The bar at Leo's on Chatsworth Road
What do we need to know about Leo's?
This is a bar and restaurant from the team behind perenially popular Tooting brunch spot Juliets Quality Foods and chef Guiseppe Belvedere. Guiseppe arrives here having been head chef of Brawn for years before joining the P Franco and Bright crew.
Where is it?
You'll find it on Chatsworth Road in Lower Clapton where it's taken over the old Jim's Cafe. Their decision to serve up food inspired by the chef's Sardinian heritage fits in nicely with the building's early heritage - in its first iteration it used to be an Italian cafe and ice-cream factory.
The nearest station is Homerton on the overground.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
You can try - as we did - and go to 107 (aka P Franco) a few streets over. There's also a very popular bar, Nobody Asked Me, further down the road. But that's a book-ahead kind of place, so you'll need to be more organised than we were.
Where should we sit?
Leo's is very much a building of two parts. The front is all sixties caff with much of the original interiors still intact - think Formica tables and tubular chairs. But go past the bar and open kitchen into what was the old ice cream factory and the space opens right out with skylights, a beautiful terrazzo floor and wooden tables with tablecloths. Both spaces are lovely in their own right - just decide between the dining room or 'bar' when you book.
Tables in the front 'cafe' part of Leo's
And this is the main dining room towards the back
So what kind of food is it?
They describe it as Italian cafe staples by day and food cooked over a wood hearth using the best produce from the British Isles and the continent during the evening. We were there for an early Friday supper with a menu that's loosely arranged into snacks, starters, mains and desserts so this is what we tried:
Pane Pugliese with Bosana olive oil (£4.50) - a bread course worthy of note. That bread was amazing although punchily priced.
Vesuvio tomatoes with marinated olives and ricotta salata (£12.50)
Raw scallop and mullet with preserved lemon and fennel pollen (£16.50) - we love a good crudo dish and this was on point.
At this point, we moved out of the starters and snacks territory into mains proper. Here other options included a grilled lamb saddle with frigitelli or steamed wild seabass with charred perlina aubergine. But there were two of us dining with two very enticing pasta dishes on offer, so that's what we went for.
Potato tortelli with pecorino and saffron (£16) - a heavenly double carbing with pasta stuffed with fragrant mash.
Spaghetti with lemon and bottarga (£17) - the must-have dish if it's on. Genuinely would hop in an Uber right now to eat this again.
Room for dessert?
There are, when we visit, just two dessert options and a cheese plate on offer. As tempting as the fig leaf ice cream with peaches and cream sounds, there's no way we were going to leave Leo's without trying this.
Tiramisu (£9) - described by the Standard's reviewer Jimi Famurewa as a 'fluffy marvel' this fabulously creamy iteration of a classic dessert should be how every meal at Leo's ends.
What about drinks?
There's a short list of Italian-accented cocktails to start, priced at between £10-£11. Yes, there is a sabagliato negroni on the list. Wine comes by the glass or 375ml pot and is exclusively European in its remit with 125ml glasses starting at £6. Our glasses of organic Terre Silvate verdiccio were just what we were after.
Overall thoughts:
Looking at reactions so far, Leo's does seem to have divided folk. We hear as many folk saying they were unconvinced by their meal there as those who loved it. We're firmly of the latter camp and loved our meal. Was that because we ordered well or were we lucky with what was on the menu? Who knows. But service was brisk and friendly and our pastas were particularly memorable. If only they'd put those menus on their website (or Insta) page to make it easier for anyone trying to decide whether to book.
Mind you, given that we found it hard to get one free table at an incredibly early sitting, booking several weeks ahead, we're presuming that it's working very well for them.
More about Leo's
Where is it? 59 Chatsworth Rd, Lower Clapton, London E5 0LH
How to book: Book online.
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @leos.london.
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