Hyde Park Corner, Italian Restaurant Guide

“As good as anything you might experience in Verona or Florence” – Theo Randall’s “divine, monthly regional tasting menus” produce “consistently great” results as well as adding interest to his Mayfair HQ, just off Hyde Park Corner. “There’s the option of wine matches” and “a good cocktail bar (especially the design-your-own-Negroni option!)”. “Ok, the space isn’t terrific” – windowless, and off the foyer of a large 1970s hotel – but “it is one of the very few celebrity chef restaurants where the chef is frequently to be seen”. “Theo always seems to be there and comes out into the dining room most times you visit”, helping create an overall atmosphere that was surprisingly well-rated this year. Top Tip – “Sunday brunch at £65 including unlimited Prosecco, Negroni or Aperol Spritz is particularly good value”.

“Top-notch food and great service” continue to win praise for this chic Belgravia Italian. Compared with its 1990s heyday (when under Giorgio Locatelli it reigned supreme as London’s best) it doesn’t attract nearly the same level of attention, partly because it is “very, very expensive”. But quality remains high and it’s particularly popular amongst expense-accounters as a good way to “impress clients”.

“One of the best value top-end restaurants in London” – Angela Hartnett’s London flagship (celebrating its fifteenth anniversary) scored consistently highly in this year’s annual diners’ poll and is the rare kind of fancy Mayfair destination where folks like spending their own money rather than needing corporate plastic. The Italian-inspired cuisine is “very accomplished”, with “flavours seemingly so simply presented, you know the effort that must have gone into each elegant dish”. Staff are “helpful but unobtrusive” and contribute to an overall experience that “never fails to hit the spot”. In August 2023, the establishment announced a total refurb (complete with glass chandelier from Venice), and the appointment of George Ormond as Head Chef, who takes over from Emily Brightman.

“Reliable Sardinian shellfish and pasta” win consistent high marks for this seafood specialist in Mauro Sanno’s smart Belgravia group, which has been feeding well-heeled locals for 15 years. The pavement seating in the summer is a better bet than the sleek but stark modern interior.

2021 Review: The replacement for Alain Ducasse’s Bulgari (RIP) – the first London sibling to famous NYC restaurant Scarpetta opened in Knightsbridge’s Bulgari Hotel in June 2019, serving Italian classics. The seventh location for the group, this one is named Sette for “lucky number seven”, apparently. It opened too late for survey feedback, but received a major panning from Sunday Times critic, Marina O’Loughlin for pasta “sauced in the American rather than Italian way: drowned rather than dressed…”

2021 Review: Emptied your wallet at Harrods and need to recover over a bowl of pasta and glass of fizz? – Richard Caring’s “fun” and “nicely buzzing” Italian brasserie, near the store’s rear entrance, can be just the job. Now two years old, its fanbase primarily seems to extend to shoppers and other miscellaneous Knightsbridge types, as it elicits limited survey feedback; but all reports praise its “great consistency in a fun setting with attentive and engaging staff”.

2023 Review: A new spin-off from a famous Florence-based international group (founded in the 1950s, whose HQ is the 15th-century Palazzo Antinori) – this Autumn 2022 newcomer is the brand’s first UK venture. It occupies a three-storey site just off Sloane Street, from which it will offer all-day dining featuring Tuscan food and wine in a fairly old-school vein. The opening sounds like it’s a project of serious intent, as evidenced by their 10-year lease. Cantinetta Antinori also has outlets in Zurich, Moscow, Vienna and Monaco.