Hertfordshire, Italian Restaurant Guide

After working alongside Gary Rhodes and serving as Head Chef at Tom Conran’s Notting Hill venue The Cow, chef James Rix launched this smart Home Counties pub (replete with a large beer garden and heated gazebo) together with wife Bianca in 2004. Its rustic Italian- and French-inspired cuisine attracts reviews ranging from “good quality” to “excellent” – with meat (including Josper-grilled steak) a standout, and starters and desserts that are “not too shabby” either.

This 16th-century tavern in Mill Hill is run by brothers Luca & Matteo Delnevo, whose heritage is evident in the Italian menus that are served here: “much better than the other local pub offerings” and “never disappointing”. (And now, “they also have some Asian-style dishes” as part of the offering.)

Near Oakwood tube, this superior local Italian is one of the top options for a meal in the surrounding ’burbs. Complete with tablecloths and a tasteful interior, it’s in a traditional vein, serving “homemade Italian food expertly prepared by Carmelo” (Carnevale, the chef, who hails from Sicily). Pasta and risotti are numerous on the menu, plus a few more substantial main dishes. They’ve also recently opened a nearby coffee shop, Caffè Amore.

For a dependable local with food that’s “simple but always good”, most reports applaud Adriano Bernabel and his family’s Whetstone Italian. To critics, by contrast, the performance is “just OK”, but they must be doing something right as it celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2026.