Italian Restaurants in Clerkenwell
1. 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.
2. Santore
Italian restaurant in Clerkenwell
59-61 Exmouth Mkt - EC1
2023 Review: This “very authentic Italian local” has been filling happy bellies in Exmouth Market for more than 20 years, with Neapolitan pizzas, pastas and other dishes – “nothing too refined, but plenty of choice and not expensive”. The only complaint: “some options are just too big and hearty”.
3. Macellaio RC
Italian restaurant in Clerkenwell
38-40 Exmouth Market - EC1
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”.
4. Luca
Italian restaurant in Clerkenwell
88 St John St - EC1M
“An oasis of calm just outside the hustle of the City” (north of Smithfield Market): this “beautiful” bar and restaurant (linked – but you’d never know it – to The Clove Club) is increasingly recognised as “one of the top Italians in London”, and a “special” overall experience (“everyone seems so happy just to be there!”). Even fans acknowledge it as being “on the expensive side”, but there are no quibbles about its “elegant and refined” cuisine which “never fails to hit the spot”. And it’s “also a good place for business”. Top Tips – “the Parmesan fries are dreamy”; and “the bar has a great set lunch menu and wonderful booths”.
5. Trattoria Brutto
Italian restaurant in Smithfield
35-37 Greenhill Rents - EC1M
Russell Norman’s skillful love letter to Florentine trattorias is “hard to fault for a classic Italian” and, in particular, its “buzzy” (“if noisy” and “crowded”) “glamourous” style is a brilliant escape from the grey streets of Clerkenwell (near Smithfield Market). The “Negronis are lethal” and the “heavy-hitting, rustic fodder” is “simply done, but top quality”. An archetypal ‘Bistecca alla Fiorentina’ (T-bone steak) is a central menu feature, as are lesser-known treats such as “the moreish coccoli (or ‘cuddles’) of deep-fried dough that you stuff with soft cheese and prosciutto”. For all its virtues, though, Russell is a darling of the foodie media, so the place receives regular “hype”, and the only weaker reviews come from those expecting more culinary fireworks, given that “the food is good, but not great”.
6. Pastan
Italian restaurant in Farringdon
12-14 St John Street - EC1M
2023 Review: After successful pop-ups in Bristol and Notting Hill, this plant-based artisan pasta venture moved into its first permanent site in late 2021 (provocatively, perhaps, just off Smithfield meat market). Early reports are all positive – “I didn’t even realise it was vegan!”
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