Emilia's Crafted Pasta (Baker Street) — Restaurant in London

I must say I absolutely love Emilia’s, I’ve been to all of their restaurant locations. Their pasta is incredible and I would highly rate it to everyone. So when this new store opened it was much more convenient for me to get to so I was very excited about more regular trips. However I’ve been 3 times since opening and each time the service has been very poor. The first time I came my order was taken incorrectly, I then had to wait longer than the rest of my party to have it made. Second time I came the same thing happened and I had to rush to eat my food as it took so long for it to be rectified / I believe they forgot about it entirely. Then most recently I went yesterday afternoon around 16:30 so I was expecting it to be relatively quiet before the dinner rush so I didn’t book a table. My partner and I turned up and easily the restaurant was more than half empty tables, we asked for a table for 2 and the staff member said they were booked out for the rest of the evening and there was no chance of having a table. We walked outside and decided to check the online booking system and there were table reservations from 16:45 all the way to 21:00 available… so we ended up booking at table for 17:00 and just came back half an hour later. This was very disappointing considering it just felt that we were lied to. Fast forward to we get sat down, it took nearly 20 minutes for someone to come to us to even ask us for drinks. Bearing in mind the restaurant was very quiet, the rest of the staff were just setting all of the empty tables instead of taking note of the people actually sat inside. Again I think the food is brilliant but the service really needs work, as it puts me off coming back and thankfully I’ve been to the other locations and the service is normally very good so it seems to be exclusive to the...

UPDATE: September, 2025

I am delighted to notify potential diners that Emilia's has changed dramatically since my initial visit and it is inordinately better.

The pasta dishes are mercifully devoid of salt (this was the main bone of contention on my debut visit) and pasta is cooked to perfection; their tomato sauce is fresh, tasty and definitely not artificial like it sometimes tastes in other restaurants.

Service has dramatically improved and both managers, Lidia and Martha are to be congratulated on providing a first-class experience of professional and warmly helpful standards of customer service that make a conspicuous impact.

Their bruschetta is plentiful, the tomatoes are extremely juicy and pleasantly sweet, exceptionally fresh and flavoursome. The sourdough bread is just right; neither being too soggy nor too crunchy. Definitely one of the best I have had here or even in Italy.

The bean salad was just as enjoyable as on my previous visit in November and equally plentiful, too.

Wines are of a high standard (by the glass), well-priced and dishes are also very reasonably priced.

Make no mistake, Emilia's may be part of a chain but it doesn't feel or taste like this at the Baker Street branch and I am certain that this has to do with the quiet care, and involvement that Lidia brings to the place and Martha extends in her response to customers.

I would recommend Emilia's as a lovely, cosy place to have a relaxed and nourishing night out and it also shows the necessity to give restaurants a second chance if they disappoint on the first occasion which was the...

The pasta is handcrafted and absolutely amazing. Especially the Bolognese.

But it is NOT an ideal place for a big group. I live nearby so I have been here a couple of times before and usually never had any issues with the service. But it was a bit of a disaster this time.

We had a table for 8 but we happened to be 10. I had mentioned in advance that I may need a +/- 2 flexibility which was okayed. While I can understand that it can be a bit inconvenient for the restaurant and managing big groups can be difficult I would not make it so apparent to guests!

We were served by Paloma and she wasn’t very hospitable. It was clear that she was annoyed. Some orders were missed/delayed and it wasn’t dealt with very nicely either. Half the table did not have plates, or cutleries and we had to ask a few times. Wine tasting (a very standard practice) was offered for the second bottle when a different member of staff offered it. The first was just left on our table. It was the same bottle so I said it’s not needed for the second, but the other staff member said - it’s a tradition to ask. Not sure why that was not the case for the first bottle. This is just one example to demonstrate that our primary waiter was not treating us in a hospitable manner.

Generally, our experience with food quality (like the other times) was great. But I was a bit surprised by the quality of service received and demeanour of our primary server. While some of the other staff were extremely nice and even offered to take a photo for the group at the end.

Though I feel I may not plan a group dinner here...