Valle D'Oro

Carlos and Carmen opened their Italian dining room on Oxford Street in 1987 and still run the kitchen themselves. The menu leans on handmade pasta, fish and meat dishes, with a trolley of homemade desserts wheeled between tables at the end of the meal. Spanish tapas run alongside the Italian core throughout the day, a nod to Carmen's own background. The wine list draws from Italy, France, Spain and Germany rather than sticking to one country. Lunch service runs Monday to Saturday, evening service six nights a week, with Sunday given over to a longer midday sitting. The dining room keeps the format that opened it: family ownership and a fixed address on Newbury's main shopping street, with no second site opened since.