London
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86-90 Lambs Conduit Street
London WC1N 3LZ
+44 (0) 20 7242 4119
Ciao Bella serve simple, inexpensive Italian food. They also have a piano bar and have outside seating on the pavement. They can cater for private parties of up to 100 people upon request.
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October 02, 2008
Absolutely the best and most friendly family-run local Italian restaurant in London. Absolutely packed every lunch and dinner, it is def best-advised to book ahead, especially if you want a table outside or upstairs - you def don't want to be stuck downstairs. No matter what you eat or drink (always go for the house red or white which is excellent) it never seems to come to more than £20 per head. And the owner and staff make a real effort for regulars to find you a good table - really showing they value you coming back. House favourites are the seafood pasta cooked in a bag, while I have a neighbour who has never ordered anything beyond the calzone as it is so good. It is buzzy, inevitably it will be somebody's birthday when you are there, and the piano-playing verges on the kitsch - but heck, it all adds to why my friends and I love going there. And yes, quite nice you can wait out the lineup at the Lamb pub next door!
September 30, 2008
Always mobbed, no matter the time or day, so be sure to book. If you don't book and have time to spare, you can have a drink at The Lamb pub next door and the Ciao Bella staff will come and get you when your table is ready. Service is brisk and borderline brusque, but it's a very buzzy and busy place, so this can be excused. The tables are very close together throughout, but outside dining is recommended (they have heaters when it's cold) as the ground floor restaurant can be incredibly noisy, especially if there's a large party in the room, and the downstairs tables are too close to the loo and smell vaguely of cleaning product and garlic.
January 17, 2008
Ive eaten at Ciao Bella two times now and am ready to return for a third. The staff are all Italian and offer a good, friendly service and the food is good traditional italian. Highly recommended!
Its worth booking ahead because it's always packed out. I was drinking with a group of friends at a great pub next door called The Lamb before popping in to Ciao Bella for a bite to eat. As we hadnt booked we had to wait an hour before a table came available but the maitre'd was kind enough to come and find us in the pub.
The portions were very generous and the bill for 5 came to around £80 with a couple of starters, 5 pasta/pizza dishes, a couple of beers each and some coffees - so very reasonable. You get free olives, chunks of parmesan and bread sticks when you sit down which is a nice touch, as is the pianist.
I will certainly be returning!
