Popolo Shoreditch

The story

Popolo Shoreditch – Italian Sharing Plates & Natural Wine in London's East End

People's Food, Done Properly

The name says it all. Popolo is Italian for "people," and that spirit — unpretentious, generous, rooted in craft — runs through everything at this small independent restaurant on Rivington Street. Chef Jon Lawson and his team cook Italian-inspired food with quiet confidence, drawing on regional Italian traditions while weaving in Middle Eastern and Moorish touches that keep the menu alive and genuinely interesting.

The Kitchen and What Comes Out of It

Lawson's menu shifts with the seasons and is built around sustainably sourced produce treated, in his own words, "with minimum fuss." Fresh pasta is hand-rolled for every service — taglierini with hand-picked Dorset crab and bottarga, agnolotti filled with pork cheek and finished with porcini butter, egg tagliatelle with an aged beef ragù. These are the kinds of dishes that reward attention without demanding it.

Beyond pasta, the sharing plates range from a creamy burrata with crispy olives, chickpeas and n'duja, to an octopus stew cooked Luciana-style with roseval potatoes, capers and tomato. Gnudi — naked ravioli of sheep's ricotta — arrive with a red pepper sauce. Jumbo English asparagus comes with egg yolk and pecorino. The Italian-inspired cooking here has real range: coastal, earthy, occasionally spiced, always seasonal.

Desserts keep the same register: a burnt cheesecake with raspberries, an Amalfi lemon tart, stracciatella ice cream.

The Space and How It Works

The room is split across two floors. Downstairs, a bar overlooks the open kitchen — the kitchen theatre experience Lawson's team describe is genuinely that, a front-row seat to the cooking rather than a gimmick. Upstairs, tables and a window bar look out onto Rivington Street. The setting is compact and deliberate; reservations are taken for up to five, and a private dining room accommodates groups of up to sixteen.

To drink, the list focuses on natural and low-intervention wines from small producers — chosen, like the food, for authenticity and character.

Recognition Worth Noting

Gambero Rosso, the authoritative Italian food and wine guide, awarded Popolo two forks — a mark of genuine quality that places it among a select group of Italian-inspired restaurants in London worth seeking out. For a room this size, operating with this level of intention, that recognition feels well-earned.