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Before it was Leo’s, 59 Chatsworth Road has been an ice cream factory, a caff, and a biker hangout. Now, it’s a sexy and sceney Italian restaurant and bar. One where neon clogs peek out like hooves from beneath formica tables and where plates of giardiniera mimic the rainbow-coloured tiles that clad this Clapton heirloom. Some might see this as a bad thing. Others, who fantasise about €1 Italian restoration projects, may disagree. One thing is certain—Leo’s is beautiful, flawed, and seductive all at once.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Imagine someone who took a sojourn in Sardinia, raided the SSENSE sale, and returned lambrusco-drunk on Chatsworth Road—that’s Leo’s. Entering the front bar area is like stepping into an aesthete’s fantasyland. One where wood-panelled, mid-century tones, black loafers with white socks, and delightful tramezzino finger sandwiches reign supreme. A meal here has highs (the pastas) and plenty of mids (the mains), but all of it is softened by the unmistakable feeling that you’re in a fever dream of the most Sorrentino variety. The sun-dappled negronis and impeccable manicures are happy distractions to food that doesn’t quite hit the heights.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Leo’s is a restaurant that excels in 35mm moments. That first sip of fizz, a wipe of indecently fingerable 60-month aged parmesan whip, the last slurp of agnolotti broth. The menu is straightforward but its quality meanders. The chilled soup could be bathed in and carpaccio di mare is as flavourful as it is vivid. Other things are plain tepid—not least, ironically, the sea bass l’acqua pazza (in crazy water)—but then again, the walnut ice cream has every table spoon-jousting.
Hackney is a crowded field when it comes to restaurants and Leo’s isn’t the best of the bunch, but it is certainly the best-looking. Couple that with an oozing plate of cicoria-stuffed cannelloni, a couple of bottles of Tuscan red, and a new Our Legacy shirt you’ve been saving for a Friday night, and it’s enough to make us happy. But if you want food to remember then it’s true—looks aren’t everything.
Food Rundown
Giardiniera
A plate of kaleidoscopic pickles is how pretty much every meal should start and it’s no different here. Fennel, peppers, carrot, and cucumber are all present and correct.
Tramezzino al Vitello Tonnato
This trio of finger sandwiches, though a little dear at £11, are a delightful two-biter. Aperitivo hour requires finger food—it's non-negotiable—and these porky snacks leave you wanting more.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Mullet Carpaccio, Preserved Lemon & Green Chilli
Tart, fresh, and wholly enlivening, this carpaccio is one of the best dishes on the menu. The slivers of mullet are smothered in a lemon and chilli dressing that perfectly balances acidity and spice.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Agnolotti Stuffed With Rabbit a Succhittu
This luscious agnolotti, all glowing yellow pasta and shimmering velvet sauce, can be sensational. The rabbit stuffing when moist and balanced with gaminess, is excellent. That said, not every bowl is identical in its depth of flavour.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Cannelloni, Cicoria & Pecorino
A crowd-pleaser of the most satisfying variety. Three plump cannelloni stuffed with garlic-laden blitzed cicoria and topped with a puddle of pecorino sauce that’s been flashed under the grill. It’s gooey, it’s green, and it’s totally irresistible.
Grilled Pork Loin, Braised Broad Beans
Even if this plate of wafer-sliced pork doesn’t quite wow, it’s still an enjoyable main course. There’s a light, if a little insipid, meaty broth and the glowing green broad beans have a satisfying bite. Especially when combined with a bit of crackling.
Wild Sea Bass L’Acqua Pazza
Sea bass in crazy water is a classic Italian peasant dish that thrives in the summer. Unfortunately, this version is a little too light on flavour. The fish is moist but otherwise there’s very little else going on.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Walnut Ice Cream, Fresh Cream, Amalfi Lemon, Coffee
Sometimes the best desserts just look like a puddle. This is one of them. The walnut ice cream—subtly flavoured but present—is bedfellows with tart dollops of lemon curd that’s all hidden under a blanket of fresh cream dusted with coffee powder. Share at your peril.