Where to Eat before the London Palladium: Inside Amalfi on Argyll Street
Amalfi Ristorante sits at 25 Argyll Street, almost opposite the London Palladium and barely a minute from Oxford Circus. That location makes it easy to dismiss as another West End Italian designed to catch shoppers and pre-theatre crowds. The room, however, is more considered than that: bright Mediterranean colours, an airy garden room and enough separation from the street outside to soften one of central London’s busiest corners.
The cooking is contemporary Italian rather than strictly Campanian. Hand-stretched sourdough pizza, fresh pasta, risotto and seafood provide the backbone, with the menu moving freely between truffle, shellfish, burrata and familiar comfort dishes.
On our 2026 visit, the restaurant felt polished without becoming stiff, service was sharp enough for a pre-theatre crowd and the kitchen was strongest when it kept things simple. Is Amalfi worth choosing when Oxford Circus is full of generic Italian options? Yes — especially if you need somewhere central that still feels like dinner rather than crowd control.
Gamberi Set the Coastal Tone Quickly
The Gamberi are the starter that makes the restaurant’s Amalfi branding feel most convincing.
Shell-on king prawns arrive with chilli and white wine, giving the dish the right combination of sweetness, salinity and gentle heat. Keeping the shells on matters because they protect the flesh and contribute more flavour to the cooking juices.
The toasted ciabatta underneath is not decorative.
It is there to collect the sauce.
That makes this a far better introduction than filling the table with several generic antipasti.
Calamari Fritti Keep Things Direct
The Calamari Fritti take the simpler route.
Good fried squid needs only a thin crust, hot oil and enough restraint to preserve the sweetness of the seafood. Heavy batter would defeat the point.
This is the kind of starter that disappears quickly, especially with a squeeze of lemon and something cold in the glass.
There is no need to intellectualise it further.
Burrata Works Best When the Tomato Does Its Job
The Burrata comes with cherry tomatoes and basil dressing.
That combination is familiar for good reason. Burrata brings richness; tomato gives acidity and sweetness; basil lifts the whole plate.
The danger with burrata in London is turning it into an excuse for endless toppings.
Here, the cleaner treatment suits the restaurant better.
Rigatoni Tartufo Is the Richest Pasta Move
The Rigatoni Tartufo heads straight towards comfort.
Rigatoni provide enough structure for a substantial truffle sauce, catching creamier elements inside the tubes rather than leaving everything outside.
Truffle pasta becomes tiring when aroma replaces seasoning. The better version keeps the sauce savoury first and perfumed second.
This is one of the heavier choices, so it makes more sense after calamari than burrata.
Ravioli di Carne Have More Depth
The Ravioli di Carne are filled with veal and beef and paired with porcini.
This is darker, more autumnal cooking.
The meat filling gives the pasta sweetness and body, while porcini add woodland depth without requiring an aggressively rich sauce.
It is a dish that feels more substantial than theatrical, which suits Amalfi’s quieter side.
Risotto Frutti di Mare Is the Better Seafood Main Course in Disguise
The Risotto Frutti di Mare deserves more attention than the pizza section might initially receive.
Seafood risotto succeeds when the rice absorbs shellfish flavour rather than merely sitting beneath prawns and mussels. The texture should remain fluid and loose, with enough starch to bind the broth but not so much that the plate becomes dense.
When handled properly, this is one of the restaurant’s more complete dishes.
It also feels closer to the Mediterranean-coast identity than truffle-heavy pasta.
Tartufo Funghi Pizza Is Built for the Mushroom Crowd
The Tartufo Funghi pizza uses mushrooms, mozzarella and truffle cream on a hand-stretched sourdough base.
This is deliberately rich.
Mushrooms provide earthiness, mozzarella brings lactic sweetness and truffle cream amplifies both. The dough therefore needs enough blistering and structure to stop the centre becoming soft under the weight of the toppings.
It is a pizza for sharing rather than solitude.
Margherita Is Still the Better Test
The Margherita strips everything back to tomato, mozzarella and basil.
That makes it the more revealing pizza.
Hand-stretched sourdough should bring elasticity and some fermentation character, while the bake needs enough heat to blister the crust without drying it out.
If the Margherita works, the more elaborate pizzas become a matter of preference rather than camouflage.
Pepperoni ’Nduja Brings the Heat
The Pepperoni ’Nduja pizza combines pepperoni, ’nduja and chilli drops with mozzarella.
There is no shortage of spice.
The attraction lies in the different kinds of heat: pepperoni brings fat and smoke, ’nduja adds softer, spreadable chilli richness, and the smaller chilli elements sharpen the finish.
This is one of the menu’s louder pizzas, but it works because the base remains simple.
Branzino Puttanesca Has More Character Than the Name Suggests
The Branzino Puttanesca is one of the stronger second-course ideas.
Sea bass is delicate enough to need restraint, yet puttanesca flavours—tomato, caper, olive, acidity—give it a sharper Mediterranean framework without requiring a heavy sauce.
The key is proportion.
Too much olive or caper overwhelms the fish; used correctly, they give the plate the salty edge that plain sea bass often lacks.
Pollo Milanese Is the Reliable Crowd-Pleaser
The Pollo Milanese belongs to a different register.
Breaded chicken, crisp coating and a straightforward garnish make it one of the safest choices on the menu, particularly for groups where not everyone wants seafood or truffle.
It is not why we would book Amalfi.
But it is exactly the sort of dish a restaurant near the Palladium needs to execute well.
Wine Pairings
Gamberi: Feudi di San Gregorio Cutizzi Greco di Tufo — citrus and mineral tension suit chilli and prawns.
Risotto Frutti di Mare: Planeta Etna Bianco — saline, precise and broad enough for shellfish.
Ravioli di Carne: G.D. Vajra Barbera d’Alba — bright acidity keeps veal, beef and porcini from becoming too heavy.
The Cocktails Fit the Room Better Than a Formal Wine Ritual
Amalfi leans naturally towards aperitivo culture.
The House Smoked Negroni and Strawberry & Basil Negroni suit the restaurant’s brighter, more casual tone better than treating the meal as a formal wine exercise.
The cocktail programme also makes sense before a Palladium performance: one drink, one pasta, dessert, out the door without dinner feeling rushed.
Tiramisu Keeps Dessert Familiar
The Tiramisu is the obvious finish.
Coffee bitterness, mascarpone and soft sponge fit the rest of the menu better than an overbuilt dessert would.
For something more distinctive, Dolce Sorrento pushes harder towards the restaurant’s southern Italian identity, while the chocolate fondant offers the richer escape route.
After truffle pasta or pizza, tiramisu is the better call.
The Garden Room Is the Restaurant’s Best Trick
The main dining room is pleasant, but the garden room gives Amalfi more personality.
It softens the urban location and creates something closer to an enclosed terrace than a conventional central-London dining room.
That matters on Argyll Street.
You are still beside Oxford Circus, but the room does a surprisingly effective job of making it feel slightly farther away.
Service, Atmosphere and Value
Amalfi opens from 11:30 am every day, closing at 10:00 pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 10:30 pm on Friday and Saturday.
The pacing is geared naturally towards shoppers and theatre-goers, but it does not feel rushed if you are staying for a longer meal.
The bottomless brunch costs £45 per person and includes 90 minutes of Prosecco, draught beer or Aperol Spritz with a starter and a pizza or pasta main. That formula is more about occasion than gastronomy, but the standard menu gives the kitchen more room to show what it can do.
Useful Information
- Address: 25 Argyll Street, Soho, London W1F 7TU
- Area: Oxford Circus / Soho
- Landmark: Opposite the London Palladium
- Cuisine: Contemporary Italian, sourdough pizza, pasta and seafood
- Dishes to look for: Gamberi, Rigatoni Tartufo, Ravioli di Carne, Risotto Frutti di Mare and Branzino Puttanesca
- Pizza: Hand-stretched sourdough
- Cocktails: House Smoked Negroni, Strawberry & Basil Negroni and Italian aperitivo drinks
- Bottomless brunch: £45 per person
- Bottomless brunch: 90 minutes, daily 11:30 am–3:00 pm
- Vegetarian options: Available
- Vegan options: Available
- Gluten-free options: Available
- Monday–Thursday: 11:30 am–10:00 pm
- Friday–Saturday: 11:30 am–10:30 pm
- Sunday: 11:30 am–10:00 pm
- Telephone: +44 20 3375 3251
- Private dining: Available
- Best for: Pre-theatre dinner, sourdough pizza, pasta and a calmer meal near Oxford Circus
Our Rating of Amalfi Ristorante
Food: 8.7/10
The kitchen is strongest when seafood and straightforward Italian cooking take priority over richer embellishments.
Starters: 8.7/10
Prawns and calamari suit the restaurant’s coastal identity better than heavier openings.
Pasta and Risotto: 8.9/10
Ravioli and seafood risotto show more character than the familiar crowd-pleasers.
Pizza: 8.8/10
The sourdough base has enough personality to support both simple and heavily topped versions.
Seafood: 8.9/10
Gamberi, risotto and sea bass give the menu its clearest Mediterranean thread.
Cocktails: 9/10
Negroni variations and spritzes feel completely at home in the room.
Service: 8.9/10
Quick enough for pre-theatre dining without making the meal feel processed.
Atmosphere: 9/10
The garden room provides a welcome escape from the intensity of Oxford Circus.
Value for Money: 8.7/10
Central-London pricing is inevitable, but the location and all-day format make the restaurant a strong practical choice.
Overall Rating: 8.8/10
