Blackfriars, Italian Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: A “family-run trattoria” three minutes’ walk from St Paul’s that rates highly for its “varied Italian menu” – and it’s notably well priced for the City, too.

2022 Review: This 55-year-old City trattoria is a popular, lunchtime rendezvous spot on account of its “huge” helpings of classic dishes; its terrace by Bow churchyard for al fresco eating; and its good regional list of Italian wines.

“While I do go to this place and enjoy it, I question whether it is good value for what it is: it’s safe and reliable but couldn’t be said to be top-notch” – the verdict we deliver pretty much every year on these civilised Italians in Chelsea and the City, which, so long as you are fairly cost-insensitive, provide a “smart and buzzy” environment for meeting a pal or holding an informal business lunch, with Italian cooking that’s “generally well done if a little uninspired”. Top Tip – cute, heated outside terrace in SW3.

On the ground floor of what was once the Daily Telegraph’s Fleet Street HQ, a sister concept to Emerald Hospitality Group’s Como Garden. This late 2025 opening will house a salumeria (Italian deli), restaurant, bar, and 60-seat terrace.