Located just a few paces from west London’s bustling Edgware Road, hidden down a characterful side street, Patogh is a tiny little hole-in-the-wall Iranian restaurant selling some of the finest kebabs, grilled meats and authentic meze dishes I’ve ever tasted. Downstairs seating is very limited and bookings are only taken on the day, but turn up without one at your own risk, you could be in for a long wait.
Italian Enoteche, known in English as wine bars, are some of Rome’s most lively places to spend an evening, and out of all the ones I’ve visited, this is the best. Located just around the corner from Piazza Navona, Cul de Sac boasts a wine list in the region of 1500 different wines. The vast selection which covers the walls and fills the cellar is truly phenomenal, and the accompanying food menu is very impressive too.
Yet another pizzeria in Naples’s Centro Storico district, Pizzeria del Presidente would be a heavily revered restaurant anywhere else in the world but on this particular stretch of road it is simply one of many places serving incredible pizza at a ridiculously low price.
Serving up a small slice of Rome in London’s west-end, Malletti’s was dreamed up by a chef from Naples back in the mid 90’s called Antonio Malletti. Not particularly keen on his native Neapolitan style of wood-fired pizza, he believed the Roman interpretation was more appealing to customers because it was so easy to eat and he liked the idea of having the wide selection of different flavours to choose from, and I have to say that I agree.
Since opening in 2008 few restaurants in London have created as much buzz as Franco Manca. The first pizzeria in London to really deliver a quality Neapolitan style pizza, it is obvious the people behind the place care about the food they are serving and unlike other pizza places in London, here the emphasis is on quality not quantity. Always busy but worth the wait, this is without a doubt the best place for pizza in London.
Napoli’s historical centre is awash with pizzerie and as a result it takes something pretty special to stand out from such an intimidating crowd, but Di Matteo manages to do just that. Founded back in 1936, Di Matteo’s vera (true) pizza, which is made in the authentic way using a wood-fire and from a strict list of ingredients is just about as good as Italian pizza gets, it’s ridiculously cheap too.
Specialising in traditional Umbrian food, Taverna La Lanterna is a favourite with tourists and locals alike. Located in the stunning hilltop village of Spoleto, it is more than worth making the journey if you are ever nearby. Serving amazing local food and at very reasonable prices, it is one of the most authentic Italian eating experiences you are likely to come across.
Loud, lively and always busy, the secret to trattoria Mario’s success is no great mystery. The food is fresh and homemade, most of the ingredients are sourced from the central food market only a few metres away, the menu changes daily, the quality is always exceptional, the service is friendly and the prices are unbeatable.
One of the first Turkish Ocakbasi restaurants to open in London’s east end back in 1990, Mangal number 1 has earned itself a cult status in the world of grilled meats. Starting a trend that restaurants all over London have attempted to imitate, there can only be one true original, and lurking in a Stoke Newington side street, just of the busy Kingsland Road; this is it.
In danger of becoming a tacky shrine to Julia Roberts, following her life-changing visit in the film Eat, Pray, Love, Vomit, Da Michele is no longer the old school pizzeria it once was. Now more of a tourist hotspot following recommendations in pretty much every guidebook published, the 1870 founded pizzeria still makes a pretty good pizza, but if you want to avoid the tourists, the long queues and the extortionate prices you’re not missing much if you go somewhere else.
Commonly referred too as the best place for Roman-style, thin-crust pizza in the Trastevere district of Rome, Ai Marmi has enough seating for well over 100 customers and most nights is full to the point of bursting. That kind of popularity rarely lies, but in this case I’m not so sure…
Managing to achieve the perfect balance between an unpretentious, local trattoria and a sleek upscale restaurant, for such a modest budget Le Mani in Pasta is as close to the perfect eating venue as you are likely to find in Rome or anywhere for that matter.
Widely regarded as one of the best places for pizza al taglio in Rome, the ten-minute walk from the ridiculously busy Vatican is worth the detour if only to escape the hordes of tourists, but don’t expect the cheap meal the guidebooks proclaim; the food is overpriced and in my opinion overrated.
This small bakery in the corner of Campo de’ Fiori is divided into two separate shops, with one specialising in cakes, bread and biscuits and the other in pizza al taglio. Both produce some of the best baked goods in Rome, but the pizza is bordering on perfection.
A few steps from the busy Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Pizzeria La Montecarlo is located in the heart of Rome’s historic centre, but don’t let that put you off. Serving simple, no-frills Roman food, this one of the few restaurants in this heavily touristic area that serves up consistently good food and at a great price.
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