Shoreditch, Italian Restaurant Guide

“A find!” – “Sit at the ground-floor kitchen bar for a fun, close up experience” at this sophisticated Shoreditch joint, where Jon Lawson and his team provide accomplished sharing plates (often with Moorish touches) and deliver them in a “knowledgeable and friendly” manner. But ratings took a hit this year, with the odd review referring to cost-of-living concerns: “most of the food is excellent but the size of the portions for the price charged was ridiculously small and felt like a starter at the price of a main. For the premium cost, you might expect comfy seating too!”

“Great for a fun dinner out with friends or family, thanks to the lovely cocktails and amazing decor!” – Big Mamma Group’s happening Shoreditch Italian is a happy, overblown pastiche of retro Amalfi-coast style. Results are “inconsistent in quality, but some dishes are mind blowing” (if only in terms of their heart-attack-threatening creaminess). Top Menu Tip – yummo pizza.

“Love Padella! Both the one in Borough Market and the one in Shoreditch”. “It doesn’t need any review as everyone seems to already know it” – a “go-to Italian” with “simple, perfect portions whose comforting flavours just sing” (freshly made every morning on the premises) all at “amazing value” prices. “It’s so busy, you need to book way in advance (at least in EC2, unlike SE1 where you need to queue)”. “All in all, the whole experience is devoid of pretence: nothing tries to be fancy, it is just damn good.” “I take all my friends, all of whom have been impressed… and many have subsequently returned for themselves. Says it all!”

“A relatively limited menu allows for a focus on quality” and authenticity at this duo showcasing the food of Emilia-Romagna: both the original “small and intimate” branch in Shoreditch; and the one “formerly known as ‘In Parma by Food Roots’ in Fitzrovia (since early 2023 now rebranded in line with its sister restaurant)”. “Staff are very accommodating” and offer “Italian meats and cheeses and Bolognese/Emilian standbys, like Tagliatelle al Ragu (definitely not SpagBol!)”. “Go back frequently as it’s great value too”.

Sit at the bar where there’s “Prosecco on tap” and hang with the Mayfair glam crowd at this “always buzzy” and “professional” Italian brasserie in Burlington Gardens, at the back of the Royal Academy: “a favourite for some good people watching”. Nowadays part of Soho House, “there’s something for everyone on the menu” and it’s a favoured lunch spot for local business types. On the downside, prices are high, the food is “average” and service can be so-so. (Reports on its Soho ‘Pizza Bar’ spin-off and City branches are few and far between).

“A great place for anything Italian” – Oscar Farinetti’s “huge” food mall concept has swept the world and its London outpost near Liverpool Street station (a relatively late arrival in 2021) boasts no fewer than 11 restaurants, bars and counters to feed you, alongside shops and stalls where you can pick up goodies to take home. Gastronomically, the sheer scale works against it, so even the flagship Terra elicits comparatively little praise, but the whole enterprise has a pleasant buzz; “staff work hard to please”; and simpler items in particular “benefit from the ready supply of super ingredients”.

“The restaurant formerly known as Osteria has recently re-emerged from a makeover as the Barbican Brasserie, but still operated by catering company Searcy’s”; and still with a vaguely Italian spin on its selection of modern European dishes. It’s “a smart venue overlooking the lake”, which this year was more often “recommended for reasonably priced dinner” – especially prior to a show within the centre.

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”.

“Packed fuller than a tube train, but the blinding food makes it all worth it!” – Chris Leach and David Carter’s “bustling” two-year-old “in the heart of hipster Shoreditch” has “made huge waves and deservedly so” thanks to its “punchy, honest, original and surprisingly good-value” Italian cooking which includes some notable pasta dishes (e.g. “shout out for the duck fazzoletti – homemade, with a perfectly balanced sauce”); and whose meaty options “make full use of lesser cuts (the pig’s head croquette is a special treat)”. “Always a good night out”… “superb!”