Vicino — Restaurant in London

Had previously rated this 5 stars but felt the need to update my review. Service has massively declined from previous visits and it feels that at times it's for the sole purpose of grabbing every last pound. On our most recent visit we booked with OpenTable with the view of using an opentable cheque (I highlighted this in the original booking and also checked to make sure the restaurant was not on the exemption list). We arrived and ordered our usual bottle of house wine. We were then told that it was unfortunately out of stock so opted for the next one up at an additional cost of 4 pounds. When ordering we asked for a substitute in pasta (normal to squid ink) and whilst that does cost more we were told that it would incur a further 1 pound additional charge, which I felt was already offset having had to order more expensive wine. At the end of the meal our dining cheque was not honoured and no gesture of goodwill was given even though service was at 12.5 and we had already given the restaurant a heads up. The whole experience has left a sour taste and it is so disappointing that a once frequently visited restaurant with personable service has got to this point. Given this we will probably not be returning as Fulham has an abundance of good quality Italian...

While visiting the team at our London office, I was taken to this unassuming Italian restaurant about 0.5 miles or (0.8 kilometers) away.

Living in the New York and New Jersey areas, having been to Italy numerous times, and having eaten food by chefs such as Lidia Bastianich and Massimo Bottura, I am definitely what you could consider picky about what constitutes good Italian food.

Dining in at Vicino's and having their Lasagna Vicino was a totally unexpected and pleasant surprise. I also tried one of their veal meatballs and both items were rustic, delicious, and honestly tasted of home in the sense that you knew the person that made them loves their culture and most importantly the food he puts out in front of people.

The flavors were all well balanced with nothing being too intense or assaulting your taste buds. The best thing about the food is that it tasted like home. For anyone that knows or has an Italian nonna, that is the vibe you get with each bite.

All in all, I highly suggest. Their drink selection was also quite robust (with the exception of beer), but then again pubs are for beer and restaurants are...

I really want this place to work so this is constructive feedback. We used to be regulars at the old Viccino so we had a bit of a shock when we came back.

The positive first : the new place is very family/ kids friendly which is GREAT in this area. It’s casual, spacious, clean and made with style. The service was good, staff were welcoming and friendly, the American waiter seems to run the show and holds the place together, also very friendly. The food came quickly and all at once, so this was great for children not to wait.

The not so positive: The menu is limited but it’s a new place so i’ll forgive that. The food was the biggest let down. The Pizza was burnt, the seafood pasta was really disappointing and the truffle pasta was okay but very small portion. Starters were average. The wine list could do with improvement, especially in an area like Parsons Green, people do take wine seriously.

Overall, I want this place to succeed and I’d like to come back since we live around the corner, but food needs to improve first....