One of my favorite restaurants in the area. The place just feels authentic, run by a very nice Italian family. We usually order the Capricciosa pizza, which is fantastic. I also really enjoy the Mussels in White Wine Sauce, although it is only sometimes available from their daily specials menu. The Spaghetti and Meatballs here are pretty great too. I don't have too much else to say about Buona Sera. The food is great, the family and staff running the place are super friendly, and the restaurant itself is clean. Pretty much the perfect spot for a sunny weekend brunch on the patio! read more

Buona Sera - Capricciosa pizza. - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

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This place is amazing for authentic Italian. We came in for lunch and were seated by the open windows inside. The interior is big and bright with pretty lime green tables and chairs. We were a party of five and the amount of food that was brought out could have easily served 8! We started with some tomato/garlic bread and simple garlic bread (which comes in the shape of a pizza--cool with me). I could have eaten that whole thing and called it a day. Then we shared the guazzetto, a bowl of fishy things: prawns, clams, mussels, in a soup. I'm still working my seafood muscle so went easy on these. For the main course, I had the potato gnocchi, so delicious but so filling; I had to take some home. For dessert, I had the Soufflè al Cioccolato, chocolate souffle with vanilla ice cream...um AMAZING. And I also got a nibble of the Mango Tropicale, mango sorbet with coconut ice cream, topped with fruit. The presentation for this was superb! Also got one little taste of the Limone Ripieno, lemon sorbet served in...A LEMON, whodathunk. More points for presentation with that one. To close it up, we had the limoncello, which was really strong. I took a few tiny sips and left the rest for hubby...eh, I can't do alcohol. The service was great and the food, so good. At one point it started to rain outside and I thought we'd close the windows, silly me. This is London. The people sitting out on the patio didn't even blink when it started to drizzle. Within minutes it was over anyway. I love London. read more

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A good, honest, unpretentious neighbourhood Italian restaurant, with a menu that covers a span of real Italian cooking, covering a range of good antipasti (calamari and courgette highly recommended), pasta, pizza and meat or fish options. I enjoyed a grigliata di carne ( sausage, lamb, and I forget what else, with a range of roasted vegetables), while my other half had a very good grilled salmon steak on rocket, with, I believe a balsamic glaze. Regrettably, the demands of the youngest member of the family kept us away from dessert, so I can offer no opinion. I'd put this in the same price bracket as the Carluccio chain, but, given the choice, I'd much rather eat here. I would however add, en passant that I have seen more than one career celebrity foodie in here ( none of whom I'll name, suffice it to say one's the Zippy to the Bungle fruiterer on Masterchef), which may pass for an additional recommendation. Apologies to readers who don't get the Rainbow reference . An addendum- updating this review many years later- this place still does the trick, and is always busy. I also recommend the calzone ( Which is the size of a whale, and well executed). read more

Buona Sera - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

What? People don't like it here? What is going on in the world? Let me begin by saying that I am not a huge fan of Italian food, but on occasion, I have been know to venture out of my comfort zone. I have eaten at Buona Sera a handful of times, and each time I have eaten the same dish. Linguine allo scoglio aka a delicious seafood pasta, with a little chili running though it - a wonderful winter warmer. With this we opted to have the house white which I believe to be selected by the owner. That's another thing I love about this restaurant, its family run so there is a relaxed, friendly, warm feeling. It's almost like going to visit a friends for lunch. The prices are reasonable and it's a great place to take a family or a group. I think if I liked or at more Italian food I would probably go there more often, but as it stand I think my annual trip work just fine for me. read more

Headed to Buona Sera for lunch with friends. Having walked past many times I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the restaurant - it doesn't look as big from the outside! Lunch itself was pretty average. We each had starters which went over well enough. My caprese was largely lacking basil, but the mozzarella was quite nice. My friends both had the same main - a pasta with a tomato cream sauce (I forget the exact name) and one was fresh with lots of sauce and one came a bit later, a bit gloppier, and lacking much sauce. She was sad. I had the gnocchi, which was good although overcooked. Fair enough lunch fare, but the service was very very very very slow (not bad, just dreadfully slow) and the drinks were miniscule in size. Not sure I'd give it another go. read more

2 and a half stars. Buona Sera isn't entirely worthy of 3 stars but just 2 would've been a bit harsh based on my own experience. Buona Sera is quite pleasant, a nice place to sit and eat providing one is happy in a lively atmosphere as the evenings are busy and loud. Fine if one fancies some Italian food but not the best choice if one wants good Italian food. And therein lies the problem for this restaurant. Although I liked the side salad (difficult to get wrong), the garlic bread and the cheesy/vegetable starter thing (didn't love them but they were nice) the main meal was quite a let down. Char-grilled/char-burned Salmon on a bed of Rocket salad - a bunk-bed I can only presume, there was loads of it! Not utterly dreadful but entirely unimaginative. I did hear similar rumblings from the group I was in (a large one) but also some praise. Not much but some. In a large group I appreciate that timings can be difficult but there was just a lack of creativity in the main meals. The staff were great, very helpful and friendly but despite that I don't think I'll bother coming back should I be in the area again. TTFN, Ian read more

I have been to Buona Sera twice now. Once for a birthday party a few years ago, and again recently for a girlie gathering. The first impression was lasting and terrible. This was in the day prior to the smoking ban and I developed laryngitis due to having to shout across the music in a steamed up and smoked up environment. The second was slightly better as we were seated in the less noisy conservatory area and smokers now congregate on the pavement outside. At least we could hear each other talk this time, but the food was rather underwhelming. I asked whether the wild mushrooms on the special pizza were fresh they very obviously were not. We opted for the Montepulciano which tasted cheap and nasty. I don't understand how Buona Sera keeps attracting the crowds it does must be me read more

Great family-run Italian restaurant on Northcote Road. Perfect for a budget/average meal out with friends and family. The decor inside is a bit shabby though and the echoey and load nature of the place makes it unsuitable for romantic dinners, but for casual dining, its perfect. The food was excellent. Gorgonzola and walnut homemade ravioli was delicious. The seafood stew with prawns, shellfish, and monkfish came in a huge portion, which was made even better by the cheaper price. The aubergine with mozzarella starter was good but a bit pricey at £7 for the three average-sized pieces of aubergine that you get. Overall, I'll be going back again when I need something hearty, tasty, and decently priced. The London Insider http://www.london-insider.co.uk/ read more

Brilliant place- true service is a bit slow and a bit noisey, but both the antipasti - bruschetta - and the pizzas were fantastic - fresh and yummy ingredients and the BEST DIAVOLA in London. To be continued! read more

Buona Sera - The best diavola in London! - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

I went here on a Friday night with my wife. having walked past it a number of times we thought we would try it before going out for a few drinks. It was early on a Friday night and there were a few tables full, but within the hour there was not a spare table and two couples waiting. So much for a credit crunch. The menu was very Italian as was the wine list. The white wine we ordered was excellent and I wish I had written down the name of it. We both orderd pizza's and a side salad. The pizza's were very basic with quality of toppings as popposed to quantity. My wife's was a little soggy as there was too much pizzas sauce on it. Mine was very tasty but I have had better pizza's elsewhere. The salad was very fresh. Our bill came and the owner came to take payment. he was very Italian and friendly, offering us a drink on the house at the bar if we liked. I would go back and have pasta or a meat dish. The starters that went back looked very tasty. It is fairly good value for money, and the fact it was heaving with what looked like regular customers is a good sign. read more

This is a family friendly restaurant in Clapham....the service is friendly and very accepting of young children. The food is delicious, we had a range of appetisers and main courses and each of them were of high quality and well presented. Service was speedy and at the same time courteous and unobtrusive. Highly recommend giving it a try. read more

Tasty, fast Italian. It's a bit loud and crowded (this seems to be a trend in Clapham), but certainly not to the point that I couldn't handle it. We had a delicious gnocchi and a pasta dish with Gorgonzola and mushrooms which was FAB. They also have a nice wine list and some good Italian beers to choose from. I'd recommend Buona Sera, but not for a quiet, romantic meal out. It's definitely more for a chatty fun meal with friends and family. I was there for lunch, but I'd say the dinner crowd is probably a bit more low-key. To be honest, if I had the option to do half-stars I'd probably give Buona Sera a 3 1/2 because they don't quite deserve a fourth star, yet they're better than three.... read more

In Italy there are places to eat called 'trattoria's - they serve good simple food at cheap prices and are fun and friendly. This is what Buona Sera is, sometimes it can be quite loud with noise of happy eaters but there are always quieter tables available. My father is Italian and he loves it there, and that is prise indeed. read more

All was going well when... We asked for the bill and noticed we had been overcharged. They probably got the wrong table, and that's not a problem, mistakes happen all the time. I have brought the mistake to the attention to one of the male waiters who then passed the bill one to a female waitress. She came to our table ten minutes later and I explained to her they had made a mistake. What I didn't like? Her manners. Not only did she not apologise to us, but she also told me to TO TAKE IT EASY whilst I was simply calmly explaining what had erroneously been added to our bill. I am a CUSTOMER and not your FRIEND and you do not talk to me like that. Not to mention the "how dare you complaining" attitude she had. Simply appalling. I would like to give you only one piece of advice: remember that customers are those who allow you to carry on with your business. read more

I came here fro a nice dinner, good conversation and a relaxing evening. Unfortunately I got only one of the three. The menu is very Italian and very good serving pizza, pasta and seafood. The food we ordered was delicious with plenty of it. Not quite so pleasing was the restaurant itself. It looked attractive enough but despite being a fair size, was very busy and cramped. Worst of all was the level of noise. I cannot help but feel old before my time commenting on this but even I found it impossible to keep a conversation up. This little factor was enough to put me off, but why it is so noisy I do not know. If you find white noise relaxing this may be your place, if not bring ear plugs and stick to passing notes across the table while enjoying your food. read more

I used to really like this place, and ate there at least twice a week,but, the last three or four visits have been really poor. The lovely waiters/esses seem to have been replaced by mad women, who refuse to write down the order and get them wrong. Four of us ate there the last time, and each meal was wrong, and in two cases were wrong and cold. Had enough. read more

Como se diche "shitty" en Italiano? This place gets 1 star for having an Italian-only speaking bartender to amp up the authencity of the place, and a server who was rather good at her job. Beyond that, a prepared margarita pizza from Sainsbury's would surpass the shlock that was served up as Italian fare. Fried calamri and zucchini sticks were dry and served w/o sauce, the recommended pizza was decent, but of supermarket quality, and the piece de resistance came in the form of the night's special: proscuitto-wrapped veal escallope with sauteed garlic spinach, that came in the form of two dry protein slabs ressembling bra inserts, with the consistecy of shoe leather, and a side of frozen spinach mush. The looping 80s soundtrack blasting in the background added no flavor to this flavorless evening. But, if you like some Belinda Carlyle with your crappy cannollini, this is the osteria for you. read more

good italian food, nice and service. environment a bit noisy but otherwise great place to eat! read more

Best unpretentious Italian for miles around!