Located in Spitalfields Market, ALFI is an award-winning independent bar & restaurant, serving modern Italian food, fresh pasta & Neapolitan pizza alongside a carefully curated wine list, with a strong focus on natural and biodynamic Italian wines. With twinkly fairy lights, an ‘outside’ front terrace and accents of orange and cream, it brings a touch of Mediterranean charm to it’s central London surrounding
We sat down and immediately ordered Spicy Mezcalita, made with Mezcal Artesanal Encantado, Cointreau, citrus, agave and chilli. Big fans of both mezcal and margs, it was a great opening cocktail. Fesh and citrusy with a lovely warmth from the chilli, while the mezcal gave it that lovely smoky flavour; a really good balance of sweet, sour, and spicy.
For food, we started with the homemade focaccia with Ellouze 1870 EVOO. The focaccia was fresh and perfectly charred, served in slabs ideal for dipping into the excellent extra virgin olive oil. We also had tenderstem broccoli with stracciatella, which was a lovely combination. There was a deliciously lemony twist to the stracciatella base which was super Moorish, and also paired well with the focaccia.
We had to try their infamous pizza’s and both opted for the Alba vegan pizza, which was a standout when it comes to plant based pizza’s which can be so hard to nail. It came topped with wild mushrooms, tarragon cream, vegan mozzarella, truffle honey and chilli. A super interesting combination of earthy, creamy, sweet and spicy flavours. The wild mushrooms and truffle honey brought plenty of richness, while the chilli added a little heat and kept everything nicely balanced. Vegan cheese is such a risk and the main reason that I’m wary of ordering vegan pizzas, but they really do it well, no hint of the synthetic cheese taste that can really kill a good meal. The dough itself is something to be mentioned; Alfi's dough is cold fermented for 36 hours, which gives the crust a noticeably lighter and airier texture. Cooked in their Italian pizza oven, it had that lovely balance of a crisp exterior with a soft, airy centre.
We then finished with the ALFI Tiramisu, made with espresso and mascarpone served in massive slabs, straight from the tray. Rich, and abundance of cream and properly indulgent, it was exactly what we wanted after the pizza. We didn’t have room for the whole thing but were luckily given take away containers as we didn’t want to miss a bite!
The service throughout was another highlight. Everything felt friendly, welcoming and relaxed. A shout-out to our host Beth, who was fantastic throughout the evening. She kept us smiling, was warm and attentive and introduced us to the Mezcal Old Fashioned towards the end of the meal, and we're very glad she did. Made with Mezcal Artesanal Encantado, brown sugar and bitters, it was the perfect nightcap.
A great spot in Spitalfields for a relaxed evening with good food, interesting cocktails and a welcoming atmosphere. We'd definitely come back.
For more information or to book, click here.
Address: 3 Crispin Place, Spitalfields Market, E1 6DW
Written by Jordan Crowley
Photos courtesy of ALFI
