Bocca di Lupo

The hallmark of fine quality Italian cooking

Grilled langoustines

Booca Di Lupo has long been a popular Italian restaurant in Soho, a hit for the locals and I recalled every time when I walked past Archer Street, the restaurant is always packed. To secure a table for a weekend dinner slot, you will need to book weeks in advance, if not months. Covid came along and it seems that didn't impact much to Bocca di Lupo as far as booking once lock down was over, thanks to its strong loyal customers base it has built up over the year. This is not a typical Italian restaurant, with a big selection of regional dishes in mostly small pates format, almost like tapas style so you most likely need to order 3 - 4 dishes per person, depending on how hungry you are.

Nettle pappardelle with lamb ragu

Grilled pork chop marinated in honey and rosemary

Grilled turbot tranche

For the pasta course, I had the pappardelle with lamb ragu, which I recalled well as I ordered a similar dish from Booca di Lupo's cook at home meal kit when UK was in full lock down mode. The pasta was faultless, really smooth with a nice chewy texture, and was clothed by the ragu sauce wonderfully. The grilled turbot was finely seasoned and cooked well, really moist, and with a hint of smokiness on the surface from the crispy skin. The star dish of the meal was the grilled pork chop, cooked to the perfect level, extremely tender, and reached the perfect harmony with the use of honey and rosemary, it was really special. Less successful for me was the native lobster with peas, which I found the peas were over seasoned and the lobster was a touch overcooked, which was a real shame.

Roman tripes

Suckling pig porchetta

Lobster with peas, onions and basil

I was really pleased to be able to return to Bocca di Lupo, while the meal was not perfect, it was very enjoyable and I just love the setting and atmosphere of the venue, which itself is somewhat embedded as part of Soho's heritage. The food offering is not your typical Italian too, with many regional dishes that can be rare to see in the UK, such as braised tripes and suckling pig. As the menu is ever-changing based on the season, you can be eating very different things based on when you visit, a good excuse for you to go to Bocca di Lupo multi-time if you enjoy great quality Italian food in a lively and stylish setting.

Food 3.5/5

What I paid: 
£72 per head with wines

Average cost without drinks and services:
£50 menu


12 Archer St, London W1D 7BB

http://www.boccadilupo.com/