Ida

There’s a rare kind of magic to this homely little restaurant on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Kilburn Lane. Opened back in 2007 by novelist Simonetta Wenkert and IT engineer Avi Reichenbach, it has weathered the storms of financial crashes and pandemics to serve a grateful North London community (including the occasional celebrity). At the heart of it all is the restaurant’s namesake, Avi’s mother Ida, whose culinary traditions from her hometown of Cupramontana in the Marche region of Italy encompass a generosity of spirit that's about more than just good food.

On a summer’s evening, the dining room – timeworn and effortlessly stylish – is flooded with light. Tables, casually dressed in light linens with dried flower posies and flickering oil candles, are populated by a broad cross-section of locals: young friends, families celebrating birthdays, parents with newborns in tow, all enjoying a brief, transportive escape. The aubergine walls are almost entirely filled with old drawings, oil paintings and vintage posters. Trattoria tiles and an antique dresser for the waiters’ station complete the picture.

While Simonetta still steers the ship and Avi takes to the stoves on Sundays, day-to-day service is run by the next generation with an infectious warmth. From the open kitchen, comes a succinct line-up of antipasti, primi, secondi and contorni; unfussy but uncompromising in the quality of ingredients. A salad of raw fennel, chopped radicchio and grapefruit might look rudimentary on the plate, but it's brought to life by the buzz of anise, gentle toasty notes of walnuts and a bright, peppery olive oil. The mainstay of the menu, tagliatelle al ragù Marchigiano, is made traditionally with chicken hearts and gizzards, and simmered slowly into a comforting delight.

For dolci, there’s plenty to indulge in. Try the bitter chocolate and almond cake with gelato, or an affogato alongside a stellar selection of well-priced digestivi. The short, all-Italian wine list is thoughtful and rewarding, and if there’s a saffron and sour-cherry spritz on the menu, make sure not to miss it.