Opened in November 2025 on the site of the former Launceston Place in South Kensington, Sartoria Launceston Place is not your typical Italian diner. For starters, the name carries some weight – the Sartoria brand was first established on Savile Row in 1990 and its all about bringing a refined Italian approach to a more relaxed, neighbourhood setting.
After several evolutions and changes in ownership, the restaurant group behind Sartoria became The Evolv Collection, which is now expanding the brand into new neighbourhood sites – including this enchanting South Kensington outpost. We visited the restaurant recently – here’s our full review:
The vibes
The restaurant is cosy and inviting – warm in the way a well-loved living room is. Plush upholstery, comfortable sofa chairs, and a space that feels thoughtfully curated. The colour palette leans towards soft, muted blues and whites: subtle, slightly moody, and elegantly restrained. It’s largely monochromatic, but in a refined, intentional way.
On entry, we were greeted by a charming, compact bar before being guided into a second dining room to the right, where we were seated. The layout includes a few larger tables, hinting that it’s just as well-suited to long catch-ups with friends as it is to bigger celebrations. The lighting is dim but flattering, the atmosphere relaxed and intimate. Once we were settled, it quickly dawned on us that this is a place we would struggle to leave.
We started with cocktails: a Tommys Margarita (£18), following the sommelier’s recommendation (when in doubt, trust the experts!), plus a Via Brera (£17.50), a rich, indulgent blend of sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca, whisky, cointreau, and soda water. Delights any whisky lover, without exception.
The cocktail list is impressively extensive, offering plenty of house signatures alongside the classics. Selection paralysis is likely – best to review the menu in advance or accept that one drink won’t cut it.
The food
For starters, we ordered the Uovo Morbido (£16.5)- a name that doesn’t immediately scream must-eat (or even can-eat), but one that completely wins you over once you read the description. A perfectly poached egg sat beneath a silky, impeccably smooth parmesan sauce, finished with delicate shavings of black truffle. Three pleasures in one dish; you really can’t go wrong.
It did, however, leave us battling the very real urge to ask for some bread to mop up the remaining sauce and polish off the plate – an idea that was sadly quickly dismissed as perhaps not the most elegant move.
The burrata (£11.5) followed, whipped into a rich, creamy dip and spread generously over bread. The kitchen kindly made it vegetarian for us (without the anchovies, which would have added a salty punch).
Meat and fish lovers can joyfully dig into some fried calamari (£11), octopus salad (£25) and beef tartare with sun-dried tomatoes (£17.5). Plenty to make your mouth water.
Egg poche, parmesan sauce, black truffle
Burrata, anchovies, toasted sourdough
For mains (or primi, if we’re thinking like Italians who pace themselves with multiple courses), we went for the tagliolini al tartufo (£25) and casarecce with pumpkin (£15.50).
We weren’t expecting much from a modest pumpkin pasta, but it turned out to be a gleeful revelation. The casarecce was cooked perfectly, and the pumpkin cream was thick, almost like a velvety puree, and coated every strand of pasta. Scattered throughout were cubes of al-dente pumpkin which added some needed texture. It didn’t blow our socks off, but it left our bellies very happy.
The tagliolini al tartufo was a confident, gleaming plate of pasta, too. The thin strands of pasta were fully immersed in the truffle sauce and each mouthful delivered its pungent, earthy aroma. A very classic truffle pasta – but one that actually tasted like truffle, which is more than we can say for a lot of truffle dishes we’ve tried around London.
Portions are substantial – this is an elegant kitchen that understands restraint, but they feed you properly. If you do want to venture into a Secondi, options include veal Milanese (£38), sea bass fillet (£27.5) and tuna belly (£29.5). There are also some interesting meat-based pasta dishes too – the ossobuco ragu with tagliatelle (£28) seemed to be popular among diners.
Caserecce pasta, pumpkin, amaretto, balsamic vinegar
Tagliolini, butter, parmesan, black truffle
And what’s a cushy Italian dinner without a Dolci? The waiter came out with a giant glass bowl of Tiramisu with Marsala liqueur and scooped out two generous portions for us to try. We give it an A for theatrics, and A+ for flavour. The sponge was soaked through with coffee that was much more bitter than usual, which somehow made the dessert feel more authentic. Though this was the true showstopper, we also tried the elegant Torta Diplomatica (£10) – layers of sponge sandwiched between crisp puff pastry with a light, frosty diplomatica cream.
Classic tiramisù, Marsal liqueur
Italian layered cake with sponge,
Our verdict
Sartoria Launceston Place strikes a rare balance. The service and presentation are polished, the plates precise and elegant, yet the atmosphere feels surprisingly warm and unpretentious. It’s the kind of place where you can appreciate carefully crafted Italian cuisine without feeling stiff or formal – sophisticated on the table, but utterly welcoming at heart. The prices are on par with other high-end restaurants, so there’s nothing that’ll make you wince – and every bite is worth it.
Key details
- Address: 1A Launceston Place , London, W8 5RL
- Website: www.sartoria-launcestonplace.co.uk
- Opening times: Tuesday – Friday 12 – 11 PM, Saturday 8 AM – 11 PM, Sunday 8 AM – 10 PM, Monday closed
- Menus: www.sartoria-launcestonplace.co.uk/menus
- Contact: 020 7937 6912
- Instagram: @sartoriarestaurant