London
The Best Italian Restaurants in London
These top Italian restaurants in London deserve every foodies attention.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
London, known for its diverse culinary landscape, is home to several great Italian restaurants that transport you directly to the sunny terraces of Italy. Whether you're looking for the rustic charm of The River Café, the hand-crafted pasta at Burro e Salvia, or the family-run warmth of E Pellicci, London has an Italian spot to satisfy every craving.
This guide has put together a selection of restaurants that contend for the title of best Italian food in London, with each location promising a unique take on both classics and bolder creations. While written by our team, all picks are based on recommendations from World of Mouth experts and locals like Jonathan Alphandery, Santiago Lastra, Ink Tanaka, and Margaux Koopman. Read on as we dish out London's best Italian restaurants.
The River Café
River Café offers exemplary Italian cuisine, characterized by great produce and simple yet precise cooking methods. Customers consistently highlight the restaurant's longstanding reputation and the ambient terrace setting, ideal for a warm day. Diners can indulge in dishes like the Pizzetta with potato and Taleggio, hand-cut pasta Malfatti con Fagiano, and for dessert, the iconic Chocolate Nemesis.
manteca
Manteca is a nose-to-tail Italian-inspired restaurant known for its hand-rolled pastas and in-house salumeria. The menu features bold, flavorful dishes like pasta with duck ragu and truffle, and a variety of pork-based meals, as well as seasonal vegetables cooked in Italian recipes. The dining experience is complemented by an amari-focused cocktail list and a wine list that showcases low-intervention and classic fine wines from Italy and beyond.
Burro e Salvia
Burro e Salvia is a charming pasta haven located on Redchurch Street, offering a range of Italian delicacies including hand-rolled pasta, low intervention wines, and more. Not only does it serve as a trattoria and pastificio, but it also hosts pasta-making workshops, making it a great spot for those who love to indulge in and learn about Italian cuisine. The pasta dishes, crafted with buckwheat flour for a unique toasty aroma and taste, are highly recommended by customers, who also suggest saving room for dessert and taking home a bottle of their vermouth Rosso.
E Pellicci
E Pellicci is a longstanding restaurant in East London, known for its Italian cuisine and traditional English breakfast. The establishment has been serving the community since 1900, and is currently managed by the third generation of the original family. Customers often recommend the Full English Breakfast, and appreciate the friendly staff and genuine East London atmosphere.
Zafferano
Zafferano is a well-established Italian restaurant in Belgravia, known for its traditional cuisine and quality wines. Their dishes are meticulously crafted, offering a genuine taste of Italy, with a special emphasis on vegetarian options. The atmosphere is intimate and refined, making it a suitable choice for both business lunches and casual meet-ups with friends.
Bocca di Lupo
Bocca di Lupo is a well-established restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, offering a diverse menu of authentic regional Italian dishes. The restaurant, founded by Jacob Kennedy in 2008, emphasizes simplicity and authenticity in its cuisine, with a menu that changes regularly to reflect the distinct flavors of Italy's various regions. Additionally, Bocca di Lupo takes pride in making in-house items like gelati, breads, sausages, and pasta, while sourcing the rest from Italy, ensuring an authentic and satisfying dining experience.
Bancone Golden Square
Bancone Golden Square is known for its hand-made fresh pasta, inspired by flavors from Italy, London, and much of Europe. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes, with the cacio e Pepe bucatini being a highly recommended choice. Alongside its food menu, Bancone also features a diverse wine list and a selection of cocktails focused on vermouth, bitters, and Campari.
Trullo
Trullo is a restaurant that offers a simple, seasonally focused, Italian-inspired menu that changes daily. With fresh hand-made pasta and dishes cooked over a charcoal grill, it emphasizes sustainable practices and high-quality ingredients. The restaurant is known for its delicious pasta dishes, warm and buzzing atmosphere, and the serious yet laid-back approach to cooking.
Brutto
Brutto is a casual neighborhood trattoria offering award-winning, classic Florentine dishes. The restaurant emphasizes simplicity, quality, and authenticity, serving up big flavors in a fun, convivial environment. Notable for its all-day bar and cozy atmosphere, Brutto is known for its Tuscan-style cooking, including big sharing steaks and a range of vegetarian and vegan options.
Ziani
Ziani, a traditional Italian restaurant, is situated in the vibrant neighborhood of Chelsea and offers a selection of classic Italian dishes at reasonable prices. The menu features a variety of beloved favorites, with the lasagna and zucchini fritti particularly standing out. Whether you're booking a table for a casual meal or a special occasion, Ziani provides an authentic Italian dining experience.
Enoteca Turi
Enoteca Turi is a sophisticated Italian restaurant situated in Knightsbridge, driven by founders from Puglia. The restaurant serves an array of dishes from various Italian regions, often presented with a contemporary twist, providing a diverse culinary experience. Known for its fantastic wine cellar and great ambiance, it also offers private dining opportunities in its intimate wine cellar for special occasions.
Olivomare
Olivomare is a Sardinian/Italian restaurant located in Belgravia, known for its contemporary and elegant setting. The place is popular among a smart crowd from local neighborhoods and offers a nice selection of wines. The restaurant specializes in delivering excellent Sardinian and Italian cuisine.
Padella
Padella is a compact restaurant known for its authentic Italian cuisine, with a particular emphasis on fresh pasta dishes. The menu includes a variety of pasta options, from the highly recommended Pici Cacio Pepe to Tagliarini with dried chilli, garlic and pangrattato. The restaurant also offers a selection of cold starters, including the popular Burrata served in extra virgin olive oil and crunchy rock salt, which has been credited for starting a Burrata trend.
Bacchanalia
Bacchanalia is a Greek-Mediterranean restaurant located in Mayfair, known for its surrealistic design by Damien Hirst and an impressive collection of 2000-year-old Roman sculptures. The restaurant offers a variety of Italian dishes and a superb wine list, featuring renowned brands like Petrus and Latour. Despite being on the pricier side, Bacchanalia is often fully booked, offering a unique dining experience that combines art, history, and gastronomy.
Looking for more restaurant recommendations to
London
? Download the World of Mouth app for free and discover expert recommendations to over 2,000 destinations, curated by top chefs, food writers and sommeliers. From street food to fine dining and well known institutions to hidden gems, World of Mouth is your ultimate insider's guide to the world's best restaurants.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
London, known for its diverse culinary landscape, is home to several great Italian restaurants that transport you directly to the sunny terraces of Italy. Whether you're looking for the rustic charm of The River Café, the hand-crafted pasta at Burro e Salvia, or the family-run warmth of E Pellicci, London has an Italian spot to satisfy every craving.
This guide has put together a selection of restaurants that contend for the title of best Italian food in London, with each location promising a unique take on both classics and bolder creations. While written by our team, all picks are based on recommendations from World of Mouth experts and locals like Jonathan Alphandery, Santiago Lastra, Ink Tanaka, and Margaux Koopman. Read on as we dish out London's best Italian restaurants.
The River Café
River Café offers exemplary Italian cuisine, characterized by great produce and simple yet precise cooking methods. Customers consistently highlight the restaurant's longstanding reputation and the ambient terrace setting, ideal for a warm day. Diners can indulge in dishes like the Pizzetta with potato and Taleggio, hand-cut pasta Malfatti con Fagiano, and for dessert, the iconic Chocolate Nemesis.
manteca
Manteca is a nose-to-tail Italian-inspired restaurant known for its hand-rolled pastas and in-house salumeria. The menu features bold, flavorful dishes like pasta with duck ragu and truffle, and a variety of pork-based meals, as well as seasonal vegetables cooked in Italian recipes. The dining experience is complemented by an amari-focused cocktail list and a wine list that showcases low-intervention and classic fine wines from Italy and beyond.
Burro e Salvia
Burro e Salvia is a charming pasta haven located on Redchurch Street, offering a range of Italian delicacies including hand-rolled pasta, low intervention wines, and more. Not only does it serve as a trattoria and pastificio, but it also hosts pasta-making workshops, making it a great spot for those who love to indulge in and learn about Italian cuisine. The pasta dishes, crafted with buckwheat flour for a unique toasty aroma and taste, are highly recommended by customers, who also suggest saving room for dessert and taking home a bottle of their vermouth Rosso.
E Pellicci
E Pellicci is a longstanding restaurant in East London, known for its Italian cuisine and traditional English breakfast. The establishment has been serving the community since 1900, and is currently managed by the third generation of the original family. Customers often recommend the Full English Breakfast, and appreciate the friendly staff and genuine East London atmosphere.
Zafferano
Zafferano is a well-established Italian restaurant in Belgravia, known for its traditional cuisine and quality wines. Their dishes are meticulously crafted, offering a genuine taste of Italy, with a special emphasis on vegetarian options. The atmosphere is intimate and refined, making it a suitable choice for both business lunches and casual meet-ups with friends.
Bocca di Lupo
Bocca di Lupo is a well-established restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, offering a diverse menu of authentic regional Italian dishes. The restaurant, founded by Jacob Kennedy in 2008, emphasizes simplicity and authenticity in its cuisine, with a menu that changes regularly to reflect the distinct flavors of Italy's various regions. Additionally, Bocca di Lupo takes pride in making in-house items like gelati, breads, sausages, and pasta, while sourcing the rest from Italy, ensuring an authentic and satisfying dining experience.
Bancone Golden Square
Bancone Golden Square is known for its hand-made fresh pasta, inspired by flavors from Italy, London, and much of Europe. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes, with the cacio e Pepe bucatini being a highly recommended choice. Alongside its food menu, Bancone also features a diverse wine list and a selection of cocktails focused on vermouth, bitters, and Campari.
Trullo
Trullo is a restaurant that offers a simple, seasonally focused, Italian-inspired menu that changes daily. With fresh hand-made pasta and dishes cooked over a charcoal grill, it emphasizes sustainable practices and high-quality ingredients. The restaurant is known for its delicious pasta dishes, warm and buzzing atmosphere, and the serious yet laid-back approach to cooking.
Brutto
Brutto is a casual neighborhood trattoria offering award-winning, classic Florentine dishes. The restaurant emphasizes simplicity, quality, and authenticity, serving up big flavors in a fun, convivial environment. Notable for its all-day bar and cozy atmosphere, Brutto is known for its Tuscan-style cooking, including big sharing steaks and a range of vegetarian and vegan options.
Ziani
Ziani, a traditional Italian restaurant, is situated in the vibrant neighborhood of Chelsea and offers a selection of classic Italian dishes at reasonable prices. The menu features a variety of beloved favorites, with the lasagna and zucchini fritti particularly standing out. Whether you're booking a table for a casual meal or a special occasion, Ziani provides an authentic Italian dining experience.
Enoteca Turi
Enoteca Turi is a sophisticated Italian restaurant situated in Knightsbridge, driven by founders from Puglia. The restaurant serves an array of dishes from various Italian regions, often presented with a contemporary twist, providing a diverse culinary experience. Known for its fantastic wine cellar and great ambiance, it also offers private dining opportunities in its intimate wine cellar for special occasions.
Olivomare
Olivomare is a Sardinian/Italian restaurant located in Belgravia, known for its contemporary and elegant setting. The place is popular among a smart crowd from local neighborhoods and offers a nice selection of wines. The restaurant specializes in delivering excellent Sardinian and Italian cuisine.
Padella
Padella is a compact restaurant known for its authentic Italian cuisine, with a particular emphasis on fresh pasta dishes. The menu includes a variety of pasta options, from the highly recommended Pici Cacio Pepe to Tagliarini with dried chilli, garlic and pangrattato. The restaurant also offers a selection of cold starters, including the popular Burrata served in extra virgin olive oil and crunchy rock salt, which has been credited for starting a Burrata trend.
Bacchanalia
Bacchanalia is a Greek-Mediterranean restaurant located in Mayfair, known for its surrealistic design by Damien Hirst and an impressive collection of 2000-year-old Roman sculptures. The restaurant offers a variety of Italian dishes and a superb wine list, featuring renowned brands like Petrus and Latour. Despite being on the pricier side, Bacchanalia is often fully booked, offering a unique dining experience that combines art, history, and gastronomy.
Looking for more restaurant recommendations to
London
? Download the World of Mouth app for free and discover expert recommendations to over
2,200
destinations, curated by top chefs, food writers and sommeliers. From street food to fine dining and well known institutions to hidden gems, World of Mouth is your ultimate insider's guide to the world's best restaurants.
Read more
Helsinki's Best Cheap Eats
Discover the best Helsinki restaurants on a budget.
Best Brunch and Breakfast in Tokyo
Your personal guide to a morning adventure in Tokyo, where breakfast blends traditional flavors with modern flair.
The Best Natural Wine Restaurants in New York
Discover the best restaurants for natural wine in New York City.
Copenhagen's Best Cheap Eats
If you're on a budget, check out these must-try restaurants in Copenhagen.
Discover the World of Mouth app
Download the ultimate insider’s guide to the world's best restaurants.
