Shoreditch, Italian Restaurant Guide

“Sit at the kitchen counter and watch small plates of mostly Italian influence being expertly prepared for the best take on this consistently good venue” (which has no more than 30-35 seats in total). Jon Lawson will celebrate his tenth year here in 2026 and has maintained impressive standards of seasonal Italian-inspired small plates all the while. It helps that the venue has “a nice casual-and-hip but also romantic vibe too”.

“Barmy and OTT”: Paris-based Big Mamma Group’s original London venue brings a “great fun” cod-Italian vibe to Shoreditch (“think a full-mirrored ceiling” plus foliage and Capri-comes-to- Commercial Street knick-knacks) – “teens (and older types) love it”. If the food is only “so-so”, that hardly matters – the pizza and pasta go down well, while “the desserts look like something Marie Antoinette would order”.

“Knocking it out of the park, with wonderful fresh pasta, buzzy vibe and great value” – Tim Siadatan & Jordan Frieda’s famous Borough Market flagship celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and along with its magnificent Shoreditch spinoff inspires better-than-ever ratings for a superb-value offering, which continues to attract new converts (“I have taken many friends, all of whom love it”). To their credit, everything is made daily (with the kitchen on full view through the windows in EC2); and prices remain super-competitive: you can still have a bowl of pasta for under £10. The Borough original does not take bookings, but these days you can queue virtually via the Dojo app. A typical meal? – “Anchovies with bread and butter, Pasta with crab, Rhubarb and almond tart, Glass of Primitivo. Bill – very reasonable”.

The food of Emilia-Romagna is the inspiration for this Italian duo in Shoreditch and Fitzrovia. They major in pasta, with sliced meats, cheeses and wines from the region as back-up, and all reports say the food is of a good standard.

“A buzzy, fashionable Italian that’s thoroughly enjoyable for a casual but high-quality meal” – this smart, all-day bar/brasserie behind the RA in the heart of Mayfair is fast approaching its half-century, and remains a favourite for a loyal clientele of glam local professionals for less formal business occasions; post-work meet-ups; or a “refined brunch”. The sceptical view of it is that it’s “all good, but very pricey for simple food”. Part of the Soho House group for the past 20 years, it now has branches at the Ned in the City, in Shoreditch, and in international cities from West Hollywood to Mumbai.

Oscar Farinetti’s “Italian superstore” near Liverpool Street station – part of his 45-strong global foodhall chain – is a “great place to eat and buy Italian foods”, with a “massive display of Italian wines”. A recent link-up with Milan-based TV chef Carlo Cracco, whose name is now above the flagship restaurant Terra, has done little, however, to change the perception that this is a venue for browsing “interesting Italian products” rather than lingering over a meal – and those who do eat tend to prefer the “very good pizzas from a wood-burning stove” to more ambitious meals that can be “a poor and expensive experience”: “although ingredients are good, cooking is below average”, while “the terrace overlooks the Bishopsgate traffic, so you can soak up the City’s busy atmosphere… police sirens and all”.

With views of the internal lake, this brasserie above the auditorium of the Barbican complex is a natural choice for a pre-concert supper; and has long been one of the few options in the under-served area created by the surrounding Brutalist 1970s development. Run by well-known caterers Searcy’s in recent times, they reformatted it in 2025 from its ‘Osteria’ branding of recent years. Let’s hope for a return to the venue’s past best, when it’s been an attraction in itself rather than merely a barely tolerable amenity for culture-lovers – reports please!

2024 Review: This modern Italian bar/restaurant by Spitalfields is consistently well-rated in all feedback. There’s a continued theme from last year, however, that even fans of its antipasti, pasta and grills from the Josper oven can find it plain “overpriced”.

“Outstanding Italian food served in a buzzy, crammed atmosphere” has made a hit of Chris Leach and David Carter’s dazzling, ‘nose-to-tail’, “bistro-esque” outfit in Shoreditch, where “watching the kitchen from a spot on the bar is an amazing backdrop to a top-notch meal”. “Prices are reasonable too – so many small-plate restaurants use the concept to charge excessive amounts for tiny portions. Not here”. Top Menu Tips – “Brown crab is the famous dish but it’s hard to go wrong with anything”; “Pasta is fantastic… e.g. fettucine with venison ragu is exceptional”; “Grape sorbetto small but subtle… Cherry and almond cake is large and far better than most Italians offer in London”.

Game for a laugh? ‘Bottomless’ (hence the name) lasagna for £20 a head is the inspo’ for owner (aka ‘Chief Béchamel Officer’) Joe Worthington’s Shoreditch-fringe newcomer, just south of Hoxton Square. It opened too late for survey feedback, but the general buzz is that for a fun cheap eat you need look no further; with the Standard’s David Ellis declaring it an “absolute hoot… a riot of a good-time” in an “American-Italian trattoria where the shtick plays within a hair’s breadth of parody” (“better than Big Mamma, just about, and not nearly so pleased with itself!”).

This quartet of modern pasta joints offer “high-quality ingredients” and staff who “make you feel very welcome”. But the cooking divides opinion sharply, with some reporters praising “good, unpretentious” cooking “at a fair price” and others complaining of “tiny, overpriced helpings – avoid!”. A more nuanced judgement: “good but could be so much better – menu had some great options but everything seemed overpowered with butter/oil”.

Opening its 10th branch in 2025 – amidst the towers of Canary Wharf – this much commented- on chain is leaving behind its Soho roots – as a quaint old deli of 75 years’ standing – and is now in full-on ‘roll-out’ mode. Fans still find it “very impressive for a chain that’s growing so fast” and tip its “lovely mint-green” outlets as “an ideal place to meet and enjoy authentic pasta and Italian dishes”. Some branches, though, are better than others: in particular the “friendly and relaxed Marylebone branch at the junction of Wigmore Street is a winner”. Others, though, can show the strains of expansion: “What’s the point? It’s neither stand-out, nor cheap and cheerful. Unexceptional pasta is served in a so-so ambience. I am not sure I get it??”

Open in London’s Norton Folgate from March 2025: a new pasta and grill restaurant from the Angelina Dalston team in a converted, high ceilinged Victorian warehouse space on the border of Spitalfields, seating 75 around a large open kitchen. Similarly inspired by Japanese and Italian cuisine, it offers a menu featuring fresh pastas with a Japanese twist, alongside Italian- and Japanese-inspired ‘big cut’ Binchotan grill dishes (such as Aged Porterhouse or Skate Wing on the Bone) and crudi. The wine list features more than 300 Italian wines and there are also sakes and cocktails.

Opening its 10th branch in 2025 – amidst the towers of Canary Wharf – this much commented- on chain is leaving behind its Soho roots – as a quaint old deli of 75 years’ standing – and is now in full-on ‘roll-out’ mode. Fans still find it “very impressive for a chain that’s growing so fast” and tip its “lovely mint-green” outlets as “an ideal place to meet and enjoy authentic pasta and Italian dishes”. Some branches, though, are better than others: in particular the “friendly and relaxed Marylebone branch at the junction of Wigmore Street is a winner”. Others, though, can show the strains of expansion: “What’s the point? It’s neither stand-out, nor cheap and cheerful. Unexceptional pasta is served in a so-so ambience. I am not sure I get it??”