With two sites already established in London (Aldgate and St. Katherine Docks), Emilia’s Crafted Pasta’s Canary Wharf flagship marks the third opening from the brand founded by Andrew Macleod.
Found on the ground floor of 10 George Street, this is the largest of the restaurants in the Emilia’s Crafted Pasta group and comes with views of the wharf as well as an al fresco terrace. Interiors have been designed to evoke the feeling of a traditional Italian trattoria with terracotta-plastered walls, marble counters and hand-painted tiles. While dining here you’ll have a front row seat for watching the theatre of the kitchen too, as chefs wield their fresh made pasta dough right in front of guests.
The menu is similar to the sibling sites with a short selection of starters followed by a run of seasonal pasta plates. Kick things off with marinated olives, a heritage tomato bruschetta or a plate of creamy burrata. The main event is the fresh pasta – which comes in all kinds of interesting shapes and styles – which is made on-site every day. Favourites include a truffled cacio e pepe casarecee and a 4-hour slow cooked bechamel Bolognese that is tossed through pappardelle. Plant-based eaters are also catered for via the vegan homemade pistachio and basil pesto dish with sauteed cherry tomatoes, as well as a classic iteration of a fresh tomato sauce.
Make sure to leave room for dessert, when you’ll have the chance to sample the now-famous Amaretto tiramisu, the vanilla panna cotta with strawberries or the homemade pecan caramel chocolate mousse. For purists there’s also a range of 100% natural Italian gelatos.
All the produce at Emilia’s has been carefully chosen in line with the company’s sustainability initiatives and ingredients are organic where possible, with preference given to farmers who practice regenerative methods.
The company was founded by Andrew Macleod at the age of 25 when he returned from travelling around Emilia Romagna in Italy armed with his newly acquired pasta-making knowledge. Having opened his first restaurant in St. Katherine Dock ‘on a shoe string’, he then opened his second site three years later, with this third one coming to the scene a further two years down the line.