Overview
Quick Actions
Opening times
Monday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM
Tuesday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM
Wednesday: 12:00 – 10:00 PM
Thursday: 12:00 – 10:30 PM
Friday: 12:00 – 10:30 PM
Saturday: 12:00 – 10:30 PM
Sunday: 12:00 – 9:30 PM
Running chef
There is a head chef overseeing operations, as mentioned in customer reviews, but no specific name is provided in the search results.
Insights
Last updated: 1/14/2026, 11:34:16 AM
Key information
Bancone Covent Garden is an award-winning Italian restaurant specializing in fresh, handmade pasta. The name 'Bancone' means 'bar' or 'counter,' reflecting its lively, informal atmosphere with counter seating that allows diners to watch chefs prepare food. It is known for offering great value in its prime Covent Garden location.
Customer perception
Customers generally praise Bancone for its fantastic Italian food, particularly the fresh, handmade pasta, and the incredible value for money. The lively atmosphere and the unique experience of watching chefs at the open kitchen counter are frequently highlighted. Signature dishes like the 'silk handkerchiefs with walnut butter and confit egg yolk' and 'fried artichoke' receive high acclaim. While overwhelmingly positive, some reviews mention dishes can be salty (e.g., carbonara), portions might be considered small by some, and there are occasional minor criticisms regarding restroom cleanliness or isolated service hiccups. It's important to note that many dishes contain nuts, and customers with allergies are advised to inform staff.
Additional details
Bancone has multiple locations across London, including Covent Garden, Golden Square (Soho), Borough Yards, and Kensington. The Covent Garden branch is located at 39 William IV Street.
Dietary options
Accommodates nut allergies (inform staff, as many dishes contain nuts)
Best times to visit
Reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends, as the restaurant often has long lines at opening. For walk-in customers, arriving early is advised to secure a table or counter seat.
Awards & recognition
MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand • 2025
Voted one of London's Best Italian Pasta Restaurants
Photos
Menu
News Feed
No related news articles found.
Reviews
Arielle barom
Bancone Covent Garden • 2mo ago
המסעדה הזו היא גן עדן לאוהבי כמהין. התחלתי עם הטאליוליני עם כמהין חורף שחור, והוא היה לא פחות ממושלם. הפסטה הדקיקה, בעבודת יד, ספגה כל טיפה מהרוטב העשיר והאדמתי, כשמעליה פרוסות נדיבות של כמהין שחורות שהוסיפו עומק...
המסעדה הזו היא גן עדן לאוהבי כמהין. התחלתי עם הטאליוליני עם כמהין חורף שחור, והוא היה לא פחות ממושלם. הפסטה הדקיקה, בעבודת יד, ספגה כל טיפה מהרוטב העשיר והאדמתי, כשמעליה פרוסות נדיבות של כמהין שחורות שהוסיפו עומק ויוקרה. כל ביס היה סימפוניה של טעמים, עדין אך נוכח. לאחר מכן, הגיעו הטורטליני כמהין, שהיוו המשך נפלא. המילוי הקרמי והעשיר, בתוספת ניחוח הכמהין המשגע, יצר חוויה מנחמת ומפנקת. השילוב בין המרקמים והטעמים, מהעדינות של הטאליוליני ועד העושר של הטורטליני, הציג את הכמהין במיטבו. מסע קולינרי איטלקי אמיתי שכל חובב כמהין חייב לחוות.
5.0
Detected Dishes
Google reviews
Open in Google Maps5.0
Excellent Italian place, ideal location to celebrate a special occasion without going bankrupt.
The pasta is of absolute great quality, the options include some of the typical Italian musts as well a some spin off with added creativity whilst always keeping the truth simplistic roots of Italian cuisine.
Dessert are really good although I think there is room from improvement just to keep up with how good the pasta dishes are.
Be aware that the place can get really busy and the portions are not the biggest ones so if you don’t order enough and then try and order again, so might have to wait longer than preferred (worth it in my opinion).
5.0
If you're looking for fantastic Italian food in the heart of the West End look no further. We dined here for my wife's birthday and had the most wonderful meal. We'd booked seats at the bar and were offered seats at either the hot or cold kitchen. We chose hot and weren't disappointed. It was really fun and interesting to watch the chefs in action. My wife had one of the signature negronis which was perfect then we had the fried artichoke (10/10 dish best thing I've eaten in a long time) and tuna tartare to start. We followed with the signature silk handkerchiefs with walnuts and a confit egg yolk... Pasta perfection. The atmosphere was warm, staff attentive, friendly and warm and the food was incredible, especially considering the very reasonable price tag. We can't wait to return. Thank you Bancone! (Note: ours cost about £60 each but due to cocktails, truffle and dessert! You could eat and be satisfied much cheaper).
4.0
This Italian restaurant serves handmade pasta dishes and I would recommend you to make a reservation especially on the weekend. They have table seats and counter seats that you can choose from when you make a reservation online. They do reserve some tables for walk in customers but you have to be early in order to get a table.
We ordered:
Pasta fritter just like a fried pasta quite plain to us.
Potato sour dough with Ligurian olive oil which was both soft and chewy and tasted better than we expected.
Fried artichoke, romesco was unique and it tasted okay.
Silk handkerchiefs with walnut butter and confit egg yolk is their signature dish and is the best choice overall.
Silk handkerchiefs carbonara was too salty and heavy for us.
Spicy pork and nduja ragu tagliatelle was like a standard bolognaise pasta.
Squid ink pasta was the second best choice.
Overall their prices are reasonable in London but some people may find their portions are too small for them.
5.0
From top to bottom, the owners, management, and every staff member here are highly professional. When the doors open, there is already a long line outside, which clearly reflects the strong brand impact built through social media.
We were seated at the open-kitchen counter, where we could closely watch the chefs work. From ingredient preparation to plating, everything showed clear professional training and attention to detail.
However, there was one moment that made me uncomfortable: when chopping scallions, the chef took them out and cut them directly without washing them first. Since scallions appeared in every dish, the overall flavor felt quite heavy by the end of the meal. It would have been thoughtful to offer chewing gum at checkout.
The restroom could also use improvement the hand soap was empty, and overall cleanliness was not well maintained.
I noticed the head chef working on the second floor, which is not open to guests, while the first floor was completely full. As for the food, we ordered several dishes. The fried appetizer was quite good. One very important note: if you have a nut allergy, you must inform the staff. Every dish from appetizers and pasta to dessert contains nuts.
Aside from these points, everything else met expectations. Overall, it’s a solid experience and definitely worth trying.
4.0
We came here for dinner and the overall experience was decent, the staff were friendly checked up on us and asked how was everything- nice atmosphere. The chilli garlic spaghetti was too salty for all our liking, the spicy pork nduja ragù was bland wasn’t even spicy lacked flavour however the silk handerchief with egg yolk and the wild mushroom dishes were nice would totally recommend to try this.
Share your experience
Help others discover what to order at Bancone Covent Garden
Your review helps others find the best dishes — and gets shared on Hungru.
Write review