One of my favourite places in east London for high quality food and service. Relaxing atmosphere and seriously worth a visit

Pizza was great, got the pleasure to speak to the owner for sometime while I ordered and it really made the whole experience better! Will definitely be coming back! read more

Wood-fired pizza. That's all you really need to know. And this iteration of wood-fire pizza is really freaking good. Also it's got a very cosy vibe. I think this would be a great date spot. read more

This is a very strange restaurant. Good for kids; horrid for dates. Food was basic. Burrata was more like old mozzarella; anchovies dish was drowned in a white gloppy concoction; focaccia was not really focaccia. The chicken Milanese was good value, I suppose; larger than a frisbee and fried, it more than fed my date and me. Staff all seemed new and confused. read more

I ordered a spinach with egg pizza and it was alright! The toppings were good but the dough was ok, have had better. The tiramisu was sooo good. Best tiramisu I have in my life. Was cheesy, not too sweet and had loads of coffee. Sadly giving 3 stars because service was extremely slow and the waiter serving us was unfriendly. read more

Excellent restaurant. Had great lemon sole with capers. And great home made pizza. Lots of interesting dishes such as Anancini with squid ink and star anise. A little pricey but you totally get what you pay for. Really good knowlable waiters and a lovely atmosphere too. read more

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If you're looking for a hipster restaurant that is quite intimate and has tasty pizza then this is great for you. I went there with a friend and we were led to our table which was connected to a table of four so it was like sharing our table with the other group while on the other side there was barely enough space to walk between us and table with a couple on a date. We could easily hear everyone's discussions and I assume they could hear ours. I think I enjoy a bit more space between me and the other patrons of a restaurant as a general rule. As far as the food was concerned, the pizza was delicious! We got the mushroom one and I really enjoyed it. The cheese starter was also yummy, however the cold leeks were not particularly impressive so I would not recommend them. The service was a bit slow but it is to be expected with how busy the place is. The staff were very friendly to make up for it though so we did not particularly mind. I think it would be much better to go there for lunch on a weekday when it should be more quiet but the food is definitely worth a visit. read more

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Food is so tasty and good. The food more than warrants the price b/c the ingredients taste fresh, can taste the quality, and portions are plenty. I'd say the price isn't even so bad in comparison to other restaurants that serve fire oven pizza. The porchetta on the Porchetta, Peppers, Provolone pizza was so meaty, juicy, and tasty. The crab in the Spaghettini, Crab, Chilli pasta was actual crab meat and it was actually the star ingredient meaning it's not like other places where they dabble a tiny spoonful of crab and name it a crab pasta when it's so little in portion it is an afterthought. The ambiance/decor is great. Super casual and easy. Staff are very nice and friendly. I will come again. read more

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There's a lot that I liked at Lardo! The ambiance was great and the staff were friendly. They had some lovely vegan options on the appetiser menu and were accommodating in making a vegan pasta dish. We loved the fresh baked bread at the start of the meal with high quality olive oil. They have a large selection of wines and weren't impatient about letting us try several of them before deciding on a bottle. Among the areas of improvement, my friend and I were very clear about wanting a full bodied, oaky red wine. We were led to purchase a rather pricey bottle (£58) that ended up being a natural wine (was slightly fizzy) and was quite light. A bit disappointing since we were very clear about our requirements but were assured that the bottle met our needs, but it didn't, at all. The pasta was also disappointing as it was too undercooked for al dente and my friend and I did not finish it as a result. I'm definitely open to coming back, hope the feedback helps! read more

Lardo - Courgette and romanesco starters - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

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So finally made it to Lardo, this italian we spotted on Yelp when we moved in here in the London Fields area...(you know, that smile on your face when you realise there are tons of super well rated businesses around your place: Thx Yelp and the Yelpers). 4 stars well deserved for: - the open, airy room, decorated with taste and touches of colors. - the menu, very italian, limited in choice, where everything screams "taste me!": Salumi, italian starters, primi (pasta), secondi & dolce. - THAT pizza, simply one of the best I've tasted in a looong time (Nduja Spicy saussage, pesto, mozzarella) Ambiance is super chill, perfect for dinner, but the tables outside and those salumi plates make it a great spot for drinks & nibbles on a warm summer late afternoon (if such a thing still exist) read more

Great food, shame about the service. I was really excited to eat at Lardo, it's hip, it's Hackney - it supposedly has delicious pizzas. They started off really well, even holding our table when we were 15 minutes late. You can actually order a ball of burrata. A ball of the most delicous cheese in the whole world! Accompanied by salty tasty foccacia. The only question I had was why was I sharing it? I'm not sure about the Lardo Loin, it's too fatty for me, order its more slimline friend, the coppa. And the pizzas, oh how I could rhapsodise on these. Courgette and anchovy, gorgonzola and walnut - oh how I love thee. Again, why am I sharing? My advice: scorn your friends and go by yourself. Nom nom nom. The tart of the day was a beautiful pistachio delight with a vanilla cream. Again, I shared. Dammit, if I don't curse my generous nature. Foolish! The service, alas, was a bit woeful. We nearly had to knock them down to pay at the end of the night. Get in gear, folks, you're better than this. read more

It sounds like the menu changes often. When we went, it was different to what was on the website. But it just makes you want to come back and try their different menus I suppose? The menu was quite small, with only one offering of pasta and six of pizza. So. Disclaimer. I'm not a huge fan of pizza. It all goes back to a very sad day when I met up with a friend named E. Coli and that day was unfortunately the day I ate lots of pizza. So while I can nibble on pizza, it's not with the same voracious appetite I had BC, Before Coli. But it all changed when I ordered the Olive pizza. Not a dollop of tomato sauce just a layer of olive and bits of ricotta, and it was an epiphany. I ate an entire half of the pizza, which is unprecedented for me. I also shared the mushroom tagliatelle which was cream with al dente green pasta and big slivers of mushroom; it complemented the olive pizza perfectly. Be sure to try their homemade Chinotto, Italian soda kind of similar to root beer but citrusy, and their tiramisu, dotted with chunks of chocolate. read more

We ordered one pizza with the cured lardo. It was ok. I would rather have wild mushrooms or cured ham instead of fat strips ;-) The other pizza with mushrooms, taleggio and thyme was tastier I thought. But overall this is a great pizza place as the dough is perfectly thin, springy and crusty. Ingredients taste super fresh and high quality too. read more

I feel as though I have some great things to say about Lardo (decor, design, pizza) and some less great things to say about Lardo (weird service, long wait). But good pizza makes me forgiving, so I would absolutely give it several more chances to get it right. The tough-to-pinpoint "vibe" of a place counts a lot for me, and Lardo has industrial-charm in spades. One big pizza oven, and open seating space, and a hot pink neon light beckoning people in. When my friend and I sat down she said, "oh...what a minimalist menu". This is true - there were about 6 pizzas on offer and the menu as a whole was a single-sided print out - but don't let this throw you off. One: who wants to be contemplating a lot of decisions when you have a dinner-date to talk to? Two: why worry about choices when all pizzas are good? Three: small menu, but one that changes is a-ok by me (my stomach approves this message). We had a clam and samphire pizza, a veggie option (smoked cheese, zucchini, olives) and - the surprise table favourite - aniseed pepperoni. The pepperoni had a slight sweetness thanks to the anise and it was fatty and salty and perfect atop pizza. Generally, the pizzas are thin and not heavy and pack a crispy crust. Lardo gives you chili oil if you request it, but I found it really lacking in heat (0.5 off my Yelp rating: I like my pizza with a side of spice). The desserts were also lovely: yogurt-rhubarb gelato, the classic affogado and a lemon polenta tart. We had no reservation but easily snagged a Saturday table for two. We didn't feel rushed, and our service was slow, but friendly. One compliment accompanied by a nit-picky detail: I love that Lardo offers local brews. However, the server had no clue what they were or any characteristics of them. Also: bottled beer? They were delicious with pizza, no doubt, but I would love to see Lardo with some local beers on tap. Yelp note: coffee beans and really awesomely (quirkily) Bethnal Green-bottled olive oil (and other things) for sale here, too. read more

If you are in DIRE NEED of a good pizza between London Fields and Hackney Central: search no more. Although, that evening I didn't actually have a pizza, but everyone who did absolutely loved them. Fine base, good balance with toppings. I was a bit jealous. Instead of that, I went for a few Antipasti and cured meat: burrata (om nom nom), bresaola and duck egg with polenta. Because why not. All of the above was really tasty and for antipasti: the portions were really generous. The atmosphere is relatively cosy without being too hipstery/snooty, service was good and with excellent value. What more would you want? Nothing. Just pizza. read more

Unhelpful and rude guy who greets you at the door. The ambiance is dark not like the restaurant website photos. They didnt have primi or main dishes when the whole point of us going there was to have pasta. Only pizza available. Didn't move us when we requested to change the table before we sat down because cold wind was blowing right at us. Overall terrible experience. read more

Fresh ingredients which make beautiful fresh food! I love the relaxed atmosphere and when the weather is nice sitting outside with a glass of something isn't bad either. Best pizza has to be the one with nduja spicy sausage, yummy! read more

Looks really nice inside and out but service and food lacking polish. All drinks, meals and starters were on the small side and not well presented which was a shame because the food is actually good. Food is expensive at around £10 per pizza and I assume service is included on the bill because you wouldn't leave a tip otherwise. read more

We were really looking forward to eating at Lardo ever since it opened in E8 and we were not disappointed. The centre piece disco wood oven is a work of art and the whole vibe is perfect for relaxed, sociable small plate eating. We ate burrata (amazing), arancini, broad beans with mint and pecorino and the show stopping salami with fennel pollen. All delicious. We followed up by sharing a couple of the amazing pizzas, black anise pepperoni stuck as the winner. The pizzas are worthy of that amazing oven, perfect bases. We'll be back to see what's new on the autumn menu very soon. Momma! read more

I stumbled across this place with a friend on my birthday, and it was simply fantastic. Great fresh food, we sat at the bar and watched the chef make it, and very very friendly staff, almost like I've never seen in London before. Try the broad bean salad and ball of brutta (?) cheese. Five stars. read more

Amazing experience. Great food and top service in a rarely quiet atmosphere for this part of town.

I was slightly disappointed with the ham we ordered to start - lardy loin. I guess the clue is in the name, but it was way more fat than meat so I didn't enjoy it very much. The pizza I ordered was great, so for the pizza alone I would give a solid 4 stars verging on 5.The rabbit was also good, but at £17 I would have expected it to come with some potatoes or carbs of some kind, which unfortunately it didn't. The food was pleasant enough and service was ok (but not amazing), but I left feeling this place is a bit over priced for what you get. read more

Very good contemporary Italian. The menu changes so I will address categories rather than specifics. We had a couple of appetizers that were greens/salad oriented and both were excellent (interesting flavor, texture, and satisfying). We also shared a couple of pizzas. The pizzas were very good, they are thin-crusted (could have been a bit more crisp) with good chew and the topping flavors were excellent. The wine list was acceptable - we did not check whether it might make more sense to bing one's own bottle. Overall, this is a restaurant that is worth making the trip to Hackney from elsewhere in London to enjoy. read more

My boyfriend and I decided to pop into Lardo for a late lunch yesterday and were welcome by extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff. I ordered the Mushroom, Thyme and Taleggio pizza on a gluten-free base whilst my boyfriend ordered the Lardo pizza (Spinach, Egg and Lardo). The food was delicious although I did struggle to finish mine so my boyfriend gallantly stepped in. He said the pizzas were both delicious and different with mine being very rich. The restaurant does seem to try a bit to hard to be 'cool' but for a leisurely pizza lunch it was perfect. read more

The food is incredible here, however the service was terrible last night. We made a reservation and didn't sit down at the table for over 40 minutes past our reservation time. They weren't very apologetic about it either. We struggled with the waiters and waitresses and they would not come over to our table. The rude waitress brought us the bill while we were still eating and told us we could not order anything further as the kitchen was closed. The waiter came to collect our payment and apologised for her behaviour. It was all just weird...the food was delicious however the service was horrible. I would not recommend this for tables larger then 2, as the staff treat larger tables poorly. read more

This place is Devine. Came on a date and I think I impressed her. Awesome, unique and beautiful food. Simple menu and helpful staff. Gorgeous! Come on pay day... read more

Lovely place. Great Pizzas & starters as well as deserts. Staff was friendly and let us have a great time here. Can recommend this place.

Excellent wait staff. Good food. Close quarters. Don't take Amex. Love the wine glass mini tumblers.

Average food and average wine list. very nice location and attentive staff pizzas are small and overpriced! read more

Food was generally great, and the menu was interesting. The pizza were very popular and really tasty. However: - drinks are extortionate: £5.25 for a small bottle of beer - there was an unfortunate incident where we were told a particular pizza was dairy-free, but actually came smothered in cheese - the toilets are shared with some sort of apartment complex and were mouldy, smelly and the urinals were out of order read more

Went for lunch a couple of weekends ago. The online menu was slightly different to the one on offer when we arrived... nonetheless, they do make great pizzas! They also do a gluten free option....! read more

Came to Lardo last night for my boyfriend's birthday, we booked in advance which seemed a good idea as when we got there was almost full. I had ravioli which was the day's special and easily the best I've had. The pasta was cooked delicately and the filling seasoned very well. My boyfriend has the lardo and spinach pizza which I tried and too was delicious. Staff are very helpful and could explain and recommend food from the menu. Not too pricey and you definately feel you get your money's worth (and more!) for the fresh ingredients and overall quality of food. Would strongly recommend and wil definately be going back soon! read more

Whatever you do, do not order the gluten free pizza at this restaurant! While the rest of the menu is delicious authentic Italian, the gluten free pizza is inedible. (We only finished half shared between two of us.) The service is also under par, we never received the water or bread that we ordered and when we complained about the pizza the waitress was far from helpful with a superior attitude. A 12.5% service charge was then automatically added to our bill meaning that we left Lardo £50 worse off, still hungry and less happy than when we arrived. read more

Not so good service, food was average. Lacked taste and has too much chili. Cool atmosphere though.

As tourists we were hungry for pizza especially any gluten free pizza as my daughter has celiac disease. We took two tube lines and one over ground train to this little town. The restaurant was immaculately clean and welcoming. The wait staff was very friendly and assisted us with some terms we were not familiar with. The regular pizza and the gluten free pizza were excellent My daughter said it was the best tasting gluten free pizza she has ever had and she has eaten a lot if gluten free pizza. The crust was crisp, not chewy as gluten free crust tends to be. My pizza had arugula on it. Very nice wine. The pizzas are a good size yet we couldn't stop eating. How I wish we had this restaurant in California. Highly recommend this restaurant. Great gluten free find in London. P read more

Great tasting, immaginative pizzas and superb wine list and all good value. What I liked particularly though was the warm atmosphere and efficient, charming service. They're really onto something. Reminded me of very cool New York restaurants with giant windows, high ceilings and featured pizza oven. Loved it. Well done! read more