2 Veneti

Considering I love Italian food, the last few yeas have seen me frequenting Italian restauants less and less and it's because in London, I've tried my fair share of bad ones, many of them very centrally located but serving food that tastes like it comes straight out of a jar.

It was exactly for this reason that 2 Veneti was a breath of fresh air at the end of a working week in wintery London. Right behind Oxford street, we cut through the crowds and Christmas lights to arrive at this cosy, unassuming establishment in Marylebone. The staff were full of smiles on arrival and the place was full and clearly popular.

You can choose anyting between a one course to four course menu at set prices.  I chose 3 and hubby went for 4 (though I was always going to be sharing his 4th!) Before taking our orders, we were given a small bowl of fresh olives and pickled vegetables, which made a pleasant change from the standard bread and olive oil with balsamic usually seen at Italian restaurants. 

I started off wth a primi of risotto with sausage, chestnut and pumpkin.I make risotto myself quite often so I'm always after something that's perfectly creamy and in this respect, this certainly didn't disappoint. The portion was very generous, perhaps a little too generous as I was basically full by the time the main arrived! My only complaint with this dish though was that it was just  far too salty and I'm normally someone who has a higher threshold for salt. 

As usual, hubby ordered best with a delicious fried goats cheese starter with root vegetables and a pomegranate dressing and ravioli stuffed with such tender lamb. After this selection of carb-heavy primi, we opted for fish and seafood-based mains - sea bream for the lady and frito misto for the gentleman,  a collection of battered king prawns, calamari, mullet and soft shell crab. His overall verdict was that the prawns and soft sshell crab were fabulous but he found the mullet again far too salty. My fish was cooked perfectly with spinach, shrimp and artichokes. I liked it but the goats cheese and lamb ravioli had set such a high precedent that this felt as if it was lacking a certain something in flavour.

Determined to save room for dessert, we ordered a chestnut semifreddo with pistachio sauce and a chocolate salami dessert with hazenut ice cream. The semifreddo was absolutely delicious and I loved the subtle nuttiness that came through if I'm being fussy,I'd have liked to see the presentation a little prettier. Thee hocolate salami wasn't something I had tried before, a little biscuity in nature and quite filling, the delicious hazelnut ice cream lifted the whole dish slightly.

All in all, I enjoyed the food here - the dishes that were done well were excellent and the ones that could have been improved only needed minor tweaks. Considering it is quite reasonably priced, very centrally located and serves such authentic Italian food, I was more than happy to overlook those small details and would happily return here again.

Huge thanks to Zomato for treating me to a vouher to enjoy this restaurant!

I'm glad I did the booking as the restaurant is not that big. We were welcomed by a warm smile and directed to our table immediately. The place itself is quite charming, lovely decoration but it doesn't feel "too oppressive", rather cosy too.
We started with a prosecco which was really good. There are lots of good options in the menu, from starters, to pasta, meat & fish. They also have set prices, where you can decide how many dishes you want (1 £16.50, 2  £25.50 or 3 £30.50). 
The choice of wines is quite big as well. We went for a while wine. As for starters we had the goat cheese, which was really delicious! I then had the tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and he had the linguine with lobster (which I totally recommend). In my view the dessert was the impressive element of the meal, I had the salami (it's also quite a known "cake" in Portugal) and it was good, but not as creamy as I wanted. The ice cream on top was really refreshing. He had the homemade tiramisu. It was really good because I like it creamy and when the flavour of alcohol is not as strong. He prefers to feel more alcohol, so it does depend on the individual taste. We also had an espresso which was really good! We finished up with a limoncello, really strong but so tasty!   
I have to say the best part of it all was the service. They were really friendly and professional, all of them! We both left with a big smile in our faces. It was a really good experience and I'll be certainly be back :) Perfect place if you want to enjoy a fine-italian dining in the heart of Marylebone

When I first entered the place, I was greeted by an Italian waiter, with a strong Italian accent, who welcomed and ushered me and my two other friends to the last table that was free. As we sat down I realized how small was the restaurant, but very cozy at the same time. Their decor was very homey, with books scattered around, pictures hung on the walls and a little kitchen bar right beside us. After going through their menu, I went for the week's recommended "seafood risotto", just to be on the safe side, one of my friends ordered "pasta with white veal ragout and black truffle" and the other had "grilled beef 'tagliata' with new potatoes, carrots, runner beans and button onion". I found risotto very delicious with the right amount of everything, compared to many other places where they tend to make it very watery, which makes it lose its flavour. On the other hand, the pasta that was ordered by one my friends seemed to be lacking taste and a little too plane. However, their beef was well done as it was tender and covered with a very nice sauce. Overall we were pleased with our experience at the restaurant, which couldn't be more Italian, although in all honesty it did not meet my expectations.

I've been working in the Marylebone area for a few years now and have certainly eaten my fair share of the local restaurants. I've had an incredible meal at the late, Pieds Nus. Had a car crash of a dining experience at Cotidie (also now closed) and I'm a regularl visitor to the delicious Sixty One restaurant in Marble Arch. 2 Veneti is unlike any of those restaurants - here it's about hospitality and a place you come to get seriously fed. The locals just can't seem to keep away, even after this Venetian inspired Italian restaurant being here for so many years now.

Run by husband and wife duo, nothing more could be said for the service we received. Walking through the doors of this charming little restaurant we were shuffled outside to our requested terrace seating (only two tables), glass of prosecco in hand. For the quantity of food, quality and the prestigious location this really is a very well priced restaurant. For four courses (chosen from the a la carte menu) you'll be set back £34.50, or less if you think you can't manage that much food. Bread basket was a perfect accompaniments to the copious amounts of olive oil we were getting through too.

To start our mammoth feast we ordered the grilled Tomino cheese with cabbage salad and mustard fruits (mostarda). Sounds old fashioned you say? well it was, very. Still the cheese was gorgeously stringy and full of flavour. Cabbage added crunch, and the mustard fruits were just plain odd. If you've never heard of mustard fruits before, they are candied fruits, soaked in a mustard-flavoured syrup. Yet with its sweetness and strong mustard hit, it works very well with the cheese. Give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I was.

Another old timer of a dish. Burrata mozzarella, aubergine puree, tomatoes and a shallot dressing drizzled all over was one of the surprising highlights of our meal. A simple dish but one which showcased how to really utilise simple, Italian ingredients. Juicy plump rip tomatoes oozing out all over the plate. Soft creamy burrata and a aubergine puree mixture which was to die for. It's dishes like this that can really make you fall in love with food.

If there is one thing 2 Veneti get serious about, it's their pasta sauces. I've become obsessed with Italian cuisine recently and if you've been keeping up to date with the site, you'll know I'm on the hunt for the best Italian restaurant in London (recommendations please). I ordered the fresh egg penne with white veal ragout and black truffle. The pasta was well cooked, not the best I've ever eaten but served its purpose. With it was one of the best pasta sauces I've eaten in a while. The sauce was light and thin but with such a deep and concentrated meaty flavour you'd think such a triumph was near impossible. The black truffle added decadency and throughout the whole dish was a lingering flavour of rosemary which left a sweet finish on the tongue. Perfectly seasoned and doused in grated Parmesan - this was close to pasta perfection.

Things didn't stop there with another pasta dish continuing to leave us salivating. This time with a fantastic homemade ravioli pasta, filled with lamb and rosemary - then drench in a tomato and vegetable based sauce, and a little more rosemary for garnish. Again the pasta wasn't the showstopper, but instead the sauce. Here at 2 Veneti all the sauces have such a real depth of flavour concentration to them that every mouthful is an explosion of flavours. I only wish i could conjure up such sauces at home, instead of relying on Loyd Grossman (in his dreams). The dish wasn't particularly large portioned but with everything we were eating, it was perfectly sized.

The chicken milanese here at 2 Veneti is easily one of the best you'll find in London. And the biggest. Quite literally this flattened chicken escalope covered the whole of the plate. Topped with fresh peppery rocket, sweet and juicy tomatoes and a good whack of seasoning - words can't describe the experience. The chicken was covered in such a thin layer of crunchy, flavoursome breadcrumbs fried just to perfection you wonder why so many other Italian restaurants in London get it so wrong.

Fritto misto was as good as one might expect. Soft shell crab, calamari, large juicy prawns, a few vegetables and chunks of fish. All perfectly cooked, seasoned well and the batter delicate and light. Some Italian restaurants across London seem to cover their seafood in so much oily batter that much of the time overcooking the seafood ends up being the result in trying to get the crunch on that batter. 2 Veneti have got the balance just right. A squeeze of lemon and a dollop of tartar sauce - there wasn't much not to like about this hefty plate of deep fried goodness.

Dessert unfortunately didn't leave us ending on a high, and quite frankly was a bit of a shambles. A profiterole was not fresh, or at least didn't taste as if it was. Hard, crunchy, crumbly - it only got worse once it was soaked in that over glazed chocolate sauce. Inside was a heavily doused aniseed infused cream that for me personally, was far too intense to enjoy any of the other flavours left in this dish. Apart from are not so delicious dessert, things couldn't have been more enjoyable. Well sized portions, value for money, even greater wines and fantastic service. 2 Veneti really is a relatively undiscovered gem for the foodie world. It seems only the locals know about this place, which perhaps should stay that way if I'm to get a table for lunch - which can be very hard sometimes.

I made my booking online and it was easy to get a table on short notice. The staff was friendly and attentive throughout considering how busy it was for a Saturday evening. The menu structure is clever in design: you pay by the dishes ordered up to four. The dishes came relatively fast and they were well executed. My recommendation is the liver as a main course. I would recommend this restaurant based on the value for the money spent as it was reasonably priced. The interior is nice and warm although a little cozy and loud for my liking.

2 Veneti in Marylebone does tasty Italian food and combines it with a matching wine list and friendly service. On a warm evening, I walked into Italian restaurant 2 Veneti in the heart of Marylebone and soon was given some good bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar - just as you would expect from a decent Italian place. Looking through the wine list, I decided to go for something special - an Italian sparkling wine, spumante, produced like a champagne. It was a great dry and fresh wine, excellent to kick off my little dinner. As starter, I ordered the wild rocket, pear & parmesan salad with balsamic dressing. Personally, I could have done with a little bit less rocket. The pear was really refeshing and overall it was a delicious dish. Moving on, I went for "bigoli in salsa d'anatra", kind of like thick spaghetti with duck ragout. It was a lovely and light plate of food with a beautiful duck flavour and a tasty sauce. On top of that, the food went very well together with my sparkling wine. Unfortunately, none of the desserts sounded really interesting, so I left without a dessert. 2 Veneti does delicious dishes and offers a good wine list. Its central location makes it a great destination for dinner, for example before going to a concert at nearby Wigmore Hall.

Excellent italian food. Has a very good selection of Italian wines. I was pleasantly surprised by the sommelier's recommendation. Service is warm and friendly, just what you'd expect from an Italian restuarant.

Returning "home" to London where I lived for several years - but had been away from for over 15 years - I decided to walk the breadth of the city on a stunning October Saturday afternoon. From Embankment all the way through the City, then Holborn, TCR, towards W1 and my friend's flat on Seymour Street in Marble Arch. It's a loooong way. I was nearly home by 8pm when my feet and lower back screamed "you must sit your ample arse down and eat," so I did.. It was either that or lay across the hood of a London cab and fall asleep. I was challenging myself to keep my cash and *not* give in to a taxi. At the time of said foot/back/arse revolt, I found myself standing in front of a smart but inviting looking bistro where some well dressed front of house people were whizzing around taking care of happy-looking customers - neither all local or tourist, but they had that "we know where we're eating" look... Can a customer table look brainy? What does that even mean? I imagined they were literary agents, economists and artists. I am probably high. Never mind. The tallish fellow seemed relieved when the faint-looking woman with backpack and iPad opted to come indoors (if only to phone a paramedic perhaps). I practically fell into their arms. They gave me a table, a lovely big round table by the window. They treated me like a queen and fed me gorgeous, perfectly prepared food. Venetian pasta for starter, followed by a Fritto Misto that was to DIE for. Light, light, light. Never hovering, they sensed when I needed a bit of something. I asked for lemon for my pasta (an anchovy paste, acquired taste but I love it - needed a bit of acid, and Mr. Tall and Handsome stepped behind the bar, cut a whole, perfectly ripe lemon and presented the entire thing to me on a plate). The whole meal was like this. Simply prepared, perfect ingredients. Expert but non-fussy service. Yes, they do that "Italian man" thing - Senora this etc., very elegant... but *not* cheesy. They have clearly grown up in this business and breathe it naturally. This single woman traveler was treated like a visiting princess - by both the gentleman and the lady wait and host staff. I particularly thanked them for this experience, the woman server especially, and she said "But of course, you deserve a lovely meal, and it's quite normal of course." In her world perhaps, but in my experience it's a bit less common for a single diner to be so cossetted. :) To reward them, I'm taking my host and his mum to dinner there tomorrow. And if my husband puts me out with the cat because I've spent too much, I shall move back to London and ask for a job waiting tables at 2 Veneti. Perche non?

A quiet italian restaurant serving up delicious food. I had the fish of the day with an amazing lemon mash and kale. For dessert I had the deep fried dough balls which were incredible. Very authentic, friendly servers. I would say it is very expensive though, in particular the jump in prices from one course to two courses is quite extreme.

A really exciting, changing menu. The fresh bigoli pasta was a highlight for me, along with the refreshing level of care/service from the team. If, like me, the majority of Italian food you have is at home, don't be afraid to ask and listen to pretty much all their recommendations. Lovely, old school restaurant by Cavendish Square. The only fault for me was the disconcerting breadsticks that were presented in individual plastic packaging, as if a frube or peperami had escaped the fridge and landed in our bread baskets.

Exquisite selection of traditional authentic Italian dishes, with a broad range characteristic of the Veneto region. Some typical delicacies, such as fried soft crab, are a rare apparition on any fine dining experience in Britain. The very little known Recantina wine wa as an unexpected surprise.

Food was well presented and very tasty. Service was attentive and fast. Definitely I would go back

Went for a team Christmas, fantastic food and service. Do book in advance as this restaurant is small. The squid entree was amazing, lobster Linguini quite nice, but not as good as I expected. Great for romantic dinner, has a great atmosphere.