I went to Liverpool's treasured Italian restaurant people queue down street for and now I understand why

One of Liverpool’s oldest and most-treasured restaurants, Casa Italia has proudly served customers for almost fifty years, despite a difficult economic climate and the covid-19 lockdowns. Eager to find out the secret to the Italian restaurant’s success, I headed to Stanley Street to find out what makes it so special.

The quaint eatery first opened in 1976 and has since gained a cult following, with queues snaking all the way down the street most weekends. Mention Casa Italia to anyone in Liverpool and you’re likely to hear a story connected to it, from successful first dates to marriage proposals. Despite never hearing a bad word about the restaurant, I’m ashamed to say I had never visited until this week, put off by the idea of standing outside waiting for a table.

Determined to finally sample the food and see what all the fuss was about, I arrived at the restaurant at opening time on Tuesday, with my colleague Emily, and was instantly transported to 1970s Italy.

About Casa Italia

Running for nearly 48 years, the traditional Italian eatery has been loved by generations and regarded by many as the best in town. Still ran by the by the same family today, Casa Italia has fed celebs such as Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue and was originally opened by Mario Campolucci-Bordi. Now ran by his grandson, Arran, the restaurant offers nostalgia and comfort, and proper Italian food.

The atmosphere

Expecting it to be empty - as it had been open all of two minutes on a weekday - I was surprised to see that there were already a fair amount of tables taken and as we spoke to the friendly staff members and got seated, more customers arrived. The decor was cosy and felt like a restaurant in Italy, with red and white checked table cloths, antique light fixtures and cream and orange walls. There was Italian music playing in the background and the kitchen could be seen from the restaurant - a feature I really loved.

Many of the staff members were Italian which really added to the experience, and every single one we interacted with was kind, chatty and attentive. We were given recommendations about the best meals and drinks and it felt like the staff were genuinely happy to be at work - something which is often rare in the busy and stressful hospitality industry.

Even without trying the food, it was at this point that I understood the hype. The customers were of all different ages and different generations, eating at the restaurant for different reasons. One table featured a family with a small baby, who appeared to be out for a casual spot of lunch. Another saw a 19-year-old celebrating her birthday with her mum, a fact I know as the staff all sang ‘happy birthday’ and presented her with a big slice of cake, and the whole restaurant clapped. I realised that Casa Italia is about the atmosphere, the comfort, the nostalgia. It isn’t fine-dining, but it isn’t too casual for a celebration either - it has everything you could want from a proper community eatery.

The food and drinks

Offering everything you’d expect from an Italian restaurant - and more - Casa Italia’s menu is extensive without being overwhelming. The large laminated menu includes pasta dishes - such as cannelloni, tortellini, penne and tagliatelle - as well as a range of pizzas, antipasti and homemade Italian bread. Each main dish can be ordered as standard or large and there are no British or Americanised dishes - other than a crumble for afters. With no kids menu, every dish can also be served in ‘bambino’ size, meaning children get to eat the same thing as the rest of their families - a touch I really love.

Even more impressively, there are a selection of veggie and vegan dishes, and gluten-free pasta and pizza bases are available. While there is already a specific vegan pizza - featuring tomato, vegan cheese, vegan chorizo, red onion, peppers, chilli flakes and rocket - other veggie pizzas can easily be made vegan too if you just ask for plant-based cheese.

As a vegan myself, I often find myself looking at a boring menu with the same vegan burger or falafel wrap available wherever I go so, it was really refreshing to see that care had been taken to provide everyone with an authentic Italian experience, regardless of dietary requirements.

Asking assistant manager, Matteo, which dish he would recommend, Emily ordered the lasagna, whiIe chose the vegan Genovese, as it was something I had never tried before. Both opting for the large portion, both dishes arrived piping hot and were very well priced, at £14.95 and £14.50 respectively. When you think of a restaurant with loads of hype surrounding it, you expect premium prices but, honestly, I think around £15 is incredibly reasonable for the size and the fact that everything is made fresh. Of course, we both had to have an Italian beer to accompany the food - Emily opting for the Moretti and me having a Peroni.

The vegan Genovese consisted of penne pasta with vegan pesto (without parmesan), oat cream and fresh basil, and I think it is the nicest meal I have ever had, let alone the nicest pasta. The bright green colour of the pesto made it clear that it had been made fresh and it wasn’t until trying it that I realised I’d never had proper Italian pesto before, even before I was vegan. Tasting absolutely nothing like the shop-bought jars I usually have, it was a beautiful consistency and wasn’t at all oily. Pine nuts were sprinkled on top and while the presentation was nothing fancy, it was perfect.

Emily’s lasagna also looked unbelievable and was served in a ceramic dish, straight out of the oven. Perfectly cheesy and filled with meat, it looked like a proper cosy, homemade meal and she was incredibly pleased with Matteo’s recommendation. Again, served with no frills, it was what you’d expect from a little restaurant in an Italian village.

Despite us both being ridiculously full half-way through, I ate my entire dish and Emily had a pretty good crack at hers too. It was one of those meals that I couldn’t bare to not finish and didn’t want to ever end.

While we both far too full to consider dessert, there was a large menu featuring tiramisu and cannoli. All desserts were reasonably priced at £6.50, other than the array of Gelato flavours, each priced at £1.79 per scoop. Again, the dolci menu clearly labelled which dishes were gluten-free or vegan.

Thoughts

Before visiting Casa Italia, I hadn’t properly looked at the menu and was genuinely expecting to be greeted with a vegan option of pasta with tomato sauce. I was ready to be impressed with the venue but be jealous of Emily’s dish - feeling like my dietary requirement had ruined the authentic Italian experience everyone talks about - and I couldn’t have been more wrong.

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Everything about the visit was perfect, from the service and atmosphere, to the delicious food and well-thought out menu. Many people talk about how Casa Italia remains popular as it was the ‘only decent place to eat in the 1980s’, and while nostalgia does play a huge part in its appeal, I had expected that the food would be good but that its popularity was largely down to repeat customers not branching out to other restaurants.

I hadn’t understood why anyone would queue outside for 45 minutes for some pizza or pasta but, spending one lunchtime at Casa Italia has truly opened my eyes to exactly why it is so well-loved. It feels like you’re at home and in 1970s Italy all at the same time, nothing is too much for the kind staff members and the food isn’t just good, it’s unbelievable. I can honestly say I’ll be back - regularly - and I’ll queue for hours to eat here again if I have to.