28/9/23 - updated with the opening date
Last year, top chef Phil Howard (of Michelin-starred Elystan Street) got into London's ever-growing fresh pasta scene with Notto, just off Piccadilly Circus. In our original story, we asked "will there be more of them to come" and the answer to that seems to be yes, as new reaches us of a second Notto pasta bar that's being planned for Covent Garden.
The first restaurant proved that Howard was just as able to deliver an affordable pasta restaurant as a high-end Michelin-starred one, with the first Notto a clear success. We were impressed on our Notto Test Drive, and Grace Dent called it " a hopeful and confident debut".
The menu shouldn't shift too much from its predecessor, with starters including their huge foot-long grissini with lardo and a great vitello tonnato. The pasta dishes can change with the season, but promised for the opening are:
- Ravioli of pumpkin and chestnuts with pine nuts, brown butter, sage and parmesan
- Gnocchetti with smashed sausage, white wine, fennel and chilli
- Pappardelle with slow-cooked oxtail and shin of beef, field mushrooms and red wine
Expect a similar layout to Piccadilly with a bar and high tables up the front and a more traditional restaurant, with a few banquette booths, down the back.
More about Notto
Where is it? 4 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PT
When does it open? 13 November 2023
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @nottopastabars.
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