Let me paint you a picture. It’s a Friday evening. You’ve survived another hectic week of over-scheduling and over-committing. You deserve more than a sad salad and a glass of whatever’s open in the fridge. You deserve Como Garden.
Nestled on Kensington High Street in one of London’s most iconic and elegant neighbourhoods, Como Garden is an Italian tapas restaurant that combines the most popular dishes from all regions of Italy, presented in a beautiful setting inspired by the gorgeous gardens of Lake Como. And honestly? From the moment I walked through the door, I felt like I was on holiday.
First Impressions: Secret Garden
I’ll be honest, I had high expectations walking into a Lake Como-inspired restaurant on one of London’s most prestigious high streets. And I am delighted to report that Como Garden did not let me down. There are statues and colourful art dotted around the dining room, and a trellis completes the garden feel as it wraps around the main dining area. We were shown to a corner table beside a wall of windows, where the hustle of Kensington High Street sweeps into the cobbled side road of Kensington Court.
But the true showstopper? The centrepiece of the entire restaurant: a beautifully lit tree glowing from the heart of the room, its branches stretching overhead like something out of an Italian fairy tale. The cosy, interior built around a central, fairy-light tree all comes together in a way that makes you forget you’re a 10-minute walk from the Tube. And even though it looks out over the city rather than an idyllic lake, this spot certainly gives luxurious holiday vibes. This restaurant is aptly named; it really did feel like stepping into a garden.
The Drinks: Did Someone Say Cocktails?
Before we even opened the menu, our server presented us with the cocktail list, and I am so glad he did.
I started with the Cupido, a dreamy blend of Como Signature 15 Rum, Amaretto, fresh strawberries, lemon, and sugar. It arrived looking like something you’d sip on a terrace overlooking the lake, and it tasted even better than it looked. Sweet, slightly tart, with that warm rum underneath. It’s basically a hug in a glass after a long week. Highly recommend ordering two. (No judgement here. We’ve earned it.)
One of my dining companions went straight for the Como Fizz: Como Signature 15 Gin, basil, lemon, and sugar, topped up with a beautiful fizz. Light and fresh straight from the garden. Supplemented by Como Garden’s delicious signature cocktails, we dived straight in the perfect companion to our meal.
The Food: Small Plates, Big Statements
Como Garden is delivered tapas style, where the menu is designed to cater to around three dishes per person in order to have a broader culinary experience, that’s what they say. I say it’s so I can try everything. For those of us who are professionally trained in the art of indecision, this format is both a blessing and a mild crisis. We ordered everything.
We kicked things off with the bruschetta and arancini, both of which were exactly what you want from Italian starters: simple, light, and satisfying. The bruschetta was fresh and the tomatoes tasted like they’d actually seen sunlight recently (a minor miracle in London, frankly).
But the true revelation of the appetiser round was the fried zucchini with basil mayo. Lightly breaded, perfectly crisp, and served with a basil mayo that I would genuinely consider putting on everything I eat for the rest of my life. It was so good that it made the table go quiet while we savoured the flavours. If you’ve ever dined with my friends and me, you would understand that silence is almost impossible and the highest form of praise.
Next arriving to our garden table was the burrata with creamy pistachio which deserves its own paragraph, its own Instagram post, and possibly its own LinkedIn article. The burrata was silky and pillowy, and the pistachio cream alongside it was rich, nutty, and completely unexpected in the best possible way.
The aubergine parmigiana was comfort food elevated, layers of tender aubergine, rich tomato sauce, and melted cheese, baked until golden and bubbling. It’s the dish your Italian grandmother would make if you had an Italian grandmother and she was a chef.
Now. Let’s talk about the pasta.
My love for pasta has definitely been included in this menu, where all pastas are hand-made every day by their Italian pasta chef.
The Wheel of Parmesan Pasta with Black Truffle is, without question, the dish you are coming here for. Served tableside in a hollowed-out wheel of aged parmesan – yes, a literal wheel of cheese – the pasta is tossed right in front of you, coating every strand in that warm, gooey parmesan, finished with the earthy luxury of black truffle. This is relaxing by the lake. This is romance. This is the dish you will be talking about when someone asks how your weekend was.
The lasagna with handmade pasta sheets were delicate and silky, the layers perfectly balanced, not too heavy, not too rich, just exactly right. We also shared the king prawn linguini in tomato sauce. The prawns were plump and perfectly cooked, the tomato sauce flavourful but light to show off the prawns. A classic done brilliantly.
Perfect for Every Occasion on Your Calendar
The Zandi brothers have created something special in Como Garden: a serene corner of Kensington High Street where the Italian tradition of long dinners and free-pouring wine are honoured with the ambience of a family gathering on a patio.
Como Garden deserves a permanent spot in the “where should we go?” rotation. It’s special enough for a celebration, relaxed enough for a weekday, impressive enough for a client dinner, and delicious enough that you’ll be thinking about that parmesan wheel pasta at 2am on a Wednesday. The booths are welcoming and the staff were warm, helpful, and the food was excellent.
Is it an indulgence? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely, unequivocally, yes.
Book your table at comogarden.co.uk and do yourself a favour: order the Cupido, the parmesan wheel pasta, and the arancini. You can thank me later. We’re all friends here.
Como Garden | 37-45 Kensington High Street, London W8 5ED
Craving more London inspiration? Read our ultimate girls’ getaway guide here.
Written by Julia Gebhart
