Chelsea, Italian Restaurant Guide

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.”

“If you want a traditional Italian restaurant in Chelsea, this is the place”, say regulars at this tiny, “tucked away” trat’ “in a Chelsea side street off the King’s Road” – a quirky site they’ve been going to for yonks (mostly since before the founder, Roberto Colussi, died a few years ago). It can seem a bit “disorganised”, but “even on a quiet Tuesday lunchtime, it’s pretty much full and for a good reason: it’s excellent value for money” by the standards of the area.

“A great pit-stop on a night out” – these “busy, buzzy” rustic spots in Chelsea’s King’s Road and Battersea’s ‘Nappy Valley’ major in a wide selection of sourdough pizzas, although the exact offering is slightly different at the two sites (for example pasta in SW3 but not SW11). Attractive lunch deals too. Top Tip – the ‘La Terrazza’ heated rooftop terrace in Chelsea is worth discovering but walk-ins only and has its own menu.

2021 Review: An “intriguing concept” – ‘A rotation of Mammas’ from 20 different Italian regions per year provide the hearty scoff at this welcoming Chelsea yearling, where handmade pasta is something of a feature. By all accounts, the formula works, delivering “interesting dishes not found in your typical Italian restaurant” to a consistently good standard, and – for the ’hood – it’s not especially pricey either.

With its alpine-themed interior, this Italian-ish Chelsea haunt from the team behind Goodman and Burger & Lobster opened to rave reviews just before lockdown. This year, though, its offering – combining a raw bar, with prime cuts of steak or fish from the grill and a selection of pasta – received little but opprobrium in our diners’ poll for “ridiculously overpriced and average meals” (“you don’t have a value-for-money category. If you did, this would score 0/10!”).

“You are always made welcome by the family at this well-established Italian restaurant” in Chelsea. “I was searching for an Italian nearby and was guided here by Harden’s – a delight! with an attractive setting and delicious and well-presented cooking”. (It’s nowadays run by the sons of the founder Lucio Altana, who spent many years as maître d’ of Princess Di’s old favourite, San Lorenzo in Knightsbridge).

This “fantastically reliable spot for homemade pasta and Tuscan staples” on a Chelsea corner celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and is arguably “either a relic or a classic… or maybe just a restaurant that knows what it is good at”. “Relaxed and informal”, with “friendly staff under the command of the wonderful Paz” – “it’s an easy place to dine on your own”. “Another plus is that practically the whole menu is also available as tapas/small dishes”.

The “real Chelsea set” meets up at this “buzzy” haunt near Brompton Cross, founded by Richard Burton’s agent Daphne Rye. Now 60 years old and part of Richard Caring’s empire, it has managed to retain its magic as “somewhere to be seen, not to eat” – whatever your view on the Italian victuals: “fantastic” or “overpriced and simple”. “Start with a cocktail at the friendly bar and go from there – it’s always fun watching the ladies who lunch” (as it was in the 1990s, when it was infamously full of folks hoping to rubber-neck Princess Di, whose favourite it was).

“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.

2021 Review: Now over ten years old, this Venetian/Mediterranean chain has suffered a drip-feed of branch closures, with only two now trading: Soho and Chelsea. And in August 2020 it parted ways with its co-founder Russell Norman. Fans do still applaud the duo’s “very convivial and fun” formula, but the groups woes have stemmed from Venetian small plates that are often “no better than fine”, and at worst “uncared for” or “very mediocre”. Perhaps it will now finally turn a corner?