Which chain Italian is best ?

[Hormonal23]

We have a prezzo, zizzi, ask and PizzaExpress
i haven’t been to any in years and non of them do a decent carbonara it’s always some weird watery sauce that’s split have they changed would you recommend any?

I don't think a chain italian will do a decent carbonara - it's not something that lends itself to that kind of place. I don't mind pizza express, but wouldn't order carbonara there.

Well my favourite of those is PE, but mainly because all of my children will eat there and enjoy it.

All crap and very far removed from a proper Italian.

Zizzi for their pollo picante cassarecce (sp?) and Pizza Express for their burnt ends bbq pizza. Neither of which are anywhere near remotely Italian but both yum!

Ask carbonara is dreadful. Not tried it at the other places.

Prezzo is fairly good here. I've never actually been inside there, but my best friend works there and brings a lot of it home - so I've tasted a fair bit! 😁

Ask risotto is also disgusting and nothing like the picture. I doubt it's worth buying anything except for pizza from these places and is why I never eat out at chain Italians if I can help it (I'd go to dominoes for their much nicer pizza). Much, much better to get a recipe and make it at home.

I had the carbonara at PE recently and it was quite nice but very salty!!

Chain Italians are all crap, I never pay money for pasta, but I’ll buy a pizza.

Pizza Express or Zizzi, but I wouldn’t order a carbonara at either.

Out of all of those I’d probably go for a pizza at Ask.
I would never order pasta when out so couldn’t judge based on those but the Ask pizzas are okay.
We do have a proper pizza oven at home and it makes fabulous pizzas though so it’s rare that I ever eat a pizza out these days, they’re just rarely as nice as homemade… often just a bit disappointing and lacking in flavour!

Yes I wouldn’t by choice eat at these places as it’s all microwaved (had a friend who worked in kitchens while a student) but there local and friends often want to go to them when we all meet up

Meat or fish dish at prezzo or zizzi is a better bet

Zizzi. Love their pollo piccante as pp.

They were v kind and made me something off menu when I had to have a restricted diet for awhile too.

I have eaten at Zizzis, Oizza Exoress and Ask Italian and had perfectly good meals. I never order pasta or risotto because I can make them perfectly well at home, but as we don't have a pizza oven I find their pizzas better than our home made ones.

Could you try the cannelloni? I think that lends itself better to mass production. It wasn't excellent but was tasty last time I had it at PE.

Ask is down at the bottom for me. Pizza Express is good with an offer but definitely not Italian food. Zizzi's desserts are the best of the four. I would go to Prezzo but avoid the desserts.

I've never understood the buzz about PE - for me it's easily the worst Italian chain - the pizza is tiny and yet more expensive and not as nice as from other places. Prezzo is my favourite, but I like Zizzi too.

I used to get the baked carbonara from Prezzo and found it quite nice and less watery than they often are in restaurants.

They're all universally terrible. Do you not have any independent Italians anywhere near you?

Off topic but I thought Ask had closed down. All the ones near us did, pre covid.

I love zizi chicken pasta dish can't remember what it's called but is lush... if everything is microwaved I wish you could buy them...

Rustico is by far the best. They are only a chain due to slow expansion as they are sooooo good (I don't work for Rustico)

They’ve started a frozen zizzi range at Tesco.

I know its no where near as good... the tesco range is just OK

I’d choose Carluccio’s for a chain Italian.