London’s lanes are lined with linguine. The city’s streets strewn with spaghetti, its paths paved with penne. Indeed, the capital is clinging to its pasta so fervently, that you’re as likely to find traces of double zero flour on its pub toilet cisterns as you are lines of 00.
But with saturation comes an over-starching of the waters, and the proliferation of pasta joints in London has made things a little cloudy – when you’ve got one on every corner, how do you discern which place is genuinely doing a decent pumpkin agnolotti with sage butter?
Yep, there’s a lot of places out there who have taken ‘al dente’ to mean raw and dressed to mean drowning, that’s for sure. In Soho, this feels particularly pertinent, where winnowing the durum wheat from the husk and hares feels tougher than pulling off a proper mantecare in a crepe pan.
That’s not to say that there aren’t some fantastic Italian restaurants in this corner of the West End; you just have to look a little harder. Fear not; we’ve taken on the unenviable task of eating pasta all across Soho, piercing new holes in our belts and overworking our Italian terminology in the process, to bring you these; the best places for pasta in Soho, London.
Bocca Di Lupo, Archer Street
Ideal for regionally focused Italian cooking from a Soho heavy hitter…
In a city where the idea of what an Italian restaurant should look like has fast homogenised into either; 1. A place with around 8 pasta dishes, one of which must be a riff on cacio e pepe containing a decadent ingredient, and 2. An Italian/American ‘red sauce’ joint, Bocca di Luppo is refreshing in its maximalist menu, a country-spanning lap of honour that’s not overly in thrall to only pasta, and all the better for it.
Since opening in late 2008, the restaurant has quietly, skilfully become one of London’s most cherished institutions, a place of sophistication, grace and good taste, but also one that’s not afraid of serving up fifth quarter cuts and a rowdy, raucous time when it needs to.
At the helm, Jacob Kenedy, a Cambridge alumnus with a rich and varied background ranging from biology to glassblowing, brings his formidable presence and natural culinary gift to the pastaiola and menu, with dishes labelled according to Italy’s 20 regions.
In the pasta section of that menu, the Alpine-adjacent nettle pappardelle with wild venison ragu, from Trentino, is a knockout. Available in both small and sharing sizes (for £13 and £26), its verdancy and earthy interplay come together in a seriously soulful bowlful. For something a little lighter on the stomach and wallet (and vegetarian, to boot), the Puglian orecchiette with cime di rapa is an exemplary rendition of a stone cold classic.
You can read our full write-up of Bocca di Luppo here.
Website: boccadilupo.com
Address: 12 Archer St, London W1D 7BB
Pastaio, Ganton Street
Ideal for a harmonious marriage of British produce and Italian culinary tradition, in perhaps the buzziest dining room in town…
Since 2017, this proudly pasta-obsessed restaurant on Soho’s Ganton Street has been dishing out fresh, handcrafted bowls of the good stuff. The work of skilled, sound chef Stevie Parle, Pastaio pays respect to Italian culinary tradition whilst singing with the flavours of seasonal British produce, and it’s a match made in heaven, with premium ingredients like Dorset crab and foraged wild mushrooms treated with respect and a deft, light touch. Call it ‘Britalian’, if you like.
There’s a utilitarian feel to the room, with communal dining tables arranged in three long rows, and steam rising from the rolling boil of several deep wells of cloudy pasta water in the open kitchen that overlooks the diners. A striking mural by Rob Lowe adds a wall of bright, stain-glass style colour to the industrial chic decor. A team of busy, dexterous pastai and attentive, supremely charming wait staff keep the plates coming.
All of this creates a commotion of clatter and chatter that feels so right for a busy night in the heart of Soho, the floor to ceiling doors slung wide open and out onto the street to reel people in.
It works – there’s always a queue here, the punters lining up for a bowl of radiatore (squat and ridged like a radiator, hence the name) with a tomato sauce that’s been simmered until rust coloured and separating at its edges. Though your Nonna might chastise you for adding it, the dish is served with parmesan. The umami levels are strong on this one. Yours for just £12.
On a more recent visit, we enjoyed a bolognese of beef and porcini, cooked low and slow for maximum flavour (8 hours, if you’re asking). Another deeply rich dish, bold and intense, this one clinged to its bouncy tangle of tagliatelle just right.
For something unashamedly indulgent, try the sharing lobster pasta. Sourced from Cornwall and rolling out across the dining room in a near constant flow, it’s quite the showstopper and clearly very popular. It’s on the list for next time.
It isn’t all punch-you-in-the-face flavour though. The delicate tortellini, filled with mortadella and ricotta, bob pleasingly in their brodo, here a soothing, shimmering chicken broth that’s just the right side of aureate. It’s seasoned gently, allowing the stuffed pasta to shine. Be warned; this dish sells out fast.
The crowds aren’t only here for the pasta, mind; the wine list at Pastaio is a curated selection of great-value vintages, featuring lesser-known Italian growers, with every bottle also available by the glass. That’s inclusivity, guys!
Bookend your meal with a tidy puck of aubergine caponata with the excellent house focaccia, and a comically generous wedge of baked ricotta cheesecake, here adorned with poached rhubarb, and totter off into the night ready to take on the Carnaby Street crowds.
Website: pastaio.co.uk
Address: 19 Ganton St, Carnaby, London W1F 9BN
Read: The best restaurants near Soho’s Carnaby Street
Lina Stores, Greek Street
Ideal for bowls of pasta that any Genovesi Nonni would be proud of…
Rationing and an ongoing world war be damned; Lina Stores has been sourcing, selling and serving authentic Italian ingredients since 1944, when Lina (surname unknown) from Genoa opened up shop here. Or so the story goes…
In 2018, Lina Stores opened its first restaurant on Greek Street, just a few minutes’ walk away from the original deli on Brewer. Rendered in now instantly-recognisable pastel-green and white stripes, it’s fast become a fan favourite for those looking for a freshly made bowl of pasta in Soho (and now King’s Cross, Marylebone, Clapham and the City, with another soon to open in Kensington).
Anyway, we’re not here for a backstory that’s been recycled so thoroughly across the internet that it’s become true – we’re here for fresh pasta, which the original branch of Lina Stores does very well indeed.
Lina is a great place for vegetarians. There’s a version of that ubiquitous pumpkin and sage ravioli, here given bite and intrigue from toasted Piemonte hazelnuts, as well as a silky, slippery egg yolk taglioni with black truffle. As spring approaches, we’re looking forward to a seasonal transition into the more verdant ravioli dishes that the restaurant does so well.
For the carnivores, the lamb sausage ragu is a farmyardy number with an assertive kick of chilli and further pastoral vibes from wafts of pecorino. The latter calls – no, demands – a glass of something pink, and the restaurant’s Chiaretto del Garda from Lombardy duly delivers, its whispers of carbonation seeing off the gamier elements of the dish in style.
Website: linastores.co.uk
Address: 51 Greek St, London W1D 4EH
Mele e Pere, Brewer Street
Ideal for trattoria-generous bowls of pasta with a side of vermouth…
Though Mele e Pere is stepping confidently into its second decade on Brewer Street, it honestly feels like it’s been around even longer, its neon sign and spotlit vermouth collection illuminating Soho until late 7 nights a week.
The effect is somehow even more radiant within, with a warm welcome and boisterous atmosphere drowning you out before you’ve even asked for a table. Though the name translates as ‘apples and pears’, the only fruit you’ll find on the menu is the lemon you’ll be squeezing over your calamari fritti, which is a generous, properly salty affair full of tentacles and scraps, just as it should be.
Head Chef Andrea Mantovani, who previously honed his skills at the late, great Arbutus, certainly knows what he’s doing, with the pasta plates trattoria-generous rather than London-small-plates-stingy. A glorious, squiggly mafaldine is positively heaving under the weight of its San Marzano sauce and bulbous, faintly obscene ball of burrata. Even more indulgent is the pappardelle with duck ragu, which comes with wisps of black truffle freshly grated tableside. It’s ace.
Not to be missed is the extensive wine list, celebrating independent and biodynamic Italian producers and, of course, Mele e Pele’s vermouth collection, the largest in the city. Pull up a stool (you should probably book one, actually) at the gorgeous copper bar and order a vermouth flight, which is a curated selection of 3 for £26. It’s a fine way to begin a meal.
Website: meleepere.co.uk
Address: 46 Brewer St, London W1F 9NY
Bancone, Golden Square
Ideal for perching at the counter with the silkiest of silk handkerchiefs…
Founded in 2018 by Will Ellner and his business partner David Ramsay (no relation to…), Bacone has already established itself as one of London’s better pasta purveyors.
The name ‘Bancone’, translating to ‘bar’ or ‘counter’ in Italian, is a nod to the restaurant’s layout, featuring three bars that offer patrons a front-row seat to the open kitchen’s pasta-making spectacle. It’s a place where the clatter of pots and pans harmonises with the chatter of diners, lending itself to a dine-happily-but-dine-quickly mood that’s no doubt pretty positive for the restaurant’s bottom line.
Perhaps that explains the bargain £7 signature negronis, available in white, classic or orange blossom, the latter of the trio perky and fragrant.
Anyway, back to the pasta. Here it’s handmade and handsome each and every day, and that sprightly essence is best realised in the restaurant’s more restrained dishes. A case in point is the signature, a comforting bowl of silk handkerchiefs with walnut butter and a confit egg yolk. Ditto the bucatini cacio e pepe, which is served as god intended; piquant from the pecorino, plush and pokey. And not an erroneous, unnecessary addition in sight.
A ruddy faced, positively porky number of n’duja & fennel ragù, all piled over frilly but strapping mafalde, is an intense, lively affair. A damn good side of grilled artichoke, sitting on a roughly hewn bed of romesco, is all you need to complete the spread.
Yep, if you’re looking for a quality bowl of fresh pasta in Soho, you can bank on this one.
There’s another branch near Leicester Square, just off Covent Garden, as well as one in Borough Yards. We’ll say it again; London cannot get enough of pasta.
Website: bancone.co.uk
Address: 8-10 Lower James St, London W1F 9EL
Notto, Piccadilly Street
Ideal for refined, luxurious pasta from one of the UK’s most celebrated chefs…
Not(to) quite Soho, we accept, but we simply had to mention chef Phil Howard’s latest opening.
He’s always had a wicked way with pasta, back in the Square days, currently in the E-Street (glory) days, and back in the COVID dark days, when Howard started a bespoke, high-end pasta delivery service. So popular was the stuff arriving through the letterbox that Notto is now two bricks and mortar joints, one just off Piccadilly and another in Covent Garden, and we’re very much here for it. For them? It? Who cares…
Though the company line here is all about “seasonal, satisfying” rustic simplicity, let’s be honest; the dishes here fall on the cheffier side of things, with a certain sense of refinement and luxury found in Notto’s pasta plates.
It’s there in the spaghettini with a langoustine bisque that’s been cooked until almost tasting of copper, and bolstered by the low, unmistakable thrum of brown crab meat. It’s a rich and heady accompaniment to the speckles of white crab meat that cling to the pasta strands. Drafts of lemon zest and thinly sliced chive lift and lighten.
It’s also there in Howard’s take on vitello tonnato; tissue-paper thin slices of actual veal, just blushing, are blanketed with the classic, distinctive tuna and anchovy dressing, this version’s feeling gently aerated and lighter for it. On top, the fattest caper berries we’ve ever seen bring their usual acidic foil, but also a welcome bitterness from the weirdly prominent seeds. It’s an excellent version, and a reminder of Phil Howard’s deft touch.
You’ll pay for the privilege, with the aforementioned spaghettini clocking in at £25, and the vitello tonnato £10.50. Not that we’re complaining; both are gorgeous.
Website: nottopastabars.com
Address: 198 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9EZ
The Dover, Dover Street
Ideal for Italian-American pasta dishes in one of London’s vibiest new dining rooms…
Another restaurant that skirts the peripheries of Soho, admittedly, with a decidedly more Mayfair feel (and pin drop) to proceedings, but well worthy of inclusion on this list nonetheless, is recently opened The Dover on Dover Street.
Indeed, London’s pasta doesn’t always have to be all elegantly dressed, two-ingredient affairs. Here, you’ll get the kind of red sauce meatball dishes you can imagine Tony Soprano prodding at with his fork as Carmela asks how everyone’s day’s been.
Ours has been splendid, we reply, as we admire the Dover’s painstakingly put together dining room, all wood panelling and auburn velvet. Whilst we’re not sure how this guy will feel in summer, it’s one of the finest seats to sink into on a cold, rainy night in Soho. We think we might order another Gibson, you know…
Website: thedoverrestaurant.com
Address: 33 Dover St, London W1S 4NF
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