Lupa

London’s love of low-key Italian food isn’t slowing down, and neither is the trend for trattorias with short, snappy names. Lupa ticks both boxes, but don’t mistake it for just another pasta joint - this place has serious charm, and serious chops in the kitchen. Behind the dusty, straw yellow facade lies a sharp team: seasoned GM Ed Templeton, Milanese chef Naz Hassan, and co-owner Theo James, who adds a welcome touch of movie-star gloss. 

Step inside, and the restaurant wraps you in her arms. Linen bistro curtains flutter beneath a whirring ceiling fan, tall windows bathe the room in natural light, and we quickly have a stiff Negroni sitting in front of us, thanks to quick-as-a-flash service. It’s the sort of gently elegant room that has passing pedestrians peering in, and we can’t blame them.

The menu is unapologetically Roman: three of the four classic Roman pastas are here (plus a rogue pesto dish, because… London), along with Roman-style artichokes, lamb cutlets, and a hulking slab of porchetta. We skip the pizza bianca and dive into antipasti: a courgette flower, stuffed with burrata and encased in featherlight batter, is a standout. A plate of sweet tomatoes, fried capers, and golden pangrattato is simple and excellent.

Then: the pasta. Some of the best in London, for our money. Pici cacio e pepe brings a sinus-clearing pepper hit, firm bite, and a glossy, velvety sauce. Bucatini all’Amatriciana is no less brilliant. But the porchetta is where Lupa hits top gear. Glistening, apricot-stuffed, its skin rendered to a glassy crisp, it might just rival the best in Rome. At £19, it’s a steal.

Desserts are fine but not quite at the same level. A peach and ricotta pie could use actual pastry instead of biscuit crumb, and the tiramisu is a tad dense. Still, neither is enough to dampen the impression Lupa leaves. London’s love affair with Italian cooking shows no sign of cooling, and with Lupa, Highbury has a trattoria worth falling for.

Having found fame as a finance bro in The White Lotus, actor Theo James has turned his hand to hospitality, partnering with Carousel co-founder Ed Templeton and chef Naz Hassan to create Lupa - a Roman osteria-style restaurant in Highbury.

With James and Templeton both Highbury locals, it seems only right that their first venture together would find its home in this buzzy North London neighbourhood. Taking over what was formerly the Highbury Arts Club, and long before that, a popular Italian deli, Lupa hopes to become an enduring local restaurant. Named after the mythical she-wolf of Rome, Lupa is a tiny twenty-eight seater that emulates the care-free, unhurried ethos of a Roman osteria.

With Templeton having spent time living in Rome and Hassan growing up in Italy, the menu is inspired by the capital’s traditional osterias, famous for serving inexpensive, classic food. Their antipasti selection pays homage to Rome’s love affair with friggitrice (deep fat fryer) with dishes such as stuffed courgette flowers and mozzarella-filled arancini. For primi, Hassan hand-rolls pasta each morning to make dishes like carbonara and cacio e pepe, at around £15 a plate. Moving on to secondi, there’s porchetta stuffed with chicken livers, fennel seeds and chilli as well as lamb cutlets from the grill. Guests are encouraged to partake in each course, so save room for homemade dolci. There’s also takeaway porchetta sarnies for Arsenal fans on match days. Drinks centre around cocktails and spritzes as well as approachable affordable Italian wine.

Lupa offers both beloved Italian classics and undiscovered Roman dishes, giving it all the comfort and excitement it needs to become a neighbourhood favourite for years to come.