Harden's survey result
Summary
Regulars still adore this Chelsea haunt with origins in the Swinging Sixties – “not the best food in town” and “at Chelsea prices”; but “an old-established family-run Italian restaurant with a lovely atmosphere, an old-fashioned dessert trolley, spotlessly clean and full of character”. In particular, local parents say it’s “lovely for families for Sunday lunch”. Founded by Tuscany-born Alvaro Maccione, who fed everyone from Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor to Michael Caine and Princess Margaret back in the day, it’s still “very popular with loyal Chelsea supporters (and some players...)”, while Simon Cowell was also spotted here last year.
Summary
Fans of this “old-fashioned” and datedly glam trattoria near World’s End in Chelsea (est. 1966, and the haunt, in its heyday, of folks like Jack Nicholson) say it may “not be tops for food, but the atmosphere and ambience are addictive”(especially in its adorable garden in summer). Fears that it’s becoming too long in the tooth have been around for years, with sceptics suggesting “they’re just painting by numbers nowadays”; but true believers insist this view is “just snotty – the food is delicious and the service charming”. Top Tip – for a blast from the past, “the dessert trolley is an attractive feature”.
Summary
This “old favourite” Tuscan may “live on its reputation” (stretching back to 1966) and the appeal of its superb garden, but on “weekend lunches half of Chelsea appears here” (the half that’s not somewhere in the country…) taking the grandchildren for Sunday lunch. Fans say the food is “not the very best but good…”, sceptics that “the only thing that isn’t average is the price… still, it is one of the poshest SWs!”
Summary
“Little has changed” in five decades at this “old established Italian” – in a plush enclave off King’s Road Chelsea – which, with its gorgeous garden, has hosted celebrities as diverse as Princess Margaret and Jack Nicholson over the years. It “continues to please” a clientele of loyalists – “what’s in a name? I’ve been coming for 25 years, since my children were a year old and had tubetti in a high chair – and it’s still a lovely place to go with the family”. Nevertheless, the ratings have for years now suggested that “standards are slipping and prices going up” – “it’s still the right side of OK, but only just”. For those inclined to nostalgia, one 70s survival might justify a visit – “the sweet trolley”!
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at La Famiglia?
7 Langton Street, London, SW10 0JL
Restaurant details
La Famiglia Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Very disappointing. Expensive and terrible food. Pasta was tooth breaking. Spaghetti vongole awful compared to even Riccardo's. Fried Zucchini absolutely inedible compared to Daphne's. Wine served from wrong side. Generally such shame. Revisiting after years to be heart broken at the decline."
"A good experience this evening. The menu doesn't change, which is a plus for this traditional Italian restaurant."
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £21.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.50 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 15.00% |
7 Langton Street, London, SW10 0JL
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3:30 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3:30 pm, 6 pm‑8:30 pm |
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