Pastaio

Pastaio sits on Ganton Street, a short walk from Carnaby Street, and it takes the same approach as many of London’s newer pasta specialists: a short menu, an open kitchen where the pasta is made, and prices low enough to make it a genuinely casual option rather than an occasion restaurant. It is one of chef Stevie Parle’s projects, and the format shows the same instinct for simplicity that runs through his other openings.

Semolina pasta, handmade daily, is the whole point, and the sauces are seasonal and British-inflected rather than strictly traditional Italian, which gives the menu a slightly different character from some of its competitors. The lobster linguine is the dish most people mention, generous with the shellfish and well balanced rather than overly rich. Casarecce with anchovy butter is a smaller, punchier option worth trying if lobster feels like overkill for a weekday lunch.

Starters begin around £3 and pasta from around £6, genuinely good value for a Soho location, and the wine list starts low too, from around £4 a glass, which keeps a full meal affordable even in the middle of the West End. A full vegan menu and gluten-free pasta options widen who it works for, which is not always the case at pasta-focused restaurants.

The room is compact and can get loud and cramped at peak lunch and dinner service, communal-style tables mean less privacy than a booth restaurant, and it is not really built for a slow, lingering meal. Portions, in keeping with the low prices, are not huge, so ordering two courses is often necessary to leave properly full.

For quick, well-made pasta at a fair price right in the middle of Soho, it does exactly what it sets out to do.

Stevie Parle has several other London projects, including Craft in Bermondsey and Palatino near Old Street, and Pastaio is the most casual and accessible of the group, which explains why it has become such a reliable weekday lunch spot for people working nearby. Opening from midday to midnight seven days a week gives it more flexibility than many Soho restaurants, useful for anyone wanting a late pasta fix after the theatre or a cinema trip.