I feel like everyone and their dog has been raving about La Smorfia’s pizza lately, so when I was invited along to try their Neapolitan – inspired food, I was buzzing!

Not only because Italian food is the best in general, but my family is from Sorrento (not far from Naples) and I’ve been desperate for a taste of home for a while. I also haven’t ventured over to Cowley for aaaages, which is always a treat. SO many restaurants I still haven’t tried.

The staff were mega friendly, and offered to do us a bit of a ‘surprise’ meal, so we didn’t actually look at a menu and choose what to have. This could’ve been risky but it wasn’t at all – they brought out the most delicious dishes. Lucky us!

We started with a mozzarella in carozza, which is deep-fried mozzarella, and a potato croquette. Both gorgeous and surprisingly light. The mozzarella in carozza almost made me emotional, it reminded me of Sorrento so much – simple, unfussy ingredients but the flavour just hits you right. Gorgeous. I want 10 more now, please.

Pizza time!

We were then brought out a Capricciosa pizza (artichokes, olives, prosciutto cotto) and pasta alla Sicilia. This pizza is actually Charlie’s favourite so he was over the moon. It was light, fluffy and had the perfect crunchy crust.

The ingredients were bursting with freshness and flavour.

The pasta was equally as beautiful.

Fresh, plump prawns adorned with a pistachio crunch and lots of parsley. If I closed my eyes I could almost imagine I was at a seaside restaurant on the Amalfi Coast. Alas, I was actually in Cowley – but this dish really could transport you somewhere sunny if you tried hard enough. Not the lightest of dishest, but perfect for when you’ve got a hankering for pasta.

Room for a sweet thing?

We were a little too full for a proper dessert, and if by magic they knew exactly what to bring. A sfogliatella con crema. One of my favourite pastries and a Neapolitan classic. A crunchy and crispy shell, filled with vanilla cream. Again, surprisingly light and the perfect end to our Italian escape.

La Smorfia’s marvels don’t stop there.

They have a deli counter so if you’ve not got the time for a sit down meal and just want to grab something on the go – they’ve got you. Huge panini, arancini balls, pastries.. the list goes on. They’re also selling lots of Italian Easter treats at the moment so if you want something a little different from your classic Cadbury egg – why not pop in?

I also have it on good authority from some friends that La Smorfia are brilliant at catering for dietary requirements, gluten free pizzas, vegan toppings – they’ve got it all, making dining out with a group super easy.

La Smorfia
247 Cowley Rd, Oxford OX4 1XG

Bitten were guests of La Smorfia, all views are our own