Continuing our occasional look at eating places which might qualify as Old London, we come, as everyone wanting a quick meal in Central London does at some point, to Spaghetti House. This has something of a mixed reputation for food quality, but we cannot doubt its longevity. Founded in 1955 in Goodge Street, it is remembered by the older generation for the Spaghetti House Seige of 1975, when a failed robbery at the Knightsbridge branch led to a several-day stand-off between police and robbers.
It has a number of branches, several of long-standing; the Goodge Street restaurant, just round the corner from CILIP and UCL has hosted more than a few LIS-related mealtimes. However, I most recently visited its branch in the Edwardian surroundings of Sicilian Avenue, pretty much the only sign of life amid post-pandemic closures and redevelopments.
As with the somewhat similar Cosmoba, this is not somewhere where anyone other than the most excitable tourists would photograph the food. Stick to the classics, and you’ll be OK; the spaghetti is, I’m sure, good, though I always opt for the Penne all’arrabiata.
The Occasional Informationist 