We stumbled into this cute Italian restaurant in an alley that had a piazza vibe after a long day of sight seeing. We chose this place b/c the host was not aggressive when we checked out the menu. It also had healthier options. Great food. Fun environment. Friendly and attentive service. The best part is that they let us linger while enjoying dessert and drinks. Overall, it was one of our most memorable dinners. Many thanks to Alex! read more

L'ulivo - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Food amazing , staff amazing the whole night was amazing . Definitely recommend, we cannot thank the staff enough for a truly wonderful night read more

The service is great. The food is very good. The food got delivered in less than 10 minutes The Seabass is really good.Very pretty Christmas lights. read more

The food here was delicious. Staff felt like family...good advice on the menu. They brought full glasses of tap water...all too rare on a hot day. Pleasant decor with indoor/outdoor seating. Not at all cramped. read more

We were in London for one day. After walking around we decided to look for a nice place for lunch. We had a great meal and it was lovely restaurant. We had two pasta dishes and a salad and it was all fresh and tasty. So glad we stopped it. read more

Absolutely delicious. The staff was friendly and prompt. The "theater special" came with two and three course options. The Funghi e Gorgonzola was amazing! The chicken mushroom dish in the special was also tasty. Would definitely come here again. read more

L'ulivo - Funghi e Gorgonzola - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

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After an awful experience at another eatery nearby, we decided to try here after reading a few reviews. So glad we did! What an amazing restaurant. We were greeted promptly, they put a table together for our party of 6, and were ready to take our drink orders. Ordering our dinners went without a hitch, even with a few odd request. While waiting for our food, we noticed the owner/ manager who was out checking on guest. Nice touch. They food was just great. Nice size portions, not too much, but enough to feel like you get your £ worth. I had the Spaghetti Allo Scoglio... Amazing!! The shellfish was cooked perfect and tasted fresh. The Limone Ripieno is a must try for dessert. A great Italian place for dinner! With a friendly and knowledgable staff. Highly recommend. read more

L'ulivo - Limone Ripieno - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

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First meal in Paris and what a letdown. We were walking by and I perused the menu. The fellow that looked like an old 80's Italian mafia was pretty insistent for us to have a seat in the outside seating area. We should have moved on, but since we were hungry we decided to try it out. Service wasn't bad, it was just pretty darn slow. I ordered a lentil salad for dinner and a mushroom appetizer with bread to start and it wasn't that special, though the price made it seem that way. Another negative that happened was the mafia man decided to step out into the street and start smoking right next to the outdoor seating area. Like get a clue buddy. Who wants to eat food and cigarette smoke? Meh. It was just one meal, but I wouldn't recommend anything about this place. read more

L'ulivo - Mushroom appetizer, funghi frommage or something like that. - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

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Just had a beautiful night here. Christian served our table of 8 upstairs but I think he is more of a manager. We had a glitch with our reservation and he smoothed everything right out. we ordered two beautiful salads with shrimp to share, and then each of us ordered Different pasta dishes. A few of us got salmon and everything we had was delicious. One of the ladies was celebrating her birthday, and we were presented with a beautiful dessert along with sparklers on top. Christian was very attentive. We were seated in the upstairs dining room, which was really pretty. Another nice plus is that all of our food was served piping hot. I would definitely come here again. read more

Upon arriving, there was a crowd of people who had reserved and were waiting for their tables anyway. About 20 people crowded inside the restaurant and even outside in the rain. A couple had been waiting for over 40 minutes. When my sister asked when we would be seated, the waitress and owner barked at us to wait outside. I refused and called her out for taking reservations beyond the capacity of her restaurant. She then proceeded in kicking me out calling me "extremely rude". I'm not going to lie, my tone was about as pleasant as one's should be when aggressively summoned to stand in the pouring rain despite having a reservation scheduled for 10 minutes ago. "What do you want me to do? Kick them out? They have been here for over 3 and a half hour" (I didn't realise people in the UK had dinner at 4.30 in the afternoon). Not once did she apologise or even acknowledge the mass of people waiting for their tables. The food didn't look too bad from my vantage but, luckily, London is teeming with delicious Italian restaurants that offer humane service and more honest prices. In this area, I would strongly recommend Bancone (outstanding food and kind waiters). Then again, this place is fine if you are willing to wait whilst being treated like trash. Cheers, Marie read more

Not impressed The antipasto was good Ceaser Salad was ok, lots of cheese and chicken, mayonnaise like dressing ~ The lasagna was like a spinach casserole, no noodles and burning hot, actual bubbling when served All that was fine, but the waiter was horrible, not good at all read more

Rubbish food Tourist trap. Please stay away Checked out the yelp reviews before going in and now it tells me how low people's standards are. Horrible bland food. Pizza base was raw Bad inattentive service Nothing right about this place read more

L'ulivo - Pizza - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

This place is terrible. Stopped by a few weeks ago with a friend for a pasta and wine night and we had to leave. We were ignored for half an hour after seating. The waiters were rude and impatient.Our appetizers were revolting- the calamari was definitely not fresh and was cut too largely. Even the wine and water came long after they were ordered and the house wine was so acidic, I didn't finish my glass and we asked for the cheque. Ended up walking away to find a real meal and real service nearby. Confidence pushed too far becomes arrogance. This establishment needs to adjust its attitude and consider it is one of a dozen Italian eateries on that very strip. Never again. This tourist escaped the trap with her life. read more

Just had a meal here after a Theatre show. Looking for a good Italian meal. The meal was okay, I ordered the Spaghetti Scoglio and my daughter ordered the Penne All'Ulivio. My daughter had burnt pieces of meat throughout her meal, which she didn't mention until afterwards. I tried to advise the waitress but she said she only spoke French. I showed her the remaining burnt pieces and she apologized and took the plate away. The service was friendly, just wish the meal had been a bit memorable. Paid £45 for 2, although a very cozy place I would not return. read more

L'ulivo - Spaghetti Scoglio - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Exactly what we craved during our travels! Looking for a hardy delicious meal to warm the soul, this is the place. Enjoy!

Looking another inexpensive place to eat while walking around the Leicester Square area, we came across a good number of Italian eateries with fairly decent lunch deals (less than 8 pounds). We opted for Lulivo particularly because I liked their menu better - despite the short list of menu items for 6.95 I ordered a simple cheese pizza, and my mom got the spaghetti. The cheese pizza was decent, and normally I would have just given that pizza a 3 star Yelp rating, but for the price and size, it was a pretty good deal. so maybe 3.5 rating. (The pizza could easily be split between 2 people.) And the main reason for the 4 star Yelp rating...the sauce on that spaghetti....yummy. Really yummy. The perfect serving for one...because you'll eat it all up. If I ever have a chance to go back, I'll try the lasagna next. It too was part of the 6.95 lunch special. But be warned, service can be pretty slow. I mean...really slow. It's a good thing they also offer some olives to munch on...because the olives were also pretty tasty. read more

Another nice establishment during our trip in London, we always tend to get hungry in a major tourist area- Leicester Square, so many places, but what will be good? After zigzagging from one restaurant to the other on this street we decided to come here, it's pretty inexpensive and we were able to get a table outside. The staff was really nice, our waitress was pretty chatty, so we got some great recommendations as to where to go for our next day sightseeing adventures. I got a smoke salmon Panini and my husband got a chicken pasta dish. Both entrees were fine, nothing to really write home about, but again it was a place to rest our weary limbs and relax with some good conversation and a pint. It was rather late so the tipsy people filing into the Chinese takeout place next door was quite the spectacle read more

I went with a large group of people, around 8 of us. We waited for quite some time to get a big table. We were starving but surprisingly, they don't serve bread when you sit down. Food wise, I had the pizza. It was nice and thin, and delicious. We also shared a bottle of Chardonnay. When it was desert time, I was way too full to finish my tiramisu... good thing the guys ate anything I could not finish. Tiramisu was ok. Overall, not super amazing, but quite ok. read more

Decent food. Touristy ambiance. Absolutely terrible and arrogant service. Would only recommend if you're in London as a tourist and everything else is closed. Otherwise you're better off going to a hotel restaurant or finding another restaurant in open table. read more

Came here recently when during a solo jaunt through the neighborhood I had a craving for pizza. The positives: the staff was very attentive and nice. Lulivo was one of the few places on the block whose staff didn't make me feel pushed into eating there (other places were very loudly trying to grab attention; the waitresses here simply stood with an encouraging smile, almost like they knew a secret...) I had a pizza, and they were willing to swap the ham for chicken on the ham-and-pineapple so I was able to try one of my favourite pizza topping combinations, which was great. However, less than five minutes passed between ordering and the pizza being placed in front of me. Don't get me wrong, I love fast service, and it was decent pizza, but when it's that quick, all I can think is: was this a margherita pizza that had been sitting there, waiting for someone to order? Did they just take this pizza out from under a heating lamp, put some chicken and pineapple pieces on it, and toss it into the oven for a minute or two? Hmmm... just how long ago WAS this pizza made? If you're looking for a quick meal - I was in and out in well under a half hour, even with ordering "off menu" this is a great place. If you want your food fresh made, it may be worth going elsewhere. read more

Do go and try this fine Italian restaurant out -well-located in Leicester Square, authentic atmosphere, candle-lights, a most welcome basket of olives, fresh bread, and butter for seated customers, fairly priced Italian menu and matching wine-list, delicious desserts (check out the limoncello ice-cream ) All good and pampering, but then again don't miss the garlic decorations all over the restaurant (to scare away bad spirits?!), the running up and down non-Italian waiters and waitresses -exaggerated hospitality, tensely in shambles to please the Big Brother ... watching over them. Their unease was so noticeable that it truly reminded me of Orwell's 1984 It's good when a customer gets attention from staff, but please if I want to wait 20 min to continue with a dessert after a stodgy main meal, don't come into my face every 5 min and ask me whether I'd like a dessert or not Unless you want me out. read more

L'ulivo - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Nothing Special... was walking past and saw their fish n chips special so we went in. We loved the tartar sauce they served but other than that, everything was pretty average. read more

We Wanted to have a cup of coffee after a long walk.the waitress was disappointed that we only wanted coffee but she served us. All together we had coffee, pasta and ice cream. (It started raining so we stayed longer). +good prices +decent food -VERY slow service -most of the waitresses don't speak English. -the staff is typically kind to you like they are doing you a favor . I do not recommend this place you can find better. read more

I ended up eating here after getting annoyed at the wait at Steak & Co... I waited for 10 minutes at steak & Co bar to get served as the staff said wait at the bar until she table is free... After bar staff continued to avoid serving me I left and went here. The staff greeted you at the entrance, I checked that they could make some food quickly as I had a 9pm movie session to see, they responded yes and quickly found me a spot to sit outside. I asked for some advice on should I go with the tagliatelle or ravioli and my waitress was happy to provide some advice. Based on her feedback I ended up ordering the Tagliatelle pasta with mushrooms and ham which was quickly prepared by the kitchen and I had sometime yo relax and enjoy my dinner with some time to spare. I noticed most other customers also seemed to be enjoying their food so I would recommend eating here if you are in the mood for some Italian. read more

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We came here after reading reviews on yelp and we were not disappointed! I had the mixed salad and penne pasta with red sauce and chicken, and my husband had the green salad and lasagna. We both loved our salads and our pasta. Ate every speck. The salads were really fresh. The staff was friendly and attentive. Any time I looked up one of the servers was right over to see if I needed anything. This was awesome as we were trying to make it to a movie so time was of the essence. (In general in London I get stressed out about trying to track down a server to get our bill. For some reason it seems like when it's time to go we can't seem to flag anyone down! But no such problem here.) If you're in the Leicester Square area this is a good place for a filling meal. read more

So bloody impressed with this place! i had fairly low expectations as I figured it might be a tourist trap considering its location. Actually was gobsmacked by how good the gnocchi in arrabiata sauce was and the veggie calzone. Rich, flavourful and good quality ingredients! Deffo will come again x read more

We had a late lunch here and it was the most reasonably priced sit-down meal we had while in London. We both ordered off the lunch specials menu; I got the carbonara and it was delicious, pasta was cooked perfectly. It was so much food I couldn't finish it and didn't need to eat dinner later on. We ate at a Bella Italia later in our trip and this place was WAY better. Nice to sit outside on a sunny day too. read more

After a day at the National Gallery and watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, a friend and I had lunch here. After browsing the options on Irving Street, the lunch menu here caught our attention. The cost, selection, and taste of our food and drinks were great. I will add the lunch special was a two course meal, I believe. It did keep me full for some time. read more

Good enough food considering this was a walk-in dinner on NYE at 8pm. I was surprised we were able to get a table anywhere. The food was pretty standard Italian fare outside of Italy. The biggest drawback was the mandatory 25% service charge. That just seems ridiculous anywhere, but especially so in Europe! read more

We were going to eat at the steak house next door and got sidetracked by the Italian. The food wasn't bad considering. I ordered the gnocchi and my husband ordered the salmon which he was happy with. Mine was good, a little al dente, but OK. The service was OK, but we waited quite a while to get the WIFI info as the server did not have the information. We returned later that evening for coffee with a friend. read more

Excellent food, was the go to place more then a few times while in London. Pizza was great, spaghetti was great, atmosphere was great, staff was VERY friendly!!!! Highly recommend! read more

Table of three, had the 4 cheese pizza, lasagne, and seafood tagliatelle. Decent Italian food at a decent price in a good location. Would I go back? Too many Italian options in London, on to the next place. read more

After 3 days in London I was craving something other than steak and ale pie and stumbled upon Lulivo. The waiter promised great food and he was right. The pizza and caprese salad were delictable. While the service was just so-so, the food made up for it a little. read more

Very average and not good enough to warrant a 3-star "A-OK". After service charge a meal consisting of a diet coke, half a portion of bruschetta, and a four seasons pizza cost £20. The pizza was light on toppings. I had to return to work fairly urgently for a conference call but was told to "sit down" by the waitress when politely seeking to attract her attention. A better lunch option in this area is actually All Bar One across the road. read more

Awful! They failed to mention until the end of the meal that their credit card machine was broken. It had been broken all night they should have told us as we came it. read more

I wouldn't go into an Italian restaurant and expect good fish and chips- leave that to the pubs and greasy joints! My son and I went here and the food was delicious. We started off w/the meatballs and for dinner I had the gnocchi and he had the seafood pasta w/mussels and prawn. All of our dishes were delicious. We spoke w/the couple seated next to us and they lived their lasagna. Would definitely recommend eating here. read more

Very disappointing experience. My pepperoni pizza had 5 tiny pepperoni slices on it. The wine tasted very watered down. The credit card machine wasn't working. Just stay away from this rip off of a restaurant. read more