Il Portico

"Kensington is clearly the old-school Italian epicentre of London. We’re not mad about it. In fact, we’re big fans of another Kensington golden oldie, Il Portico and not just for the heavy curtain at the entrance that keeps the cold air out, or the intimate booths at the back that are perfect for date night. No, the reason we love Il Portico is because this spot maintains a white-tablecloth, black-and-white-framed-photograph atmosphere, while serving comforting plates of handmade nutmeg and walnut gnocchi. Plus, they aren’t too precious if you want a dish tweaked. Want to swap the tagliatelle for strozzapreti? They’ve got you." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak

"This High Street Kensington spot has been around since the ‘60s, and it continues to serve top-notch Italian food. But what makes it so great? Is it the calamari? The heavy curtain at the entrance that keeps the cold air out? The intimate booths at the back? It’s all of the above, plus the friendly staff and the menu filled with comforting plates of food like nutmeg and walnut gnocchi, veal milanese, and wild mushroom risotto. You could easily spend a lot of time in this old-school restaurant, and you absolutely should." - rianne shlebak, jake missing, sinead cranna

"This High Street Kensington spot has been around since the 1960s, and it continues to serve topnotch Italian food to this day. But what is it exactly that makes it so great? Is it the calamari? The heavy curtain at the entrance that keeps the cold air out? The intimate booths at the back? Actually, it’s all of the above, plus the friendly staff, and a menu filled with comforting plates of food like nutmeg and walnut gnocchi, veal milanese, and wild mushroom risotto. Basically, you could easily spend a lot of time in this old-school restaurant, and you should. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch" - Rianne Shlebak