Saporitalia makes private dining feel more like an Italian family gathering than a formal event booking, stretching across three gorgeous spaces in London's iconic Notting Hill.
Based on Portobello Road, groups can take over a section of the Ristorante, reserve the Garden for an evening under the flowers, gather around one long table or, for something bigger, hire the entire venue for a launch, celebration or corporate event.
The format is deliberately relaxed. For larger groups, the team can build a sharing menu around the table, with antipasti served down the middle before moving into pasta and something sweet to finish. That makes it a particularly natural fit for birthdays, anniversaries, christenings and work dinners where the aim is to keep everyone eating and talking rather than working through an overly rigid set menu.
Aperitivo is, of course, an easy place to start. The drinks list includes Aperol, Limoncello and Campari Spritzes, alongside Hugo, passion fruit, pineapple and lychee versions, all topped with prosecco and soda.
From there, the menu offers plenty of crowd-pleasers. Panuozzo - a Neapolitan-style pizza sandwich - comes filled with combinations such as cooked ham, aubergine parmigiana and mozzarella, or San Daniele ham with mozzarella and tomatoes. There is also a vegetarian version with sweet peppers and scamorza. Pasta keeps things comforting and generous. Pappardelle with butter, sage and truffle cream is the richest option, while fresh pappardelle alla Bolognese brings homemade beef ragù. Spaghetti al Pachino is lighter, with plum and cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil, and there is vegetarian lasagne with seasonal vegetables and béchamel.
For mains, groups can move into grilled Italian fennel sausages with friarielli, Scottish ribeye tagliata with rocket, Parmesan, cherry tomatoes and balsamic, or grilled sea bass with salad and roasted potatoes. And, dessert can become part of the celebration too. Saporitalia Dolci can arrange cakes, grazing tables piled with sweets or even gelato carts, either for events at the restaurant or elsewhere.