In the 1950s, Elizabeth David used her food column in British Vogue to introduce readers to a wondrous European ingredient: spaghetti. Cut to 2025, and the best Italian restaurants in London serve every conceivable variety of pasta, often made in-house, while British diners are familiar with everything from puntarelle to nduja, scamorza to bresaola. Of course, there’s the River Cafe, widely credited with transforming British gastronomy from its out-of-the-way spot on the Thames, and Bar Italia, a site of pilgrimage for Italian expats, where a vintage ’50s Gaggia coffee machine is kept going 22 hours a day. Then there are the relative newcomers around town, each with their own specialties to try: bistecca alla Fiorentina at Brutto, parmesan fries at Luca, sage butter gnudi at Campania... Below, Vogue rounds up the best Italian restaurants in London to visit now. Buon appetito.
Manteca
Plenty of restaurants are described as “buzzy”, but at Manteca – an Italian-inspired diner tucked in a corner of Shoreditch’s Curtain Road – the word actually feels apt. Think: young professionals clinking Negronis after work, big groups of friends chatting over cacio e pepe and ragu genovese and enthusiastic servers weaving between industrial-style tables while chefs hand-roll pasta and mixologists shake cocktails on full display.
Food-wise, the menu dances between rich and delicate, with citrusy salads alongside sumptuous beef steaks and sweet, meaty pappardelle. Their whole thing is “nose-to-tail” cooking, promoting a less wasteful approach to consumption, with a balanced variety of meats and small plates. To sum up: come for the melt-in-the-mouth pork chop and stay for the zesty Arancello (a recent addition to the drinks menu), or – my favourite – a bright, silky apricot sour. – Daisy Jones
EC2A
Lupa
A joint venture between restaurateur Ed Templeton and White Lotus star Theo Games, Roman-style North London restaurant Lupa has already garnered the sort of hype that means it’s nearly impossible to get one of its 28 seats – but once you do, it’s worth the wait. Emphasising quality over frills (Roman comfort food), the Lupa menu is pared-back and delectable. Picture: big fat riccio fiorentino tomatoes served with lashings of olive oil, guanciale-studded amatriciana and seared cod glistening in caramalised butter.
Cocktails are short but heat-packed, while the decor – lime-washed walls, ivory curtains, fresh flowers and flickering candles on wood – feels straight out of Rome. Oh and their coffee-soaked Tiramisu might be a fan favourite, but it’s their velvety berry tart that’ll linger in your mouth after closing time. – Daisy Jones
N5
Italo
More a deli than a restaurant, Italo has been providing Vauxhall locals with the staples of la cucina Italiana since 2008, from dried porcini to fresh mascarpone. (Its owner, Charlie Boxer, is the son of cookery writer Arabella Boxer, aka Vogue’s resident food columnist for much of the ’80s). Expect a crowd at lunch – the sandwiches, made with Kennington Bakery bread, are worth queuing around Bonnington Square for.
SW8
Artusi
A neighbourhood restaurant through and through, Artusi’s menu is scrawled on a chalkboard daily. There are no gimmicks here, just perfect takes on classic dishes: nduja with monk’s beard; spring asparagus dusted with bottarga; bucatini with wild garlic… Its sister restaurant, Marcella, in Deptford, is also more than worth a visit.
SE15
Ciao Bella
Atmosphere-wise, Ciao Bella is as close as you’re likely to get to a red sauce joint in London – there are even heaping portions of spaghetti and meatballs on offer, with enormous baskets of garlic bread to mop up the sauce. Neither seasonality nor regionality are taken into account on any level, and that’s part of the charm (no one is going to explain the provenance of the mozzarella to you here, and you could probably even get away with a dusting of parmesan on a seafood pasta, if that’s your bag). Take a seat underneath a framed Fellini still on the ground floor, or beside an Antonello Venditti mural in the basement, and dig in.
WC1N
Brutto
Housed in a converted sausage factory near Smithfield Market, Polpo founder Russell Norman’s Brutto is inspired by Tuscan trattorias, meaning its red gingham tablecloths are frequently obscured by bistecche alla Fiorentina. It’s the sort of place you go for the ambiance (soft lighting, dark woodwork) as much as the brutto ma buono (ie “ugly, but good”) dishes. It still has the feel of a casual neighbourhood restaurant, even if the clientele tips east London foodie with a blue tick. Another selling point: the £5 negronis, best enjoyed with the much-photographed anchovies and St John’s sourdough.
EC1M
The River Cafe
It’s impossible to write about the best Italian restaurants in London without including the River Cafe. More than 30 years since it opened its doors in Hammersmith, Ruth Rogers and the late Rose Gray’s Thames-side restaurant is still just as brilliant. Treat yourself to a meal based around hearty winter produce, then bring home a copy of River Cafe 30 or The River Cafe Look Book to recreate the likes of their panzanella in your own kitchen.
W6
Campania
A southern Italian restaurant housed in a former dairy in the middle of Hackney, Campania has charm in spades. There’s a wood-burning fireplace crowded with stacks of logs in the back room, a tiny courtyard that might just be the loveliest place to sip espresso in London, and Columbia Road Market right around the corner. That’s all before mentioning the food, which is beautifully presented and hard to fault. Don’t leave without ordering the gnudi with sage butter.
E2
Luca
Owned by the team behind The Clove Club, Luca is, quite simply, excellent, marrying British produce (Wiltshire trout, Hereford beef) with Italian flavours. Reserve a table in the dining room to feast your way through the likes of strozzapreti with octopus and Hebridian lamb with violet artichokes – or take advantage of their bar menu, available between noon and 3pm daily, which includes Luca’s deservedly famous parmesan fries.
EC1M
Trullo
Owned by the same team as Padella, Trullo both takes reservations and serves hearty mains in addition to pasta. Like its more laidback sister restaurant, the food offering at this classic trattoria changes daily, with the dishes from the charcoal grill being the highlight. Think John Dory with Castelluccio lentils or Dorset lamb with cavolo nero.
N1
Bar Termini
Yes, Bar Termini is a bar rather than an actual restaurant, but it’s London’s best homage to that cornerstone of Italian culture, il bar. There are, of course, negronis, along with espressi to be taken at the counter, plates of charcuterie and tiny panini.
W1D
Bocca Di Lupo
Bocca di Lupo has become a West End institution since it opened a decade ago. The menu changes twice daily, and each dish includes a note about the region of Italy from which it originates. Begin with platters of crudi e salumi before working your way through primi and secondi, then cross the road to the restaurant’s gelateria Gelupo for dessert.
W1D
Bancone
Bancone has won over some of London’s toughest food critics since opening a few years ago. It now has two locations – one in Covent Garden and one on Golden Square – with the former being the nicer of the two. Every region in Italy is represented on its ever-changing menu, and the pasta is made in-house daily. Try their exceptionally good burrata, currently served with salt-baked beetroot and preserved lemon.
WC2N
Brawn
Brawn has evolved significantly since it first opened in 2010 – and under chef Ed Wilson’s ownership, it’s only become more delicious. Granted, the menu pulls inspiration from across Europe rather than limiting itself to Italy – moreish ingredients rather than culinary traditions rule here – but good luck finding better agnolotti in brodo in London.
E2
Cecconi’s
Cecconi’s may now be owned by Soho House, but there’s something delightfully old-school about the Mayfair branch, whose green leather seats are still filled with W1 suits brokering deals over chicken paillard at lunchtime. Note the bowl of Cecconi-branded matches near the entrance, and the heavy silver cutlery on every table. The cichetti are almost better than the primi and secondi (it’s Enzo Cecconi, a former GM of Cipriani, who founded the original restaurant in London in 1978 – hence the Venetian inflection to the menu).
W1S
Bar Italia
Calling Bar Italia a restaurant is a stretch, but this tiny Soho café is a real treasure. First opened in 1949 by husband and wife Lou and Caterina Polledri, today it’s run by their grandchildren, and still boasts many of its original features, including a red-and-white formica counter. Open between 7am and 3am most days, it’s the ideal pitstop for an espresso and cannolo after a late dinner or a night out.
W1D