Oscar and Rosie’s, a small pizza place located in the Lace Market area of Nottingham City Centre, opened their doors at the end of 2013. Last Friday evening was the first time that I had visited the quaint pop-up style restaurant and the evening was nothing short of a positive atmosphere and inspiring environment.
Upon arrival, my girlfriends and I were greeted by a friendly staff member who chatted informally to us whilst we waited a few moments for a table for four. It was an automatic fun start since the wait staff joked around saying how they would ask people to move for us and how they ‘probably wouldn’t mind’. It was a light-hearted environment that felt youthful despite attracting a range of customer.
It is interesting that the owner, a Nottingham based lawyer, created the business after being fed up with the limited number of quality pizza places in Nottingham. It worked out very well as the pizza there was one of the best I have had- it certainly can rival Dominos! The pizzas have a range of options, most of which do consist of meat, including ‘Boom Chicken Wah Wah’ and ‘Hamster’ (which is delicious and does not contain hamster despite the name).
The menu itself is well laid out with not a huge number of pages. This is great because it is never nice to visit a new place that has too many options that you become frazzled at deciding what to order. One thing that was noticeable was that the still water was a higher price than the fizzy drinks like Diet Coke. This is a bit odd but, in all fairness, they did provide tap water for the table. It was good that they did this without us requesting as it shows they care about their customers.
With the aromas of fennel, fresh mozzarella, BBQ base pizza, and creamy mac ‘n’ cheese the room felt as close to Italy as I have ever got! They even offer a gluten free base. We ordered a one-metre-long pizza to share (and one ordered a second pizza for fear of the metre not being enough…), and when it arrived at our table the entire restaurant was mesmerised by the aesthetics of it. It was definitely a first for many of us since the magnificence of the pizza was other-worldly.
The pizzas there are mainly thin, very tasty with a good amount of toppings, yet this could have been increased a bit. The price range for the pizzas are acceptable however the side dishes could be slightly cheaper for what they are. As us girls are somewhat picky we asked if the metre pizza could be halved into two different options, of which they were extremely accommodating. The staff’s conversational skills, ability to build a friendly rapport, and do everything to make their customers satisfied with the service and product was the stand out aspect of the night. For example, we mentioned that we weren’t going straight home so instead of putting leftovers in the usual paper bag they found a carrier bag we could use. Even as poor students, the service was so good that we left a tip.
One criticism was that one lady asked if we had paid because another group was about to come in, implying that we needed to leave so they could use the table. This did not ruin our fun dinner because we were already finished, had our leftover packed, and was only waiting for our bill. However, looking back, the waitress could have worded it better or not told us another group was waiting as it was clear that we were getting ready to leave. Nevertheless, this was a minor thing and did not reflect the general night.
Overall, I would highly recommend Oscar and Rosie’s as their pizza was great, the atmosphere was light, and the décor of the restaurant with its rustic theme, fairy lights, wooden tables, and soft cushions. It has an intimate feel that made everyone just have a good time and laugh with their friends.