Italian Restaurants in Kensington
1. Clarke’s
British, Modern restaurant in Kensington
124 Kensington Church Street - W8
“Sally Clarke continues to oversee her Kensington oasis and ensures high standards are maintained” as she has since 1984 at this paragon of enduring quality, just south of Notting Hill Gate. Inspired originally by her time at Chez Panisse in California in the late 1970s, “the focus on quality ingredients pays off in the dishes and everything is deceptively simply prepared and tastes amazing”. “It’s not flash but all the better for that – not cheap but worth every penny”. “Remarkably, Sally is still working front of house every night ensuring guests feel welcomed and at home” and – especially for older romantics – “there is no music; tables are well spaced; the lighting is great; one can whisper sweet-nothings without the next table overhearing; and it slightly feels like one has taken one’s lover home to meet the family (and your mum happens to cook a good dinner). It’s a class act!”. Top Menu Tips – “all tastes are catered for and vegetables swapped round from the menu to accommodate likes and dislikes”. Highlights among starters include “super fresh crab”, “pasta with grated black truffle and an excellent white asparagus”; among mains, “superb Dover sole” and “fabulous deer, perfectly medium rare with superb accompaniments”; “excellent cheeseboard, then delicious comice pear sorbets with amazingly good pistachio wafers”.
2. Locanda Ottomezzo
Italian restaurant in Kensington
2-4 Thackeray Street - W8
Hidden away near Kensington Square, this “delightful” Italian stalwart from brothers Emidio & Francesco has provided sterling local service for 30 years, initially as a cafe and latterly as a full-blown restaurant: the food’s “very good and all within a reasonable budget”. (The golden age of Italian cinema is celebrated in photographs throughout the venue, which is named after Federico Fellini’s masterpiece.)
3. Il Portico
Italian restaurant in Kensington
277 Kensington High St - W8
“A reassuringly old-fashioned experience”, the Chiavarini family’s Italian restaurant across the road from the Design Museum in Kensington is still flourishing after almost 60 years – neither fading to irrelevance nor trapped in nostalgia. The cooking is inspired by the traditions of Emilia Romagna with plenty of game from the family farm in Kent, while “the service is excellent”.
4. San Pietro
Italian restaurant in Kensington
7 Stratford Road - W8
2024 Review: “A wonderful display of fresh fish on ice” (“including the biggest scallops with the coral attached”) greets diners arriving at this “unique Italian” in a quiet corner of Kensington, whose “cooking is precise with a light touch”.
5. Da Mario
Italian restaurant in South Kensington
15 Gloucester Rd - SW7
“Always packed, very reliable Italian” near the Albert Hall whose “formula has stood the test of time” (since 1967) and which feels “here for the duration”. There’s a “standard and well-cooked menu of pastas, pizzas and salads”, “amazing home-made ice cream”, and “plenty of photos to remind you of their most famous regular of bygone years, Princess Di!”, who used to bring the young princes from nearby Kensington Palace for a lunchtime treat (not shy about the connection, their Instagram proclaims ‘Here to serve Celebrities, Royalty, and YOU’).
6. Jacuzzi
Italian restaurant in Kensington
94 Kensington High Street - W8
“Always fun to visit” – this well-run Big Mamma group two-year-old is “certainly a unique space” and “the restaurant decor is worth a visit in its own right”: spanning four floors, the interior includes sweeping staircases, foliage, chandeliers, big banquettes and marble a-go-go. Most diners feel the traditional trattoria fare (not least “excellent, and very large, desserts”) only adds to the occasion, although there is also the view that “it’s a fun place but the best bet is to stick to the pizza”.
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