Sloane Street has undergone a bit of a transformation since I was last there, with landscaped plants and trees lining the street to make it more pedestrian-friendly. And tucked away at the south end of street and just a couple of minutes from Sloane Square is the Italian seafood restaurant Azzurra, nestled in between the upmarket luxury boutiques and designer stores.
Azzurra offers a relaxed and elegant oasis, inspired by creator David Yeo’s travels through Sicily and the Amalfi Coast.
Step inside the large restaurant and you’ll notice the 16-metre bar to the right along with a raw bar/Frutti Di Mare showcasing the day’s catch and fresh seafood. In fact, Azzurra work directly with fishermen across Britain’s waters, allowing them to get the freshest catch from boat to kitchen in just a matter of hours.
We arrived for lunch to find the restaurant fairly quiet, which is sadly the norm in the current economic climate and were shown to a comfortable more private table overlooking the restaurant after initially being seated right next to some other diners.
The décor is elaborate, ornate and colour-coordinated with ice-blue upholstered chairs and rope netting suspended from the ceiling to give that seaside, fishing ambiance.
The menu celebrates the best of Italy, using the finest British seafood together with regional Italian oils and salts from Sardinia to Sicily, serving Mediterranean seasonal dishes including handmade pasta and some of the freshest seafood in London and daily specials featuring the morning’s catch.
We chose the Set Menu which is available daily between midday and 5:00pm and is good value at £28 per person for two courses or £33 for three courses, giving you a choice of four starters (Antipasti), six mains courses (Primi Piatti) and three desserts (Dolci).
I chose the excellent Burrata served with Italian tomatoes, shaved round Sicilian cucumber and basil, while my lunch companion had the Fritto Mistro, consisting of crisp, perfectly cooked prawns, pieces of sea bream and calamari with a garlic and Amalfi lemon mayo.
Both of us then chose the highly recommended signature Spaghetti all’astice, which is half a native lobster with a delicious, rich linguine and generous portion of Datterini tomatoes and basil. It did not disappoint and was utterly delicious!
However, if lobster is not your thing, then there is always the Risotto all zucchini (green courgette and tuna tartare) or the Spaghetti at granchio (crab, garlic and chilli), a 12 inch Margherita pizza from their pizza oven or of course the fresh catch of the day. They also offer an Aubergine salad (Rigatoni alla Norma).
A mention needs to be given to the comprehensive wine list with wines by the glass starting from £9. As well as a good selection of Italian wines, they have wines from France, Spain, Portugal and many other European countries, as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America, with bottles starting from £49.
We began with a lovely, chilled glass of 2024 Trebbiano, Fonte della Vigna from Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy before moving onto an equally good 2022 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Bogo Sena from Abruzzo which paired superbly with the lobster.
May I suggest you leave enough room for a dessert as the Azzurra Tiramisu is something rather special. It’s made right at the table with a choice of either classic, hazelnut or pistachio and wow was it good! Firstly, fresh black coffee is poured over three sponge fingers followed by a divine hand-mixed creamed pistachio topping. In fact, it is so good I would happily pop back for just the Pistachio Tiramisu and a coffee if I was in the area. But if Tiramisu is not your thing, then they offer a selection of ice cream and sorbet or there is a rather indulgent Profiterole with chocolate sauce.
If you like oysters, then pop into Azzurra between 5:00pm to 7:00pm on a Thursday or Friday for some freshly shucked oysters at a reasonable £1.50 each served with either some crisp, chilled wine or crafted cocktails. And if you like a bit of jazz, then stop by on a Saturday evening between 7:30pm and 10:00pm and enjoy some live jazz and soul performed by award winning musicians and contemporary arrangements as you sip on a crafted cocktail or glass of wine.
On those warmer days you might like to eat al fresco on the terrace as you watch the world go by or simply meet a friend or colleague for some early evening drinks at the bar. They even have a private dining area at the back of the restaurant that is ideal for a corporate get together or birthday celebration.
Would I go back? Most certainly, as the set menu is good value considering the location and together with the ambience, quality and freshness of the food and friendly staff, Azzurra is not only a fun place to meet friends or work colleagues for evening cocktails but also for a long lunch and catch up with a friend or romantic evening meal listening to some live jazz music.
So, after our long and most enjoyable lunch, we bid adieu to our amiable waiter and manager who looked after us so well with a sense of humour and stepped out on to a perfectly manicured Sloan Street.
The Details
Azzurra Chelsea, 127-128 Sloane Street, London, SW1X 9AS, England.
Tel: +44 (0)20 3953 5838
Website: www.azzurrarestaurant.co.uk
Email: azzurrareservations@aqua-london.com
Azzurra is located at the south end of Sloane Street, just a short five-minute walk from Sloane Square Underground Station on the District and Circle lines. The restaurant is open Sunday to Wednesday from midday to 10:00pm and Thursday to Saturday from midday to 10:30pm. The Bar is open Monday to Sunday from midday to 11:30pm.
Type of Restaurant: Italian Seafood Restaurant
Price Band: Medium to high
Insider Tip: I recommend their signature Spaghetti all’astice (Lobster Linguine) and sublime Pistachio Tiramisu to round off your meal.
Reviewer’s rating: 9/10
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy Azzurra
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