Covent Garden, Italian Restaurant Guide

The undoubtedly “beautiful central London location” of this Covent Garden spin-off from the famous Richmond plant nursery makes it – for some reporters – “worth paying for the pricey food” in its two restaurants, especially if you have romance in mind. Plenty of others disagree, complaining of “disappointing” food in an operation that is “not even a decent shadow of the home port”.

The “gorgeous setting”, in Covent Garden’s newish Floral Court development and with an outside courtyard, is a highpoint at this venture from the family who own Richmond’s well-known Petersham Nurseries: “perfect for a date”. Although “expensive”, it was complimented more often this year for its “lovely”, simple Italian cuisine.

“Totally bonkers” and “Insta heaven” – the latest maximalist, Central Casting interpretation of Italian restaurant culture from the French group Big Mamma (who hit paydirt with Gloria and Circolo Populare) opened in Covent Garden in summer 2021. Despite being massive (with 295 covers over two floors and two terraces), and its cheesily cheeky menu (‘Lettuce Pray’ salad, ‘Chocolate al Porno’) it’s not inspired a huge number of reports. Perhaps this was due to the pasting it received from the press (“Nonna’s gone to Iceland”, said The Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa) but our (quite limited) feedback includes no major complaints.

This former pub in Covent Garden (part of Urban Pubs & Bars) serves “dependable tapas-style” Spanish and Italian small plates in an atmosphere that “feels both private and buzzing”. Marks have dropped off in recent years, though, and those who remember it back in the day, when it really fizzed along, feel it’s “lost its game”.

“A good choice for a light meal in the centre of own, with a broad menu of uncomplicated dishes to suit most people”, and offering “a delicious and authentic taste of Italy” – that’s how their large army of followers see Angela Hartnett’s “buzzy” and “unpretentious” cafés, proclaiming them “a decent effort all in all”. Major complaints are few, but ratings overall end up middling due to gripes of “tired” décor; or culinary results that are “OK but nothing special”. Top Menu Tip – “the arancini are always worth a go”.

“A good choice for a light meal in the centre of own, with a broad menu of uncomplicated dishes to suit most people”, and offering “a delicious and authentic taste of Italy” – that’s how their large army of followers see Angela Hartnett’s “buzzy” and “unpretentious” cafés, proclaiming them “a decent effort all in all”. Major complaints are few, but ratings overall end up middling due to gripes of “tired” décor; or culinary results that are “OK but nothing special”. Top Menu Tip – “the arancini are always worth a go”.

“Don’t go if you have a phobia of crowds” and it’s a little “touristy”, but this outpost of the San Carlo group by the Coliseum gets the thumbs-up: it’s “buzzy and fun”; “the great small plates” are “more than competent for a large, high turnover place”; and it has “a super location for pre-theatre meals”.

“Suave” “classic, top-end Italian” in Covent Garden that’s run by co-founder Nicolas Jaouën, who presides over “an elegant room, smooth service and capable cooking”. It’s “not cheap, but you leave feeling you have been looked after well”. The “excellent list” numbers 350 wines.

“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”.

“Narrow, buzzy and full of black-and-white photos of Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn and Marcello Mastroianni in their heyday” – this longstanding Covent Garden stalwart “is like a trattoria from one’s dreams of holidays in Tuscany or Rome”. “Andrea, the entertaining owner, loves a good chat with guests while they enjoy delicious Italian dishes just like mamma used to make. All ages have a great time”.

One of Italy’s recent hits, this sustainable fast-food pasta business with 12 branches arrived in Covent Garden in November 2021(and quickly opened a second in Islington in June 2022). The limited feedback in our annual diners’ poll was somewhat in tune with The Telegraph’s William Sitwell (who was so disappointed he suggested the chain “be summoned to the foreign office and expelled”): “I was so excited based on all the social media around the place: food was average (as in something you’d make at home when you’re in a rush)”.