Italian
If you like your restaurants OTT then you won’t find anywhere better than Circolo Popolare. The second London restaurant from the Big Mamma group, after the equally extra Gloria, is massive and every inch of the interiors are decked out, from thousands of spirit bottles lining the walls to ceilings covered in plants. As you’d expect, nothing is subtle here and that includes the food – carbonara is served tableside inside a giant wheel of cheese, there are sharing size giant open lasagne and the mushroom pasta comes blanketed in truffles and a rich mascarpone sauce.
With Palatino also on his books it’s clear that Stevie Parle knows what Italian food is all about and he’s nailed it here at Pastaio too. The dishes are simple and comforting, prepared with good ingredients by chefs that know how to treat them well. The pasta is made in-house and as the head chef is from Rome there are a few regional specialities to choose from, like the cacio e pepe, which is an absolute must for all the cheese fiends out there. The wild boar, rabbit and pork angoli is alsoa winner though, the parcels are generously packed with rich shredded meat and drenched in a sage butter sauce. DELISH.
Lina Stores, which has been supplying Londoners with the best Italian ingredients for over 75 years, is a Soho institution, has a pasta restaurant on Greek Street just around the corner from the Brewer Street deli, as well as a site in Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross. The restaurant has the same mint green exterior, with counter dining on the ground floor and tables in the basement. Pasta is the star of the show here – it’s all handmade daily in the deli, just like it has been since 1944, and head chef Masha Rener has created a menu that features Lina Stores classics as well as regional Italian specialities. The pici with porcini and Umbrian sausage is a standout with the gnocchi with new season peas and salted ricotta running it a close second though. Thankfully the portion sizes allow for you to try a few and, yes, you will be wanting all of them.
In the heart of Fitzrovia, you will find a rather understated eatery named Al Dente, which also happens to be a pasta lab and wine shop. Known in Italy as pastifici, these are places where fresh pasta is made daily and it’s where you can get a quick, fresh meal as well as buy ingredients to use at home. All the pasta,including thetonnarelli cacio e pepe with pecorino, parmesan and black pepper; spaghettoni alla carbonara and paccheri al ragù with minced beef and tomato sauce us super fresh. Small, cosy and perfect for a quick bite (or takeaway) Al Dente is super tasty and very affordable, with their most expensive dish rocking in at £8.95.
Workshop and restaurant Officina 00 run by Elia Sebregondi (formerly of Bone Daddies and Kiln) and Enzo Mirto (formerly of Ella Canta), is industrially styled, with a green-tiled open kitchen and counter on one side, a white-tiled pasta making station on the other and wooden tables in the middle. The menu roams around regions of Italy when it comes to the shape of the pasta but the kitchen puts its own twist on the sauces. The spaghetti with datterini tomatoes and basil is a great version of a classic, and the cappellacci with zucchini, mint and zucchini flowers is another excellent veggie option, especially for courgette fans, as the stuffed parcels come sat on a courgette puree. The linguine with egg yolk, lemon and clams iss the restaurant’s version of a carbonara, swapping the pancetta for shellfish, and we also love the corzetti (small discs of pasta, a new shape to us) mixed into a creamy sauce of wild mushroom, fennel sausage and parsley.
This laid back pasta place has a fairly simple menu serving only pasta and a handful of snacks. The pasta, however, is anything but basic with interesting flavour combos and serves. The tortello carbonara is their spin on a classic carbonara only it’s presented as pasta parcels filled with percorino, crispy cured pork cheek and zabaione, so each one is an explosion of flavour. The homemade cannolo is worth staying around for too!
Bancone is one of the best places to get fresh pasta in London, and the prices aren’t too bad either (considering it’s in central London). Padella may have kicked off the trend, but Bancone is right up there in terms of quality and also takes reservations, meaning no waiting in line like at Padella. Bancone’s Exec chef Ben Waugh guides the team in creating seasonal dishes such as silk handkerchiefs covered in walnut butter and an egg yolk; cacio e pepe; and ravioli filled with beef shin ‘ossobuco’ and covered in saffron butter. They’re all knock-out good.
Gloria is Parisian restaurant group Big Mamma’s first foray into London and they certainly arrived with a bang. It’s full on, both outside and in with bright colours, plants, a central bar with hundreds of glowing bottles, and every inch of space decorated with pictures and mirrors. The menu is just as OTT with massive sharing pastas, carbonara served at the table in a cheese wheel, pizzas with names like Regina Instagram and Robert De Nitro, and lemon meringue pies the size of your head.
Housed in the former Montego Inn in Brixton, Maremma is all about showcasing produce, particularly game and seafood, and wine from the Maremma part of Tuscany (it’s the southwestern portion by the coast FYI). Much of the wine list hasn’t been seen in the UK before so you really are getting something new. The menu is tight, with only a handful of antipasti, primi and secondi – definitely don’t miss the signature tortelli Maremmani, fat parcels stuffed with spinach and ricotta, and swimming in sage butter.
Even though Padella is the spin-off restaurant, it’s arguably more famous than its big sis Trullo (low prices and long queues will always attract attention). Not only can you get the very same pasta (admittedly the selection is smaller) including the famous beef shin pappardelle and the pici cacio e pepe, but at Trullo you’ve got some knockout seasonal Italian dishes on offer too, from rustic antipasti to fish and meat cooked over charcoal.
Emilia’s Crafted Pasta has recently opened up its doors in Aldgate. This is their second London site to open and follows in the footsteps of the original restaurant in St Katharine Docks by showcasing the best of Italian food, including making all the pasta in-house. We recommend starting with the burrata, which is served with warm ciabatta and lashings of extra virgin oil, followed by the salmon carbonara, a delish twist on the classic. Top food paired with a relaxed atmosphere makes Emilia’s the ideal place to get your pasta fix.
Coming from the people behind the much-loved Artusi in Peckham, Marcella is serving up bangin’ Italian food in SE8. The look and feel is very similar to Artusi, all stripped back wooden furniture, white walls, bare wood, and an open kitchen at the back of the room. The short menu is chalked up on the wall and it’s one of those ones where you just want EVERYTHING. The fried artichokes and saffron arancini are mega, the fresh pasta is up there with the best of them and you’ll wanna leave room for the puds too.
The warm and inviting space of Margot has been designed beautifully with classic green leather banquettes, elegant decorative tiles, and a long zinc bar in front of an open kitchen. It serves classic Italian fare, from cured meats, carpaccio and tartare dishes to salads, homemade pasta and a range of meat and fish main courses. You’ll defo be wanting a least a couple of those fresh pasta plates.
Popolo is a hidden gem of a restaurant, which boasts a pretty impressive bar for counter dining and intimate dining room upstairs. The menu is mostly Italian with Middle Eastern and Spanish influences…hello fried olives with labne and morita chilli oil. With other dishes like octopus with paprika and potatoes, gnudi with buffalo ricotta and sage butter, and burnt honey panna cotta and figs, this place is defo worth a visit.
If you like to spend time your time dining in what is an urban sanctuary that ticks all interior goals boxes – think large oval striped oak tables, a huge marble bar and a palette of sandy and concrete tones – then Passo is the place. Sitting just off Old Street roundabout, the family-style Sunday roasts are a winner, the emphasis being on the ‘family’ in terms of portion size too. With their meat coming from HG Walter, you best be in the mood for a feast. Grass-fed Aberdeen Angus 35-day dry-aged porcini roasted rump beef, served medium rare as well as free range, corn fed, British garlic and thyme roast chicken were both excellent, soft and juicy. Served, just as they should be, with lashings of gravy, a Yorkshire pudding, truffle cauliflower cheese (hello), parmesan and thyme duck fat roast potatoes, honey roast root vegetables and chargrilled king cabbage with almonds, we felt a little spoilt. We did love, love, love this roast. Top marks.
Via Emilia specialises in food from the Emilia Romagna region of north Italy (the clue’s in the name). That includes some of the lightest gnocco fritto in town, creamy squacquerone cheese and a delish selection of charcuterie. Then there’s the hand made egg pasta dishes, which are priced from just £5.50 and the red sparkling lambrusco at £5 a glass. The cheapest trip to Italy you’ll go on.
BOCCA DI LUPO
Bocca di Lupo has quickly become a Soho classic since opening in 2008, with its buzzy vibe, ever-changing and ever-crowd-pleasing menu and impressive wine list. The beautifully designed dining rooms and the comfortable, convivial vibes consistently draw mixed crowds of Londoners night after night to dine on some choice Italian food. The menu changes every day, but you can be sure to get plates of delicious fresh pasta, grilled meats and fish, as well as handmade gelati from Gelupo. We definitely recommend getting a seat at the counter, if you can, for a chef’s table experience right at the heart of the action.
Padella serves up hand rolled pasta dishes in Borough Market and Shoreditch. The casual spot has a small menu, but it definitely delivers – all the pastas, from pici cacio e pepe to ricotta raviola with butter & sage to THAT pappardelle with 8-hour Dexter beef shin ragu, are absolute dreams and a dinner here won’t break the bank either. All in all Padella is great value grub, made with love.