Hidden on a side street just a few paces away from the busiest part of Lincoln High Street, La Bottega Delitalia is easy to miss – you could walk past it a hundred times without even realising it’s there. But this cosy little Italian café-restaurant has been a quiet staple of Lincoln city centre for the best part of two decades.
After years of saying we’d go, we finally stopped by for a casual lunch date and tucked into some delicious pasta dishes. Here’s our review of the experience at La Bottega Delitalia.
Out first impressions of La Bottega Delitalia
Many places describe themselves as a “café restaurant”, but La Bottega Delitalia is one of the few I’ve experienced that genuinely feels like both things wrapped into one.
From outside, the place looks every bit like a family-run eatery, with friendly stencilled lettering on the windows and a large sandwich board scrawled with the daily specials and upcoming deals.
When you step inside, it has the immediate air of a deli café. Bowls of salad, sandwich fillings and sauces are arranged neatly inside a large glass cabinet, with bowls of fruit and crisps nestled on top, and a smiling host ready to make you a takeaway lunch panini.
This is how La Bottega Delitalia began its journey, primarily as a café for lunch on the go. But cast your eyes to the rear of the room and you’ll see its expanded identity as a modern bistro restaurant. Tables are laid out with flowers and menus in a cosy, romantic setting, with further seating in a sun-kissed little garden at the back.
While Italian cuisine is the specialty at La Bottega Delitalia – hence it is featured in our guide to the best Italian restaurants in Lincoln – it doesn’t try too hard to be an authentic Italian restaurant. There is a scattering of photos and art on the walls depicting Italian cities, but the vibe fuses with that of a laidback British café, especially at lunchtime, with mainstream chart hits playing softly on the radio.
But once you are seated in the restaurant section, the aura feels more like an elegant yet understated dinner spot. Light streams in from the windows at the back onto the simple wooden tables, creating a warm atmosphere. It’s somewhere you would be happy to come for a first date, or a casual lunch with friends and colleagues – perfect for good conversation.
But what about the food? We were about to find out.
The menus that were neatly laid out on our tables revealed a whole array of Italian classics, mainly pasta dishes, salads and paninis. The main dish options ranged from around £10–£15 while the paninis were in the £5–£7 ballpark.
These options definitely feel geared more towards a lunch, although we’d like to come back and see what the atmosphere is like at its dinner sittings on weekends. Not least because we’d be able to indulge in a bottle of wine then too!
A large chalk board and a couple of additional menus presented an additional selection of specials, which were generally more extravagant and a little pricier than the staple options on the standard menu. A special seafood spaghetti dish with mussels, squid and king prawns tugged at my temptation, but I do like to try a restaurant’s classic dish on a first visit.
Our lunch at La Bottega Delitalia: pasta time!
As we were in for lunch ourselves and had limited time between meetings, we decided to keep our meal to one course and ordered some pasta. With quick and friendly service, this place is an ideal setting for that treat-yourself lunch when you only have an hour’s break.
After much deliberation, Lisa opted for the penne arrabbiata (spicy salami sausage chunks in chilli and tomato sauce), while I was in the mood for a creamier pasta and ordered the penne primavera (broccoli, garlic and parmesan in a white wine-based sauce). I was happy to stump up the £2 supplement to add some chicken into the mix.
Almost as an afterthought, Lisa asked for some garlic bread and a fresh salad as sides. I’m so glad she did, as the garlic bread was quite possibly the best I’ve ever tasted! Rich, buttery and sumptuous.
Our pasta came in extremely generous portions in huge bowls that filled much of our intimate table. My creamy pasta was as delicious as it was wholesome. Piping hot on serving, it was evidently fresh from the pan, and full of aromatic flavours. Lisa was just as pleased with her arrabbiata, and after trying a zingy forkful of it myself, I might have a full bowl of it next time.
Even if we had time left in our lunch break, I don’t think we could have managed a dessert after such satisfying and filling pasta dishes. But we’ll have to come in again soon to try the tiramisu, which looks a beauty.
Our verdict: a classy relaxed lunch or dinner date spot
Overall, we were delighted with our lunch date at La Bottega Delitalia. It has just the kind of classy yet casual vibe we like for such an occasion.
So, if you’re looking for somewhere laidback but with a touch of elegance for a lunch date or an informal meal with colleagues, this is a great spot in an accessible location right in the middle of Lincoln.
La Bottega Delitalia opening hours
La Bottega Delitalia is open for lunch on Wednesdays to Saturdays at 12–3pm, and for dinner on Thursdays to Saturdays at 5–9pm.
Find out more about La Bottega Delitalia and see the full menus on the restaurant’s website.
Have you eaten at La Bottega Delitalia before? We’d love to hear about your own experiences in the comments below.
For another Italian restaurant experience nearby, read our review of La Trattoria Da Vincenzo, which is just across the road.
You’ll also find further inspiration in our guide to the best pizzas in Lincoln and our full foodie back catalogue in our Lincoln food and drink section.
Love this? Pin it for later!
