Barnes, Italian Restaurant Guide

“The ever-present staff have been there forever and are delightful”, say devotees of Andreas Riva’s Barnes veteran, which – since it opened in 1990 – has won an incredibly loyal clientele, including a surprising number of A-list regulars and food celebs (including Nigella Lawson and the late AA Gill). Set in a parade of shops at the south of Castelnau, critics note that “the interior is in need of refurbishment” although it has forever been low key and extremely unflashy. Ratings in recent years have been somewhat up-and-down, with regular complaints that its “heyday has long since passed”. That’s not the view of most diners this year, though, who feel its “simple and perfectly cooked northern Italian food” fully lives up to its longstanding renown as one of London’s top destinations for Italian cuisine: “returned here after a long absence and pleasantly surprised by the improvements in quality…”; “still fantastic after many years” and “it’s not unusual to end up sitting on the table next to David Beckham!”