La Trattoria

Reviews

• Greg S.

  star star star star star 23 July 2026

  Had a wonderful dinner in this charming and cozy Italian restaurant last night.
  
  My bride and I were checking out some of the Jurassic Coast and were near Swanage. She was feeling car sick but it was getting late and it was time to eat something. We decided on Italian as she wanted bianco (White) pizza (basically crust with cheese, kinda like a glorified open faced grill cheese sandwich) as this would be mild enough for her. We did not see this on the menu but knowing it would be easy enough to order Margherita..hold the sauce we came here.
  
  What a pleasant surprise! They were packed and there was a lot of energy but not too much. The place was full with families with young kids, older folks and everything in between. We got one of the last tables for two near the back and ordered the aforementioned white pizza while I ordered the two course combination of caprese salad and salmon.
  
  The pizza was good. But my choices were delightful. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but what made it extra special was the sauce...a white wine, butter, olive oil, pesto mix that I could have lapped up off the plate. Fantastic! The caprese was fresh, the tomatoes perfect, the mozzarella delish and the dressing very good as well. Even the veggies that came with the salmon were great, especially the greens. Overall a great meal!
  
  The ambiance of the place was just right...nice music playing in the background, again the energy level was good but the crowd not too overpowering, it was crowded but you could still move around (the staff seemed to be choreographed in how they moved to and fro - LOL), service was great...again, a wonderful experience.
  
  Dinner was reasonable price, 44.50 pounds with tip.
  
  Highly recommend

• Kristen M.

  star star star star star_border 22 July 2026

  Cute little Italian restaurant on the streets of Swanage. You can tell it's authentic and is family owned by the Forte family (according to their business card).
  
  We stopped in on a Saturday night in July and of course it was busy. We didn't have to wait too long for a table but they do pick people in the place, so don't expect to have a ton of room to spread out.
  
  The food was delicious and very filling! We ordered the cheese garlic bread as a starter, but I was a bit disappointed it came with the food all together. For meals, my husband had a pizza, I ordered carbonara and my MIL another pasta dish. Everything was delicious and we would go back again!
  
  If you're in Swanage and in the mood for good Italian, this is your place!

• Gjon C.

  star star star star star_border 9 July 2026

  Very good food. They crammed us in, but I appreciated that.  Typical British service but from a foreigners point of view.  Fish was really good but they left some scales on it.
  
  Priced a bit too high.  Fun place, competent staff.

• Lauren S.

  star star star star star_border 3 July 2026

  We arrived in sleepy little Swanage late on a Friday evening and this restaurant was recommended as one of the places to go that would still be open.
  
  It was busy when we got there so we had a Kia Royale at the bar whilst waiting for our table.
  
  As we were by the sea we both fancied fish.
  
  We opted for king prawns and Italian cured meats to start, salmon and veg, spaghetti and scallops for mains.
  
  The king prawns were very tasty, but we could have done with more than four.
  
  I loved my spaghetti and scallops dish, it was just as nice as some dishes I've eaten in Italy.
  
  I thought the salmon my date had was quite average though. Tasty, but nothing I couldn't have made.
  
  We had a lovely bottle of red with our meal and ended up being the last ones there.
  
  The staff were pleasant and very patient whilst waiting for us to finish our wine and leave, despite it being late!
  
  A nice place to eat in if you're in Swanage and fancy pasta!
  
  We paid £80 for two cocktails, two starters, two mains and a bottle of red. Not too bad but maybe a tiny bit over priced for the quality of the meats and salmon dish being a bit average.

• Linda H.

  star star star star star_border 2 July 2026

  Excellent food but the little things overpriced like the drinks and vegetables