This popular Italian restaurant is part of an off-street complex in the centre of Oranmore, which includes The Coach House Hotel and a bar/bistro where a shorter version of the Basilico menu is served, offering stone baked pizza, burgers and pasta from the restaurant kitchen all day.
Owners Paolo Sabatini and Fabiano Mulas - head chef and restaurant manager respectively - work hard to create points of difference in their recently refurbished restaurant, which is given a sense of occasion by the décor and, particularly, original art works by Fabiano which add atmosphere and make a great talking point.
Families are made especially welcome and Basilico has earned a particular reputation for their pizza which, along with authentic Italian bread, is made every day by in-house baker and pizza chef Marco Tomassi. Speciality Italian ingredients are used in the baking of course, and an impressive supplier list includes a number of Italian companies.
The main menu is extensive, listing sections on appetisers, antipasti, salads, crab claws and prawns, pizza and pasta dishes in addition to meats (lamb, beef and chicken) with side orders extra; here well sourced seasonal Irish ingredients are used, and suppliers include many trusted names such as Castlemine Farm, Roscommon; The Friendly Farmer, Athenry; Gannet Fishmonger, Galway; and Gubbeen Smokehouse, West Cork.
Typically you might begin with a tasty appetiser of pear slices and chunks of Padana cheese, or an Italian salad (rocket, cherry tomatoes, parmesan), followed by Saltimbocca Romana (nice to see that they use Irish rose veal) or Chicken Pavarott (cornfed chicken breast on the bone, stuffed with goats cheese and courgettes in a good creamy tomato sauce, green beans and chorizo). From a separate dessert menu, you might finish with hazelnut ice cream and panna cotta and an excellent Illy espresso.
The mainly Italian wine list goes well with the food and is well-priced, and a 2/3 course ‘Mid-Week Special’ offers good value.
This is a popular, comfortable restaurant and their support of local food producers is commendable.
