The pasta scene in London has arguably never been better; from Peckham’s Artusi and London Bridge’s Padella all the way to Shoreditch’s Manteca, the best Italian restaurants in London offer an embarrassment of riches in the form of unleavened dough. Indeed, London is brimming with excellent Italian restaurants, some new and some old. Lina stores, a beloved Soho institution, falls into the latter camp.
Serving authentic Italian cuisine since 1944, Lina Stores was originally a delicatessen and over the years expanded its offerings to include fresh homemade pasta, sweets, cured meats, and cheeses, all imported straight from Italy.
Today, it has locations all over London with the Greek Street branch being an extension of their original delicatessen nearby on Brewer Street. With its iconic ice-cream parlour pastel facade, it’s undeniably one of the best places for pasta in the city.
The continuity between the two establishments has created a cohesive identity, with both locations situated just around the corner from each other; a keen sense of place-and-time providing the ultimate seasoning for the restaurant’s capably prepared fresh pasta dishes.
Our advice is to pull up a stool at their 12 seater bar in front of the open kitchen and prioritise the pasta. Here, the more restrained the dish, the better, in our mind. So, that’s a simple bowl of spaghetti plainly but poetically dressed with Amalfi lemon, pink peppercorn and drifts of Grana Padano – it’s one of the most simple yet sensational pasta plates in the city.
For those keen to try as much of the menu as possible, Lina is on the more affordable end of the dining out in Central London price spectrum, with that amalfi lemon number clocking in at just £7.50 – assess your hunger and then order as many of these as you can rationalise! Follow this up with a single scoop of pistachio gelato and luxuriate in this very austere version of paradise.
Website: linastores.co.uk
Address: 51 Greek St, London W1D 4EH
