I had been meaning to go to this restaurant for years and even featured it in one of my short stories, but still didn’t go until recently. I have no idea why, but we finally have and we were delighted. The interior is beautiful, with high ceilings, large colourful oil paintings, chandeliers and upholstered chairs with a bar which is quite a feature. It was apparently a former bank. All this and yet it has a cosy feeling. The service was impeccable and friendly and the food gorgeous. Although I ended up eating most half of Michaels as it was so good!
The menu is extensive with a huge range of pastas, starters and mains – plenty of meat and fish dishes, and some lovely desserts. It was hard to choose!
We had lovely pasta and calamari starters, and this was preceded with an olive plate, which was a nice surprise. I had filet steak for my…
…main but wished I had the veal, as it was so good, I ate about half of Michael’s! The vegetables were well cooked and we really enjoyed it. Although it was not particularly busy, the ambience was great and the staff so friendly they chatted and took photos for us.
Although I would try to keep this place as a treat, as it what I would call a ‘proper’ night out, I will definitely be back very soon!
Gattopardo means Leopard and the restaurant is named after a palace in Sicily.
Restaurant name Il Gattopardo Restaurant telephone 01702 391789 Restaurant address 65, Hamlet Court Rd, Westcliff-On-Sea, Essex SS0 7EY Average price per person for 3 course meal, excluding drinks moderate (£20-£30) How many dined? 2 Value for money rating? 8/10 Atmosphere Quality rating? 9/10 Service Quality rating? 9/10 Food Quality rating 8/10