Ristorante-Pizzeria Il Valentino in Köln

This is essentially a trattoria but styled more like a local pub with its wood laden interior and bar. The staff is friendly and serve with promptness and professionalism. The portions are big and reasonably priced, but tastewise, the food they serve is nothing outstanding. The seafood is particulary bland in taste and clearly a mix of frozen products. As far as I can tell, they do not rely on ingredients of designated/protected geographical origin in general. As far as pizzas go, they have a neapolitanish look but the crust is not puffy enough. There are a few big black superficial burn marks instead of sporadically distributed small burns (leopard spots) hinting that the baking oven is operated at lower temperatures. Due to very high heat losses and associated costs (of gas or electricity) most ovens at similar restaurants are operated around 300 degrees Celcius or lower. The temperature is not an academic curiosity, though. It fundamentally determines a pizza's taste and texture. Finally, tomato quality is always a good (and quick) indicator of the overall quality in Italian cuisine, because the aroma and the flavor of tomatoes is contributed by a multitude of chemical ingredients (sugars, volatile compounds, amino acids etc.) and almost impossible to fake or improve later artificially, especially during off-season. Here, they aren't much different from what you could readily get from DM or Lidl. My actual rating would be a 3.5, and the current average rating is unrealistically high. There is nothing wrong with this place, it is just not an outstanding place to experience Italian food.

Disappointed, definitely one of the hardest pizza I've ever eaten...

We ended up in this great restaurant based on a recommendation. And are absolutely thrilled! The food and pizza were terrific. The staff was extremely friendly. The first point of contact for us in Cologne.

Upon arrival we were immediately directed upstairs. Even though the reservation clearly stated that we would come with a baby in the stroller. The pizzas were okay, but certainly not as good as all the positive reviews predicted. The dough was very “tough”, so you could hardly get through it with the knife. Two of the staff were almost constantly looking at you. Very annoying. The temperature was quite warm and stuffy. After we asked if a window could be opened, it turned out that the thermostat was set to 30?! Stood.

Very good pizza at a very sharp price

Good restaurant, good cuisine. The staff is welcoming. Excellent value for money. I recommend.

Carbonara is so delicious,,, Pizza is delicious no matter what you eat. When I said we would share it, the two of us shared it thoughtfully. There is a charge for adding truffles :)

Both the service and food are excellent! We came all the way from Friesland and will be visiting Köln again, even if it’s only to eat here again.

I was staying in a nearby hotel, and discovered that Valentino Pizza is a wonderful corner restaurant for pizza and pasta. There are two doors, the one on the left is for their sit down restaurant, and the one on the right is the take away door. I ordered the ham and mushroom pizza and watched the entire process. Hand tossed dough, generous toppings, and the fired oven resulted in an amazing pizza at a very reasonable price. While I waited for my pizza, several locals came in to pick up their orders… and it was a steady stream, which is a good sign.

The Italian restaurant has generous portions, the seafood barbecue platter is quite delicious, and the atmosphere inside the restaurant is warm. You must try this place when you come to Cologne, Germany!

Very nice little restaurant. The food was very tasty, we had lunch and everything was great. It was very busy, but the service was still very quick.

Ate pizza here. Unfortunately mine wasn't baked through in the middle. Knives could use a new sharpening. It was quite crowded, which didn't really bother us. But the service was quite inattentive. We would definitely have liked to have a second drink, but she preferred to take care of the large table next door,... what a shame.

Venetian liver. Ingredients: Liver, white onions, bay leaves, white wine, salt and pepper. It's a very easy recipe. The only difficulty is cooking. They served me: three hard slices of liver, lukewarm, probably reheated with red onion on top. An insult to Italian cuisine and to the customer.

Very tasty pizza and cocktails! Very friendly service!

It was very, very nice, very nice service, great, delicious food & the price was unbeatable... we would come back again and again 🫶🏼

The pizza from the oven is very, very good, for me personally one of the best in the city. But the antipasti and pasta dishes are also really good. Owner extremely personable and friendly.

Service and atmosphere are ok, but pizzas are just terrible. We ordered salami and one with flor di latte cheese. It seems like they have a good oven, but execution sucks. Salamis were really hard to bite into. Pizza with buffalo mozzarella had literally a layer of water on the dough. Never seen anything like that. Yeah this part of the town is just meh when it comes to food. Too touristic.

The shop looks chic, but pizza or lasagna was not recommended. Sorry, but not an insider tip for me!

Very nice place. The service quite fast. The food is of excellent quality and fresh

Great Pizza, friendly staff and at fair prices!

We were in Cologne today and had lunch at Il Valentino, pasta with wild boar goulash, beef steak with potato strips, and a margarita pizza. Pasta and wild boar, great. Beefsteak on point, lightly seasoned so that the taste of the meat came out better, pizza was awesome. I found the service, Italian friendliness and the ambience really cool. When we are back in Cologne, we will go there again.

It tasted great, service was impeccable, and the prices were reasonable. A very clear recommendation.

It was all absolutely delicious. Very good food and very friendly atmosphere.

Great location, great food, great drinks and very, very nice staff! Gladly again!

Mega tasty, great service, nice atmosphere! Now a must in Cologne!

The pizza tasted very good and I would like to come back

Good Italian food - nice atmosphere. Hospitality is very important here.

Better than in Italy. Very nice service. Everything was super tasty and the menu was full of ideas. Very special

Very accommodating, polite and humorous service... you immediately feel at home. The quality and taste of the food was very good... the price-performance ratio is absolutely fair, not just for a big city... There aren't that many seats, so you should definitely reserve in advance.

Very good food at fair prices and great service!

Very accommodating for gluten free and the fact we can't speak any German! Thank you so much

Very nice, humorous and polite service. The food came quicker than expected and was very good. Since we had a good time, we were allowed to stay a moment after the store closed and order a round of drinks.

Very tasty lunch menu. Absolutely recommended! Price-performance and size of the pizza is above average for big city standards.

Best pizza in downtown Cologne. The restaurant may be small, but the food and friendly service are second to none.

It's really annoying, for being celiac, eating gluten-free, they charge you +6.50 extra in addition to what the pizza costs simply for having a different dough, it seems fatal to me that they take advantage of that and on top of that they charge more , disgust

Really excellent. Both pizza and restaurant menu. The owner is a nice person

Excellent food and very warm service

The chef's Sicilian figs on the pizza, a dream! Gluten free carbonara and the gluten free pizza were perfect!

Very kind owner. We ate well and spent little

Very authentic Italian pizza, really tasty! Unfortunately, there is currently no outdoor dining.

Best Carbonara I've ever had, very friendly staff! It is a cozy restaurant. Definitely recommended

Eat a lot for little money! Very well done! 🇩🇪

Nothing special, just a normal restaurant! But according to the applications it should be better!

I made a reservation at the Valentino restaurant for my husband's birthday. In the evening we were surprised with a lovingly set table. The food was of exceptional quality and made us feel like we were in Italy. This restaurant is now our new favorite place for pizza & pasta.

We enjoyed our dinner at Il Valentino very much. The staff made us feel safe from the very beginning, advising us on what was safe (gluten-free/lactose-free) without hesitation, and double-checking with the kitchen when needed. This is the most valuable feature for people with dietary restrictions. I had a gluten-free lasagna, and they even prepared an off-menu gluten-free bruschetta for us on a gluten-free pizza base. Thank you for the nice service!

Super friendly staff is only surpassed by the food.

There were 7 of us who had pizza, pasta carbonara and lasagna. Everything excellent. Excellent value for money.

Italian restaurant in Cologne city center - simply delicious food in a nice atmosphere - come back!

Super friendly, super tasty food, nothing to complain about. 👍👍👍

Pizza was melting in mouth , very very good quality 🍕🍕🍕

The food was very tasty. The pizza is well topped and large. The salads are fresh and delicious.

We visited this place because it was one of the rare in Köln that offers gluten free pizza. My parter has serious celiac medical condition, which means he can't eat any gluten. The place is very small, crouded italian restaurant. Very friendy staff and the wine was good. We wanted one gluten free pizza but they didn't have any gluten free dought. So insted of pizza they offered us gluten free foccacia. My partner was hungry so he said yes. The food was ok average, nothing special, we ate much better gluten free pizza/foccacia. But when we had to pay for our surprise the gluten free dought was extra +6,5 eur!!! I mean 6,5 eur! We paid around 33-35 eur for 2 glasses of wine and foccaca!!! I mean thats making fun of people that have serious medical condition and have no other option of what and where they'll eat. We traveled all around the world but nowhere in this planet there was a +6,5 eur to pay extra for gluten free food. On the menu there was no where to be found this 6,5 eur! I mean at least they should tell us before there is this kind of insane amount of money for gf foccacia.

The pizzas are just watery like soup. Bread burnt. Not cut beforehand and since the pizzas are too watery they are very difficult and difficult to cut through

I ordered a small salami pizza to take away. The order was ready very quickly and the pizza maker was friendly. You can get a good and tasty pizza here, which is baked in the oven by the fire 🔥. Unfortunately, the prices listed here in the Google menu (as of June 15, 2024) are not current. The small salami pizza is listed there as €6. This now costs €7. That's why I'm deducting one star.

Absolutely amazing! Service and food were fantastic

Blah blah nothing extraordinary

Incredibly delicious pizza! Great (not everyday) variants and very fair prices! In addition, totally friendly employees!

We stayed in Cologne for 4 days and for 3 days we returned to this place near the center where you can breathe Italy in every detail. Italian music, Italian products and above average food compared to the rest of the city. We were doubtful as many places claim to cook Italian but this is not the case but at "il valentino" you really feel like you are in Italy. Fabio, a very nice and helpful Sicilian boy, excellent service, excellent pizza. We also tasted a Bolognese and an Etruscan one. Both excellent. Honest in advising us against the lasagna as it is "Germanised" and in recommending the best dishes for the Italian palate. Honest cost and average for the city. Only the cost of water left us perplexed, only to then realize that throughout Germany, buying water is equivalent to a luxury. Congratulations to Fabio and if we returned to Cologne we would know where to go. Highly recommended

Fantastic pizza! So far only ordered.

Great place, pizza as it should be like in Italy

Very nice and attentive service. Food came quickly and was very delicious. The women's restroom was very clean. Nice atmosphere on 2 floors.

Great food and service. They have gluten free pasta.

Good, high quality, inexpensive food. Friendly & competent service. Authentic Italian pizza and delicious gluten-free pasta, with special requests all very accommodating and quick. Top.

Decent pizza from brick oven. Crust and sauce could have been a bit more flavorful for my taste. But then a lot of folks find Neapolitan style pizza too salty. Ortolana toppings are cooked / steamed, but not grilled and marinated. Bonus: Serves Gaffel Kölsch.

Very nice, courteous service and delicious food.

Still one of my favorite pizzerias! Been there many times and it was never not very good (as far as my taste is concerned of course). Not only is the pizza great, but especially the salad bowls and the steaks (unfortunately I haven't tried the pasta yet). Ambience is very authentic, service is always top, no more is needed for a 5 star rating.

The food here is not good. The pizza base was so chewy that even the knife was unable to cut. Was extremely salty. Wine was good, but the person serving was unable to manage multiple tables and was clearly very stressed out which reflected in his treatment of guests. Definitely can find much better Italian restaurants around. Avoidable.

This restaurant hasn't stolen all the positive reviews. Staff is friendly, food is excellent, homemade tiramisu is truly amazing. This atmosphere is really warm in this pizzeria, waiters speak in Italian which adds charm to this place, you really feel like you're in Italy. Would not change a thing !

Great Italian cuisine and friendly staff

Great food. Very quick preparation👍. 10/10

Super delicious Italian food. I haven't been there for two years and I haven't "forgotten" ANYTHING. Still comparatively cheap with perfect quality. In my opinion, this is exactly how an Italian “lasagne al forno” should taste. And also my starter (Vitello Tonnato): great portion, delicious tuna cream at a comparatively low price. The ambience of the restaurant is by no means that of a “noble Italian”. but it is down-to-earth and authentic. And I think it’s just as “wanted”. I find the restaurant to be highly recommended after an afternoon of shopping in Cologne city.

A positive surprise, friendly service and the food was classic Italian pasta and pizza dishes very tasty. The price was fair and in the middle of Cologne. Gladly again.

Very tasty and hospitable. We sat at a table downstairs, felt a bit cramped but was okay. Prices are moderate and the location is perfect if you are in the city center anyway.

Good restaurant, pizzas, pasta, lasagna... everything is good. Good price to enjoy Pleasant staff. You can go there, you will be amazed at the quality of the cuisine. I recommend

The seats are a little small, but the food is good!

Unfortunately the rating of the restaurant is completely wrong. Ambience: everything is very narrow and a bit run down. The bench was covered in crumbs that the waitress simply wiped off the table beforehand. It is not very inviting and does not invite you to linger. Very uncomfortable. Service: the service staff was neutral in their behavior. Neither particularly nice nor particularly unfriendly. Unfortunately he left a very unkempt impression (not shaved, hair in a storm, polo with holes in it). The service also reminded me more of a fast food restaurant. The main thing is quick... Food: The food was totally disappointing and hardly reflects the good reviews. The macaroni salsiccia were totally tasteless. The lasagna basically only consisted of cheese and the pizza was also not very digestible. Conclusion: never again...

Food was perfect and the price is fair. Good spot to have a nice lunch or dinner

All perfect. 5 stars well deserved

The best Italian in Cologne!! We went there with a recommendation and it was worth every bite! The service/staff are also fantastic!! Don't go anywhere else!! 💙🖤

We were there last night and ate pizza and pasta which were more than decent in my opinion, prices were normal and the staff were very kind

We had pizza and lazania and some appetizers. Nothing exceptional but it was ok with good prices.

Top food, everything fresh! The pizzas are highly recommended

Yesterday we were at Il Valentino for the first time, but certainly not the last time. There was a warm welcome and the service was charmingly Italian. We liked the selection of unusual pasta and pizza varieties. The food was very tasty, freshly cooked and the portions were plentiful. We felt completely comfortable and had a great time. Thank you and see you soon, Valerie

Very tasty Vitello Tonnato. Large portion for 12€. In other restaurants these are smaller and you pay €2-4 more. Both the pizzas and the pasta are very tasty. So far there has never been anything to complain about. Price/performance is definitely right here.

Very nice shop with good and reasonably priced food. Recommendation

The menu looked promising but the food didn’t live up to it. The spaghetti with broccoli was ok. The tortellini al forno didn’t have much taste. The portions were huge though.

Had a casual lunch here and wow, we were impressed with the portions and quality. The prices were really reasonable - €10 for a huge lasagne and I could barely finish it. The seafood spaghetti did not skimp on seafood ingredients as well - it was full of octopus, prawn, mussels and squid. I particularly liked the waiter on the second floor - he served sincerely and was efficient. I only know a bit of German and I knew he entertained my attempts to order in Germany, whilst at the same time responding in English when using more complex words. I really appreciated that. Really sharp and socially aware gentleman. Would come back if I ever get the chance.

Absolute recommendation! There was both pasta and pizza gluten-free, a dream. We were very excited, the food was really good and very fresh. The service was also very good and overall the ambience was really nice. It is a small restaurant where everything is made in-house. An absolute insider tip. We'll definitely be back 😍👍

Delicious pizza. You should definitely make a reservation, especially on weekends. Otherwise you have no chance of getting a place.

Very good food with good price-performance ratio. The pizzas are very tasty and have plenty of toppings. Without a reservation you have to come early, otherwise you won't get a seat. We will come back when we are in Cologne again.

The waitress bullied me, it was very funny. Price-performance 1A

Noisy Americans did spoil the party a bit, but did not change the good food and excellent wines.

Very tasty pizza! For €7.50 to take away you can't complain! Definitely tasty above average

Very nice little very authentic Italian restaurant. Cozy atmosphere and very nice service staff. The pizza was very, very good, airy perfect dough. The lasange was also very good. We would highly recommend this restaurant.

You can, but you don't have to. The location is ideal if you want to eat something after a stroll through the city. But nothing more! It's incredibly tight on both the ground floor and the first floor. We had 2 starters which were ok and pasta dishes. The pasta dishes were below average. The pizzas looked delicious, but we didn't try any. Maybe we would have had better luck with that. At least for us it's a place we won't go to again.

The food was super amazing 🤩. I defenetly recommend the carbonara spaghetti. The service was really fast and it was defenetly quiet we all had the best dinner. 𓆩🥰𓆪

The gluten free pizza was delicious. A small surcharge had to be paid. I would have liked more vegetarian pizza options. The service was very good. The food came quickly and the service was friendly. We called shortly beforehand to reserve a table. So we were able to get the last free table. Points are deducted for the ambience. The restaurant is very small and looks cozy in itself. Every angle is used. We sat on the 1st floor, right at the first table. The refrigerator's LED lighting was blinding the entire time. The lighting leading to the passage to the stairwell, just one meter away, was uncomfortably bright.

Very good pizza in Cologne city center. Everything downstairs was full but we were able to get a table upstairs without a reservation. The ambience upstairs is not as nice as downstairs. The menu was limited because the kitchen was being renovated or repaired. But we knew that because there was a sign on the door that pointed it out. We wanted to share the pizza and as a matter of course we were brought two plates with half the pizza each. Very good and forward-looking. My husband really enjoyed the bruschetta. Leftovers were packed up for us to take away. Drinks were served quickly and were regularly requested. We found the prices to be very fair

Stopped he for a quick bite and stayed longer than expected. The menu was limited due to kitchen renovation and they still managed to produce amazing food and give us amazing service. They were moving nonstop the whole time and did so with a smile.

mega lasagne.... Price performance is good