For many people – wherever on the planet we’ve got grown up – Italian is the primary overseas delicacies we encounter when consuming out. Except, after all, one has grown up in Italy consuming Italian delicacies, however ‘Italian’ hardly does justice to over 2,000 years of cooking heritage that differs wildly not solely from the Alps to the Adriatic, however from one village to the following. Right here, then, is our information to one of the best Italian eating places in London, the place you’ll discover all the pieces from excellent pizza and small-plates pasta to regional specialities and conventional four-course blow-outs.
London’s Italian eating places to wine and dine
Bocca di Lupo
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Bocca di Lupo)
Some eating places concentrate on one space of Italian delicacies; Bocca di Lupo ranges throughout all 20 areas, from South Tyrol to Sicily, with an all-Italian wine checklist to match. The identify is an Italian expression of fine luck that actually means ‘within the mouth of the wolf’, however the one factor one is more likely to get bitten by right here is the urge to return again.
Bocca di Lupo is situated at 12 Archer Road, W1D 7BB,
boccadilupo.com
Brutto
(Picture credit score: Russell Norman)
The late, nice Russell Norman reworked London eating with Venetian small plates at Polpo, however this Florentine-inspired trattoria is more likely to be his most-loved legacy, and never only for serving Negronis for a fiver. Flattering lighting and Girl-and-the-Tramp checked tablecloths make this a no brainer for love, whereas carb-loading is the best way to go together with the menu.
Brutto is situated at 35-37 Greenhill Rents, EC1M 6BN
msha.ke/brutto
Café Murano
(Picture credit score: Cafe Murano)
Angela Hartnett’s Michelin-starred Murano is a supremely civilised setting for Italian-accented tremendous eating, however her three-strong group of extra casual Café Muranos are way more enjoyable, and this St James’s outpost the sleekest. Sit on the marble-topped counter for a solo deal with or retreat to one of many close-set tables for easy renditions of Italian classics alongside the strains of hen Milanese and veal ossobuco.
Café Murano is situated at 33 St James’s Road, SW1A 1HD
cafemurano.co.uk
The Dover
(Picture credit score: The Dover)
Not someplace to return for ultra-authentic cucina Italiana, this self-styled ‘New York Italian’ serves the type of dishes one would possibly discover in Manhattan’s Little Italy – Caesar salad, spaghetti meatballs – in mid-century impressed interiors that Mad Males’s Don Draper would have felt at house in. All of the cue one wants, then, to bask in a three-martini lunch (there are seven varieties to select from).
The Dover is situated at 33 Dover Road, W1S 4NF
thedoverrestaurant.com
Legare
(Picture credit score: Legare)
Quick menus ought to all the time encourage confidence, and it’s nicely positioned at this Tower Bridge restaurant owned by a crack crew of an ex-Barrafina basic supervisor and a former Trullo chef heading the open kitchen. Share a number of antipasti of the hen liver crostini and artichokes with romesco ilk forward of a trio of pastas and a meat and fish secondi, from a menu that modifications by the week
Legare is situated at Cardamom Constructing, 31 Shad Thames, SE1 2YR
legarelondon.com
Locanda Locatelli
(Picture credit score: Legare)
It would not be the good spot on the town – Madonna was an everyday when she lived in Marylebone – however Giorgio Locatelli’s Michelin-starred HQ stays a must-visit for masterclasses in regional Italian cooking, whereas the David Collins-designed inside is as creamily cossetting as a caffè latte. The very good breadbasket is a meal in itself, and desserts price saving area for.
Locanda Locatelli is situated at 8 Seymour Road, W1H 7JZ
locandalocatelli.com
Luca
(Picture credit score: Luca)
From the identical Michelin-starred crew as Shoreditch’s Clove Membership, Luca impresses earlier than one has even tasted a mouthful of meals. The plain inexperienced frontage offers no trace of the stylish interiors inside, from the classic lampshades and cosy cubicles of the entrance bar to the uncovered brick and full-length home windows of the eating room behind. Pasta made in home is a spotlight, however order some attractive parmesan fries, too.
Luca is situated at 88 St John Road, EC1M 4EH
luca.restaurant
Manteca
(Picture credit score: Mariell Lind Hansen)
The type of restaurant one walks previous longingly, wishing one have been inside, Manteca’s ambiance is infectiously upbeat and its nose-to-tail cooking thrillingly distinctive. The whole lot is ready in home utilizing sustainable components (whole-animal butchery, hand-rolled pastas, wood-fired breads, home-cured salumi) and although among the menu sounds difficult, the outcomes style comforting.
Manteca is situated at 49-51 Curtain Street, EC2A 3PT
mantecarestaurant.co.uk
The River Cafe
(Picture credit score: Matthew Donaldson)
Simplicity, Leonardo da Vinci stated, is the final word sophistication. The final word Renaissance man would little doubt approve of the cooking of his nation deliciously proving his dictum at this legendary Italian by the Thames. Persist with the signatures: crab linguine; chargrilled lamb; lemon tart. A brand new River Cafe Cafe subsequent door provides a no-bookings various.
The River Cafe is situated at Thames Wharf, Rainville Street, W6 9HA
rivercafe.co.uk
Sale e Pepe
(Picture credit score: Sal e Pepe)
This 50-year-old veteran is trying molto bello after a top-to-toe refurb in early 2024 however continues to be as basic as they arrive: calamari fritti, salt-baked sea bass, veal chop and white truffle shaved over all the pieces within the autumn. Save a while for a Negroni within the dinky bar and, for those who’ve walked by way of the park to get right here, word that it’s dog-friendly, too.
Sale e Pepe is situated at 9-15 Pavilion Street, SW1X 0HD
saleepepe.co.uk
Trullo
(Picture credit score: Trullo)
If it have been by Hyde Park Nook not Highbury Nook, this neighbourhood Italian, all bentwood chairs and Chiantishire chattering lessons, could be twice the worth – and nonetheless price paying for. Finest-of-British produce is put to work in rustic Tuscan cooking; the pasta is among the greatest in London – chef Tim Siadatan can also be behind Padella – as too something from the charcoal grill.
Trullo is situated at 300-302 St Paul’s Street, N1 2LH
trullorestaurant.com
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