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Filippo’s finds its feet by focusing on
FAMILY Review Filippo’s, Park Place, Horsham Filippo Marziano must be given credit simply for keeping his restaurant in business for six and half years. Whilst other eateries have fallen by the wayside due to the rising number of town restaurants, Fillipo’s somehow managed to stumble on from one potentially disastrous decision to another. In its early days, diners would sit down ready for a drink only to discover that the restaurant didn’t have a licence to sell alcohol and operated a ‘bring a bottle’ policy. Perhaps even more baffling was the decision
not to offer pizza. At an Italian restaurant! Consequently, many people in Horsham have their own amusing anecdote relating to Filippo’s. All AAH photographer Toby can remember of his only previous visit was that he was served Fanta…in a can. But after six and a half years, Filippo’s looks to have found its feet. You can order alcohol, and they now make pizza. More importantly, it is quite possibly the very best pizza in town. The restaurant, located behind Piries Place in
Filippo Marziano worked at Panino’s for 14 years before opening his own restaurant
Park Place, finally feels comfortable with its identity. Whilst the man whose name is abover the door devotes his time to managing the front of house, he leaves the cooking to two fellow Sicilians, brothers Vittorio and Filippo Casisa from Palermo. The menu is simplistic and familiar, but it is all freshly made to order and offers an honest interpretation of Sicilian and Mediterranean home cooking. This really is like mama used to make, if you happened to grow up in southern Italy. That Italian passion is expressed not only though the food but in the warm greeting you receive at the door. I genuinely felt I had let myself down by responding to Filippo’s welcome with a reserved ‘hello’ rather than a hearty ‘Ciao!’ And why did I not respond with an expressive ‘Bellissimo!’ as oppose to a noncommittal ‘very nice thanks’ when I was asked if I was enjoying my pizza? It was