The fact people still queue for Padella 10 years on should be enough of a sell for the place. It would’ve been inconceivable in decades past that diners would queue — even in the torrid wind and rain — for a plate or two of pasta. Pasta! The most common of dishes.
Padella is a restaurant that has helped shape London’s restaurant scene in the modern age. Since launching in 2016, it has been a tour de force, a pin-up for good, affordable dining, and a firm nod to true Italian cooking in a city that enjoyed a long love affair with putting cream in carbonara (not entirely finished).
There is still a place for the old guard. Neighbourhood Italians like Anacapri in Marylebone, Trevi in Islington, and Guiseppe’s, found across the road from Padella, are comforting, charming. But Padella helped to foster a new wave. Alongside restaurants such as Trullo, Bocca di Lupo, Flour and Grape and Manteca, it forged an identity that trumpeted regionality and provenance, an expert craft.
The pasta cooked and served at Padella isn’t nonna-like, but it does honour Italy triumphantly. It takes the idea of pasta and runs with it. Italy takes cooking seriously but generally not to the same degree. Trattorias in Florence don’t have enormous windows so passers-by can see chefs preparing dough each morning; the osterias of Rome don’t explain the menu to anyone, ever.
Pasta in London is a serious business in 2025. And 10 years of Padella has been pivotal to nurturing such ideals. Were you to ask the person next to you right now what their favourite shape was, they might say orecchiette, rigatoni or trofie. They probably cook with them too. There was a time, not all that long ago, when these were mostly unknown and only available at specialist shops, if at all. (By the way, anyone who doesn’t rate penne needs locking up).
The fact of the matter is this: Padella is an excellent place to eat. Egalitarian, too, with dishes still mostly below £15. If you can’t make it out, here are three of the best from the restaurant to recreate at home, courtesy of chef and co-founder Tim Siadatan.
Tagliarini with mussels, oregano, chilli and garlic
This classic Padella dish is a firm favourite with customers when it's on the menu. The stock you create from steaming super-fresh mussels elevates this dish to the next level and creates the tastiest sauce base. If you haven't got a big enough pan to steam your mussels in one go, cook them in batches.
Pappardelle with portobello mushrooms, garlic and rosemary
Pasta with a creamy, garlicky mushroom sauce is always popular and this dish is no exception. It’s super-easy and quick to make, inexpensive, and a winner if you’re looking for a more decadent and indulgent option.
Pici cacio e pepe
I’m eternally grateful for this dish because it caused a lot of noise when we first opened Padella and was the main reason we had queues around the block. Quite simply, it put us on the map.
Extracts taken from Padella by Tim Siadatan (Bloomsbury Publishing, £25, Hardback). Photography © Sam A Harris
