Latteria, a new Italian restaurant in Islington from the same team behind Il Baretto in Marylebone, have recently launched their first dinner service so we went along to check them out.
Having opened for breakfast and lunch at the end of March, Latteria’s new evening menu features all of our favourite comfort foods from Italy, including freshly made pastas, pizza, and risotto.
Influenced by both the historic ‘Latteria’ or dairy stores where one would buy milk and cheese – and also the trattorias in Milan that have turned those same stores into restaurants – Latteria is a pretty red-fronted restaurant with a stylish 1950’s Milan diner-esque setting. However, we made the most of the sun shining and grabbed one of the tables outside in try Italiano style.
Getting us into the groove of the place, we kicked off with expertly made peach bellinis and aperol spritzes whilst perusing the menu.
Latteria have taken our favourite ever pasta dish – cacio e pepe – and fashioned it into a giant aracini, big enough to share. There are also spinach and bolognese versions too, so if there’s a group of you, we’d recommend ordering a selection to start and fighting over the gooey insides.
I have super fond memories of tucking into a bowl of Devon crab spaghetti, the day after we got engaged last year, so obviously we had to try out Latteria’s version when we saw it on the menu. It didn’t disappoint, combining pasta with strands of courgette, tomato and lemon oil. These guys take their pizza very seriously, making them in the ‘pinsa’ style, learned by chefs in Rome and made with a combination of rice, wheat and soy flours. With more water and less salt than traditional pizza dough, pinsa is lighter, airier and easier to digest. Which is just as well as we ate this alongside our pasta main courses. Don’t judge. Deliciously crispy, ours was topped with grilled aubergine, tomato, parmesan and basil. We’ll be back to try the grilled tuna steak and the chicken milanese fried in breadcrumbs and served with salad and fries.
Leave room for dessert, which comes in the form of chocolate profiteroles; panna cotta with berries; and, of course, a powdery, espresso-laced tiramisu. The only thing Latteria don’t make themselves is the ice-cream, sourcing it instead from an award-wining supplier. Flavours include pistachio and yoghurt and they’re all utterly delish.
Of course they’re still open in the day when you can grab oven-warm items from the in-house bakery including plum cake, flourless-chocolate caprese and custard-filled croissants as well as homemade Italian baguettes. If only we were local!
