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Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.

Caesars Bistro opened in 2008 as a cool, suburban oasis for those looking for a quiet dining experience in stylish surroundings. If you're idea of indulging revolves around well-cooked European food, there's plenty of choice at this Dunyeats Road bistro.

The menu changes weekly and on a cold evening what could possibly be more uplifting that a warm salad of bacon, mushrooms and shallots finished with a balsamic dressing, or fresh asparagus spears served with a lightly poached egg with a dash of hollandaise sauce. Pan-roasted salmon and halibut come together as a main course, with a hint of lemon saffron cream and are teamed with new potatoes and mixed leaf salad, while medallions of pork fillet work well in a Serrano ham and mushroom sauce.

Caesars reasonably-priced house wines list includes a collection of fruity reds from Chile, a succulent rosé from Italy and a crisp white from Germany.

Whilst the restaurant lists itself as of the French persuasion when it comes to cuisine it seems more likely that what really draws people to this little West Country bistro is the quality and range of the fresh fish. What comes in on the boat is what you get so don't go with any preconceptions beyond that it will be fishy and good. Lobster, grilled Dover sole, king scallops, crab and prawns are all likely to make appearances, generally presented in simple form with the exotica saved for the puddings which, unlike some seafood restaurants are anything but an afterthought. House wines from £10.95.

Overlooking the old harbour you will find Perry's, described by that inveterate traveller Bill Bryson as 'Weymouth's outstanding restaurant'; it has become a bit of a Weymouth institution, and is the only restaurant in the town to be recognised by all the national restaurant guides. This is hardly surprising. The place bustles with fun and life, the food is excellent, while the service and decor could not be improved upon. Rather naturally, given Perry's location, there is a strong accent on the freshest of local seafood, though a wide range of tastes is catered for.

Though Perry's is a good choice of restaurant for a special occasion, it also offers excellent value with a daily special lunch menu priced at £14.95 for two courses. The wine list is not only realistically priced but produces agreeable rewards in return for a modicum of diligence.

This very straightforward pub offers uncomplicated food cooked before your eyes in the surroundings of a traditional country town hotel. It also works on the principle that anybody who wants to eat after 2.30pm can do it at home, a not unreasonable proposition that must help keep the home skills turning.

Homely dishes such as bubble and squeak come to table adorned with a couple of rashers of home cured local bacon, and kedgeree is a favourite breakfast dish.

Use of local produce is paramount, no mere gesture, and the local rabbits contribute to an excellent casserole, a plate of which will probably render domestic culinary skills in the evening superfluous. The prolific Channel waters offshore provide abundant supplies of crustaceans and there are those who will say that a Lyme Bay crab has no equal for sheer flavour.

Palmers Brewery is the local source of some strikingly different beers, most of which are available in first rate condition at this friendly and completely natural local local.