Porchetta, La - Clerkenwell in Islington

Por supuesto, el señor y la señora Eductor no deberían haberse sorprendido con dos hechos decepcionantes: en primer lugar, un par de días antes de Navidad, todos nuestros restaurantes favoritos en el área del mercado de Exmouth se vieron envueltos en fiestas en la oficina de jóvenes ruidosos intercalados con un puñado de colegas mayores que no estaban seguros si deberían estar mirando a Tina de las cuentas en este momento. En segundo lugar, no deberíamos habernos sorprendido de que un restaurante no tan lleno estuviera. . . errar. . . 'promedio'. No es que La Porchetta sea mala exactamente, es solo que se pierde la mayoría de las expectativas básicas de los restaurantes italianos modernos. Sí, las sillas son incómodas, pero no de una manera moderna. Sí, puedes ver el horno de pizza, pero de alguna manera desearías no poder. Todas las cosas tradicionales de pizza / pasta están ahí, pero la pizza que comiste de Sainsbury's la semana pasada fue igual de buena. En el lado positivo, los camareros eran encantadores y serviciales, el servicio rápido y la factura relativamente modestos para los estándares locales (de nuevo, a diferencia de la mayoría de los italianos modernos). Pero me alegro de que mi fiesta de oficina no estuviera allí. Y no mucha gente lo será.

Nunca volveré a visitar aquí de nuevo! El personal / propietario constantemente entrando en nosotros y nuestra mesa una y otra vez sin pedir disculpas! También escuché al dueño decir que "el inglés estúpido ni siquiera puede ordenar rápidamente", un servicio inaceptable y la comida era tan insípida y no demasiado cálida. Sinceramente, sería mejor ir a PREGUNTAR o prezzo. . .

Una cena rápida con la familia antes de ir a ver el ballet en Saddlers Wells. Un gran restaurante con una serie de mesas vacías no me llenó de alegría (fue mi hijo quien hizo la reserva) pero la comida estaba bien, no es genial, pero la pizza está bien. El vino tinto debido al clima fue enviado a la nevera por un tiempo: el espresso fue excelente y el servicio un poco fortuito. Pero es un lugar fácil para una comida rápida, a solo unos minutos caminando hasta el teatro.

He estado haciendo La Porchetta desde su primera sucursal abierta en Finsbury en los últimos (casi) 20 años - estos tipos ciertamente pueden hacer pizza y es pizza adecuada, no esa cosa asquerosa que normalmente se sirve en el Reino Unido llamada pizza - estas son panes de pizza adecuados al horno con coberturas adecuadas y en general no son tacaños con los ingredientes. Si hay algo que me enloquece es una pizza con ingredientes crujientes: La Porchetta te sirve una sabrosa y suculenta pizza italiana a un precio razonable y saldrás sonriendo del restaurante (y probablemente lleves la mitad de tu pizza en una caja) . Mi única crítica a la sucursal de Rosebery Avenue es que se está enfriando por dentro. ¡Vamos, muchachos, suban la calefacción, por favor! Es grande y espaciosa y está casi vacía a la hora del almuerzo y las tardes, y simplemente no tiene un ambiente cálido y acogedor, en realidad es muy desagradable, es el diseño del lugar que lo hace así: demasiadas ventanas y no lo suficiente calefacción y un ambiente cálido aparte de eso, la comida es genial Los postres de La Porchetta siempre han sido decepcionantes ya que solo sirven los productos congelados que obtienen de los proveedores, así que evitaría eso a menos que te guste un azucarillo de saborizantes falsos, pero el menú de pizzas y bebidas es excelente, los primeros también lo son. en su mayor parte muy buena (aunque un poco simple)

Fui a porchetta con mi familia. Era extraño ver el restaurante muy tranquilo. Sé que entiendo por qué El tipo a cargo estaba tratando de presionar los especiales tan pronto como llegamos y siguió hablando mucho acerca de eso. Mi madre tenía la lubina. Fue muy decepcionante. Las patatas fritas estaban mal cocidas y la lubina necesitaba una salsa ligera pero estaba nadando en ella. una salsa ácida de sabor a ajo que la arruinó y ha tenido a mi mamá despierta toda la noche enferma He estado en Italia muchas veces y no harían pescado como este, debería ser simplemente liso y con una ligera salsa de mantequilla no era muy bueno. . . . . otras partes de la comida tampoco fueron buenas, la pizza estaba bien clara, crujiente, pero fue una ocasión especial y te hace sentir muy decepcionado cuando te decepciona una gran vergüenza

Charmingly unfussy, and has all the things you would expect from a good pizzeria, proper ingredients, hand stretched dough, and simply great pizza.

Weinig tijd, we moesten op tijd voor de voorstelling zijn. Bediening dacht goed mee, eten kwam snel en was prima. Een van de betere Italiaanse restaurants.

We ate here after a performance at Sadlers Wells, it is just a five minute stroll. It was about 09:30 on a quiet Thursday evening and the place was quiet. We sat down and the manager was a friendly guy, lots of chat and seemed very interested in us and what we ate and thought of the food. The food was very good, I was impressed by the Tagliatelle Boscaiola which was a lot easier to eat than to pronounce! with main courses, beers and a good gelato it was just £38 in total for the two of us, which we were happy with. Recommended.

I really do hope that these guys get more footfall as they do really good food for the price and have really nice staff. The new manager has a fantastic focus on customer service!!

Having had several gluten free pizzas in Naples (at some of "the original" pizzerias there) this is hands down the closest thing I've had to what was served there. Lovely springy (but not too bready) dough, and the sauce and cheese were just right, I'll definitely be back! The decor and service is casual - just like a pizzeria in Southern Italy - I'm not sure what happened for the people with bad reviews as my experience was fine. If you're after a sophisticated, more upmarket Italian dining experience then it's worth remembering that good pizza is a casual affair, 'the food of the people'. I took it as a good sign that a table full of young Italian friends ordered pizzas beside us, I'll be back again for the gluten free margarita!

We took a cab to go to a gluten free restaurant who said reservation not required on their website. When we arrived we were told we could not get a table at all. As we walked down the street we found this quaint pizzeria. They served gluten free pizza. We were not disappointed at all and would recommend this location. Service was impeccable as well.

Lunch is served speedily so good if you're on a lunch break. Toilets are down steep stairs so make sure you don't drink much if you're not good on stairs! large restaurant so good for parties. choose from either a set price menu which includes a soft drink, or from the main menu. Good choices for all tastes.

6 of us, 4 adults and 2 children ate here on Spring Bank Holiday Monday in May at approx 730pm. Not very busy at all, despite many other local restaurants closed. Looks more like a cafe inside. Standard Italian menu and food although the pizzas were the highlight, freshly made in the ovens overlooked by the restaurant. Service good. Value ok, £100 approx - no starters, one bottle of wine and 2 beers. Would we go again - no. Missed the restaurant atmosphere and touches.

Visited this place on Monday evening. The restaurant is placed in a beautiful period building, it's spacious and light. Though I can't say the interior is cosy. Food is slightly overpriced, but pizzas were served super fast, they were huge and rather tasty and the staff was friendly. So if you need a quiet place with nice food two steps away from Exmouth Market - that's the one.

Good for a birthday bash. Food is average really, but it's always good sized portions. There is something for everyone on the menu. The vibe is good and staff cope with large parties really well.I always have a good time here.

Venue big very like a canteen , rushed service 4 different waiters asked if we were ready to order within 10 minutes . Food ok pizza takeaway service looked thriving . One girl hand making pizzas . Garlic bread was had tomatoe pizza base . Pasta was OK side salad of " salad leaves " looked like it came out of a supermarket bag , wine had sediment in the bottom which I have never seen in a restraunt before , I was told it was "sugar " , also asked for more Parmesan and was frowned at as I had 2 spoons of it !!!! . I don't normally write critical reviews , but I was extremely disappointed and felt the food and service were terrible .

We'd come to London for the weekend and hadn't booked anywhere for dinner, thinking it would be relatively easy to find somewhere to eat on a Friday night. We tried a number of venues along Exmouth Market with no success, until we stumbled upon La Porchetta. There were plenty of tables available, even at 8pm on a Friday night. The service was incredibly fast and you could see your pizzas being made in front of you. A pizza or pasta dish was around £10, which I would consider typical for London. The food was delicious, the salad was fresh and the recommended wine was really nice.I'd definitely visit again.

I have been to la porchetta many times and for a long time ( even at the time they used to have risotto Al Nero di sepia). I usually have a pizza and decided to have the spaghetti Al Nero di sepia (black spaghetti). They were absolutely tasteless. Will never have them again and an advice: stick to pizza. Highlighted to the waiter but he wasn't that bothered.

Good service, however food was warm Overpriced and it wasnt very cosy in there very cold infact, draught coming through door, only us and couple in there on valentines afternoon? Spent over £250 in there and they kicked a fuss up that we owed them money just for some appetisers obviously says in all why it was quiet in there :(

12 family members Sunday lunch. we were the only ones in the place. We spilt the order into 2 separate bills. The total cost was £ 265 altogether. Our families bill was £165 when we checked it we found 2 items that should not have been on there, the waitress was so obnoxious anyone would of thought we were lying!!!. Can you believe it in a Italian restaurant we had to ask for Black pepper & Parmesan!! 4 family members had a tomato based dish , yet our sauce was all identical.

Oh dear. My wife - who passes through life without any real understanding of what makes me tick - vaguely knows i love good pizza. Indeed, i have a small mobile pizza business. But she booked this place. Literally fifty metres away - i realised after - is a new Pizza pilgrims and Santore, another quality pizza joint. Both buzzing and packed when we passed by later. La porchetta? Dull, dull, dull. Life is too short for dull pizza. And almost empty on a saturday night. I guess the neighbours will crush this place.

The pizza is great, the pasta is great, the proseco is great. I'm just surprised more people don't go here.

The only good thing about it was that it came fast. The pizzas were well made but used very poor ingredients, no kids menu, and extremely expensive for the high price. When we tried to explain to the manager why we were dissatisfied he said "what do you expect me to do, I don't own the restaurant". No kids menu. Staff were trying but you could tell they were closing their eyes to get through a shift. Avoid to avoid substantial disappointment.

I was there for a family lunch today. The welcome was very warm and the service very pleasant. I was impressed by how swiftly everything came. A very nice and generous pizza.

Service good, friendly staff. Food average, Italian mostly, not much fish. Deserts boring, tiramisù tasteless & liquore coffee weak with spray cream!

Total freundliche und zuvorkommende Bedienung. Ganz frische und super leckere Nudeln. Dazu ein Pizzabrot. Einfach nur Klasse! Wenn wir wieder in London sind, gehen wir da nochmal hin. Wir sind total begeistert!

Sunday lunch, quick pizza and pastas for a small group. Pizzas were very good better than the chains that are on every high steer. Restaurant is basic but fine for a quick feed, service is fine friendly 10% service is added to pizzas costing £13 so it is not cheap for this food but they are big in size. Don't sit near the window on a sunny day as there are not blinds and it gets very hot!

I've been going at la Porchetta from long time, actually the pizza is one of my favorite in London, maybe the service can be better.

We love La Porchetta, possibly as we can see it from our flat and we are lazy but mostly because it is consitently well priced trattoria fare though we do miss the specials and the large carafe of wine. Portion sizes are huge, pizzas are tasty and use good ingredients. Warm welcome from staff especially the marvellous Paolo who makes every visit a special one. Give it a try.

Both of us who had lunch there yesterday, having had two separate dishes, fell ill from chronic indigestion.The menus themselves are dirty and sticky and the presumption is that those standards of cleanliness apply also in the kitchen. Avoid seafood pizza and penne Siciliana at the very least.

We have just had an evening meal here with our two children and I felt compelled to write a review as everything about our experience was fantastic. We have a three year old and one year old and are up in London for a weekend break so at 6pm on a Saturday night we are all pretty shattered! As soon as we arrived at the restaurant we were greeted really warmly and from that point on, nothing was too much trouble. The staff were all lovely and the food is just delicious. We always try to seek out traditional, family Italian restaurants when in the city rather than the chains which are our only choice at home and this one did not disappoint! Thank you to all the staff and especially the lovely ladies who were so patient with my children and the main guy who, even after we had paid, was still friendly and took the time to speak to our boys.

Really good little location with great pork based food, very lively and happy staff. Good cheap lunch options and a warm wooden feel inside.

Nous sommes allées dîner là-bas avec une amie une première fois, l'accueil fut excellent. Les pizzas y sont immenses, préparées sous nos yeux et très bonnes.J'ai eu plaisir à y emmener ma mère et des amis par la suite.Je me permet tout de même de mettre un point de moins car la musique d'ambiance était (les deux fois) bien trop forte!

We celebrated a Family members birthday here yesterday. On arrival at the restaurant we were seated very quickly. The ambience was lovely. We had 3 kids in our group- the waiters namely Paolo was very attentive. It was nice how the children could way the pizzas being made. The food arrived promptly and was very nice. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Went today with 2 young children and husband. Was seated quickly and the waiter was very attentive, suggesting wines and food. We ordered 2 pizzas and a bowl of fries that came very quickly. Food was ok, not over the top wow but hit the spot nicely. Personally we prefer strada but thought we'd give porchetta a go too. I would recommend this restaurant for a quick bite to eat.

DO NOT visit this restaurant if you are disabled or elderly. I booked a table reservation after asking the restaurant staff if the restaurant was disabled friendly. I was told: "There are no steps. Everything is at ground floor level and we have a disabled toilet ". On arrival it was made clear to me that the restaurant did not welcome disabled customers. I was told: "We do not have a disabled toilet and have no plans to get one. You will have to use the downstairs toilet." There were 18 steps on a steep staircase. There were also steps at the restaurant entrance with no handrails.The staff were unwilling to suggest another restaurant in the area which might accommodate us.Any one considering to use this restaurant because of its proximity to Sadlers Wells should look elsewhere.Richard Stokes

Il palazzo che ospita la pizzeria ristorante La Porchetta vicino a Exmouth Market è di gusto e ci si aspetterebbe un arredamento più accogliente di quello che invece vi abbiamo trovato. Un ambiente un po' spoglio, che sa più di refettorio che non di buona cucina. A parte questa prima sensazione che non si avverte troppo da fuori, il personale è gentile e le pizze non sono male seppure con qualche concessione al gusto locale in termini di presentazione. Da rivedere invece il pane utilizzato per la bruschetta con caprino che sarà pure "fatto in casa" come ci ha detto la cameriera italiana ma risulta così duro da essere immangiabile. Buone le olive di Trapani, la birra e anche il vino sfuso italiano. Per il resto magari portate il ghiaccio a parte per chi lo desidera. Prezzo nella norma per Londra.

La porchetta is always a little empty- which is such a shame because the pizzas are really tasty! (I have Italian family and even they love them!). The prices are hard to beat and a fraction of many of the other restaurants near by. I've been with various friends and they all love it. My boyfriend invariably orders the "Buffala" and Order a range- they always arrive really quickly and are delicious!!

Three of us went for dinner on Saturday night and were surprised how empty the restaurant was. We shared arancini which I found quite good, but the sauce was cold. My son and I each had pizzas which were OK but nothing special. My husband had a risotto which was just OK as well.Dessert was good but everything except the tiramisu comes from outside.

There are other restaurants in the vicinity that have much better quality, service and atmosphere for the same price. Food is barely passable, unless you like it cold and oily. It certainly isn't a place to go to as a group particularly with children. ,

This place had decent reviews, so we gave it a shot on my birthday (just a few days after moving to London, so we didn't know any better). Sadly, this was quite close to the worst dining experience I've ever had. (and I've had some disappointing restaurant experiences!) My wife likes salty pasta, but she nearly gagged on this stuff. My pizza was bland and disappointing, though it wasn't the worst I've ever had. It took three requests to get tap-water along with our drinks, and it came warm and without ice. No refills were ever offered. My wife couldn't eat her pasta, it was so bad, so the manager took it away. We asked for the bill. Ten minutes later we were instead brought a free dessert. Now if we had been brought the bill with my wife's meal promo'd along with the free dessert, I wouldn't be posting this (nearly two months later, it stuck with me so long!) But the manager obviously thought he could get us to pay for two bites of a terrible meal in exchange for a 'free' cheapo dessert. We said no, refused to pay for my wife's meal, and left. And we hope no one else will ever make the same mistake we did. Avoid this place (like the plague, if that's how you roll).

I met my wife for lunch and found this very pleasant restaurant within 5 minutes walk of the office. We were seated quickly and served very promptly. They were very accommodating with small change in ou selection from what looked like a very comprehensive menu.The food was delivered to our table in good time bearing in mind it was a busy lunchtime. Very reasonable pricing although service charges are not welcome by us. Had there not been one I would have left a tip to exceed the charged 10%.Will definitely be a return customer to this venue.

My friends and I ate here last night and all our meals were fantastic. All the food was freshly prepared and the pizzas were huge. Very chilled restaurant with great service and very well priced. I will be returning.

Popped into this restaurant on the way home the other night, just fancied some simple Pasta, went for a Rigatoni Amatriciana, it was really tasty and hit the spot, washed it down with a Peroni, couldn't ask for better value. Noticed on my bill that if I go back within 7 days there's a free garlic pizza bread on offer, not sure i'll be able to make it, but will be back at some point in the future.

We visited with family whilst staying in London. Kids enjoyed a scrummy pizza to share ( it was big). I had fab tasty pasta and my husband a fantastic creation with linguine and langoustine. Everybody happy, nice ambience, not too pricey, child friendly staff.

Popped in for a quick bite to eat on a cold Monday night. Place was nearly empty but there was an immediate appetite-inducing smell of italian cuisine. It's not a table-cloth and candles place but was presentable and situated in a vast high-ceilinged room. Although the menu does much more than pizza I went immediately for my favourite, Fiorentina. When it came, it was very thin, spilling over the edge of the plate, piping hot and delicious. So I ate it, all of it. Mrs Bungee also finished her pizza - I'm not sure how as it was bigger than her! The staff were friendly and accomodating and I thought everything reasonable value for money. I don't know the area so I can't compare La Porchetta with other restaurants or judge whether it is or isn't as good as it used to be. What I can say is that on a night when I wanted a good pizza, it delivered a good pizza.

Once cheap and cheerful now expensive and poor. Circa ten years ago the pizzas were obscenely huge and the ambience was fantastic. This was the Stroud Green restauarnt which was all but empty when I visited last month. It's clearly lost its soul. It had a fantastic manager.Being in the area I decided to try the Clerkenwell restaurant. For old times sake. The waitress had no grasp of the English language so I assisted in explaining that I required two extra toppings on my pizza. None the less it appeared sans toppings because she forgot. Nice. As the restaurant was 10% full the manager came over and organised a 2nd pizza. Now you would think he would personally make sure it was correct. Alas no. Again incorrect. Coupled with no ice in the drinks and no parmesan being brought over.In short there are much cheaper, much better pizzeria's in London. Santore (where I should have gone, doh!) is leagues ahead. I have given this place too many chances. Camden, Stroud Green and Clerkenwell have all descended into simply inexcusably rubbish. Ok they are not the synthetic Pizza Express voucher fest but they are charging top drawer. Avoid.

Although this is one of a chain of restaurants, oddly, I find it the least consistent of its sister branches. I first visited about 6 years ago and, over the years, we've enjoyed fantastic meals sometimes only to return, enthusiastic and hopeful, and be disappointed by our next visit. As with all La Porchettas, the staff are ridiculously laidback and often wonderfully friendly. And the menu is fantastically varied and tempting. Somehow, though, this branch seems to fail to offer the consistency provided by other branches - for example, the pizzas always vary massively in size (sometimes too small for a snack, sometimes too immense to finish), the olives and antipasti are frequently too cold, and the Moretti can be completely flat. That's not to say it's not worth a visit - if you're lucky, you could enjoy a delicious and brilliant value meal - but if you want a more consistent restaurant with a similar if not identical menu, try the Islington branch of La Porchetta.

We wound up at La Porchetta because we had forgotten to make a booking for dinner on a Friday night and got turned away from our favorite - Santore. This was right around the corner and seemed like a fair alternative. We ordered pizzas which were certainly decent and well made but just not as tasty as the ones at Santore. They did get my order wrong, but apologized quite sincerely and brought me the correct pizza a few minutes later.It's a nice space, perfect for families or groups, with high ceilings and cute pictures of piggies along the wall.

Great pizzas and good value for money. Friendly staff and a homely feel. Very Italian. Loved it!

My wife and I arranged to take our grandchildren to see the Nutcracker at Saddlers Wells as their Christmas treat. We looked for nearby restaurants for lunch prior to the performance and came across La Porchetta. As we were going to Saddlers Wells in November for another performance we booked lunch on line, both for that day and also for Saturday 17th December. On our first visit we checked with the waiter that they had our reservation for 17th December and he confirmed it. Imagine our surprise when, with two young grandchildren in tow, we arrived at 1230hrs only to find the restaurant closed. There was no explanation, the restaurant was decorated for Christmas and appeared to be working normally. We searched for an alternative restaurant in the vicinity and found Santoré where we had an excellent lunch, see separate review. It was only subsequently that we found that the restaurant is only open on Saturday evenings but we have had no explanation as to why they accepted our reservation.

Decor is minimal in this Italian cafe just four minutes' walk from Sadlers Wells. Our meal was really very good. Crispy fried whitebait (just a touch too salty for our taste), great bruschetta and excellent, very large pizza. The highlight was the seasonal special: linguine with langoustines, which would not have disgraced a top West End restaurant. The welcome was personal, warm and friendly. Recommended without hesitation, even though the place was almost empty on an early Tuesday evening. Deserves to be popular.

Was heading to the Camden Roundhouse for the black keys gig, spotted this place really close and popped in to see the menu. staff were really friendly, service was quick and food was excellent!!! Next time im going to the Roundhouse ill be sure to get my meal in here!!!

Huge cooked-in-front-of-you pizza's.

good food, the pizzas are extremely filling so if youre going to get a starter.....make sure its light!

Fantastic pizza and squid ink risotto!

This is my favourite pizza place in London! Pizzas are huge and very nice!