Mentioned by Esquire
The Best Restaurants in London 2021
"Trullo’s elegant dining room and simple, seasonal food, marks it out both as one London’s best Italian restaurants and one of the city’s finest neighbourhood restaurants. Dark wood, low lighting, white table cloths, and just-put-it-on-the-plate plating characterise it as decidedly anti-Instagram. Trullo’s spiritual parents are the two most important restaurants of a generation: the River Cafe and St. John, so dishes marry Italian traditions with British (and Italian) ingredients — fashioned into delicious antipasti, fresh pastas and secondi, dishes which often do a little time on the charcoal grill."
"Highbury Corner restaurant Trullo is a real gem, displaying with prominence the from-the-heart style of cooking that Italy is known for. In fact, you'll probably see the chef (glass of wine in hand) carefully dishing up plates of food at the open kitchen as you tuck into specialities including meat and fish from the charcoal grill and gutsy freshly-made pastas. Expect to pay around £10 for starters and £20 for mains."
"This Islington neighbourhood restaurant has a reputation that reaches far beyond its borough. Owners Jordan Frieda and Tim Siadatan met while working at the River Café and the Italian menu keenly reflects those roots. Trullo is best described as a contemporary trattoria, with small, white-clothed tables, industrial-style hanging lamps and white walls."
"If you’re big on pizza, pizza doesn’t come much bigger than at Homeslice. This street-market-to-restaurant convert produces 20” pizzas (£20) as standard - designed to share, but that’s to your discretion (do not fear, snackers can order by the slice in Homeslice’s favourite flavours). What to expect: The Margherita is heaven to tomato lovers, thick with fresh, zingy passata, but the more adventurous types are treated to Homeslice’s inventive topping menu, which features the likes of aubergine, cauliflower cheese, spinach and harissa or oxtail and watercress with horseradish and sorrel cream."
"London may not seem like one of those cities that are synonymous with great pizza, but Homeslice seeks to change that. Serving up a selection of hearty pies (or slices!), Homeslice also offers vegan opions. The Covent Garden (Neal's Yard) location in particular is close to great shopping, so after a day of retail therapy, stop in for a delicious slice."
"If it’s pizza that the kids are craving then give Homeslice a try, rather than the big chains. There’s no special menu, but given that the enormous 20 inch pizzas arrive whole at the table for sharing, that’s not really a problem. Certain pizzas can be bought by the slice, too, which is perfect for those who aren't so fond of communal eating."
"Set amongst the bustle of the London Designer Outlet in Wembley Park, Zizzi restaurant offers simple Italian recipes made with passion. Whether it's pizza or pasta, salads or risotto, or carne and pesce (meat and fish), each dish is prepared with fresh…. Page 1 of 40|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|Next"
"Set amongst the bustle of the London Designer Outlet in Wembley Park, Zizzi restaurant offers simple Italian recipes made with passion. Whether it's pizza or pasta, salads or risotto, or carne and pesce (meat and fish), each dish is prepared with fresh…"
"Famed for its laid-back vibe, old-world grandeur and authentic Italian cuisine, it's no wonder Franco's has been a London hot spot since the Forties. The gospel of tasting rooms, nouveau burgers and artisanal mocktails is still preached all over town, but some of the capital's heritage restaurants continue to thrive without yielding to fickle trends. Franco's is a recently spruced-up pocket of old-world grandeur in St James's that packs itself out every lunch time, just as it has done since opening in the Forties."
"Having been open for more than 60 years, Franco’s is undoubtedly one of the most popular Italian restaurants in the city. Fresh seasonal produce is showcased in the tranquil surroundings and light ambience of its quiet neighbourhood, just a few minutes’ walk from Green Park. Enjoy specialities such as venison ravioli in rosemary sauce to start, and steamed sea bream or pan fried partridge as a main."
"Read the full review: Franco's61 Jermyn Street, St. James's, London, SW1Y 6LXOpen all day, Franco’s has had a place in Londoners' hearts for over 60 years. Grab an al fresco table if you can, while the considered Italian menu is versatile enough to work for both business breakfasts and late-night dates."
"The fact that Tavolino’s terrace overlooks one of London’s quintessential landmarks - Tower Bridge - could make you think that this isn’t a restaurant that’ll make you feel like you’ve broken free of the city. But you’d be wrong, because this very well might be the best terrace in the whole of London. Serving handmade pasta and proper negronis, their huge, rattan-chaired terrace has something very dolce vita about it."
"In a nutshell: Well sourced Italian restaurant on the Thames Where is it?. Unit 1, Riverside, 2 More London, London SE1 2DA. Why should you care?. Louis Korovilas was head chef of Bancone and has now moved onto his new restaurant Tavolino, on the south bank of the Thames with impressive views of the river."
"For sweeping views of Tower Bridge on one of the London's largest, sunniest terraces, you won't get better than Tavolino. With ex-Bancone chef Louis Korovilas at the helm in the kitchen, expect fresh pasta, focaccia and Italian plates galore. You could almost be in Sicily."
"Complete with flower installations, huge terracotta pots and the smartest outdoor furniture we've ever seen, this is the second restaurant from Petersham Nurseries in Covent Garden. La Goccia is more casual than Petersham next door (which also has a small number of tables outside), serving delicious plates of Italian cichetti: squid in chilli-spiked tomato salsa and white asparagus sprinkled with edible flowers. Everything on the plate is as pretty as the surroundings and really, that is why you're here."
"It’s the strangest thing, but sipping lukewarm prosecco in that paddling pool you ordered from Argos really isn’t making you feel like you’re on Lake Garda. Luckily, the hidden courtyard at La Goccia will give you that whole dolce vita feel, and more importantly, access to some great Italian small plates. Be warned that prices can stack up quickly, but it’s totally worth it for a top-tier catch-up or a special date night."
"The Petersham team also have a restaurant on their Covent Garden site, which has a somewhat secret garden in an internal courtyard, protected on all sides from the surrounding building. That, plus cosy blankets on the seats, make it a popular choice for al fresco drinks and nibbles, especially during aperitivo hour."
"62 Seymour Street, W1H 5BN Sabrina Gidda, a two-time Roux scholarship finalist, is now heading the kitchen at this Portman Village Italian. She does a sublime rose-veal tonnato, parmesan gnocchi with venison ragù and slow-cooked lamb shoulder with salsify and bagna cauda - all dishes that blew us away. With dedicated service from a crack front-of-house team, this large and comfortable place is one of our most exciting discoveries."
"Located just a stone’s throw away in Archway, 500 is a popular Italian restaurant that’s received rave reviews from critics. Enjoy great food and drinks, including an a la carte menu with dishes like Carpaccio tiepido di Manzo con nocciole (warm beef carpaccio, served with hazelnuts, grana Padano cheese and celery). Moreover, there’s plenty of Italian passion at 500, and it’s easy to see why local residents have taken such a liking to this little gem close to Islington."
"Investigate bodies beautiful and bizarre at the Wellcome Collection, a free museum near Euston concentrating on the human body. A permanent collection of anatomical curios is on display, and their programme of temporary exhibitions is usually pretty cool too. The beautiful library and reading room upstairs is an especially tranquil spot to enjoy a book or catch up on some emails."
"An museum mostly consisting of art about medicine might seem like a bit of a strange one, but the Wellcome Collection attracts more than 700,000 visitors every year. Inside, you’ll find an oddly fascinating collection of art, books and artefacts relating to the development of medicine around the globe. It’s certainly enough to evoke some morbid curiosity!"
"Just a short walk away from the British Museum is the Wellcome Collection, the ‘free destination for the incurably curious’. Discover a fascinating collection exploring the connection between medicine and art. Top of the list of unusual things to do in London, you’ll leave the venue with a new-found appreciation for all things health and fitness."
"Exhibiting modern art by both up-and-coming and established artists from the USA, Europe and Asia, Victoria Miro is a gallery that is all about the wow factor. “Their recent Idris Kahn exhibition, Beyond the Black in 2013, gave me the same wow effect as when I went to see Mark Rothko at Tate Modern” says Matthew, recalling to us how the atmosphere of the gallery that day was both powerful and enthralling. Having worked closely with Idris Kahn in the past, Matthew told us he felt very proud to see what he had achieved."
"Victoria Miro is recognised for celebrating new artists from America, Europe and Asia as well as sustaining amazing homegrown London talent. The large space is set across two floors, and the gallery is particularly unique as it has its own garden. The studio represents established installation artist Doug Aitken as well as more modern artists including Conrad Shawcross and Alice Neel."
"This gallery is in an 8,000-square-foot former furniture factory situated between Hoxton and Islington in north east London. Victoria Miro can be relied upon to exhibit the very best and most extraordinary in contemporary art. For example, currently it is showing work by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama whose iconic pumpkin sculptures are a sight to behold."
"Toddlers can let their imaginations run wild at the UK’s first Story Centre. A day pass includes entry to the Story World and Story Garden where you see tales like The Gruffalo brought to life by Story Builders. There are also storytelling sessions and family exhibitions which you can book onto."
"Also known as the Temple of Mithras, this museum is centered around the remains of an ancient Roman temple in the City of London, left from the days of Roman rule, and is one of the lesser-known free museums in the capital. Named as one of the UK’s most significant archaeological sites, the museum showcases the ancient temple and a selection of interesting Roman artefacts found during excavations, including fragments of writing-tablets which feature the first known reference to London and the earliest hand-written document in Britain."
"One of London’s quirkier and lesser-known spots is literally a blend of old and new. The London Mithraeum is a museum centred around the ruins of a Roman Temple and is located, rather oddly, underneath the shiny glass Bloomberg Buildings in the middle of the city. A visit to the Mithraeum is not just looking at old artefacts, but a full on sensory experience."
"Year Built: c.240 CE Location: Modern-day Walbrook Purpose: Temple/sanctuary Still Standing: No – only partial ruins remain. photo source: Wikimedia Commons. The Temple of Mithras is one of the few remnants leftover from the Roman Empire’s time in the area and is one of the oldest buildings ever discovered in London."