Amalfi Pizzeria

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• Average price 2 courses:
   £5.95 (set lunch)
   £11.50 (evening meal)
• House wine: £10.95 per bottle

• High point: Good-value set menus
• Low point: Too much sauce in vegetarian lasagne
• Food served: Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm, 5-10pm; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
• Open since: 2002
• Also offers: Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Take away, Pre-theatre menu

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

Serving inexpensive Italian classics, this city centre restaurant has an unexpectedly low-key and intimate atmosphere considering its location just off the bustling eastern end of Sauchiehall Street. The menu proudly recalls that the likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant dined here (at what was then Café Lido) when they were in town to perform at the defunct Empire theatre. Those days may be long gone, but Amalfi, with its swift service and unfussy menu and décor (including scenic photos of Italy), continues to attract a regular clientele. Starters feature a dollop of crumbly, home-made chicken liver pâté served with a dark and tangy chutney, and doorstop-sized bruschetta topped with bubbling mozzarella, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. Options among the 12-inch pizzas include the Amalfi house special, which combines peppers, artichokes, capers, Parma ham and olives, while there is a mix-and-match approach to pastas and sauces (although the menu also lists set options such as cannelloni and spaghetti with clams). A flute of lemon sorbet, which comes with a small glass of limoncello liqueur, offers a refreshing end to the meal.