Named after a 19th-century inventor, Spagnoletti Pasta Lab is a two-floor diner focused on Italian food, drinks and - of course - pasta. The kitchen is headed up by Manuele Bazzoni and Simone Marcolin, and serves as a patisserie, cafe, take away, pasta lab and cooking studio. Upstairs, meanwhile, is more of a lounge and relaxed bar area with plenty of craft beer on tap. The interiors at Spagnoletti are rather unique, with industrial pipes painted a bright yellow, futurising seating and distinctive artwork depicting panels from graphic novels.
The restaurant is well-suited to social dining, with a buzzy atmosphere and lively kitchen. We recommend starting off with an Italian cocktail like the nocello old fashioned or the Spagnoletti spritz, featuring gin, fiorente, rinomato, grapefruit and soda. Alternatively, there are plenty of choices ‘alla spina’ (on tap), including Prosecco, wine and beer.
To accompany your drinks, sample some classic Italian snacks like focaccia with olive oil, marinated olives, burrata with sea salt and olive oil or aubergine caponata. The fritti (fried) selection is not to be missed, with options like wild mushroom and truffle arancini with goat’s cheese dip or bucatini and cheese. Tagliere boards are also brilliant with a drink, so do try the charcuterie selection.
Of course, the pasta is the main event. Each dish here is elevated beyond its traditional composition: fresh spaghetti comes with a red prawn tartare, bisque, mint and chilli; carbonara instead comes with scallops and crab-filled agnolotti; tortelli are filled with buffalo ricotta, confit egg yolk, Delica pumpkin and amaretti; and mafalde is laden with slow-cooked ox tail, bone marrow, confit tomato and gremolata.
Don’t skip the dolci here, as there is a star-studded selection of seasonal panna cotta, house tiramisu and cannoli. The restaurant is also open for breakfast, so swing by in the morning for poached eggs and smoked salmon, a full English or a baker’s basket of freshly baked pastries.