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September 2019: Padella will be opening a second site on Phipp Street in Shoreditch in early 2020.
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Summary
“Bellissimo!” – Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda’s Borough Market three-year-old remains one of the capital’s best options on a budget. The formula is simple: “no reservations, no frills”: just “superlative, freshly made pasta” from a “compact and great value menu”. “Arrive ultra-early to dodge the worst of the perma-queues”, although “the line moves relatively quickly, and their beeper system means you can go for a drink and come back to get your table”. In September 2019, they announced a second branch is top open on Phipp Street in Shoreditch in early 2020.
Summary
“A true and glorious phenomenon… you just need to arrive very early to beat the queues!” – Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda’s Borough Market two-year-old is the ultimate budget option in the capital thanks to serving “perfect pasta” (“the best in London”), “served quickly” and at a supremely “affordable” price, in a setting that’s “cramped” but “buzzy” and “fun”. And “now with a virtual queuing system in the evening, you can head off for a drink instead of waiting outside!”
Summary
“Oh wowza! pasta perfection!!!!!” – “the best in town and so incredibly cheap” – “no wonder the capital has gone mad for this gem of a Borough Market yearling” from the team behind Trullo: “a simple concept brilliantly executed”. Staff are “engaging” and “efficient” too but getting in is a challenge: “queues are longer than an economy-class check-in to Ibiza”.
Summary
“Arrive early: the queue can be a killer”, but this “simple, easy and unfussy” new Italian near Borough Market (from the team behind Trullo) is “one of the few places worth enduring them” – “amazing, freshly made pasta, and so wonderfully cheap” is the highlight of the “short menu”.
Restaurant details
Padella Restaurant Diner Reviews
"This is the 2nd time I have eaten here at lunchtime and it is worth queing (did not take much time despite looking long and clearly on the London tourist trail) and we were not hurried during our meal. I had the most delicate ravioli `to die for` and excellant lemon tart pudding. Portions are modest but the price is also very reasonable for London."
"Don't bother trying to blag your way in the staff are well aware of the queue outside. You can merrily pass the time waiting for a table by listening to other peoples conversations;which are varied and sometimes amusing. Once in it's a bit of a squeeze and the chairs by the window are not that comfortable. However you have the theatre of the street coupled with the theatre inside. A bottle of free sparkling water arrives almost immediately. The menu is short and this saves lots of thinking time. The pasta is velvety and fresh with flavoursome coatings. Not since visiting Sicily have we had pasta this good. Don't forget the puds either. A silky smooth lemon tart was one of the best I have ever had and that includes some from Michelin starred joints. Pricing cannot be beaten. Will other emporiums please note!"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £16.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £2.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £2.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
6 Southwark St, London, SE1 1TQ
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm-3:45 pm, 5 pm-10 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm-3:45 pm, 5 pm-10 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm-3:45 pm, 5 pm-10 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm-3:45 pm, 5 pm-10 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm-3:45 pm, 5 pm-10 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm-3:45 pm, 5 pm-10 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm-3:45 pm, 5 pm-9 pm |
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