Antico Restaurant
Antico is a modern Italian restaurant housed on the former site of a covered antiques market on Bermondsey Street, featuring seasonal ingredients and championing homemade pasta and gelato.
Owner Nick Crispini trained at Leith’s Cooking School before working under Theo Randall at the Intercontinental, alongside Antico’s Head Chef Nicholas Schizas, previously ex-chef de partie of José Pizarro’s tapas bar José.
Nicholas’s weekly menu includes starters such as burrata with prosciutto braciotto, rocket & fresh chilli, and a prawn and squid fritti with fresh chilli & basil aioli.
Signature homemade pasta dishes change regularly with specialities such as ragu pappardelle and slow-roasted pork shoulder tortelloni, whilst a “Bolton Abbey”, 1kg bone-in rib Fiorentina steak (35-day aged) with rocket & parmesan and a pan-roasted pork chop with grilled marinated zucchini & kale also feature.
Classic desserts include tiramisu, raspberry and grappa pannacotta, and espresso gelato.
Average spend is £25-35 per head with set menus at lunch and early evening dinner (Tuesday-Saturday) coming in at £15 and £18 for two and three courses respectively. Antico also offers a weekend brunch and Sunday roast menu.
The restaurant itself was designed by Nick and is spread across 800sqm at ground-level, incorporating bare-brick walls, chocolate-brown leather banquettes and blackboards chalked up with cuts of the day. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a wall-to-wall mirror provide plenty of light during the day, whilst subdued lighting provides intimacy for dinner during the evenings.
Downstairs is an additional 650sqm lounge headed up by bar manager Patricio Pedra, complete with low stools, colour-changing lighting and a widescreen TV screen that doubles as a mirror. The cocktail menu lists a selection of prosecco cocktails alongside Italian aperitivi such as an Aperol Spritz and a Negroni.
The concise wine list of 40 bins – sourced from Winetraders, a UK-based supplier that specialises in single estate, high-quality Italian wines – is divided by style with tasting notes.
Antico Restaurant & Lounge Bar
214 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3TQ
Open: Restaurant; 12-3pm & 6-10.30pm Tues-Fri
Lounge; 5-11pm & 5pm-12am Weds-Fri
Tel: 020 7407 4682 www.antico-london.co.uk
Twitter: @anticolondon
