Harden's says
London’s appetite for fresh pasta specialists remains undimmed (Pastaio, Padella, Pastifico all spring to mind). The latest addition is this Covent Garden-fringe venture from William Ellner (of Joanna’s in Crystal Palace) and David Ramsey with ex-Locanda Locatelli chef Louis Korovilas in the kitchen whipping up the likes of pappardelle with kid goat and rosemary ragù. There’s also an aperiviti and cicchetti bar.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“A perfect pre-theatre choice that’s quick and classy” – these West End pasta-stops off Trafalgar Square and in Soho provide “excellent pasta, reasonable prices and a speedy turnaround”. “Buzzy rather than comfortable (many tables only have stools), really keen nearly all Italian staff provide the (fairly) limited menu” – “fab fresh pasta” with “modern Italian flavours” that’s “not complicated, but done with precision”, all “at an amazing price”.
Summary
“Superbly-flavourful” pasta dishes at “extremely good-value” prices – especially for the West End – make Louis Korovilas’s “handy” yearling “one of the better options in the tourist centre” of town, just off Trafalgar Square. Some reporters feel it’s “let down by the long, narrow shape of the restaurant”, but more commonly it’s judged an “elegant, buzzing, if packed space”.
For 32 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Bancone?
Restaurant details
Bancone Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Very nice pasta"
"This is the second time visiting this restaurant. We came again because the food is truly outstanding. But what lets the restaurant down is the abysmal service. We had to ask for tap water 5 times before receiving it and two of our drinks arrived, but the other one we had to ask for 3 times. The waiting staff looked like their minds were elsewhere - totally gormless and unprofessional. They wouldn't leave the water bottle on the table or provide a container to take food home, citing some spurious restaurant protocol. We won't bother again because the service totally ruined the experience."
"Expertly freshly made, creative take on pasta, in a bustling space, with friendly service."
"Perhaps just a shade too popular for its own good, but the food is always good, and it's another place where a ringside seat adds to the entertainment. "
"An excellent pasta restaurant where the silk handkerchiefs dish really shines. Very good value. "
"I'd put this place 2nd behind padella. Certainly streets ahead of Pastaio. Good food and good environment. Staff do their best but despite there being seemingly hordes of them, service can be a little patchy. "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £21.50 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.50 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑10:30 pm |
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