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Legare

London, Tower Bridge - Italian - Restaurant - ££

Overall Rating: Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Good

A converted warehouse in the shadow of Tower Bridge is an unlikely spot for a small, independently owned Italian restaurant, but Legare 'punches above its weight,' according to one well-satisfied visitor. Inside, it’s all white walls and stone flooring with tightly packed tables and a centrepiece open-plan kitchen delivering a seasonal, regularly changing menu that’s sensibly short and bolstered by blackboard specials. Chef/co-owner Matt Beardmore honed his craft at Trullo in Islington and we were impressed by the exemplary hand-made paccheri (large pasta tubes) served with a ragù of braised cuttlefish given heft with a touch of chilli and a topping of bottarga. We kicked things off with a dish of cured chalk stream trout, pickled kohlrabi, dill and mustard seeds as well as delicious grilled mackerel with shaved fennel and orange, while our 'secondi' was accurately timed roast quail which arrived in company with onions, sultanas, Kalamazoo olives, pine nuts...

A converted warehouse in the shadow of Tower Bridge is an unlikely spot for a small, independently owned Italian restaurant, but Legare 'punches above its weight,' according to one well-satisfied visitor. Inside, it’s all white walls and stone flooring with tightly packed tables and a centrepiece open-plan kitchen delivering a seasonal, regularly changing menu that’s sensibly short and bolstered by blackboard specials. Chef/co-owner Matt Beardmore honed his craft at Trullo in Islington and we were impressed by the exemplary hand-made paccheri (large pasta tubes) served with a ragù of braised cuttlefish given heft with a touch of chilli and a topping of bottarga. We kicked things off with a dish of cured chalk stream trout, pickled kohlrabi, dill and mustard seeds as well as delicious grilled mackerel with shaved fennel and orange, while our 'secondi' was accurately timed roast quail which arrived in company with onions, sultanas, Kalamazoo olives, pine nuts and pink fir potatoes. The fresh-from-the-oven focaccia seasoned with roasted garlic and oregano is not to be missed, while dessert might promise cannoli with Marcona almonds (priced by the piece) or, perhaps, white chocolate cremoso with passion fruit. Beardmore's business partner Jay Patel (ex-Barrafina) heads a tightly knit front-of-house-team. The wine list comprises some 38 natural tipples sourced from small Italian producers, with a dozen offered by the glass. 

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J Southern

26 May 2025

Our first visit to Legare and we were very impressed. I would score it higher were it not for a couple of minor hiccups (in our opinion).

As there were only two main courses available (neither of which we ...
Our first visit to Legare and we were very impressed. I would score it higher were it not for a couple of minor hiccups (in our opinion).

As there were only two main courses available (neither of which we fancied on the day) we decided to order some “spuntini” of excellent focaccia and some “Speck”. The focaccia was a revelation but the Speck didn’t have the customary “smokiness” I expected. It was more like a milder, less sweet Prosciutto but pretty good nevertheles...
Our first visit to Legare and we were very impressed. I would score it higher were it not for a couple of minor hiccups (in our opinion).

As there were only two main courses available (neither of which we fancied on the day) we decided to order some “spuntini” of excellent focaccia and some “Speck”. The focaccia was a revelation but the Speck didn’t have the customary “smokiness” I expected. It was more like a milder, less sweet Prosciutto but pretty good nevertheless.

My wife had the fried Ragstone cheese with salad which was wonderful. Crisp, deep-fried cheese, with a perfectly dressed salad, dotted with the most delicious candied pecans (finishing with a mild chilli bite). However that starter was beaten by my mussels bruschetta, which was simply awesome. The mussels were simply perfect, soft and delicious, served in a mildly spicy tomato sauce, on a slice of the toasted focaccia. A truly memorable starter. So far, so very good.

The pasta courses while not by any means bad were a little disappointing. My homemade conchiglie, with a fennel sausage ragu had no appreciable fennel flavour. The sauce was good enough, but totally lacked any fennel flavour, (even when you bit into the nuggets of the meaty sausage that hadn’t disintegrated into the sauce). The pasta (made in the traditional way without egg) was excellent. A similar story emerged with my wife’s linguine with squid and peas. Top quality pasta, a rich sauce dotted with peas but little or no squid – save for a couple of tiny particles of tentacle. Again, nothing could be remotely described as bad (or even poor) but it had the potential to be outstanding.

I didn’t have a desert but my wife had a panna cotta with strawberries, which was quite large and declared “Delicious and correct”.

With the meal we had a bottle of my wife’s favourite wine – a Primitivo from Mocavero, (first tasted at Francesco Mazzei’s Sartoria, some years ago). At £46 I though the mark-up reasonable. Service was excellent and the small place was buzzing, which bodes well for the future. Recommended.
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VENUE DETAILS

Cardamom Building, 31 Shad Thames
Tower Bridge
SE1 2YRGB

020 8063 7667

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OTHER INFORMATION

Family friendly

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