Il Giardino

Il Giardino is a Peckham restaurant where Tu Vuò Fà L’Americano plays with pride, wipe-clean menus are passed between mates, and the slogans on the walls—think ‘dance like no one’s watching’—all sound like the kind of thing your nan would tell you after a break-up. With a holiday-look yellow exterior, this old-school Italian has a smile-a-minute mentality and it’s just the place for a casual weeknight dinner that begins and ends with an orange cocktail. It’s been open since the ‘80s and it shows—the worn-in pine seats, long-standing regulars, and a truly heartwarming commitment to decorating every plate with a balsamic glaze drizzle. The food, which centres around the classic Italian carbohydrates, is nothing to write home about. Really though, you’re here to have a good time with close friends who also appreciate a restaurant time warp, and pick at a plate of simple pasta while Pavarotti vibrates the speakers with Nessun Dorma.

video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley

Food Rundown

A tomato bruschetta, pizza, garlic bread throuple. It’s absurdly filling and although we’re into the crust, a bit more garlic wouldn’t go amiss.

Crostini

This plating looks alarmingly reminiscent of something we once created in a food tech class to try and hide the fact we burnt the bread. Alas, the bread here isn’t burnt but this crostini is a hunk of cheese on toast and not much more.

Tagliatelle Alla Salcisia

We will forgive a lot for the cheese tease that is watching parmesan being freshly sprinkled onto our pasta, including this very average tomato sauce. The sausage and aubergine save the day though. A simple just-want-some-pasta dish to consume while you chat.