Oxshott, Italian Restaurant Guide

This modern Italian in Wimbledon Village wins consistent – if consistently middling – ratings and is, say fans, the “ideal local”, with home-made pasta and thin-crust pizza topping the bill.

“Wonderful family-run neighbourhood Italian restaurant serving out-of-the-ordinary sophisticated cooking”, near Richmond Bridge in St Margaret’s (close enough to Twickenham to offer special lunches on Six Nations days). Chef Tom Rowlandson and his wife Jade have been at the helm since 2019. Top Tip – “try to get a window table”.

There’s just one option at this Richmond stalwart from chef patron Riccardo Grigolo – a full-on blow out! – as he guides his guests through a multi-course Venetian wedding feast. It’s “the best place I know for a family celebration”, “just lovely, with good food and an exceptional ambience”… a view shared by US actor and fan Stanley Tucci, who lives nearby.

“A favourite in Richmond” – this “always very friendly stalwart” offers “efficient service” and a “fairly standard Italian menu” – which makes it “a useful pre-theatre choice, next door to the Orange Tree Theatre and a less than five minutes’ walk from Richmond Theatre”.

“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!”

This “cute and small neighbourhood Italian” near Parsons Green – complete with tasteful neutral decor, proper tablecloths and large pepper grinders – continues to thrive on its “good-quality cooking and friendly service”.

“So good… so expensive…” – that, in a nutshell, is the conundrum always posed by this “iconic” Thames-side café in an obscure Hammersmith sidestreet, founded in 1987 by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers in the office canteen of the architectural practice of the latter’s famous late husband, Richard Rogers (more correctly, Baron Rogers of Riverside). The underpinnings of its world fame remain in place and, at night, chauffeurs congregate in the road outside, waiting to run ‘the great and the good’ back into central London. “The ingredients and cooking are of the highest quality” (“everything tastes brilliantly and perfectly of itself”); the cramped and “noisy” interior may be “nostalgically dated”, “but somehow it’s also a timeless classic”; and on a sunny day its Thames-side terrace feels “magic”. However, the unbalanced value equation of price vs quality here means it has now topped our annual diners’ poll vote as the ‘Most Overpriced’ meal for many years. The traditional explanation has been that “it’s crazy expensive – but folks have all been saying that for ages, and still we all go”. But the pushback is growing, ratings are flagging, and – strikingly – whereas 1/3 of diners used to say it’s just not worth it, nowadays it’s up to 2/3: not helped by “amateur” service that’s seems “increasingly snooty”. (“I always used to tell people off for complaining about the River Café prices, but sadly bills are now on the wrong side of exploitative…”; “it really is top drawer, but the prices are simply incomprehensible…”; “insanely expensive and living off past glories”; “hadn’t been for ages but the food was awful and the price is ludicrous. Not going again!”).

A “great old-school Italian” that has provided “engaging” and stalwart service in Clapham’s ‘Nappy Valley’ for decades, with “more than adequate food and a jolly relaxed atmosphere”.

“Situated just off Streatham High Street”, this “tiny little place” is “filled with heart, serving amazing pizzas and spritzes that transport you straight to Italy”. “They regularly have interesting specials on the blackboard, but the normal menu has plenty of choice for all tastes”, including “by far some of the juiciest and most flavourful pizzas ever”.

2022 Review: A “lovely local” near Turnham Green, this “family-owned Italian” is “tiny but with terrific food and atmosphere”. There’s a good range of pizzas but the Puglian dishes are what makes it special.

“This King’s Road stalwart” is “still going strong after all these years” as “a good local standby for pizzas and pasta” (the latter only in SW3). “Always busy with a happy vibe – a great choice for a cheap and cheerful night out”. Its longstanding sibling in the ‘Nappy Valley’ closed in June 2025. Top Tip – covered rooftop terrace for walk-ins only.

This “classy operation”, set unexpectedly on the Chiswick High Road, is “the closest thing to going on holiday in an Italian vineyard that’s available in W4”, with “proper professional Italian waiters, a solid wine list and a lovely atmosphere” – “step into the gorgeous interior with its white linen tablecloths to start a romantic evening of simple dishes using high-quality ingredients”. It’s the UK outlet of an actual Villa Di Geggiano, on a 500-year-old wine estate just outside Siena in the Chianti-producing Tuscan hills. Top Tip – “don’t miss out on a drink in the Lounge before your meal, it’s possibly even more stunning than the main dining room”.

Arguably “the space would be better suited for a coffee bar”, but that has not prevented this “relaxed, friendly and well-established local” in Clapham’s ‘Nappy Valley’ from notching up over 30 years of service. Traditional Italian fare is dispensed at affordable prices, particularly the option of having one of the well-prepared pastas as a main.

The title of ‘best pizza in London’ is often claimed but impossible to prove – but the ‘longest pizza in London’ (so he claims) is found at Diego Palladino’s Battersea pizzeria, where it has been sold by the metre (‘al metro’) for more than 30 years. A meal here is “always fun (if a little loud) and the food is good”.

2024 Review: This “lovely local Italian” near Ravenscourt Park tube is getting back into its stride after “a dreadful time with lockdown followed by a flood at the premises”. Ex-Zafferano chef Andy Needham and his team offer a “really warm welcome and a beautifully executed short menu”. Top Menu Tip – “excellent pasta and specials”.