An Italian Summer at 27 Old Compton Street
Handmade pasta, summer spritzes and Italian cocktails in the heart of Soho
If a summer trip to Italy is not on the cards this year, 27 Old Compton Street is the next best thing, right in the middle of Soho. You sit down, a plate of fresh pasta arrives fast and still hot, a cold spritz arrives alongside it, and an hour or two later you are back out into the sun. It is an authentic family-run pasta bar with the feel of a place you would find down a side street in Italy, where the pace is closer to a summer lunch abroad than a night out in London. On a warm day, with a glass in hand and Old Compton Street busy just outside, it is the best way to feel abroad without leaving Soho. This page brings together everything that makes a summer visit, from the cocktails and the pasta to the feeling of the place itself.
Tavola calda, the Italian way to eat in summer
Tavola calda means hot table, the Italian way of serving handmade pasta fast and fresh, cooked to order and brought out without a long wait. It suits summer perfectly. The food is made the moment you order it, so nothing sits around in the heat, and a light plate of pasta and a drink is exactly the sort of meal a summer’s day asks for. You are looked after with full table service, just at the pace of an Italian lunch rather than a long, heavy dinner.
Summer spritzes and Italian cocktails
Drinks at 27 are unapologetically Italian, which makes them made for summer. The Aperol Spritz is the obvious place to start, all bitter orange and prosecco over ice, the drink of an Italian aperitivo. From there the list runs to the Amalfi, a bright mix of limoncello and Italicus, and the Vacanze Romane, elderflower and peach with a splash of rose. There are alcohol-free spritzes and cocktails too, and an Italian wine to go with the pasta if you would rather have a glass of something cold.
A corner of Italy in Soho
Part of the pleasure of 27 is that it feels a long way from London the moment you sit down. It is intimate and Italian to the core, with the kitchen in full view and the pasta coming together in front of you, so lunch or an early dinner carries the easy, sun-warmed mood of a trip abroad. In summer, when Old Compton Street outside is at its liveliest, that contrast between the energy of Soho and an authentic Italian plate in front of you is the whole appeal.
Finding 27 Old Compton Street
You will find us at 27 Old Compton Street, in the heart of Soho and a short walk from the bars, shops and theatres of the West End. You can walk in or book ahead, and summer weekends fill quickly, so a table is worth reserving on warm weekdays, especially Fridays and Saturdays.
