ITALIAN ROOTS
Zilli Bar in Soho
 

If you are out and about in Soho and struggling to find somewhere to eat that doesn’t cost a million pounds or require booking weeks in advance, head to Zilli Bar. It‘s a fun old-school Italian restaurant from chef Aldo Zilli, where the food is excellent, the service quick and the price not unbearable.

The atmosphere is noisy and unpretentious and the dishes classic, i..e., squid and rocket salad, smoked mozzarella wrapped in parma ham, linguine vongole, gnocchi with butter and sage and the best penne arrabbiata I’ve ever had. There is also a fantastic selection of meat and fish, including spicy Italian sausages with baby onion sauce and mash, calves liver, pan-fried veal with lemon and parsley, monkfish and scallops wrapped in Speck and whole lobsters. The extensive wine list (not all Italian) provides plenty to wash it all down with, including a Barolo to die for.

Blissfully devoid of pouting, affected staff, the service is refreshingly polite and fast, proving that good old-fashioned courtesy is still alive and well. Their efficiency means you are in and out quickly, leaving you free to go and enjoy the wiles of Soho with a satisfyingly full stomach and not completely empty wallet.