Zucca

Saw good things about this place on yelp and decided to make my third reservation before actually setting foot on London soil. It's awesome to see that they are part of the slow food movement. It is a very busy place. It was somewhat full when we got in and was completely full halfway during our lunch. I love how all meals are super long, but sometimes it's a little too long.

The bread they brought out was lovely, housemade and delicious. For our apps we had the burrata and the zucca fritti. The burrata was good. Anytime I see burrata on the menu, I'm going to order it. It was covered in olive oil and some greens. It kind of looked like bok choy- so I'm not sure exactly what it was. While it was deliciously creamy and salty, something was missing. It needed a bit of acid to brighten the flavors a little. While still really good, the best burrata I've had was at the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid (it hit all the right notes - creamy, salty, sweet, bright). The zucca fritti was really good, too. A little too much salt sprinkled on top, but well done. It's their version of sweet potato and sage tempura. Perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

For our mains we got the tagliatelle with gorgonzola and hazelnut and the chitarra with venison ragu. Both pastas were lovely and cooked perfectly. Nice and toothsome to the bite. My only complaints? The tables are really close to each other. SO close that we could hear everything the table next to us were saying and that we were almost part of their convos. And that they don't have take away boxes. And the waitress seemed almost angry that we wanted to take our food to go.

What a class act. Great welcoming dinner atmosphere , great for dates or dinner with friends. Open kitchen, carpeted floors but no table cloths and comfy cushioned chairs keep it relaxed despite the candles on the tables.

Top service with great recommendations in this simple, modern Italian restaurant at the heart of increasingly trendy Bermondsey St.

Fantastic prosecco to start with fried pumpkin "zucca" to pair - a perfectly crisp batter with sweet tender pumpkin, piled tastefully on a plate. No heavy fried feeling here. Zucca's own extra virgin olive oil arrived in a dip dish with fresh homemade grissini (bread sticks), and focaccia bread. Exactly the type of teaser antipasto I'd be after when I know the menu is going to be so good.

We lucked out as it was truffle week. Fresh truffles flown straight in from Tuscany 2 hours earlier.

Starters - sea bass carpaccio with olive oil and diced red pepper. So fresh, beautiful texture and only a taste of red peppers so as not to overpower the fish. A great dish.

Oven baked spinach/broccoli/ricotta timbalo with parmesan besciamella sauce and white truffles shaved on top by the chef at the table. A very generous serving of truffles and a perfect accompaniment to this rich, warm dish. Every flavour stood out individually, no creamy messy taste here. A fantastic dish that miraculously tasted delicate.

Mains - homemade tagliatelle al ragu whose delicate sauce was wet enough to be flavoursome but not saucy enough to drown the pasta. The mixed game ragu was rich and delicious but not overbearing thanks to the scarce tomato sauce.

Homemade taglierini in a butter and parmesan sauce topped with freshly shaved white truffles by the chef at the table. Once again, a dish I inhaled it was just so so good. Simple, rich and bursting with a creamy flavour to die for.

Great dessert selection, including a molten chocolate lava cake topped with sea salt and served with homemade coconut ice cream (to die for..literally) and a chocolate semifreddo topped with pralines and salted caramel ice cream.

Fantastic all around. I would eat here everyday if I could.

Fantastic and modern italian food, in a low-key and understated setting.

My British foodie cousin made a reservation here, and told us it was a must try, and she was convincing. But after the first bite, we knew there was no argument. Zucca is fantastic.

Our starters included zucca fritti, an insanely delicious take on tempura and a raw fish dish that was delicate and wonderfully subtle. We shared a pasta dish with a pork ragu that was toothsome and lovely. The pork loin entree was tender but a bit overdone.

The wine recommended was excellent and the service was completely attentive --marvelous. The dessert was fantastic. A night out on Bermondsey Street with its cobblestones, character, closeness to London bridge, and fantastic cocktails (for instance, at nearby favorite, Village East) is not to be missed once the sun goes down, and the atmosphere and food at Zucca makes this area a destination.

Went for dinner last night. Place was pretty busy and I would recommend booking, particularly on a weekend evening.

It is a large airy, open plan space with the kitchen open to all. The tables were tight but the noise was a very acceptable level. The service was relaxed and fun without being in your face.

However, the star of the evening was the food! We had a selection of starters to share as suggested by the waiter. Grilled fennel with prosciutto, some mozzarella with a Norma (aubergine) side, butternut squash fritters and a tasty salad - all cooked to perfection, perfectly seasoned and dressed. We had read that the veal chops were a specialty and they didn't let us down! Accompanied by spinach and a subtle lemon taste they were top notch. One of the party had the haddock with chickpeas and said it was excellent too. Desserts were gooseberry tart, homemade ice cream with an expresso poured on the top and a wonderful panna cotta (which we all agreed was our fave).

Overall amazing quality food. The chef is from River Cafe and it shows. He selects top notch ingredients and allows them to speak for themselves.

And the best bit? The price - starters were £4-5 and mains were £11-14. I doubt there is a better meal in London at this price - a total steal! Needless to say we shall be returning!

One of my favourite Italian places in London, but it could be because I live South of the river, as it is a bit of a trek from London Bridge station or Borough Station on foot!
Located on a village-y street, it does get full during popular times.
The staff are friendly, service is efficient, and the place has a very light and airy feel to it especially during the daytime, when lots of light comes in through the floor to ceiling windows looking out into the street.
Prices are reasonable, and the food is pretty good especially the pasta. Its not outstanding, but its above average quality in London.

I've heard great things about Zucca and my dinner lived up to expectations. Reservations are a bit hard to get but I was lucky enough to snag a table on a Friday night.

Fantastic food and service - some of the best Italian food I've had in London. Simple dishes but executed perfectly. The pumpkin fritters and cripsy pork belly were delicious, and the foccacia was light and fluffy. The amuse bouche of frittata was okay but a bit bland.

The mains are HUGE. We went for the veal chop and a main course portion of tagliatelle with duck ragu...the two of us had serious issues trying to finish the two plates after starters. The veal chop was probably the size of my face - slight exaggeration, but you get the idea. I would've preferred it a bit more on the pink side (it was a bit tough), so I was let down by the dish. The pasta though was brilliant - al dente, and the ragu was so tasty. I kept eyeing the dishes other tables ordered - the cod and clams and octopus stew caught my eye.

Even though we were stuffed, we couldn't resist dessert - chocolate semifreddo wtih hazelnut ice-cream. Who can say no to that!? Not too heavy, and with caramelised hazelnuts crushed on top it was the right finish to a great meal.

I'll definitely be returning in the near future for the zucca fritti, pasta and to try out the other mains. Oh, and make sure you arrive hungry if you want to sample as much as you can!

Underwhelming, pretentious and overpriced. Yes everything was cooked pretty well but there was nothing outstanding about the meals and at £16 for 6 pieces of pasta - considering how cheap it is to make - is extortionate. The pitiful 3 sour cherries we got for our panna cotta dessert was also laughable.

Michelin priced but far from Michelin quality.

Lovely Zucca! The food merits a strong 4 stars but it's the great service and setting that bumps it to 5.

We came for lunch and shared a bunch of starters and a bottle of the house white. We were stuffed and didn't even finish everything we ordered. With service, it came to an even £70.

We had:

- Zucca fritti: I've always loved deep fried pumpkin tempura and this did not disappoint. Lovely slices of pumpkin, lightly fried. The highlight were the bunches of sage that were deep fried as well. I would have liked more of this. The dish was slightly greasy and could have used some paper lining on the paper to soak up the oil.

- Prosciutto with salad and shaved Parmesan: nothing too spectacular about this salad but the prosciutto was lovely and melted in your mouth.

- Clams topped with parm: the clams were perfectly cooked - no rubberiness here! Yummy dish. Plenty of clam juice to be sopped up with the bread!

- Sea bass carppaccio: melt in your mouth slices of sea bass. This was amazing.

Overally, a lovely meal at Zucca and I would definitely like to come back for a proper meal to try the mains. The selection of breads also comes in a cute cloth bread basket. The breadsticks taste like Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers!

My husband and I were looking for a place to eat after an event on Bermondsey Street and remembered a friend sharing that Zucca was one of his favourite spots. We made our way there and asked for a walk in table. They were fully booked, but one of their reservations were 10 minutes late and they said if they don't show up then we had a table. We waited for 15 minutes at a neighbouring bar and they called us that the table was ours.

Food: We ordered the lamb tongue and carpaccio of sea bass for appetisers. The lamb tongue was well prepared and delicious. The carpaccio of sea bass was light and fresh. For our mains we ordered the pappardelle with ox cheek ragu and the taglierini with truffles since it's truffle season. The pappardlle was cooked perfectly and the ragu was rich with flavour. The taglierini was also cooked to perfection and with the truffles was such a treat. They were very generous with the pasta and the truffles which was nice to see. We also ordered one side of greens which was good, but in hindsight wasn't needed.

Drinks: We didn't order any drinks since we had a few already at the event prior to dinner.

Price: 77.15 GBP for two people.

Ambiance: The restaurant was packed and there was definitely a buzz through the night.

Service: The service was very friendly and helpful. Our server was spot on with his suggestions and he was very professional.

Would I go back? Absolutely. Everything about this restaurant was great from the friendliness of the hostess, the server being knowledgable and the food being amazing.

Upscale Italian, Michelin recommended.

Their menu is always in flux, but we ordered the fried zucca, magliati ai funghi, and the tagliatelle ragu. We also had a lava cake with vanilla ice cream and a pear concoction (pear sorbet, pear, crumble, ginger crunch) for dessert that was quite delicious.

Overall, food was pretty good but not mind blowing. Service was above average (tip is not included in the bill). I would say that it could be one of the best Italian restaurants in London, though.

Worth a try!

(FYI, their game meats contain traces of shot. This freaked my boyfriend out quite a bit, so be wary)