Prezzo

Went here for a family dinner last Sunday. We made reservations and I’m very glad we did, as the place was quite busy. Prezzo used to be a bank, and you can tell from the style of the interior — pillars going up the sides, very high ceilings, etc. It is definitely lively with all tables full, and sitting right in the middle of Torquay.
My boyfriend and I split the calamari to start which at £5.95 was overpriced for the amount you get it. It was just a few rings per person, and while the batter and the pesto mayo were both very good, I think the calamari was overdone. It was too tough. I’m well aware it’s supposed to be rubbery but this was far tougher than I expected.
Entrees were better — I got the spaghetti with lobster. One of the nice things Prezzo does is offer a «light» option for almost all pastas, where they give you a smaller portion and add a side salad. The calories go down, and the price goes up by about £1 — guess that salad is pricey to make? But I got a normal portion which was smaller than I expected — I keep having to remind myself that this is not America! Still it will fill you up! It was a very tasty dish with some grilled vegetables and a nice pesto sauce. Pasta is not homemade but was well cooked. My boyfriend got the steak and rocket pizza which was very nice. The crust was very crisp and there were lots of pieces of steak, cherry tomatoes, olives, and more on each piece.
We split some dessert — the nutella and banana calzones. These were found a little odd by everyone in our group. We all wanted them to be served warmer, but they were really about room temperature. The calzone dough is just pizza dough — so it isn’t sweetened with sugar or anything like that. Also the bites around the edges are all just dough — you have to aim straight for the middle to make sure you get nutella and banana in a bite. And those bites were great — how can you go wrong with nutella, but I think they could’ve changed a few things to make the dish nicer.
Service wasn’t terrific. The women who served us seemed genuinely confused at various places. English wasn’t their first language which is fine, but they actually seemed to have trouble understanding us. Wine pouring was sloppy and nearly resulted in a spill (on me!) which gave me a little heart attack. And they kept coming round after each course to bring more silverware and napkins. I had my napkin in my lap, and they put a new one on the table before the entrée and the dessert, so by the end I had three napkins in my lap for no reason. I just don’t think they know what on earth is going on.
I would return since the food is mostly good, but a few changes in service would go a long way to making Prezzo better.

a good restaurant in a lovely building good tasty Italian food haven’t had a bad experience. service is usually quite quick. can be a little pricey but often prezzo have deals on

Well presented meals, good food, quite pricey drinks but overall a nice evening.

This place is great! We came to Torquay to visit family and found this restaurant one night looking for a good Italian place. Did we strike gold or what, this place was excellent. For the quality of food, the prices are shockingly low. I would gladly pay more for the dishes we had. We came back again a year later and made sure to make reservations to get in at a earlier time. The service is very professional yet warm as well as the ambiance. Try their amazing crab cakes and you’ll be back for more.

It’s a Prezzo, what can you say. Great that Torquay has one I suppose, but personally I would only go there out of obligation for a friends birthday or something. Too many bad experiences. Cold food on more than one occasion and wait for it. .. (people of a squimush dispostion look away now) my friend had maggots in her salmon. Okay this was last year and yes the staff were devastated and dealt with it well, but other things annoy me. It’s just a faceless corporate brand. I don’t feel good going there, feel a bit bored and like a slave to the machine. But that’s just my opinion!

We had always admired this building when it was Lloyds Bank, but now it is a trendy restaurant — yes the pun was intended — and a lively night spot.
Unfortunately the night we had dinner here we were with some very boring business company;however it was still clear that the food is well cooked and presented, the service pleasant and efficient and the ambience VERY NOISEY!
Certainly a young persons restaurant, no chance of romantic conversation. or in fact any conversation under shouting pitch.
Fortunately the extreme bore was paying for this meal, it was reasonably priced for the quality of food and service but expensive for the poor ambience.