Osteria Appennino in City of London

Been visiting Barbican centre over many years but never really sat down for a proper meal.The restaurant had a nice vibe, staff seemed great and knows their wines. With it being evening, the church looked picturesque across the way.I think for London city, the set menu prices were reasonable.For starters I choose the scallops, they were delicious and well complemented. I loved the touch of fresh seaweed, the smell taking you to the ocean.Mains I went for the Pappardelle pasta, braised venison, pecorino cheese, toasted hazelnuts - super tender and sauce was delicious. Being a cheese fiend I wouldn’t have minded a little more pecorino (just not sure if it would have been frowned upon), nevertheless was still tasty.Tried bit of the pork loin, lovely and tender, with a delicious sauce and various vegetables to complement it. Though I’m still not a fan of the type of ‘popcorn’ style crackling people make, I much prefer the mixture of the traditional crunch and melt in mouth textures.I’m happy to return on my future visits.

I had an amazing experience. The food was delicious and the view was outstanding. Friendly waiter and great atmosphere. A bit pricey, but the food was so good that it was worth it.

Nice atmosphere and location but the food wasn’t impressive. My soup was odd-tasting and plain but the risotto was quite nice. Service was quite good and the menu wasn’t exciting.

Slow, with 30 mins from starter to main, without care or explanation. Average food except a tasty chocolate bombe.

Went Saturday afternoon before show Friendly staff. Relaxed atmosphere. Food was excellent. In particular the pea risotto. Reasonably priced. A quality restaurant in a great location for barbican shows even by London High restaurant standards.

Firstly they were quite busy so service was slow.Tried their veganuary set menu which was hit and miss, and quite overpriced considering the cost of the ingredients.My selection was nice though, the gnocchi to start and courgettini main. Both had nice flavours.My wife had the orzotto starter and the cauliflower main. Both were very bland and disappointing.As I say, hit and miss.

Very strange greeting, trying to talk us out of eating there even though the restaurant had many free tables. We were then only given the a la carte menu and had to ask for the theatre one. Pasta was nice. Squid and salad hugely uninteresting and dry. Zucchini was delicious. Will never visit again.

A fancy Italian restaurant in the middle of the Barbican center. Bit pricey. Nice and professional service.

Osteria is a restaurant located on the second level of the Barbican. The restaurant serves predominantly Italian cuisine and wine. I can honestly say that the place far exceeded my expectations. We ordered the salmon, peas and mint risotto, two side salads, and a lavender cocktail and moscato Rosa. Everything was superbly prepared and very fresh. The salmon was a perfect pink and seasoned with sea salt, on a bed of soaked zucchini and aubergine, which was exquisitely prepared. Likewise the peas and mint risotto was beautiful - fresh peas and well-seasoned sprigs of mint. The place was quiet on a Tuesday evening and service was fantastic throughout the meal. Great views of the city as well. Will definitely be going back. As an added bit of fun, the wash basins in the restrooms are controlled by foot pedals. Very cool place.

A pleasant oasis of calm within the Barbican arts complex offering those attending plays and concerts somewhere to have lunch, dinner or just a drink.The food is quite good, though it is the location rather than the food that puts bums on seats here. Portions are a little small, but adequate.On a recent visit, we were not offered bread at the start of the meal, but other than that, service was OK. Though as often is the case these days, one got the feeling that the place was operating with a couple of staff less than would be ideal.Do give it a try if you are visiting the Barbican.