Ristorante Frescobaldi review: 700 years of Italian gastronomy

Ristorante Frescobaldi, the first standalone restaurant and wine bar from one of Italy's oldest and most respected wine dynasties, opened in London's Mayfair in November 2014. In just less than two years, it has developed a reputation as a "polished" Italian eatery with "a strong focus on wine", says Zagat.

Although it sits in the heart of the capital's fashion district, Frescobaldi is tucked away in an unexpectedly quiet back alley, offering a sense of repose despite being a few feet from bustling Regent Street.

"Some money has clearly been invested in the decoration," says reviewer Andy Hayler, "with a tiled floor, a large central wine display and elaborate tiled murals on the walls. The very high ceiling and well-spaced tables are a pleasant change from the sardine-like conditions in many recent London restaurant openings."

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Ristorante Frescobaldi serves high-end Tuscan dishes, which are all complimented with "the finest Tuscan wines", says Open Table.

The quality of the wine list should come as no surprise given the Frescobaldi family's long association with viniculture, which stretches back an astonishing 700 years.

According to The Independent, "Frescobaldis have been making wine in Tuscany since 1308 – and several cousins and uncles are still involved, too".

Archives show the family sold wine to the likes of Henry VIII, Pope Leone X and Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian I.

Its wine list ranges from the affordable, such as a delicious 2012 Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina Riserva for £40, through to rather more lavish bottles such as the 2006 Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore for £370.

The food comes in a "confident and concise menu", says Layla Kazim in The Cutlery Chronicles. Ex-Zafferano chef Roberto Reatini's menu has a selection of traditional dishes, but even those "involve a non-traditional twist", says Lydia Manch in the Arbuturian.

Highlights include a delightfully light burrata with sweet datterini tomatoes and rocket and salty grilled calamari with squid ink mayonnaise and small tart sweet and sour onions.

Kazim recommends the marinated black Angus beef with lentils and courgettes, which is "like a plate of joyous lemony bresaola, with a little gathering of fantastically dressed firm green lentils and tiny cubes of courgette".

For Tatler, Frescobaldi is a "grown-up restaurant, which counts a sophisticated, expat Italian crowd as regulars. There's not much you can tell them about good food, and heroic wine – obviously – is in their blood."

Ristorante Frescobaldi, 15 New Burlington Place Mayfair, London

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