Eat, Drink & Get Creative: Why ALFI Spitalfields is more than just a restaurant
If you’re looking for somewhere in London that combines great Italian food with something a little more interesting than simply dinner and drinks, ALFI Spitalfields is worth putting on your radar. Tucked inside Spitalfields Market, the award-winning independent Italian restaurant and bar has created a distinctly sociable take on dining, combining Neapolitan pizza, pasta, natural wines and cocktails with a busy programme of creative workshops and weekly events.
Think pasta making with friends, Paint & Sip afternoons, candle-making workshops, cocktail classes and even floristry - preferably accompanied by a glass of prosecco. ALFI's speciality is handcrafted Neapolitan pizza, made using dough that undergoes a 36-hour cold fermentation with 80% hydration. The result is a particularly light and airy crust, baked in a traditional Italian pizza oven and designed to deliver all the flavour without leaving you feeling weighed down.
Alongside the pizzas, the menu extends to fresh pasta, Italian classics, steaks, seasonal salads and vegetable dishes, accompanied by organic and naturally made wines and seasonal cocktails. There’s also vino sfuso – the traditional Italian approach of serving wine on tap – adding to the informal, convivial feel.
Get Creative at ALFI
ALFI has built a programme of hands-on experiences that gives you another reason to visit, whether you’re planning a date, getting a group of friends together or simply fancy trying something new.
Pasta Making Class – £48pp
Learn to make pasta by hand, Italian-style, in ALFI's Pasta Making Class. It's a chance to get hands-on and learn the techniques behind one of Italy's most famous culinary traditions.
When: Monthly, on selected Fridays and Sundays Price: £48 per person
Paint & Sip – £48pp
For something creative but decidedly relaxed, Paint & Sip combines painting with prosecco. A professional artist guides the class as you create your own painting in a sociable setting and absolutely no previous painting experience is necessary.
When: Weekly on Tuesdays, Saturdays and SundaysPrice: £48 per person
Scented Candle Making – £55pp
One for fragrance lovers. ALFI's Scented Candle Making workshop lets you create your own bespoke fragrance before hand-pouring your candle and designing a personalised label to finish it. You leave with something you've actually made yourself – making this a particularly lovely option for a Sunday with friends.
When: Bi-monthly on Sundays Price: £55 per person
Cocktail Making Class – £48pp
Friday drinks get an upgrade with ALFI's Cocktail Making Class.
The experience starts with a complimentary glass of prosecco before you learn how to mix – and, importantly, drink – three different cocktails.
When: Monthly on FridaysPrice: £48 per person
Sip & Bouquet – £48pp
Flowers and fizz make a rather good combination.
During Sip & Bouquet, an expert florist shows you how to design and hand-tie your own seasonal bouquet while you enjoy a glass of prosecco.
When: Monthly on FridaysPrice: £48 per person
And There’s Something Happening Every Week…
You don't need to book a workshop to get in on the action. ALFI also has a line-up of weekly food and drink offers.
Spritz Tuesdays mean any handmade pizza is £10 when you order a spritz, available all day every Tuesday.
On Wine Wednesdays, order a main course and you can try the Italian vino sfuso tradition with five glasses of wine for £20, available from 5pm–9pm.
Then there’s Cocktail Fridays, when a classic Margherita pizza and Margarita cocktail costs £15, available all day every Friday.
Book a table: https://www.alfi.ltd/whats-on-alfi#bookhere
Your Next Spitalfields Meet-Up?
Just moments from Liverpool Street Station, ALFI manages to combine the easy-going atmosphere of an Italian neighbourhood restaurant with the energy of Spitalfields. You can pop in for pizza, meet for after-work cocktails, settle into the covered terrace for a long lunch or turn a catch-up with friends into an afternoon of pasta making, painting, floristry or candle making.
With food, drinks and an ever-growing calendar of experiences all under one roof, it’s the sort of place where a quick pizza can quite easily turn into an entire afternoon.
Written by Claire Bloom
Photography courtesy of ALFI
