Polpo

First time here meeting friends. They don’t take bookings so were relying on someone getting there on time to grab the table, like you do. However, they advised that they did not seat people until everyone had arrived. Unfortunately, I was a little late so we ended up at the bar (where you can eat) for a long time waiting for an available table.
The restaurant was packed which is usually a good sign. Eventually being seated, the menus were explained as a sharing menu so select a few plates for the table. This can be a challenge for those people who don’t like to share! Shock over, we ordered our variety of dishes. I thought the food was really tasty. Simple Milan Chicken was (heat hot) with a crispy coating not oily in any way yumm. Vegetables fresh and well cooked and tasty potatoes in fact, I think every dish I tried (and we had a few) was yummy. All of them I’d eat again. and actually we did. Going for second rounds of our favourites.
Vibe was good here and the waiting staff patient, polite and friendly.
The main area of let down was the toilets. I think 1 (out of 2) was out of order for the night. That or some poor woman has been stuck in there for a very long time! When eventually it is your turn, there was no toilet paper (thank you to whoever donated their pocket pack of tissues!!). This is a busy restaurant however I don’t tend to expect a queue for the toilet at restaurants and for them to be in such poor shape.
Other than that, one to come back to for sure.

Polpo is a restaurant I enjoy going to although some might argue that its food is not genuinely Italian.
I would recommend going there if you had not planned to go out as it does not need to be booked and you will usually be seated fairly quickly unless you are with a large group.
Their menu is Tapas-​based and their pizzete and salads really stand out. Value is very good for central London and the service is polite and efficient.
On the other hand, the place is too poorly lit for my tastes and the food tend to lack in subtlety.

I love Polpo — what’s there not to love? Small Italian sharing plates is pure genius, and their quality is quite high. I particularly love the arrancini, meatballs and any pasta on the menu. They have multiple locations and this is the first time I checked out the Farringdon one. There was a sign outside advertising £5 spritzes and I just had to take advantage. It was easy to get a table and the service was exceptional. I have a ballerina sister coming in June and this will be the perfect spot to take her. Not only is the food quite good with friendly service, the locations are central and in lively, happening areas. A great establishment!

This is a small plates, sharing type of place. Make sure to share the bill cuz it’s a bit spendy too. The polpo was mildly flavored, perfect for people on a no taste diet. Same w/​the arancini. At least the salt cod croquette didn’t suffer from flavor. The classic meatball was a little tough and dry although the sauce was nice. The spicy pork meatball was very slightly spiced, but more tender than the meatball. Nothing was outstanding or particularly memorable as evidenced by the fact that I can’t remember what else we ordered.

Polpo is hugely overrated. Food is really poor quality and standards have slipped badly as they have expanded. Would recommend other Italians in the area: Santore or Fabrizio’s as an alternative.

Me gustó mucho! El local cómodo y acogedor, y la comida estuvo buenísima. Recuerdo unas albóndigas con tomate que repetiría sin duda. El servicio un poco lento, pero estuvimos muy bien. Las raciones no son muy grande para el precio que tienen, pero la verdad es que la calidad lo merece. Un sitio perfecto para ir con amigos.

Stopped by for an early Friday lunch and sat at the bar. The staff were friendly, but were more interested in socializing amongst themselves behind the bar than waiting on the handful of patrons. The food is tapas-​style and I found it to be average. The asparagus with pecorino was too al dente (but fresh), and the classic meatballs were a bit bland. The standout was the grilled focaccia with rosemary — delicious. The Italian wine selection by the glass was decent and I enjoyed the Trebbiano.
The atmosphere is laid-​back, and I’d visit again. My advice is not to go out of your way, but if you’re in Farringdon, it’s a respectable choice.

A lovely mix of flavours topped off with a tasty Negroni :)

I am really not sure how this ever got beyond one star. I found neither the food nor the service even passable. The food tasted like cardboard. Some of the starters we got we couldn’t eat. The wine was either corked or just weird. My lamb peppercorn meatballs were awful. The waiter took a really long time. We almost left… I would skip. Plenty of places in Farringdon that are more enjoyable.

Consistently great tapas and a serviceable but not overly exciting wine list. Fun location in Smithfield means there are plenty of before and after options to choose from as well.

Clumsy and uncomfortable are my overriding impressions.
We sat on stools designed for 10 minutes usage not one and a half hours. It was positively cold where our table was situated, at the back, detached from the more cosy looking main bit. When we pointed this out they agreed, but explained that this was just the way it was.
Service was a little bit all over the gaff. Where we were felt like the forgotten corner. Plates were cleared away about 20 minutes after we had finished. We had ordered a fair few of the tapas style dishes so the table just became a cluttered mess.
The food itself felt like it was made with passion. Not all the dishes worked. But they were all triers. I remember the meatballs being particularly good. But I remember being cold and uncomfortable and a little unloved a lot more.

Very, very good place to eat. We went there on a rainy thursday afternoon, and there were about four other customers, so very relaxed atmosphere. The waiter explained anything we wanted to know and service was friendly and calm (probably also because it was quiet). Music was a bit off, playing 90’s hip hop, but can’t say nothing other than that (and what is really wrong with 90’s hip hop, apart from the outfits?)
We had the focaccia with the fennel pork meatballs and fettuccine with shrimps and artichoke, and something I forgot the name of. Meatballs: great. Fettuccine: excellent. They serve you as it comes, which makes it a relaxed pace and really about the food.
Good, clean Italian (Venetian) food. Would definitely recommend this place.

So within my family, we’re known as ‘we’ll never be super rich, but we’ll always be fed luxuriously!’ Why, because after a B&L lunch, we went to Polpo. BUT my cousin is going away and it’s her first time in London. Every excuse to eat great food really, even if the wallet is hurting. so. bad! And we can’t let her leave without trying London’s unique style restaurants, because italian tapas is not available in KL or reasonably priced whole lobster. (Or mexican, or brick lane, or borough market, you get my point) Also we’re celebrating my new job. Do I need to make any more excuses to justify, BECAUSE I WILL AND I CAN.
Also, squid ink pasta– My other cousin has been looking for it in London– and it’s 5 minutes from her flat– it’s destiny. (see I told you my justification skills are amazing). Also the branding is a massive octopus– It sucked us in. (LOL!)
Between us, we ordered around 6 dishes plus 2 dishes for dessert. Obviously we went for the squid ink gnocchi, because it has a frigging octopus branded restaurant. OBVIOUSLY. It’s black, murky and absolutely delicious! Also the Grilled Mortadella with apple and celeriac slaw, which was a bit of a hit or miss, mainly because betwen the 3 of us, one of us loved the mortadella and hated the slaw, but 2 of us loved the slaw and did not think much of the mortadella. We also tried the pork shoulder and pickled peppers pizzette, which was just posh ham and jalapenos on a pizza, but the base was amazing, like the proper thin crust, just like an italian pizzeria. The Veal and Porcini meatballs were lovely though, really strong flavour coming through. Definitely want to go back to try all the meatballs now! The star of the show was definitely the spicy prawns. They were cooked perfectly and so so so garlicky. Then we also had the courgette salad, which is moreish and I MUST LEARN HOW TO MAKE.
Anyways, for afters, we had gelato and flourless orange cake. Solid dairy products, the gelato was really fresh and the orange heavy cream that came with the cake was just perfumed and heavenly.
So I’ve given it 4 stars, and my reasoning is that the food was really good, and it was definitely much better than Polpetto, but I felt like we shouldn’t have picked the pork shoulder pizzette and the mortadella, which is only a 3 star meal. But the service was stellar and miles better than Polpetto, it was friendly and warm and all round spectacular and I want to go back already, and not be driving home, because what could only make our meal perfect in a warm candlelit autumnal night is bottle of nice red wine with our food– would have paired SO NICELY.
PS: There is a negroni bar which I didn’t try this time, but it’s underground and if it’s somewhat hidden, I AM SOLD. TAKE MY MONEY NOW.

I was really excited to try this place because who doesn’t love meatballs and tapas style food?! The best item was the spicy pork & fennel meatballs. Really good flavor and texture. We were not too excited about the rest of the items. Nothing bad but also nothing spectacular. Very friendly and fast service though.
Classic beef & pork meatballs & spaghettiniSpicy pork & fennelSpinach, Parmesan & soft eggBraised scallops, pancetta & peas

Massively overpriced for what it is. The food here is merely reasonable but I’m bumping it up by a star because the service and atmosphere are fabulous!

Racked with a bit of guilt as I used to frequent this site when it was Dibbens, and it was NOWHERE near as busy as it is now. So sorry Martin (wherever you are) you had a great site, but clearly the wrong menu.
After all the hype of hearing friends rave about Polpo in Soho and Covent Garden I decided I had to try it for myself. Having recently relocated from the culinary abyss that was Frankfurt I walked in promptly was sat down at the bar (as all the tables had gone) and had some darn good cicchetti. The bar man knew the daily menu VERY well and gave good explanation of some of the Italian dishes with vague ingredients that my uneducated mind couldn’t Babel Fish.
To start I stuck in to some great tasting araccini (hint of lemon was subtle) and the potato and parmesan croquettes were lovely bites!
My bianca pizette was okay. Could have been a bit more imaginative. But the rosemary roast potatoes were great and the market greens would make my mother happy, although perhaps a tad too much butter tossed in with the Swiss Chard.
Surprising how quickly you can rack up a big bill though with relatively little food. My colleague had three plates of various dishes, admittedly meat but the price delta isn’t huge, a couple of Diet Cokes and a shared dessert. Still came to £63 which at £30 a head rough and tough is quite a lot… for lunch!
I’ve been. I’ve enjoyed. Will I go back? That’s a tough one because as good as the food is, it’s not £30 a head good.

Lovely, intimate-​feeling dining room with laid-​back, yet hard-​working and knowledgeable staff. An added beauty of Italian-​inspired Polpo is the fact you cannot book. We turned up on a Friday night, and even though it was busy, counter space was found for the two of us immediately. The décor was typical for London think stripped wood floors, counters and butcher-​style tiled walls, perhaps a nod to the close by Smithfield Market. As close as it is to the premier meat wholesaler, there is no excuse to do poor food around these parts and Polpo thankfully delivered.
The dishes are small, and designed for sharing like Tapas. This is great, because it means you can dip into each others portions and try several things in the one sitting well worth the effort! We started with some cichetti typically Venetian light bites that are usually eaten at lunch. We had two brochetta dishes one with an anchovy and chicory topping, the other with a chopped liver pâté, rich with dusky garlic tones. These were devoured just as plates of aranchini (deep fried morsels of risotto rice and creamy cheese) and Crocchetta packed with parmesan turned up yum!
We really stuffed our faces here, opting for two of the main course options each. The prices are pretty good. For £6 apiece, We got a plate of heavenly lentils and cod cheeks with a zingy salsa verde, plus huge veal and porccini meatballs in a rich and delicious tomato sauce. To mop up the juice, we ordered roast rosemary potatoes (clearly cooked in a very good olive oil and sea salt), plus a chicory, endive and pear salad with gorgonzola. The dishes were eye-​rollingly good, and despite being full we still had major food envy watching other diners opt for the items we nearly went for ourselves.
We ordered two small carafes of red wine Refosco and a Cabernet Sauvignon– and the total bill was a very reasonable £57, especially given that service and table water were included too.
This branch of Polpo is part of the small chain emerging around London. I hope it will retain its charming feel and superb food over time!

Finally, I made it to Polpo! And I loved it.
I can’t tell you anything about our evening that I
a) disliked
b) think could be improved upon
And using that logic, 5 stars it is!
Polpo is best described as Italian tapas. There were 5 of us so we ordered about 14 dishes, most of which were generously proportioned so by the end of our meal we were all stuffed. Usually with tapas style eating I find myself massively preferring one dish to the others, but not here. I loved everything (apart from the mackerel which I refused to try as it had evil cucumber in it although D was more than happy to eat my share as he claimed it was ‘so good’).
The atmosphere, I’m told, is more relaxed than Soho (D has been there) and the seating is better for groups of more than 3 than, say, Barrafina. There is a negroni bar downstairs past the toilets (no mobile reception so send your texts to say «we’re here» before you descend) which you can spend your time in waiting for a table to come available. Nobody seemed to have to wait too long.
The service was fantastic all round, with a nice mix of helpfulness and humour. It was also marvellous to see Haley F (she’s the manager). If you know her on Unilocal pop in and say hi over some tasty treats.

Another Polpo branch, near Smithfield Market. Great location.
First time visit for me. Friendly welcome on entry (no booking) and we were seated more or less straight away… restaurant buzzing and full on a Thursday evening.
The interior has that carefully crafted industrial –warehouse– rustic tone that suggests it was always there and they just threw a few tables and chairs into the space and some dim lightbulbs but I’m sure it’s all been carefully considered.
The menu is one of those small plate themes that sometimes I am a bit wary about since it can sometimes just be an excuse to reduce size and increase cost but in this case it worked. Our waitress advised ordering 2 – 3 per person which we did and maybe more… we lost count.
We ordered a cross section of the dishes from piadina, meatballs, and fritto misto and the flank steak which was very good. My only negative would be a bit too much rocket over everything and slightly heavy dressing with the steak that dominated a bit too much but overall full on flavours and very satisfying.
Service was great, efficient and friendly and we left happy. In fact too full to try desserts.
Value wise it came to around £30 /​head including a beer so OK considering the quality of he food and the overall experience.

I loved Polpo partly because the menu was 50% off on the first two opening nights, but also because small sharing dishes means you can plough your way through lots of different flavours…
Pizzetta with rocket and parma ham was light and fresh if not that exciting, flank steak was outstanding, veal meatballs were good.

I’ve met Polpo before, but the waitress that suggested that we chillax with our food order clearly hasn’t seen the look of a Unilocaler that is out to try half the menu (and eat everything, thank you very much!).
Meatballs are a Polpo tradition, I quite liked the sausage & fennel, Emma C. went for the veal, for £6, it’s well worth that price. The flank steak was also a standout. We dabbled in linguine vongole, arancinis, buffalo platter (which, although quite nice, for £14, I’d go with two orders of anything else in the future), some cocktails and a wheelbarrow to haul us out. I’d easily recommend anything we had tried, though I think the standoff I have with the buffalo platter is like my standoff with the slider at Spuntino… I love you, but perhaps for less.
I’m itching to try the negroni bar though, which I was told didn’t look quite complete as we were in for the soft-​launch. The servers and Polpo charm are all spot on. It fills a void for the neighborhood that was very pubby and then St. John-​y, so it’s nice to have something that’s upscale feeling without having to delve into Gaucho territory. It’s easy to do a lot of damage with tapas, which are never that budget friendly in London. I think if you order wisely though you can get a pretty decent value-​for as some of the options are reasonable in the grand scheme of things. Will be back for more negronis in the future!