Southwark, Italian Restaurant Guide

“Just the place to stuff yourself silly with beef!”, say loyal fans of Roberto Costa’s successful chain, where you choose your cut from “amazing meat displays to get the juices flowing”: a formula that’s brought expansion over the years to six locations across the capital, including on Shaftesbury Avenue (where it’s branded ‘Teatro del Carne’). Ratings sank this year, though, on a number of “disappointing” reports, with recurring themes including “quality meat undermined by poor cooking” and “high prices for wines considering their middling status”.

2021 Review: Gordon Ramsay’s “Italian-leaning” warehouse conversion in Southwark, with an indoor ‘olive grove’ complete with trees, pleases some with its “giant portions of great food” and “fantastic cocktails”. Far too many reporters this year, though, complain of a “sterile” aspect to its “industrial” decor, and dismiss the fare as mightily “uninspired”.

“Very reasonably priced, good food and great fun” is all yours for the taking at this former paper factory near Elephant & Castle, converted to host more than 40 different food and drink pop-ups. “You just wander from one to another, then find a place to sit and eat in the common area”, which includes London’s biggest beer garden – “a great outdoor space”. There are now three other MMs in London, following a concept launched in Italy (hence the name).

2019 Review: “Don’t be put off by the rows of olive oil and Italian delicacies that line the walls of this family-run bistro, just across the road from Tate Modern.” “If you’re in the vicinity, it serves good, simple Italian food in a small but pleasant location.”

“Still some of the very best pasta in London at half the price of most places” continues to inspire rave reviews for these genius pit stops, where “pound for pound the great value for money is always good” (“and extends to the drinks”). “For an unplanned midweek supper there’s nothing better”, although at the mega-popular Borough Market original it can feel “like a conveyor belt” at busier times. At “the funky newish premises in Shoreditch” there’s “rather more space than in SE1, with proper booking… what’s not to like?”. Top Menu Tip – “just go for the cacio e pepe… but everything else is good as well”.

“A variety of excellent tapas” (mixing Spanish and Italian inspirations) and an appealing, “buzzy” (if sometimes “loud”) atmosphere created huge interest in the original Fitzrovia branch, when it opened back in 2005. But while still retaining a loyal fan club, it can seem overhyped nowadays (“it’s always listed as a go-to place, but there are much better tapas available elsewhere now”). Having spawned various spin-offs (Dehesa, Opera Tavern, Ember Yard), since 2018 it’s been part of Urban Pubs & Bars who have decided to roll it out: first to Westfield in Shepherd’s Bush (which opened in July 2022) and coming soon to Borough Market if local planning objections can be overcome.