Named after the Roman queen of the gods, Juno is an all-day Italian restaurant and bar from Incipio Group, set within a Grade II listed hall at Olympia in West London. It’s built for groups and celebrations, but works just as well for a quick bowl of pasta at lunch or a drink after work.
The dining room makes the most of the hall’s bones: Ionic columns, wood-panelled walls and exposed white ductwork, with ribbon-like sculptures strung beneath the ceiling. At its centre, a cream domed pizza oven sits behind a curved counter clad in blush-pink tiles and lined with red-cushioned stools on mint-green frames. Around it, squiggle-print chairs with wavy black frames circle blue pedestal tables, red-topped tables run alongside high-backed booths, and small lamps glow on the tables. Entertainment is a big part of the draw: DJs play soul, funk and disco on Friday and Saturday nights, and the house four-piece band plays through La Grande Festa, a four-course feast served on Saturday evenings.
The menu sticks to Italian classics. Antipasti include carbonara arancini filled with fior di latte and guanciale, and veal tonnato croquettes, before pasta such as crab linguine with chilli and cherry tomatoes, or beef shin ragu mafaldine. Secondi lean old-school, with veal Milanese fried in butter and osso buco alla Milanese with saffron risotto and gremolata. Hand-stretched Neapolitan pizzas carry names such as The Goddess, loaded with artichoke, wild mushrooms, truffle, ‘nduja and prosciutto. To finish, there’s tiramisu or a pistachio soft-serve gelato tower finished with extra virgin olive oil.
Drinks are Italian too: Negronis, spritzes including the house Juno Spritz with Italicus, Lillet Rosé and Prosecco, and an extensive list of Italian wines. On weekday afternoons, cocktails come with cicchetti for aperitivo hour, while Sundays bring La Famiglia, a family feast. Children have their own Bambini menu, and vegetarian and vegan dishes are marked across the main menu.