Andiamo

Hmm. Andiamo, I so badly wanted this to be a 5, having heard lots about you from my parents and cousin, but in the end it's a 4. And you're quite lucky it is a 4 if I'm honest!

We visited here for my parents' anniversary as my brother and I had never been before, but they'd been loads in the past. We were welcomed very warmly by the staff (who really were pretty great the whole time) and the place was pretty empty when we got there as it was around 5pm (my folks like to eat early.) I was impressed with the decor (PURPLE!) and could smell delicious food, so my hopes were high.

I skipped a starter hoping I'd manage dessert, while my Mum opted for the breaded mushrooms and them other two got the calamari, but I managed to snaffle a wee bit from everyone else's plate. The mushrooms were delish, cannot find fault with them at all! The calamari was slightly disappointing, the batter was really light and crisp but the calamari itself was pretty rubbery and not that great.

For main, I ordered the half pizza, half pasta deal cause I love me a bit of more than one thing in a meal and I've got to say the pizza really was delicious! Thin and crispy, tasty cheese and delicious chicken and mushrooms on top. It's one of the reasons there are indeed 4 stars at the top of this review. Unfortunately the spaghetti carbonara I ordered wasn't the best, I found it to be pretty stodgy/greasy and I was sick of it after about half of it! However, my brother scoffed his pizza and carbonara and my Dad really enjoyed his beef stroganoff. My Mum mostly enjoyed her mussels but felt that they hadn't mixed them in with the sauce well enough, leaving some of the ones at the top a bit tasteless.

Now for the part that nearly got you a 3, Andiamo. Because you are a stone cold FIBBER. I was feeling a bit full after my dinner but when I saw that there was (supposedly) "smooth Italian hot chocolate" on the menu I decided to get that. I consider myself to be something of a hot chocolate connoisseur and I BLEEDIN LOVE Italian hot chocolate. They do an excellent one in Smile Cafe, it's almost like drinking melted chocolate, it's so creamy! *sighs*
This was nothing like that. In fact, it was blatantly Cadbury's hot chocolate. I know this cause I've made it countless times and if I'd known that's what I'd be getting I wouldn't have bothered! Disappointed is NOT the word, let me tell you. The fresh cream they had on top wasn't very nice either, which didn't help.

I'd definitely come back for the pizza and the breaded mushrooms, but I don't think I'd be rushing back - especially when Glasgow has so many Italian restaurants I've yet to try and have heard wonderful things about!

Andiamos is in a beautiful old building that must have been the extravagant post office back in the old days. The service was really unexpectedly superb here, we were picked up on entering and sat down on a table of our choice (given two options).

The menu was pretty extensive from start to finish, more than I would expect on an out of city restaurant. Maybe that was a silly thing to say.

I actually wasn't hungry when I was taken out for dinner here so couldn't muster up the appetite for the otherwise delicious things on the menu. I went for the traditional Margarita pizza, boring but I was sure to cover it in chili flakes. The pizza was nice, I like a pretty thin base and that is exactly what this was. My waiter called Hope was really kind to us and actually made us feel like we were her favourite table, although I am sure she must do this with everyone. I like the restaurant and the overall experience was great fun.

I think it's becoming clear I'm incredibly indecisive about this restaurant. I love it and I don't at the same time, but I've decided to put my review back up to a 4 star one from 3. I've had bad food in here, but to be fair the majority of it has been good. I'm in quite a lot because Colin works here and it's nice to be have him as my waiter in a restaurant as well as at home har har. Don't hit me Colin.

The food is lovely, depending on what you have. Their new Sunday night Steak and Wine for 2 for £30 is great, with lovely steak sauce choices (except from béarnaise ugh why miss out my favourite?!), and lovely house wine. I enjoy the pasta in here, but I have had better quality Italian food in a lot of other places, hence me not wanting to give 5 stars.

Since I've tried the Milngavie branch of the 3 part Andiamo chain, the Hamilton one just doesn't live up, and that's the other reason I can't give 5 stars. The Milngavie branch was much nicer decor-wise, the menu has a much greater choice and there's a bar area you can have drinks at as well, which I think the Hamilton branch would benefit from having; although it would lose them seats.

I know they are currently going through a massive refurb, both decor and menu wise, and hopefully once I'm back in after everything has been finished, the final star can be achieved!

There are plenty of eating places in Hamilton to choose from, however Andiamos should be at the top of your list - as long as you like authentic Italian food.
In comparison with the likes of DiMaggios it's a little more expensive, but it's true what they say - you pay for what you get and the extra pennies are worth it in this case.
From the moment you walk through the door you know you're in a 'good' restaurant. The decor of the restaurant is classy and the ambiance is welcoming and relaxing.The menu offers an excellent choice so even the fussiest eaters (like me!) can be satisfied and the food is well prepared and presented and is very tasty.
The staff are also friendly and helpful - if a little slow at times. But then, who wants to be rushed when they're enjoying their food?!
For birthdays, anniversaries or other special occasions this place is a must!

Italian cuisine has always rated high on my foodie scale. Pasta is a staple in the diet of any student, and over the years, i have learnt how to differentiate a good linguine from a bad fettuccine, so i was excited to visit Andiamo restaurant in Hamilton as i had heard only great things about it.

The exterior of the building is very grand, with steps leading up to a massive glass door and elegant bay windows. Upon entering we were immediately greeted by a very jolly Italian man, who swept us away to our seats and took our jackets. We were seated next to one of the massive windows, a great spot which allowed us to gaze out onto the street and a prime position to see all of the tables around us. The decor itself was stylish and understated, the original stone walls were adorned with modern art and candles, very high-end and sophisticated, in keeping with the expensive feel but at the same time, being cosy and intimate. The bar area was nearby where we could see the barmen making cocktails in front of a stunning glass waterfall.

The way the table was set out just screamed elegance, the ringbindered menus were dainty and bijoux, and the list of Italian delights extensive. We ordered a bottle of house red and were offered a taste before a glass was poured (this was no JD Wetherspoons special) and a jug of iced lemon water was brought to our table to accompany dinner.
We decided to skip starters (although they looked incredibly tempting) and dive straight into the main courses. Like i said, i am a massive pasta lover, so this was a serious and baffling time for me; choosing my favourite. The pastas ranged from the simple Spaghetti Pomodoro to the more sophisticated Orecchiette con Calabrese (that one is a 'point at and nod when ordering' effort) and all of them were really reasonably priced. I plumped for the Linguine Gamberoni al pomodoro, which, simply put, was a flat spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce, served with marinated garlic King Prawns. This was the most expensive pasta on the menu, coming in at a very fair £10.50. I could have chosen a risotto or a pizza, or one of the mouth watering steaks that were on the menu too. There was loads of choice, but not too many to leave you perplexed. That, to me, is the sign of an established restaurant.

Watching the other patrons eating thier meals and smelling the amazing aromas only made waiting for our meals more difficult, but we were served in a very reasonable amount of time, and i couldn't wait to tuck into my meal. The waitress who served us was very nice, asking if we had we had enough wine and water, and offering us black pepper and Parmesan to accompany our meal.
The prawns in my Linguine were absolutely massive, and delicious to boot. There were plenty of them resting in a bed of generously heaped saucy pasta peppered with cooked cherry tomatoes and slices of red chili. The side of homemade garlic bread with cheese accompanied it perfectly, and i was left feeling full, satisfied and thoroughly pleased with my pasta choice.

Desert is usually my favourite part of a meal, so i was looking forward to the sweet menu which isn't featured in the main menu but comes in a even daintier little book brought by our waitress. I expected to see my absolute favourite treat, tiramisu, but i was disappointed when it wasn't featured. You could have a range of deserts from fresh strawberries (admittedly for an eye watering £3.95, were these gold plated strawbs?) or hot chocolate fudge cake and ice cream, but after my belly busting main i decided to go for the sweet of the day, which was a rhubarb and strawberry tart with ice cream, figuring that the fruit in there would make up for my humongous dinner. It arrived looking very pretty on the plate, with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream on top, and was really gorgeous to eat. The pastry was just crisp enough and the ice cream was absolutely amazing with an almost gooey, stringy, thick consistency of caramel but the unmistakable smooth velvet of vanilla. Stuff of dreams. I did have my eye on my friends chocolate fudge cake throughout however, which looked equally scrumptious.

We were left to sit and chat for a while, which made a pleasant change from the sometimes rushed exits that restaurateurs expect you to make. We were not hassled by the staff for coffee, or bills, and we finished our wine in peace, which made a massive difference to my experience. When we were ready, the bill was brought to us and we were pleasantly surprised with the £95.00 price tag that came along with it. Dinner for four people in such beautiful surroundings, with two bottles of wine and two courses each should have amounted to much more this, so we were all highly impressed with the value and quality that went along with it.

The slogan which prominently adored the inside page of the menu said ' At Andiamo, you are only a stranger once'. With food and prices like that, i don't plan on being a stranger for much longer!

I love this place. Friendly & easy to chat to staff. My favourite place to go for steak.

The best italian restaurant i have eaten in by far! I love italian food and I am quite fond of a few different restaurants but this one is definetly the best. It is located just off the main road on the way into Hamilton town centre. The inside is lovely, lots of candles everwhere abd llight music and it has a great atmosphere.
The prices are ever so slightly more expensive than your average italian restaurant but i certainly wouldnt call it overpriced. The staff are really friendly and helpful. We only go here on special occasions such as birthday because I always think its great to have somewhere nice to go to on a special occasion!

It is a very nice building, but the menu (price proportionally) is too much for what is quite generic menu choices. If I pay money for pasta, I might expect fresh pasta, ripe tomato sauce, some juicy/smokey pancetta, some fresh olives, maybe even something far out, like a chilli - but no, generic pasta sauce, prepared quite uninterestingly with some pasta that looked like Sainsbury's own. The wine list was limited and while the staff were very nice, I was not struck by the place.

We have been to Andiamo,s a couple of times. Though we had fond memories of this restaurant. I believe we both had the salmon on the first visit. This time though we both had pasta dishes. I had the worst heartburn ever from the lasagna sauce. A general comment would be that I don't think the restaurant is as good as it was when it opened. Need to try harder as the restaurant is very nice inside and makes you expect a higher standard of food for the prices they are charging.

I think that this place is just okay. I have eaten here on about 4 occasions and found the staff to be slow and the last time the meal was cold and had to be sent back. The surroundings are very nice, but I do thin the staff lets the place down a bit. I would try again though as sometimes things change.