Vecchio Parioli in City of London, Westminster

No frills, just good simple cooking. Chicken Milanese is a staple

Hello. I came here last week with a few friends. I ordered spaghetti carbonara. It was made with cream and lots of oil. This is not a traditional carbonara. A traditional one is much nicer and very easy to make! It was disappointing and I couldn’t eat the meal. The man serving me was lovely but does need to be aware that technically this wasn’t a traditional Italian dish, I am half Italian and know! Thanks

Authentic Italian cuisine in a rustic restaurant. The food is great, the wine selection is also very good! Always happy!

Had a smashing lunch with the gang from Slough House. Jackson Lamb ate like a dying horse but it’s not something we haven’t seen before.

Oct24. First visit. Old fashioned restaurant in operation for more than 70 years with terracotta tiles, white table clothes, dark wood fittings. Well executed food, sound house red. Would return.

This lovely Italian restaurant is consistently excellent. The food is good and plentiful, the ambience always welcoming and friendly, and I am very pleased to have become a regular customer over the years.

Vecchio parioli is the best restaurant in London The staff were fantastic nothing was two much trouble for them I’m in a wheel chair and the help they gave me was fantastic

Service was absolutely top notch - will be back again just for that. Food was very good - menu a little eclectic but why not? House wines are superb value for money. A really nice neighborhood place. Only downside is tables can be a bit close together

Did they pay to slow horses for branding?

Fantastic food and service. Our family of 5 went as a walk in booking on a Sat night, and they rearranged tables to fir us in. We had an array of beautiful Italian food, mains, vegetables and desserts, accompanied by tasty wines, and left with a big grin on our faces, such tasty food.

The staff are warm and friendly. The restaurant is charming, with starched white tablecloths and atmospheric lighting. The food was delicious and the staff are willing to serve Italian options that aren't on the main menu.

First, but certainly not the last visit. Friendly welcome, lively without being loud. Well priced and delicious wine and then fabulous food with a true feel of Italy. Could not recommend more highly.

Went here on a midweek evening. The service was warm and welcoming from the off. Attentive friendly staff who aren’t overbearing and let us feel very comfortable. The menu is fairly short but adequate to find a mixture of vegetarian and meat courses. We both had pasta and I found mine to be of very high quality. A sausage tomato dish which was wonderful. The food had a home cooking kind of feel, as if it was a family restaurant. For dessert I went with the tiramisu and felt it was a bit small.

Dichtbij ons hotel ontdekte mojn reisgrnoot dit restaurant. Fijne sfeer, mooie inrichting goede sfeer en verse producten! Zeer aan te bevelen! Prijs kwaliteit erg goed!

Homely and cosy restaurant serving good Italian food. Pasta was cooked al dente and portions were huge. Affordable prices too. The chicken liver, seafood pasta, and Sardinian pasta were especially good. Service was attentive and the crew came by regularly to refill our water. Special mention to Sihonō who took care of us.

We were looking for somewhere to get a bite to eat before seeing a show at the Barbican, but we were delighted - we both had some of the tastiest Italian food that we had ever had (risotto and pasta). The staff were very pleasant, and ensured that we were able to eat in time before the show. We had a lovely meal, and it is on our list of places to back to, just to enjoy the food, regardless of whether we have a show to see.

This was some of the worst Italian I’ve eaten in years. House wine was terrible and then food went downhill from there. Service was lovely. It looks so appealing from the outside but don’t be fooled.

Some of the best pasta I ate in my life I even ordered another plate

Not bad, a little dated and small, but the food was good.

Delicious food and friendly customer service.

This is a very special place, amazing food and relaxing atmosphere. Definitely coming back

Hi. It's not a bad choice, my steak was pretty average yet pricey

Great simple food. Inexpensive. Friendly.

An institution! Wonderful food from this restaurant that has been a part of London for years. There's a relatively small menu, but with traditional Italian classics, not the anglicised version (thankfully). They have set menus as well, but we settled for a main course during lunch. The pasta was excellent, perfectly cooked and tasted amazing. Probably one of the best pasta dishes I've had in the UK. Friendly service, a small amount of seating, and it does get busy during lunch service. Would recommend

I booked a table at this local restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Due to busy lives, we only go out 3 or 4 times a year and in recent years have almost always used this restaurant. We arrived at the appointed time to discover no table reserved or available. No apology was given. Total disaster! Returned home, the occasion ruined. I went back the next day to double-check that I had not booked the wrong day. The booking was there, the first name on the page written in capital letters. They did not appear to be concerned by what had happened or its implications.

Calling this an Italian restaurant is an insult to Italy. Very expensive for this kind of quality. Nice service though. Get better cooks.

Truly Italian cuisine. Being in London is not a given.

Probably been eating here for 25 years, but first time back for possibly 10. Not changed at all, good and bad. Lunch with a colleague. Food was OK. Liver and risotto.

Great authentic Italian place! Hidden gem in London, especially at this value for money.

Remember this restaurant from years ago and it hasn't lost any of its charm. Yes it is like stepping back in time but in a good way. This is a million miles from all the corporate chains so if that's what you want go elsewhere. But for a honest welcome, fresh seasonal food cooked in the kitchen that from our table we could see, then this is my idea of a great local restaurant. Just wish it was local to me. Of particular mention was my asparagus and goats cheese starter (heaven) and my husbands fish for main although everything else was good and very decent price considering location. Also things like the delicious olives were included whereas I had been charged £6 for them elsewhere for lunch and there weren't as nice. Hope to make it back there very soon.

Specialists of Nice behavior n service food 👌 it's too much

I went here a couple of years ago and I was so pleased to find this gem, the food and staff were great. I revisited last week and while the staff were still great the food was not, change of chef maybe? I even ordered 1 dish the same as before as I liked it so much, chilli chicken livers, this time it was bland, no chilli at all. The seafood spaghetti was dry, looked and tasted like it had been made with cheap pre-frozen seafood you get from a supermarket, and was overcooked. The porcini ravioli didnt taste of porcini at all, just ravioli filled with a bland brown paste. Such a shame.

Possibly the worst food I have eaten in London. Tasted out of a packet. No flavour or quality in the ingredients. Poor service and left all the food uneaten. Definitely will not go back. Time to retire from the food service industry

Great old school Italian restaurant. Never been disappointed. Good for a quick dinner before a show nearby or a more sumptuous romantic meal. Service is friendly.

A long time favourite revisited on a very quiet Monday evening. The cuisine is predominantly central Italia ( Umbria & Toscana) well prepared and presented. There is a good selection of local wines. The service was friendly and efficient.

I ordered a sirloin steak. It didn't taste very nice. Not sure how they cooked it but it wasnt grilled. My partner ordered lamb chops and they were fatty. The chicken milanese was nice though. Maybe stick to the pasta dishes and not the meat.

A fantastic little Italian restaurant. Service, atmosphere and food outstanding. We shall defiantly be going there again. It’s so popular you must book in advance, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Just lovely. Delicious food, really nice staff, great ambience. We came here before a concert because we couldn’t get a booking inside the Barbican but this was so much nicer – it’s my default from now on. What a delight.

I used to go in here for lunch sometimes, more than 10 years ago. This time we were going to a concert at the Barbican and my first thought was to book us into one of the restaurants there. But they had no space and I’m SO GLAD because it forced me to remember Vecchio Parioli and we had the most lovely time in there. Among the four of us we had cod, pasta and veal. All reported as delicious! Service was fast and friendly and the atmosphere is very perfectly family-restaurant. It’s unashamedly old-school, calm, and pleasant. We also had a lovely bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo which went down very well. We made it to our concert ok but on a future occasion I will allow more time so I can enjoy this great restaurant thoroughly.

Very disappointing in every way, the food the ambience this is a very tired old Resturant. The food was extremely below Par tasteless without any salt how can you describe Italian food as tasteless. They have succeeded in doing that. I feel very cheated that I wasted a meal and time at this restaurant.

What a gem of a find this place is. Did some research and booked it for dinner with close friend and am so pleased. It is a small family run restaurant that has authentic italian feel to it. So quaint and peaceful, the food was exceptional. The prices are amazingly reasonable and the quality/quantity don’t justify the prices either. I had the grilled vegetables and cheese platter and my friend had king prawns which she said was soul warming. I then had a pasta from the set menu as a la carte which the restaurant happily obliged to, and she had the salmon. We had the home made tiramisu which was the best Ive had too. 100% recommended if you want authentic italian tastes with fair prices.

My wife and I went for a meal before a concert at the Barbican. My food was OK but nothing outstanding. Presentation was a bit rustic and the service was adequate. Part of my wife's fish dish was undercooked and inedible. I wouldn't particularly recommend.

My wife and I stumbled on this great little Italian restaurant on our first meal together 7+ years ago. We were both struck then by how good the food was, and I'm pleased to report that nothing has changed. I had a really tasty minestrone followed by the best gnocchi dish I've ever had - real depth of flavour. My wife's pollo alla Milanese was top-notch, too, and all brought to us by friendly staff. I'd highly recommend a visit if you're in the area.

Very authentic Italian food. Every pasta is delicious, and the grilled seabass is also excellent (but there are more fish bones, so be careful and don't talk when eating). Because I live nearby, I used this restaurant as a New Year's Eve dinner venue during the Chinese New Year. I was not disappointed. The food here is delicious and the service is also very good. The caramel pudding is sweet but not greasy, with the fragrance of lemon. The seafood pasta dish costing 16.60 pounds is my favorite. When I eat it, I feel like I am in the Mediterranean and I can feel the Mediterranean sea breeze🥰 Will come again in the future! 😁

Superb! My wife and I popped in after having been to a show at the Barbican and we were quickly seated and indulged in some of the desserts here and a coffee to finish. The staff were fantastic given we arrived so close to their closing time and we left happy and content.

Gambas in tomato and garlic sauce was divine. The pasta with sausage in tomatoes was equally good - starter portion is adequate if having a genuine starter otherwise go for the main portion. Food is served hot and in a timely manner. Only down point is there is there should be 2 waiters instead of 1 to cover the 12 tables. Overall a good experience and will be back.

Table bread supermarket sliced bread. Antipasti platter supermarket grade ham. Main courses were good but otherwise mediocre.

Everyone was absolutely lovely and so accommodating. There was a big group of us there for a work lunch, sprinkled in with some vegan requests we didn’t prewarn them with, and they were brilliant. Off menu delicious vegan dishes, as well as delicious on menu dishes! Service was lovely, very on it with topping up glasses/clearing. I ended up getting all the credit with colleagues as I chose the venue, however I need to pass that all on to Vecchio Parioli!

This little gem of an Italian restaurant is fabulous!!! Went there for my husbands birthday and was not disappointed As soon as we walked in we were made to feel that we were the only diners there The waiting staff were attentive and not overpowering And the food!!!! Amazing!!!! I had the baked cod which was delicious and my husband had the chicken Milanese To say we enjoyed the occasion is an understatement This place is the one to visit for a romantic meal or a family get together We will definitely be returning Fabulous little gem Thank you so much for looking after us

We tried the restaurant, it is good and specializes in pasta, and the character of the place is distinctive and nice

I am so glad we found this Italian Restaurant - close to the Barbican Concert Hall. It was a true Retro experience. Linen Table Cloths, Linen Napkins, Bread and olives were complementary - Just as all restaurants used to be! We really appreciated these small touches - which is the sign of a good professionally run restaurant. The night we attended it was completely full - always a good sign. It was very atmospheric and buzzing. My only criticism is that the service was slow. I guess is that the food is all freshly prepared the kitchen was overloaded and could not get it out fast enough. However, the only waiter and his assistant worked extremely hard to satisfy their customers. We shall certainly return if we are in that location again. Well done to keep these family restaurants going - they are fast disappearing!

A very good place for a pre-theatre dinner near the Barbican, and reasonably priced for that area. Friendly and efficient service with good food.

Bueno pero la pasta que comí y que fue la recomendación del mozo no me gustó porque era muy picante. Atención impecable y precios accesibles para Londres

Fantastic place food outstanding staff brilliant I wouldn't eat any wear else except here best restaurant in london

This place has got a nice authentic feeling, great service and food is served hot right from the oven, but lasagna from the dinner set menu did not have any meat in it at all and no cheese. Lasagna was a huge disappointment since there was no mention it is vegetarian on the menu and I expected to receive a different dish.

My partner Dennis took his two Daughters and Husbands with myself and Eight grandchildren to the vecchio Parioli for a meal on the 25/11/2023 the food was outstanding the atmosphere was incredible the staff where outstanding this restaurant is the best in the city of london if you want a great meal with professional chef and waiters then go there a big thank you to all the staff for making our evening fantastic We look forward to eating there on the 19/12/2023 with two or our closes friends Dennis

Nice spot for a tasty straightforward meal.

I was dining there and, as there was only one other table occupied throughout my meal, it was sufficiently quiet to overhear the server talking badly about the other table with the kitchen staff in the back, given the open layout of the kitchen. It was approximately 9:00 when I wanted to order dessert, as they closed at 11:00. They declined my request for dessert in honestly a really mean way, but I didn't dispute it; I simply stayed quiet. I'm unsure if they have transitioned into impolite staff, which might explain the very slow service, i’m not from london? Writing negative reviews isn't my preference, so I'm sharing my experience on my anonymous account. The main server who was publicly rude to the guest and myself was a white older male, not much information because i just wanted to leave with my head low.

Quickly dropped in late one evening on the way to my hotel. Food was served quickly and fresh

Excellent casual Italian and usually only a short wait for a table. This, friends, is a rare combination in this Barbican area. Even if it looks busy, duck inside and ask, they will squeeze you in. The veal and the chicken Milanese is excellent. So are the salads. Decent wine list, who cares about beer, nobody goes to an Italian restaurant for beer. Not pretentious, just good neighborhood Italian.

Very authentic old school trattoria vibe. Good food, very friendly and efficient service.

Mediocre cuisine. Needs some love and attention. Chef needs to season.

I liked it. Good food good service perfect . The antipasto was good and the pasta was perfect. Needs some nice music on instead of the radio but hey ho

Very accommodating, pleasant staff. Food certainly spot on, house Red a delight and price very reasonable.

Great food and excellent service Would recommend

Gorgeous welcoming staff, good quality food, wonderful restaurant and ambiance. Will be going back

My friend and I had lunch together today but we’re rather underwhelmed by the cuisine. It seemed like the 60’s standard of cooking. The waiter was welcoming. The restaurant was very quiet so we could linger and chat with a good bottle of wine. However, we shall not return.

Poor value for money for food. Passed on the off chance and saw quiet and can see why.

Great atmosphere, amazing food, decent prices and service. Can’t wait to be back, 10/10 would recommend!

We stopped here on a whim and we were not disappointed. Great service and delicious food. We had four cheese gnocchi and it was delish!

Lovely little family run Italian Great chianti classico

Had lovely three course proper italian meal here. Can highly recommend.

Consistently lovely food, polite service and great value for money. Beats the chains hands down! Perfect for pre theatre and very handy for the tube.

Lovely little place with great food! Special thanks for not laughing at my Italian. :) We'll be back for sure. P.S. The duck breast with orange sauce blew my socks off.

A truly terrible risotto - basically stodgy rice with no flavour - I felt cheated by having to pay for this. On more of a positive note the house wine was excellent and so were the olives. Both of which were sorely needed to provide some flavour. The rest of the food was okay and service was very good. Generally, for what appeared to be an authentic Italian restaurant one expects... A herb to be used occasionally.

Little corner restaurant that make incredible difference , we pas by and we decided to go in and try some food and was amazing 👏

Coped with changes of numbers right up to being seated. Food and wine excellent.

Had a very pleasant evening meal here recently. Food was well presented, hot, and service efficient and friendly. Generous portions of traditional Italian food and the amaretto pancakes were particularly delicious

Came on a Friday night, was served what looked like hovis white bread and the antipasti was wafer thin £2 ham from Tesco , told the waiter I’d never been felt like a fool of in a restaurant before, and he was defensive and unbelievably admitted it was from Tesco as they were low on supplies. Surely just tell the customer you’re out of antipasti, and not charge £10 for it. Olives were also admitted to be from Tesco. My girlfriend was also convinced the pasta was just a pasta mix from Tesco and she had 3 mouthfuls. At this point, we were so shocked, we ended up just laughing in disbelief and had a 5/10 min chat with the waiter at the end of the meal to give him our thoughts. We asked for the service to be removed (which we never do), and he said brexit was the reason for hovis bread. Where I sympathise more than ever at rising costs, it was a real middle finger to the customer how many corners this place cut corners. Probably the worst meal I’ve ever had in London. My anger however, is aimed at the management, who put their staff through this ordeal. We also saw another table angry at them for similar reasons. Surely just say it’s out of stock instead of insulting people spending hard earned cash (£80 in our experience), instead of serving Tesco items. I said to the waiter, if I wanted to eat Tesco food, I’d spend £10 at Tesco, not £80 on a night out at a restaurant. Please avoid this excuse of a restaurant. You’re likely to have an awful experience. They didn’t even offer to take anything off the hill, hence the asking us to remove the service charge. A total and utter con.

Very nice staff and the food was great

Great find after swimming pool and workout and still opened till resonably late time. I appreciate they serve trout, we had a really nice dinner.

Delicious food and caring service, in a warm, inviting atmosphere.

This place is embarrassingly bad. Classic we look the part but the food is worse than you could ever imagine. Aubergine parmigiana was like boiled aubergine with melted mozzarella and tinned tomato’s. Main course tomato’s sauce with sautéed lasagna verde and non existent mince meat. £45 later. Nice people but the food is horrific. A local lady said to me. It’s good here. She clearly lives for the social and lives out of a microwave. Beware !!!

Excellent food and service. My main dish was quite large. Nice wine selection. We had an organic red that was quite tasty. Not too busy on a Friday night, so the place was not particularly noisy, which is something I greatly appreciate.

It is authentic in a rustic way. For example, the chicken liver soup I ordered is quite like a mama style home soup and it contains a big portion of livers. But it is too large that I felt quite fed up already after this appetizer. The pasta is Al Dente but seafood coming with it is mediocre or lack of complexity. I still like it, but the flavor could be further improved to contain more elements. Tiramisu is homemade and quite alcohol heavy in taste. In sum, a good choice to experience homie cuisine. Maybe not for formal occasion.

Nice and authentic food, good wine and courteous staff. I'm not sure about some of the negative reviews on here, but had a good time.

1st visit was fabulous. 2nd visit 3 plates arrived long before the 4th. So service needs attention when asked waiter was aggressive. Kinda spoilt it Good is very good.

Main dish was ok, but bread was literally Harry's - not serious for an Italian restaurant - and tiramisu was the most tasteless I ever tried (water-infused instead of coffee-). Service was friendly but slow.

Salmon..... all I can say amazing..... simply the best piece of Salmon I ever had

I love the vibes of this unobtrusive Italian ristorante tucked away near Barbican underground. I love its homey and authentic feel and of course, I love the authentic Italian home cooking taste and generous plateful of dishes 👍🏼definitely worth another visit next time we're in that area of London 💛🤌🏼 have to mention too how welcoming and accommodating the front of house staff are 🥰

Fantastic throwback vibe and great service.

We had lunch on a very warm day. Lovely place to sit, plants in window boxes, good size tables not too close, with white linen. Service was very good. Nice food, good portions. Perfect vegetable side dishes which were v reasonably priced.

Vecchio is a traditional Italian restaurant situated near to the Barbican. The food is good quality and service is efficient and friendly. It can get quite busy as it is convenient for both tourists and city workers. It is quite expensive but the set menus are good value,

Ristorante pessimo, sono andato con la mia famiglia, abbiamo trovato un capello nel piatto e siamo stati accusati dallo chef di essere stati noi a mettercelo. Abbiamo pagato e siamo scappati disgustati. Posto da sconsigliare a tutti. Chef maleducato cafone e sporco.

In poche parole pessimo, sconsigliato. Dopo aver mangiato sono uscita mi sono sentita male ed ho vomitato

Out of Barbican and straight in to this fabulous little restaurant- served asparagus risotto and porcini ravioli followed by tasty tiramisu. Waiter very welcoming even though we arrived late without a reservation. Super atmosphere

Went here on a Saturday night with no booking and there was plenty of space. Had the sausage pasta (cannot remember the name) and it was absolutely delicious. Service was quick and friendly. The inside of the restaurant has lots of natural light and everyone who was there seemed to be enjoying their food. This also seems like it's a family business, which is always good to support. Highly, highly recommend if you are in the area or are going to a performance at the Barbican-- 1 minute away by walk.

Immensely good Sardinian sausage pasta

Fantastic food and great service, happy to recommend this little jewel

Fantastic service from friendly helpful people. Great food full if flavour. We tried several dishes including the 4 cheese gnocchi and the lasagna all of which were excellent. Thank you for such a pleasant evening