Toscana City Centre Italian Restaurant

You'd expect another tourist trap this close to Temple Bar's cobblestones, but Toscana takes its Italian cooking seriously. The space feels properly European – dark wood, warm lighting, and servers who know their way around a wine list. You're here for the handmade pasta that arrives al dente every time and pizzas with proper thin bases that don't buckle under toppings. The menu sticks to classics done well rather than trying to reinvent carbonara or mess about with pesto. Portions are generous without being obscene, and the wine selection leans heavily Italian with some decent mid-range bottles. It's busy most nights, especially weekends when pre-theatre crowds from nearby venues pile in, so booking ahead saves you standing about on Dame Street looking dejected.