Bar Italia Uno

Strolling along Charlotte Street during lunch time, I found myself in front of Italia Uno, an Italian bar/restaurant, and decided to give it a go. This place is amazing, it is an authentic Italian place, that you’ll hardly be able to find in London. Its owners are Italian and know how to prepare fresh and yummy Italian dishes. The place in terms of aesthetics looks like a bar you would find in Italian provinces, where people go to watch football, chat or simply have a filling lunch in a friendly atmosphere. Indeed, portions are huge and a there’s a wide choice of fresh “panini” (sandwich) or hot food (with just one dish you’ll be fine until dinner, as everything is so filling). Panini are three times the size of a normal sandwich you’d buy at Pret and I’d suggest you to try “Italia” (classic ham and cheese) or “Puglia” (cheese - which you can choose - aubergines, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts), both £3.90, which is such a bargain for a huge sandwich. If you fancy hot food, you cannot miss “Arancini”, which are a dish traditionally from Sicily consisting of fried rice balls filled with meat and mozzarella or spinach and mozzarella (you can choose among the two) and it’s just £2.30 for an “Arancino” which fills a whole plate; Pasta with Meatballs or Spaghetti al Ragu'.

My impression of Italia Uno is that it is an authentic Italian place that you cannot miss if you’d really like to try Italian dishes, its prices are a bargain for what you get, the food quality is excellent and the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The only thing to remember is that they do not accept cards, you need to pay cash. But overall, this place is such a hidden gem, I will be definitely coming back!