With fresh pasta for under £15, moody interiors, and intimate corner seats with a view into the kitchen, Al Dente in South Kensington is a great all-rounder. The Italian restaurant is the equally perfect backdrop for a casual first date as it is for a last-minute catch-up with your favourite people. The servers are friendly, the menu is filled with handmade pastas that make classics like cacio e pepe that extra bit more exciting, and the prices mean you could pop in for a bowl of gnocchi for a speedy, good-value lunch if you’re in the area.  

photo credit: Pattie Tobin