Following up openings in Oxford and Bath, the third location of Jamies Italian is bright and cheerful, from the colourful decor right down to the chirpy staff.

The Venue
Like its predecessors, this Jamies Italian is located in a university town, in this case Kingston-upon-Thames. The venue is ideally situated on a corner of the high street, right near the shopping district and across from the Rose Theatre, ensuring a steady stream of families, university students and passers-by. From the outside it’s a bit subdued, with brown paint and beige awnings, and the dark windows only let through hints of all the colour inside.

There are about three different areas to the restaurant, with a casual bar area towards the front that snakes through past the open kitchen to a narrow hallway by the staircase before emptying out in a much larger room which contains most of the tables. From the orange metal chairs to the green and purple graffiti scrawled across the walls, there’s a constant, full-on assault on your eyesight – but instead of being headache-inducing, it merely adds to the whole experience. A pasta maker here, a giant disco ball there… every time you look around, you see something different.

The Atmosphere
There’s a no-booking policy at Jamies Italian (unless you’re in a group of eight or more) and celebrity chefs are not exactly a dime a dozen in Kingston you can expect queues to see what all the fuss is about. The atmosphere is, to sum it up in one word, friendly. The diners seem happy, relieved to be able to set down their shopping bags and try the food – and after they do they seem more than content. The venue is incredibly adept at dealing with children: high chairs, crayons and pages to colour are delivered before you even ask, and the kids’ menu is analysed through a red plastic ‘80s View-Master. Older children are smug and pleased, probably thinking that Mum and Dad have finally taken them somewhere cool.

Even though the staff are quite probably hoping that you shovel down your Italian fare as quickly as possible to alleviate the queue building up by the door, you’d be hard pressed to catch them at being anything but friendly and tirelessly patient. Need even more time to decide what to order? No problem. Your charming toddler thinks it’s hilarious to waddle in front of a server with a tray full of drinks? Smiles all around. From queues to shouty children to the cramped quarters of the bread and water station, they endure everything cheerfully and actually seem like they’re enjoying themselves no matter how busy it gets.

The Food
Jamie Oliver’s fingerprints are all over the menu, at times a little confusingly (My Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, Jamie’s Italian Spaghetti Bolognaise – just who’s running the show here?) but in general the cheerful, upbeat tone is cute, not grating. Prices won’t raise any eyebrows thanks to the name behind the venue, but they’re still reasonable and the portions are large. There’s an entire section dedicated to starters and olives, and starters range from £2.50 to £6.50 for an antipasti plank, available in both meat and vegetarian versions. Arriving on a wooden board which is stacked on top of tinned tomatoes, both plates come with incredibly soft, gooey baby mozzarella, a sliver of pecorino cheese with sweet chilli jam, pickles, olives, chillies and a creamy, minty coleslaw-style salad. The meat plank includes four types of soft, wafer-thin cured meats (bresaola, salami, mortadella and prosciutto) whilst the vegetarian option comes with a shallow bowl full of roasted artichokes, aubergine and peppers.

Mains include a list of pasta, homemade, filled and baked. Prawn linguini (£5.75 for a starter, £9.50 for a main) arrives in a large, deep bowl, with strands of the thick, al dente pasta tangled with tomatoes and prawns in a spicy red garlic sauce. A handful of rocket leaves top the dish. The char grilled chop steak organic buffalo burger (£10.95) is a mouthful to say and more than a mouthful to eat when it’s presented on a rectangular wooden board. It’s an absolutely enormous portion, and even though the meat isn’t too thick, the seeded bun and piled up accompaniments of pickles, lettuce, chillies and cheese more than make up for it in size. The taste is quite distinct from a regular beef burger, more smoky and savoury than you might expect. A side of tomato and mozzarella salad (£4.25) is simple and fresh, with the same good quality mozzarella as on the antipasti plank and juicy tomato wedges, whereas the polenta chips (£2.50) are thick and crisp, sprinkled with rosemary and grated parmesan cheese.

Puddings are mostly traditionally Italian (tiramisu, pannacotta) or Italian with a twist (Italian Bakewell tart). The chocolate banana brownie (£4.65) is soft and crumbly, with a bit of chocolate and banana chunks in the centre. Ice cream (£3.75 for three scoops) has a rotating roster of flavours, including a creamy, intense dark chocolate, a sugary hazelnut and a bittersweet limoncello.

The Drink
The all-Italian wine list is short and to the point, with two types of organic wine, five whites, five red and two roses from £13.95 and £3.70 per glass. All are available by the 175ml glass and most by the carafe as well. Champagne (the only non-Italian intruder on the list) starts from £40 and £55, but – as Jamie says on the menu – who needs Champagne when you can have Prosecco from £27.90 a bottle? Other drinks include spirits, cocktails from £4.25, sodas, juices, and San Pelligrino Aranciata and Limonata (fizzy orange and lemon).

The Last Word
Whilst there is no mistaking Jamies Italian for a local, family-run neighbourhood restaurant, it’s a fun, laid back place with good food, friendly staff and decent prices. Join the queue and see for yourself.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (36)