Padella, Shoreditch

London is enjoying something of a fresh pasta revolution right now. From the Instagrammable plates at Covent Garden’s Bancone to the hedonistic dishes at Big Mamma group’s Gloria and Circolo Popolare, we just can’t get enough of richly sauced pasta in all shapes and lengths.

Meanwhile, the 2018 opening of deli-turned-pasta-parlour Lina Stores proved such a success, the group were able to open a second, bigger restaurant in King’s Cross last September. Even please-all-pockets pizza chain Franco Manca has turned to pasta, opening Strozzapreti in Seven Dials Market last autumn.

But there’s a reason Borough Market’s Padella reigns supreme in the minds of those who have been on a pasta pilgrimage to all of the above. It’s the same reason a queue continues to snake out of its door every lunchtime and evening, whatever the weather. The truth is, Padella serves the best pasta in London. Fact.

Now, a second branch of Padella has opened in Shoreditch and we, along with every other pasta snob in London, couldn't be more excited. The rumours began back in July 2019 when a licensing application was posted on Twitter, suggesting the team behind Padella were looking to purchase 1 Phipp Street (now the official location of the second restaurant).

Padella's pasta dishes are the best in town

The original Padella was opened by Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda in 2016. The restaurateurs already owned one Italian restaurant, Trullo in Islington, but Padella was the first time the pair had turned their attention exclusively to pasta. With dishes starting at just £4 and a menu that’s both regularly changing and consistently excellent, it’s no surprise Padella became an instant hit.

Longstanding fans will be pleased to learn that the original Padella's most popular dishes – the famed cacio e pepe and the fat pappardelle with eight-hour Dexter beef – feature on the menu at the new location, too. In addition to superlative pasta dishes, 'Padella take two' houses an onsite bakery and boasts a cocktail menu courtesy of London's best barman Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan).

All in all, a second Padella is just the queue-splitter we need to ease the pressure on the original branch – and get us loading up our forks with thick, carby ribbons of flavour-soaked goodness in half the time.