RestaurantsLondonSt James'sSW1P

Breaking news

February 28, 2025: 

After 25 years in St James's, Al Duca has moved to new premises near Victoria Station at 35 Willow Place SW1P 1JH

survey result

Summary

£91
 ££££
3
Good
2
Average
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Excellent Italian food and a good wine list”, all at decent prices for central London, continue to carve a niche for this St James’s trattoria. You wouldn’t choose it to dazzle a fashionista, but it has a “pleasant if quiet ambience that allows conversation”.

Summary

£90
 ££££
3
Good
2
Average
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Very well-presented Italian food” and “an atmosphere quiet enough for conversation” make this straightforward trattoria on a corner site in St James’s a useful and reasonably priced option in an expensive part of town.

Summary

£63
  £££
3
Good
2
Average
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

This “conveniently placed old favourite”, on a St James’s corner, serves “above-average Italian” including “particularly good fish cooking”, backed up by an “intriguing wine list with some unusual choices”. Nobody would accuse it of much in the way of pizzazz, but even those who say it’s “middle of the road and time for a revamp” still rate it well all-round.

Summary

£63
  £££
3
Good
2
Average
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

This “good-value classic Italian in the heart of St James’s” gets “extremely busy at lunchtime” – which is not surprising, given that a two-course lunch costs less than £20. But it’s more than just a cheap option: “the food is surprisingly tasty and well-presented – much better than we could have expected”.

For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Al Duca?

35 Willow Place, London, SW1P 1JH

Restaurant details

Yes
Highchair,Portions
Yes
No dress code
68

Prices

Availability 2 courses 3 courses coffee included service included
Pretheatre £22.00 £27.00

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Veggies
£16.00 £34.00 £6.50
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £40.00
Filter Coffee £4.50
Extras  
Service 12.50%
35 Willow Place, London, SW1P 1JH
Make A Booking
Number of Diners:
Required Time:
Powered by OpenTable
Opening hours
Monday12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm
Tuesday12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm
Wednesday12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm
Thursday12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm
Friday12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm
Saturday12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm
SundayCLOSED

Best Italian restaurants nearby

Tozi
Italian restaurant in Victoria
£66
  £££
2
Average
1
Poor
3
Good
Olivomare
Fish & seafood restaurant in Belgravia
£95
 ££££
4
Very Good
3
Good
2
Average
Olivo
Italian restaurant in Belgravia
£90
 ££££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good

Best similarly priced restaurants nearby

The Ivy Victoria
British, Modern restaurant in Westminster
£93
 ££££
1
Poor
1
Poor
3
Good
Quilon
Indian, Southern restaurant in Westminster
£94
 ££££
5
Exceptional
4
Very Good
2
Average
Olivo
Italian restaurant in Belgravia
£90
 ££££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good