Address: 37A Hoxton Square, London, N1 6NN, United Kingdom
Phone: +442076130508
Rating: 4.5
based on 212 reviews.
Authenticity of Cuisine
Pros:
"Authentic Italian restaurant that serves really amazing food."
"Everything is made as you order so the food is fresh and their homemade pasta is served at perfection."
"Authentic Italian cuisine. One of the best italian restaurants that I ever been in London."
"Truly wonderful pasta sharing dishes. I don’t think I’ve had better pasta in, or outside Italy, frankly."
"Pasta was something special not your everyday Italian pasta dishes you would find easily In London."
"Authentic Italian restaurant with authentic options."
"The pasta itself is homemade and fresh and very good."
"Very nice authentic food from Emilia Romagna."
Cons:
"I'm Italian: I can tell you that the food is extremely mediocre and the price for it is also very average."
"The food is okay, nothing really special about it, it’s just another 'Italian restaurant in London...'."
"We are Italian, so we had high expectations. ...unfortunately, as with many Italian restaurants, all their pasta is made from egg."
"Pasta was al dente and the variety was simple but good ingredients."
"The pasta was dry and less taste than 5 months ago … I was going there 2 times a week but I think they lose something."
"Despite having a reservation we were left without a table because of a mistake on their side. Didn't get much of an apology as well."
"Feeling home in a big city like London, is not an easy thing to accomplish, but if you close your eyes while eating in Via Emilia, you can almost feel like you're standing in one of Emilia Romagna beautiful cities."
"This is a lovely Italian pasta restaurant in Hoxton square. Great place for a date or for dinner with a small group of friends."
Service and Staff
Pros:
"The staff is so kind. We felt very welcomed."
"The service can I say was fantastic, the girl who served us was so warm, accommodating and checked in with us."
"The staff were very attentive."
"First off, service was great. Waiter was excellent."
"Staff are very friendly, funny and attentive."
"We were welcomed by the lovely Giacomo, who ensured we had an amazing time at the restaurant."
"The gluten free pasta was outstanding - the best I’ve ever had."
"Staff are very friendly and helpful. Good atmosphere."
Cons:
"Unfortunately for the poor server explaining and asking the I assume aggressively speaking Italian chef was not happy about the questions."
"I'm not sure if that it’s because there is nothing on the walls to bounce sound or that it’s just a small space. But we almost decided to cancel out orders it was so loud."
"The food was underwhelming and under seasoned. Bland taste on a bland night. I do not recommend."
"The only downside is how close all of the tables are to each other, so it's quite intimidating and loud."
"The service and the food we receive from via Emilia in Shoreditch was exceptional. We tried some of their amazing pasta and ended with our favourite dessert, tiramisu."
"The service was a bit confusing and slow, pasta was simple and delicious as usual."
"The service was not super great either."
"Nice enough. Foods a bit salty, portions are ok, service is nice."
Ambiance and Atmosphere
Pros:
"The room is small so it gets a bit noisy. But it is still very worth it! Thank you!"
"Nice atmosphere, liked the background music although it was a little bit loud."
"Went there on a Monday evening which was really relaxed, not too busy, nice atmosphere, very friendly and polite waiters, and the food was great!"
"The restaurant is well decorated, even though small it has a warm and cosy atmosphere."
"The atmosphere is cozy but very busy and loud. Also the food is broken. ;)"
"Perfect intimate, casual italo-spot for date nights, hate nights, good nights, bad nights - really, any night... especially an aperitivo night."
"Nice little restaurant in hoxton square..portions seem small but r just right. Pasta is fresh an made there from scratch. Not many options but tastes great also they have only 1 desert, tiramisu but it tastes great, i was hesitant but ordered any way and glad i did.. will be going back. Atmosphere is relaxing and comfortable. Staff are polite and friendly."
"The food was delicious and well priced. The restaurant itself is small and when full the sound travels all over the place so you'll end up speaking a bit louder when people can't hear you."
Cons:
"Don't even get me started on the gaps between tables to even get to the toilet."
"I would also say the lighting and vibe there is not great. Half the room was nice low golden light and the half we were on just had really bright spotlights just casting right at us. Bit of a mood killer."
"The restaurant is quite small (definitely make reservation) and very cute! The atmosphere was cozy. We have ordered some cold cuts and cheese which were all very delicious and high quality."
"The venue itself is very small with the tables very closed packed together to the point where you would bump into the next table when standing up."
"Off the bat - Its an asweome cosy place with tasty authentic Italia food. We tried pretty much all the veg option there were and loved them all, except one which was 'Caplaz ad Zuca' dish looked beautiful when it came but pasta was big sized and felt very dry in the mouth, the filling was hardly there."
"The food was really great, and the decor trendy yes, but so stinking uncomfortable. If their plan was for me to eat fast and get out of there skipping desert and coffee then it worked. The chairs are the worst. Also their wine-by-the-glass selection is minimal and ended up with a really not nice glass because it was the only thing on offer."
"The restaurant is quite small (definitely make reservation) and very cute! The atmosphere was cozy."
"The food is good and authentic. The only issue though is that there are too many tables, which is fine when not crowded but when it is it becomes unbearable. No space to put anything."
Food Quality and Taste
Pros:
"You can taste the quality and freshness of the ingredients, really outstanding."
"Waiter was excellent. We ordered 3 types of pasta dishes 2 out of 3 were excellent."
"Authentic Italian restaurant that serves really amazing food."
"Everything is made as you order so the food is fresh and their homemade pasta is served at perfection."
"The naturally effervescent Prosecco is lovely too! The Gnocchi Fritto has an unreal texture also - not like anything I have had before."
"Truly wonderful pasta sharing dishes. I don’t think I’ve had better pasta in, or outside Italy, frankly."
"Gnocco fritto is a must, it's light and perfect. Pasta plates are quite generous, not tapas, ok share 3 in 2 people."
"Absolutely delicious and authentic italian pasta!"
Cons:
"The gnocchi has dairy in? Why may you ask? I have no idea. I have never in my life had plain gnocchi that had dairy in."
"The mushroom dish, which was incredibly salty the pasta was not al dente it was just not cooked, the spaghetti dishes were so strong with chilli it was the only flavour and the pasta was dry and unfresh."
"The food was underwhelming and under seasoned. Bland taste on a bland night."
"We had to salt and pepper and add more Parmesan cheese to our own food because it was so tasteless."
"The pasta itself is homemade and fresh and very good."
"I think the chef has been too generous on the salt, but it was still nice!"
"Portions are a bit small so follow the suggestion of the menu which advises to take 3 pasta dishes for 2 people."
"The food was really good and so was the service."
Portion Size and Value
Pros:
"We highly recommend the fried bread with the cheese selection as a starter!"
"Loved the idea of sharing the plates, so you can try different pastas."
"We shared 6 between 4 and we really happy."
"The perfect way to enjoy all pasta. Lots of sharing plates of the classic pasta dishes."
"Great dining experience at Via Emilia! The menu is very accommodating to gluten free / veg options and the various pasta recipes do not disappoint."
"My friend and I went here on a weeknight. Delicious pasta cooked perfectly al dente. Small portion sizes, so I’d recommend 3 plates of pasta per two people."
"Simple menu with amazing pasta dishes offered at a fraction of what you would pay for them in Central London."
"The pasta is delicious and I cannot fault the food or service; however, given the times we are in, the tables are placed closely together with no concept of social distancing and for this reason, I hesitate to return."
Cons:
"They try and make you get more dishes to share but it just feels like a scam to make you pay more when the portions should just be a bit larger."
"Don't bother going. Plenty of great Italians around Shoreditch."
"The staff is so kind. We felt very welcomed."
"The only downside is how close all of the tables are to each other, so it's quite intimidating and loud."
"Went here for a birthday meal recently, there was a group so we had the tasting menu. The place is quite small and pretty loud, also quite a lot of bench seating and stools so not the most relaxed place to be and not the place for intimate conversation."
"Do not go here if you’re gluten free. Most dishes are £6-£8 but if you’re gluten free they charge you a flat £12 for whatever you get."
"Great if you need to satisfy that fresh pasta craving without spending too much but I wouldn't say any of the dishes blew my mind."
"The food was really great, and the decor trendy yes, but so stinking uncomfortable. If their plan was for me to eat fast and get out of there skipping desert and coffee then it worked."