Spitalfields, Italian Restaurant Guide

2024 Review: Post pandemic, the feedback on this small, quirky, City-fringe Italian (in the characterful tangle of streets near Spitalfields) has become more patchy. Fans still say its interesting wines and authentic cuisine are outstanding, but we don’t have sufficient volume of reports for a reliable rating.

2024 Review: This modern Italian bar/restaurant by Spitalfields is consistently well-rated in all feedback. There’s a continued theme from last year, however, that even fans of its antipasti, pasta and grills from the Josper oven can find it plain “overpriced”.

“A buzzy, fashionable Italian that’s thoroughly enjoyable for a casual but high-quality meal” – this smart, all-day bar/brasserie behind the RA in the heart of Mayfair is fast approaching its half-century, and remains a favourite for a loyal clientele of glam local professionals for less formal business occasions; post-work meet-ups; or a “refined brunch”. The sceptical view of it is that it’s “all good, but very pricey for simple food”. Part of the Soho House group for the past 20 years, it now has branches at the Ned in the City, in Shoreditch, and in international cities from West Hollywood to Mumbai.

Oscar Farinetti’s “Italian superstore” near Liverpool Street station – part of his 45-strong global foodhall chain – is a “great place to eat and buy Italian foods”, with a “massive display of Italian wines”. A recent link-up with Milan-based TV chef Carlo Cracco, whose name is now above the flagship restaurant Terra, has done little, however, to change the perception that this is a venue for browsing “interesting Italian products” rather than lingering over a meal – and those who do eat tend to prefer the “very good pizzas from a wood-burning stove” to more ambitious meals that can be “a poor and expensive experience”: “although ingredients are good, cooking is below average”, while “the terrace overlooks the Bishopsgate traffic, so you can soak up the City’s busy atmosphere… police sirens and all”.

“Simple pasta done very well” lives up to the billing at this straightforward chain, which added a branch on Baker Street complete with outside terrace to its other three locations at the start of 2024. They are “nothing amazing, but the food is good, the service friendly, and it is a very easy option” when out and about or “when cooking just feels like a chore”.

“An excellent group serving good food and wine with a smile” – this trio of Italians in the Square Mile offer an impressive selection of red wines in particular from the peninsula, backed up by a sensible menu with a focus on meat from the grill. Prices are “premium” but quality is sound. The Devonshire Square outlet benefits from an attractive outdoor terrace for al fresco dining.

Open in London’s Norton Folgate from March 2025: a new pasta and grill restaurant from the Angelina Dalston team in a converted, high ceilinged Victorian warehouse space on the border of Spitalfields, seating 75 around a large open kitchen. Similarly inspired by Japanese and Italian cuisine, it offers a menu featuring fresh pastas with a Japanese twist, alongside Italian- and Japanese-inspired ‘big cut’ Binchotan grill dishes (such as Aged Porterhouse or Skate Wing on the Bone) and crudi. The wine list features more than 300 Italian wines and there are also sakes and cocktails.

Opening its 10th branch in 2025 – amidst the towers of Canary Wharf – this much commented- on chain is leaving behind its Soho roots – as a quaint old deli of 75 years’ standing – and is now in full-on ‘roll-out’ mode. Fans still find it “very impressive for a chain that’s growing so fast” and tip its “lovely mint-green” outlets as “an ideal place to meet and enjoy authentic pasta and Italian dishes”. Some branches, though, are better than others: in particular the “friendly and relaxed Marylebone branch at the junction of Wigmore Street is a winner”. Others, though, can show the strains of expansion: “What’s the point? It’s neither stand-out, nor cheap and cheerful. Unexceptional pasta is served in a so-so ambience. I am not sure I get it??”

“Outstanding Italian food served in a buzzy, crammed atmosphere” has made a hit of Chris Leach and David Carter’s dazzling, ‘nose-to-tail’, “bistro-esque” outfit in Shoreditch, where “watching the kitchen from a spot on the bar is an amazing backdrop to a top-notch meal”. “Prices are reasonable too – so many small-plate restaurants use the concept to charge excessive amounts for tiny portions. Not here”. Top Menu Tips – “Brown crab is the famous dish but it’s hard to go wrong with anything”; “Pasta is fantastic… e.g. fettucine with venison ragu is exceptional”; “Grape sorbetto small but subtle… Cherry and almond cake is large and far better than most Italians offer in London”.