Paperino's

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the 2012 edition.

With two City Centre venues and a branch in the West End, Paperino’s has become a byword for quick and easy Italian food. The original Sauchiehall Street branch is most intimate, with wooden booths, dim lights and terracotta tiles, while the newer St Vincent Street restaurant features a grand marble staircase. Byres Road is larger, popular with large groups and families, but the permanent menu is the same in each branch, focused on pasta, pizza and Italian meat and fish dishes, with plenty of options for vegetarians too. Starters include sticky, spicy chicken wings and breaded fried mozzarella sticks, but the standout is the ravioli d’aragosta – parcels of delicious pink lobster in a light creamy tomato sauce. Main courses include pollo Milanese, a breaded chicken fillet served with skinny fries and salad, while the pancetta pizza was full of the flavours of cured meat and garlic, let down only by the fatty pancetta not being crisp enough. Rich desserts include tiramisù and the daily cheesecake, all served with a garnish of fresh raspberries and blueberries.