The humble Italian sweet treat par excellence, tiramisù, has seemingly taken London by storm in recent years, so much so that a café dedicated entirely to this delicacy opened in Soho a few weeks ago. This got the Italians in our Cold team thinking… what are the best ones we’ve tried in London?
Despite its highly contested origins, with the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia battling it out to a creamy death, London has certainly made tiramisu its own. The variations out there are endless, from Nutella and pistachio to the trendier matcha and ube, and all seem to have snuck their way onto our restaurant menus.
So, for the first installment of ‘Cold Eats’, we’ve rounded up our favourites across London. Although they can’t beat our fatto in casa (homemade) versions, they do come pretty darn close.
Trattoria Brutto, Farringdon
35-37 Greenhill Rents, London EC1M 6BN
Despite the name literally translating to “ugly”, ugly these dishes are not. Come for the £5 Negronis, but stay for their perfect tiramisù, hidden under a hefty coat of cocoa powder, with the perfect ratio of coffee and a heavy combination of Marsala and brandy (you can’t feel them as much as you’d think; they’re just perfectly mixed). If you do want the recipe for this particular one, you can also find it in their cookbook.
Belly Bistro, Kentish Town
157 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8PD
(Image by Christopher L Proctor For The Times)
This one is not for the purists. The dessert in this Filipino eatery has been infused with purple yam, soaked in ube tres leches and layered with blueberry compote, all contributing to its delightfully distinct purple colour. There’s no coffee or liqueur in sight and it’s definitely sweet, but it’s light and creamy, so despite our disdain for virality, it’s pretty fun.
Dalla, Hackney
120-122 Morning Ln, London E9 6LH
If you want to go celeb spotting, this might be the place. With its nonchalant coolness, Italian vintage furniture and exquisite regional classics, Dalla’s tiramisù is one of the few permanent fixtures on an otherwise seasonally changing menu, and was even part of Charli XCX’s wedding dinner after she got married at the nearby Hackney Town Hall. If it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for me.
Faros, Holborn or Oxford Circus
57 Gray’s Inn Rd, London WC1X 8PP / 22 Great Portland St, London W1W 8QS
Right in central London, Faros is an easy one for an after-work tiramisu detour: grab a little bottle of wine, share a dessert and dissect your latest work crush on a weekday. Their much-talked-about tiramisù is very soft and creamy, unapologetically indulgent – even if by the end of the evening you’re no closer to figuring out if that Teams message truly meant something.
Leo’s, Lower Clapton
59 Chatsworth Rd, Lower Clapton, London E5 0LH
Housed in a former ice cream factory and 1960s greasy spoon, with much of the original interiors still intact, Leo’s is definitely one of the prettier restaurants on this list. A decadent, eggy zabaglione characterises its delightful tiramisù, finished with freshly shaved chocolate. Beyond dessert, Leo’s is worth a daytime visit, too: from 9am to 3pm it serves Italian cafè classics, with the daily newspapers hanging from a rail transporting you to a small town in Italy you can’t quite place.
Spring St Pizza, Borough
Arch 32, Southwark Quarter, Southwark St, London SE1 1TE
Alongside a brilliant olive oil soft serve, their tiramisù is spectacular: ladyfingers soaked in Brazilian Difference Coffee and 24-month-aged Marsala, made with the same love and care as everything else at this lovely little Borough spot (what else could you expect from a Michelin-starred chef with a love for NY pizza?). And please grab a few slices while you’re there, I promise it’s worth it.
Trullo, Highbury & Islington
300-302 St Paul’s Rd, London N1 2LH
The Trullification of London, as I like to call it, arguably laid the blueprint for a certain wave of unfussy pasta restaurants across the capital. Trullo opened back in 2010, and sixteen years of survival as a restaurant in London is truly no small feat – probably a testament to the integrity of its cooking. Their tiramisù follows suit, classic and boozy, although with a menu that changes regularly it isn’t always on, so check before making the journey.
