Babbo is the affectionate Italian term for father, and in this Mayfair restaurant you’re made to feel part of the family.
Waiting staff bustle around you, suggesting wines, taking time to talk through the menu, attentively explaining the provenance of the ingredients, even presenting a prized white truffle in a glass case just flown in from Italy.
Co-owned by David Luiz and Willian in partnership with agent Kia Joorabchian, Babbo is just off Piccadilly on Albemarle Street in the heart of Mayfair, but beyond the opulent setting you wouldn’t guess it belongs to a pair of footballers. And Brazilian footballers at that – with its modern twist on traditional Italian dishes.
Babbo is the affectionate Italian term for father, and in this Mayfair restaurant you’re made to feel part of the family.
Waiting staff bustle around you, suggesting wines, taking time to talk through the menu, attentively explaining the provenance of the ingredients, even presenting a prized white truffle in a glass case just flown in from Italy.
Co-owned by David Luiz and Willian in partnership with agent Kia Joorabchian, Babbo is just off Piccadilly on Albemarle Street in the heart of Mayfair, but beyond the opulent setting you wouldn’t guess it belongs to a pair of footballers. And Brazilian footballers at that – with its modern twist on traditional Italian dishes.
Huge spray-painted murals on the theme of fatherhood line the walls. There are no shirts, no player pics, or boots in cases, though a Google search quickly reveals that David Luiz and Willian are not shy in entertaining friends here. The Brazil squad ate at the restaurant when in town for a friendly against Croatia in 2018 and Everton’s James Rodríguez is among recent guests.
The food is exceptional, the flavours exciting. Atsina cress on a beetroot and goat’s cheese salad provides a surprise lift, while little cubes of celery give a crunch to a carpaccio so soft it melts in the mouth. Our mains of seabass – baked in a salt case to retain its flavour – and pan-fried cod with black truffles are delicate and perfectly cooked.
The wines, recommended to accompany each dish, are superb – a Montepulciano with the carpaccio, a French Sauvignon Blanc with the fish then a sweet Sicilian Salina to go with an apricot meringue pie and crème brûlée for dessert. On a cold, autumnal night in London, with the 10pm Covid-imposed curfew approaching and the streets empty, Babbo is a welcome haven.
Babbo is the affectionate Italian term for father, and in this Mayfair restaurant you’re made to feel part of the family.
Waiting staff bustle around you, suggesting wines, taking time to talk through the menu, attentively explaining the provenance of the ingredients, even presenting a prized white truffle in a glass case just flown in from Italy.
Co-owned by David Luiz and Willian in partnership with agent Kia Joorabchian, Babbo is just off Piccadilly on Albemarle Street in the heart of Mayfair, but beyond the opulent setting you wouldn’t guess it belongs to a pair of footballers. And Brazilian footballers at that – with its modern twist on traditional Italian dishes.
Babbo is the affectionate Italian term for father, and in this Mayfair restaurant you’re made to feel part of the family.
Waiting staff bustle around you, suggesting wines, taking time to talk through the menu, attentively explaining the provenance of the ingredients, even presenting a prized white truffle in a glass case just flown in from Italy.
Co-owned by David Luiz and Willian in partnership with agent Kia Joorabchian, Babbo is just off Piccadilly on Albemarle Street in the heart of Mayfair, but beyond the opulent setting you wouldn’t guess it belongs to a pair of footballers. And Brazilian footballers at that – with its modern twist on traditional Italian dishes.
Babbo is the affectionate Italian term for father, and in this Mayfair restaurant you’re made to feel part of the family.
Waiting staff bustle around you, suggesting wines, taking time to talk through the menu, attentively explaining the provenance of the ingredients, even presenting a prized white truffle in a glass case just flown in from Italy.
Co-owned by David Luiz and Willian in partnership with agent Kia Joorabchian, Babbo is just off Piccadilly on Albemarle Street in the heart of Mayfair, but beyond the opulent setting you wouldn’t guess it belongs to a pair of footballers. And Brazilian footballers at that – with its modern twist on traditional Italian dishes.
Huge spray-painted murals on the theme of fatherhood line the walls. There are no shirts, no player pics, or boots in cases, though a Google search quickly reveals that David Luiz and Willian are not shy in entertaining friends here. The Brazil squad ate at the restaurant when in town for a friendly against Croatia in 2018 and Everton’s James Rodríguez is among recent guests.
The food is exceptional, the flavours exciting. Atsina cress on a beetroot and goat’s cheese salad provides a surprise lift, while little cubes of celery give a crunch to a carpaccio so soft it melts in the mouth. Our mains of seabass – baked in a salt case to retain its flavour – and pan-fried cod with black truffles are delicate and perfectly cooked.
The wines, recommended to accompany each dish, are superb – a Montepulciano with the carpaccio, a French Sauvignon Blanc with the fish then a sweet Sicilian Salina to go with an apricot meringue pie and crème brûlée for dessert. On a cold, autumnal night in London, with the 10pm Covid-imposed curfew approaching and the streets empty, Babbo is a welcome haven.
Babbo is the affectionate Italian term for father, and in this Mayfair restaurant you’re made to feel part of the family.
Waiting staff bustle around you, suggesting wines, taking time to talk through the menu, attentively explaining the provenance of the ingredients, even presenting a prized white truffle in a glass case just flown in from Italy.
Co-owned by David Luiz and Willian in partnership with agent Kia Joorabchian, Babbo is just off Piccadilly on Albemarle Street in the heart of Mayfair, but beyond the opulent setting you wouldn’t guess it belongs to a pair of footballers. And Brazilian footballers at that – with its modern twist on traditional Italian dishes.
