The Good Food Guide's favourite pasta restaurants 2024 | Where To Eat

Artusi

Peckham, London ££

No-frills neighbourhood Italian with an infectious vibe

A dark frontage punctuated by full-length windows reveals a spare-looking café-like interior, a narrow room with plain white walls and a constantly changing chalkboard menu – in short, Artusi is a ‘perfect neigh… Read more

161 Bellenden Road, Peckham, London SE15 4DH

Bacareto

Cardiff ££

This artist-run Venetian bar and restaurant in the heart of Cardiff is as idiosyncratic as it is charming. Dark terrazzo-tiled floors, white wall tiles and artfully distressed original features evoke an air of retro cool and we lo… Read more

13 Church Street, Cardiff CF10 1BG

Bancone Golden Square

Soho, London £

Like the Covent Garden original, this Soho offshoot majors in counter dining, although there’s much more space throughout: chatty groups congregate around the olive tree planted in the centre of the room, couples prefer the … Read more

8-10 Lower James Street, Soho, London W1F 9EL

Best Local Restaurant

Benoli

Norwich, Norfolk ££

At the bottom end of Timber Hill in the centre of Norwich, this gem of an Italian restaurant looks nothing like the trattorias of yesteryear, but is instead a smart long room done in gentle teal, hung with pastel-hued paintings an… Read more

5 Orford Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 3LE

Bianchis

Bristol ££

With a warm welcome and classy cooking, this neighbourhood Italian honours the family behind Bristol’s successful and ever-growing Bianchis restaurant group. The unpretentious and relaxed dining room has a laid-back, lived-i… Read more

1-3 York Road, Bristol BS6 5QB

Bocca di Lupo

Soho, London ££

As the hurricane of voguish London dining whirls on, it is momentarily easy to forget how much of a gust of fresh air Bocca di Lupo was when Jacob Kenedy opened it way back in the distant land of 2008. If places can struggle to ge… Read more

12 Archer Street, Soho, London W1D 7BB

Bottega Caruso

Margate, Kent ££

A homely celebration of rustic ingredients-led Italian cooking

‘We've celebrated weddings here, birthdays, happy times and sad times ... it’s the best food for the soul!’ declaimed a regular visitor to Simona Di Dio and Harry Ryder’s ‘little Italian kitchen&rsquo… Read more

2-4 Broad Street, Margate, Kent CT9 1EW

Brutto

Farringdon, London ££

Florence comes to Farringdon at this pulsating jam-packed eatery

Russell Norman’s sudden death in November 2023 shocked the restaurant world, but his masterfully staged final project, Brutto, carries on regardless – thanks to his wife Jules and son Ollie. Inside, checked tablecloths… Read more

35-37 Greenhill Rents, Farringdon, London EC1M 6BN

CLOSED

Casa

Bristol £££

* Casa is currently closed until further notice.* Rising phoenix-like from the ashes of Casamia, and harking back to its roots, this contemporary Italian restaurant from Peter Sánchez-Iglesias still has the ability to wow,… Read more

The General, Lower Guinea Street, Bristol BS1 6FU

Celentano's

Glasgow, Strathclyde ££

* From September 2024, Celentano's will become a restaurant with rooms following its acquisition of the adjoining Cathedral House hotel.* Celentano’s is inspired but not constrained by Italian cooking and chef-owner Dean Pa… Read more

28-32 Cathedral Square, Glasgow, Strathclyde G4 0XA

Best Local Restaurant

MEMBER PERK

Cibus

Levenshulme, Greater Manchester ££

Popular and super-friendly neighbourhood trattoria

Levenshulme’s Stockport Road is a notoriously crammed highway flanked by a string of kebab shops, curry houses, takeaways and discount warehouses. Cibus sits modestly in the midst of this hustle and bustle, grown from a… Read more

847-849 Stockport Road , Levenshulme, Greater Manchester M19 3PW

Cin Cin Hove

Hove, East Sussex ££

Super-stylish Italian neighbourhood eatery

‘I love the authentic Italian flavours and the creative dishes made with fresh, quality ingredients,’ is just one ringing endorsement for this ‘small and super-stylish’ eatery. Counter seats bring you up cl… Read more

60 Western Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 1JD

Contini George Street

Edinburgh, Lothians ££

All-day Italian café in a stunning Victorian banking hall

Quite the ace to have up your sleeve when you’re looking for somewhere casual, this dramatic double-height space, a former banking hall, houses a true urban eatery, an all-day Italian caffè. While busy and buzzy, the … Read more

103 George Street, Edinburgh, Lothians EH2 3ES

Cotto

Bristol ££

A cosy bolthole with a great atmosphere in the centre of Bristol, this wine bar and kitchen feels more informal than sister restaurant Pasta Ripiena on the same street, while offering impeccably sourced, beautifully cooked Italian… Read more

29-31 St Stephen's Street, Bristol BS1 1JX

Dalla

Hackney, London ££

Opened in November 2023, this neighbourhood Italian in Hackney puts the emphasis on home-style cooking with a little transatlantic input from the partly Canadian heritage of the chef. You'll need to head over to Instagram if you w… Read more

120-122 Morning Lane, Hackney, London E9 6LH

Emilia

Ashburton, Devon ££

Clare Lattin and Tom Hill, once of Ducksoup in Soho, have migrated to the sub-Dartmoor stretches of south Devon and pitched camp on the T-junction that more or less is Ashburton. It's a small room with an agreeable buzz and square… Read more

2 East Street, Ashburton, Devon TQ13 7AA

Flour + Water

Putney, London ££

Pizzas, pastas and gelati are top shouts at this likeable Italian

Set up as a pizza home-delivery service during lockdown, this well-liked informal eatery (from seasoned London restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas) feels like the very definition of a neighbourhood Italian restaurant. The short … Read more

162-164 Lower Richmond Road, Putney, London SW15 1LY

CLOSED

Forza Win

Camberwell, London ££

* The restaurant has closed as of February 2025. The two Forza Wine sites (in Peckham and at the National Theatre) continue to trade as normal. * Back to life after its previous iteration (in a Peckham warehouse) was ca… Read more

29-33 Camberwell Church Street, Camberwell, London SE5 8TR

Best Local Restaurant

Giulia

Shepherd's Bush, London ££

There is much to enjoy in this informal neighbourhood restaurant. ‘Stunning food. Great value. Always things I want to try. Wines I want to drink. Great hospitality,’ notes one loyal fan. But then Giulia Quaglia and En… Read more

77 Askew Road, Shepherd's Bush, London W12 9AH

Kitchen 91

Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire £££

'Slow food' in Calderdale

Poppy Cartwright and Matthew Shelton's supper club in the tiny basement of their terraced house was a hard-to-book hot ticket, so the move to Hebden Bridge's main street has given locals more of a chance to bag a table. The couple… Read more

35 Market Street, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire HX7 6EU

La Terra

Bath, Somerset ££

The best of Italy, with a modern twist

It opened in 2021 but La Terra has the feel of a long-established Italian restaurant, with faithful regulars welcomed as friends and cooking rooted in chef Alessandro Scola's family traditions. He and business partner Vito Scaduto… Read more

2 John Street, Bath, Somerset BA1 2JL

MEMBER PERK

Lardo

Hackney, London ££

There’s a lot more competition than when Lardo first opened its doors in 2012, but this industrial-chic venue remains a favourite among the local families and well-to-do professionals of London Fields. While the pizza oven i… Read more

197-205 Richmond Road, Hackney, London E8 3NJ

Legare

Tower Bridge, London ££

A converted warehouse in the shadow of Tower Bridge is an unlikely spot for a small, independently owned Italian restaurant, but Legare 'punches above its weight,' according to one well-satisfied visitor. Inside, it’s a… Read more

Cardamom Building, 31 Shad Thames, Tower Bridge, London SE1 2YR

Leo's

Clapton, London ££

A really lovely neighbourhood Italian for every occasion

A selection of the day’s papers hanging from a rail in the front room is a reminder that this chic neighbourhood Italian does brisk business as a café by day, dispensing excellent espressos, croissants, pizzette and p… Read more

59 Chatsworth Road, Clapton, London E5 0LH

Little Hollows Pasta

Bristol

Chris Davies built up a business selling handmade pasta at local markets, as well as delivering pasta boxes to people’s homes. A dream of opening a little restaurant/bar was finally realised when he opened on Bristol's Chand… Read more

26 Chandos Road, Bristol BS6 6PF

Luca

Clerkenwell, London £££

Originally conceived by the owners of the Clove Club, this ‘Britalian’ restaurant is almost as well-known for its bar as its restaurant –so it was with some reluctance that we bypassed the Negroni-based fun … Read more

88 St John Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4EH

Lupo

Prestwich, Greater Manchester £

If you’re a newcomer to the heavenly delight that is real burrata, then head to Lupo. Outside of Puglia, you’re unlikely to find anything so lusciously ethereal as that imported weekly to the favoured few of north Manc… Read more

Unit 65, Mountheath Trading Estate, Ardent Way, Prestwich, Greater Manchester M25 9WE

Manteca

Shoreditch, London ££

Cool Shoreditch Italian with impressive artisan credentials

Frequent queues stretching out of the door are testament to the daily popularity of this trendy modern Italian, which is marked by an ornamental boar's head suspended above the entrance. Manteca is that sort of place, a Shoreditch… Read more

49-51 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3PT

MEMBER PERK

Maremma

Brixton, London ££

Inviting neighbourhood venue with a Tuscan accent

Brixton has a reputation for exciting startups and on-trend eateries, so it’s curious to find a traditional Italian neighbourhood restaurant in this part of town. The venue itself is done out in minimalist style (think expos… Read more

36 Brixton Water Lane, Brixton, London SW2 1PE

Murrays

Clevedon, Somerset ££

Pleasing neighbourhood asset with an Italian flavour

A fixture of the local restaurant scene since 1984, Reuben Murray’s personally run neighbourhood eatery, wine shop, bakery and deli is just a short jaunt uphill from Clevedon’s pretty Victorian pier, at the top of a pl… Read more

91 Hill Road, Clevedon, Somerset BS21 7PN

MEMBER PERK

Ombra

Hackney, London ££

A taste of Venetian bacaro cool in Hackney

When Ombra opened its doors by the banks of the Regent's Canal back in 2011, today’s gentrification was a long way off. Now this former retail site is custom-built for a taste of Venetian-style bacaro cool. Drop by on spec, … Read more

1 Vyner Street, Hackney, London E2 9DG

Pasta Ripiena

Bristol ££

Intimate and informal, with small, closely packed, square wooden tables ranged along either side of the dining room, this cool, modern Italian offers a short, daily changing menu of fresh stuffed pasta dressed in moreish sauces. T… Read more

33a St Stephen’s Street, Bristol BS1 1JX

Pazzo

Bristol ££

Modern Italian cooking with a few global twists

Housed in the Tardis-like basement of a Whiteladies Road townhouse, this is the latest and largest venture from the Bianchis Group, replacing the much-loved Pasta Loco round the corner. Aficionados of Loco and its sister Pasta Rip… Read more

89 Whiteladies Road, Redland, Bristol BS8 2NT

Popolo Shoreditch

Shoreditch, London ££

Up-to-the-minute Med-accented small plates

With its rough-hewn brickwork and bare café tables, Jon Lawson's small but jumping joint off Old Street suits Shoreditch down to the ground. There's a Moorish, as well as moreish, air to some of the dishes, backed up by roc… Read more

26 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3DU

MEMBER PERK

Sonny Stores

Bristol ££

A ray of Italian sunshine in Southville

You wouldn’t guess it from the name, but Sonny Stores is a charming neighbourhood Italian, set in a former corner shop amid the terraces and bay windows of Southville. Out front, a blackboard advertises takeaway pizzas, but … Read more

47 Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol BS3 1QS

Stuzzi Leeds

Leeds, West Yorkshire £

If it was a toss-up between Stuzzi’s Harrogate original and its more recent Leeds offshoot, readers confirm that the younger, West Yorkshire sibling would win every time. It might not look much from the outside (blacked-out … Read more

7 Merrion Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS1 6PQ

Trentina

Birmingham , West Midlands

The low-key, glass frontage doesn’t give much away, but Trentina is truly a local diamond, a cheerfully informal addition to Birmingham's vibrant Jewellery Quarter scene. Inside, it looks and feels sparsely contemporary. Her… Read more

33 Mary Street , Birmingham , West Midlands B3 1UD

Best Local Restaurant

Tropea

Birmingham, West Midlands ££

In the Harborne district of Birmingham, Tropea is spiritually twinned with southern Italy's Calabrian coast. Opened in 2021, it's a love letter to Italian regional cooking, set within a clean-lined space that has the feel of a mod… Read more

27 Lordswood Road, Harborne, Birmingham, West Midlands B17 9RP

Trullo

Islington, London ££

Warmth 'with a capital W’ is one of the prime assets at this Islington crowd-puller, which has been hitting all the right notes since opening in 2010. Matching a glowing interior and pleasing comfort with homely but vivaciou… Read more

300-302 St Paul’s Road, Islington, London N1 2LH

MEMBER PERK

Valvona & Crolla

Edinburgh, Lothians ££

Edinburgh's landmark Italian caffè, deli and bar

Edinburgh’s Italian gastro-scene owes a great deal to members of the Contini dynasty, in fact their original deli and wine store remains ‘numero uno’ in the city with its treasure-trove of artisan provisions. Thr… Read more

19 Elm Row, Edinburgh, Lothians EH7 4AA

Zucco

Leeds, West Yorkshire £

Inspired by London’s bacaro-style eateries, the hands-on Leggiero brothers have brought some true Italian aperitivo spirit to this animated spot beside a busy road in suburban Leeds. Zucco certainly looks the part – hi… Read more

603 Meanwood Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS6 4AY

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