Strada

My friend and I were on the hunt for a nice meal out recently — more specifically a nice steak out — and, having had no luck elsewhere, we decided to give Strada a go. In a town like Brighton, where independent restaurants are not thin on the ground, I always feel a little bit guilty opting for a chain. I must admit, my expectations going in here were not massivley high — I was very much of the opinion that ‘it’ll be fine, it’ll get the job done.’ Luckily, I underestimated Strada!
Firstly, the staff here are delightful! They’re very attentive and did their utmost to make our evening smooth and carefree. When my friend ordered her steak (which I’ll get to in a minute) she couldn’t decide which sauce to go for and, wonderfully, the waiter just brought her both of the options in little pots, totally by surprise! Such a nice gesture!
So, the food. The steaks were incredible! Really tasty, well cooked and rather enormous too! The chips that came with them were thin and crispy, just how I like them, and the sauce — oh peppercorn sauce — was to die for. The main was delicious! I can say, with my hand on my heart, I enjoyed each mouthful of it.
With the main we had a bottle (*cough* then another bottle…) of really gorgeous red wine. We opted, as we tend to, for one of the cheaper bottles on the list, but rather than being served wine that was ‘quite good for what we paid’ — a common thing heard when I dine out — this wine was actually great despite what we paid. It was smooth and rich and didn’t have that horrible after-​taste that cheap wine can have.
The deserts were little chocolate pots that were good, but not spectacular. I love chocolate, so it’s hard to make any chocolate dish that I don’t at least finish, so suffice to say the plate was cleared, but it was a touch drier than I would have liked.
The whole meal came to about £40 a head, which wasn’t cheap but we did have a bottle of wine each and a big steak, so who can complain, really? All in all, I’m so pleased we came in. I was really shocked at what a wonderful meal we had and it’s taught me a valuable lesson! I’ll be back.

Really good quality pizza and very friendly staff!

Bad experience! I was so surprised when I saw the portion. It was like nothing. And olives? Disgusting!!! Never coming back. My stomach doesn’t like it at all.
I am not gonna recommend this place. I didn’t like food, staff, their phone was ringing all the time.
That was waste of my time!

I LOVE Strada. I came here with 4 girlfriends last night for dinner, and we had so much fun. We all split a bottle of red wine which was great. We split 2 baskets of Aglio (Garlic bread) to start, which were delicious. I had the Tegamaccio stew (a classic seafood stew from Puglia. King prawns, mussels, clams, squid and red mullet with fregola pasta in a tomato, white wine and herb sauce), which was really good. The service was great, the waitress very friendly, and the food delicious!

It’s your typical chain place. Reasonably priced, tasty, nice enough atosphere. Good but nothing to write home about

Extremely slow service is frustrating at the best of times, but downright rude when the restaurant is half-​empty. The £10.50 chicken salad lacked chicken, filled only half the plate, with salad that should have been discarded at least 2 days prior. Tomatoes were soft, bordering on rotten. Lettuce leaves curled and brown at the edges.
Stingy measures on the ‘large’ glass of wine — £4.00 folks for not much more than a thimbleful.
In summary, tired décor, lackadaisical waiting staff, below par food, poor value for money and toilets with a fly /​maggot infestation.

I could not find any fault with this restaurant! We came in very early for dinner, so it was not crowded at all… we had wonderful service, excellent food and the wine was superb for the price. Some portions were a little small (calamari fritti was 5.25 for about 10 pieces), but the quality was absolutely top-​notch. (The risotto with pumpkin was fantastic and my husband had a seafood pasta he absolutely raved about.) This was the one time I totally did not mind the «optional» service charge and actually added a bit on top! On our travels through London & the south (Brighton, Maidstone, Ashford, Dover) we were beginning to feel a bit like pariahs with a 10 year-​old child in tow– this was the one restaurant that not only catered to our son, but embraced him. The wait staff actually addressed him as an adult and made him feel very welcome. We had a wonderful time and will come back to Brighton, if for nothing else, to visit Strada again!

Strada is a fun place to have some drinks and good food with friends, family or your significant other. If you’re looking for authentic Italian cuisine; go to Italy. If you want a good pizza while in Brighton; go to Strada. I usually get the Margherita with buffalo mozzarella and parma ham, and I have never had any complaints. I’ve only had pasta here once, and it was very average. The prices are very reasonable, the staff is always friendly, and the location is great. There is plenty to do in the neighborhood before and after you meal; shopping, cocktails, nightlife, walking, etc.
The only thing that I think wasn’t passable at Strada was the house red. I’ve had had it twice, and I would call it below-​average even for a house wine.
Strada gets a star for a great location, a star for good consistent pizza, and a star for value. You don’t leave Strada (at least I don’t) thinking you’ve just experienced the latest ground breaking cuisine, but you do leave satisfied and with money still in your wallet.

If I feel like splashing out a little on dinner, Strada tends to be the place I go. Its menu is pretty diverse in terms of what they offer and though a little pricey perhaps it is usually worth the money.
The staff are always helpful and polite. I went there on Monday and when my father’s steak was overcooked he was offered a replacement without asking for one. It is also usually not a problem if you want ingredients removed from meals, which I take to be a good sign in terms of freshness. I am not a fan of how chilli has become the new garlic in the restaurant world and is suddenly in every other dish, the fact that Strada will let me have a dish that sounds lovely minus the chilli makes them stars in my eyes!
I don’t have a fixed main dish when I go there because their specials always sound so tantalising. Any time they have scallops I will order them. The fish stew is also highly recommended (minus the chilli) and their chocolate fondant dessert is really, really tasty. Seriously; gooey warm chocolate coming out of chocolate sponge and vanilla ice cream. Lush.
I’m also a big fan of the restaurant’s atmosphere. It seems upmarket without being stuffy and the free bottles of filtered water that are never allowed to be empty for long is a definite plus.
If you have a Taste of London card you can get a discount here which is a definite plus.
Highly recommended!

Strada is another of the Brighton centre of town Italian restaurants, and straddles the border between some of the slightly more upmarket places and some of the greasy tosh on offer. It’s not particularly brilliant compared to the Zizzi and Pizza Expresses just around multiple respective corners, but it is a little cheaper… As far as value for money goes, these places are all just about even, it’s probably more to do with personal preference than anything else.
Strada are strange in the local Italian restaurant scene, as their strengths are not the ubiquitous pizza and pasta dishes: go here for risotto, gnocchi, that kind of thing. The portions are huge, the cooking excellent, and a little better than some of the more upmarket places. This isn’t my first choice for pizza or pasta generally, but, as I say above, it’s probably down to personal taste. Either way, if you’re wandering into town and thinking Italian, I’d recommend here for your non-​traditional needs.

In my amateur opinion (I’m playing it down but actually I LOVE pizza an eat it at least once a week– not necessarily at a restaurant of course!), Strada is the best restaurant to eat pizza in Brighton. I’ve heard talk that there is a good place on Western Road but this may be myth… either way the pizza at Strada is excellent. I always go for the buffalo mozzarella pizza– simple and delicious. The base is thin and crispy, the tomato sauce is fresh and sharp, as the cherry tomatoes and the cheese is creamy. The toppings tend to be sparing compared to more fast-​foodie pizzas but they are good quality. The one time I resisted ordering pizza I had the risotto and was impressed by how good it was– fresh crunchy vegetables, creamy rich rice with a bit of bite. Warning though the portions are huge! Even the entrees (go for the gnocchi but share it because otherwise you are in trouble!). The décor is pretty nice as well.

This is probably my favourite of all the restaurant chains which can be seen in every high street in every town.
You know what you are going to get when you go to a Strada — well cooked, well priced food.
Food is traditional Italian and the menu offers more than just the basic pastas and pizzas. There are a lot of meat and fish options and also daily specials. If you want a bargain go at lunchtime rather than in the evening — there are usually lunchtime deals on offer (eg: a main course and a drink for a set sum)
Portions are good and the service is always friendly.
This branch only opened in the last couple of years and it is extremely clean and still quite new looking. It’s right in the centre of town so makes an ideal place to stop off.

I’d never eaten in a Strada before this one which we only went into because we were sick of walking round in circles, however I’m really glad I did because the food was really nice and the staff were great. Although it was a bit more expensive than I’m used to, the food was of a really nice quality and the atmosphere inside the restaurant was really calm and nice for eating. The staff were always around if you needed something but did not bug you if you didn’t. Awesome little place to eat!

Strada Brighton serves delicious food in a chilled ambient atmosphere. The staff are friendly and ensure your food comes quickly to your table. The deserts I particularly look forward to when coming here — the chocolate brownie with gooey centre is awesome! In terms of value, the restaurant is not cheap but not too expensive, and there are always some offers going around the net somewhere!

I have never had a bad meal from strada. It’s a chain but it has quite a good level of quality. It’s ideal for large groups as this is a big venue and it’s reasonably priced. Watch out for the voucher give aways. They do quite a lot of cheap deals with the argus and the theatre. These make it a good starting point on a night out, or a quick lunch when you’re shopping on a Saturday. The service is friendly and fast. the food is satisfying and it has a bar where you can just sit and enjoy a good bowl of olives.

I’ve been here a number of times and not once have I been disappointed. The menu is varied and you can choose from pasta, pizza, fish and chicken dishes. The staff are friendly and attentive. It can be quite expensive but worth the visit if you want good quality food. Look out for 2 for 1 vouchers which the chain has been recently giving away.

Considering this is a chain, I wasn’t expecting a great deal, however when I ate here with a group of friends, we all found the food to be excellent. Staff are efficient and not overbearing, which keeps a relaxed yet contemporary feel. It’s not for those on a tight budget, although they day have reasonable set price menus which I also tried and found to be decent quality also.

the Strada chain always represents good value for money with their dishes. There’s a good choice as well for the vegetarians, with an excellent range of risottos, in addition to the meatier dishes. In particular the butternut squash risotto is excellent when it’s available.
Service is polite, though sometimes a little slow and the place can feel a little quiet at times due to its size.
All round though, an excellent stop for a filling and satisfying lunch or dinner.