Best Italian Restaurants in London

London has one of the world's most competitive Italian restaurant scenes, shaped by decades of Italian immigration, the city's appetite for authentic regional cooking, and a new generation of Italian-trained chefs reinterpreting their heritage for a discerning London audience. From old-school trattoria in Soho to modern regional Italian restaurants in Fitzrovia, the options are outstanding.

The influence of the River Café — open since 1987 and still one of London's most celebrated restaurants — on the city's appreciation for seasonal, regional Italian cooking cannot be overstated. Locanda Locatelli in Marylebone, Padella in Borough Market (famous queues for its pasta), and Bancone in Covent Garden represent different points on the quality-value spectrum. The proliferation of excellent neighbourhood Italian restaurants in Islington, Notting Hill, and Clapham shows how deeply Italian food culture is embedded in London.