Trattoria Nuraghe

This is a charming little Italian restaurant in north London, near Tufnell Park. It has a quirky feel, with starfish and other sundry decorations adorning the walls, and tables set higgledy piggledy to make the most of the small space. We were served by the owner, an exuberantly warm Italian lady, and a waitress who we assume was her daughter (they obviously both share a love of tattoos!)

Starters were heavenly. Enormous platters of tender mussels and tiny pasta balls in a spicy, garlicky tomato sauce, liberally sprinkled with fresh parsley. After the bread ran out we ended up scooping the sauce with a spoon and drinking it as though it were soup, it was that good. As these were easily big enough to be mains I was already quite full afterward.

Even so, my main course was a let-down. I had a lamb steak dish with roast potatoes, and the steak was small, a mite chewy, verging on dry but still quite fatty in places. The roast potatoes were fine, but crying out for some rosemary. My boyfriend however had opted for one of the specials, an inky squid ravioli, and that was gorgeous! Opulently rich and flavoursome, and the texture was perfect. Lots of it as well!

The bill came to about £75, which isn’t too steep for London given that we had two bottles of wine, but still leaning toward pricey since neither of us had dessert or coffee. The atmosphere was great though – lively without feeling too busy, and the service was terrific. So all in all a good little restaurant and worth a visit if you’re in the area – just stick to the specials.
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Katie
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

A perfect Sardinian hide-away next door to an old Irish boozer? Strange but completely true, & very Tufnell Park. Everything about Trattoria Nuraghe shows warmth & heart; the cosy walls, decor & terracotta dishes replicated in the amazingly warm & friendly service. The smells & look of the magnificently portioned food only beaten by the stupendously, scintillating flavour. The house wine is grand. I can't praise this place enough. This is the sort of local restaurant one dreams of - it's magical.
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Catherine - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, July 29, 2008

A pleasant discovery in this area, some excellent tastes from an interesting menu. The waitress recommended a cheaper wine (Sicilian) than the Sardinian one I was going for, and it was extremely good. But even more plus points for the recommendation, when usually they try to sell you a more expensive bottle. Wonderful tender octopus salad starter, everyone wanted more of it. Interesting ravioli choices, fillings such as you're unlikely to find elsewhere. We tried one of them and it was delicious. One of us had a huge thin crispy pizza, perfectly done, another had liver which was very tender and tasty. Another had a mixed seafood combo which was more tomato-orientated than we would have liked (a bit Provencal?) but a good creation nonetheless. Apparently this is authentic Sardinian cooking, and whilst we are no experts, it's certainly Italian food with a very individual twist. For instance, main courses come with a sort of papadum, a large ultra-thin flaky pizza base, as a useful vehicle for absorbing the tasty sauces. Prices are reasonable given the quality of the cooking, though you wouldn't come here for atmosphere or comfort. Which makes it an ideal restaurant from my point of view.
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Mike
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, September 26, 2007