Osteria Vibrato

Osteria Vibrato is clearly the brainchild of someone who’s spent a lot of time in restaurants. That someone is Charlie Mellor, the former founder of The Laughing Heart in Hoxton, who’s second London venture is as close to an old-school Italian trattoria as you can get in central Soho.

Details are important here. The menu, written in Italian and English, is placed in front of us Italian side-up by staff dressed in expensive-looking, cream linen suits. Square, white tablecloths come laden with flickering candlesticks, bone-handled table knives and chunky, short-stemmed wine glasses. Olive oil is treated like its sacred, poured from a height and paired specifically with each dish. Meanwhile, a £3 cover charge ensures every diner is treated to bread, lashings of that premium olive oil and a small snack to start. These things sound gimmicky, but they’re the opposite. The thrill of Vibrato is that it’s utterly experiential, without ever seeming to try too hard.

The menu celebrates classic regional dishes from across Italy. A starter of salt cod stirred crudely through mashed potato is exactly that. Four prawns in their shells, though small, held smoky flavour from being cooked over hot coals. Fresh pasta is a highlight, including a Puglian-inspired orecchiette number stirred through garlicky cime de rapa. While a whole piece of sole dressed with biting capers and more olive oil flaked willingly away from the bone.

The food is lovely - simple but well-cooked – and yet the prices feel a little out of kilter for some of the things we tried. Still, we can see this being a spot where folks will be willing to let that slide. Those who like their wine will also have enormous fun flicking through the 300-bin list, curated by Mellor himself with sommelier Cameron Dewar to offer an equal selection of Italian and French bottles.

Opening an Italian restaurant in London is proof itself of Mellor’s fiercely competitive spirit, but Vibrato manages that rare feat of transporting diners somewhere else entirely for the evening, and that, you could say, is priceless.

Osteria Vibrato is an intimate trattoria, serving a classic Italian menu alongside minimal intervention wines and rare bottles. The restaurant comes from Charlie Mellor - the man behind The Laughing Heart in Hoxton - as well as sommelier Cameron Dewar (Luca, Burnt Ends). 

This signals a return to London restaurants for Mellor, who closed The Laughing Heart in 2022. Prior to that, the Hoxton restaurant was arguably one of the most exciting in the city, cooking unique, boundary-pushing food alongside a pioneering natural wine list, with a wine bar in the basement that turned into an intimate club in the late evenings. 

Osteria Vibrato promises something a little more traditional. It celebrates Italy’s regional diversity through a classic menu of antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci. Expect house-made fior di latte mozzarella, elegant mixed antipasti, fresh pasta rolled daily, and classics like risotto and orecchiette with cime di rapa. Secondi brings whole grilled fish and arrosti misti, as well as pre-order dishes such as Brodo di Vasto - a seafood stew from Abruzzo. Meanwhile, dolci offers indulgent reimaginings of Italian favourites – think warm, freshly baked amaretti and Torta Caprese. A fixed-price lunch menu caters to pre-theatre diners, and every seat includes a £3 coperto for premium olive oils, aged parmesan and freshly baked bread.

The wine list, curated by Mellor and Dewar, is an exercise in restraint: 250 bottles featuring minimal-intervention classics and rare bottles from Charlie’s own cellar. Cocktails shine in The Green Room - a 12-seat bar at the rear serving Martinis, Negronis and more with theatrical flair.

Design is elegant yet warm: cream tablecloths, Murano chandeliers, terrazzo floors and bespoke ‘Vibrato red’ banquettes set the tone, while art from Soho gallerist Cedric Bardawil and an audiophile sound system mean Osteria Vibrato is party-ready too. Uniforms nod to Neapolitan tailoring, and personal expression is highly encouraged.

Whether you’re here for a lavish dinner or a late-night cocktail, Osteria Vibrato promises atmosphere, artistry and impeccable hospitality.