Just wanted to start off this review by saying this place makes it into my top 5, maybe even top 3, Italian places in London just so you know which direction this review is going in (hint: it’s a good one). I’ve been to Bancone more times than I remember but I keep going back and bringing new people. I’m yet to find a person who didn’t enjoy their meal there. It’s pasta, but done so well, and for a very reasonable price given the quality you’re getting. You could easily get 3 courses of sharer food and wine for under £40 each – I’m always shocked when the bill comes given how full and content I am. There are 2 locations, Golden Square and Covent Garden, I’ve been to both and the food is equally good. I generally find it easier to get bookings at Golden Square as it’s bigger and they have a tree in the middle of the room which is fun. But I also really love the booths and the vibe at Covent Garden. All the more reason to go to Bancone twice to try each location!

Starting with drinks and this time I didn’t get a whiskey sour! Instead we went for a 500ml carafe of rose – it was on the only one on their menu and was a really delicious, light rose. Now, this trip was with 2 Bancone lovers (my friend Ros who featured in my B.A.M post, and another friend Maisie) and we have a strategy at Bancone: we limit our starter orders to leave as much room as possible for the pasta (the best things on the menu), but obviously we can’t skip the starters completely. This time we got the focaccia with tomatoes, and burrata with pumpkin. Both were absolutely delicious, and went perfectly together. The burrata was beautifully creamy and paired so well with the pumpkin and crunchy walnuts. And the focaccia was perfect for soaking up any burrata left on the plate (no cheese waste allowed).

For mains, we went for 4 pastas and shared. Our two staples that we always get are the bucatini cacio e pepe and the silk handkerchiefs with walnut butter and confit egg yolks. First, the cacio e pepe is easily one of the best examples of a cacio e pepe I’ve ever had – super cheesey, creamy & peppery. And the silk handkerchiefs, this dish has long been a contender for my all time favourite pasta dish. It’s made of sheets of pasta with a gorgeously rich walnut butter that is absolutely indescribable, and if that wasn’t enough it’s topped with a confit egg yolk that you can burst over the pasta. If you only ever listen to one of my recommendations, this pasta should be it.

After the 2 staples, we get another 2 dishes & usually like to try any new additions to the menu. This time we got the courgette, lemon and ricotta ravioli with semi dried tomato butter, and the braised ox cheek pappardelle with Barolo vinegar. Both were absolutely delicious. The ravioli ended up being one of our favourites as the lemon added a real freshness (even with the butter sauce). On the other side, the ox cheek was deliciously rich with a slightly chewy pappardelle – absolutely perfect. The universal favourite is always the silk handkerchiefs, but the ravioli was a real unexpected highlight of the meal. It doesn’t quite take the top spot, but it added such a lovely freshness to an otherwise very rich and buttery meal. Somehow after all this we still weren’t full and after a long debate about whether to get more pasta, we decided against it and opted for an Udderlicious sundae (mine had malt and malteser ice cream, caramel, caramelised hazelnuts and whipped cream if you were wondering).

Every dish we had was just as amazing as the last – and I’m sure that’s true of the whole menu. Bancone never fails to impress me and the standard has never slipped. I really recommend this place for a dinner that feels really high end but at a lower price. It’s also a great place to take visiting parents to impress them (mine will confirm). Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever been/if you do go! Especially if you try the silk handkerchiefs.

Find them at Golden Square 8-10 Lower James Street W1F 9EL, or Covent Garden 39 William IV Street WC2N 4DD.