Martino's on Sloane Square: The All-Day Italian Worth Booking
With the Chelsea Flower Show and Chelsea in Bloom about to fill the streets between Knightsbridge and Sloane Square, one table has become the obvious place to retreat to. Martino's opened late last year in the Willett Building at 37 Sloane Square, in the former Hugo Boss store on the corner opposite the tube station. It comes from Martin Kuczmarski, the restaurateur behind The Dover in Mayfair, and six months in it remains one of the most sought-after bookings on this side of SW1. For flower show visitors and locals alike, it is a confident, glamorous room that suits almost any occasion.
The look
Martino's shares its design team, Studio Drago, with The Dover, and it shows. Terrazzo floors, lacquered walls and booths under chandeliers draw on the Italian trattorias of the 1950s and 1960s. A central bar is the centrepiece of the room, with comfortable bar seating that works well for solo diners, a couple of group tables, and semi-booths at the back that are the pick for a date.
What to order
It is an all-day Italian in the Milanese trattoria mould, starting with breakfast. Morning dishes include Bircher muesli, avocado bruschetta, cannellini beans on toast and cornetti. Later in the day, Hot Dinners' review of Martino's singled out:
- Beef fillet carpaccio with Pecorino cream, hazelnuts and horseradish dressing
- Lasagne verde alla Bolognese, the dish to order
- Meatballs zupetta and tortellini in brodo
- On-the-bone veal Milanese for a proper main course
- Bomboloni, warm custard-filled doughnuts, to finish
The martinis were praised as on point, and the wine list runs up to a Martino's Super Tuscan. Prices at the time of the review put the lasagne at £25 and the veal Milanese at £35, so expect a meal in line with the neighbourhood rather than a bargain. Zucchini fritti at £10 and tortellini in brodo at £13 make lighter options if you only want a snack at the bar. Menus change, so check the current prices online.
When to go
Breakfast and late lunch are the easiest ways in. Evenings, particularly towards the weekend, book up well in advance, and the bar seats are the best bet for a spontaneous visit. During flower show week, a mid-afternoon table is a civilised break between gardens and shopping. Its position right on the square also makes it an easy meeting point before an evening at the Royal Court.
Booking
Reservations are made through SevenRooms via the Martino's website, which also carries the breakfast, all-day, dessert, cocktail and wine menus. The restaurant also sells its own candles, if you want to take a little of the atmosphere home.
Getting there
Martino's is at 37 Sloane Square, SW1W, directly opposite Sloane Square station. From Knightsbridge, it is a fifteen-minute walk down Sloane Street, past the boutiques and, from next week, the Chelsea in Bloom displays. Browse our restaurant guides for more tables nearby.
Lead image: Loz Flowers via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
