19 italian rooms worth the trip across United Kingdom, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United Kingdom.
Bocca di Lupo ★ 4.7 · London
soho · 12 Archer Street, London W1D 7BB
Jacob Kenedy's regional Italian dining room on Archer Street in Soho London, opened 2008, plates dishes from Piemonte, Friuli, Calabria and beyond.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back book a fortnight ahead through their site.
The River Cafe ★ 4.6 · London
hammersmith · Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London W6 9HA
Ruth Rogers's Italian dining room on the Thames in Hammersmith London, opened 1987 by Rose Gray and Rogers, still the city's defining seasonal Italian.
Tip: Sit on the riverside terrace in summer. The lunch sitting from 12:30 is markedly cheaper than dinner with the same kitchen.
Manteca ★ 4.6 · London
shoreditch · 49-51 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3PT
Chris Leach and David Carter's whole-animal Italian dining room on Curtain Road in Shoreditch London, opened 2021, charcuteries pork in-house and rolls pasta.
Tip: Bar seats and the counter overlooking the open kitchen take walk-ins. Tables book a month ahead through Resy.
Locanda De Gusti ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
tollcross-west-end · 102 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2DW
Rosario Sartore's Dalry Road kitchen in Edinburgh, opened in 2013, a family-run Neapolitan dining room running pasta, seafood and wood-fired pizza.
Tip: The lunchtime three-course express menu at £18 is one of the city's best Italian-value deals.
Cibus ★ 4.5 · Manchester
levenshulme · 847-849 Stockport Road, Manchester M19 3PW
Levenshulme neighbourhood Italian on Stockport Road that grew from a market stall. Kitchen leans regional italian. At 847-849 Stockport Road.
Tip: Closed Mondays; book the back room on Saturdays for the wider tasting plates.
Cibus ★ 4.5 · Manchester
levenshulme · 847-849 Stockport Road, Manchester M19 3PW
Stockport Road neighbourhood Italian that grew from a Levenshulme market stall. Priced at ££. Kitchen leans regional italian. At 847-849 Stockport Road.
Tip: Twenty minutes south of Piccadilly by train; pair with a Levenshulme Market stroll on Saturdays.
Civerinos Slice ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
old-town · 5 Hunter Square, Edinburgh EH1 1QW
Michele Civiera's Hunter Square pizza counter in Edinburgh, opened in 2016, the Old Town slice-counter serving Roman al taglio square-tray pizza.
Tip: Open till 02:00 on weekends; the only proper food on the Royal Mile after midnight that is not a kebab shop.
Valvona and Crolla Caffe Bar ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
canonmills-inverleith · 19 Elm Row, Edinburgh EH7 4AA
Valvona and Crolla's caffe-bar on Elm Row in Edinburgh, opened in 1934 (the bistro since 1996), the back-of-deli dining room for Scotland's longest-running.
Tip: The deli at the front sells the same dry pasta and tinned tomatoes the kitchen uses; shop while you wait for your table.
Eusebi Deli ★ 4.4 · Glasgow
west-end · 152 Park Road, Glasgow G4 9HB
Eusebi Deli is an award-winning Italian deli-restaurant on Park Road in Glasgow's West End, serving fresh pasta, Roman-style bakes and Calabrian home cooking.
Tip: Grab focaccia and cannoli to go from the deli even if you are not staying for a full sit-down meal.
Luca ★ 4.4 · London
clerkenwell · 88 St John Street, London EC1M 4EH
The Clove Club team's neighbourhood Italian on St John Street in Clerkenwell London, opened 2016, runs British-Italian seasonal cooking in a tiled dining.
Tip: Sit at the bar for the four-course tasting menu at half the dining-room price. Lunch books at three days, dinner at three weeks.
E Pellicci ★ 4.4 · London
shoreditch-spitalfields · 332 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AG
The Pellicci family's 1900 east-London cafe on Bethnal Green Road, Grade-II listed for the 1946 marquetry interior, runs a daily Italian-British greasy spoon.
Tip: Cash and card; closed Sundays. Queue runs out the door on Saturday morning. The interior is the listed treasure.
Contini George Street ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
new-town · 103 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3ES
Victor and Carina Contini's George Street dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 2004 in the former Lloyds Bank, an Italian-Scottish bistro serving.
Tip: The high tea at 15:00-17:00 is a quieter alternative; Sunday family lunch is a long-running tradition.
Sugo ★ 4.3 · Glasgow
city-centre · 70 Mitchell Street, Glasgow G1 3LX
Sugo is a fast, loud fresh-pasta room on Mitchell Street in Glasgow's city centre, from the Paesano team, serving handmade pasta in the Lighthouse building.
Tip: Like its sibling Paesano, it is walk-in only and turns tables quickly, so expect a short wait at peak times.
Padella ★ 4.2 · London
borough · 6 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TQ
Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda's hand-rolled pasta counter at Borough Market in London, opened 2016, runs a daily-changing list of fresh-pasta plates.
Tip: Join the virtual queue at 12:00 sharp via their app for the first lunch slots; otherwise expect a 60-minute wait on Saturday.
Lina Stores ★ 4.2 · London
soho · 51 Greek Street, London W1D 4EH
The 1944 Brewer Street deli's first sit-down restaurant on Greek Street in Soho London, opened 2018, runs hand-rolled pasta and Italian-deli classics.
Tip: Walk-up only at the deli original on Brewer Street; the Greek Street site takes bookings via Resy two weeks ahead.
La Lanterna ★ 4.1 · Glasgow
city-centre · 35 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 6AE
La Lanterna is Glasgow's oldest family-run Italian, a Hope Street city-centre room opened in 1970 and still serving classic pasta, veal and seafood.
Tip: There is a second, larger La Lanterna on West Regent Street; this Hope Street original is the intimate one.
Popolo ★ 4.1 · London
shoreditch · 26 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3DU
Jonathan Lawson's Italian-leaning dining room on Rivington Street in Shoreditch London, opened 2017, runs hand-rolled pasta, North African accents.
Tip: Counter seats wrap the open kitchen. Walk-up only at the counter; tables book a week ahead through their site.
Sarti ★ 4.0 · Glasgow
city-centre · 133 Wellington Street, Glasgow G2 2XD
Sarti is a long-running Italian cafe-restaurant on Wellington Street in Glasgow, an all-day city-centre room for espresso, pasta and thin Roman pizza.
Tip: It opens for breakfast, so it is a good bet for a morning pastry and coffee before the shops.
Little Italy ★ 3.9 · Glasgow
west-end · 205 Byres Road, Glasgow G12 8TN
Little Italy has fed Byres Road since the 1980s, a bustling Glasgow West End counter for pizza by the slice, fresh pasta and strong Italian coffee.
Tip: The takeaway counter at the front is the quick option; the seated area behind is calmer for a full meal.