I REALLY, really wanted to like this place - family run, independent and award winning - Pacino's has been every Cestrian's best kept secret for nearly 20 years. And now it's mine.
Nestled in the unlikely setting of the Newtown tower blocks, close enough to the nearby fire station for the occasional flashing blue light to illuminate your table cloth, Pacino's - voted Best Large Restaurant 2005 in the Chester Food and Drink Festival - is one of the few places that can honour the claim made by countless others and actually offer customers a 'unique dining experience'.
So unique, in fact, that it starts when you call to book a table.
In a heartwarming move that could make a marketing executive weep with joy, the number listed for the restaurant redirects you to the family's own home, where you can negotiate your slot in a busy weekend night whilst children shout and dogs bark in the background.
Calling on Thursday afternoon, I managed to get a table for two at 9pm on Friday night but I got the impression that I'd been lucky to get it and would recommend planning ahead for a larger party.
And larger parties seem to be what this Italian - Mediterranean restaurant is all about. By the time we arrive there is a 60th birthday party, two large groups of friends and a table of 12 crowded into the smallish restaurant,
but far from encroaching on our night the lively atmosphere made it.
As soon as we arrive we are shown to our table by a friendly waitress and I feel immediately refreshed by the complete lack of pretension. It's a little like turning up at your favourite Italian aunty's house.
The clue to the decor lies in the name and film fans will no doubt pass a few minutes placing the various pictures of the Godfather legend in his respective roles. Decorative terracotta plates and hanging bunches of wicker carafes helps to create a rustic charm that belies the suburban exterior.
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