Italina385 - (Near Tower Hamlets, london)

5 /5 Alice Gee: Its a low key neighnbourhood Italian in Bethnal Green that probably mostly supplies locals with pizzas, but is a surprisingly terrific restaurant. Not living in the area, we were last here maybe eight years ago, but I still remember the pasta alla vongole I had on that occasion. Weve been to a lot of more expensive, and more famous Italians in London, but this place really reminds me of eating at trattorias on vacation in Italy. Simple menu, terrific ingredients cooked in a way you can taste the individual components, and everything homemade. They do serve dried pasta, which I actually prefer because its texture is more chewy. My companion had the bruschetta to start followed by the burrata served on a bed of grilled vegatables. Both of his starters came with a fantastic focaccia which had big airy bubbles toasted to a crisp. There was a tiny drizzle of pesto on the burrata that looked bright green and tasted homemade. I didnt taste the bruschetta, but my companion praised the sparing use of red onion in the tomato mix, making it perfectly balanced. I had the scialatelli alla vongole, of course, with a side of the grilled vegetable salad with goat cheese. I asked them to just bring both dishes as ready because I didnt want to eat them in sequence. Thats exactly how I got them, with the grilled veg first, and the pasta maybe 5 minutes later to eat along side. My partner got his two starters in non overlapping sequence, exactly as requested as well. The vongole was great. There were maybe 8 clams in shells decorating the dish but plenty more shelled clams stirred through the pasta. The clams were perfectly cooked and still tender and juicy. I liked the restrained use of fresh cherry tomato sauteed in olive oil, which didnt dominate. I could taste the good quality olive oil. The thick scialatelli was delightfully chewy. It wasnt quite as spectacular as the version I ate on my last visit eight years ago, which included an unorthodox quantity of garlic. Maybe next time I will ask if the current chef is willing to put in a little garlic for me. The grilled vegetable salad with a thin slice of toasted goat cheese was excellent. On top of the mixed green salad there were slices of grilled courgette, grilled eggplant and very sweet strips of peeled red pepper. I was happy to note that the roasted pepper was homemade, having no hint of the acidic preservatives that peeled roast peppers from a jar has. The cheapest bottles of wine are £29 and £30, and dinner including a bottle of red came to £78. Music and noise levels are low. There was an 80s pop soundtrack playing during our visit. We will definitely be back and wont wait eight years before our next visit.

5 /5 Jacob Corbett: Really amazing Italian place! Some of the best Italian I have had in London. Authentic and really tasty. I had the clams and my partner had an amazing beef ragu

5 /5 Barbara SC: I’ve been coming to Italina for years and have never been disappointed. The owners are incredibly friendly, and the service is always fast and attentive. Over the years, I’ve tried pretty much every pizza on the menu and every single one has been amazing, the dough is unbelievably good… Great wine selection too. The tiramisu is also a favourite, super light, creamy, and full of flavour. Hands down the best pizzeria in East London!

5 /5 Lodovico Mola: Great and tasty traditional Italian restaurant! Service was great and fast, kind staff, and very flavorful pizzas. Tiramisu as dessert is very recommended, creamy and traditional. Overall very recommended, plus the location seem very traditional, it felt as being in a small restaurant in Italy!

5 /5 ErZen Salihi: Its hard to find good pizza nowadays around London and Italina its a place for a proper Italian pizza. The food was amazing and I truly mean it. I have enjoyed every single bite of food. Everything was just spot on. I really do recommend this tiny Italian restaurant.