Kensington, Italian Restaurant Guide

2018 Review: “Excellent, genuine Italian cuisine” helps makes this an “atmospheric” local in a backstreet near Kensington Square Garden. “Everything is homemade from the grissini to the pasta”, and they also do a “great breakfast and top pizzas”.

This “lovely neighbourhood restaurant” opposite the Design Museum on Kensington High Street has welcomed customers with “delicious family cooking” from Emilia-Romagna for 55 years. Current owner James Chiavarini has driven its modernisation since the retirement of his father, Pino, who now runs the family farm in Kent. “It’s not cheap”, but “there’s a reason it’s packed every day without having done a marketing drive”.

Formerly Pizzicotto (RIP) – the Chiavarini family (who have run nearby Il Portico since the ’60’s) have revamped their six-year-old spin-off and in June 2021 took it in a slightly more serious culinary direction. The wood-burning pizza oven is still in operation, but there’s more of an emphasis on trattoria-style dishes, cured meats and pasta. We’ve rated this on the basis that it’s more of a retread than a full re-launch.

In a very quiet Kensington backwater, this small Italian occupies the cute site that was for years Chez Patrick (RIP) – it’s more stylish nowadays, serving high-quality fish and seafood either at the downstairs counter, or upstairs main dining room.

2021 Review: “Go for the wine: there’s a great selection” focused solely on Italy at this Kensington yearling, with bottles lining many of the walls. Even fans can note that the food (pasta, cheese and meat boards, salads) “is not as good”, but it avoids any harsh critiques. Brunch here is also a possibility.

This “bustling and busy Italian very close to the Albert Hall” is a “fantastic little place”, where “children are always very welcome and well looked after” and the “food is good, especially the pasta dishes”. “It makes the most of its connection with Princess Diana”, who would bring Princes Wills and Harry here to lunch on pizza.