Il Rosso

Walk into Il Rosso and you've stepped into the kind of place that gets busier as the evening goes on—locals know it, so you'll want to book. It's situated nicely on Nottingham Road, and the atmosphere is warm without being stuffy; you'll see families tucking into risotto next to couples sharing bottles. The kitchen clearly respects traditional Italian cookery without the pretension. Pasta arrives properly al dente, sauces taste like they've had time to develop, and the wine list rewards a bit of exploration at reasonable markups. Nothing revolutionary, but that's not really the point here.