Deirdre Laffan visits Toscana Restaurant
3 Cork Hill, Dame Street, Dublin 2. Phone 670 9785

Food for the soul!

It's not often you go to a restaurant and within minutes of walking through the door and being seated, you know that you'll go back there again. Deirdre Laffan discovers Toscana, an Italian Restaurant that exuded such warmth that it acquires your friendship immediately.

The hardest thing about eating out in Dublin is solving the problem of where to eat. Not just for dinner but for lunch as well. You are in town shopping with your friend, bags coming out of everywhere and you want to go somewhere you can sit down, relax and enjoy some nice food. Or it's your birthday and for once, you don't want to do the usual and go to a pub and get drunk. Toscana Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria has to be one of the few restaurants where you can genuinely say that it has something for everyone. Located on Dame Street, opposite City Hall, Toscana manages to do well, what others can't seem to get right at all. The staff that work here are courteous, friendly and attentive to your every

need.Even on the busy nights of the weekend, it is great to be able to exchange some friendly banter with the staff and feel at ease in a place that makes you feel surrounded by friends. The warm colours make the restaurant seem cosy, while the black marble tables and chairs add that stylish edge to the decoration. The seating is comfortable and the tables are spaced out enough so that it's snug, yet you don't feel you're on top of the persons dinner beside you.

The restaurant is deceptively larger than you think. The restaurant area that greets you is the upstairs section to the entire establishment. The seating area continues downstairs to another smaller, more intimate arrangement and this continues further to a backroom, which is perfect for groups. This backroom can hold up to 25 people and can be booked for a special private function. Birthdays, anniversaries or a work dinner party would be ideal in this location and the restaurant has a special group menu for a really reasonable price.

Toscana's menu has a very broad range of Italian dishes. You could visit the restaurant twenty times, have something different each time and still not have tasted all it has to offer. There is a large variety of pasta dishes with chicken, meat, fish or vegetarian and pizza with every combination of topping. Of course, this means that you may end up getting someone else to make the choice for you as you can't choose just one. I know I had trouble. They offer a nice selection of wine, not just from Italy but also other regions of the world so a taste to suit every palette. The idea behind the restaurant is apparent; there is something for everyone. This may mean you prefer to go for the more expensive dishes or wine on the menu but the point is you don't have to spend a fortune here to get a fantastic Italian meal.

So, it's perfect for those who are just in for a bite to eat before catching a show at the Olympia or on your lunch break from work. Why not try Sunday lunch for the family as the Early Bird runs all day and they have a children's menu every day until 7pm.

The restaurant is very popular and has come to have a regular base of clientele. It is not really surprising as the service is superb. The friendliness of the staff really shines through and created a very relaxing atmosphere. So whether you want to gossip with the girls over dinner or have a romantic meal over candlelight, Toscana restaurant are happy to accommodate you.

To make a booking call 01-670 9785 or
for more information visit the website at www.toscana.ie

Toscana also has a sister restaurant in Dun Laoghaire,
They can be contacted on 01-230 0890

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday - 12 noon till late
Lunch starts at 12 noon until 3pm.
The Early Bird menu runs from 3-6.30pm at a cost of €17.95
and the dinner menu runs from 6.30 - midnight