This beloved Soho Institution has been serving authentic Italian cuisine since 1944. Founded by the formidable Genoese Lina as a delicatessen, over the years Lina Stores expanded its offerings to include fresh homemade pasta alongside its sweets, cured meats, and cheeses, all imported straight from Italy.
In May 2018, Lina Stores opened its first restaurant on Greek Street, just a few minutes’ walk away from the original deli. The restaurant’s design, created by Red Deer Architects, features the iconic pastel-green and white striped interiors that pay homage to the inaugural Soho delicatessen.
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.
Pull up a stool at the Carrara marble tabletops, adorned with steel inlays of Lina’s name, and tuck into light, tight bowls of the good stuff.
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. 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