Italian Restaurant in Chelsea
Polpo is a bacaro Italian restaurant in Chelsea serving up small Venetian inspired Italian plates. These were of course accompanied by classic spritz and cocktails. Polpo prides itself on maintaining the authentic Italian atmosphere and food and it definitely shines through. With only around 35 table covers and a few stools at the bar, it felt intimate. The USP of the Chelsea branch is its larger L-shaped terrace – perfect for sipping on spritzers in the summer.
The bar and cocktails
We started off with a couple of cocktails at the bar (where you can also enjoy the small plates) which felt very Italian in style. We had the Limoncello Fizz (Wyborowa vodka, Pococello, POLPO Prosecco) and the Clover Club (Beefeater Gin, raspberry syrup, lemon, egg white). There are also a number of spritzers to chose from (obviously)!
The small plates
The menu is split into Cicheti (Venetian Snacks), Pizettes, Meatballs, Meat & Fish and Vegetables and Salad. We were recommended to have 2-3 dishes each. Given that we were hungry, we ordered 7 (!) but three from cicheti so surely that’s actually only 5…. We started off with the Nduja & mozzarella arancini, Potato & Parmesan crocchette and Focaccia & olive oil. The arancini was fantastic (I wanted to order more!) and the focaccia was so addictive as it had a perfect level of salt.
Following this we had a Pizzette – Buffalo mozzarella & tomato and,the Spicy Pork & Fennel meatballs which were the dish of the month. The meatballs were extremely flavoursome with a generous helping of sauce and Parmesan.
Finally, we chose the Crab and Chilli linguine which really did pack a punch. We just about had room for a dessert – a Hot chocolate pudding, blackberry, & vanilla ice cream. This was melt in your mouth good!
In summary
Not only was the food delicious but the service was also great, which obviously adds to the experience. The plates are priced from around £3 – £10 so you can order as much as or as little as you want!
East London Girl: Polpo Chelsea
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