Growing Italian restaurant group, Al Dente, is looking to continue developing new sites in London over the next couple of years following the recent opening of its new Angel venue, with at least another two or three sites in the pipeline for the capital.
The group, which serves a menu celebrating Roman culinary art at the new restaurant, opened the site last week.
With the new addition to its portfolio, Al Dente’s portfolio includes four eateries in the capital, plus a ghost kitchen, offering fresh pasta made daily.
Filippo Gallenzi, founder and managing director of Al Dente – Il Pastificio, told FEJ that the restaurant’s first few days since opening have been successful, with a mix of walk-ins and bookings.
He said: “We have many bookings on the weekends as well, and a lot of interest from people passing by. Also, our staff are doing a great job. So it’s going to get better every day.
“Angel was an area that we weren’t covering with deliveries and it’s quite far away from our other shops.”
The footfall in the Angel area was a big draw for the brand to open its new site there.
Mr Gallenzi said: “It’s a vibrant area – it’s young. There is a mix of office workers and students.”
The group is aiming to continue growing in the coming years and is eyeing up potential new locations in the capital.
Mr Gallenzi added: “The aim of the company since day one is to grow and open more branches – to scale up. We have at least two or three more branches in the pipeline in the next couple of years, in London. Hopefully the next one by the end of the year. Hopefully in Canary Wharf or Clapham, but we’ll see.
“We need to see how this one will perform first. We are confident we are going to make it.”
To mark the Angel opening, the ‘Gricia’ pasta – an icon of Roman cuisine – is available at the new location for a limited period of one month.
The 70 square metre dine-in eatery offers an immersive food experience featuring dishes from several Italian regions, with a distinctive focus on the authentic Roman pasta tradition.
Its kitchen follows a similar layout to its other locations, with a smaller back-of-house footprint than the brand’s flagship restaurant.
The heart of the experience lies in Roman favourites such as Carbonara, Amatriciana and Cacio e Pepe.
Goodge Street, the group’s first restaurant, opened in 2018, followed by the Monument store in 2021, and the flagship restaurant in South Kensington, which launched in 2022.
A ghost kitchen in Hackney aligns with contemporary trends, ensuring delivery services for customers across the city.
