O Sole Mio (Pimlico, London)

O Sole Mio is unpretentious, friendly, fairly cheap and really good. The person who wrote expecting 'fine dining' might have guessed they weren't going to be offered the trappings of minimalist decor, linen tablecloths etc etc by looking at the outside of the restaurant. They could try Uno (corner of Warwick Way) which has white walls, no Pirelli posters and serves similar food in smaller portions at a slightly higher cost. Nothing wrong with this place either but it's that bit more 'London', and a bit less Italian.

We live locally, and last night we decided to try this place for a special family dinner. What a mistake! Perhaps we should have realised when we first arrived: bare tables, laminated menus acting as place mats and Pirelli calendar girl reprints as wall decorations do not suggest fine dining! The waiters were all confused and had questionable English. Our main waiter was clearly aiming at lovable, eccentric Italian, but only managed a terrifying combination of insanity and incompetence, unable to produce our drinks order correctly, even though he wrote it down, and dropping bread rolls all over the floor. As for the food, the starters were ...  Read the complete review

Food was exceptional. Service terrible and the maitre d' after being asked if they had Amartetto de sarronno said I was drinking it. Yes it was Amaretto but not what I had asked for. I suppose if I asked for Chardonnay and got pinot grigio I should be grateful!! He became rather 'uppity'. My partner is Italian and becoming so dismayed by over priced, pretentious 'Italian' restaurants in London. I personally will be voting with my feet. There are lots of lovely restaurants in the Pimlico area! Try ...  Read the complete review

Introduction I suddenly realised the other day that I haven’t been to an Italian restaurant recently, despite the fact that there’s one practically opposite where my boyfriend lives. A couple of gentle hints later and he suggested that we went across to try it out. The specialities are pasta, pizza and fish dishes, perfect for a blow-out with a nice bottle of wine. Location This restaurant can be found on Belgrave Road, which is parallel to Vauxhall Bridge Road and about five minutes walk from Pimlico underground station and Victoria. It is easier to reach from Pimlico, because you come out of the tube station directly on to Belgrave Road. The ...  Read the complete review