Amalia Italia

An award-winning range of pizzas, a calzone challenge, a massive and comfortable restaurant space, and a rota of sing-along Italian-inspired pop songs playing in the background at all times, Amalia is a great Italian restaurant found in the pretty little Campbell Square just off the bottom of Duke Street. Once you’ve found it, it’ll become a little bit of a home comfort.

The Vibe

It’s a pretty big space inside Amalia, with a long bar and plenty of tables, including a couple of larger round tables and a booth for big parties. There is even a more secluded upstairs section that can seat big groups of people or be used as a private event space upon request. During the summer months, Amalia has use of over half of Campbell Square, and it is the perfect place for Al Fresco dining. During big sporting events they also have a small screen outside and serve snacks and beer to customers, making it a communal area for all to enjoy. The staff are super friendly at Amalia, always ready with a handshake and a twinkle in the eye, and happy to accommodate most reasonable requests. It genuinely feels like a big family gathering that they want you to know that you’re welcome to join at any time. The décor and furnishings might be a little tired, but they more than make up for it with every other aspect of the place.

The Food

There is a big choice of food on the menu, but the quality of it never suffers as a result. We could take up time taking to you about the wide range of antipasti, the velvety pasta dishes, or the pollo Milanese or pollo Amalia, but there are only two things that you really need to know about Amalia – the Calzone challenge and the Pizza Americana. 

The Calzone challenge costs £15.95 (although you’ll get it for free, along with another prize, if you manage to finish it). We’ve seen people try this a few times, and are yet to see a victor other than the calzone! A massive calzone weighing in at 5lbs, and packed full of vegetables, mincemeat, a tomato sauce, and a bucketful of cheese. A food challenge that is worth fighting for. The Pizza Americana sounds like a drunk teenager has invented it late at night after coming home from the pub and putting chips and pizza together. It is a pepperoni pizza with crispy fries piled on the top of it. Don’t just leave it for the end of the night, have it for lunch, for tea, whenever you like. It’s indulgent, but you deserve it you beautiful bastard.

The Price

There is a great daytime offer that runs up until 5pm of a main dish and a drink for a tenner. With the massive portion sizes this is an incredible offer. Most of the main pizza and pasta dishes are between £10 and £12, and even the bigger mains, such as the pollo Amalia are still a reasonably priced £15.95, when you compare them to similar restaurants. Amazingly, you can walk in and order takeout at Amalia and it’ll cost you just a fiver for any of the main pasta and pizza dishes, without skimping on the portion size. If you’re willing to wait that little bit extra, this is fantastic value!