Italian restaurants in England
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Fifteen
Jamie Oliver's culinary philanthropy started at Fifteen, set up to give unemployed young people a shot at a career. The Italian food is beyond excellent, and, surprisingly, even those on limited budgets can afford a visit. In the trattoria, a croissant and coffee will only set you back £3.50, while a £10 pasta makes for a delicious lunch. From Old St tube station, take City Rd and after 300m turn right into Westland Place.
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Ottolenghi
This is the pick of Upper Street’s many eating options – a brilliantly bright, white space that’s worth a trip to see the eye-poppingly beautiful cakes and bread in the front deli alone. But get a table at this temple to good food and you’ll really appreciate it. At lunch you choose between the dishes spread out on the counter, while in the evening there’s á la carte dining, too, though so fanatical about ingredient quality are the chefs that the menu is not confirmed until 5pm. Weekend brunch here is fabulous, though you’ll usually have to wait for a table. Reservations are essential in the evenings.
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Marine Ices
As its name suggests, this Chalk Farm institution started out as an ice-cream parlour (in fact, a Sicilian gelateria ) but these days it does some savoury dishes as well, including pizzas and hearty pasta dishes. Be sure to try some of the excellent ice cream, which has its own menu – look for the long line out on the street on summer weekends!
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Enoteca Turi
The atmosphere at this stylish place is serene, the service charming. Enoteca Turi devotes equal attention to the grape as to the food, which means that each dish, be it a shellfish tagliolini or saddle of new season lamb, comes recommended with a particular glass of wine (or you can pick from the enormous wine list if you have ideas of your own).
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Gusto Italiano
A real Italian cafe, from the Italian owners serving homemade Italian food to the genuine Italian coffee being enjoyed by Italian customers reading the Italian newspapers… you get the idea. Daily lunch specials include dishes such as fennel sausage casserole, and vegetable lasagne with mushrooms and rosemary.
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Franco Manca
Voted as the best pizza in London by literally everybody, Franco Manca is worth every minute (or hour, on Saturdays) spent waiting for a table or takeaway. Beat the queues by avoiding lunch hours and Saturday, and eat the incredible pizza in a relaxed atmosphere. The secret of pizza is always in the base, and this place only uses its own sourdough (all made in the upstairs bakery), with flour from a Neapolitan mill. There are six pizzas to choose from, and the source of every single ingredient is accounted for, and fantastically delicious – the vegetables are from a small London grocer, the organic olive oil brought from fincas in Spain and Sicily, the cheese is from Some…
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Princi
Princi is a love child of Alan Yau (who’s behind Wagamama, Busaba Eathai, Hakkasan and Yauatcha) and Italian Rocco Princi, owner of a similar venue in Milan. The two men have teamed up to create good quality, simple Italian fast food, presented elegantly and sold at reasonable prices. They’ve succeeded in all their attempts (though the hot food counter is better than their bakery) – try the bean soup, the huge lasagna, the pesto gnocchi and the good parmigiana. The salad counter has seasonal offerings, and the cakes are delicious. Princi is invariably busy thanks to its heavenly opening hours, so expect to queue and lurk around for a seat, but we’re grateful for a quality…
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Il Baretto
Perhaps having ‘bland’ in the address is one of the reasons that this Marylebone location has changed hands between one Italian restaurant and another, but Il Baretto, the latest Italian incarnation, is an unpretentious trattoria that seems to be winning over the locals. It specialises in good, wood-fired oven pizza and simple Italian dishes such as penne with tomato sauce and sausage, while sometimes venturing into exciting territory with its delicious langoustine grill. The main draw here is the buzzy atmosphere and top ingredients sourced from Italy.
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Locanda Locatelli
Known for its sublime pasta dishes, this dark but quietly glamorous restaurant in an otherwise unremarkable hotel is one of London's hottest tables.
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Rosso
A Grade II–listed building with two restored domes, an ornate plaster ceiling, stained glass and polished-marble columns is the setting for this new restaurant owned by Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand (hence the name, Italian for 'red'). Whatever possibilities for hubristic disaster (famous footballer owns fancy restaurant?) are averted by the excellent menu, which features well-made Italian classics, and the all-round top-notch atmosphere, which is classy but unfussy.
reviewed
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Bocca di Lupo
A new Italian restaurant that has sent ecstatic tremors down Londoners' taste buds, Bocca di Lupo hides down a dark Soho backstreet and radiates elegant sophistication.
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Il Bordello
This boisterous – bordello also means ‘chaos’ or a ‘mess’ – neighbourhood eatery is always crammed with happy diners. If you’re drinking at the Captain Kidd or Prospect of Whitby, it’s a convenient blotter stop for excellent pizzas (£7.95 to £9.95) and pasta (£7.75 to £12.45) as well as more ambitious meat and fish main courses.
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Cantina Italia
Though this funky little trattoria with modern art on the walls and a Sardinian connection does more ambitious secondi such as the stew-like stinco di maiale (around £14), most people come here for the fine pizzas (from around £5 to £9) and pasta (from around £8 to £12). Don't miss the linguine tossed with bottarga (cured mullet roe), oil, garlic, parsley and red pepper flakes.
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River Café
To the great relief of West Londoners and those further afield, the Thames-side restaurant that spawned the world-famous eponymous cookery books has reopened after another protracted refit. The simple, precise cooking showcases seasonal ingredients sourced with fanatical expertise; the menus change daily. Booking is essential, as it’s still a favourite – yet again – of the Fulham set.
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Ooze
Ooze is, in its own words ‘mad keen on risotto’ (and brands itself as a ‘risotteria’), though there are alternatives in the shape of good pasta dishes, meat and seasonal Italian offerings, plus ice cream made in-house. It’s a friendly place, with a simple, tasteful decor and a good wine list, and is popular at lunchtimes with office workers in the vicinity.
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Frankie’s
Brainchild of jockey Frankie Dettori and seminal chef Marco Pierre White, Frankie’s serves up good, solid, old-fashioned food (in this case, immigrant Italian) – and lots of it – in a basement bar and grill. The menu, popular with families, is top-heavy with steaks and fish, though burgers (£8.95) and pastas (£7.50 to £10.50) also figure.
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Verso
This unpretentious neighbourhood restaurant serves consistently excellent pizza (around £6 to around £9), including such unfamiliar varieties as rocket, grilled prawn and courgette pizza bianca (without tomato paste). Pasta (around £8 to around £11) is also excellent, as are the seafood dishes and terrific homemade desserts.
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Olivo
This colourful restaurant specialises in the food and wine of Sardinia and Sicily, and has a dedicated clientele who, frankly, would rather keep it to themselves. Not surprising, really, because this place near Victoria station is a true gem. As a general rule, drink Sicilian and eat Sardinian. Excellent pasta dishes (£10.75 to £15.50).
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Furnace
Furnace serves up the best pizza in Hoxton – what more do you need to know? If this isn’t enough, it’s got great staff, a good and affordable wine selection, a funky, buzzing feel within its brick walls and great pasta dishes, too. But go for the pizza – the suckling pig topping is unmissable.
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La Gaffe
This Hampstead landmark is a comfortable, family-run restaurant in an 18th-century cottage that is now a hotel. It serves reliably good Italian dishes, particularly the choice of fresh pasta dishes, and you can upgrade their size by adding £2 to the price. A three-course set lunch (£12.50) is available weekdays.
reviewed
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Cantina del Ponte
The general consensus is that the most affordable Conran establishment at Butler's Wharf is the most disappointing. Sometimes a lack of detail in the accompaniments just spoils a salad or pasta dish, at other times a meat or fish dish just doesn't turn out right. The pizzas generally pass muster, though.
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Zafferano
This glamorous place, sparkling with diamonds and wall-to-wall with highlights and perma-tans, serves excellent seasonal and inspired Italian dishes with a twist that succeed every time. So it's a shame that the service is sometimes snooty. Don't let them try to fob you off with an inferior table.
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Casale Franco
Still our favourite cheap and cheerful Italian on Upper St, Casale Franco offers the usual Italian comfort food (the pizza is excellent) in warm surroundings. Avoid sitting on the 1st floor (nowheresville) and kill for a outside table in the warm weather. Service is friendly and attentive.
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Lucio
One of our favourite Italian eateries in London, Lucio is decidedly top end but not overly so. Try the exquisitely cooked pasta with clams, the crab ravioli or, when in season, the deep-fried zucchini. The surrounds are understatedly stylish, the clientele subdued and the service seamless.
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La Vecchia Scuola
Housed in the former York College for Girls, the faux elegant dining room - complete with self-playing grand piano - is straight out of Growing Up Gotti, but there's nothing fake about the food: authentic Italian cuisine served in suitably snooty style by proper Italian waiters.
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