simply not walked down Earl Street far enough to discover their gorgeous food. Hence why I thought this needed reviewing, in case others have done the same! I found Prezzo after I received some unwanted Tesco clubcard vouchers from a friend. I actually had to look up where the nearest one was via their website, only to discover there was one in my hometown. Here's my review:

Firstly, there is no free parking close by. There is a multi-storey car park opposite and an outside parking area around the corner, but both require you to pay for your stay, and it can be a little frustrating thinking about the time throughout your dinner. From the outside the restaurant looks like an old house with dark beams. There is a hanging Prezzo sign above the door to let you know it's there, and normally an A-board letting you know what is on offer. There are a couple of large steps to enter the restaurant, which I can't imagine is very wheelchair friendly! I'm not entirely sure where the disabled entrance is, so it is not very clear. When you enter the building there is a waiting area that looks really cosy, for instance there is an open fire with sofas and stalls around it. Usually, a member of staff takes us through to the main restaurant as soon as we get in the door. However, on busier nights we are told a waiting time and given menus to look at in the waiting area until a table becomes available. There is a small bar behind the till where the drinks are made... I'm not actually sure if you can order there yourself, we tend to wait until we are seated. All in all, the staff are very quick to attend to your needs and always polite and helpful.

The main restaurant is separated into three areas. There are around six small tables in the first part, then around ten larger tables in the next area and finally a few tables outside for use in the summer! The restaurant is decorated in a sophisticated manner, with plain furniture, wooden flooring and neutral colours. There are many paintings by David Hockney decorating the walls, it would be nice to see a variety of artists, but I guess that is their theme! There is music playing in the background, but not so much to interrupt your conversation. The toilets are located upstairs, which makes it a bit of an effort to get to, especially manoeuvring through all the tables. Again, I'm not sure where the disabled ones are located! There are only about three or four toilets, but I've never had to queue, despite going on busy weeknights! The rooms themselves are huge and nicely decorated. There has never been a problem with cleanliness or low supplies either.

The menu has a wide variety of Italian food to accommodate even the fussiest of eaters (me included!). The range of dishes includes pasta, pizza and calzone, grilled food, risottos and salads. Obviously there is also a wide range of starters, sides and desserts, and a long wine list too! I have been to Prezzo quite a few times in the past year and found the menu appears to change quite a bit... both the dishes and appearance of the menus. For instance, I went there a couple of weeks ago and there was no longer my favourite Ciabatta Milanese!

Firstly, we ordered our soft drinks (two Diet Cokes), which came in traditional glass bottles with a separate frosted cold glass. I really appreciate it when restaurants do this because it makes the drinks so much more refreshing! For starters, my partner and I had our usual Pane Con Cipolla (or garlic bread with mozzarella and caramelised onions). Those that read my Wildwood review will see a theme occurring here! However, Prezzo serve theirs on a large plate with the slices cut already. We were also given two plates (great, considering we were sharing!) and knives and forks - although I never used mine! There was a good amount of caramelised onions, although some parts hardly had any and others were covered, so it could have been more evenly spread!

For our mains, I tried one of Prezzo's new dishes 'Pollo Mariano' which was described as 'Seasoned chicken, spicy Italian sausage, roasted peppers and fusilli in tomato sauce.' It came out as you would expect, much like a great looking pasta bake. It was full of colour and flavor... very tasty! The portion size was rather on the large size for me, but I tend to eat small dinners anyway, so I reckon it would be just right for anyone else! My partner had the carbonara which I can't comment on but it down well with him! We did not talk much throughout the meal... always a sign that the food is good!

We did not have enough room for dessert because the menu looked delicious... The prices are fairly reasonable for a high street restaurant, averaging about £5 for each one. I loved the sound of the Honeycomb Smash cheesecake or the Lemon Torte, so next time I'd love to try them!

The prices are average for a high street restaurant. Our garlic bread was £4.95, the mains were £9.95 and drinks were £2.25. All in all, we paid less than ten pounds because we took advantage of Tesco clubcard vouchers so we felt very smug! I do not spot many offers associated with Prezzo, for instance 2-4-1, so it does put me off going but it would be nice as a special treat!

I would recommend going to Prezzo if you love Italian food because there are a lot of dishes to choose from and each and every one comes out looking and smelling delicious. The restaurant itself is really inviting and comfortable to eat in, so I instantly feel chilled out and relaxed! I give this restaurant 4* - marked down due to the parking and disabled access.

45 Earl Street

Maidstone

Kent
ME14 1PD

01622 677 499
www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 12pm -11.30pm