Holborn, Italian Restaurant Guide

The timing of its debut, during Covid 19, couldn’t have been harder for this Covent Garden three-year-old, and it has yet to attract a huge volume of feedback or a settled view from diners. One fan says “you get a twist on Italian cooking, and boy do they get it right” in a “superb, light and airy space that’s ideal for a business meal”. To a critic it’s “bizarre eating in what feels like, and actually is, a hotel lobby, with some dishes very clumsily seasoned”.

“A proper first-date venue” – this “very sophisticated” and “inviting” eight-year-old brasserie in Covent Garden “delivers on all aspects of an excellent restaurant”, including highly competent cooking, professional standards and an elegant interior. Top Tip – the pre-theatre set menu is more ambitious than most.

“Classic, uncomplicated Italian dishes are done accurately and well-flavoured” at Angela Hartnett’s trio of “deservedly popular” modern trattorias. “Consistently enjoyable, with a buzzy atmosphere and lovely staff”, they are widely tipped as a “good standby” for many occasions, and the worst anyone had to say about them this year is that they can seem “unimaginative but competent”. Top Tip – “the pasta is the thing here – especially the spicy rigatoni – but the menu is broad enough for kids and their parents (with a decent wine list); and staff are patient with families”; and “good-value set lunch”.

“Classic, uncomplicated Italian dishes are done accurately and well-flavoured” at Angela Hartnett’s trio of “deservedly popular” modern trattorias. “Consistently enjoyable, with a buzzy atmosphere and lovely staff”, they are widely tipped as a “good standby” for many occasions, and the worst anyone had to say about them this year is that they can seem “unimaginative but competent”. Top Tip – “the pasta is the thing here – especially the spicy rigatoni – but the menu is broad enough for kids and their parents (with a decent wine list); and staff are patient with families”; and “good-value set lunch”.

“What a joyful experience!” – “anyone who doesn’t love Ciao Bella is mad”. This buoyant Bloomsbury fixture serves “unpretentious authentic Italian home cooking in a really great atmosphere” that’s “somewhat chaotic when busy” and “never changes”. After retiring from her 20-year career as a critic last year, Marina O’Loughlin revealed that this is where she eats out when paying for herself. Foodie flourishes are entirely absent though – its prime selling point is offering “good value for money in such a high-cost city”.

“Shocking news when Russell Norman died” in November 2023 – his legacy remains this “buzzy, brilliant Italian trattoria in the City of London” that was his “homage to hearty Tuscan food” and which is now run by his widow Jules and son Ollie. Perhaps it’s “a bit too cramped for comfort” and there’s “loud, thumpy music”, but most diners feel “it just gets everything right”. “It’s hard to get a table, but with Negronis at £5...who is surprised?”. The food is “not stellar, but fine-to-good” and – importantly – also generous and comforting (as exemplified by its best known dishes the ‘Bistecca alla Fiorentina’ and its ‘Coccoli’ – cuddles – of deep fried dough with soft cheese and prosciutto). “Cosy, cute and very romantic, go there for any occasion… but with a date it’s even better!”