Happy Italy Alkmaar in Centrum

Yesterday, I ate at Happy Italy with my family for the first time. It was quite busy, but we had made a reservation, so we thought it would be fine. We got our drinks quickly and were able to order. After that, we waited 1.5 hours for 2 pizzas and 3 pastas. I repeat: 1.5 hours!! We had also reserved bowling, and just when we were about to pay for our drinks and wanted to leave, the food arrived. (We were almost too late for this, so we had to eat quickly too.) After an hour, I asked the waitress how much longer the food would take; she told me she really didn't know because there was also a table of 20 people present, which would make the kitchen extra busy. This means the kitchen doesn't communicate at all (and I read this in the comments on similar reviews as well!). My tip to whoever packs the place so full: If you can't handle it, don't do it. Waiting 1.5 hours for food is really not okay, and other people here were also bothered by this. Especially when it comes to pasta and pizza. Additionally, it was a large space with a lot of noise coming from all sides; it wasn't exactly pleasant to wait in for 1.5 hours. We skipped dessert as well. In the end, we spent 160.00 in total for this terrible dinner (and the food wasn't that good, but oh well, we were hungry).

We ate here in August. The food was fine, but the atmosphere was very disappointing. The surroundings are incredibly uninviting, very noisy, and children are constantly running around. Unfortunately for us, once is enough, never again.

I received 4 pizzas with burnt bottoms, poor quality!

Had a good experience, ate well. Very happy with the food!

Had delicious pasta with dessert: two balls of your choice in an edible cookie cup.

Very tasty food, come more often, I recommend it.

Staff super friendly, polite, and quick service. Delicious food, lovely atmosphere!

Good food for little money. If you go later in the evening, it's fine in terms of crowds.

Fine place for a bite to eat. Nothing wrong with it.

Cozy pizzeria near the Vue Cinema. Delicious pizzas are baked in wood-fired ovens. Highly recommended for the kids (and for adults too, by the way) is the Nutella pizza with strawberries in the middle. Tasty!! In addition to pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, and salads are also served. The staff is very friendly. 17-10-2026 Had another delicious meal tonight, together with my daughter. The Pizza Salmone and Pizza Carpaccio are definitely recommended, very tasty.

Staffing problem. As a result, they cannot provide good service. The staff they do have are really doing their best.

Very good service and the food was also tasty.

We were helped quickly and efficiently

I really enjoyed picking it up and having a delicious meal.

Had a delicious meal, the food came nice and fast, super sweet service

Tasty food. Lots of variety. Friendly staff.

The service was very sweet! But why do anti-feminist texts have to be on the wall, under the guise of “a joke”? When you live in a patriarchal society. These kinds of things are NOT funny when you are already oppressed as a woman in this society. It personally ruined my evening.

Great for the children, the pizzas are delicious too.

We went here with 2 adults and 3 kids. The food is good and the kids entertain themselves well in the play area. However, the service is poor. We had to wait a long time for someone to come, so we had to fetch someone ourselves every time (literally). After a lot of effort, we managed to order a pitcher of water, which then arrived without glasses, and we had to get glasses from the bar ourselves because she had forgotten about us again. The table was also never cleared.

I thought I was going to have a nice pizza with my son. After just one bite, my son said he didn't like it that much (which is already weird because he loves pizza), just a simple pizza margherita. When I took a slice of pizza, I immediately felt it was too soft. I took another good look and the dough was simply undercooked and even sticky. I reported it; she asked if he wanted a new pizza, but he didn't want that anymore, just a sorry afterwards. No discount or refund, no drink on the house or anything very odd there. Never going there again. My son said: we would have been better off going to Domino's.

We had a nice meal, but it's a shame the coffee machine was broken, so we went somewhere else to have coffee. We did have to wait a long time before they came to ask if we wanted dessert or anything else... we only saw the QR code on the table when we were leaving; it might be useful to mention upon arrival that you can order that way.

I had arrived there before going to the cinema and was helped very well by an employee named Noura, and I just had to give her 5 stars.

Nice atmosphere, kids having fun in the play corner, Demi helped us a lot, she deserves that waffle 🤣

A very nice experience. Good food and great service!

Had a delicious meal and very friendly and efficient service

Spacious, friendly and fast service, tasty and large pizzas, nice view of the large stone oven; due to the size and child-friendliness, it is noisy (I was prepared for this, but it is therefore not suitable for everyone).

Demi is really great... what a nice girl

I really liked it, the pasta pesto is phenomenal

Absolutely fantastic!!! Had a delicious meal

Had a delicious meal and the service was top-notch. The pizzas are nice and big.

It was super fun and great service from Demi ;)

We had a delicious meal, although everything was on the table at a super fast pace; that could have been a bit slower, but luckily we had a relaxed young lady named Romy (Rom on the receipt 🤩) who helped us very nicely and professionally. A star!

There were 7 of us, and 6 received their food. The excuse was understaffing and poor personnel. Eventually, an argument ensued, but no pizza was made.

In the past, I have had some mixed experiences, including delays in service, taking and delivering orders, etc. Today was a good experience, despite it being a bit busy. Waitress Demi served us everything neatly, quickly, and well. The food was also better than before, so it was a successful evening.

Not a nice place. The food is bad, mass-produced for little money. Service is practically non-existent. Never coming here again ❌️

Located in the same building as the VUE cinema, so we had a pizza here before the movie. Super fast service and delicious pizzas. Great pasta and such too!!

The order was taken incorrectly, and after I placed my order, I didn't see an employee for an hour.

The pasta was great. It took 30 minutes to get on the tablet. We then waited for 45 minuten for desert. The warm waffle was ice cold and supermarket quality. The toppings where nothing as promised. Slow service and not what was on the menu.

It was terrible. Waited well over an hour for 4 ice-cold, burnt pizzas that were inedible. Downright disgusting, and we don't say that lightly. Ate almost nothing, but still had stomach and abdominal pain all night. Asked for a pizza without mushrooms, which had clearly been removed at the last minute, leaving bits behind. There were a few ladies walking around who were nice enough, but most of the staff didn't even speak Dutch and said nothing when they plunked the food down on the table. They walked around without looking, and we also had to wait a very long time for the bill. Unhappy Italy, we are never coming back here.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We had a really nice experience at Happy Italy! Vally and Jacob were very friendly, helpful, and welcoming. The service was great, everything went smoothly, and we felt well taken care of. Definitely a nice place to come back to! 🍕😊

Nice manager and friendly staff

Very good place to enjoy delicious Italian food. The Italian mesh for dessert is highly recommended. It's Romy, see you next time❣️

Had a fantastic pizza and two drinks and definitely want to come eat here again. The only downside was the staffing, but apparently that is already known. BUT that doesn't detract from the experience. Definitely recommended too if you're going to watch a movie around the corner 😁

The manager is very nice, everyone provides top service. The gentleman with glasses is very nice and does everything to ensure you are satisfied; I always feel welcome.

The building is a bit noisy because it is somewhat larger. But the atmosphere is great, and the food/price ratio is good. We would love to come back.

Well-topped pizzas. Dessert is also delicious. The food is fine. Staff are also friendly. English/Dutch speaking, which takes some getting used to. The prices are very reasonable. As far as we are concerned, something could be done about the acoustics. It is difficult to understand each other there.

What a great place!!! Very nice atmosphere and fast service, it was really more than I expected. Our food was on the table after just 5 minutes. Had a delicious meal, tasty pizza and pasta, a solid 10. Very cozy atmosphere inside, and the employee was excellent at his job, very spontaneous and cheerful.

The food was fine. The young man who greets the guests would be better off working somewhere else, but not in the hospitality industry.

We had a very pleasant dinner with my family. We were received and served very kindly by Jakob. He was enthusiastic and sociable, making us feel welcome immediately. The food was delicious and the service was top-notch. It was a bit noisy at times, but otherwise, we had a wonderful evening.

Delicious pizza and sublime dessert for a very reasonable price 🫶🏻

Great food and not expensive, though it is a shame that the entire staff is in English.

The food was fine. The service started well and we were served in a friendly manner, but when it started to get a bit busy a little later, they paid no attention to us anymore. We therefore left earlier with the children to go somewhere else for dessert. We thought that was a shame.

It looks like an ordinary food warehouse, but they have tried to make it cozy. However, it is a huge space with tables placed side by side. The Italian food was fine, but I am not sure if I would go there again.

Received with super hospitality by host Nick

The food was okay, but upon arrival we had to wait 10 minutes before being shown to a table; in the meantime, there was no eye contact or anyone saying, "Just a moment, I'll be with you in a moment." A lesson in hospitality wouldn't hurt.

Fine for a quick pizza while the children entertain themselves in the play area. However, the play corner was very stuffy and the lighting keeps partially cutting out. The staff is friendly, but some do not speak Dutch, only English.

It used to be super tasty and cheap, and you got a lot. Now it's filthy, dirty, and expensive. I recommend Portofino.

Tasty food, nicely decorated, and friendly staff.

We sat outside, where it was a bit noisy at times due to the traffic. Inside, it is spacious yet cozy. The pizzas were large and well-filled, but tasty.

The pizzas were tasty. The staff were English-speaking. Children could play in a kind of indoor playground. Food was served quickly.

It was very noisy with crying toddlers. That wasn't pleasant. Waited a long time for food, too little staff, and too busy in the kitchen for one person. Sat there for 2.5 hours. Too long.

The food is good. The service could be faster. I was welcomed well and was able to sit at a table quickly by a guy named Jacob; he strikes up a conversation and is happy to help if something isn't right. I will definitely come back here!

Experienced the following twice in a month: poor service. Too little staff, meaning you have to wait longer than an hour for your food. Some people even left angry without receiving their food.

The food was good but took a bit long. Otherwise, a pleasant atmosphere. We were served very well and quickly by Jacob!

Good atmosphere! Friendly staff

It is a really nice place, and the food was delicious. However, the service is very poor and slow. All the tables are piled high with dishes, and people from the kitchen have to carry the food out to keep it from getting cold.

The sweet pizzas were very tasty, but the cheeseburger pizza had nothing to do with its namesake and tasted awful. Short wait time.

Waited 1.5 hours for the food. The waitress came to check many times if we had been served yet. No drinks were offered or anything arranged. Very disappointing because the food was delicious.

Even though it took a little longer, we enjoyed our dinner! Delicious food and drinks with amazing service from Jakob.

It took much longer than we are used to for our food to arrive. The pasta with spicy chicken was so spicy that it was inedible, even though we can normally handle spicy food well. We eventually had to ask someone ourselves to clear our table so we could order dessert. We were not asked if the food was tasty. All in all, it was okay, and I understand that you shouldn't expect the world for these prices, but in my opinion, something like "did it taste good?" would have been nice.

The food was fine. Unfortunately, a couple of mistakes were made when personalizing a dish. An ingredient was omitted from a dish, unfortunately from the wrong person. So we had to do that ourselves. The 2nd round of drinks was also wrong, unfortunately. For the 1st round, we had ordered Radler 0.0. For the 2nd round, we wanted to drink the same thing, but unfortunately, we received alcohol. No major problems, but a pity nonetheless. This might have been due to our table number with error code (404).

Pizzas and waffles were very good, generously topped. It was very noisy, which made it feel very uninviting. It seemed like too many tables were occupied for the limited staff. It took a very long time for the food to arrive at the table or for us to be able to order.

You can enjoy delicious food from the menu here. And the service is fine, but when it's busy it takes a bit longer, though the staff run themselves ragged to serve everything as quickly as possible. Kudos!!!

Delicious food, friendly service, we always come back there with pleasure 😀

Lovely ambiance and the food delicious.

We ate here for the first time on Tuesday, August 4th, thanks to a great promotion at Kruidvat (paid in advance). We didn't expect much, but it was much tastier than we had hoped. Positive: nice, spacious location within walking distance of the station and city center, large portions (we had a pizza and a pasta), friendly service, plenty of space inside, but we enjoyed sitting outside on a large terrace with parasols. Negative: they ran out of ice cubes in the iced tea, and that on a scorching hot day; dessert took a bit longer, but it was also very busy (probably due to the great Kruidvat promotion). We are disappointed that they are no longer located in Zoetermeer. All the other branches are not close to us. We happened to be in the neighborhood now because we were on an outing. So, regarding the food and the visit, this branch is definitely worth a return visit. I must say, though, that the prices on the menu were on the high side. I don't know if we would have come here without the Kruidvat promotion.

We had a delicious meal after going to the movies! We got to take the dessert (the waffle) with us after the meal, because we were completely full from all the food. We received good service.

We waited for 1,5hr for the food! The place wasnt even busy- we saw multiple people leaving before they had food. The guy in charge deducted some drinks of the check but the night wasnt the best. We didnt expext high class but if you slogan says “the fast italian” it didnt deliver. Never going there again.., waitress was nice and i say ahe struggled with the situation- my advice find a good efficient restaurant to work in :)

From arrival to departure, we had to wait a long time every time. For a table, for the clearing (this took 30 minutes and then I just spoke to someone, because with a two-year-old child it is really impossible to have to wait that long), and we just paid the bill at the front, where there was another wait. The staff was nice, but had to serve far too many people. Strategically, there is certainly room for improvement, which would also benefit the staff. The food was tasty, the pastry a bit dry, but we enjoyed our outing nonetheless. We visited using a Kruidvat deal; without a discount, it is too expensive in our opinion for what you get and the atmosphere.

Tonight we came to Happy Italy for a lovely dinner (again). The atmosphere here is always very pleasant and nice and cozy, even though the space is quite large. I have always been treated and helped in a friendly manner. Tonight we were served by Nick and Romy. It was certainly busy and they worked very hard, yet remained friendly. We were also asked about our experience after we had finished eating, which clearly shows what kind of staff works here! Thank you, Nick and Romy!

First time visiting, I don't live in Alkmaar. But if I'm ever in the area again, I'll definitely eat there again. Had a super delicious meal 👍

You walk in and have to wait well over 15 minutes until you are assigned a table. Ordered our first drink and had to wait well over half an hour for it; the order was: 3 hot chocolates and 2 Cokes/Pepsi. The 3 hot chocolates had COLD whipped cream (it had become lumpy). Eventually, after pointing this out, it was corrected (warm!). The pasta carbonara was BURNT; we took a few bites and reported it, but unfortunately nothing was done about it!! The pizzas looked delicious, but unfortunately ice cold; we reported this too, but nothing was done about it. Clearing and cleaning tables is NOT what they know here. WE DEFINITELY WILL NOT RECOMMEND IT!! WE WILL NOT BE COMING HERE AGAIN!!! Otherwise, there is little to complain about regarding the staff.

The food is good and the portions are large, but it looks very much like mass catering.

It was lovely to eat outside. We were helped very kindly in English. A quick, friendly man. Great pizza for lunch. Prepared with care.

Upon entering at 6:30 PM, it was immediately noticeable that there was a severe shortage of staff. There were about 80 guests, while the restaurant has a capacity for well over 200. A long blonde hair was attached to my cutlery. The drinks and focaccia appetizer arrived reasonably quickly, but after that, we had to wait 1.5 hours for the main courses. These were placed on the table without any form of apology. The service was completely behind schedule, guests around us were visibly irritated, and we even saw tables leave without paying. Eventually, we received our food (mediocre quality), but a restaurant needs to better match its staffing levels to the number of guests. Unfortunately, no second visit for us. (Incidentally, the staff did try their very best to make the best of it), but whoever handles the scheduling here really deserves to be... well, you know.

We ordered via a qr code within 5 minutes after sitting down. The drinks and appetizer arrived relatively fast. We assume that happened because our bruschetta was pre-made. Our main courses however we're still not ready after an hour after ordering. When asking about this the staff mentioned they were very understaffed. We get they did not do anything to cause this, but we were not notified upfront that it might take long to get served. Also we advice the staff next time to limit the amount of available tables if you have one chef in the kitchen only. We were forced to cancel our main dishes because we had to leave for our next appointment. Overall the staff was friendly and again were not at fault in this situation.

We waited an hour and 40 minutes for our pizza, and it still hasn't arrived. The restaurant was only 15-20% full, but the staff couldn't keep up. They wouldn't take orders, and if they did, they wouldn't bring them. The tables were dirty, and the teenage waitress just walked past them without taking the dishes.

Had a delicious meal and was served quickly. Good portions!

We ate with our children yesterday. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Because we had reserved early in the evening, it wasn't busy yet and we were served quickly. The pizza and pasta were very tasty. There is also a nice play area for the children. It could use a good cleaning ;)

Fantastic place for kids and adults that want a break lol. No but seriously, good food and value for a decent meal out with the family. I enjoy the spicy pepperoni pizza and they do some yummy lemonades. Thanks to our waiter, Nick. He is such a nice man and always so welcoming.

Had a delicious meal and great service. Open kitchen, everything looks clean.

Pizza is tasty, fun for the kids. But service varies from week to week. I've also walked away once after having to wait.

On Wednesday evening, I had dinner here with my mother after a day of doing odd jobs in my new house. We wanted to get out for a simple meal and ended up at Happy Italy via Social Deal. For today's prices, we found it surprisingly affordable. Upon arrival, there was quite a long line, and it was clear the staff was understaffed. I work in the hospitality industry myself, so I know how difficult that can be. As a result, it took a while before we were served. However, I did find it a big plus that you can order yourself via the QR code on the table. That way, you don't have to wait for someone to come and take your order. The drinks arrived very quickly. We had to wait a bit for the main courses, but that was fine. The dessert took a little longer to arrive than you would expect. We both had pasta, and it was really delicious. The portions were generous, so you definitely get value for money. The dessert was a bit disappointing in terms of size, and the cappuccino clearly came from a machine, but it actually tasted pretty good. Do keep in mind that this is a restaurant frequented by many families with young children. There is also an indoor playground, which means it can be quite noisy. We sat at the edge of the restaurant and that was manageable, but if you—like me—are sensitive to stimuli, it can feel quite crowded. The restrooms are an area for improvement. They could be cleaner, and the toilet paper ran out without any spare rolls. All in all, Happy Italy has both pros and cons. If you are looking for an elaborate evening out for dinner, I would personally choose a different restaurant. However, if you want to eat a tasty, hearty meal at a reasonable price—for example, after a day of work—or if you are going with a family with young children or a larger group, then this is certainly a fine choice.

The food was tasty. However, the place was a real mess. They brought drinks but didn't take away empty glasses, and left empty tables full for a very long time.

I ordered takeout on location. It took ONE HOUR and I had to ask where it was before they finally started preparing my order! They never ask in between if you want something to drink or if everything is okay. Apparently the order never arrived, but they won't ask themselves why I've been waiting for so long either. I did get a free drink afterwards, though.

Ordered via home delivery, and the food wasn't prepared the way I wanted it and was resolved very poorly. They made me eat this pasta, which is not what I wanted, and I get a stingy few euros back for the extra money they added to my food. That is normal

Extremely disappointed with my recent visit . I ordered the Gamberi Spinach, a dish I have ordered here before and enjoyed but this time it arrived so buried in chilies that it was completely inedible. I pointed this out to the waitstaff, who explicitly agreed and confirmed that it wasn't eatable. Despite acknowledging the kitchen's mistake, they refused to offer an alternative or replace the meal, claiming the dessert would 'cater for it.' No remorse or effort was made to correct the wrong. I essentially paid for a meal and received zero value for my money, leaving the restaurant without eating my main course. I have attached a picture of the dish to show the amount of chilies.

This is our third time here, and every time we have waited at least 45 minutes for service after being welcomed. As was the case today as well. Until we had to walk over to the wait staff ourselves to be helped. The restaurant is too big with far too little (good) staff!! No more Happy Italy for us.

Nice restaurant with friendly staff. The only area for improvement is the acoustics: when it is full, it is difficult to understand each other.

We waited an hour for two pizzas. They only started making the other pizza when the first one was brought. It was also served half cold.