A popular Italian restaurant that serves up traditional rustic dishes and receives lots of praise for doing just that. Gordan Ramsay has even been in to see what all the fuss is about.

The Venue
Nonna’s stands slap bang in the middle of the very busiest stretch of Ecclesall Road, offering a separate restaurant (to the right as you enter) and bar areas (to the left) with ample space and seating in both. The interior is modern and simple, with smaller tables for two or four occupying the area at the front of the restaurant, beside the vast front windows, and larger tables for groups of virtually any size towards the rear. Tables are also available outside on the patio. Around the corner is Nonna’s Cucina – a delicatessen offering the best Italian produce and ingredients for those with a mind to try their hand at a little Italian cooking of their own.

The People
Nonna's has had lots of praise from the national press. The Observer reckons it's one of Britain's top restaurants while the Independent went one further and put it in their top 10 Italian restaurants. But a recent visit from Michelin star chef Gordon Ramsay is probably all the praise that Nonna's needs.

Nonna’s has two distinctly separate areas - the aperitivi bar, and the restaurant proper. The restaurant is relaxed, though almost always busy, and typical of contemporary Italian restaurants. With separate lunchtime, afternoon and evening menus operating, Nonna’s takes on more of a cafe feel in the afternoons, with a more formal, restaurant atmosphere in the evenings.

The Food
Nonna’s menu is wholeheartedly Italian, but with a very visible preference for local and British ingredients. Antipasti like Italian cured meats, potato and pancetta ravioli sit alongside River Yealm oysters (all priced between £5 and £9). A dedicated pasta and risotto menu is offered, while the main evening menu itself offers various linguini, rigatoni and tagliatelle dishes (all £9.50).

A choice of meat, fish and vegetarian mains is offered – shoulder of lamb with parsnip mash, braised pork belly with roast potatoes, and chicken breast with thyme roast vegetables amongst the meats; scallops, Norwegian halibut and Cornish seabass offered on the fish menu and honey roast parsnip crumble, and celeriac and cauliflower pancake, among others, appearing on a particularly imaginative vegetarian menu (in fact, a dedicated vegetarian menu with numerous options for all courses is also offered). Mains begin at £10.95, going right up to £24.95 for 8oz fillet with turnip, tomato, spinach and bay leaf. Most are around £15 to £17.

The lunch menu offers many smaller dishes – such as the antipasti, panini and salads – as well as hearty mains such as grilled 10oz rib eye beef, artichoke and mushroom frittata and whole grilled mackerel (all between £10.95 and £12.95).

A smaller afternoon menu offers bar food including anchovy and dill fritters, lasagne, a selection of Italian cheeses and condiments, and an Italian style ploughman’s lunch. And it's the same high standard you’ll find on the more elaborate restaurant menus. Common to all Nonna’s many dishes is an authenticity and a distinctiveness of flavour that so many Italian restaurants lack. You won't find bland tomato and herb, one size fits all approach, here. At Nonna’s you can enjoy familiar dishes cooked and prepared in an interesting and unique way.

The Drink
With a dedicated bar occupying half of Nonna’s spacious premises, the range of drinks available is substantial, though every bit as authentically Italian as the food. Peroni Rosso and Nastro Azzuro are both available on tap and in bottles (£2.50 to £3.95, depending upon the size), while a mid-priced range of Italian wines caters to both drinkers and diners. Cocktails are also something of a speciality, with the aperitivi bar offering two-for-one in the early evenings.

The Last Word
One of the North of England’s very best restaurants.

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