Upton, Italian Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: This ultra-stylish boutique hotel reopened in late 2016 after a multi-million-pound, two-year renovation. Its “lovely food choices” run the whole gamut from Japanese dishes through to sourdough pizzas, and a large garden contributes to what's “an ideal spot on the way to Henley”.

This “great local” has had an up-and-down time of it of late, with the Gerrards Cross branch under new management, and The Grocer at 91, which had pivoted to being a food shop in the pandemic, now closed. On the plus side, this “very busy” outpost is still going strong with its “reliable” (if pricey) sandwiches, salads and toasties, and they also recently opened a new Amersham venue, The Grocer at 2 (Whielden St), spanning a grocery store and café.

2021 Review: From its Finsbury Park base (next to the Park Theatre), this “cheerful” group of “good neighbourhood pasta-stops” subsequently expanded to Ealing and then onto Wembley branch (there’s also an outlet in Westfield Stratford); all deliver “well-cooked”, affordable pasta.

With its “traditional tablecloths and a sense of comfort”, this “really strong and inventive neighbourhood Italian” close to Richmond Bridge in St Margaret’s appeals to a broad local constituency – “you can tell because it can be hard to get a table!”. The food is “always a treat” – and “the menu changes regularly, which makes eating here frequently even more of a pleasure”.

2021 Review: “Always a surprise” – you get what you’re given (there’s no menu choice) at chef Riccardo Grigolo’s set-price Venetian feast in Richmond: an unqualified delight, with multiple courses of “amazing, delicious food” and “excellent service”, creating “an atmosphere rarely found elsewhere”.

“An excellent venue for a meal before a performance at Richmond Theatre” – this “good value” Italian restaurant near the station has long been a mainstay of the area. Top Tips – set menus are a feature for lunch and pre-theatre, and the wine list is extensive.

2021 Review: From its Finsbury Park base (next to the Park Theatre), this “cheerful” group of “good neighbourhood pasta-stops” subsequently expanded to Ealing and then onto Wembley branch (there’s also an outlet in Westfield Stratford); all deliver “well-cooked”, affordable pasta.

Set on the water by the town bridge over the Thames, a “typically old-school” outfit that’s “family-run”, “long-established” and “excellent value for money” for what is “authentic Italian food”; you dine in a smart, tiled room with a “nice buzz” and “well-paced service”.

2022 Review: A “lovely local” near Turnham Green, this “family-owned Italian” is “tiny but with terrific food and atmosphere”. There’s a good range of pizzas but the Puglian dishes are what makes it special.

This “beautiful courtyard” on the Chiswick High Road “feels like a little bit of (the expensive part) of Tuscany – but at least you’ve saved on the air fare”, and the “delightful atmosphere, good fish and pasta” add to the impression. The Chianti estate it is named after has exported wine to London for 300 years.

“Great Roman-style crispy pizzas” along with a full selection of tapas, starters, “ever-changing Italian main courses” and a “fun Notting Hill vibe” ensure that this smart pub conversion is “a definite step up from the pizza chains” while “still reasonable value”. Two offshoots further west – the Oak W12 near Ravenscourt Park and the Bird in Hand at Brook Green – repeat the trick.

This “lovely local Italian” near Ravenscourt Park tube is getting back into its stride after “a dreadful time with lockdown followed by a flood at the premises”. Ex-Zafferano chef Andy Needham and his team offer a “really warm welcome and a beautifully executed short menu”. Top Menu Tip – “excellent pasta and specials”.

“Really special cooking” – “simple, seasonal northern Italian dishes with excellent daily specials” – has won a star-studded following amongst food writers for Andreas Riva’s Barnes fixture of over 30 years standing (Fay Maschler, Nigella Lawson and the late AA Gill have all cited it as a favourite). The uninitiated sometimes find its attractions pass them by and even fans admit that the “ambience, while OK, could do with a bit of a spruce up”. “This is such an iconic restaurant” for its fan club though that all is easily forgiven – “I keep coming back year in year out and the quality of the food has not diminished and speaks for itself. Looking forward to our next meal already!”

2022 Review: Having opened high street hit Osso Buco[s] in 2011, owner Elena Vahedi and her husband ventured into more trendy, casual eating territory in the same location with this equally popular Italian, born in 2018. “Top pizza” of the wood-fired variety (and wonderful pasta too) has earned it a real local following.

“Lovely fresh seafood” and “excellent pasta dishes” – everything “brimming with flavour” – have won an enthusiastic welcome for this “new Italian run by a very experienced team” in Turnham Green. Founders Ben and Michael have worked together for more than 20 years, running an independent restaurant in Italy and in five-star hotels.

On the site that was for aeons the locally loved Adam’s Café (RIP), this “relative newcomer” in ‘Askew Village’ “hits the right notes” as a replacement. It “still feels a bit like a café inside”, but is warmed up by the personable service, who provide a “short but interesting menu of Italian dishes” including “delicious homemade pasta”; and other “well cooked, prettily presented food”.