Tarantella

This stretch of Chiswick High Road is mostly take-​away and pubs. Tarantella was a pleasant find, just off the high road. We walked in a bit late — they’re open later than many nearby places — so it was easy to get a table for two in the small place.
We had a margherita pizza as a starter — it had quality crust and was priced right for a starter. Next was the poached cod and gnocchi. The cod was fresh and flakey and seasoned well. The buttery sauce was a little on the salty side, but its thin coat on the cod was just right. The gnocchi had excellent texture and flavour, and was a the highlight of our meal. The side of mixed vegetables were typical for London — overcooked and over buttered. Skip them and get a salad.
The service was friendly, even late in the work day. They helped us narrow our choices and were effective without being intrusive. On my next trip to Chiswick, I’ll be back.

First things first, the seemingly complimentary olives and bread which are delivered to your table immediately after you are seated are not free. I don’t know how to get around this aside from rejecting the delivery as it comes.
The pizza at Tarantella is just OK. In fact, I’d never order a pizza at this restaurant again. My initial thought after my first bite of my pizza was, «The crust/​base tastes like cardboard.» Then I thought (as I do with pretty much every meal at a restaurant in England), «It needs more salt». Then I ate a couple of the chilies on my pizza and burnt off my taste buds which allowed me to continue eating the pizza until I was full (about half of the pizza). I got the diavola pizza if you were wondering. The spicy salami was good but I’ve had better. The chilies were hot as hell and I didn’t enjoy them so I picked them off after I lost all taste buds. The crust/​base was forgettable.
Now, let’s say that there were only two restaurants in Chiswick which serve pizza: Pizza Express and Tarantella, I’d go to Pizza Express every time. I can’t speak for the Italian food at either of those restaurants. Perhaps that is where Tarantella excels because they don’t excel at pizza which is a total shame.
Franco Manca has better pizza but they fail when it comes to variety of toppings and pizzas and their service is lacking. If you really want the best pizza in London, you’ll have to head over to Ealing and eat at Santa Maria Pizzeria.
On a positive note, the service at Tarantella was some of the best I have had in the UK!

Just been back here.
Had a cracking pizza.
And my Aunt had delicious italian sausage.
The kids’ pizza was fabulous.
And the Missus’s putenesca was first rate.
Great menu. Authentic stuff. Really reasonable prices.
Small, a tad uncomfortable, one person serving, but you absolutely wont care.
Great stuff.

For Italian in West London, this place is unbeatable. It doesn’t look much when you arrive, but it always fills up (it’s cosy, so it doesn’t take long). Why? Because of the food.
It’s simply delicious, very authentic. The pizza is particularly worth trying, but the meat and fish is also excellent. Good wine list too.