Italian
41 Beak Street, London
Latest critic review: January 17, 2010
Venetian bacaro in Soho...
Small bites are big news as this Venetian bacaro demonstrates. The head chef here is Tom Olroyd, who was previously at Bocca di Lupo, London's last big Italian opening. Packed from pretty much the minute it opened, the tapas-style menu is clearly a hit with Londoners.
Critic Reviews
Jay Rayner Observer
Reviewed on January 17, 2010
"...a restaurant in the capital which doesn't feel like it's trying to knee you in the groin while lifting your wallet ought to be praised." READ REVIEW
"The croquette was a little bit ordinaire, but the chicken liver on crostini was excellent, as was the pork belly and the ciambella (ring cake), which was drenched in chocolate sauce." READ REVIEW
Marina O'Loughlin Metro
Reviewed on October 07, 2009
"It reminds me of similar joints in New York – Bacaro in Chinatown, maybe – more than places in Venice. If anything, it's like a chic, Soho take on (whisper it) Jamie's Italian." READ REVIEW
"Richard & Peter" Harden's
Reviewed by October 05, 2009
"It isn’t just the styling, of course... which is responsible for the crush, but also the much-complimented food. Not that the cuisine is in any way astonishing, it’s just that it is generally very well done, and amazingly, well, useful." READ REVIEW
"Would a Venetian judge Polpo to be wholly authentic as a neighbourhood joint? Maybe not — but maybe partly because it is, in some ways, too serious, even too good." READ REVIEW
Guy Dimond Time Out
Reviewed on October 01, 2009
"The terse menu descriptions and archaic typeface echo St John. And the procession of small, flavour-packed dishes are very reminiscent of Bocca di Lupo, just a few streets away." READ REVIEW
Dos Hermanos Dos Hermanos
Reviewed on October 24, 2009
"Despite a few misgivings I enjoyed myself at Polpo." READ REVIEW
We had dinner here late last week and the place was humming. Arriving at around 7pm, there was already a longish wait to be seated (in line with the no-booking policy) but we were already expecting that and were happy to have a drink near, if not actually at the bar.
Once sat down we remarked on how much it seemed like a Greenwich Village restaurant - with a great buzz throughout the restaurant. Tables were close together, but that just added to the atmosphere.
The food - kind of a venetian tapas - was also pretty good throughout - with the Pork belly, radicchio, hazelnuts being particularly outstanding - even to a nut-phobe like myself.
All in all, a great evening - and really quite affordable for a hip new restaurant. Plus - we'd also recommend taking in some post dinner cocktails at nearby Hix.
