There’s few places in London that have been open over 10 years and still pull the crowd in night after night; in fact there’s few new places that manage it at all, never mind older ones. Bocca di Lupo is one such restaurant. You need to book at least a couple of weeks in advance and there’s a queue of walk-ins every night. It’s a classic and it never gets old.
The menu changes twice a day but it’s mostly the ingredients rather than actual dishes, for example there’s always a decent selection of fresh pasta dishes but only during the autumn you’ll find grouse and truffle. We’d recommend scoring a seat at the bar and kicking off with a drink from their 50-50 martini vermouth menu and a selection of their fritti – don’t miss the olives stuffed with minced pork and veal and arancini. Then dive into the pastas. On our last trip we ate a hearty grouse and porcini vincigrass similar to a lasagna and a langoustine risotto.
[URIS id=96430]Then there’s the meat, which you’ll usually spot being roasted or grilled from the counter stools – the suckling pig is a must. You’ll also spot the desserts going out too, they’re massive and they look too good to miss. There’s donuts with boozy fig jam as big as your head, rum baba, and deep fried ricotta balls to name but a few. Pasta restaurants in London might have taken off of late but Bocca di Lupo remains not only one of our favourite Italian restaurants, but one of our favourite London joints.
Check out more of our fave Italian restaurants here.
12 Archer Street, London W1D 7BB
boccadilupo.com