Bocca Bocca — Restaurant in London

Bocca Bocca review

Bocca Bocca is an outstanding place to get a meal and a fantastic addition to the area. The vibe is by and large authentically Italian, which offers something new to this bit of Leytonstone. What’s great is that they take equal care over their pasta dishes and their pizzas, both of which are excellent. So it’s an ideal place to go as a family as you’ll get classy and refined dishes as well as great old school Neapolitan pizzas. The pizzas are a great complement to the fantastic Yardsale across the road: Yardsale pizzas are funky and loud, Bocca Bocca’s are classy and authentic, so a great mix.

Pasta dishes are really filling and are done with nice technique; I felt really full after eating my ndjua tortorelli ragu dish. The meatball starter was hearty and filling and we mopped up the sauce with the bread for a good long. Arancini was crispy and comforting and delicious all round. I’ll always order affogato for dessert, and a carafe of wine was cheap and delicious.

The decor of bocca bocca is modern and stylish but chilled and unpretentious. It achieves that great Italian thing of feeling like a cool spot but also relaxed and informal. I’ve been here four or five times and never had a bad experience. I’d recommend it any day of the week and twice on Sundays. In a street which has amazingly diverse eating options already, this is a great addition.

My son was so psyched by his pizza he insisted in writing his own review too. Here it is.

This Italian restaurant was outstandingly good! The service was really good, staff were really kind and the food was ELITE. I ate here with some of my family for dinner on 16/03/2024 and the buffalo mozzarella pizza I had was nearly the quality of pizza in Naples and was near perfect. I also got a starter of arancini and a dessert of chocolate Hackney Gelato which were both also very good. The building and tables were quite clean and the building was quite modern-looking but very colourful and nice. You can also get other Italian dishes like spaghetti here. This place is near perfect and I would highly recommend it if you are within 3, 4, 5 miles of it....

I have visited this place many times and it has always been good. However, the only positive aspect of today's visit was the service we received from the male waiter, who was very polite and friendly.

Unfortunately, the experience was spoiled by the pizza chef's attitude and lack of adherence to health and safety standards, as well as his rudeness towards the waiter. Our table was next to the oven, giving us a clear view of the kitchen.

When my partner’s pizza arrived without the burrata on top, the waiter reminded the chef to add it. The chef rudely told the waiter to do it himself. When the waiter asked how, the chef, in an unpleasant manner, put his hand inside the bowl, grabbed the burrata, and threw it on the pizza. The pizza was soaked with water from the chef's hand.

Moreover, the chef proceeded to move boxes to the storage, touching door handles and picking things up from the floor, before making pizzas again without washing his hands. He also touched his hair and cap without any regard for hygiene.

It was disgusting, and we couldn't finish our food.

I want to thank the waiter who noticed what was happening and apologised multiple times. I could see his embarrassment. It’s a shame the young pizza chef's behaviour...

My partner and I decided to celebrate our anniversary at Bocca Bocca, but it was a huge letdown. Despite ordering starters, pizzas, and drinks, the experience quickly turned sour. While the starters arrived promptly, our pizzas were nowhere to be seen even after 35 minutes of waiting. When my partner inquired about our order, the waitress nonchalantly assured us they were on their way, but it was evident they had forgotten about us. As someone fluent in Italian, I overheard the cook grumbling about some confusion in the kitchen, confirming our suspicions. What baffles me the most is the lack of communication from the waitress - no explanation or apology for the delay. Moreover, witnessing the waitress handle pizzas with her bare hands after touching various surfaces around the restaurant, including the germ hotspot of the system screen, was a hygiene nightmare. This experience completely ruined our anniversary celebration, and we have no intention of returning. Additionally, the food did not live up to the standards of a proper...