La Tavernetta Italian Restaurant

You'll walk past this unassuming spot on Civic Centre Road a hundred times before realising what you've been missing. The modest frontage gives way to a warmly lit dining room where the smell of garlic and fresh basil immediately tells you you're in safe hands. The Neapolitan owners have been running this place like their own front room for years, and it shows in every hand-rolled gnocchi and perfectly timed risotto. The menu reads like a love letter to proper Italian cooking – none of that chain restaurant nonsense here. Their osso buco falls off the bone, the seafood linguine comes piled high with fresh mussels and prawns, and the tiramisu is made by nonna's recipe. Book ahead at weekends when half of Southampton seems to pile in for their legendary Sunday roasts with an Italian twist.