Italy’s regional cuisines are among the most varied on earth – the cooking of the Alps bears almost no resemblance to that of Sicily, and even neighbouring villages can lay claim to entirely different dishes. London, which has been host to successive waves of Italian immigration since the 19th century, has always had a particular affinity for the food of the peninsula, and the capital’s Italian restaurant scene has never been stronger. Here is our guide to the best Italian restaurants in the capital, ranging from neighbourhood trattorias to destination dining rooms of serious ambition.
London's best Italian restaurants to wine and dine
Bocca di Lupo
Some restaurants specialise in one area of Italian cuisine; Bocca di Lupo ranges across all 20 regions, from South Tyrol to Sicily, with an all-Italian wine list to match. The name is an Italian expression of good luck that literally means ‘in the mouth of the wolf’, but the only thing one is likely to get bitten by here is the urge to come back.
Bocca di Lupo is located at 12 Archer Street, W1D 7BB,
boccadilupo.com
Brutto
The late, great Russell Norman transformed London dining with Venetian small plates at Polpo, but this Florentine-inspired trattoria is likely to be his most-loved legacy, and not just for serving Negronis for a fiver. Flattering lighting and Lady-and-the-Tramp checked tablecloths make this a no-brainer for romance, while carb-loading is the way to go with the menu.
Brutto is located at 35-37 Greenhill Rents, EC1M 6BN
msha.ke/brutto
Carbone
The original Carbone in Greenwich Village counts Leonardo DiCaprio and Barack Obama among its regulars; the London outpost, in the former US Embassy – a mid-century Eero Saarinen edifice restored by David Chipperfield – brings the same swagger to Mayfair. Ken Fulk’s interiors channel Rat Pack-era glamour with Campari-red banquettes, and an injection of contemporary art courtesy of Ai Weiwei. Rigatoni vodka and veal chop Parmesan, meanwhile, arrive via waiters in Zac Posen tuxedos.
The Chancery Rosewood, 30 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 2LG, carbonelondon.com
Café Murano
Angela Hartnett’s Michelin-starred Murano is a supremely civilised setting for Italian-accented fine dining, but her four-strong group of more informal Café Muranos are far more fun, and this St James’s outpost the sleekest. Sit at the marble-topped counter for a solo treat or retreat to one of the close-set tables for simple renditions of Italian classics along the lines of chicken Milanese and veal ossobuco.
Café Murano is located at 33 St James’s Street, SW1A 1HD
cafemurano.co.uk
The Dover
Not somewhere to come for ultra-authentic cucina Italiana, this self-styled ‘New York Italian’ serves the sort of dishes one might find in Manhattan’s Little Italy – Caesar salad, spaghetti meatballs – in mid-century inspired interiors that Mad Men’s Don Draper would have felt at home in. All the cue one needs, then, to indulge in a three-martini lunch (there are seven varieties to choose from). For something more casual but equally glam, try new offshoot Dover St Counter two doors down.
The Dover is located at 33 Dover Street, W1S 4NF
thedoverrestaurant.com
Tiella
Chef Dara Klein was born in Emilia-Romagna and raised in New Zealand, where her parents owned a trattoria; now, at her first permanent London venture, she’s continuing the family legacy in a lovingly restored 160-year-old former boozer in Bethnal Green. Tiella's mood is wood-heavy pub conversion with vintage East End character; the menu is rustic Italian executed with precision – passatelli in brodo, orecchiette with cime di rapa, chicken Milanese with green apple and fennel.
109 Columbia Road, London, E2 7RL, tiella.co.uk
Legare
Short menus should always inspire confidence, and it is well placed at this Tower Bridge restaurant owned by a crack team of an ex-Barrafina general manager and a former Trullo chef heading the open kitchen. Share a few antipasti of the chicken liver crostini and artichokes with romesco ilk ahead of a trio of pastas and a meat and fish secondi, from a menu that changes by the week
Legare is located at Cardamom Building, 31 Shad Thames, SE1 2YR
legarelondon.com
Luca
Luca impresses before one has even tasted a mouthful of food. The plain green frontage gives no hint of the chic interiors within, from the vintage lampshades and cosy booths of the front bar to the exposed brick and full-length windows of the dining room behind. Pasta made in house is a highlight, but order some gorgeous parmesan fries, too.
Luca is located at 88 St John Street, EC1M 4EH
luca.restaurant
Manteca
The sort of restaurant one walks past longingly, wishing one were inside, Manteca’s atmosphere is infectiously upbeat and its nose-to-tail cooking thrillingly distinctive. Everything is prepared in house using sustainable ingredients (whole-animal butchery, hand-rolled pastas, wood-fired breads, home-cured salumi) and though some of the menu sounds challenging, the results taste comforting.
Manteca is located at 49-51 Curtain Road, EC2A 3PT
mantecarestaurant.co.uk
The River Cafe
Simplicity, Leonardo da Vinci said, is the ultimate sophistication. The ultimate Renaissance man would no doubt approve of the cooking of his country deliciously proving his dictum at this legendary Italian by the Thames. Stick to the signatures: crab linguine; chargrilled lamb; lemon tart. Can’t get a table? Try a walk-in at The River Cafe Cafe next door.
The River Cafe is located at Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, W6 9HA
rivercafe.co.uk
Sale e Pepe
This 52-year-old veteran is looking molto bello after a top-to-toe refurb in early 2024 but is still as classic as they come: calamari fritti, salt-baked sea bass, veal chop and white truffle shaved over everything in the autumn. Save some time for a Negroni in the dinky bar and, if you’ve walked through the park to get here, note that it’s dog-friendly, too, as is new seafood-focused sibling Sale e Pepe Mare at The Langham London.
Sale e Pepe is located at 9-15 Pavilion Road, SW1X 0HD
saleepepe.co.uk
Trullo
If it were by Hyde Park Corner not Highbury Corner, this neighbourhood Italian, all bentwood chairs and Chiantishire chattering classes, would be twice the price – and still worth paying for. Best-of-British produce is put to work in rustic Tuscan cooking; the pasta is some of the best in London, as too anything from the charcoal grill. In spring 2026, Trullo’s chef-owner Conor Gadd opened Burro in Covent Garden, along similar food lines but in bigger and smarter surrounds.
Trullo is located at 300-302 St Paul’s Road, N1 2LH
trullorestaurant.com
Mezzogiorno
Francesco Mazzei – the Calabrian chef who introduced ’nduja to British palates and has cooked for both the King and Pope Francis – returns to the stove with this high-end trattoria, Mezzogiorno, at the Corinthia London. His southern Italian cooking is built largely on British produce in the likes of Scottish crab panzanella. The dining room, designed by Afroditi Krassa with hand-painted stucco and green-veined marble, is flooded with light through a wall of arched windows.
Corinthia London, 10a Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AE, corinthia.com
Osteria Vibrato
Former operatic tenor Charlie Mellor named Osteria Vibrato after the technique for producing a richer, more resonant tone – an apt metaphor for cooking that elevates regional Italian classics without losing sight of simplicity. Cream tablecloths, British Pasture Leather banquettes and Murano chandeliers set the scene; pasta is rolled on site daily, amaretti biscuits baked fresh to order, while the 250-strong wine list pays tribute to Mellor’s post-opera career as a sommelier.
6 Greek Street, London W1D 4DE, osteriavibrato.com