VICO

Coming out of the cinema in Leicester Square we were in need of pizza.
It being Sunday night and Valentine’s Day (we weren’t on a Valentine, I’ll get in trouble if I say we were), quite a few places were busy. Not wanting Pizza Express or Pizza Hut, and with Pizza Pilgrims a little far, we looked at VICO.
The nice hostess greeted us but couldn’t offer us a table, instead she offered either the bar by the wine service area, or by the window. Opting for the window (if the bar by the kitchen was available we would have taken that but wine? not much to see…) we were able to sit side by side and look out into the busy Cambridge Circus.
Not that hungry and it being Sunday eve, we opted just for soft drinks and a pizza each. A Parmigiana (standard pizza with aubergine) and a Zucca Alla Carbonara (pizza utilising pumpkin as the sauce, pecorino cheese and guanciale — really thin bacon) were ordered.
My pumpkin pizza was gorgeous. Never had pureed pumpkin on a pizza and so different from tomato sauce. It made for a much mellower base. The guanciale was sliced so thinly that the entire pizza was covered but it still wasn’t overpowering.
The base was evenly cooked, a little crispy on the edge but soft enough in the middle. Absolutely nothing to complain about from my end.
At £10 a pizza it’s not going to break the bank and it’s definitely a good spot in the middle of town. Being in Cambridge Circus, I expected a tourist trap, especially as it has a fountain in the middle of the dining room. I’m just so happy to be wrong.
Reading other people’s reviews, it’s clear that they’ve changed their concept quite a bit. There are now tables and chairs, and not high tables and stools, except at the bar and around the windows. They’ve maintained some of their small bites menu, but have expanded to pizzas, pastas and main courses. I’m glad they understood where they did well and where they could improve and have adjusted accordingly.

Italian street food. What could go wrong? Well a fair bit! I went there with a friend and for street food, it was definitely over priced. I went when it was 50% off during the opening period and was glad not to be paying full price. The pizza was too salty and hard– it really didn’t taste great. We also tried some other appetisers — a meat ball and a courgette dish. Both were average, at best and need much more seasoning. The only acing grace was the white fish dish, I tried which was quite nice.
The seating, I totally wasn’t feeling. It’s high seats like being at a kitchen counter and not comfortable at all, to sit for a meal. The glasses we had to find in the restaurant, as they were randomly scattered around and were nothing like I would expect to drink a glass of wine from.
This place gets the thumbs down from me. As a concept this place really had potential, but I just think they need to work on the food and they’d be onto a winner!

Went for dinner with a group, nice buzzing atmosphere to the restaurant. We had a range of starters, all good there and then a few pastas and pizzas. The pizza was really good, a bit light on the cheese but sauce made up for that, very tasty and thin crispy pizza.
For dessert, we had a couple different gelatos. They said you needed to go pick it up from the gelato counter which was a bit strange. The other slightly annoying thing was that the restaurant seemed to be low of dishes and glasses so as soon as a dish or glass was finished, it was whisked away despite others still eating.
All in all, you can have a decent three course meal with wine at a relatively low cost in a fun restaurant!

We had some free pizza here as we walked by. It was very tasty! Really nice thin bread with fresh ingredients. I can’t comment the value for money aspect as it was… free.

From the same people who operate the popular Bocca di Lupo, Vico is right in the heart of the theatre land. The format is canteen/​fast food style, I went for its famous Gelupo ice cream from its ice cream counter and there are plenty of classic flavours as well as creative ones such as Ricotta Coffee & Honey. Blood orange is a must try here as the intense sourness and freshness is just a pure summer treat.

The pizza I tried was really tasty, with fresh ingredients and just the right amount of crunchiness in the crust. It looked like they had a bunch of interesting pizza options other than the one I tried. But the thing about this place is the gelato. It is the richest, creamiest gelato I’ve ever had. In my week here I had to come back more often than I care to admit, and tried several flavors. They were all dynamite. I hope this place sticks around because I can’t wait to bring colleagues here for the best gelato of their lives.

I do enjoy Italian food ! The pizza was quite mega for an Asian me, and the sun dried tomato and zucchini salad is kinda my favourite. Like taxi, they go not my meter but grams, so pay as you eat. Nice décor as well.

Dined here pre-​theatre under the current London Restaurant Festival (£7.90 for three items).
Although the food was plentiful, it was mostly lukewarm and required additional seasoning. The arancini were dry although tasty. Pizzas were crunchy (although this may be due to staleness rather than design!). To be frankly honest I’ve had a lot better in the same post code, never mind comparison with Italy.

This is going to become my new Soho/​Covent Garden hang out place. A cool & casual interior, lovely tasting Italian antipasti, and with a Gelupo Gelateria right beside it! Massive YESSSS!
The concept is cool — you choose your food from the selection of antipasti available, they weigh it, and you pay accordingly! I think it’s something like £3 per 100g (basically I got 2 big slices of pizza, 3 arrancini, 1 octopus skewer and a big slice of frittata all for £22) everything was really delicious. Not mind blowing, but when you compare it to the McDonalds across the road — this is a much MUCH better option of fast food!
It’s only very recently opened so they have discounts on right now & is definitely worth going to whilst fresh & new.

Italian tapas-​style snack bar Vico offers tasty little bites that can be freely combined to any dish you like. And all that at a pretty good price.
Vico is an Italian place right between Soho and Covent Garden at Camrbidge Circus, opened in late August 2015. The restaurant offers a range of Italian dishes, presented kind of like at a Spanish tapas bar.
The space is designed nicely and very simple, with only high tables and bar stools. This means, it is not a restaurant where you want to go, sit down and have a long dinner, it’s more the place to have a quick snack.
I selected four little bites, and the deep fried lasagne ball was my clear favourite. This little ball is full of flavour just delicious. Strong second was the prosciutto and mozzarella pizza slice, another tasty treat. The pizza with only pepper and and grated cheese was something
I had never seen before, so I was intrigued to try it — and I liked it. I also had a deep fried ricotta ball which was not quite as great as the lasagne ball.
The only real disappointment was the wine offering — with only Pinot Grigio on tap, I decided to go for a San Pellegrino lemonade instead. But as they just opened, they might extend the wine list over the next few weeks or months.
Overall, I think Vico delivers delicious food at a fair price. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I liked the atmosphere, and as a bonus you can get great ice cream from Gelupo without even leaving the place. But it is not your typical Italian restaurant, so if you are looking for that, Vico is perhaps not the best choice.