Italian restaurants in London you need to visit

Angelina fuses Italian and Japanese cooking in a quite brilliant way. Kaiseki and omakase menus show off the best ingredients brought together to create thrilling flavours that will take you beyond almost any sort of Italian restaurant experience in London. 

Southeast London’s premier Italian restaurant excels with simple but electrifyingly tasty Italian-inspired cooking, taking influences from across the peninsular. Ingredients are largely locally sourced, while the wine list is strictly Italian.

Soho institution Bocca di Lupo is a buzzy treat, with its own separate gelateria. Focusing on simple regional Italian cooking, the menu is big, with plenty of crowd-pleasers and some of the best cannoli outside of Sicily.

Having secured a permanent site in Shoreditch, Chris Leach and David Carter can continue their nose-to-tail approach to Italian cooking, with hand-rolled pasta and house-made mortadella among the specialities.

Chef Angela Hartnett’s Mayfair restaurant is another upmarket, Michelin-starred Italian. Inspired by her upbringing cooking with her Italian mother and grandmother, Hartnett’s food is simple, yet refined.

The restaurant that started London’s fresh pasta craze, Padella’s informal approach and treatment of simple ingredients to create something wonderful keeps it top choice for a casual Italian restaurant.

This iconic Thameside eatery is, in many people’s eyes, London’s best Italian restaurant. There’s no doubting the quality of the ingredients, many of which are sourced directly from the culinary motherland. Judge for yourself – if you can get a table.

Padella’s grown-up sister restaurant is the midway point between casual counter-dining and the more refined restaurants on this list. The vibe is slow and easy, like its signature dish: pappardelle with eight-hour beef shin ragù.

Gold is another Italian-inspired spot, on the famous Portobello Road, with former River Cafe chef Theo Hill at the helm. Expect wood-oven and fire-charred cooking with delicious cocktails, best enjoyed in the gorgeous courtyard.

LA-based Nancy Silverton’s foray into the London dining scene arrived on no small wave of hype. Thankfully, it’s justified. Chewy pizzas, mountainous salads and gooey desserts will leave all who enter satiated to the point of euphoria.

A neighbourhood pizza joint par excellence, Sodo has assorted branches across the city, where you can enjoy excellent sourdough pizzas topped with the best seasonal ingredients, washed down with craft beers and natural wines.