Lina Stores is a popular chain of pasta restaurants here in London. Beginning life in the 1940s as a delicatessen, supplying London’s population with cured meats, cheese, and fresh pasta – and it’s still located in that very same spot on Brewer Street. With the addition of multiple restaurants around the city, we headed down to our local one to see what all the hype was about!
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Our Review of Lina Stores
Lina Stores has been on our list to visit for a really long time and we finally got around to it recently! We chose to visit their restaurant in South Kensington (perfectly placed if you’re looking for a meal after visiting the local free museums) on a Friday evening.
The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated with seats that feel like they’re inspired by an American diner (only quite a bit classier)!
Whenever we’re visiting one of London’s Italian restaurants we’re always tempted by all three courses on offer and Lina Stores did not disappoint.
To start we ordered a Burrata and focaccia to share. The Burrata was super creamy and delicious as is to be expected. Compared to some of the other pasta joints we’ve eaten at in London however, the focaccia wasn’t quite as good, it felt a lot drier than we’re used to.
For mains, we got two pasta dishes:
- Agnolotti di Topinambur Arrosto e Ricotta Tre Latti (Jerusalem artichoke and ricotta, lemon, and pine nuts)
- Linguine con Granchio e Lemon (Linguine, crab, lemon, chilli, and garlic)
Both of these were delicious and we would highly recommend them. Although the agnolotti looked like a small portion it was incredibly filling. We hadn’t had artichoke with pasta before but the flavours worked brilliantly.
Moving onto dessert we both opted for the chocolate and salted caramel mousse. The mousse itself was super delicious and was surrounded by chocolate biscuit crumbs. After two previous courses though this was a challenge to finish so next time we might just go for a scoop of sorbet or gelato!
Lina Stores: A Short History
The very first Lina Stores’ delicatessen was opened in 1944 at 18 Brewer Street in Soho – they still have this shop to this day. Over 75 years later the focus of Lina Stores is still on providing fresh pasta, sandwiches, cured meats and cheeses to anyone who visits the shop.
In 2018, they opened their very first restaurant just a short walk from the delicatessen on Greek Street, also in Soho. Since then they’ve expanded to 6 more locations – with King’s Cross combining both a restaurant and delicatessen under one roof.
What’s on the Menu at Lina Stores?
Lina Stores specialises in affordable and handmade pasta dishes. You can expect a variety of pasta shapes, from ravioli to pappardelle, with delicious sauces from lamb sausage ragus to crab, black truffle to artichokes.
If pasta isn’t quite your thing, no worries – their Secondi menu has both meat and vegetarian options. Personally, we’ve got our eyes on Aubergine Parmigiana for next time we visit.
They also have a wide selection of antipasti to get your meal started with! From classic Italian bruschetta to tuna carpaccio, from burrata to grilled prawns – there’s something tasty for everyone.
The most important course of all is dessert, from light sorbets and gelato, to chocolate mousse and caramel tarts, sweet tooths will be in awe of the wonderful delights to finish their meal off with.
Locations & Nearest Public Transport
Lina Stores has seven locations across London.
South Kensington
Address: 15 Exhibition Road
Nearest Tube Stop: South Kensington
Clapham
Address: 22 The Pavement
Nearest Tube Stop: Clapham Common
Marylebone
Address: 13 – 15 Marylebone Lane
Nearest Tube Stop: Bond Street
Bloomberg Arcade
Address: 19 Bloomberg Arcade
Nearest Tube Stop: Mansion House
King’s Cross
Address: 20 Stable Street, Coal Drops Yard
Nearest Tube Stop: King’s Cross St Pancras
Greek Street, Soho
Address: 51 Greek Street
Nearest Tube Stop: Tottenham Court Road
Brewer Street, Soho (delicatessen)
Address: 18 Brewer Street
Nearest Tube Stop: Piccadilly Circus
FAQs About Lina Stores
Lina Stores was originally founded by a lady from Genova called ‘Lina.’ Today, Companies House lists Max Green and Edward Green as the directors.
Each Lina Stores has its own unique charm but the styling and menu is very much the same at each location. Located in popular spots, we’d suggest you pick your restaurant based on what you want to do before or after your meal.
The Clapham Lina Stores is dog friendly, however the other restaurants are not.
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