cafe journal

I agree wholeheartedly with the first review below...this place is such a hidden gem!!
Homestyle Italian food, with very reasonable prices and large portions.

I usually come here twice a month or so, it is a welcome find amongst lots of tourist trap chains nearer to Liverpool Street and Spitalfields Market. The exterior doesn't make the place look very inviting, but looks can be deceiving! I must have walked past this restaurant a hundred times before I finally went in.

I've never had a bad dish here. The pastas and pizza are lovely -  just simple, fresh food. Avoid the tourist crowds and support a local business by dining here. Highly recommended.

this place is great, excellent authentic Italian food, very reasonable prices, polite staff, great location, defintely worth a visit!

This Cafe is a hidden Gem! The restaurant is located on Shoreditch High Street at the intersection where Shoreditch High Street meets Commercial and Great Eastern Street. I work in the city, and frequently stop in for lunch. The lunch menu is cheaper than most restaurants in the area that cater to the lunchtime crowd, and of better quality. Recently, my husband and I decided to try it for dinner as, I was craving traditional Italian and there are not many Italian restaurants in walking distance of Hoxton Square where we live. I was a bit hesitant, having eaten at many restaurants near the square and in the upper street area of islington, I find, good simple Italian is hard to come by without the price tag. I’m not a big fan of chains, and neither is my husband so we decided to give it a try. We arrived at eight thirty on a Tuesday, and to our surprise the restaurants front section and, a third of the back was already filled up. We were seated in the back, which was a large dimly lit room, with a door leading to an outside terrace. The menu featured a selection of Italian pastas, chicken and fish dishes. I’m American, and a big fan of Chicken Parmesan, which is breaded pan-fried chicken covered with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. Every once in a while I find something close on the menu and make substitutions when permitted. The polo escalope, looked close enough so I asked the waitress if I could make the substitutions. Five minutes later the chef himself, came to the table and introduced himself and asked about my order. At this point, I would rather order something else than hassle the chef so I offered to order another dish. The chef reassured me that it was no hassle at all, and would be more than willing to make any substitutions I liked as long as he had everything for the dish in stock. He said that most people don’t ask, and he would not mind making something special for someone if he could. He then went on to suggest a fish for my husband and explained how he buys the produce fresh every morning at the market, and garnishes the dish with the freshest herbs. My husband ordered the cod, and the chef went on to suggest a bottle of wine. Both the food and wine suggested by the chef were amazing! The chicken was tender, juicy and the mozzarella was fresh and perfectly melted. The side pasta that accompanied it had great texture not to firm and not to soft. It was covered in the same tomato based sauce as the chicken. My husbands cod was perfectly cooked and moist, and the vegetables were freshly cooked in an amazing garlic oil sauce. For dessert, we then again took the chefs suggestion of trying the tiramisu, which he made fresh daily. Simply put, it was the softest, creamiest, tiramisu I have ever eaten. Overall, from the outside you would not think of this has little more than a Café, but the traditional Italian fair that is cooked here is simple, honest, and delicious. For the price and the quality, this restaurant is truly a hidden Gem!