Shoreditch, Italian Restaurant Guide

“Exceptional food” – in a Spanish/Moorish vein – combined with a friendly buzz and “great staff, too” again all win a major thumbs-up for Jonathan Lawson’s small and casual Shoreditch fixture, with counter seating on the ground floor and a compact upstairs dining room.

2019 Review: Mixed reviews for this big, all-day Italian newcomer by Old Street tube – a large, modern unit where they’ve spent a packet on the design. Some do praise its “imaginative” fare and say it’s a good place to take business associates, but there’s also a feeling that “the food doesn’t live up to the prices and comes in small portions”: “this is expense account grub for global biz travellers who truly believe ‘Silicon Roundabout’ is a really cool place”.

“A total hoot, especially if it’s your birthday” – lunch at this glammed-up 70s-style Italian on two floors in Shoreditch is “like nipping to Sicily for the afternoon”. The Big Mamma Group’s tone is most definitely tongue-in-cheek rather than po-faced authenticity, with the Insta-friendly decor – “beautiful dining room adorned with flowers” – and cheesy menu items (‘pasta alla lamb-orghini’, anyone?). Still, the food can be creamily “delicious – with the standout dishes of truffle pasta & lemon meringue pie”.

“Every time we go to Padella, we’re just bowled over by the splendid simplicity of their dishes, packed with flavour, and at the most ridiculous value prices!” – Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda’s Borough Market staple added a stylish Shoreditch sibling, in early 2020 (just before Covid-19 struck) and in EC2 in particular they are absolutely crushing it as one of the capital’s best options on a budget. Indeed, “it’s hard to comprehend how they can serve such a quality meal at the price”. The formula is deceptively simple: “no reservations, no frills”: just “superlative, freshly made pasta” (“it is lovely to see the dough being rolled by hand every morning on my way to the office”) from a “compact menu”. “Arrive ultra-early to dodge the worst of the perma-queues”, although “the line moves relatively quickly, and their beeper system means you can go for a drink and come back to get your table”. “Portion sizes are definitely not large, but it’s definitely worth the wait”. “Knock back a perfectly great Negroni, tuck away three dishes and a glass of wine, and walk out less than £30 lighter!”

2019 Review: A London version of Barcelona’s Italian celeb-magnet is slated to open at the Shoreditch Village development this year. It will open adjacent to the citizenM boutique hotel just off Shoreditch High Street (the original is part of Barcelona’s 5-star W hotel).

Pasta made with ingredients from Emilia-Romagna is the specialty at this 40-seater Italian, just off Hoxton Square, praised by fans for its splendid, “simple” dishes of excellent quality.

“A table at the bar is always fun” at the original Cecconi’s – a sophisticated Italian brasserie, tucked away off Bond Street, which in particular is brunch central – “a comfortable place to have your coffee, eggs and Sunday Times… and to people-watch”. As ever here, though, it can all seem too pricey: a case of “style over substance”, or somewhere that’s “fine… but just fine”. And then there’s the question of judging the less commented-on brand extensions embarked on by owners Soho House. None of them inspire a huge volume of feedback but it’s all good, be it for the outlet at the City’s Ned Hotel, the “always enjoyable” neighbourhood spot in Shoreditch, or the Soho pizzeria (“always a great buzz”).

The Square Mile continues to up its foodie credentials with the recent arrival of this “excellent Italian food emporium” near Liverpool Street “with a range of bars and restaurants within”. Eataly was founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Oscar Farinetti and now has 35 megastores worldwide, including in Tokyo and New York. It finally opened here in London in May 2021, and very early days survey feedback on ‘Terra’, its pizza and pasta restaurant, was upbeat: “it has a small menu of handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas, and also specialises in different types of mozzarellas. The food was very good. Service was friendly and the setting busy and buzzy”.

2021 Review: “I am truly surprised at the low ratings this has received in Harden’s!” – Searcy’s seem to have pulled their socks up at their Italian brasserie and cocktail bar, which sits in the beating heart of the Barbican arts centre (making it a natural pre-theatre option), and which by day enjoys “excellent views” over the centre’s lake and St Giles Cripplegate church. Some diners do still say its overall performance is “no better than adequate”, but more fans this year lauded its “excellent food from a regularly changing menu”.

“A delight” – this modern Italian “off the beaten track” by Spitalfields Market offers “tasty, well-presented food” in a “great atmosphere” – and the “pasta dishes are some of the best in the City”. There’s also an impressive list of wines, from the Italian regions and elsewhere.

Hand-rolled pasta has been a highlight at Chris Leach and Smokestak’s David Carter’s year-old concept – a follow-up to their hit residency at 10 Heddon Street – which, in October 2021, is set to shift from Soho to Shoreditch, re-opening in a former PizzaExpress at the address given above. As well as the trademark pasta (which you can watch being made), expect a range of small and sharing plates – featuring nose-to-tail offal dishes and meat from selected farms – cooked in the open central kitchen and wood-fired oven. The basement, glass-walled hanging room showcases their in-house butchery and the making of their in-house salumi.