London Italian Restaurants

We can blame Starbucks for the demise of the Princi locations in the US, and probably London as well.

https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/19476-starbucks-to-close-princi-bakery-bars

We discovered Princi in Milan in 2010, and had 3 meals in a row from there—-a take-out picnic dinner on our hotel room balcony, then breakfast and focaccia sandwiches purchased for lunch on the train ride back to Switzerland. We do not often go out at home in Seattle, especially for lunch, but we did stop by the Seattle Princi a couple of times after they opened around 2017. It was not quite as wonderful as Milan, but still pretty darn good.

I cannot think of a comparable place for you to enjoy an Italian dinner in London, but for a (Non-Italian) splurge you might have a look at Ottolenghi’s Soho restaurant Nopi. We went for my birthday dinner a few years ago, and everything we tried was excellent. The service was attentive and professional, but completely unpretentious.

Well I’ve never been to Princi, but keen to try it if it reopens in London. My Italian go-to’s in London are mostly for Neapolitan pizza in Italian-run places. But they do serve pastas, though not the extensive menu of Princi.

Some of my favorites: Rossopomodoro (branch in Soho), Made in Italy on Kings Road in Chelsea, and Franco Manca (locations around London).

For a splurge I do like Stecca on Hollywood Road in Chelsea. Nice neighborhood vibe.

The most famous place in Soho to people watch is Bar Italia http://baritaliasoho.co.uk/

and next door is the restaurant https://littleitalysoho.co.uk/

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/londons-best-italian-restaurants

and at Bar Italia they serve coffee at the bar properly. with a small glass of water, and the coffee the correct temperature - Italian style...

San Carlo Cichetti has a location in Covent Garden. It was on of our favourite meals on our trip.

https://sancarlocicchetti.co.uk/restaurants/london-covent-garden/

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check them out.

I had checked the Eater London Italian restaurant guide but forgot about Timeout.

https://london.eater.com/maps/best-italian-restaurants-london

I also did a a Google maps search of the Soho area looking at restaurants with good ratings. I’ll try to remember to update with what I end up trying when I get back.

Thanks again

I was going to suggest San Carlo Cicchetti in Piccadilly, but same group as the Covent Garden one, maybe a little bigger inside.

I’ve never been in, but passed many times and queue’s ever present… Padella in Borough Market, great TA reviews.

Padella. I have seen the lines too. Mostly at lunch. Sounds like you scan the QR code to join the queue. I guess you have to stay in line. It would be nice if they texted you when your table was ready. That way you could walk around and enjoy the rest of the market. It appears that the Shoreditch location allows reservations.

https://www.padella.co/#menu

Funny that, we’re in London right now and tonight had a fantastic meal at Italian place called Amacord on Museum Street just off British museum in Bloomsbury. Tiny. But we had people 2 tables away speaking Italian, always a good sign. Loved it, not Michelin level, not even white tablecloths but we thought food was great, especially the pizza and dessert from bakery in front.

Hi,

I just thought I would circle back and let you know what happened. I ended up at the Piccadilly location of San Carlo. Had a very nice meal there. I was fortunate to get in early and eat at the bar. It does get very busy so reservations would be advisable. It would be a fun place to go with a larger group as you can order a number of dishes to try out.

I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to a friend who will be there later this month.

Thanks again for all your help.

Link to Stanley Tucci’s (CNN) Italian restaurants in London:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/stanley-tucci-searching-for-italy-london-itinerary-origseriesfilms/index.html

But we had people 2 tables away speaking Italian, always a good sign.

Is it? What if it was their first time and they simply wanted something familiar only to find out that it wasn't actually that good.

I don't subscribe to the notion that a restaurant filled with locals is a surefire sign of good food. I've made that error on a number of occasions, an obvious one relates to a small town square in Spain where a restaurant was packed with Spaniards (I assume local but could have been wrong) so I thought it was a good sign however the food really was quite mediocre but it was cheap. The following day I tried a restaurant almost opposite but it was very quiet and the few occupied tables were taken by English and German speaking customers. The food was excellent but more expensive than the previous restaurant. It was so good that I've been going back for several years. It would appear that the locals were favouring price over quality.

Stanley Tucci's CNN series Searching for Italy included a tour of Italian cooking in London, his home. Here is a link to the restaurants featured; maybe YouTube has the video:

https://www.distractify.com/p/stanley-tucci-searching-for-italy-london-restaurants

Circolo Popolar, part of the Big Mama group from France is an amazing vibe with great food! You will need a reservation.

https://www.bigmammagroup.com/en/trattorias/circolo-popolare

We also loved Cecconi’s — went to the one in Soho but there is one in Mayfair as well.

https://www.cecconispizzabar.com/

I find that Italian cuisine (and I don’t mean pizza) is often the most disappointing of all the nationalities you could pick in London.

Certainly people talking Italian or one recommended by a tv programme isn’t always a good sign. In Venice, we ate at a place recommended by the well known U.K. chef Rock Stein and it was awful.