After the long wait (thanks pandemic) Eataly is now in London! If you’re familiar with the name, you’ll know how exciting this is.
With two floors full of restaurants, bars and all the Italian products you could ever want, Italy has never been closer.
Coming out of Liverpool Street Station, it’s hard to miss the ginormous sign outside the 42,000 square foot food hall. Climb up the stairs and head inside to a bustling smorgasbord of every great thing Italy has to offer, apart from the sun (thanks London).
If it’s your first time at an Eataly, they have 37 locations worldwide, it’s easy to be lost in awe. Take a walk around the food aisles and the immense wine selection, then hurry along to Eataly’s Pasta e Pizza restaurant.
Atmosphere and service
The vibe here is very relaxed. With classic wooden decor intertwined with metal countertops, desserts and chefs on show doing their thing, Pasta e Pizza has a casual open feel.
The service was second to none. Our waitress was extremely attentive, made sure we had everything we needed and even joined in with our jokes. Though the restaurant was busy, she never made us feel rushed. Until the end, when she politely reminded us that they had another booking, although we had outstayed our allocated time at this point by A LOT.
A note on timings, tables of up to two people are only given one hour, tables up to four, 90 minutes and five people and over have two hours or more. Which is not a long time for dinner.
The Pasta
The menu was a lot smaller than I expected, although, did seem to satisfy the masses. There was an option to choose fresh pasta, or dry pasta from Naples, with around eight dishes ranging from your typical carbonara to a fresh tuna and capers option.
I went for the Tajarin al Tartufo, or tagliolini with butter, parmigiana and black truffle. My initial thought was that it was their spin on a cacio e pepe. It was not. The dish was creamy and the truffle wasn’t too strong, but my hopes of receiving a Padella favourite were short lived.
The Pizza
The pizza menu included 11 dishes, all including a variation of your favourite toppings. However, it’s the dough that is supposedly the star attraction. As well as being made in a wood-fired marana oven, the dough is “leavened for around 50 hours in total”.
I ordered the Acciughe e Stracciatella. If you’re like me, stracciatella is a type of ice cream, surprisingly it’s also a sweet cheese. This teamed with the anchovies makes for a delectable sweet and salty pizza. None of the flavours were overpowering, and they all blended together amazingly well.
Onto the dough, it was light and fluffy, and didn’t leave me feeling stuffed. Do I know what dough that has been leavened for 50 hours is supposed to taste like? No. Was it delicious? Yes.
Dessert and Drinks
The best bit about my food journey at Eataly’s Pasta e Pizza was 100% the dessert. The choice was difficult. I was tempted to order three, however the tiramisu had to be the winner. The runners up were an enticing limoncello sponge, and a good old cannoli. Airy, creamy and ever so decadent, I tried to make the tiramisu last as long as possible, but I just couldn’t get enough.
The drinks list is simple, which considering the vast amount of wines on sale in the store, is strange. Conveniently set out into a low, mid and high price point, with a few cocktails, soft drinks and beers, it’ll be easy to select a suitable accompaniment to your meal.
Price
Eataly isn’t supposed to be full of high-end restaurants. It’s a taste of the vibrant culture, food and wine of one of my favourite European countries, Italy. So that being said, a main will cost on average £14, with the wine ranging from £29 to £55 a bottle, or £5 to £14 a glass.
My meal for two, which consisted of a sharing platter starter, two mains, two desserts, a bottle of wine and service charge, came up to £100. Not bad for a wonderful evening out.
Overall
If you’re looking for a casual meal, surrounded by Italy’s finest produce, head to Pasta e Pizza. Quickly though, you don’t have too long. Book a table here.
Fancy making your own pizza? Read my review of Pizza Pilgrims Frying Pan Pizza Kits here.
