Lina Stores

Savour Exquisite Handmade Pasta Creations

In a clandestine nook of Soho, where buzzing charm meets the threat of back-fatigue from cramped seating, lies a gem of an Italian eatery epitomizing the ethos "good things come in small packages." A visit to Lina—think of it as your nonna’s kitchen if she were moonlighting as a slick SoHo city girl—finds you courted by delectably fresh pasta and charming service, courtesy of their very own Italian love ambassadors like Mohamed and Jana. Their truffle pasta doesn’t just whisper to you; it bellows in a culinary operatic aria promising that life’s exile in wet Trafalgar Square afternoons has been worth surviving. Throwing shade at London's stiffly priced leasings, Lina offers bites that don’t equate emptying your bank vault.

The atmosphere can best be described as "chaotically intimate." Be ready to elbow your way past conversations about the newest art exhibitions, while secretly wishing the hipster next to you wasn't on a first date so you could pinch some of his buratta ravioli when he's not looking. The staff has precisely struck the fine balance between attentive care and knowing when to leave you be with just the sweet hum of cannolo-induced reverie for company. Portioned just this side of sustenance-to-last-remainder-of-your-day, the overture of exquisite flavors certainly compensates for any culinary brevity of size. Here even a sip of tap water finishes with a certain elan; must you ever seek takeaway excellence nearby. Overall, Lina does well to indulge you strongly, albeit briefly, answering valiantly the early years' culinary existential question: yes, there is indeed satisfaction beyond noodles the size of legumes. A charming recommendation among London's gastronomic labyrinth. — Penelope Savory