Bocca di Lupo, chef Jacob Kenedy’s ode to regional Italian cooking in the heart of Soho, has been open since November 2008, but somehow, it feels like it’s been around even longer, such is the institution-like nature of the place.
Before opening Bocca di Lupo, Kenedy, alongside now-retired business partner Victor Hugo, both honed their culinary skills and implicit understanding of hospitality at Moro restaurant in London’s Exmouth Market. The duo’s passion for Italian cuisine is evident in every dish they serve, with a focus on sometimes obscure highlights from all twenty regions of Italy, with game and offal an abiding presence here.
Bocca Di Lupo is without doubt one of the most fortifying London restaurants to step into, its long Carrara marble bar overlooking an open-plan kitchen reliably abuzz with gentle chatter and the soundtrack of plate after plate of dexterous dish dressing.
For those hard of hearing, the windowless main dining room at the back offers a more intimate setting, while large still-life paintings by Kenedy’s mother, artist Haidee Becker, adorn the walls. It’s like the warmest of embraces, only more delicious.
The menu changes daily, showcasing a variety of Italian dishes with each item’s region of origin clearly labelled. Recent highlights have included succulent, subtly-humming pork and foie gras sausages, as well as a unique sanguinaccio dolce – a chocolate pudding flavoured with pig’s blood.
From the snacks section, Bocca’s seadas – traditional Sardinian fried pastries filled with pecorino and lemon zest before being deep-fried and drizzled with honey – are made for a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio. Indeed, the restaurant’s commitment to authenticity (and, well, Italy) extends to its wine list, which features carefully sourced selections from across Bel Paese.
While we encourage you to try dishes from every section of their menu, you can’t go wrong with the pasta, naturally. It’s a delicious lesson in graceful saucing and obscure pasta shapes that were made for each other. On our last visit, wild garlic and nettle pansotti (Liguria’s answer to ravioli) dressed in a creamy walnut sauce was sublime.
Interestingly, Bocca di Lupo translates to ‘the mouth of the wolf’, which is an expression for good luck, similar in the way we say break a leg. Aptly, the restaurant is the ideal place to come for a pre or post theatre meal.
The restaurant enduring popularity has led to the opening of Gelupo Gelateria, an ice-cream parlour located just opposite the restaurant on Archer Street. Here, you can treat yourself to some of the best gelato in London, and we say that from a position of some authority; by god we’ve eaten a lot of it.
Address: 12 Archer St, Soho, London W1D 7BB, UK
Website: www.boccadilupo.com
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
