Parking at Spaghetti House - Holborn

Average Price: £25 (€38)

It took the warmth and passion of the folks behind Spaghetti House to convince postwar London to give Italian cooking a try way back in the 1950's, and we've been flocking here ever since. This branch is set in a Victorian pedestrian walkway where the warm weather brings diners out onto the pavement, a little bit of Italy in urbe. As good as the location may be, the best reason to eat here is that the food is just sooooo good. Pasta, in all its glory, is at the centre of the menu. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better fettuccine alfredo or spaghetti bolognese, even at twice the price. But the starters, salads, pizzas, and meat and fish courses are just as good. Try chicken with lemon and pine nut sauce or salmon with pesto, and the wine list is so reasonably priced you can afford to experiment. This branch is near the British Museum and the inns of court, two other great British institutions.