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 rounded up the top trattorias in town, each one tried and tested by our on-the-ground experts. Spoiler alert: most of them don’t just roll out pizza dough – they also dish up the ever-trendy tableside service. From twirling truffle-topped tagliatelle to polishing off al dente pasta, here are the spots you cannoli dream about. Buon appetito.
18 Thayer St, W1U 3JY
Nina, Marylebone
Best for: bluefin tuna e melone.
Nina is one of the hardest tables to get your hands on right now – and it’s easy to see why. We’re still dreaming about the smile-shaped slice of melon, stacked with scarlet slivers of sashimi-sliced bluefin tuna and splashed with a citrus-spiked ponzu sauce. Plus, exec chef Tzoulio Loulai let us in on the uber-buttery duck ragu bianco being one of his favourites.
nina.com
The Dover, Mayfair
Best for: dinner with a side of celeb-spotting.
It’s rare to visit this sultry New York-inspired spot and not sit across the room from an A-lister (but its candlelit tables mean you can only just about make out the famous faces). And it’s not uncommon to order the hot penne arrabbiata piled with Parmesan. It is, however, a necessity to dress for the occasion – so be sure to get suited and booted.
thedover.com
33 Dover St, W1S 4NF
4 Harriet St, SW1X 9JR
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
Il Gattopardo, Mayfair
Best for: sharing plates.
A restaurant from the group behind Amazónico was always going to be good, but Il Gattopardo has more going for it than its pedigree. Named after the Italian for ‘leopard’, you’ll spot subtle feline-themed touches slinking around the room. Get your claws on its massive tray of tiramisu sprinkled with the logo. Hungry for more details? Read our full review here.
gattopardo.restaurant
27 Albemarle St, W1S 4HZ
94 Kensington High St, W8 4SG
Jacuzzi, Kensington
Best for: photogenic pasta.
When in West London, do as the well-heeled do and head to this picture-perfect, plant-filled palace. This is a place where people pose for pics on the glowing staircase – so it makes sense the menu is just as photogenic. See off the signature Sicilian margarita, garnished with a chilli-dusted curly cucumber slice, then film the mafaldine al tartufo (ribbon pasta with tentacle-like frills) twirled tableside in a pecorino wheel with black truffle.
jacuzzi.com
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
9–15 Pavilion Rd, SW1X 0HD
6 Southwark St, SE1 1TQ
Padella, Borough Market
Best for: pasta worth the wait.
Nine dishes. No reservations. Always a queue. You'll need to arrive at 5 o’clock on the dot to secure a spot in line. Otherwise, you'll be scouring the surrounding streets for a sip of something cold while you wait in the virtual queue. Once inside, you’ll be hit with a (welcome) wave of heat – and a waft of the creamiest, curliest cacio e pepe.
padella.com
Cecconi’s, Mayfair
Best for: traditional Venetian treats.
There’s hardly a corner of the world without a Cecconi’s, and hardly a table without a side of zucchini fritters at the brand’s OG spot in Mayfair, our waiter insists. Since 1978, the menu has fit right in with the chic crowd who flocks here: black truffle beef tartare with a half-opened quail egg still nesting in its shell on top, and slow-cooked veal shanks with golden saffron risotto.
cecconirestaurants.com
5A Burlington Gdns, W1S 3EP
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
Gloria, Shoreditch
Best for: dinners with foodie friends.
Gloria is for glorious, gram-worthy dinners (we don’t make the rules). But this two-floored trattoria sure makes Italian food fun. Slip downstairs and you’ll soon be snapping a ceiling selfie mid-meal while sharing either the biggest ball of silky burrata you’ve ever seen – submerged in basil oil and sprinkled with hazelnuts – or slicing through the six-inch-high, gravity-defying shark fin of a lemon meringue pie with your best pals.
gloria.com
54–56 Great Eastern St, EC2A 3QR
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
Carbone London, Mayfair
Best for: spicy rigatoni vodka.
This mega celeb magnet has made a big name for itself in NYC, and now it's London's turn to get a slice of the action. But it’s not just stars who might sit next to you in this moody-lit restaurant – equally viral plates, like its velvety, macaroni-shaped spicy rigatoni vodka, will also make an appearance. If you can bag a booking before the A-listers do...
carbone.com
30 Grosvenor Sq, W1A 2LQ
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
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
300–302 St Paul’s Rd, N1 2LH
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
Il Bambini Club, Shoreditch
Best for: East London energy.
Coming in hot: East London’s newest Italian spot – and hot it is. When we headed to The Hoxton to try it out, one thing was instantly clear: the vibe’s what you come for. Think retro-Riviera razzle-dazzle – velvet sofas and woven basket lamps with green tassels dripping from the ceiling – as gooey, breaded mozzarella arrived on colourful ceramic plates and a DJ spins until late.
bambini-restaurant.com
