Italian restaurant near Sicilian AvenueHolborn's Edwardian street of Italian marble, 16 minutes from Fiena

Sicilian Avenue runs diagonally between Southampton Row and Bloomsbury Way. Before it was built, the site held shops and houses dating back to the 17th century. The avenue was commissioned by the Bedford Estate, designed by Robert Worley, and built between 1906 and 1910.

Its style is Baroque Revival, and the materials give away the inspiration: Italian marble and terracotta, with Italian and classical motifs such as colonnades and turrets throughout.

• The two colonnades: one at each end, made of Ionic columns topped with a balustrade and two ornate urns. The one on Southampton Row stands free, with four columns, and both carry the avenue's name in gold capital letters.
• The buildings: the shops have engaged columns of the composite order along their fronts, with four floors above and terracotta bands on the top three. The upper floors were built as flats and are now offices.
• The lamp posts: the avenue's three lamp posts are listed Grade II, just like the buildings themselves.

Film-makers love it. Scenes from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) and a scene from Wonder Woman (2017) were filmed here, and it has appeared in the Apple TV spy drama Slow Horses. Venice's Museo del Camminare, a museum about walking, has even cited it as a historical example of a pedestrian-friendly street.

A redevelopment of the avenue and its neighbouring buildings was announced in 2023, so it's worth checking what's open before you go. Background from Wikipedia's Sicilian Avenue page.

It's about 1.2 kilometres, around 16 minutes on foot (walking route from OpenStreetMap), heading north through Bloomsbury to Judd Street. Making a day of it? See our posts on the British Museum, Russell Square, Lamb's Conduit Street and Woburn Walk, another of Bloomsbury's pedestrian streets.

After a street named for Sicily, it seems only right to order something Sicilian. Our drinks menu has two wines from the island: the Vitis Nostra Grillo, a dry white with crisp citrus and green apple, and the Vitis Nostra Nero d'Avola, a full-bodied red with black cherries and dried fruit. Read about them in our Grillo post and our Nero d'Avola post.

To eat, the main menu starts at midday, with Italian classics such as Bruschetta with marinated plum tomatoes, a Caprese of buffalo mozzarella and heritage tomato, Spaghetti carbonara, Ravioli ricotta & spinach in sage and butter, and a Margherita pizza with fior di latte and basil. Finish with Tiramisu from the dessert menu. Here in the morning? Breakfast runs from 08:00 to 14:00.

Guests often mention the feel of the place. Loredana wrote: The café has a warm, authentic Italian atmosphere. (Loredana, Google review) And Ayub's headline: Amazing Italian in King’s Cross! (Ayub, Google review)

“The coffee is excellent, the staff are friendly and professional”

Loredana, Google review, 2026