Little Italy (Byres Road)

What: Restaurant
For: Lunch
With: Friends
Site: Here

Little Italy is well known by Glasgow University students, partly because it's close to the uni, but mostly because if you've got a snapfax* you can get a small Margarita pizza and a drink for £3. The low price is not a reflection on the quality, even a pizza as boring as a Margarita is quite a treat for a student lunch.

It is always busy, and the restaurant is not large, so you're lucky if you get a seat, and it's often a better idea to simply take away. On this occasion though, we were not carrying a snapfax, and it was a little after the lunch-time rush, so we elected to get a large, interesting pizza to share between the three of us, and to sit in.

We chose to have sun-blushed tomatoes and goat's cheese as toppings. Normally I'd choose something a little meatier, but I must admit that when the pizza arrived it was quite clear that it didn't need it.

Perhaps it's because it's often so busy, and such an obvious choice of location, that I don't come here more often. I'm certainly not put off by the food, the atmosphere or the price, all of which are exemplary.

The service is also good from a student's point of view. You order your food, and pay for it at the counter. They give you a beeper, and when your pizza's cooked, it goes off and you go over to the open kitchen, where the chef passes it to you, offering you black pepper. You take your pizza to your table (or away, if you couldn't find one), picking up any cutlery, napkins etc on the way. You enjoy your pizza, and don't really feel the need to tip.

It does make it feel a little like a glorified fast-food place, but with all of the pros and none of the cons. Staff are friendly and happy to help you if you need them, but you rarely do. They seem to have the balance exactly right somehow.

Frankly, it's worth picking up a snapfax during Fresher's week, just so you can take advantage of their £3 offer. Even if you don't though, it's worth visiting the place and paying full price, as it's more than worth it.

*I've mentioned these a few times now. They're little booklet-things that get sold almost all year in Glasgow, but especially during Fresher's week. They tend to go for £3, but if you can wait, you'll be able to find them for free later in the year. If you have one, you'll use it, because the offers are for everywhere and are geared towards students.