Chertsey, Italian Restaurant Guide

“Very good food” – but “no pizzas!”, the menu is more ambitious – has been served for more than 20 years at this “friendly local Italian” near Richmond Bridge in St Margaret’s – the last five under owner Tom Rowlandson, who trained with Skye Gyngell at Petersham Nurseries and has pushed standards ever higher.

“My favourite restaurant of all time!” say fans of this Richmond stalwart – “a unique and authentic Italian experience”. Patron Riccardo Grigolo hosts a no-choice, multi-course Venetian wedding feast over three or four hours, that makes you “feel like you are a guest in an Italian home” and with “an outstanding quality of food, ambience and staff”. Arrive hungry!

Tipped as a “top venue for a pre-theatre meal (Richmond Theatre and Orange Tree nearby)”, this longstanding Italian restaurant near the station combines “well-cooked food, kindly service” and a “very good wine list, at reasonable prices”.

2021 Review: From its Finsbury Park base (next to the Park Theatre), this “cheerful” group of “good neighbourhood pasta-stops” subsequently expanded to Ealing and then onto Wembley branch (there’s also an outlet in Westfield Stratford); all deliver “well-cooked”, affordable pasta.

This “good, reliable Italian local” in Wimbledon Village majors in home-made pasta and thin-crust pizza, while “other items like calves’ liver are lovely”. “The midweek offers are not as good as they used to be”, however, while “the menu rarely changes”.

2021 Review: These “buzzing family-run Italians” in southwest London create “an exceptional atmosphere” for large parties of all ages – and “they won’t break the bank”. “Despite the celebratory brouhaha, they produce a very respectable menu of traditional dishes – fish stew, duck, pizza on demand” – “even the veggies are catered for”. “Expect noise and old people dancing.”

“Serious, and seriously delicious food, served in a simple space that helps to focus attention on what matters” has made Andreas Riva’s Barnes veteran a “staple of Italian food lovers”, oft-cited by top food writers like Nigella Lawson as their favourite destination. It’s boosted by “exceptionally long-serving, loyal staff” who provide regulars in particular with service they acclaim as “delightful, efficient, warm and friendly”. A typical account of a meal might run as follows: “Specials of puntarelle, gnocchi and suckling pig, and the calves’ liver and red onions from the menu, together with a dessert of tiramisu, were all faultless. Wines by the glass – a Pinot Bianco and a Tuscan Sangiovese – matched beautifully and were modestly priced”. As often is the case here though, there is a contrarian viewpoint and it gained ground this year: “We hadn’t been impressed with Riva when we had eaten there many years ago, but thought we’d try it again, after reading several very positive reviews. Our recent visit, however, confirmed our earlier verdict. The menu choice was uninspiring, service indifferent and the venue was run-down and in need of attention. Prices were high and the elderly man who seemed to be in charge ignored diners and sat at a table doing paperwork. We definitely won’t be returning!”

2022 Review: A “lovely local” near Turnham Green, this “family-owned Italian” is “tiny but with terrific food and atmosphere”. There’s a good range of pizzas but the Puglian dishes are what makes it special.

It’s the large leafy courtyard out front that catches the eye at the Bianchi Bandinelli family’s slightly quirky venue. Drawing on five centuries of tradition from an estate near Siena, the aim to import a slice of Tuscan living to London would not seem out of place in, say, Chelsea, but seems a little offbeat on this rather trafficky stretch of the Chiswick High Road (although having the famous Metropolis recording studios next door doubtless helps provide custom). Fans say it’s a “special” place – “quite expensive, but some of the best Italian around”.

This “lovely local Italian” near Ravenscourt Park tube is getting back into its stride after “a dreadful time with lockdown followed by a flood at the premises”. Ex-Zafferano chef Andy Needham and his team offer a “really warm welcome and a beautifully executed short menu”. Top Menu Tip – “excellent pasta and specials”.

“Thin and crispy pizza with coarse semolina in the base” is the main focus at this smart Notting Hill pub conversion, where “the tapas-style starters and excellent pizzas are rather more interesting than the main-course choices”. The Oak W12 near Ravenscourt Park and the Bird in Hand at Brook Green operate on similar lines.

“Things have gone crazy, price-wise, but it’s still magic” – that’s the perennial and worsening trade-off at Ruth Rogers’ world-famous, Thames-side icon, tucked away between the Thames and a Hammersmith backstreet. Started in 1987 in the canteen of her late-hubbie’s architectural practice (in partnership with Rose Gray), it’s still faithful to its mission of “brilliant, simple, honest Italian food, from top-quality ingredients, superbly executed”. And while “the food is uncomplicated in the sense that it is not fussy, there is nevertheless a sure-footed sophistication in its preparation”. So far, so good, and pretty much everyone agrees that if money were no object a visit here (especially outside by the river in summer) is “just perfect”. But verdicts on the ever-fraught juggle here between price, quality and value are increasingly going haywire. To its most loyal habitués (often arriving by chauffered car from posher postcodes): “is it expensive, yes, but worth it? Absolutely. I’ve never had a disappointing meal and have been going since 1990”. To those who ‘know the price of milk’ however, it’s “monumentally overpriced” and increasingly risks “spiralling to the clip-joint level” (“It’s actually beyond a joke now, financially. Gone beyond very expensive into ‘you don’t actually want normal people here at all, do you?’ territory”). “It would also help if they could get their staff organised”. The “casual” service from posh public school girls on their ‘gap y’ar’ has always been of the love-it-or-hate-it variety, but can plain jar at such a premium price.

2021 Review: “The best pizza in the area” – “thin, very tasty” and in “large” portions – wins fans for this “friendly” family-owned trio that has built a solid following in Fulham and Putney over two decades. SW15 is primarily take-out and delivery (but has some outside seating).

Worth knowing about near Hammersmith Broadway, this well-appointed pub is “highly recommended” for its convenient location a few minutes’ walk from the station, its characterful interior, cute outside terrace and – not least – its very decent Italian-leaning menu. “Dog-friendly” is another plus for some.

2021 Review: “The best pizza in the area” – “thin, very tasty” and in “large” portions – wins fans for this “friendly” family-owned trio that has built a solid following in Fulham and Putney over two decades. SW15 is primarily take-out and delivery (but has some outside seating).

Near Parsons Green, this small and family-owned Italian, in an updated traditional style, delivers just what you’d want from a high-quality local restaurant: “better-than-average food is cooked to a high standard; staff are friendly; and it’s always busy”.

“Always a warm welcome from the lovely husband-and-wife team” at this “perfect neighbourhood gem” lost in the backstreets near Brook Green, where “Michele is in the kitchen and Heidi front of house”. For what it is, it would be hard to improve, with its “homely atmosphere”; and “hearty and well-seasoned Italian home cooking” from “a limited menu of crowd-pleasing dishes”; all at “reasonable prices”. “Interesting” wine list too with “some good value for money rarities”.

“A wonderful quiet dining room”, where “the staff are top-notch, the atmosphere too” – Gino Taddei & Sally Eidlitz’s “lovely” restaurant between Kensington and Olympia “has been going for years” and “they have fed generations” with “top-quality Italian cuisine”. Many describe it as “a favourite local” – a view shared by the late Michael Winner.

“If you like fresh fish, pasta with truffles and a good choice of other Sardinian specials, this is the place for you” – is the enthusiastic verdict on this Holland Park fixture that has just celebrated its 20th anniversary. “Family-run” and “very popular with locals”, it’s perfect before opera in the park.