If you’re searching for a buzzy, but elevated Italian restaurant to round off the working week, head to Daroco Soho. It’s lively, ornate and welcoming – a celebration of gilded maximalism, combined with high-end Italian food served by smiling, affable staff. Daroco Soho is a huge space (with a sizeable outdoor terrace coming soon), complete with mirrored ceilings, velour banquettes and shiny brass sculptures. It’s a lot visually, but there is real joy in eating cacio e pepe in a restaurant not painted in muted, understated tones of grey and sage. The food itself is a mix of high-end pasta and pizza – we recommend the the braised leek, and scamorza cheese arancini (as simultaneously crunchy and gooey as they should be), the scallops with white wine (juicy and fresh), and the truffle tagliolini with mushroom butter. Don’t skimp on dessert because the tiramisu is excellent, impressively presented but as indulgent and rich as you’d hope. After-dinner drinks can be had at its dimly lit, basement cocktail bar Wacky Wombat, which offers unexpected cocktails and live DJ sets. Strangely for an Italian dining spot, Daroco Soho is a French export – its founders already have two popular outlets in Paris, and hope to replicate the same success in London. With its fun-loving approach to glamour teamed with warming, comforting dishes, this new addition is sure to be a hit.
Daroco Soho, Manette Street, W1D 4AL
Dining and Cooking