Tinello

Italian
Sloane Square

Having passed by Tinello on many occasions and always seen the restaurant heaving (and on other occasions failed to get a booking) we expected good things from a venue that has changed hands a few times from L’Incontro to Mauro and back.

Without a booking and at around 9pm we chanced our luck and walked in. Staff were friendly and within a few moments we were shown downstairs to a large round table with a view of the kitchens. We were unaware the venue had a downstairs area, and it was a nice surprise. It’s less noisy and atmospheric than upstairs, but more relaxed if you prefer a quieter evening meal.

To start, we both opted to share some of their smaller plates, ordering a mixture of delicious fried zucchini, buratta, the special which included polenta and wild mushrooms and some Italian ham. All the dishes were tasty and very good value considering the size of some of them.

For main, we had the aubergine and warm smoked cheese salad, which we’ll put up there as one of our favourite salads eaten in the capital. The smoked cheese flavoured the whole dish perfectly and we couldn’t have been more pleased with our choice. It’s small but enough to satisfy. We also chose the lamb dish which tasted as good as it looked. Our waiter (a charming young man who hailed from Sardinia) recommended a Sardinian wine to accompany our meal which was pleasant. From our table we could see the impressive wine cellars and were already looking forward to sampling some of the other bottles.

After our meal, Manuel, the proprietor of Tinello came and spoke with us and explained the concept and birth of the restaurant, also recommending other dishes for our next visit. He also claims to have the best coffee in the area, something which we plan to discover on another visit. Dishes are very fairly priced, which is a huge plus for Tinello, and along with its friendly staff and great Italian food, this will surely make Tinello a winning local restaurant. Everybody needs a friend like Tinello.

87 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8PH

Average price for main meal: £20
Average price for a glass of wine: £8
Food/Drink: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Value: 4/5

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