Soho, Italian Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: Now over ten years old, this Venetian/Mediterranean chain has suffered a drip-feed of branch closures, with only two now trading: Soho and Chelsea. And in August 2020 it parted ways with its co-founder Russell Norman. Fans do still applaud the duo’s “very convivial and fun” formula, but the groups woes have stemmed from Venetian small plates that are often “no better than fine”, and at worst “uncared for” or “very mediocre”. Perhaps it will now finally turn a corner?

“Delicious freshly made pasta” at “good value” prices helps win solid ratings for Stevie Parle’s duo of pasta pit stops in Soho and on Westfield White City‘s Southern Terrace. Even a reporter complaining that it’s “a bit of a 2020s Instagram trap with more style than substance” rates it a good all-rounder.

This “lovely little” spot with an “atmospheric terrace” off Carnaby Street has a strong reputation for its interesting combination of Spanish and Italian tapas. Ratings have slipped since its sale by the Salt Yard Group a few years ago – it’s “not quite what it once was, having lost its edge among a sea of Spanish excellence – but not bad!”.

This Italian indie in Soho is entering its tenth year, and hides a large basement bar (boasting a wide range of vermouths) behind a small exterior. Feedback was a bit up-and-down this year – some former fans found blips in service and a poor ambience, while others continue to laud its “very good” Italian food and say a visit is “always fun”.

“For a quick Italian meal in the West End”, you will struggle to better this award-winning duo of “beautiful” pasta-bars, off Trafalgar Square and in Soho’s Golden Square, where the “gorgeous fresh pasta” is notably “excellent value”. To be fair, the odd reporter does feel the cooking is “serviceable rather than spectacular”, but the vast majority say the dishes are “to die for”. “Friendly staff get high marks” too, as does the “fantastic buzz”.

“Absolutely oozing with regional Italian flavours” – the “exceptional”, “gutsy” small plates at Jacob Kenedy’s “perennial favourite” near Piccadilly Circus earn it a ranking in London’s Top 40 most-mentioned restaurants. His menu remains “very innovative”, with many offbeat dishes and “novel takes” on more familiar ones. (“You really can come here and slowly explore the entire wonder of Italian cuisine, from Piedmont to Sicily!”). “Really superb value too for such a central Theatreland location” including “a top Italian wine list, with many bargains”. “Chic”, yet quite tightly packed, many regulars’ favourite perch is by the open kitchen: “a stool at the chef’s counter is my happy place!”. (“Excellent home delivery boxes” also feature in many reports).

This grand Mayfair Italian serves “beautiful” Tuscan dishes and boasts “a top outdoor space” in the shape of a newly extended 50-seat terrace. It’s the first foray into London restaurant ownership by an ancient Florentine dynasty with a long record of doing business with England – the Frescobaldis provided banking services to Edwards I & II and wine to Henry VIII. The family currently owns 11 Italian wine estates, which feature prominently on the restaurant’s list. The downbeat view is that a meal here is “nice enough… but not if you’re paying for yourself!”

“A great, traditional Italian with real style”, whose name references its location, amongst London’s most famous tailors, and whose “well-spaced tables” help make it a “discreet and useful Mayfair location” for business lunches hosted by those wearing the bespoke products of its neighbours. Owned by D&D London, the kitchen is run by ex-Anima chef Francesco Mazzei, and it has put in a very solid performance of late. “I go when I want a special treat – I don’t eat meat, but I’ll always find a beautiful and flavourful vegetable-based dish or risotto, and the fish is excellent.” There’s a strong Italian wine list, where – for example – “you can usually find a Marche or Umbrian bottle of good vintage that doesn’t appear on anyone else’s list”.

“Great people-watching” helps make this characterful 24-hour Italian institution the beating heart of Soho, especially after midnight. Founded in 1949 and still owned by the Polledri family, its first customers were Italian waiters from the area’s restaurants needing a caffeine hit. If you find yourself stressing about the “indifferent service”, chill! – it’s all part of the experience.

“Small plates but big flavours” from “a lovely short menu of top-quality antipasti and pasta dishes” win numerous “cheap ’n’ cheerful” nominations for this small chain, which consists of the “busy, lovely but very crammed” Soho original (for 75 years a deli, but since 2018 and its relaunch by Private Equity firm White Rabbit, in this new guise) and a newer, bigger but less commented-on King’s Cross spin-off. “We need more branches of this great restaurant” plead fans… whose prayers are soon to be answered with a 90-seater outlet in Marylebone (in Wigmore Street, on the former Sourced Market site) plus in Bloomberg Arcade and Clapham, as well as one in Tokyo!

“The food is one star turn” (the wine is the other) at this “small and spartan” Soho wine bar, frequented by wine-trade insiders. There’s an “interesting menu, short but imaginative”, with “beautiful combinations of textures and flavours that make a very special meal”. Ask the “knowledgeable front-of-house staff” for tips on the day’s handwritten ‘Black Book’ list of fine wines.

2021 Review: “Neapolitan influences are evident in the choice of ingredients, and the wood-burning oven makes for good, chewy, charred crusts, unlike most high-street pizzas” – so say fans of this global chain, whose HQ is indeed in Naples. Not everyone is impressed, though, and ratings are dragged down by those who feel it’s merely an “everyday” choice: “OK for a bog-standard group, but not great”.

“More fun per pound (£) than anywhere else in London”. Big Mamma group’s “completely mad” Fitzrovian is long on ambience and – so long as you don’t mind consuming a week’s worth of cream in one sitting – “so much the better for it”, especially if you want to record the outsize plates of simple Italian scoff on Instagram. Even spoilsports who feel “the food doesn’t really warrant the queue or the hype” feel that “the overall experience is pleasant and it’s not bad value for money given the location”.

2018 Review: “Simply the best coffee you’ll find anywhere” is part of the resolutely and genuinely Italian approach at Tony Conigliaro’s tiny (expect no great encouragement to linger) but characterful Soho bar, known also for its definitive Negronis and authentic bites. In early summer 2017, a much larger ‘Centrale’ branch opened near Selfridges, with an expanded food offering including salads and panzerotti (akin to a fried mini-calzone).