10 Top Italian Restaurants in Southbank, London.
My friends and I absolutely love Italian cuisine and you’d usually find us in one of the many Italian restaurants near South bank because most of the restaurants their offer reasonable prices, and are easy to book.
So, take a look at my personal top picks of the best Italian cooking we’ve found while exploring one of London’s most scenic neighborhoods!
What Makes Southbank a Good Area for Italian Restaurants?
- Proximity to Entertainment Venues – The Southbank Centre and National Theatre host concerts, plays, and events that can provide pre-show dining crowds.
- Scenic Riverside Location – An outdoor terrace overlooking the River Thames provides an appealing setting for al fresco Italian dining.
- Transport Links – Excellent transit connections from the nearby Waterloo and Embankment stations make Southbank easily accessible.
- High Foot Traffic from Tourists and Locals – Southbank attracts lots of visitors to popular attractions like the London Eye, Tate Modern, and British Film Institute.
My Top 10 Picks for the Best Italian Spots
1. Locale
Locale is a modern Italian restaurant located right on the river serving delicious wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and grilled meats. Enjoy scenic views of the Thames from the large outdoor terrace at this contemporary Southbank spot.
With a focus on quality ingredients, Locale offers an authentic Italian menu including seasonal salads, fresh fish, handmade pastas, and signature cocktails. It’s a perfect destination for al fresco dining along the river.
Great For: Close Friends, Catching up With Friends
📍County Hall, 3B Belvedere Rd, London SE1 7GP, United Kingdom
2. Strada Southbank
Part of an Italian chain, Strada Southbank offers a diverse authentic Italian menu of pizzas, pastas, salads, and grilled dishes in a lively setting right beneath Royal Festival Hall. With a beautiful dining room and sunny riverside terrace, it provides delicious Italian food, charm, and friendly service in a relaxed modern space.
I opted for the sea bass, which was beautifully cooked and full of flavor. My partner tried the pizza, which had a wonderfully charred and chewy sourdough crust topped with fresh mozzarella and basil. The food was delicious and the drinks perfectly complemented every part of our dish.
Great For: Close Friends, Catching up With Friends
📍A, Royal Festival Hall, 337-338 Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX, United Kingdom
3. Gourmet Pizza
Overlooking the Thames, this casual Italian pizzeria uses a wood-fired oven to make incredible Neapolitan pizzas with scenic outdoor seating. Gourmet Pizza has been serving award-winning Italian pizza in an amazing riverside location since 15 years ago.
Londoners consider this as one of the finest spots to relax or celebrate special occasions, a statement I wholeheartedly agree with!
Great For: Couples, Groups of Friends
📍56 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PP, United Kingdom
4. Pizza Express
An iconic UK Italian chain since 1965, Pizza Express serves handmade pizzas and classic pastas in a relaxed riverside setting with outdoor seating along the South Bank. With locations across London, the Southbank branch offers an authentic Italian experience and delicious menu along with scenic views of the river and landmarks.
Despite having multiple branches all across the UK, each and every one of them served quick and quality service that it would be basically hard to tell which is the best one. This particular one near Southbank has been the perfect spot for me to grab a quick lunch and just relax.
Great For: Groups of Friends
📍Unit 3, The White House, 9c Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8YP, United Kingdom
5. Circolo Popolare
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This lively modern Italian restaurant features a huge selection of pizzas, pastas, and sharable small plates perfect for groups alongside an extensive Italian wine list. The walls were lined with thousands of wine bottles and the dangling foliage and twinkling lights above created a magical atmosphere.
For our visit, we had to try the showstopper – the Gran Carbonara, with pasta mixed right inside a giant hollowed-out wheel of pecorino cheese. It was incredibly rich and creamy with the perfect balance of cheese, guanciale and egg, but the cherry on top of this incredibly tasty dinner was a giant lemon meringue pie that even our party of 4 barely managed to finish!
Great For: Close Friends, Groups of Friends
📍40-41 Rathbone Pl, London W1T 1HX, United Kingdom
6. O Ver
Tucked away on Maiden Lane, O Ver is an intimate upscale Italian restaurant focused on refined traditional Italian cuisine, handmade pastas, and fine wines. With a rustic-chic dining room, it’s a perfect date night spot for authentic Italian dishes made from seasonal ingredients.
My main course of handmade ricotta ravioli in a savory wild boar ragu sauce was incredible – the pasta was perfectly al dente with a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture. O Ver delivered an outstanding Italian dining experience from start to finish. It’s easy to see why it’s considered one of the best Italian restaurants in the area.
Great For: Close Friends, Business Meetings, Solo
📍44-46 Southwark St, London SE1 1UN, United Kingdom
7. Santa Maria Pizzeria
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Using ingredients imported from Naples, this authentic Italian pizzeria makes excellent wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas in a laidback setting. Santa Maria offers a celebration of classic Neapolitan pizza and fresh pasta dishes.
It’s been a South Bank favorite for delicious Italian food for over 25 years. The staff are just specialist in their craft, and have absolutely perfected that Instagram-worthy cheese stretch. Santa Maria offers traditional Italian cuisine literally decades in the making.
Great For: Groups of Friends
📍94 Waterford Rd, London SW6 2HA, United Kingdom
8. Manteca
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At this modern Italian chain along the South Bank, you can watch your pizza or pasta being freshly made right in front of you in an open kitchen. Manteca offers a casual and interactive Italian dining experience focused around individual dishes.
Watching the chef’s toss dough around and flip sautéed shrimp basically drew me into some sort of trance. The sizzling sound of the food I ordered made me so excited that I basically went quiet until the waiter arrived with the goods.
Great For: Groups of Friends, Couples
📍49-51 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3PT, United Kingdom
9. La Barca Ristorante
La Barca Ristorante offers traditional italian cuisine and is actually family-run for over 50 years, this South Bank institution serves classic regional Italian dishes in a traditional intimate dining room. La Barca is a neighborhood Italian spot focused on quality ingredients and authentic family recipes.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a local favourite among those in South Bank. It’s no surprise though given the time it’s been open but the way everyone is so excited when entering and the amount of picture frames placed on the wall, made us feel like we were their kids coming home for christmas!
Great For: Groups of Friends, Close Friends, Catching up with Friends
📍80-81 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7AB, United Kingdom
10. Ristorante Olivelli
From the Sicilian-inspired dishes to the intimate ambiance, Ristorante Olivelli offers an excellent Italian dining experience along the South Bank.
With roots going back to 1934, Olivelli celebrates the distinctive flavors of Sicily with dishes like Pasta alla Norma, Caponata, and Cannoli. If you’re ever looking to impress someone on a first date this is the place to be!
Great For: Couples
📍61 The Cut, London SE1 8LL, United Kingdom
Looking for More Guides?
If you’re looking for more than just a taste of Italy then we’ve got you covered! Head on over to our site and take a look at our other guides and you’ll find we have our picks of the best places to grab a bite to eat and the best things to do when exploring London’s many neighborhoods!
FAQ
Where can I get handmade pastas and fine Italian wines in an intimate setting?
Tucked away on Maiden Lane, O Ver is an intimate upscale Italian restaurant focused on refined traditional cuisine, handmade pastas, and fine wines. With its rustic-chic dining room, it’s a perfect date night spot.
What restaurants offer extensive Italian wine lists and small sharable plates?
Contemporary Italian restaurants like Circolo Popolare have a huge selection of pizzas, pastas, and Italian small plates perfect for sharing alongside an extensive wine list. Their vibrant cocktail bars add to the lively atmosphere.
Where can I watch my pizza or pasta being made fresh right in front of me?
Modern Italian chains like Vapiano along the South Bank offer an interactive casual dining experience where you can watch your individual pizza or pasta dish being prepared fresh in their open kitchen.
Which restaurants offer classic Italian dishes in a traditional neighborhood setting?
Long-running family restaurants like La Barca Ristorare have been serving classic regional Italian recipes and dishes in a traditional dining room for over 50 years. It’s a neighborhood Italian spot focused on quality ingredients.
