Peperoncino

Walk into Peperoncino on a Friday night and you'll find exactly what Southsea's been needing — a neighbourhood Italian that actually knows what it's doing. The team here clearly cares about getting the fundamentals right: handmade pasta that tastes like someone spent time on it, sauces built with patience, and wines that complement rather than bankrupt. You're sat elbow-to-elbow with locals and the occasional visitor who's heard word travels fast around here. There's nothing fussy about it, but there's nothing careless either.