Casa Italia

Still in the spot where Mario Campolucci-Bordi opened its doors in 1976, the Casa Italia pizzeria and pastificcio is something of an establishment and, four decades on, it’s still owned by the same family, originally from a small village in the North East of Italy called Ostra Vetere.

Cavaliere Mario Campolucci-Bordi (to give him his full title since he was granted the Italian equivalent of a knighthood for his services to the catering industry) remains involved while the vegan menu was devised with the help of Bettina’s Kitchen, aka Bettina Campolucci Bordi, wife of Roberto, son of Mario (do keep up). From the dough to the desserts, everything is prepared on the premises daily using the freshest ingredients and authentic recipes handed down through the generations. Nut-free pesto is combined with oat cream and fresh basil for the plant-based spaghetti Genovese, salmon and dill tagliatelle ticks the fish box, and the oven-based pasta vista stretches beyond just lasagne and cannelloni to include lumaconi shells with chicken or spinach and ricotta filled tortellini. As with the pizzas, there are small and large (and also bambini) to choose between, so you won’t get too stuffed if you fancy a bit of antipasti – such as crispy calamari, polpette meatballs, Caprese or tricolour salad – or indeed dolci. Those pizzas include the classics (spicy diavola, eggy fiorentina) and a couple of calzone folded numbers if your eyes really are bigger than your stomach, and gluten-free bases are available. The pecan pie is also gluten-free, while another biscuit bottom holds aloft a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. Then again, there’s a homemade tiramisu and a vanilla panna cotta.

Casa Italia honours the family roots by stocking wine from multi-award-winning producer Stefano Antonucci, who is based in Barbara, the neighbouring village to Ostra Vetere in the le Marche region, including a an organic rosé. There’s also Birra Moretti on draught, plus Malfy Gin from the Amalfi coast, a good grappa digestif and all your other Italian favourites.

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