London is not wanting for Italian restaurants. With your ultra-convivial, family-run osterias like Ciao Bella, stylish little pasta places (Trullo, Dalla) and the new breed of camp-y, mega-trattorias such as Gloria and Carlotta, there’s enough la dolce vita in the city for you to have a different sort of pizzette every night of the week for years to come.
Senza Fondo doesn’t care about any of that. An Italian-American restaurant right out of a Billy Joel song, their name translates to ‘bottomless’ and that’s what they’re here to do - serve unlimited lasagna until you pass out/admit defeat/call an ambulance.
For all its TikTok flair, what’s really enjoyable about Senza Fondo is that everyone here is really, truly having a laugh
Sure, the concept of ‘bottomless lasagna’ might seem like a false economy. How much lasagne can one person truly eat? Especially when each sturdy chonk is served in a bath of bechamel and topped with a heavy cloud of parmesan shavings? But for £20 a head, you can test your nerve with all-you-can-eat lasagna in meaty (slow-cooked beef shin) or veggie (artichoke) versions. Handily, this is good stuff. Eight-ish densely-packed layers of pasta that holds its form rather than slopping all over the place. The beef shin leans into the richness of the meat and the vegetarian option is a cheese-lover’s dream.
But with a place like this, you need a game plan. If you’re after true bang for your buck, then skip the starters. The bouncy burrata with truffle and honey butter, or the creamy pizzette with lardo, egg and mascarpone, will only fill you up and induce a carb coma before the main event. Either go solely with bottomless lasagna, or else delve into a mixture of a couple of starters and the short pasta menu of fettuccine alfredo, or a vegan casarecce with spiced red pepper ‘nduja’. But going to a bottomless lasagna restaurant to simply eat starters is a bit like going to Glastonbury and spending your entire weekend in the cinema tent.
For all its TikTok-friendly flair, what’s really enjoyable about Senza Fondo is the fact that everyone here is really, truly having a laugh. There’s a live piano man in the corner busting out Daydream Believer, (Sitting On) the Dock of the Bay, and Moondance, and chatter is at a level best described as ‘unbridled’. On our visit someone was even wearing a shiny pink party hat. Bottomless lasagna might not be for everyone, but a vibe like this can’t be beaten.
The vibe Giddy, Italian-American diner energy. Think The Sopranos but without the threat of indiscriminate violence.
The food A short menu of Italian classics, including bottomless lasagna for £20.
The drink Old school cocktails and glasses of house wine for £6 a pop.
Time Out tip Your first negroni is a fiver. A deal not to be ignored.