One thing Bath certainly isn’t short of is places to eat out, and among those, the choice of pizzerias is already pretty impressive. So for a new one to stand out, it has to be really impressive, with excellent service, tip-top pizzas and a generous sprinkle of that extra special something that makes a place somewhere that you want to return to.
The latest new pizza guy in the block in Bosco Pizzeria in Milson Place, the all too often overlooked shopping and eating out quarter of Bath with its main entrance just opposite Waterstones on Milsom Street. Milsom Place offers a great choice of excellent places to eat, including Cote Brasserie, Vero’s Spanish cafe and deli, and surely the best Indian restaurant in town, Bandook.
For our latest visit, however, it was the casual surroundings and classical pizzas, pastas, cured meats and enticing side dishes of Bosco Pizzeria that has us hooked. The greeting for our family visit was warm and we were soon shown to our seats, with the comprehensive menu waiting.
My children consider themselves pizza aficionados, based on their experience of visiting most of the other similarly themed restaurants in Bath, so they were soon putting their expertise to good use with a knowledgeable appreciation of the food on offer. Immediately the impressive range of starters and sides caught their eyes, with the choice of Italian cured meats, cheeses and salads earning nods of approval.
Eventually we set our sights on a mixture starters comprising a House Baked Focaccia with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (£4), some Arancini (fried risotto with taleggio) (£6), Popette meatballs with tomato sauce (£6.50) and a selection of cured meats. And what a great choice – as tempters for what was to come, the starters were superb, with the focaccia and cured meats combining perfectly, and the meatballs in particular just oozing flavour.
With soft drinks all around for the children and a small glass of Merlot (£6) for dad, we settled down for a chat about plans for the weekend while waiting on our pizzas. Throughout our visit the Bosco team was just excellent, offering top level service without being intrusive and happy to field any questions and requests.
The restaurant itself is surprisingly roomy, with a choice of window tables and larger seating areas set out over two floors, most with a view of the Milsom Place courtyard. This makes it ideal for anything from a meal for two, family nights out and get-togethers for the office party.
When it came to the pizzas themselves, the results were pretty impressive. We went for two Boscos (Fior di latte mozzarella, parmesan, tomato, olive oil & basil) (£10), one with extra ham, one with extra basil, a Venetian (salted anchovies, fior di latte mozzarella, tomato, capers, black olives, olive oil & parmesan) £13 and a Bosco Carne (meatballs, tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, coppa, prosciutto di parma, olive oil & parmesan) £15.
Across the board the pizzas were tasty, well served and – most importantly – complete with a crispy base that didn’t disintegrate as you picked up each slice! The result was happy smiles and munching all around, plus a few slices left (too much focaccia for starters) to take home afterwards in boxes provided. Of course, the most important reviewers are the children – if they’re happy, it’s generally a good meal out. And the response was excellent, with Bosco Pizzeria gaining the ultimate accolade that they would all happily come back again and, more predictably, “Can we have a pudding, dad?”