Watch: We celebrate Italy at this year’s Euros with one of Liverpool's oldest and best-loved restaurants

The UEFA European Championship is returning this summer as the best 24 football teams from across the continent compete for the title.

All qualifying nations will begin the tournament in the group stages, and to celebrate Italy’s participation in Group B, myself and video journalist, Emily Bonner, headed to one of Liverpool’s oldest and best-loved Italian restaurants, Casa Italia to chat to the team and get their footie predictions.

Walking into the Stanley Street restaurant is like stepping back in time, being instantly transported back to the 1970s Italy. The tables don red and white checked table cloths and there are cream and orange brick walls, with antique light fixtures.

If you’re after a venue covered in flags, football memorabilia and screens showing the match, Casa Italia probably isn’t for you. But, if you’re rooting for Italy as this year’s champions and want to enjoy authentic Italian food before heading to the pub, look for no further, as it doesn’t get better than this.

At almost 50 years old, the restaurant has seen Italy twice crowned the winners of the Euros and while assistant manager Matteo has only witnessed one win for his country, he is hopeful that 2024 may be Italy’s year once again.

Chatting to LiverpoolWorld, he said: “I’m positive but it’s not easy. We’ve got a very good coach so let’s see.” He confidently added that Italy will ‘absolutely’ go further than England in the competition.

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Sardinian-born Matteo joined the Casa Italia team back in 2022, but the restaurant has been a popular foodie destination since 1976. He told us that he believes it is so successful due to its nice atmosphere and ‘proper’ Italian food, and due to its long-standing success, pretty much everyone in Liverpool has a story associated with the restaurant, from love stories to special occasions.

The large main menu includes bolognese, cannelloni, tortellini and pizza, and the menu truly feels like what you’d see in Italy, with no added British or Americanised dishes. Emily and I were both incredibly impressed to see a range of vegan-friendly and gluten-free options too, showing that while Casa Italia is remaining authentic, it is also moving with the times and ensuring that anybody and everybody can enjoy their food.

While a range of antipasti are also available, from homemade Italian bread to Caprese salad, we both decided to save ourselves for our main courses, ensuring we could truly appreciate them without ruining our appetites.

Matteo told us that the lasagna is one of the most ordered dishes at Casa Italia - and the meal he believes everyone should try - so Emily opted for that, while I chose the vegan Genovese. Both arrived piping hot and the portion sizes were huge - good job we didn’t get any starters, right?

Accompanying our meals, we both, of course, had an Italian beer, taking recommendations from Matteo and opting for a Birra Moretti and a Peroni.

As we tucked into our bowls of steaming pasta, we both looked at each other and expressed just how good they were. Though Emily is a loyal Casa Italia fan, she had never tried the lasagna before and was very pleased with Matteo’s recommendation. I, however, had never visited before so was even more impressed.

The Genovese consisted of pasta with vegan pesto without parmesan, oat cream and fresh basil and I feel like up until now I’ve never actually had real authentic pesto. Tasting absolutely nothing like the shop-bought jars I’ve previously tasted, I was absolutely blown away by just how good it was and can proudly say I finished the whole dish - despite being full about halfway through. Known for long queues, I can see why Casa Italia is such a much-loved restaurant and can safely say I’d be willing to wait outside in the rain if it meant eating there again.

While Casa Italia won’t be holding any special Euros events or making any changes to its menu in celebration of the football, it really is the place to go if you want an authentic Italian experience and the chance to chat to the lovely staff members about their beloved team. Matteo told us he’ll be headed to the nearby McCooley’s to watch the games, so why not have some delicious pasta before starting on the pints? Saluti!

Watch the full video above for more.