Trattoria Fanelli’s

Got a to-​go order (take away), paid the guy 3 pound tip, for two pieces of pie and an order of calamari and polpo. Got the order 30 minutes later and when I check the calamari order, there are about 6 calamari (frozen) and no octopus. I went back pretty ticked. The manager took it back to the kitchen and said when he came back «I’m sorry we are out of octopus. I can refund your money …» I said, absolutely, and give me the two pound tip I gave you for not checking the order. Place was horrible and very accustomed to screwing British patrons.
We went there first night five minutes after nine. «I’m sorry we are closed «
I say «thank you «, can’t wait to broadcast to the world how sorry your attitude is.
I won’t go back nor recommend this poor excuse for an Italian restaurant.

Not sure if two stars is a bit harsh but wasn’t much to shout about or be impressed by. We didn’t book but got a table for two no problem which was great. For starters we opted for meatballs and I had creamy mushrooms on toast, both nice although we waited at least 15/​20mins for it after we got drinks. For mains we opted for a pizza and I got the Italian sausage pasta, pasta was cooked to perfection but sauce was a bit bland and sausage was too salty. We waited at least 25mins for our mains even though other tables got theirs quicker. We also ordered fries which didn’t arrive so made sure they didn’t get added to the bill. I have only been here once before and recall it being nice but this time it was disappointing. Staff friendly enough and total bill was reasonable. Would I go back? Probably not.

Good was really good. The staff was very friendly. Ross is a great waiter and a really nice guy. Can’t wait to make the next trip to have a great dinner here again.

Fanelli’s is an Italian restaurant, set on the Merchant Square. It’s a quite impressive-​looking place, but one that I’ve just had a sneaking doubt about so I’ve never been. We went there on day one of the Commonwealth Games, why, well cos it was the only place in the Merchant Square that we tried that would feed us! We got a seat outside-​inside on the square, and took a gander at the menu.
The menu is a large single sheet of cardboard, which is where I start to worry, generally your better places produce something with a little more finesse. It had a couple of interesting, locally-​inspired options on it, and so I decided on the Haggis Cannelloni and the Smoked Salmon to start. We also decided on a side of Garlic Pizza Bread with Mozzarella (I think it was mozzarella, I can’t check because they have reached their website data limit, again that doesn’t look great to a potential customer!)
It took a while to even get to order drinks, they were fairly busy, but to be frank not busy enough for that length of wait. After that initial wait though, the service was not too shabby at all. The salmon when it came was fine, it was an average smoke, served with some salad leaves, and a decent starter size.
The cannelloni though was more contentious. It tasted good, extremely tomatoey, suited to my taste but not necessarily to most. It wasn’t completely evenly spread though, so some mouthfuls were on the really hot side. It was also so well-​cooked I never saw an intact piece of pasta, over-​cooked in other words, but the haggis made it work anyway. The pizza bread was disappointing, it was neither garlicky or cheesy enough and as a consequence a bit dry in parts.
In short, Fanelli’s is ok for very casual dining. Would I go there again? Personally, with the quality of other Italian restaurants in that area, only if someone else talked me into it!

Visited here after a Saturday at Uni, hubby & daughter came into town to meet me for a family lunch!
We ordered from the lunch menu which was good value for money. The penne primavera was delicious and a nice change from pasta with a tomato or creamy sauce.
My little one who is 20 months old was delighted with her kids portion of minestrone soup and mummy was also delighted it only cost £1 — total bargain with a nice big bit of ciabatta bread thrown in. She scoffed it!
Hubby had the penne in mushroom and rosemary sauce which he said was ok but not enough sauce. The pannacotta with lemon syrup was lovely and light.
We were made to feel very welcome and they were great at accommodating our little one and her buggy. However the only thing that lost a star from us was the price of 2 lager shandys which came to £10.10!!! Thought this was a bit over the top as these 2 drinks actually cost more than the lunch deal itself!