The Best Italian Restaurants In London

If you go out into the street and ask a hundred people what their favourite cuisine is – which is, presumably, what Richard Osman’s minions do when they’re conducting research for Pointless – you’re pretty likely to hear a lot of: “Italian”. Italian food is one of the most popular cuisines on the planet. It’s difficult to visit a city in the world that hasn’t got at least one Italian restaurant or pizzeria kicking about in the local vicinity – though the quality of what’s on offer can vary rather violently. Italians are passionate about their food and if they find anyone doing a bastardised take or an insulting rendition of their classic dishes, you can be damned sure they’ll be leaving a plethora of bitter one-star Google reviews. I’m not Italian but I am passionate about food. Especially when it comes to eating it. There’s nothing worse than a wasted meal and that’s why I want to make sure you’re eating at the best of the best, too.

London is home to some excellent Italian restaurants as well as some… much less excellent places. I’ve attempted to round up the cream of the crop for you here. Now, before we get started and stuck into the best Italian restaurants in London, I want you to know that we’ve excluded pizzerias from this list because pizza really belongs in its own category altogether. The spots we’ve highlighted, instead, are those which specialise in your more classic Italian fare. The likes of charred bistecca alla fiorentina or homemade ravioli. I’m talking real deal Italian restaurants where you can tell a lot of heart and thought has been put into the menu – places where you can find niche regional dishes as well as incredible versions of more catch-all classics. While we've numbered these entires, this isn't a best-to-worst list or a Channel 5-esque 'Funniest Ever TV Cock Ups' rundown. The number means nothing.

I hope this article will give you an idea of what the best Italian restaurants in London look like, sound like, and taste like. The best way, of course, to find out whether or not you agree with my selection will be to go and check them out for yourselves. Buon appetito.

It’s obvious from the moment you walk in that there’s something special about Trullo – it’s almost as if there’s magic hanging in the air like microscopic mites of dust. It could well be that Trullo is simply one of the last of its kind: a restaurant where the vibe, hospitality, and food are all thought about in equal measure. No stone is left unturned at this Highbury mainstay. The plates of pappardelle with beef shin ragù and chargrilled Cornish sea bass with bottarga which crowd the chef’s stations are just as considered as the dim lighting and impeccable service. It’s unsurprising, then, that it’s been one of the best Italian restaurants in London since it opened its doors. If you have a meal at Trullo, they’ll make sure you feel like you’re being looked after. And that’s what everyone wants from lunch or dinner service at a restaurant, isn’t it? To forget about your worries for a couple of hours with some great company and great food. Bliss.

300-302 St Paul's Road, London, N1 2LH

Okay, so technically one of the best Italian restaurants in London right now isn’t a restaurant at all. It’s a pop-up at The Compton Arms in Highbury. But all you need to do is eat here to realise why it’s more than worthy of its place on this round-up. Tiella is the brainchild of chef Dara Klein: an operation dead set on filling you up with rustic Italian dishes, heavily influenced by a variety of regional cuisines. Think pork loin alla pizzaiola or coniglio alla cacciatora cooked with an expert’s hand and a whole lot of love. No one is doing it like Tiella right now.

Compton Arms, 4 Compton Ave, London, N1 2XD

Passione Vino is a wine shop and wine bar where you might actually get convinced that Italian wine is better than French wine. Which, trust me, is no mean feat. It’d be rude not to explore the excellent wine list here but it’d be even ruder to leave without getting a feed in. Head chef Pascal Lazzarotto works out of a tidy kitchen firing out sublime portions of bigoli with wild boar ragù, baccalà mantecato, asparagi mimosa, and heaps more Italo disco deep cuts to happy customers. This is a place that’s been quietly and confidently going about its business since it opened – an “if you know, you know,” Italian restaurant that even the most cynical eaters will find it hard to disagree with.

85 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4QS

Is there a more London sentence than: “I had a lovely Italian meal in a small glass restaurant enclosed within a sustainable clothing manufacturer last weekend”? How about: “I had a lovely Italian meal in a small glass restaurant enclosed within a sustainable clothing manufacturer last weekend… in Bromley-by-Bow”? It’s a tough ask to make a concept like that charming, not insufferable, but Polentina pulls it off. The devil is in the details. Small menu, sharp wine list, and all of it delivered with the same focus on doing the simple stuff right.

1, Bowood House, Empson Street, London, E3 3LT

The River Cafe is expensive. Okay, it’s not just expensive. It is extremely expensive. It is, by most normal human standards and budgets, prohibitively expensive. But it’s also really, really good. The River Cafe is one of the most well-known (and most talked about) restaurants in London and a fêted haunt for celebrities looking to dine next to other important people who can afford to spend £35 on a plate of spaghetti vongole. Calling it one of London’s best Italian restaurants goes without saying – the food and vibe are exceptional and the standard of everything is second-to-none. If you want a dining experience that’ll knock your socks off while making a significant dent in your bank account, The River Cafe is worth a visit.

Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London, W6 9HA

Brutto oozes cool. From the £5 negronis to the sexy dining room which gives just the right level of "old New York" energy without erring into pastiche territory, there’s a lot to love. In fact, I’d go as far as to say there might not be a more fun restaurant to eat at in London right now. Yes, that level of fun is helped by the aforementioned negronis but the food is able to live up to expectations, too. The coccoli with prosciutto and straccino has fast become the spot’s staple starter – a make-your-own sandwich situation where you’re encouraged to fill piping hot doughnut-like ‘cuddles' with high quality charcuterie and stretchy cheese. It’s a great way to kick-off a dinner. If you stick to the pastas you can also leave Brutto feeling like you’ve got a serious bargain, too.

35-37 Greenhill Rents, London, EC1M 6BN

Everyone loves a proper, family-run restaurant: the kind of place where you’re made to feel like a member of the family when you walk through the door. Not a brother or a sister, mind, but some sort of second or third cousin, twice removed. It’s clear that everyone in Kentish Town loves Rossella. I’ve even heard rumours that Stanley Tucci is a fan and, as we all know, he’s not exactly a slouch when it comes to eating Italian. Rossella focuses on simple Italian cooking with its short and sweet menu. Sourcing is of the utmost importance to owner, Luca Meola, and that commitment shines through in everything from the salty, fatty charcuterie to the craggy veal escalope.

103 Highgate Road, London, NW5 1TR

Manteca calls itself an “Italian-inspired” restaurant and I’m pretty sure that’s reason enough to make it eligible for inclusion on this list. Nose-to-tail cooking is what this Curtain Road establishment is all about. Homemade muntjac sausage, hogget leg, and off menu items like the stuffed pig snout will be enough to put any sensitive vegans off but the pasta dishes are all unashamed crowd-pleasers. We’re talking lumache alla vodka, brown crab cacio e pepe, ziti with ragù Genovese, and campanelle with duck ragù and duck fat pangrattato. Lush.

49-51 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3PT

This diminutive wine bar on Blackstock Road specialises in natural wines, pasta fresca, and small batches of homemade gelato. If you’re not into any of those things, then I don’t think there’s much for you on this website. Working with suppliers such as Tutto Wines, Les Caves De Pyrene, Vine Trai, Ancestral Wines and Gergovie Wines, Giacco’s has assembled a real corker of a wine list that’s designed to be drunk alongside small plates of salame cacciatore, mortadella, and briny anchovy fillets. The pasta is good. Like, really good. I had a pappardelle with beef ragù here once that was so ridiculously good we had to order another bowl immediately. There might not be a better date spot in north London.

176 Blackstock Road, London, N5 1HA

As London’s oldest Italian delicatessen, L Terroni & Sons is a must-visit for anyone who’s even mildly interested in Italian produce. Not only do they sell a diverse range of Italian meats and cheeses, but they also serve a mean breakfast and a £6 pasta pomodoro. Is it the best pasta in London? Not by a longshot. But at that price point, it’s hard to find a better value quick fix of carbs. L Terroni & Sons is an integral part of this city’s ecosystem and you should be supporting it in any way you can. Come for the grailed Italian goods, stay for the vibes. And the lasagne.

138 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5DL

A lot of the restaurants on this list could be described in fairly similar fashion. “A neighbourhood restaurant with a seasonal menu of small plates and freshly made pasta with a wine list sourced from small Italian producers,” is a sentence which could probably describe 70% of the best Italian restaurants in London. But still. That description fits like a glove for Legare. The interior of this restaurant has been well-designed and the small kitchen and dining room combine to give it a pleasantly buzzy atmosphere no matter how full it is. Finish with a Fernet Branca.

Cardamom Building, 31 Shad Thames, Tower Bridge, London, SE1 2YR

Jacob Kenedy’s Bocca Di Lupo has lived up to its reputation as one of the best Italian restaurants in London since it debuted on Archer Street in 2008. There hasn’t been any need to reinvent the wheel along the way, either: the kitchen specialises in simple, regional Italian cooking – all of it done exceedingly well. The home region of every dish is even listed on the menu, providing you with an educational angle to your meal that you didn’t even know you needed. Well, didn’t know you needed it until you found out that farfalle with pistachio pesto and courgettes is a dish that’s native to the isle of Sicily. And now that you know that, your life’s just a little bit better, isn’t it?

12 Archer Street, London, W1D 7BB

St John Street is one of the most renowned streets for eating in the whole of London. Not only is it home to the eponymous, piggy St. JOHN but it’s also where Luca is. This Italian restaurant is the epitome of classy sophistication – the room is smartly lit and tastefully decorated while an unobtrusive soundtrack tinkles in the background. All the staff are extremely knowledgeable about the food and wine offering but won’t make you feel like an idiot who doesn’t know their pangrattato from their puttanesca. It’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, to be honest. It’s not cheap but it’s a great Italian restaurant to celebrate any kind of significant milestone in your life. Even if that milestone is merely making it to Wednesday.

88 St John Street, London, EC1M 4EH

Are delis restaurants? I don’t know. Are sandwiches meals? Is God real? It’s kind of hard to quantify whether Italo Deli counts as an “Italian restaurant” or not because, well, if I’m being honest with myself it objectively doesn’t. But I’ve included it on this list anyway because I think it’s great. Not only does this Vauxhall-based deli sell a range of high-quality Italian produce (the kind of stuff used by other restaurants on this list) but it serves some banging Italian sangers, too. Visit for a lunch.

13 Bonnington Square, London, SW8 1T

Plonked comfortably on a corner of Bellenden Road, Artusi has been in business for almost ten years now. That decade’s worth of experience shines through in the quality of the food and the warmth of the service. The simple menu changes on a regular basis, reflecting the best of the best produce which the team have been able to source. One thing you can always expect at Artusi, however, is pasta. And lots of it. Artusi’s sister restaurant, Marcella, deals in similar Italian goodness and is also worth visiting. Together, they’re two of the very best Italian restaurants in the south-east of the city.

161 Bellenden Road, London, SE15 4DH

Hand-rolled pasta and low-intervention wine. There’s not much more you need to know about Burro e Salvia apart from they do both of those things very, very well. Not only is this a great little trattoria to have a meal at but it also triples as a pastificio and pasta school. My best advice is to eat here before you even think about taking any lessons – at least then you’ll know the kind of standard you’ve got to be aiming for. The signature beef, pork, and spinach ravioli with butter and sage (literally “burro e salvia”) is a must. You’ll be coming back here whenever you’re craving pasta and an escape from the rest of Essex-infected Shoreditch.

52 Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DP

A relative newcomer on Camberwell Church Street, Forza Win is the more sit-down restaurant sibling of the snacky rooftop Forza Wine. And there’s more that separates the two than just the letter ‘e’. Forza Win specialises in pasta and hearty Italian secondi like aubergine parmigiana and porchetta with ‘nduja sauce. The menu is refreshingly pithy and devoid of any duds, making this the perfect little third date spot before you go for a few swift pints at The Hermit’s Cave after. Make sure to finish with a custardo – a slug of espresso topped up with crème anglaise. It’s like drinking a hot affogato. Delicious.

31 Camberwell Church Street, London, SE5 8TR

A swish high-end restaurant where you can get stuck into some rustic (and regional) Italian cooking, Theo Randall at the InterContinental has been the favourite Italian restaurants of London's high rollers for a while. The daily-changing menu is always well-stocked with incredible produce and a slate of dishes you'll want to eat. It's practically illegal not to finish off with a slice of Amalfi lemon tart.

One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, W1J 7QY

Dining at Campania feels like an escape. I included it on our list of the Most Romantic Restaurants In London a while back and even from peeping in the window you can see why it made the cut. The dining room is cosy, inviting, and perennially filled with an assortment of tasty smells and relaxing sounds. It’s somewhere that’s best experienced for lunch on a sunny day or a sultry dinner when you can gaze at your date’s face while it’s tenderly dappled in candlelight. The food is as good as it needs to be with hearty Italian fare making up the bulk of the menu. Order the pappardelle with slow-cooked rabbit and get yourself nice and comfortable at Campania. You won’t want to leave.

23 Ezra Street, London, E2 7RH

One of the words I’d use to describe Norma is: “swanky”. That might sound like a pretentious or off-putting descriptor but, trust me, if you walk into their dining room on Charlotte Street you’ll very quickly realise how swanky it is. Not only does this spot feel like a capital ‘R’ restaurant for adults but it delivers on the promise of the impressive interiors, too. The food celebrates the North African culinary influences on Sicilian cuisine though it definitely leans more towards the Italian side. It’s not cheap but it is west London and you won’t feel like you’ve been gouged considering the quality of the cooking. The spaghettini fritters with Parmesan sauce are a lot of fun. Who can deny the charm of deep-fried spaghetti?

8 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 2LS

Giorgio Locatelli knows how to make a restaurant hum. Locanda Locatelli has all the trappings of somewhere that’s style over substance except, of course, for the crucial fact that there’s plenty of substance to go with the aesthetic. The room is smart but it’s the food that takes a lunch or dinner here to the next level. Cucina povera deep cuts like deep fried calf’s foot salad are in attendance next to crowd pleasers like linguine with langoustine. The pasta is all excellent and the proteins are cooked immaculately, too. So if you see something like roasted sea bream with bagna càuda written down, just know that it’s going to be great.

8 Seymour Street, London W1H 7JZ

Affordable, efficient, and overwhelmingly popular. Padella is a well-oiled machine that does exactly what it says on the tin. If you’ve got a craving for freshly made pasta, hitting up Padella in Borough or Shoreditch is nearly always a wise idea. There’s no faff involved and everything is reasonably priced and well cooked. Not only that, but from 5pm to 6:30pm on Monday to Friday you can get £2 negronis with every plate of pasta. If that’s not a match made in heaven then I don’t know what is.

Various locations

Flour. Grape. Pasta. Wine. There’s no prizes for guessing what Flour & Grape does best. This Bermondsey favourite is one of London’s best Italian restaurants for simple food and exciting wines. Plates of carbonara are constantly flying out the pass and it’s rare to ever find this spot anything but packed with customers. You’ll eat well and drink well here, my friend. And what more could you want from a restaurant?

214 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3TQ