Italian Restaurants With Live Music In London

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Italian restaurants with live music in London offer something truly special: the perfect blend of soulful cuisine and lively atmosphere. In a city where dining is often an art form, these venues go a step further. They pair authentic Italian flavours with the joy of live performance—whether that’s a sultry jazz band, a classical guitar, or a DJ spinning late into the night.

Each restaurant on this list brings its own character. Some dazzle with theatrical interiors and big-band energy. Others charm with intimate settings where a single instrument can transform the evening. From glamorous Mayfair hotspots where truffle pasta meets DJ beats, to Belgravia gems where jazz and Sicilian wines flow side by side, these restaurants prove that dinner in London can be more than a meal—it can be an experience.

Bocconcino

Bocconcino unfolds across two levels that feel like stepping into La Dolce Vita, with each floor offering its own tone and texture. The ground level channels a romantic trattoria vibe with warm tones, rustic elegance, and classic Italian charm. Descend via a spiral staircase to the lower ground, where the energy shifts. This is Bocconcino’s stage for live DJs and performers stirring the atmosphere into life most Friday and Saturday evenings.

Here, Italian gastronomy meets modern social theatre. The menu is crafted under Head Chef Marco Corsica. It celebrates the diversity of Italy with ingredients and dishes drawn from Rome to Sicily and Naples. Think flash-fired pizzas from the floor-mounted oven. Embrace pasta rich with truffle or skirted with seafood, all presented with contemporary flair. Complementing the culinary journey is a wine list boasting over 300 labels, from Barolo to Super Tuscans and organic varietals.

Bocconcino is one of the best Italian restaurants with live music in London and blends fine dining with nightlife. Saturdays sizzle with bottomless brunches featuring DJ beats, brimful antipasti, and indulgent pastas. Thursdays intrigue with Truffle Dinners paired with flowing bubbles. Fridays and Saturdays pulse with live DJ sets and occasional live performers.

Website: Bocconcino

Address: 19 Berkeley St, London W1J 8ED

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Bardo St James’s

First hitting October 2021, Bardo St James’s emerged as Luca Maggiora’s culinary debut. It blends the hedonistic allure of La Dolce Vita with the immersive charm of nightlife—without the fees of a private club. Tucked below ground in the stately St James’s district, this Italian restaurant feels like a secret escape. The moment you descend into its red velvet embrace, you’re transported into an era of vintage glamour.

Graziano Bonacina, formerly of Sette at The Bulgari Hotel, leads the kitchen with a seasonally evolving menu that champions vegetables and bold Italian flavours. Starters like burrata with fig puree or scallops in parsley butter give way to inventive primi. Think agnolotti filled with short rib and garlic chips, or tagliolini cacio e pepe with porcini and hazelnut crumble. In the meanwhile, mains include refined takes like caramelised black cod and veal Milanese. Luxurious yet grounded, desserts like tiramisu or torta tejada complete the journey.

Bardo has an amazing nightly soundtrack: a live resident band croons vintage Italian classics—Quando, Quando, That’s Amore, Buonasera Signorina. This creates a soundtrack that wraps the evening in romance and nostalgia. The place is built for experience, with over 11,000 sq ft encompassing a long marble bar, walk-in wine cellar, whisky room, secluded booths, and private lounge.

Website: Bardo St James’s

Address: 1 Pall Mall E, London SW1Y 5AU

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Strings

Strings, another of the best Italian restaurants with live music in London, might initially present itself as a charming spot for pasta and tapas. But soon enough, your ears will lead you deeper into its soul. Owned by husband-and-wife duo Santy Masciaro and Elise Weber, the restaurant opened in 2021 and combines heartfelt Italian and Spanish flavours with an unexpected cultural flourish: weekly live classical guitar performances by Santy himself.

Imagine settling into a cosy corner around 7 pm, sipping a glass of wine while the opening notes of Rodrigo, Tarrega, or Albeniz drift through the room. Each piece thoughtfully timed to punctuate your evening. The ambience balances elegance and comfort: softly atmospheric lighting and a subtle musical backdrop that feels like a private concert.

The food is unpretentious yet sincere—from Italian pasta to Spanish tapas. Whether you sample a three-course pasta menu (starting from £38) or opt for a more layered six-course tapas menu for two (around £70), the flavours are rooted in authenticity and warmth.

What clinches Strings ‘ spot on this list? It’s an experience, not just a meal. Dining here offers the perfect blend of flavours, setting, and sound. It is a localised treasure where live music deepens connection, conversation, and taste.

Website: Strings

Address: Belvedere Rd, London SE1 7GA

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Bacchanalia

Stepping into Bacchanalia on Mayfair’s Mount Street is like entering a myth come to life. This isn’t just a restaurant—it’s a theatrical embrace of classical grandeur. Designer Martin Brudnizki has spared no expense crafting interiors that rival a museum. Find soaring marble statues by Damien Hirst, hand-painted murals, and ancient Roman relics beside mosaics and frescoed ceilings. The result is a breathtaking feast for the senses. The atmosphere is opulent, dramatic, and immersive. Bacchanalia draws inspiration from the legendary Roman Bacchanalia—festivals held in honour of Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry.

The gastronomic experience leans into Mediterranean flair with Greek and Italian-inflected dishes. Whether you linger over a two-course set menu (£36) or luxuriate with three courses (£41), standout dishes like lobster paccheri in black truffle bisque or salt-crust sea bass are elegantly served. On Sundays, a Roman Sunday Lunch (£58 pp) unfolds alongside a live opera singer performing until 3 pm. This turns brunch into a performance.

Website: Bacchanalia

Address: 1-3 Mount St, London W1K 3NB

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Piccolino

Tucked just off Regent Street on an elegant side lane, Piccolino presents a sophisticated and relaxed façade. Its outdoor terrace softly lit, sheltered from Mayfair’s bustle. Inside, an open kitchen, a warmly appointed lower-ground cicchetti bar, and a generous terrace reveal a restaurant as much about atmosphere as cuisine.

Walk in on a midweek evening, and you’re greeted by the comforting hum of conversation and the light glow of candles on tables set over marble surfaces. The menu is quintessentially Italian, with classics reimagined. Taste Burrata con Caviale, Tagliolini Granchio, creamy Risotto alla Milanese, and Lobster-tag cushioning dishes with regional charm. The experience feels warm and inclusive, balancing elegance with inviting ease. Share Dolci con Amici (desserts with friends) or linger over handmade pasta surrounded by soft lighting and the aroma of fresh herbs.

What clinches Piccolino a spot on this list—despite its lack of nightly performances—is the unspoken rhythm it sets. The live element here is subtle—the clinking of glasses, the gentle laughter, the casual flow between the kitchen and bar.

Website: Piccolino

Address: 21 Heddon St, London W1B 4BF

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Circolo Popolare

Walking into Circolo Popolare is like crashing the most joyous Sicilian wedding you’ve ever attended. This Fitzrovia trattoria hums with theatrical exuberance, lush décor, and unfiltered dolce vita. Every inch of its 9,000 sq ft feels curated to delight. Find rainbow glass, suspended fairy lights, walls crowned with 20,000 liquor bottles, kitschy posters, love notes, and even shrine-like fridge-magnet romps in the bathrooms.

Despite opening through an unassuming door, the space erupts into escapism. Indeed, Vanity Fair described it as “a magical portal to another time and place”. And the energy isn’t just visual. Guests report a celebratory, buzzing vibe that feels more like an Italian festa than a formal dinner.

The menu is full-throttle Italian. Signature plays include the “Gran Carbonara,” theatrically tossed inside a four‑kilogram pecorino wheel, and pizzas baked with San Marzano tomatoes and creamy mozzarella. Other dishes—like “I Wanna Nduja” pizza or “Crab Me By the Paccheri”—lean playful, indulgent, and generous. Don’t skip the oversized profiteroles and lemon meringue pie that cap the feast.

While live music isn’t formalised here, the space often hums with “a lively musical program”, and weekend ambience is elevated by passionate service and elevated acoustics. This soundscape feels just right for a party in full flow.

Website: Circolo Popolare

Address: 40-41 Rathbone Pl, London W1T 1HX

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Baaria

Baaria is a delightful Sicilian café, wine, and cocktail bar that feels like stumbling into a passionate family kitchen in Palermo. From the moment you step in, you’re met with the warmth of friendly service and an inviting ambience that’s perfectly balanced between casual charm and elegance—very much a home away from home in London.

By day, Baaria hums with the aroma of freshly baked pastries—pistachio croissants, sbriciolona cake, cannoli, and sfogliatella that draw sweet smiles with every bite. The menu unfolds into a comforting array of pizza, pasta, salads, artisanal Sicilian bites, and charcuterie boards, all served with sincerity, flavour, and generous hospitality.

While Baaria doesn’t feature formal live music nights, the background soundtrack—gentle, well-curated, and unobtrusive—plays at a volume that encourages conversation without distraction. That soft musical touch, paired with diners’ laughter and low chatter, fills the space in a way that feels quietly musical and naturally alive.

It’s the little details that count—breakfasts with Sicilian brioche, evenings savoured over wine and small plates, and an atmosphere that sings the spirit of Sicily in subtle harmony.

Website: Baaria

Address: 76-78, Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0B

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Cantinetta Antinori

Cantinetta Antinori opened its London dining room in 2023, becoming the first UK outpost of the revered Marchesi Antinori family—winemakers since 1385 and pioneers of Tuscany’s “Super Tuscan” revolution.

Walking in feels like discovering a private villa tucked away in Belgravia. Rich, jewel-toned interiors adorned with Florentine motifs, brass vine-leaf detailing, and family collection objects evoke the charm of Palazzo Antinori in Florence. Spread across three levels, the space includes a welcoming ground-floor bar, elegant dining rooms, and private areas perfect for Tuscan hospitality.

The menu is a refined journey through Tuscany. Expect standout dishes like handmade pappardelle al ragù Nobile di Montepulciano, lobster linguine, Dover sole meunière, and a signature beef carbonara—each rooted in tradition yet elevated with finesse. Complementing the cuisine is an impressive wine list featuring exclusive Antinori estate vintages.

Adding to the dining experience is live jazz music every Friday and Saturday evening—an elegant, sultry touch that transforms each meal into an evocative, seasonal affair.

Website: Cantinetta Antinori

Address: 4 Harriet St, London SW1X 9JR

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Sicily

Hidden behind a discreet Belgravia façade, Sicily is an Italian dining gem founded by the Scalzo brothers—London natives who channelled their heritage into a sophisticated, inviting restaurant steps from Victoria Station. With four distinctive dining areas, including a chic piano lounge, it’s a refined setting that whispers comfort and elegance.

Your meal here is a celebration of authentic Italian tradition, elevated with modern flair. Fresh, handmade pasta and pizzas emerge from a clay oven; the menu pulses with regional specialities crafted from ingredients sourced from Covent Garden, Smithfield, and Billingsgate. The wine list spotlights Sicilian “La Segreta” bottles—both red and white—from the acclaimed Planeta winery.

But the real magic unfolds on Friday nights, when the piano lounge comes alive with free-entry live jazz and soul performances by artists like Jim Mullen, Nina Ferro, Renato D’Aiello, and others. It’s the kind of live music that doesn’t just fill the air—it elevates the experience.

Website: Sicily

Address: 2a Elizabeth St, London SW1W 9RB

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Osteria del Mare

There’s something effortlessly captivating about the transformation of a grand, old banking hall into a sun-kissed Italian seafood sanctuary—and Osteria del Mare does just that with flair. Situated on the Strand, just opposite The Savoy, this expansive restaurant features maritime accents, natural wood, and sculptural lighting, all of which immediately evoke the warmth of coastal dining.

The restaurant’s ambition is evident from the moment you arrive: sleek and elegant without feeling remote. Edging close to theatreland, it’s perfect for both pre-show indulgence and relaxed weekend gatherings. The open kitchen buzzes with the energy of fresh seafood being grilled, pasta being tossed, and daily catches being displayed in the fish counter.

Osteria del Mare excels in its simplicity. The menu is proudly seafood-led with highlights like frutti di mare platters, Scottish lobster linguine, red mullet ragù paccheri, and John Dory with spinach and mashed potato. But what truly enlivens the experience is the regular live music: Fridays come alive with live bands, and Sundays simmer down with a relaxed Italian Riviera buffet and live singer.

Website: Osteria del Mare

Address: 366 Strand, London WC2R 0JF

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