In short
The best independent Italian in central Exeter is Sabatini at 16 Catherine Street, with a set lunch Tuesday to Saturday and dinner on Friday and Saturday. Il Grano in Pinhoe is the independent open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, and VINO on South Street is another independent option. For cheap sourdough pizza, Franco Manca in the Guildhall runs a £12.50 weekday lunch deal.
Contents9 sections
Exeter does not have a Little Italy, but it has a handful of Italian kitchens worth crossing town for, plus the reliable high-street names. This guide sorts them by what you actually want: an independent for pasta, a pizza, a cheap lunch, a view, or a meat-free menu.
Every restaurant here was re-checked in September 2026 against its Food Standards Agency listing and, where it publishes them, its own website and opening hours. If you want the wider picture, see our guide to the best restaurants in Exeter.
What is the best Italian restaurant in Exeter?
Sabatini, Catherine Street
Sabatini sits at 16 Catherine Street, the short lane between the Cathedral Green and the High Street, and describes itself as the only independently owned Italian restaurant in the heart of the city. It is the first place to try if you want an Italian meal in the centre that is not a chain.
According to Sabatini's menus page, weekday service is a 2-course set lunch (from £19.95, Tuesday to Saturday), while the Friday and Saturday evening menu is where pasta and pizza come to the fore, alongside grill and fish dishes. That short evening window matters: if you want Sabatini for dinner, you have two nights a week to do it. It also takes large groups, parties and private-dining hire, so it is worth asking about for a celebration.
Sabatini is closed on Sundays and Mondays and does not serve dinner midweek. For a Tuesday to Thursday evening Italian, look at Il Grano in Pinhoe or Zizzi in the centre instead.
Il Grano, Pinhoe
Il Grano is on Station Road in Pinhoe, a few minutes by car or train from the city centre. It is an independent, modern Italian, and the one independent on this list that serves every day of the week.
Il Grano's own website lists lunch from 12:00 to 15:00 and dinner from 17:00 to 22:00, Monday to Friday; 12:00 to 22:00 on Saturdays and bank holidays; and 12:00 to 21:00 on Sundays. It also offers free customer parking behind the restaurant, which makes it an easy drive out from the city. Book ahead for weekends.
VINO, South Street
VINO is at 36–37 South Street, a few minutes' walk down from the Cathedral. It is an independent Italian trading as a licensed restaurant, listed with the Food Standards Agency and registered at Companies House as an active company. It does not publish opening hours online that we could find, so phone to confirm before you go.
Where can I get good pasta in Exeter?
For pasta, the independents are where to look. Sabatini puts pasta and pizza on its Friday and Saturday evening menu and is the easiest to reach on foot from the High Street. Il Grano serves lunch and dinner every day, so it is the independent answer for a midweek evening plate, when Sabatini is only open for its set lunch.
For a weekday lunch, both Sabatini (set lunch, Tuesday to Saturday) and Il Grano (Monday to Friday, 12:00 to 15:00) are open. On a Sunday or Monday, Il Grano is the independent that is open, alongside the high-street restaurants below.
Where is the best Italian by the river?
Venezia, Exeter Quayside
Venezia is at 61 Waterside, Piazza Terracina, on the Quayside by the River Exe, with outdoor seating. Its own website lists it open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am to 11.30pm, with no Monday opening, so it works for breakfast, a long lunch, dinner or drinks afterwards.
Alongside its main menu, the site lists a breakfast and focaccia menu and an events programme, including Salsa Sundays. Go for the setting on a warm evening. If you are heading down to the Quay anyway, it pairs well with the cycle or walk out to Topsham.
Where can I get the best pizza in Exeter?
Franco Manca, Guildhall Shopping Centre
Franco Manca at 13 Guildhall Shopping Centre, off Queen Street, is the sourdough pizza option in the centre. It is a national chain, but the format is focused: a short menu of slow-rise sourdough pizzas cooked quickly in a very hot oven.
The lunch deal is the reason it appears in so many Exeter lunch plans. According to Franco Manca's Exeter page, a sourdough pizza and soft drink costs £12.50, or two courses and a drink cost £15, Monday to Friday from noon to 4pm. For a full pizza rundown, including independents and takeaway, see our best pizza in Exeter guide.
The Flat, Fore Street
The Flat at 142 Fore Street is a small, entirely vegetarian and vegan pizza restaurant, and the answer if anyone in your group does not eat meat. According to its website, it opens Wednesday to Saturday, 5pm to 9.30pm, so it is an evening-only option. We cover it in more detail in our vegan and vegetarian restaurants guide.
Which Italian chains are in Exeter?
Zizzi, Gandy Street
Zizzi is at 21 Gandy Street, one of the city's narrow historic lanes, which gives it more character than most chain sites. It is the dependable choice for a group with mixed tastes or a midweek evening in the centre when Sabatini is not serving dinner, with a familiar menu of pizza, pasta and risotto.
Pizza Express and Bella Italia
Pizza Express trades at 2 Broadgate, on the corner of Cathedral Yard, and Bella Italia is at 92 Queen Street. Neither is a destination, but both keep long high-street hours and are easy to walk into with children or a big group.
ASK Italian on Cathedral Close has closed. Older guides still list it. Its Exeter page on the ASK website no longer exists.
Is Italian food good for a group dinner?
Italian food is one of the easiest cuisines to share: pizzas cut for the table, a few pastas passed round, a bottle of wine in the middle. That is also why it is one of the most reliable date night ideas in Exeter too.
For a group, ring ahead. Sabatini takes group and private-dining bookings, Il Grano is worth booking for weekends, and the chains will usually take a larger booking at short notice.
Many Italian restaurants will put together a set menu or sharing platters for a group booking if you ask. It saves splitting a long bill at the end of the night.
Our picks at a glance
Best independent in the centre: Sabatini, 16 Catherine Street. Set lunch Tuesday to Saturday, dinner Friday and Saturday.
Worth the short trip out: Il Grano, 1 Station Road, Pinhoe. Open seven days.
Independent on South Street: VINO, 36–37 South Street.
Cheap sourdough pizza: Franco Manca, Guildhall Shopping Centre.
Italian with a view: Venezia, Exeter Quayside.
Meat-free pizza: The Flat, 142 Fore Street.
Italian Restaurants in Exeter: Common Questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best Italian restaurant in Exeter?
- For an independent Italian in the city centre, Sabatini at 16 Catherine Street is the first choice, with lunch Tuesday to Saturday and dinner on Friday and Saturday. Just outside the centre, Il Grano on Station Road in Pinhoe is an independent open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. VINO on South Street is another independent; phone to confirm its hours.
- Where can I get good pasta in Exeter?
- Sabatini on Catherine Street features pasta and pizza on its Friday and Saturday evening menu and serves a set lunch Tuesday to Saturday. For pasta in the evening midweek, or on a Sunday or Monday, Il Grano in Pinhoe is open every day, and Zizzi on Gandy Street is the central option.
- What is the cheapest Italian food in Exeter?
- Franco Manca in the Guildhall Shopping Centre runs a lunch deal of a sourdough pizza and a soft drink for £12.50, or two courses and a drink for £15, Monday to Friday from noon to 4pm, according to its Exeter page.
- Which Italian restaurants in Exeter are open on a Sunday or Monday?
- Sabatini is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and The Flat opens Wednesday to Saturday evenings only. Il Grano in Pinhoe opens seven days a week, and Venezia on the Quayside opens on Sunday but not Monday, according to their own websites. Zizzi on Gandy Street, Franco Manca, Pizza Express on Broadgate and Bella Italia on Queen Street are the other options, but check each restaurant's hours before you go.
- Is there a vegan Italian restaurant in Exeter?
- The Flat at 142 Fore Street is an entirely vegetarian and vegan pizza restaurant. It opens Wednesday to Saturday, 5pm to 9.30pm, according to its website.
- Is ASK Italian in Exeter still open?
- No. The ASK Italian on Cathedral Close has closed. For Italian near the Cathedral, Sabatini on Catherine Street and Pizza Express on Broadgate are both a minute's walk away.
Buon appetito
Exeter's Italian scene is small but useful. Sabatini, Il Grano and VINO are the independents to book, Franco Manca is the cheap lunch, and Venezia is the view. Whichever you choose, check the hours first, because several of the best are closed for part of the week.
If you would rather share that table with new people, that is what we do.
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