HOW TO GET THERE: From Bolton town centre follow the A58 Bury Road for about two miles and then turn left onto the B6292 Starling Road. At the cross-roads junction go through the traffic lights, following signs for Walshaw along the Lowercroft Road. San Rocco is about a mile further along on the left hand side of the road.

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Quality of food: HHH

Atmosphere: HHHH

Service: HHH

Children's menu: HHH

Vegetarian dishes: HHH

Disabled access: HH

Value for money: HHH

THE San Rocco restaurant came highly recommended by two fans of Italian food so we had a great sense of anticipation when we visited there with them.

And we were not to be disappointed. The moment we walked through the door we were met with a lively bustling Saturday night atmosphere.

San Rocco has an inviting bar area with tables and chairs arranged in a horseshoe shape. It was standing room only when we arrived, but fortunately for us by the time we had ordered some drinks from the bar a friendly waiter was already on hand to guide us to our table.

We had pre-booked and judging by how busy it was when we were there this is probably essential at weekends.

There was a real buzz around the whole dining area created by lively chatter and background music which helped put us in the right mood to study the menu.

Our friends hardly needed to give the menu a second glance. Having dined there before they knew exactly what they wanted.

It took my wife and I a little longer to study the range of dishes available.

Our friends opted for the hot chicken wings (£3.95) and the Costolette di Maiale (£4) or spare ribs with sweet and sour sauce to the non Italian literate amongst us.

Both my wife and I were tempted by the sauted mushrooms in garlic, white wine and lemon juice. But as mushrooms are our usual starter choice in an Italian restaurant we decided to be a little more adventurous. And we were not disappointed with our out-of-the-ordinary selections.

My wife chose the Mozzarella Fritta (£3.50), which was deep fried Mozzarella cheese served with a crispy salad. She really enjoyed this and was well pleased with her selection. I opted for the Melanzane Parmigiana (£3.25), layers of aubergine, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes all baked together. In some ways it was a bit like a moussaka without the meat and it was a very tasty way to start the meal.

We all also shared a garlic bread between us (£2).

Moving onto the main courses, our friends once again did not have a moment's hesitation in making their choice.

Both, chose the Pizza Prosciutto (£5.25), which was topped with generous portions of tomato, mozzarella and ham. Our friends rate this as pretty much the best pizza they have ever tasted.

I sampled a piece myself, and while I think I have tasted better elsewhere, it would certainly rate highly in my opinion as well.

My wife decided to enjoy one of her favourite pasta dishes, the Cannelloni alla Romana (£5.25). She said the combination of spinach, meat, cheese and tomato sauce was very tasty and enjoyable.

To make a change from my usual choice of pizza or pasta I decided to go for the Risotto al Pollo (£5.25). This was a tasty and very filling dish of Italian rice with garlic, strips of chicken and tomato.

There was a generous amount of chicken in the risotto and the seasoning was not too powerful making this a very enjoyable choice.

A good feature of the menu is that most of the pasta dishes are available in a smaller, cheaper portion as a starter. Also some of the starters are available in a larger, more expensive portion as a main meal.

Vegetarians are reasonably well catered for with 10 dishes clearly marked on the menu as suitable for non meat eaters.

San Rocco is also child-friendly with all dishes on the menu available in a child's portion for half of their normal price.

After quite a long wait for our waiter to return to the table (because the restaurant being so busy) we pondered on whether we could manage desserts.

In the end, one of our friends decided he could not eat one and opted instead for a rum coffee (£2.70). Due to the time delay the rest of us felt able to tackle sweets.

Our friend had the simple dish of fresh strawberries (£3) which she assured us were delicious. My wife chose the strawberry meringue (£3) which she also enjoyed.

Unfortunately for me, I seemed to be the only one to make the wrong selection. More out of curiosity than a genuine expectation of eating it all, I chose the Zuppa Inglese (Italian trifle at £3.50).

This was very rich and very chocolatey and soon had the beating of me after a couple of spoonfuls. It was just too rich for me and I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a very, very hearty appetite.

Our total bill, including a number of lagers, soft drinks and house red and white wine, came to £82.20. We felt this was reasonable and quite comparable to many other Italians we have visited.

Most of the dining area is on a raised level, so as far as we could see wheelchair access would be difficult. However the staff came across as willing and eager to help at all times (despite being very busy) so I am sure disabled access would be possible.

Official parking space outside the restaurant is quite limited, but on street parking is possible within a relatively short distance.

Overall we were very impressed with the San Rocco experience. While my wife and I felt it was not the best Italian eating out experience we have ever had, it did rate very highly and we would have no hesitation in recommending it to a friend or in returning there ourselves.