REVIEW – Marzano Italian Grill, Fossgate, York
IT’S perhaps unusual to go to an Italian restaurant pledging not to have pizza or pasta – but that was my intention on my latest visit to Marzano Italian Grill in York.
The restaurant has been popular for many years, moving from its original home towards the top of Fossgate to take up residence further down the street in the Grade II-listed Foss Bridge House in late 2024.
Since its relocation I have eaten there twice. Both times, it was teeming with diners and buzzing. Each time, I had pizza. While I was never disappointed, I’ve eaten a lot of good pizzas in my time – including during a trip to Italy last summer – so I was determined to try something different. And, I’m glad I did.
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We were given a table beside the bar and close to the entrance where good use of foliage displays and screens meant we didn’t feel the chill every time the door opened, and couldn’t see any of the guests on the other side of the dining area so it felt surprisingly cozy for such a large space.
A stylish interior at Marzano Italian Grill, York. Photo: Nadia Jefferson-Brown
The interior is impressive. Foss Bridge House dates back to 1878 when it was built for W.J. Whitehead & Co. as a shop and warehouse.
The building once served as a drapery store, showroom, and offices, and its tailoring past has clearly influenced the design of the restaurant – from the patterned fabrics on the bench seats to the wall displays of old sewing machines and the original joinery from F.R. Stubbs’ 1915 counters that are part of the restaurant.
It would’ve been easy to let our stylish and historically-rich surroundings distract us but the menu was vast and varied, so we set to work.
I chose from the Set Menu which offered two meals for £25 (available at certain times), while my three family members chose from the A La Carte. There was also a Specials but we weren’t initially given this until my husband queried whether a particular starter for two could be served as a solo platter – it could, it seemed, if you knew which menu to look at.
My mother-in-law asked for ‘a small, dry white wine’ without looking at the list and would have balked at the price had she seen it (£9.25 for a small Pinot Grigio). Small glasses ranged from £8.50 to £13.25 which made me take a swift detour to the soft drinks. The Press has a set budget for restaurant reviews, with journalists paying the difference if the bill goes above that. Wine enthusiasts might say you ‘get what you pay for’ but I’d prefer to indulge more on food than a few sips, no matter how elegant or crisp the bouquet might be.
So, with drinks in hand – a sparkling water (£4.90 for a 750ml bottle to share), an Appletiser (£3.95) and a Birra Moretti (more reasonably priced at £6.65) – we moved onto the food.
For starters, my son had Calamari (£11.45) and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a generous portion of homemade, deep-fried baby squid, served with lemon, parsley, garlic mayonnaise, and a salad garnish. There was enough squid for me to steal some without feeling guilty, and they were indeed very good. Piping hot, the batter was lovely, light and crisp while the squid was deliciously soft.
My husband was tempted by the Meat Platter for two (£18.50) but my mother-in-law and I wanted to skip starters to save room for dessert so he asked if it could be served as a solo platter. Our waitress disappeared and returned with the aforementioned Specials menu where his chosen starter was featured (£10.95).
He was impressed by the quality and flavours of ingredients and enjoyed it – great salami and prosciutto, alongside sun-dried tomatoes, olives and mushrooms coated in a deliciously-sweet, thick balsamic dressing, and two strips of rosemary and sea salt bread.
First impressions were good.
The Scottish salmon fillet was large and too good not to devour.
For mains, we ordered the Salmone Rustico (£21), Terrina Mari e Monti – seafood casserole (£21), Calzone Con Carne Piccante (£18.50), and Risotto Funghi from the set menu.
The Scottish salmon fillet was more than twice the size of any fillet my mother-in-law would cook at home and too good not to devour in full. I had a mouthful and agreed that it was very good.
Roasted, the salmon was seared while remaining succulent and was served with a rustic combination of red onion, black olives and cherry tomatoes in a delicate white wine sauce, drizzled with green pesto. There were two decent-sized new potatoes, ‘crushed’ which seems to be the trend, and two florets of broccoli. These were vibrant green but too firm to cut through, especially as the knife was blunt, but that didn’t detract from her love of the dish.
My son’s Calzone – like a pizza envelope with all the fillings inside – arrived with a steak knife stabbed in the middle somewhat ominously. Almost larger than the plate, it had a toasted outer crust and was a real meat feast, packed with pepperoni, pancetta and meatballs, along with chillies and incredibly stringy mozzarella, with a Bolognese sauce on top and caramelised onion. It’s fair to say he loved it and is keen to return to try others.
Calzone was a real meat feast.
My husband’s seafood casserole was a rich, indulgent tomato sauce flavoured with garlic, white wine, fish stock, and herbs. It was also a hearty affair, with clams, mussels, baby squid and king prawns, on a bed of yet more of those crushed potatoes and two slices of warm rosemary and sea salt bread that balanced out the sweetness of the sauce and helped to soak it all up.
The seafood casserole was rich and indulgent.
For me, the salmon and casserole dishes were the standout show stoppers for their presentation, quality of produce and depth of flavours.
My chicken and mushroom risotto looked lack lustre in comparison, as you would expect from ingredients that are naturally pale. A herb garnish might have livened it up, though it did have a sprig of thyme. But the all-important taste was good.
Chicken and mushroom risotto from the set menu.
The rice was fairly firm which I liked and there was a decent amount of chicken breast. The wild mushrooms had been sautéed in a creamy white wine sauce along with oyster mushrooms and were full of flavour, almost nutty, and enhanced by the salty parmesan shavings. Overall, I enjoyed it and was pleased I’d not given in to my natural instinct to order pizza.
I hadn’t registered the (+2) for the risotto on the set menu – a waiter said it was due to the ‘slightly more expensive ingredients’ – which made my two courses £27, just a smidgeon less than my dining companions’. Next time I would set my sights on the A La Carte offerings which I felt were superior, rather than trying to save a few quid.
But I’m glad three of us ventured beyond our usual pizzas and pastas as our dishes were totally worth it.
The lemon cheesecake was light and creamy – with no complaints from our reviewer..
For dessert, my son and mother-in-law had the Torta al cioccolato (£7.95) and thoroughly enjoyed the rich chocolate cake and ice cream. I chose the Il Nostro Preferito and half wondered whether it would be a small serving as it was from the set menu so I was pleasantly surprised to receive a decent slice of lemon cheesecake, that was drizzled with a raspberry coulis. It was creamy but light with a thin and crunchy biscuit base that worked really well. I couldn’t detect any lemon – perhaps it lost out to the raspberry – but I had no complaints.
Our bill came to almost £150 before a tip. Wine aside, we felt the bill was reasonable for an enjoyable evening, with lovely food, unhurried service in an attractive setting with a relaxed ambience.
Reviews are independent and paid for by The Press.
Dining and Cooking