Archway isn’t in Archway, but it is in an archway.
A lovely one, too. The sweeping brick gateway in question is in an unassuming and quiet corner of Battersea underneath an old railway bridge. Head for Arch 65, you’ll see a jet-back door, with a small, illuminated doorbell. Ring that bell, and a waiter will pop their head around and you’ll be ushered into an elegant little hidden gem of a restaurant for one of the best meals in the neighbourhood (in fact, it’s recently been listed in the Michelin Guide).
Inside, Archway is a cozily intimate, candlelit space covered in off-white wood panelling, and filled with cloudy marble tables, and rich olive-green seating. Oh, and don’t be alarmed by the rumbling roof; that’s just from the trains passing overhead.
Presiding over all of it is the small open kitchen at the back, which is headed up by the young and talented, chef Lorenzo Nigro. He’s created a modern Italian menu that focuses on bold flavours, sustainability and seasonality which manages the remarkable feat of actually being fairly reasonably well-priced, too. (Be warned, you’ll probably be asked to order dessert at the same time as everything else, which makes for an interesting guessing game of ‘how full will I be?’).
Start with the creamy burrata, now paired with chargrilled baby gem, fennel, and blood orange. Then there’s pasta, including tagliolini cacio e pepe with marinated egg yolk or rich fettuccine with ragu napoletano. And for your main course? Dive into lamb cutlets with parsnips drizzled in hot honey sauce, or a huge sirloin steak partnered up with cabbage and Gorgonzola butter.
As for the drinks, you can expect your fair share of Italian wines which you’ll see lined up by the bar. They’ve also got a small selection of cocktails some of which are infused with seasonal ingredients, such as a blood orange and pomegranate bellini, as well as a classic negroni sbagliato.
Which is all a roundabout way of saying that Queen’s Circus is worth a visit.
NOTE: Archway is now open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday. You can find out more and book a table on their website.
PERK: Nudge Members (+1) got 50% off the food bill for the whole of February (excluding Valentine’s Day).
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Archway | Arch 65, Queens Circus, SW8 4NE
Fancy taking a trip over the river? Check out one of the best Chelsea restaurants next time.
