Assaggi, 39 Chepstow Place, London

No restaurant frontage, no signs, no website and no brand identity. If the owners of Assaggi wanted to hide this establishment away from the public eye, they couldn't have been more successful, but this is what makes it brilliant. Tucked away down an alley and sat on top a separately run pub is one of London's finest Italian secrets.


The decor is typically Sardinian and at times, you really do expect an old Italian woman to come out and shout at her employees! What you come here for is the food and the service. Letting the decor standards slip in comparison to that of the food and the service in a restaurant can sometimes be suicide but if the food's that good, you can get away with it.

The 35-bin list of Italian wines may be small, but it reflects the remarkable diversity of the country’s wine production very effectively. There are rich wines from Sicily & fragrant classics from the north, with every area in-between getting a look-in. It's one of the most comprehensively put together lists from a particular area I've seen.

Bread - the best place in London for crusty white/brown, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Staff - family run, efficient and very hospitable
Overall - if you can find the place, you're in for a winner
020 7792 9033