Upscale restaurant interior with elegant tables set for dining, yellow and white chairs, a large colorful mural on the wooden wall, potted trees, and warm ambient lighting reflected on shiny ceiling panels.

Restaurants & nightlife

London’s best Italian restaurants

Tuck into our top spots that bring a slice of la dolce vita straight to the table.

Words by Amelia Allen

26th August 2025

5-minute read

London’s love affair with Italian food isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With over 2,000 Italian restaurants scattered across the city, it’s safe to say we can’t get enough of the stuff. Which is all well and good – until it comes to working out which ones are actually worth booking. That’s why we’ve dished up the top trattorias in town – from twirling truffle-topped tagliatelle to polishing off al dente pasta you cannoli dream about.

A white plate with thinly sliced raw fish arranged in a circle, topped with caviar and small dollops of red garnish, all drizzled with a light brown sauce, set on a marble surface.

A white plate with thinly sliced raw fish arranged in a circle, topped with a dark center garnish, small red dollops, and drizzled sauce, set on a marbled surface.

56 Dalston Ln, E8 3AH

Angelina, Dalston

Best for: Italo-Japanese food.

Anyone who’s anyone has heard of Angelina – it’s easily one of East London’s best restaurants. Feast your eyes – and your palate – on this fusion restaurant’s 13-dish tasting menu (that’s the only thing on offer) which changes more often than the British forecast. One second you’re slicing through silky sashimi, the next slurping spaghetti – and somehow, it works perfectly well.

angelina.com

Cantinetta Antinori, Knightsbridge

Best for: truffle and tiramisu fans.

Truffle fans, this one’s for you. This Tuscan treasure on Sloane Street has a whole menu dedicated to the stuff. Its homemade fettucine, folded through perfectly aged Parmesan and finished with theatrically shaved truffle tableside, has been a firm favourite since it opened. So has its veal fillet escalope, submerged in a silky lemon sauce. But pace yourself: you’ll also want to polish off the pillowy pistachio tiramisu.

cantinettaantinori.com

A person serves a plate of focaccia topped with slices of mortadella and pistachios at a table set with bread and drinks.

A person holds a decorative plate with focaccia topped with sliced mortadella and pistachios, while another hand reaches for a piece. Bread and a drink are on the table.

4 Harriet St, SW1X 9JR

A stylish restaurant with walls lined with shelves full of wine bottles, lush greenery and string lights hanging from the ceiling, cozy wooden tables and chairs, and a bar area where chefs are preparing food.

A stylish restaurant with lush greenery, hanging lamps, and shelves filled with bottles lining the walls. Tables are set for dining, and chefs work behind a red counter in the background. Warm, inviting ambiance.

40–41 Rathbone Pl, W1T 1HX

Circolo Popolare, Fitzrovia

Best for: people who like to post their pasta.

Go Big Mamma Group or go home – or better yet, head to the OTT Italian brand’s OG in Fitzrovia. With walls lined with 20,000 bottles, spaghetti carbonara spun inside a 4kg pecorino wheel, a ten-layer lasagne, a six-inch-high lemon meringue pie, and a cocktail list longer than its waitlist, this Italian has impressed – and featured – on every foodie’s Instagram feed.

circolopopolare.com

Padella, Borough Market

Best for: pasta worth the wait (and the walk).

Eight dishes. No reservations. Always a queue. This wildly popular pint-sized pasta bar in Borough Market is proof that less is more. There’s an emerald-green spinach tagliarini tangled with nettles and a golden egg yolk nesting on top – hand-rolled by chefs who can’t seem to catch a break. And there’s you, waiting patiently outside – knowing good things come to those that wait.

padella.com

A white plate of spaghetti coated in a creamy yellow sauce with herbs and red pepper flakes, served on a marble table next to a glass of white wine.

A plate of spaghetti with a creamy orange sauce, herbs, and small bits of vegetables, served on a white plate atop a marble table. A glass of white wine is partially visible in the corner.

6 Southwark St, SE1 1TQ

A dish of cooked langoustines garnished with herbs and a lemon slice is served in a copper pan. Nearby are a glass of white wine, a glass of water, and black pepper and olive oil bottles on a white tablecloth.

A copper dish filled with cooked langoustines garnished with herbs and a lemon wedge sits on a white tablecloth beside a glass of white wine, a glass of water, black pepper grinder, and an olive oil bottle.

9–15 Pavilion Rd, SW1X 0HD

Sale e Pepe, Knightsbridge

Best for: Amalfi-inspired flavours.

Sale e Pepe is where you go after a shopping spree at Harvey Nicks and Harrods. It’s also where you go to spoon every last drop of the gamberi scottati: warm red prawns lathered in an Amalfi lemon and EVO oil sauce. Then, lap up the lobster linguine – tossed tableside and made for two (if you can bear to share).

saleepepe.com

Trullo, Islington

Best for: pappardelle with beef shin ragu.

Some places don’t need to show off – their food does it for them. And this intimate Italian in Islington is one of them. Trullo is all about simple cooking done seriously well. Take the pappardelle with fall-apart braised beef shin ragu: slow-cooked to perfection, swirled in long, floppy ribbons, and sprinkled with a snowfall of Parmesan. Bellissimo.

trullo.com

Three pieces of ravioli topped with a light butter sauce and garnished with fresh sage leaves, served on a white plate over a rustic wooden table.

Three pieces of ravioli with a light butter sauce and sage leaves are served on a white plate, set on a rustic wooden table.

300–302 St Paul’s Rd, N1 2LH

Plates of colorful tomato and burrata salads on ornate dishes are set on a white tablecloth, with a glass of white wine, utensils, and a small bowl of tomatoes visible in warm, natural light.

Plates of colorful tomato and mozzarella salads, garnished with basil, are set on a white tablecloth alongside wine, cutlery, and fresh vegetables under bright natural light.

70 Brompton Rd, SW3 1ER

Alba Restaurant, Knightsbridge

Best for: crab ravioli with caviar.

Bathed in bright canary yellows and bursting with the scent of lemon trees, stepping inside Alba feels like arriving straight onto the Amalfi Coast – without the wait at baggage claim. Alba has already earned its place among Knightsbridge’s best restaurants, thanks to SW3-approved dishes like crab ravioli crowned with caviar and tagliatelle topped with slivers of black truffle.

alba.com

Brutto, Clerkenwell

Best for: trattoria-style comfort food.

With red-checkered tablecloths, £5 Negronis, and a veal Milanese that practically takes up the whole plate, Londoners flock here for a no-frills Florentine fix. Brutto has become a cult favourite thanks to its retro charm, classic comfort food, and traditional trattoria vibe. As well as the penne alla vodka – a staple dish that’s become a social media sensation.

brutto.com

35–37 Greenhill Rents, EC1M 6BN

17 Amhurst Terr, E8 2BT

Tom’s Pasta, Hackney

Best for: lasagne lovers.

Start as you mean to go on with the bruschetta, then move on to the main event: lapping up layer after layer of beef shin lasagne, béchamel, and homemade pasta sheets – all buried beneath a blizzard of Parmesan. Whatever the weather, Tom’s Pasta couldn’t be more effortlessly cool or absolutely worth crossing town for.

tomspasta.com

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