Italian restaurants near theatres in London

Elegant restaurant La Ballerina is ideally placed if you're going to the Royal Opera House. They'll even serve your starters before the show, the main during the interval, and coffee at the end of the night. This spot has an opera and ballet theme and serves traditional Italian food.

At San Carlo Cicchetti you can enjoy Venetian snacks and small plates with drinks; it's ideal for a social Italian meal. The interiors are sophisticated but welcoming with huge slabs of marble, and the food is fresh and seasonal. The menu includes pizza and pasta as well as dishes to share.

Polpo in Soho serves regional Venetian cuisine, including plates to share. The menu features meat and fish dishes, pizette, and lots of small bites, but exactly what's on offer changes each day. Complete your experience at this modern restaurant with cocktails or wines from Italy. Private dining is also available here.

Well-established Soho restaurant La Porchetta serves up heaping portions of classic Italian recipes in a cosy and casual setting. The affordable menu here includes antipasti, pasta, and pizza, including pizza that's suitable for vegan diners. Classic cocktails to begin your meal, beer, and wine are also available to add to the experience.

Family-run Il Cucciolo is a traditional Italian eatery in Soho. Expect a warm and welcoming atmosphere from the minute you arrive, plus a comprehensive menu of popular Italian dishes. Salads and antipasti are available followed by pizza, pasta, risotto, and hearty meat recipes. This restaurant also offers a varied range of drinks.

The dramatic interiors at Ave Mario make it an exciting destination for a memorable meal. This Covent Garden venue is spacious and colourful, with lots of attention to detail. The menu changes every month but you can expect classic Italian cooking – pizza and pasta plus inventive seasonal recipes, with plenty of Italian wine to wash it down.

Family-run restaurant Pasta Brown is a bustling Italian eatery in Covent Garden. This contemporary restaurant has a warm atmosphere and serves authentic and affordable food. As the name implies, pasta is a speciality here, but antipasti, salads, and crisp pizzas are also on the menu. There's also a menu for children.

Elegant restaurant La Goccia sits in the heart of Covent Garden and is a popular choice for refined Italian food. The botanical setting is enhanced by a striking bar crafted from individually-cast bronze leaves. The restaurant's seasonal menus are rooted in the slow food ethos. Grilled dishes are a speciality but you can also try pasta and small plates.

Luci is an upmarket venue combining a restaurant and a bakery. Italian dishes and treats are available here all day. This place is grand and glamorous, serving pizza that includes a weekly special, as well as other Italian favourites. You can even grab something to-go from the bakery if you're really in a rush.

Lina Stores is a major name in pasta in London, and it all started from the Greek Street location. It's a buzzy venue where you can sit at the bar or downstairs in a cosier space. An affordable menu of antipasti and pasta dishes are served here, including inventive combinations of flavours.

Enjoy wood-fired pizza or fresh pasta dishes at Cecconi's Pizza Bar on Old Compton Street. The venue is stylish and easygoing. Various menus are available, including a set option that's convenient if you're off to the theatre, with several pizzas and pastas to choose from. Cocktails on tap are also served here.

One of the most famous pizzerias in Naples, L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, is also present in London. Visit this modern and buzzy establishment for award-winning and highly-respected pizza. The modern Italian menu also features pasta, grilled meat, and monthly specials. Pair the food with something from the concise wine list or a cocktail.

40 Dean Street has been serving Italian food in Soho for decades now. This family-run eatery is tasteful and intimate, whilst the menu is all about authentic Italian cooking. Diners can expect classics like risotto, pizza, and pasta. Enhance the experience with wines from Italy and other regions in addition to classic and original cocktails.

Negroni's is lively, chaotic, and full of character. This bold and distinctive place is brimming with activity and noise, with a weathered interior and plush leather seats. On the menu, you'll see antipasti, plates to share, pasta dishes, and desserts. You also get a big choice of cocktails and wine.

Sartori serves up traditional southern Italian cooking. The dining room is a modern exposed brick space where diners can sample pasta, pizza, and other classic recipes. This place is also known for its metre-long pizza, which is ideal for sharing in a group. There's a comprehensive Italian wine list as well as a cocktail menu.

Dine in the heart of the West End with impressive city views at Garden Rooftop. You'll see iconic landmarks from this sunny and refined venue whilst you sample fresh Italian recipes in a lush botanical setting. The menu includes pasta and risotto, seafood, and indulgent tiramisu. A pre-theatre menu of two or three courses is on offer.

Classy but casual restaurant Margot is a sultry spot that serves regional Italian dishes from all over the country. As well as the main à la carte selection, a set menu for lunch and pre-theatre dining is available. It includes tempting options like stracciatella, risotto, and chicken supreme. This restaurant also has an award-winning wine list.

There's an old-school feel at Vasco & Piero's Pavilion Restaurant. This enduring restaurant specialises in regional Italian cuisine from Umbria. Dishes are simple and authentic, with the menu changing twice daily to keep things fresh. It's a straightforward offering of classic recipes, whilst the atmosphere is welcoming and warm.

Dear Jackie is a glamorous spot in Soho for Italian dining. It's an intimate and elegant setting with lots of opulent touches that make it feel special. Contemporary dishes are on the menu, including elevated takes on pasta dishes and reinvented classic recipes. An extensive selection of wines is available to complete a meal here.

The Soho branch of Cinquecento is an ideal destination for trying authentic Neapolitan pizza. Starters like bruschetta are served, but pizza and fried pizza are popular. Other dishes like gnocchi and pasta are served, too. Have a meal in the intricate restaurant space, which has patterns and details virtually everywhere you look.

Family-run restaurant 64 Old Compton Street is a popular destination for affordable but authentic Italian food in Soho. This contemporary eatery is buzzy and bustling. Diners can expect classic dishes such as pasta, risotto, and pizza. Drinks include Italian wines and classic and original cocktails that ideally complement the food. 

Rossopomodoro is a good bet if you're craving authentic pizza – in 2022, it was named one of the world's top 50 artisan pizzerias. There's an energetic feel to this place, along with cooking that'll transport you straight to Naples. The seasonal pizza recipes are popular, but pasta dishes are also on the menu.

Open since 2017, Rossodisera is distinctive because it's the only restaurant in the country to specialise in cuisine from the Italian region of Marche. The focus at this rustic setting is cooking with quality fresh produce. The restaurant does à la carte and set menus that include plenty of vegan and gluten-free dishes.

Monmouth Kitchen brings something different to the table, offering two contrasting cuisines – Italian and Peruvian. A set menu combining both cuisines is ideal for pre-theatre dining. Fine wines and cocktails are a suitable pairing for the food. The setting is sleek and refined, with a lounge bar, terrace, and on-site private dining facilities.

Intimate and stripped-back restaurant Bocca di Lupo is a big hit with Londoners who like pasta. This award-winning restaurant has a big reputation for it but serves a variety of other regional Italian recipes. A set pre-theatre menu is on offer here, as well as a special deal on wine for after you've seen a show.

Macellaio RC does steak the Italian way. Butchery is a passion at this venue, with food served up in a sleek and classic restaurant space with crisp tablecloths. The wide choice of grilled steak cuts here is undoubtedly the main attraction, but alternatives include pasta dishes, chicken Milanese, and a hearty burger.

Giotto has been serving authentic Italian food since 1996 and is close to a number of major theatres. This family restaurant looks sleek and modern and has outside tables, too. Classic Italian food is on the menu such as pizzas, pasta, and meat and seafood recipes. There's live piano music every evening to entertain diners.

The rustic interior and traditional Sicilian cuisine at Bricco e Bacco will transport you to an Italian trattoria. Classic dishes from Sicily and premium steaks sourced from around the world are the speciality, including top quality Wagyu from Japan and Spain. Vegetarian diners are also well looked after. There's a quaint dining room as well as private space.

Having a meal at Prima Sapori d'Italia lets you soak up all of the atmosphere from its prime location in Covent Garden. Indoor and outdoor tables are available. This welcoming restaurant serves crowd-pleasing Italian food to locals and tourists. Expect antipasti, salads, pasta, and pizza, plus cocktails and wines from Italy.

Café Murano comes from acclaimed chef Angela Hartnett and specialises in authentic Northern Italian recipes. A pre-theatre menu is on offer, including two or three courses like risotto and warm poached pears, plus there's a menu for the kids. The refined venue centres around a dramatic marble bar with smooth leather banquettes.

Savour fine pasta dishes at Notto Pasta Bar. The restaurant space here is simple and classy, just like the food menu. The menu focuses on fresh pasta dishes to share with various tempting sauces and ingredients. The drinks options include Italian and international wines as well as favourite cocktails.

Vasiniko operates a number of pizzerias in Italy and has now brought these authentic flavours to London. This rustic and sunny restaurant in Covent Garden is full of Mediterranean touches and specialises in fresh Neapolitan pizza made with local ingredients. Starters, salads, and pasta are available, too, plus a range of drinks to go with the food.

Mele e Pere is home to London's largest selection of vermouth, as well as serving authentic Italian cuisine. This is a lively, independent trattoria with simple dishes prepared with quality British produce. Expect a straightforward choice of antipasti, classic pizza and pasta dishes, and meat and fish recipes. Cocktails and wine are served, too.

Il Conte in Air Street is a low-lit and intimate restaurant. This cosy, family-run eatery has a classic look and a classic menu. In a dining room decked out with chequered tablecloths, guests can try out typical Italian recipes – expect generous portions of pasta, gnocchi, seafood dishes, and pizza. Cocktails and Italian wines are also served.