‘Vibrato’ is the musical technique for producing a richer, more resonant tone – something former operatic tenor Charlie Mellor hopes to achieve at his new Soho dining room. Osteria Vibrato is the follow-up to Mellor’s Hackney restaurant, The Laughing Heart – a chef favourite for old-school hospitality that closed in 2022. Here, he has teamed up with fellow sommelier Cameron Dewar, most recently head of beverage at Luca, to create the kind of Soho destination suited to any occasion, from afternoon-long lunches to a quick cocktail at the bar.
Wallpaper* dines at Vibrato, London
The mood: Italian elegance meets Soho soul
Mellor has designed the space himself, guided by a philosophy of timelessness – or ‘senza tempo’, as he puts it – ‘like someone with, hopefully, exceptional taste has been collecting beautiful things for a very long time: furniture, records, bottles, recipes, art, clothing, stories.’
The result is a small but perfectly formed room of classic elegance: cream tablecloths and candlelight, banquettes upholstered in a bespoke ‘Vibrato red’ British Pasture Leather, and a terrazzo floor created with stonemasons Diespeker & Co. Rosewood veneer panels line lime-plastered walls beneath Murano chandeliers – a palette drawing on Italian Art Deco and modernism without descending into pastiche. ‘There are nods to the beautiful design language of Italian branding,’ Mellor says, ‘but I didn’t want to be too on the nose. It’s there, but hopefully no more than it might be in someone’s home.’
Behind the dining room sits The Green Room, an intimate 12-seat cocktail bar dedicated to Negronis, Cynar spritzes and ice-cold martinis. Artwork for sale from Soho gallerist Cedric Bardawil lines the walls, while a sound system plays Mellor’s own records. Staff uniforms nod to both Neapolitan tailoring and Savile Row, with cream coats and pleated trousers worn alongside thrifted Italian designer pieces.
‘There are various design touchpoints in a beautiful hospitality space,’ Mellor says. ‘If most of them go unnoticed, but serve the mission, that is good design.’
The food: crafted with conviction
The regional Italian menu reflects the influence of both head chef Louis Lingwood (ex-Toklas) and co-creator Gaia Enria, founder of London’s first artisan pastificio, Burro e Salvia, with painstaking preparation throughout.
Antipasti set the tone – a generous spread of smaller dishes, cured meats, and fior di latte mozzarella made in-house daily. Fresh pasta is rolled on site each day, while secondi bring whole grilled fish, roast meats and seasonal specials, including pre-order dishes such as brodetto alla vastese, a seafood stew from Abruzzo. The amaretti biscuits, baked fresh to order with a 20-minute wait, are worth it.
The wine list, overseen by Mellor and Dewar, is an exercise in expert curation – just 250 references, including bottles from Mellor’s personal cellar, with a broader collection held off-site and introduced as the list deepens.
‘It all comes back to that senza tempo idea,’ Mellor says. ‘Simple, energetic food on the table. A moment of reverence for its deliciousness, then straight back to a wonderful conversation.’ It’s little surprise Osteria Vibrato is already the talk of the town.
Osteria Vibrato is located at 6 Greek St, London W1D 4DE, United Kingdom