Italian Restaurants in Greater London
1. Norma
Italian restaurant in Fitzrovia
8 Charlotte Street - W1T
“Feeling like a serious step up from your run-of-the-mill Italian, but not breaking the bank” – this unusual and stylish venture is a spin-off from the Stafford Hotel. There’s a Sicilian focus to the menu and the food is “absolutely delicious”. “Booths make it a great spot for a business lunch – intimate enough to be quiet in a bustling restaurant”, with very attentive service. Top Menu Tip – “dangerously delectable focaccia”.
2. San Carlo
Italian restaurant in St James
2 Regent Street Saint James's - SW1Y
“The warmth of the welcome and quality of the food can come as something of a surprise at such a central and well-known location” as this West End branch (just north of Pall Mall) of the national group, created by Sicilian-born Carlo Distefano and now with over 20 locations nationwide. Perhaps it’s the “lovely atmosphere for either a business or social lunch or dinner” that’s its key strength, but all reports suggest the “great and varied menu” is also “consistently good”.
3. Opera Tavern
Spanish restaurant in Covent Garden
23 Catherine Street - WC2
“Handily located near the Royal Opera House”, this converted pub serves Spanish and Italian-style small plates of “food that’s just a bit better than its local competition” in the heart of Covent Garden. It is “not the best of the Salt Yard chain, but good for a quick pre-show meal”.
4. San Carlo Cicchetti
Italian restaurant in Covent Garden
30 Wellington St - WC2
“Don’t be put off by the tourist location or the gold frontage” if you visit the flagship branch of this successful Italian chain near Piccadilly Circus (which is due to double in size over 2023). For a national group, it and its siblings deliver a surprisingly high-quality formula that mixes “a great range of Venetian-style small plates” with “friendly and efficient” service and “bright and vibrant interiors” which create a “wonderful and buzzing atmosphere”. Top Tip – “super for pre-theatre eating”.
5. Dehesa
Italian restaurant in Soho
25 Ganton Street - W1
We’re in two minds about the inclusion of this former star of London’s tapas scene, which generates very little feedback nowadays despite a prime mid-Soho site. Fans do still laud its “well-crafted dishes and Spanish wines”, but others say “the food has that ‘here’s one I made earlier’ quality. OK, but not very exciting”.
6. Luce e Limoni
Italian restaurant in LONDON
91-93 Gray's Inn Rd - WC1
“Family-run Italian” that helps add life to a dull stretch of the Gray’s Inn Road. It specialises in Sicilian cuisine presented by Fabrizio Zafarana, an engagingly “well-informed and enthusiastic” host.
7. Obicà Mozzarella Bar, Pizza e Cucina
Italian restaurant in Soho
19-20 Poland St - W1
These “upscalish Italians” – part of an international chain – serve pizza, pasta and other lighter dishes, featuring the trademark ingredient. It can be that the “quality of the food is a pleasant surprise”; they inspired nothing but positive feedback this year.
8. Salt Yard
Spanish restaurant in Fitzrovia
54 Goodge St - W1
“The original Salt Yard in W1 used to be one of London’s best new tapas restaurants” – but it opened over 15 years ago and “the subsequent roll-out of the brand as multiple branches” under Urban Pubs & Bars “has seen quality drop quite a lot”. As “a pleasant option for well-produced Med-inspired dishes”, they maintain a fair number of fans, if without the pizzazz once conjured by the name. The year-old branch near the entrance to Westfield is the highest rated, and the newest near Borough Market is also seen as “a handy addition to the group”.
9. Chucs Dover Street
Italian restaurant in Mayfair
31 Dover St - W1
Inspired by La Dolce Vita lifestyle (indeed, there used to be an accompanying apparel resort-wear brand), this small Italian group strives to evoke the retro glamour of the 1960s ‘jet set’. There’s some enthusiasm for them amongst reporters, but a recognition that the food is “nice but not exceptional”: “I had an excellent martini. But the dishes were either overly seasoned or (the salad) not dressed at all”.
10. San Carlo Cicchetti
Italian restaurant in Piccadilly
215 Piccadilly - W1
“Don’t be put off by the tourist location or the gold frontage” if you visit the flagship branch of this successful Italian chain near Piccadilly Circus (which is due to double in size over 2023). For a national group, it and its siblings deliver a surprisingly high-quality formula that mixes “a great range of Venetian-style small plates” with “friendly and efficient” service and “bright and vibrant interiors” which create a “wonderful and buzzing atmosphere”. Top Tip – “super for pre-theatre eating”.
11. Vasco & Piero’s Pavilion
Italian restaurant in Soho
11 D'Arblay Street - W1F
“Still a special place even though it’s moved site” – this veteran Soho Italian was evicted from its previous Poland Street home over Covid, and found these new digs last year. It still “exudes old world charm” and has retained many of the former “delightful” staff, who are really at the heart of this “unpretentious” experience as much as the “reliable Umbrian/Italian cooking”.
12. Piazza Italiana
Italian restaurant in
38 Threadneedle Street - EC2R
This “beautiful old banking hall” in Threadneedle Street makes for a “decent business venue” in the heart of the City, with “a well-executed if limited Italian menu, and wines priced for expense accounts”. On a quiet evening, though, it can “lack atmosphere”.
13. Salt Yard Borough
Spanish restaurant in Southwark
New Hibernia House, Winchester Walk - SE1
“The original Salt Yard in W1 used to be one of London’s best new tapas restaurants” – but it opened over 15 years ago and “the subsequent roll-out of the brand as multiple branches” under Urban Pubs & Bars “has seen quality drop quite a lot”. As “a pleasant option for well-produced Med-inspired dishes”, they maintain a fair number of fans, if without the pizzazz once conjured by the name. The year-old branch near the entrance to Westfield is the highest rated, and the newest near Borough Market is also seen as “a handy addition to the group”.
14. Franco’s
Italian restaurant in St James's
61 Jermyn St - SW1
“A great all-rounder in St James’s”, particularly popular amongst a well-heeled SW1 business clientele – this “reassuring” veteran provides the “careful service” of “no frills”, “traditional” dishes and “has been going for years” – since 1945 in fact – “and long may it last”. But even those for whom it’s a favourite note that “you pay the price when the bill comes”.
15. Obicà Mozzarella Bar, Pizza e Cucina
Italian restaurant in City
Unit 4 5 - 7 Limeburners Lane, - EC4M
These “upscalish Italians” – part of an international chain – serve pizza, pasta and other lighter dishes, featuring the trademark ingredient. It can be that the “quality of the food is a pleasant surprise”; they inspired nothing but positive feedback this year.
16. La Barca
Italian restaurant in Southwark
80-81 Lower Marsh - SE1
“From a bygone era, and all the better for it!” – this family-run Italian restaurant behind Waterloo station set sail almost 50 years ago, offering “a combination of excellent traditional dishes, lively atmosphere and attentive service from staff, many of whom have worked there for years”.
17. Bread Street Kitchen
British, Modern restaurant in Southwark
47-51 Great Suffolk St - SE1
2021 Review: Gordon Ramsay’s “Italian-leaning” warehouse conversion in Southwark, with an indoor ‘olive grove’ complete with trees, pleases some with its “giant portions of great food” and “fantastic cocktails”. Far too many reporters this year, though, complain of a “sterile” aspect to its “industrial” decor, and dismiss the fare as mightily “uninspired”.
18. Mercato Metropolitano
Italian restaurant in
42 Newington Causeway - SE1
Hosting a range of pop-up kitchens and bars, these “lively and fun” sustainable markets have sprung up across the capital since opening in an ex-paper factory near Elephant & Castle in 2016, a year after the concept was launched at Milan’s World Expo. They make a flexible and affordable option that particularly comes into its own in summer – the Canary Wharf branch on Wood Wharf is “brilliant for sitting outside overlooking the dock”; and SE1 boasts London’s biggest beer garden.
19. Macellaio RC
Italian restaurant in Southwark
Arch 24, 229 Union St - SE1
Fans do still hail the “fabulous meat” at Roberto Costa’s quirky Italian steakhouse group, but it has lost some of its red-blooded allure in recent years. “The restaurants look appealing and the menu looks promising”, but lower ratings bolster those who feel “the quality has dropped with expansion”, as it has grown to six venues across London (and a sister concept, Fish Game, opened in Canary Wharf in mid-2023); and at its worst, it can deliver “distinctly average steaks” at “steep prices”.
20. Café Murano
Italian restaurant in Covent Garden
36 Tavistock St - WC2
“Reliably good Italian food at fair prices” and particularly “switched-on service” won revitalised support this year for Angela Hartnett’s “very serviceable” mini-chain, which is generally a “very safe choice”, and – at its best – “memorable” in the level of “very confident” cooking it can achieve. Even fans, though, concede the “atmosphere can be a bit low key”, in particular at the “rather gloomy” WC2 branch (and the best reports are at St James’s).
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