Figurati! - Southampton's best date night?

Recently, we were invited to Figurati to see if it is Southampton's best date night, so we booked in to see if the claim could be validated...

The first thing you'll notice upon entering is the effortlessly modern Italian vibe. Cosy, yet stylish, with art on the walls, plants hanging from the ceiling and a real laid-back vibe. The kind of vibe that makes you feel relaxed and able to forget about all your troubles, which is handy as 'Figurati' in Italian literally translates to 'Forget about it'!

To begin, we sampled two of their cocktails, the 'Cherry on the Top' and 'The Wild Berry'. The first being a sipper, HIGHLY alcoholic but such a nice long drink, finishing with a maraschino cherry (a real cherry on top!). The wild berry a rhubarb and cranberry gin with raspberry chambord, a nice iced cocktail.

Drinks: Cherry on the Top

Now, onto the food. We kicked off with the 'Pane', their version of a breadboard. House-baked foccacia and grissini, served with their own compound butter and Isle of Wight Balsamic. The waitress recommended pairing this with their 'Salumi Board', a loaded charcuterie with everything from truffle prosciutto to burrata. The salumi board is a perfect option for sharing, the burrata and meats are perfectly served with the freshly baked focaccia. If you’re choosing, I’d say go for the salumi board because it already comes with bread, and that way you won’t end up with bread overload like we did!

Starters: Pane (Breadborad)

Starters: Salumi Board

Alongside this, we ordered the Slow Braised Pork Cheeks, which were melt-in-your-mouth tender, and a nice light plate to enjoy alongside.

For the mains, we tried two pastas. I had a Rigatoni Carbonara which was a twist on the classic, perfectly al dente with a creamy, peppery sauce. Really satisfying. My partner went for the Tonnarello Con Gamba, a pesto and prawn combination. This stole the show for me, spot on flavours, with a freshly grilled king prawn on top (with a bowl of hot lemon water to rinse your fingers after peeling off the shell!. There’s something really nice about sharing a bit of both and realising you’ve each picked a winner!

Mains: Rigatoni Carbonara

The waitress also said we had to try the Figurati Fries (oregano salt, truffle oil and parmesan), claiming they were to 'die for'. They weren't wrong, these were perfectly crispy, well seasoned and delicious to nibble on, and I'm not the biggest truffle fan!

Mains: Tonnarello Con Gamba

For dessert, we shared a pistachio crème brûlée with a rosemary shortbread. Truly a highlight for me, even though we were absolutely stuffed. This was a pick from my partner (I was going to go for the bombolini, before remembering I'd had them before!), and they made a great choice (they'll hold that over my head for sure!) The pistachio was so good, with a satisfying sugar top that you crack through with your spoon. Perfectly sweet and well-balanced with the rosemary shortbreads. You HAVE to try this when you go!

Dessert: Pistachio crème brûlée

Overall, Figurati lives up to its name, “forget about it”. It really captures that laid-back, modern Italian vibe. It’s a lovely spot in Ocean Village, and I can just imagine how great it would be in the summer out on the terrace. Figurati really gives a vibe that it isn’t just about great food, it’s about the whole experience of unwinding together. It’s definitely a spot where you can linger over a meal, share a few dishes, sip some cocktails and just enjoy each other’s company in a really lovely setting. So if you’re looking for a great date night spot in Southampton, Figurati is a great spot to visit!

This post covers a PR/invite event, but in line with our ethos, all reviews are honest. If a visit doesn’t meet our standards, we either provide constructive feedback to the venue or don’t post at all.