La Vita

Traditional old-school, family-run Scottish-Italian with contemporary appeal and a real crowd-pleaser of a pre-theatre.

The 2019 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

La Vita is the essence of generous Italian hospitality. There’s plenty of room for everyone over the three floors of dining space, oodles of choice on the menu and the portions are huge. Waiting staff are welcoming and the site, on the corner of George Square, is perfectly positioned for people-watching. Rosettes indicate house specialities, like ravioli Rafael, meat ravioli baked in a creamy pesto sauce with cherry tomatoes, or chicken Portofino, a breaded chicken breast with tomato sauce and mozzarella perched atop a bed of tagliatelle with wild mushrooms in a cream sauce. The inclusion of traditional Scottish ingredients on the menu leads to some interesting quirks such as Stornoway black pudding in spaghetti carbonara or haggis topping a pizza but overall the menu is straight-up Italian, as befits a restaurant dynasty stretching back three generations (you’ll find their story on the menu). Desserts are towering concoctions of ice-cream, whipped cream and confectionary and, as a final flourish, a tooth-threatening drumstick sweetie arrives with the bill. Decent breakfasts and a good lunch deal keep the customers coming throughout the day.