Test Driving Padella Soho, still the best of the pasta bar bunch after a decade

This is actually the back of Padella - you have to go in from the other side. But regardless, it's a very impressive and striking paint job. They may put a couple of seats out here so you can drink while you wait for a seat, but that's coming later. 

What can you tell us about Padella?

We're going to assume that most people have heard of them, but for the few that have remained unaware of them in the past decade, here are the basics. Padella was originally set up 10 years ago, led by Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda, who had previously opened the hit Islington restaurant Trullo. The original in Borough Market was launched as an affordable pasta bar, with the focus on everything created on-site. It was an immediate hit, with long waits for a table (well before any handy online queues were invented), and it eventually heralded a wave of new pasta bars across town, like Bancone, Noci and Notto. 

Here's where you actually go in - and note the large terrace space outside.

And this is their latest?

In ten years, this is only the third Padella, and frankly, the slow rollout has helped keep the restaurant popular and relevant over the past decade. They've opened this latest one in Soho, on Kingly Street. As with their other openings, there's plenty of counter seating, but you'll also find some booths and a pretty big terrace space outside. That's all on the ground floor, while downstairs will have an area that's themed after a 1960s-style Soho lounge. Alas, that wasn't open at the time we visited, but that will be worth checking out in the upcoming months. 

Inside Padella Soho (with more tables around the corner at the back). 

Otherwise, it's the same menu as before?

The menu here is largely the same as the ones you'll find in Borough and Shoreditch, with a few small changes here and there. So you're looking at a few antipasti dishes, around 10 pasta dishes to choose from (ranging from £11-£16.50) and a few desserts. Everything is very well priced (it's part of why it's so hard to get a table), from the pasta dishes themselves to the cocktails (a Negroni is £8.50).

Here's what we went for on our visit:

Beef fillet carpaccio with rocket, parmesan & balsamic (£14.50) - one of the more expensive antipasti dishes, but totally worth it. 

Kent asparagus, butter & pecorino (£14) - Although the menu is largely the same across the Padellas, there will be seasonal changes across all of them, and you can't get more seasonal than a plate of asparagus, drenched in butter. 

Another seasonal variation, this is spinach tagliarini with nettles and egg yolk (£15.50)

Using a local London supplier, this is fettuccine with Cobble Lane nduja, mascarpone & lemon (£14)

There are two absolute classics that will always be on the menu, and this dish is one of them, the pici cacio & pepe (£13.50) with its gloriously creamy, cheesy sauce. Every bit as good as we remember. 

Desserts include a seasonal tart and ice cream, but it's hard to pass on this slab of tiramisu (£8.50)

So the above is a great selection of what's on offer, but frankly we can't see how you'd go wrong with anything on the menu here. Padella's pasta dishes remain among the very best in the city, particularly when you take the price into account. If you're a first-time visitor, though, you should 100% order the other classic dish, the pappardelle with 8-hour Hereford beef shin ragu (£16.50).

How about drinks?

There's a short cocktail list, including a negroni, of course, but they also do a pretty great martini (and decently cold, about 7/10 on our martini chill scale) which only costs £9. Otherwise, beers are a reasonable £6 and the wine list starts at £26 for a 500ml carafe (Puglian Assi Bianco 2021/Primitivo 2022, Domus on our visit), which is pretty good value for right in the centre of town. 

Wine starts at a very reasonable £7 a glass. And yes, we had already been drinking from this glass before you ask. Had to get the logo just right...

Overall thoughts

Padella in Soho was always going to do well, and we can see this being a massive hit for them. The pasta is as good as it's ever been and it's still all priced very reasonably. Get in early before too many people realise it's opened and the (virtual) queue gets properly massive.