Anima e Cuore in Camden

Usually food is great here but tonight it was terrible - mussels had gone off and the whole place smelled of it. Other food was also of a much worse standard than usual.

The food was absolutely horrible the muscles tasted like it was off and the service was none existent maybe it was an off day but my god worst restaurant I’ve ever been to. This must be closed down, like oven food is better than this.

What a gem! 👌 Had a lovely Sunday dinner. The quality of ingredients, preparation and presentation were superb - much better than your average Italian. We had burrata, crespella and parmigiana, as well as fresh cacio e pepe pasta which blew our minds 😩finished off with authentic delightful Italian gelato. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, and the vibes so good! A place with real soul and heart, and ours were definitely touched by this delicious and lovely experience 😉🥰 Thank you to everyone serving us and preparing our food! All the best from two grateful food-loving girls and will be back 🙋🏻‍♀️💁🏻‍♀️

Very nice place, warm staff et amazing food.

Visited again after a long break. Exceptionally good food. A deli and ice cream at the street front, with casual cafe area, but the full menu restaurant at the rear. Excellent food, pasta made in the kitchen, all home made and fresh. Lunch times can be quiet, suggest reserving for dinner as it does get busy especially Fri and Sat. They now have a liquor licence, but you can still BYO for a small corkage fee. Good news they now take a credit card. Now also open or Sunday lunch (full dinner menu). We'll worth a visit, nice people, good service. ...previously Mar23....Visited again today, found some delicious new additions to the menu. Worth trying the fois gras with pickled blackberries, and the fregola (a Sicilian specialty) with mussels and crab. All pasta and bread is made on site, delicious! Previously...Oct 2021: A very enjoyable evening, nice people and excellent food. The menu changes slightly week to week, and over several months we've tasted, or watched with envy most dishes. For starters the traditional italian dishes are all excellent but venture to the scallops gratin, or cod and zucchini. Pasta is made in the restaurant, the ravioli with cherry tomatoes is delicious, but honestly all the offerings are excellent. Last night I had the swordfish which was new, and delicious. Good selection of Italian desserts. Its BYO, so you can bring something extra nice to compliment the high quality of food. We will be going again.

Cute little & cozy place, the food italian style with authenticity flavours which reminds me of my own home, the service is good, the waitresses are always smiling and helpful, I will defo go back and will recommend to friends & family

Table was booked weeks ago for my mother’s birthday on the terrace, the booking was the first for that night. When we arrived though, disappointed to be told the terrace was full but we could move from the soulless dining room as soon as one of the group tables left. Not a good start to find out the table had been given away and we were not moved by the staff at the right moment, we had to take a table ourselves and start clearing it, otherwise another party was going to get it. Starters were delicious and well presented but it went downhill from there. Main courses took over an hour to arrive after the starters and were just ok, expensive for what they were. After chasing multiple times and saying we were going to have to leave if they didn’t arrive, we were told “yours is next” (it wasn’t) and eventually “we only have one chef” for a busy Friday night service. Service overall was really poor. We had planned to stay for dessert but it was too late at that point and the birthday meal experience was such a let down. The fact they then presented a bill with £20 corkage which when questioned was actually £10 corkage and £10 service was the nail in the coffin - to be charged for service after that experience! They removed it after another discussion. We will not return. It was such a different experience to previous we even asked if it was under new management, it’s not. Spend your money somewhere else!

We do love this ice cream store. Great flavor selection. We wanted to try their ice cream as take away and I was extremely disappointed once arrived at home noticing that not only the ice cream box wasn't weighed in the store but the box was also not fully filled with ice cream. So disappointing since we didn't understand if we paid for the weight(never checked) or the box size(usually fully filled).

Delicious pasta and great service! Will definitely be back soon :)

Anima e Cuore is just one of a long row of very ordinary shops and cafés on the west side of Kentish Town Road. But go inside and you’ll find a warm welcome and some very good, freshly cooked Italian food. Six of us went on a Saturday evening. We’d had to book (the place is quite small) and to decide in advance our choices of starters and mains from the menu. You choose your dessert on the night and can bring your own wine. Everything we had was delicious. Don’t go here if you’re in a hurry though: the food came out at a slow pace - but that suited us perfectly. The service was friendly and efficient. We had a great time! Incidentally, Mark M’s two vicious reviews below bear absolutely no resemblance to our experience. Everything was spick-and-span and the only smells were of the food. Perhaps Mark M had gone somewhere else?

Wow this place is truly a neighborhood gem! I felt like I was in Italy at this restaurant. The pasta selection is great and the gelato is really superb. Kentish Town is lucky to have this place!

Shabby stinky restaurant with mediocre pizza. Waiters were ok, professional, but food was really really bad. It is also a deli, but I wouldn't buy anything from that place.

A fantastic local Italian. I would rather go here than up west. Great staff & the food is delicious. Save room for the home made Gelato great flavours

Looking for good Italian food and service? Here’s the place.

Lovely gelato. I chose mango and passion fruit flavour and also the chocolate flavour. They tasted very rich and natural. Staff service was excellent as well. What a neighbourhood hidden gem!

Shabby, smelly, squallid.. Can't find enough adjectives ti describe this hole. Everything was bad, from food to service to overpriced bill.

Love this place, the most delicious and authentic Italian food. Really lovely service! Has become one of my favourite Italian places :)))

The food here is nothing short of extraordinary. And the grocery store is a neighborhood gem. Pasta ala norma as good as in Sicily. Everything is elevated and wonderful. Ambience will transport you to the brightest lit most sparingly decorated trattoria in Italy. I would go in eyes wide open and enjoy the food. Also they used to be BYOB and cash only but now they have wonderful wines and take credit cards. Also pro tip. Best gelato in the neighborhood. And you can get it in large containers to go.

Delicious food in an intimate environment. Will definitely be back!

Excellent homemade ice cream, I tried hazelnut and pistachio and could feel the ground pieces.

the real deal Italian café, gelateria and delicatessen

Amazing restaurant with the best Italian pasta I’ve had in years! Warm, attentive service with gorgeous homemade dishes served in a really authentic atmosphere.

Stopped in this delightful place to have an affogato, a delectable taste of heaven prepared by Italians! A must try!

What a show, the customer service and the quality of their products are unbeatable. I highly recommend trying the affogato... it is priceless delicious. Enjoy your meal. Spectacular! The customer service and the quality of their products are unbeatable. I recommend the affogato which is exquisite and priceless. Enjoy!

Outstanding food, great service. Freshly made pasta, very casual atmosphere which I loved. Recommend it 100% !

Place looks like a cheap gelateria on the outside, but at the back it’s set up as a proper restaurant.. although with no ambience. Food and service were very good but I left with a bad taste. The bill was not a VAT bill. It was hand-written and we could only pay in cash. Why does the place pretend to be a gelateria on the outside, not give official bills and only allow payment in cash?? Pasta with octopus was £20 and average plate of pasta was £18. So charging restaurant prices too.

Such a warm and friendly place. Delicious food and impeccable service. Décor could do with a makeover. The food is also of remarkable value. Definitely worth a visit. 🍍 Jamie

Great food with a real Italian flavor. Don't go for surroundings but food makes up for it with creativity and great taste. Friendly staff as well.

Delicious pasta and heartwarming atmosphere. Highly recommend the cacio e pepe and their home-made cherry trifle gelato!

I love the ice cream selection here and they taste absolutely amazing. Come here with friends when in the area. Will come back and try the food they offer as well.

Anima e Cuore hosted our wedding lunch for our families last week, and it was perfect! The staff are so friendly, and it was super easy to plan private dining with them remotely. Everyone commented how delicious the meal was, how hard it was to choose a starter given all the amazing options, the truffle pasta, the rib eye steak, and even harder to choose between all the flavours of gelato which are so fresh. You guys are the best!

Best squid I’ve had locally. Super service. A gem of a place. Don’t be put off by entrance. At the back is a cosy room. Ice cream is exceptional. 5*****

Simply amazing! Best pasta we have ever had 🤤

Food is nice, presented well. Service sadly was quite slow and not the friendliest. When we asked about it we were told that it’s because they make everything freshly and regular customers are understanding of this. I really appreciate the sentiment of this but don’t think it’s a reason for making customers wait an hour for their food.

Anima & Cuore is a must if you are looking for authentic Italian cuisine. The food is excellent - you cannot go wrong with anything! - and very well presented.The staff is extremely kind, friendly and welcoming. Note: I am coeliac but it was not a problem because they had super tasty GF options! In case you fancy something in particular but you have intolerances/allergies, I suggest calling them and I am sure they will try to accommodate your needs.

Small Italian restaurant I found. I had the duck Ragu and burrata for starters. The Ragu is delicious. Potions are smallish but then again it might be a me problem as I’m greedy for Italian. You an’t go wrong with burrata. I’ll definitely be going back to try their ice-cream. I want to give a special shout out to the waitress that attended to us - she was extremely lovely and helpful.

One of the worst experience ever in an Italian restaurant. The restaurant is really bad decorated. The starter really small, the main plates of pasta were nice, but the quantity really small. They informe you in the menu the plates will take 20 minutes, we wait for 30 minutes. For the dessert I wouldn’t recommend the ice cream didn’t taste good at all it was different flavors in each spoon. When we were going to pay they say only cash… Really bad experience, I would never again come back and I wouldn’t recommend to any of my friends.

Had dinner here before going to a show and it was beautiful! We had tuna tartare and the veal and tuna to start and they were so fresh. I had the truffle tagliolini for my main and it was honestly the most delicious pasta I’ve ever eaten! So rich but not too heavy at all. They had such a range of gelatos for dessert as well; we had chocolate & peanut and fig & amaretto. They were the perfect end to the meal as you can choose how many scoops. The staff were really lovely and helpful with the menu. It’s is BYOB and cash only which we didn’t know before going in. They do have a selection of drinks on offer but I think best to choose your own as they didn’t have a big variety in house. The loveliest meal, the only reason I would go 4 and not 5 is because of the decor. The restaurant is quite bare and the table cloths are paper. This actually doesn’t offend me at all but when the food is so well done, you expect it to be from a more put together environment! Would absolutely recommend if you love good food! 😋

Used to be good value for money. Now they've raised their prices substantially in two months (much faster than inflation merits). Still good, family Italian, but now sadly overpriced.

The food is really delicious but the atmosphere is awful. It's like being in someone's converted living room. Overhead bright lights, no music, art on the walls which looks like they just bought whatever the local charity shop had to offer. This lack of atmosphere is made more stark by the fact that this place is pretty expensive. But the food is great!

Delicious and well made authentic Italian food! Highlights were definitely the Primi and the ice cream. Service is very friendly, the BYOB is defo a plus - one star down for being cash only, with no in advance notice or sign, so we had to go fetch some cash after the end of the meal.

If you want to get one of the greatest positive surprises in London, then Anima e cuore is the place for you. The food is beyond fantastic, the staff brilliant, and the wine is always the best since you bring your own. If anything to suggest in terms if improvements: The lights are too bright! Get a dimmer for the spots and use some candles/led candles on each table - the atmosphere would become magical 🤩 Nevertheless, given the quality of food served, this is still a 5/5.

Simply fantastic. A hidden gem. We had the best Italian I’ve eaten all year (and having been to Italy that’s no small feat!) Food was en point, service friendly and informal and the shop a few doors down (Italian one) sold wine that was great at only £10-15. Even better was the value for money. Will be back and have already told people about it.

Tagliolini with truffles in Kentish Town? Great. Love the fact it's BYO as well, therefore the wine was expertly chosen and very reasonably priced, because I brought it with me.

We had a set 3 course meal which was at least overpriced by £20 per head given that it was byo no drinks were charged. We had a starter a bog standard pasta ( not particularly extraordinary) and a dessert. The bill was presented without being asked if we wanted coffee. The homemade ice cream looked inviting. Disappointing.

This place used to be great but I feel it has gone downhill a bit since the last time I came. I do love the fact it's BYOB, but the food was not as good as the last two times I've been and I think they could do something to pick up the ambiance a bit - perhaps some different lighting, warmer colours and some light music in the background?

Delicious food, definitely will bring family round next time. Great service!

amazing!!! get the truffle pasta it was devine. the steak was also great!! atmosphere was good and staff were friendly. 2nd time coming and many more to come! London expensive but when it is good like this it is worth paying for

It used to be great food, but it’s not longer like that. I came back to the restaurant after over two years, I knew the staff changed, but I still wanted to give it a go. Unfortunately the staff wasn’t very friendly, it took ages to take our order as well and even longer to bring the food. We sat at 20,45 and our mains arrived at 22.30. I specified my allergies beforehand and during the order, but when the food arrived I did ask again and they weren’t sure so I had to wait for them to make a new dish. The food wasn’t tasty at all, the smell wasn’t great and from time to time the whole restaurant was filled with smoke from the kitchen. It’s no longer how it used to be, I definitely won’t go back anymore.

I wouldn’t share this review if the words ‘sorry’ had ever been used but arriving at 8 and getting your main course at 10:25 definitely requires the word sorry from serving staff. The food was good. The timing was a disaster. I think they recently expanded but the maitre d seemed to think this made it perfectly reasonable to take all night to serve us a bowl of pasta.

Bit of an awkward place but the food was so delicious and the service was great

This place is truly a gem! They don't go in for decor but everything on the menu is truly delicious.. and the staff are a delight. Love the bread they give you to start and the pappardelle with ragu is my personal fave dish.

This is shameful to have 4.6 stars with such a bad service! What a pity. It used to be great but now it has turned into a little Italian restaurant run by the most arrogant, disgusting and rude guy ever. He shouted at us as a welcome only because we didn't advise someone else might be joining the table when the restaurant was completely empty!

oh my god, what a great restaurant! I count the days until I can go back here

This is the best restaurant i've been to in ages!!!!!! The food was fantastic and the staff were very friendly. Prices were decent, for that food I would have paid more! Fresh food and the waiter was very knowledgeable and friendly. I can't recommend this restaurant enough!

Food was really good, if a bit pricey. But the place and the long waits completely let it down. Place is kind of weird. It’s in the back of a cafe which sounds quite cool, but it was actually just not that nice a place to sit and have a meal. There weren’t any actual lights for some reason, so it was all fluorescent like being in B&Q. It also seemed like maybe the place had just had a leak, as well as being pretty cold and drafty. We had to wait a long time between courses. They ended up not bringing one of the desserts at all, and made more of an excuse than an apology. There was also no drinks menu, soft drinks or alcohol, and had to pay in cash. We left feeling a bit like we’d been fleeced.

Not what it used to be! Having enjoyed amazing food since it catered for a handful of guests...This visit was truly an underwhelming experience and expensive at best. Pasta dish (appeared to have been heated in a microwave as too hot to have come from the stove and pass) was nice, short rib tough and chewy with a strange cold pumpkin combination! Menu was limited, one fish option and generally a limited menu was overall disappointing. A meal for 2 with 5 dishes in total costing in excess of £100 (without vino), limited staff (2 for all covers and no explanation as to the dish ingredients or menu), other complaints in earshot left us feeling the old magic seems to have been lost...

BYOB even for soft drinks and cash payment only! Not the nicest looking or atmospheric restaurant. The food was fine, if a bit expensive for what and where it was being served.

4.5 stars. Very very nice fresh Italian food. Located half way between Camden town and Kentish town tube stations on the Northern line. I was a little worried from the street but inside was nice and there is even an outdoor section. Food was well presented (see photos) and delicious. Service was friendly. A touch on the expensive side as it was £70 without alcohol but byo is available. Price justified by the quality of food. Happily recommend.

Food & service is always fantastic Book a few weeks in advance to get a table

Excellent Italian cooking here. We ate here a few days after we were allowed to eat inside again with friends. It was very busy, but service was good and cooking excellent. I ate tuna tartare and others had scallops to start. My husband had venison and I had poussin. The only disappointing dish was salmon as a main, just rather unexciting. Highly recommended.

Booked a table for lunch and what a great tasting meal it was too! Pasta was delicious, quality ingredients and authentic. Loved every mouthful. Service was friendly and good. Can't wait to return and try the rest of the menu.

My husband chose this restaurant after hearing good things about it. Please don’t be deceived by the outside and the decor. This really is home to fantastic Italian food. It’s bring your own wine so we chose a lovely bottle from their deli two doors down. There’s no corkage fee too which is a bonus!We shared a beef tartare to start which was lovely followed by black truffle pasta and guinea fowl ravioli. We chose almond cake and affogato for dessert. With coffees the bill came to £67. Absolute bargain!There is nothing pretentious about this restaurant. Just great food and very friendly service. We look forward to visiting again.

I was looking forward to going out for my first meal since the rules had relaxed and having been to the restaurant a few years ago I expected a beautiful meal. Unfortunately the food just didn’t have much flavour. When you are expected to pay £17 for a meal I expect the quality to be so much higher than what we were served. We spoke to the waiter afterwards but he just didn’t seem to care. Will not be visiting again!

I was super excited to try Anima e cuore, my friend had told me it was really great, so we booked a table for dinner.The experience was rather bad unfortunately. The pasta was very mediocre, it wasn’t bad but it certainly wasn’t good and it was £17 for my truffle dish (which is okay for a nice pasta, but this really wasn’t nice) I had just recently been to both Eataly and Padella in Shoreditch, both excellent in Italian food and much more affordable. When we wanted to order dessert, the dessert we chose wasn’t available anymore— that can happen, but the waiter didn’t bother to explain. In fact, he didn’t care about anything at all. There were long waiting times during our dining experience and at some point he just handed out the bill without saying anything. It came to £85 for 3 pasta bowls and 3 desserts, one of which was just a scoop of ice cream.We then waited for a while until we were told we can only pay in cash and we had to walk to a cash machine (doesn’t feel great during Covid times) when we came back we decided to tell the staff about the poor experience we had, but none of them seemed to care for their restaurant or their service.When we tried to pay separately (there was three of us) he got annoyed with us wanting our change separately.All in all this was a very disappointing experience, very poor service and average pasta. London is full of amazing restaurants with great service, skip Anima e cuore.

I was super excited to try Anima e cuore, my friend had told me it was really great, so we booked a table for dinner. The experience was rather bad unfortunately. The pasta was very mediocre, it wasn’t bad but it certainly wasn’t good and it was £17 for my truffle dish (which is okay for a nice pasta, but this really wasn’t nice) I had just recently been to both Eataly and Padella in Shoreditch, both excellent in Italian food and much more affordable. When we wanted to order dessert, the dessert we chose wasn’t available anymore— that can happen, but the waiter didn’t bother to explain. In fact, he didn’t care about anything at all. There were long waiting times during our dining experience and at some point he just handed out the bill without saying anything. It came to £85 for 3 pasta bowls and 3 desserts, one of which was just a scoop of ice cream. We then waited for a while until we were told we can only pay in cash and we had to walk to a cash machine (doesn’t feel great during Covid times) when we came back we decided to tell the staff about the poor experience we had, but none of them seemed to care for their restaurant or their service. When we tried to pay separately (there was three of us) he got annoyed with us wanting our change separately. All in all this was a very disappointing experience, very poor service and average pasta. London is full of amazing restaurants with great service, skip Anima e cuore.

This was our 1st restaurant of the year and it was such a bad experience. Simply the food was tasteless and pretty expensive for that sort of quality. Service was ok but the waiter had really bad attitude when you told him about the food. 1st time, last time.

Absolutely fabulous. Have been coming here for 7 years and it is as excellent as it ever was. It is completely unsuspecting but the food, especially the pasta, is phenomenal! Can't recommend this enough if you can get a book and don't forget that it is BYOB!

The best Italian food outside of Italy, staff are lovely, great atmosphere. Warm patio heaters and covering for outside dining, hope to be back soon!

With outdoor dining permitted again, we were delighted to be able to find somewhere we could book on a Saturday night. First surprise was that it was bring your own, which they hadn't mentioned when my wife booked. I don't mind BYO (keeps costs down, you can drink better) but would have been useful to know. We popped out to their deli (two doors down) and picked up the best chilled white they had and a bottle of red. But thoughts I might have a negroni to kick off had to be forgotten.The food is good. A small selection but interesting range. I had the tuna tartare folowed by the octopus fettucelle. Both well cooked/prepared and well presented. Prices are punchy for the surroundings (the outside area is pretty basic). The waiter was a little over stretched when we arrived (all tables were taken) but by 8.15pm there were only three tables occupied and things got better (but don't understand why it wasn't more busy...if you have an outside area at the moment you should advertise it and they didn't even have a notice on the door or a board outside saying they have outside space).When we came to pay we were told that they are a cash only establishment, which was fine for us as I had plenty of cash but I did think it was something they could have warned us about in advance. On the way out we used the loos. My wife said the women's loo was so dirty she walked straight out and used the gents. The gents was a little cleaner but still pretty filthy. It always worries me when restaurants have dirty loos about whether it is a reflection of the standards of hygiene of the whole business.Anyway, a decent place but feel they could do so much better with a little bit of effort.

Imaginative menu (goose tortelloni with star anise sauce), perfectly cooked, chilled vibe, BYOB. Great restaurant, food like you’d expect at a Michelin starred place.

We moved into the area recently and had to give this pace a try. Luckily booking wasn't too difficult right now so we manage to get a last minute table. The restaurant is very quirky, its BYOB and in the back of a cafe so actually hard to spot from the main road. The waiters present you the menu on an ever changing chalk board, and the food was insane! We had just got back from a trip to Italy and eaten in some of the best restaurants in Sienna and Perugia and this place still lived up to expectation. We shared two starters, two pasta dishes, a secondi and dessert. The highlight of the meal was definitely the Pumpkin ravioli, but everything was delicious. We could not recommend more, it was excellent value and the service was great. We will be returning as soon as we can.

The place seems a family-run, cheap Italian trattoria, like it or not, but the food served for dinner is outstanding, in term of choices on the menu, taste and look. One of the very few places in London where you don't feel they ripped you off. As a plus, you have to bring the wine yourself!

Food was of top quality if not top top, ice cream/sorbet is a must try. Luckily both our starters and mains were served quickly after we ordered, did not need to wait for too long as some of the comments have mentioned - but have to say not the best service we have ever received. And you can only pay in cash too - for us two the total bill was 67.5 whereas an extra 12.5% service charge was added on top of it, realised that we were overcharged(67.5 before service, 80 after service) after walking out. But overall quite nice experience and would recommend their food.

Teníamos una reserva para el almuerzo el 28/9/20 y cuando llegamos, nos dijeron que el restaurante estaba cerrado debido a un corte de luz. ¡Pero nunca nos llamaron de antemano y nunca nos llamaron después! ! Nos dijeron que luego nos llamarían para reprogramar y no, nunca sucedió. ¿Por qué trataría a un cliente local y por primera vez de esta manera, como si nuestro patrocinio no importara?

Lovely food, terrible service. We attended as a group of six for my boyfriends birthday. It was full and extremely lively so we were looking forward to eating. However, we ended up waiting 50 minutes for our mains. 2 couples had ordered the same pasta dish, so we were surprised it took so long. When I explained to the waiter we'd been waiting a while he rolled his eyes and said they were busy, no apology or time update but reassured us we'd have our food before the 10pm curfew... Well you'd hope! Of course we understand if it's a busy evening but would be nice to not be ignored ad talked to so passive aggressively. Overall the food was lovely but not nice enough to justify rude staff. Will not be coming back.

Had an awful experience where our food arrived over an hour late. Although the food was delicious, the owner then called me at midnight to shout at me for requesting to take off the service charge.

Anima e Cuore parece haber usado el bloqueo para decorar y renovar la entrada, ¡así que es fácil de encontrar ahora! En todo caso, la siempre buena comida ha mejorado. El menú cambia regularmente, muchos platos nuevos, cocina brillante. Mucha invención: vieiras, pulpo, pasta negra, trufas, así que continúaPero, chico, es ruidoso. Un grupo comienza a hablar en voz alta, otros lo siguen e incluso en las habitaciones laterales el ruido reverbera. Quizás algunos tapices en la pared o cortinas en la parte de atrás ayudarían. Habiendo conocido este lugar desde el principio, estoy encantado de que lo esté haciendo tan bien, pero hay desventajas. . .

My favourite restaurant in London. Understated and delicious.

Yummiest ice cream of North London

Lovely to see that the restaurant has reopened because it is one my favourites. Love their new outdoor eating space and of course, the BYOB element makes it a very affordable evening out. Starter are delicious, beautifully presented and flavourful. We were a little disappointed with our pasta mains - at £17 a dish I expected it to be better. My truffle pasta was very watery, not very creamy. And my partners seafood pasta lacked much seafood and flavour. However, this could be a one-off and I hope the pasta mains improve to match the rest of the enjoyable experience that is visiting anima e cuore.

I was truly surprised, amazing quality food. Will start bringing my guests here for dinner.

What more is there to say? This place is amazing and for the money you'd be hard pressed to find a better meal anywhere in London 🙏🙏🙏💯💯💯

This is without doubt my favourite Italian restaurant in London, you can take your own wine and they don't charge corkage. Very inventive food, which you choose from a blackboard. Great place, must book a table as always full.

Wonderful food + BYOB. Careful: cash only. Super staff

By far the best Italian restaurant I’ve been to in a long time! We had the scallops, crab cakes, octopus spaghetti and the truffle pasta - which was the highlight. Everything they served was with true love and care for the dish - the staff are highly attentive and truly passionate about what they serve. This has now become our new regular!

Very easy to miss when you walk pass by this restaurant, as it's quite a hidden gem in Kentish Town! The pasta are homemade and food is fantastic. All the dishes we tried were a hit. I will definitively go back.

Amazing food - literally insane. Not surprised when people are saying it should be Michelin Starred. Had octopus then crab ravioli and my mum had scallops and monkfish! The actual decor and ambience of the place is v basic and a bit weak eg no music, lights really bright. But makes up for it with the lovely food and staff. No alcohol license so but booze next door. Also they only take cash

Fantastic & imaginative modern Italian food. Michelin star quality at hole in the wall premises. Staff love the food and want to share every nuance with you. Added bonus of BYO wineMy third visit in as many months so quietly working my way through the outstanding menu. A bit on the noisy side but with food this good I would tolerate an active construction site!

.. if you savour the eating experience and love indulging yourself, then this my friends is an absolute must .... fresh ingredients, passionately combined and served with panache and style .... don't be fooled by the location, or unassuming layout, just make sure you come equipped with some fine wine and engaging company so as to really get the max out of this enchanting place .. .. Anima was a perfect end to our Valentine's Day celebrations .. a laid back, speakeasy environment full of positive energy and gastro elegance .... ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ .. highly recommended

The extension of this small restaurant has much improved the experience of eating there, the large room at the back allows for bigger groups of family and friends to have a good time. If you're a couple it will be less noisy in one of the other rooms! The food remains delicious and inventive and is served by two friendly and efficient staff. As a regular, the menu is now getting a little bit repetitive though I have my special favourites. A small specials selection would increase choice and add a seasonal alternative to the familiar favourites. But it still remains an excellent restaurant, well worth a visit

Ridiculously wonderful. Returning soon. New decor and extension just means more people can enjoy this rare treat

Tasty delicious food but also inventive so as well as traditional also inventive and seasonal dishes

Anima e Cuore is, in my view, the best Italian restaurant in London. So DO be put off by its recently refurbished but plain decor, the cramped tables and the situation at the inelegant bottom of Kentish Town Road. DO think that it isn;t smart enough, and that its pasta-heavy, seafood laden menu isn;t for you, because then it might leave more room for the rest of us.

insanely good .. don't be fooled by the location or the simple atmosphere .. this is a celebration of authentic food prepared with subtlety and finesse by a kitchen that properly cares .. good luck getting a table

Very good ice cream. My daughter like to visit here very much

This places serves delicious pasta, and has even better members of staff. The two waiters that served us were so nice and friendly. I had the truffle past which was really good, but I regretted not going for the pasta with broccoli and anchovies. Next time I'll go for that 😊

Like everyone else here, I didn't want to write a review because this is such a hidden gem but the people here deserve all the praise + more. Everything here is INCREDIBLE - from the food to the waitstaff and everything in-between. This is the best Italian food in London and better than any food I had in Italy. Go at your own risk as nothing else will compare.

It's not often I give 5 stars... has to be somewhere special, and Anima E Cuore is just that. A small, neighbourhood Italian restaurant. It has a limited menu that it does very well. The food was excellent. The two guys running it do cooking and serving so you get the lowdown on each dish. Also, they insisted we arrive at 7:15pm, not 7pm, yet it was not full. Clearly they stagger meal times so they are not overwhelmed and can give the required attention to cooking and serving. Oh, and they have no licence so BYO... the corkage charge is zero (I kid you not).

the best italian food I ever had!