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Taberna Etrusca

Italian·
££££
·
Bronze Award
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SquareMeal Review of Taberna Etrusca

Bronze Award

Like some of the racing cars pictured on its walls, Taberna Etrusca has come to be regarded as a 1960s classic. The setting couldn’t be more Cockney (note the lovely courtyard almost beneath Bow Bells), but at heart this is a “typical” City trattoria with chummy service, good wines and “tranquil” evening sessions in contrast to busy lunchtimes. “Massive portions” satisfy on a basic level, but the kitchen has merits beyond mere sustenance: “full-flavoured” dishes often embrace international influences, as in a confit duck salad with peanut, orange and chilli dressing or anchovy tempura atop grilled Shropshire chicken with Caesar salad. There’s fresh homemade pasta too – try the chitarra spaghetti with sliced beef fillet sautéed in garlic, chilli and plum tomato. With its noticeable Italian tilt, the wine list provides gratifyingly wide choice at the lower end – a sensible approach to pricing that’s much-valued by regulars.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
Italian
Ambience
Fun, Lively
Alfresco And Views
Outside seating
Perfect for
Dates
Food Hygiene Rating

Location

9-11 Bow Churchyard, London, London, EC4M 9DQ

020 7248 5552 020 7248 5552

Website

Opening Times

Mon-Fri 12N-3.30pm Tues-Fri 6-10pm

Reviews

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14 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Jason H

25 May 2023   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

Warren C

21 March 2023   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 4

Excellent food and service :)

Lesley O

08 December 2022   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Traditional Italian cuisine in heart of EC4

A pleasant lunch with good service and nice surroundings . Good choice of menu and food served fresh and hot . Reasonably priced . 

Anon

22 April 2022   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

A favourite of Mark Slim's restaurants in the City

Lisa S

25 November 2019   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 4.5
Lovely little Italian restaurant

Such a lovely Italian restaurant.  Took a client here who also really enjoyed it.  The atmosphere had a great vibe too.  

Brentwood Bird

12 December 2016  
Food & Drink 3
Service 1.5
Atmosphere 2
Value 4
Service without a smile
Having used Taberna on a number of occasions for what were very pleasant lunches, it did not seem too big a risk to book a table for a pre-festive catch up with a friend. On arrival my heart momentarily sank to see the restaurant set up for so many larger size parties with a handful of smaller tables haphazardly wedged in to what limited space remained. The first table we were shown to was not only placed in the main walkway but was also so close to a neighbouring table that neither occupant would have been able to move without the explicit permission of their neighbour! Fortunately we spotted a slightly better positioned table a deux and our request to move was accepted. Whilst I still had to hang on to my wine glass whenever the serving staff attended to the adjacent table, at least we did have to be on first name terms with our fellow diners. We opted for the a la carte menu and whilst our meal of squid, crab risotto, sea bass and a shared plate of cheese is unlikely to have any top chef shaking in his boots, it was relatively tasty, good size portions if a little carelessly presented; my risotto was accompanied by four prawns, but rather than make a feature of them they were just left submerged in the beigeness of the dish, with not even a sprinkling of chopped herbs to raise its appearance. What really lets this place down though is the utter disinterest and lack of engagement of all the waiting staff; they gave the impression that they really could not be bothered with any of their customers and basically just went through the motions of taking orders and bringing dishes to the table. Having experienced first class service with lively and fully engaged staff at the nearby Temple & Sons earlier in the week (and notably paying a similar amount for both meals, so it’s clearly not a case of you get what you pay for) it was a sharp contrast between the good, and not so good, of eating out in the Square Mile.

JADE P

19 July 2016  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 5
Perfect for lunch
We made a reservation outside however by lunch time it was slightly chilly, they kindly allowed us to switch tables to move inside. The Paccheri con Gamberi was very tasty with large prawns. Great portions. I have visited this venue many times, the food is excellent and staff are very accommodating.

Dorina R

12 October 2015  
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Lovely food
Food was delicious. Best tiramisu in town!

Stephen L

02 October 2015  
Food & Drink 3.5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 3
Always good
As a longstanding City venue this restaurant is consistently good. A classic menu supplemented by specials make it worth a visit for a business lunch or dinner

Emma W

08 July 2015  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Great food in a great restaurant
My colleagues and I really enjoyed our lunch at this restaurant. Although we have frequented many Italian restaurants in the area, we had not visited this one before. We all really liked what we ordered, as well as the drinks (sampling of the G&T menu is a must). The prices were also very reasonable for the portions given. The service was also very good.
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