St John’s Wood locals have already begun a love affair with Osteria Stecca, with the crowds piling in every night to enjoy generous hospitality and great Italian food with just a dash of flash.

The Venue
Osteria Stecca can be found on Blenheim Terrace, which is about five or ten minutes walk from St John’s Wood underground station. From the outside, huge green shrubs and pretty flowers line the path to the door, and there’s a pretty terrace next to the entrance which will be the perfect place to while away a lazy summer lunchtime. Once inside the restaurant itself, the small restaurant area has a bright, airy feel thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the venue, and bright white paint and table linens. The decor is simple and monochrome, with clean lines and smart fixtures and fittings.

The Atmosphere
A crowd of wealthy St John’s Wood residents pile into Osteria Stecca every night, with the place filling up by around 8pm even on weeknights. The restaurant welcomes everyone from families with children to couples on a romantic date or business diners. The staff are well-versed in the menu, working the bustling restaurant and explaining the courses and making wine recommendations. Every so often during the night the former chef from Brunello at the Baglioni, Stefano Stecca, Head Chef and owner, enters the room and rotates around the tables delivering meals and chatting up the ladies in a splendid jovial style.

The Food
Osteria Stecca serves up exceptional Italian food, with well-priced set menus priced at £18 for two courses, £21 for three and £24 for four. Kick off proceedings with the generously portioned antipasti. Options include scallops, thinly-sliced veal or buffalo mozzarella. There’s also a traditional beef carpaccio, wafer-thin bright red slices served with huge, salty shavings of Parmesan. The Japanese-style tuna dish arrives on a huge, trendy black plate, with three offerings of tuna in sashimi, seared and tartare styles. The tuna tartare is the outstanding element of the trio, prepared simply with a few herbs and olive oil.

Moving onto the primi platti, there’s a good choice of pastas and risottos. Generously portioned, these would be more than adequate as a main course, in particular the asparagus lasagne. The pasta has been made by Stefano on the premises, and tastes fresh and light, served decoratively with green asparagus criss-crossing the top of the bright yellow pasta sheets, held together in a rich, creamy sauce. The risotto is served with four cheeses, then covered in Parmesan, resulting in a rich, indulgent flavour that surprisingly doesn’t overpower or leave you feeling too full for the main courses.

The main courses are meaty and, again, served in giant portions. The calf’s liver is particularly huge, cooked to order and served atop piles of spinach. The sweet balsamic sauce it comes in is a little strong and runs the danger of overpowering the other flavours of the dish, but the liver is of excellent quality and cooked quickly, which keeps it robust enough to stand up to the gravy. If you wanted something a little lighter, you might imagine the cod to be a good option, but don’t be fooled. The roasted cod is huge and meaty, flakes away at the touch of a fork, and tastes salty and fresh. Accompanied by a light mushroom cream sauce on the side, the fish is moist and fresh.

If you can fit in a dessert, there’s a delicious mille-feuille with seasonal fruits or chocolate soufflé with pistachio ice cream, or you could skip them altogether and plump for a sweet and strong limoncello.

The Drink
The maitre d’ will happily come over to your table to discuss what you’re eating to make wine recommendations. A good accompaniment for couples eating fish and meat who want to share a bottle of the same wine is the light Valpolicella, priced at about £25. It’s light texture and cherry flavours do have a slight acidity, but not unpleasantly so, and it’s an easy drinker that stands up to meat but doesn’t overpower fish dishes.

The Last Word
Osteria Stecca is already attracting a loyal following, thanks not only to well-executed and well-priced Italian food, but also due to the dominating presence of Stefano himself. His friendly Italian hospitality makes the place feel warm and welcoming, and that will keep the crowds coming back for more.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (2) image gallery (9)