Bocca di Lupo

 A true Italian institution in London

Courgette flower stuffed with mozzarella & anchovy

Bocca di Lupo has been a fixture of Soho dining for well over a decade, and in a city where restaurant fashions arrive and disappear with remarkable speed, its longevity says almost everything that needs to be said. Yet what is most striking about Bocca di Lupo is not that it has survived, but that it has remained so consistently relevant without ever appearing to chase relevance at all. In an era when restaurants often lean heavily on theatrical presentation, social media appeal, elaborate concepts or endless reinvention, Bocca di Lupo continues to do something far more difficult: it simply cooks exceptionally well. Walking through the door feels less like entering one of London's most celebrated Italian restaurants and more like arriving at a neighbourhood institution.

Motorino

 Premium Italian offering but off the mark

Tuna, tomato and capers

There is a certain irony that Stevie Parle's return to Italian cooking arrives at a moment when London hardly lacks for pasta restaurants. Yet Motorino, the latest opening from Parle, never feels like an attempt to chase a trend. Instead, it feels like the work of a chef revisiting familiar territory with the confidence gained from years of experience. Parle, whose recent success at Town demonstrated his commitment to British produce and thoughtful, ingredient-led cooking, has teamed up with head chef Luke Ahearne to create a restaurant that borrows the soul of Italy without becoming trapped by convention.

Burro

 The new Italian kid in the garden

Anchovies, crostini and butter

From the people behind the infamous Italian restaurant Trullo in North London, Burro is the kind of place that arrives in London with a quiet confidence. Inside, the room is warm without trying too hard, with soft lighting, pale wood, and just enough texture to stop it from feeling generic. The staff strikes a balance that’s harder than it looks: attentive without hovering, knowledgeable without sounding rehearsed. On my visit, the server talked through the menu like someone who had actually tasted everything, offering quick, honest opinions rather than a memorised script. Burro isn’t aiming to reinvent Italian food or chase trends. It’s trying to cook familiar things well, with good ingredients, and serve them in a room where people want to stay a while. 

Brutto

 High energy vibe, less on the food

Vitello tonnato

Walking into Brutto, nestled at 35-37 Greenhill Rents in Clerkenwell, London, you are greeted by the kind of energy that suggests a trattoria in full swing rather than a formal white tablecloth venue. The red-and-white gingham tablecloths, the vintage wall art, the faint hum of conversation, and the clinking of cutlery all combine to create a warm but lively environment. The restaurant is a rustic homage to Florence via London, with a meat-forward (no fish!), Tuscan-inspired menu and a friendly, casual approach.

Osteria Angelina

 Fusion fun but far from perfect

Sicilian Red Prawns, Tentsuyu & Crispy Rice

Stepping into Osteria Angelina feels like entering a sleek warehouse-loft that has been tenderly reworked as a high-end “osteria” on the edge of the City and Shoreditch. On the plate, the menu at Osteria Angelina unabashedly brings together Italian traditions and Japanese technique: “itameshi” fusion. I have visited once already, and I felt the quality warranted a return.

Osteria Angelina

 Italian‑Japanese Fusion with Flair

Tomato and seaweed salad

Osteria Angelina, the latest outpost from the team behind Dalston’s acclaimed Angelina, takes root in Shoreditch with a bold promise: to fuse the soul of an Italian osteria with the precision and umami‑rich palette of Japanese cooking, tucked inside a restored Victorian warehouse just off Norton Folgate. Where the original Angelina offered tightly curated tasting menus, this Shoreditch sibling widens the lens with a more expansive à la carte menu, inviting guests to build their own journey through small plates, handmade pastas, and grilled mains.

Morchella

Innovative Mediterranean charm

Salt cod churros

London's food scene is ever-evolving, and it takes something truly special for a restaurant to stand out. Morchella, a relatively new gem in the city's bustling culinary landscape, has been quietly making waves with its innovative menu and warm atmosphere. Morchella offers a dining experience that's all about Mediterranean cuisine with a British touch, and highly seasonal. You would find Southern French, Spanish, Italian and Greek essences among the food offerings. The interesting thing about Morchella is it doesn't have a service charge as is factored into the price of the food.

Morchella

Innovative flavours of the Mediterranean region

Salt cod churros

It is hard to look beyond Mediterranean cuisine for a summer feast with fresh flavors. Flavours from Italy and Greece etc provide some of the most attractive and colourful tastes. However, many restaurants that offer Mediterranean cuisine can fall into the trap of doing traditional things, but nowhere as good as the real deal due to not being able to source local ingredients at their peak form. Therefore, some innovative twists to take advantage of the best British ingredients is a welcoming change and in Morchella, a brand new opening has a short but interesting menu that I was more than happy to explore.

Gloria

Not as glorious as it seems

Langoustine and black pepper tagliatelle

Part of the flamboyant Big Mama group's collection of funky Italian restaurants in London, Gloria in Shoreditch is an all-day trattoria that attracts tourists and people who love to follow social media trends. This is not my kind of place to go to usually, from what I can see on its website, all Big Mama group's Italian restaurants have similar menus, but each carries a different name with different decor, the food offering seems basic enough for Italian cuisine, from cold cut, pasta to pizza etc. 

Contraste Milan

 Enjoyable mind game in Milan

Strawberry and tuna sauce Creme brulée with figs and foie gras Sardines "in saor"

The like of Fat Duck by Heston and El Bulli by Ferran Adrià has put molecular gastronomy cuisine on the map more than 15 years ago. Back then it was grand breaking and turned the dining experience into a fantasy journey and not just a dinner. Fast forward to 2023, such cuisine become common in many parts of the fine dining world but has also lost the hype it used to command. At the end of the day, is it just gimmicks? Contraste in Milan doesn't offer many clues when you check its website, and it does feel like you put your trust in the kitchen team to deliver a tasting menu that is full of surprises.

Andrea Aprea Milan

Contemporary food art in Milan

Tomato, basil and burrata

Chef Andrea Aprea held 2 Michelin stars back in the days when he was the executive chef for VUN hotel in Milan. In late 2022, he fulfilled his dream of having his very own restaurant, launched within an art museum on the top floor of the Luigi Rovati Foundation. Within the space of half a year since opening, the restaurant got a Michelin star to its name, something truly amazing. The restaurant space itself is also impressive, with an open kitchen on display in front of very few tables (about 16 covers), yet it has close to 25 staff for one service. There is 3 menu to pick from, a 4, 6 and 8 menu, but all have their very own dishes without overlapping.

Osteria Conchetta Milan

Traditional Milano cuisine with a twist

Handcut Mangaliza ham aged 24 months

Whenever I visit Italy, eating at a local traditional restaurant is a must as those venues can be just as amazing as fine ding venues. I picked Osteria Conchetta mostly based on the restaurant is not too far from my hotel, but just from looking online, the offering is really exciting with plenty of great reviews. Good ham, rice, and meat dishes, all sound wonderful to me. What caught my eye is the restaurant's take on risotto, besides all the classic Northern Italian ways of cooking rice, Osteria Conchetta's signature is creamy rice cooked in a giant Grana Padano cheese wheel with vodka. 

Piazza Duomo

White truffle pairing menu

The sea... scallop, pumpkin with Alba white truffle

Piazza Duomo is a restaurant like no other. The only Michelin-starred restaurant within the town center of Alba in Italy. A region that is famous for its Alba white truffle, led by chef Enrico Crippa and opened in 2005. At the peak of white truffle season in the winter, Piazza Duomo offers a special 7-course tasting menu that pair with white truffle. Clearly, this restaurant is somewhere special as is one of the handfuls of 3 Michelin-starred venues in Italy, as well as voted 19th in the widely popular World 50 Best awards. The expectation for me was extremely high. As I visited in the winter, it was a no-brainer for me to opt for the truffle-tasting menu.

Osteria del Vicoletto

The master of Traditional Piemonte cuisine

Veal tartare with Alba white truffle

Osteria del Vicoletto is a classy traditional Piemonte restaurant located in the heart of Alba. No creativity and no cutting-edge cooking techniques. It is a small place that houses around 25 guests. it serves classic Piemonte cuisine with a stunning wine list largely dominated by wines from the local region. Osteria del Vicoletto pride itself on using the finest local ingredients, with simplicity in its cooking, nothing fancy. Truffle seasons mean I opted for a lot of truffle dishes which really pushed up the cost, but since I was on holiday, I went all in.

Osteria dell'Arco

Hearty mood, Piemonte style

Goat cheese fondue with Alba white truffle

Located in the heart of the town square of Alba, Italy. Osteria dell'Arco is a highly regarded traditional Piemonte restaurant that is known for its slow-cooked dishes. In the winter, when is at peak Alba white truffle season, the restaurant like to add a touch of luxury on top with white truffles added to selected dishes. White truffle is a serious business in Alba, a typical dish at Osteria dell'Arco would cost around 15 euros, but as soon as some white truffle is added, it will shoot to around the 45 euro mark.

Osteria La Libera

Piemonte cuisine with a modern touch

 

Egg, porcini mushrooms with Alba white truffle

Just a stone's throw from the busy Alba old town, Osteria La Libera is a modern Piemonte restaurant that has been a crowd-pleaser since it was launched back in 2009. Unlike many of its neighbor restaurants that stick to true tradition, Osteria La Libera likes to add a touch of a playful element to make it's offering contemporary, but not over the top with creativity. The menu format is your typical 4-course affair with starter, pasta, main, and dessert. As it was the peak of truffle season, I opted for a few dishes with truffle supplements.

Agostino Iacobucci

Fine dining like an Italian noble

Raddish, roe, and vermouth

Set inside Villa Zarri, a brandy distillery and mansion just off Bologna, Agostino Iacobucci is a Michelin-starred restaurant like no other. The building itself is a charming 16th-century mansion, with a massive garden. The interior itself is impressive, with well-spread-out space, and stepping inside feels like visiting a noble's home. The head chef here is Agostino Iacobucci, who moved from Bologna's only Michelin-starred restaurant I Portici's his cooking has a hint of Naple element as that is where he came from. It is a tasting-menu only restaurant, guests can pick either 10 or 12 courses.

Ristorante I Portici

From Bologna to around the world

Marinated sea bass with green curry, fermented banana

Located inside a 5 stars hotel with the same name, I Portici is also the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Bologna. The restaurant has impressive decor, as set in a former theater space. The kitchen is headed up by Gianluca Renzi, who came from the much-celebrated 3 stars restaurant La Pergola in Rome. Interestingly enough, he also worked at Apsleys in London which was one of the finest Italian restaurants in London back in the day. At Portici, in the usual fine dining manner, it offers a tasting menu that has a story theme to it. It kicks off with the familiar taste of Bologna, before heading off far and beyond with International elements.

Ahime

 Hipster Italian joint in Bologna

Sourdough with juniper butter

Located behind the famous Mercato delle Erbe market in Bologna, Ahime is a restaurant like no other. The restaurant is dark in colour with a counter dining space facing the kitchen. It serves small plates and doesn't follow the traditional order with starter, pasta, and main. Your order comes from the kitchen as it is ready, almost like a tapas restaurant. This place won't look out of place in Shoreditch. The food is creative and has unusual ingredient combinations, with a high degree of focus on vegetables. To make life easy for me, I opted for the tasting menu which gives the kitchen the freedom to cook up as they like.

Trattoria da Me

 Classic for a reason

Egg-pasta with bolognese sauce

I have been to Italy a few times, but I am fully aware that Italian cuisine is much more complex and each 20 regions of Italy offer something unique. My recent trip to Bologna, which is supposed to be Italy's food capital, is famous for its pasta, along with Parmigiano Reggiano and prosciutto. For my first stop, of course, I got to sample the traditional cuisine of Bologna. Trattoria da Me is highly rated by the locals and on my evening visit, it is already flooded with people even before it is open. Opened in 1937, it has become one of the most iconic restaurants in the city.