Primitivo Club is in Teddington, close to the London-Surrey border. It offers casual dining, a wine bar and a delicatessen all in one place, and as a result is now a long-standing local favourite. The decor is refined, featuring neat stone floors throughout, velvet dining chairs and the restaurant’s meats and cheese displayed in large glass-fronted fridges.
The food menu comprises a selection of Italian dishes. Cheese and charcuterie boards make for good sharing starters or light snacks to have with wine. The mix board (three cheese and three meats) and tasting board (four cheeses, four meats, olives, truffle honey and fig jam) are the best way to sample everything on offer. More typical starters come in the form of bruschetta with ‘nduja and stracciatella and burrata with tomatoes.
Main courses are either two kinds of cannelloni (beef ragu or aubergine) or a raclette with roasted potatoes, the menu’s only diversion from Italy and into France. Olives, sourdough and gluten-free crackers are some of the accompanying sides on offer.
The wine list stretches from value bottles to rare vintages, many of which are also available to purchase and take home. In addition, there’s an Italian-heavy cocktail menu, featuring the three types of negroni (aged, classi and sbagliato), Aperol spritz and Amalfi spritz.
Primitivo Club also hosts wine tasting events. These typically centre on grapes from a particular region in a country and include cheese pairings. Prices start at £65 per person.