Serving authentic Calabrian food in the heart of Islington, Lamezia is a family-owned Italian restaurant with over a decade’s experience. The name is in honour of the owners’ hometown, a city in the south of Italy which Franco and his family moved from over 23 years ago. When dining here you can expect a warm welcome and friendly service thanks to Franco’s passionate team.
Way ahead of the curve, nduja was being served here ten years ago, and has since become the centrepiece to some of the restaurant’s signature dishes, including a bruschetta, a pasta dish, and a perennially popular pizza.
The far-reaching menu has plenty of options to suit all tastes and is a real winner for family groups thanks to its crowd-pleasers. Kick things off with homemade focaccia or a few olives before moving on to starters like meatballs in a tomato sauce served with bread or creamy burrata filled and topped with truffle and served with roasted peppers. Mains include classic pizza and pasta combinations – like a Bolognese or a margherita, for instance – but also cover more adventurous options like ravioli filled with seabass covered in a shellfish cream sauce.
Elsewhere mains run from a mixed seafood platter of deep-fried calamari, king prawns, sardines, cod and salmon to a creamy polenta topped with Calabrian sausage, mushrooms, and a rich tomato sauce. Whatever you decide to order, each dish here has been carefully made by hand to ensure the quality is consistent. Each morning the team begins their day by baking bread and moulding arancini balls before rolling out the fresh pasta dough for every service. It's a real labour of love.
Regular offers like 20% off pizzas on a Tuesday or the nightly happy hours means there’s always a deal to be had, and with weekly specials too there’s something new to try with every visit.