South Kensington, Italian Restaurant Guide

“A throwback to old-school dining” – this wittingly old-fashioned chain (created in the last 10 years) channels an imagined La Dolce Vita lifestyle into its “enjoyable if slightly stuffy” mix of chic Italian cafés and restaurants (if you are of a certain age, think 1980s Tatler). They look “pretty” and are “attractive in their own way”: “not bad if a bit overpriced”. That’s the kind view anyway: harsher critics say they “could do better” and “don’t deserve a revisit”. But they must be doing something right, as in July 2021 they opened in St John’s Wood.

This “welcoming neighbourhood spot” on a Chelsea corner “won’t win awards – but it won’t let you down” with its “reliably tasty” Tuscan cooking. “The only downside is if you go late, the noise level is high.”

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, this family-run Italian on the Fulham Road is “everything you’d expect in an upmarket Chelsea restaurant” – although the service, led by host Lucio Altana and his sons Dario and Mirko, “is rather better than you might anticipate”.

Family-owned Italian near the Albert Hall that’s “a good option for getting away from the chains”. Open for five decades, it was apparently a favourite lunch haunt of Princess Diana, who would bring Princes Wills and Harry for pizza.

This “family-run bustling Italian with a loyal clientele” near Chelsea & Westminster hospital is “the locals’ favourite – I could eat here once a week”. The food (especially the pasta) is “well above average” (“bring a hearty appetite as portions are generous”) and prices “reasonable”, but it does get “very hectic” to the point of being “too noisy in the evenings” .

This “treasured Chelsea local, tucked away in a cosy basement off the Fulham Road ‘beach’”, inspires a devoted following from its regulars, looking after them with “classy and delicious” Italian dishes and an impressive wine list. Tourists and casual passers-by are unlikely even to notice the all-but-hidden entrance, adding to the clubbish appeal.