Obicà Mozzarella Bar (CLOSED)

Obicà Mozzarella Bar built its reputation on a single ingredient done properly, mozzarella di bufala Campana D.O.P., delivered fresh from small producers in Campania several times a week. The name is Neapolitan dialect for "here it is", and that is the promise of the place, the freshest buffalo mozzarella in town, served the way a sushi counter serves fish.

The Soho branch sits on Poland Street, an easy walk from Oxford Street and Carnaby, and follows the formula that has carried the group from Rome to London and New York. The mozzarella arrives as tasting boards in several styles, classic, smoked and creamy burrata, matched with Italian cured meats, seasonal vegetables and hand-made pasta.

An Italian restaurant with a mozzarella bar at its heart

Beyond the boards, the kitchen turns out Neapolitan-style pizza from a proper oven, along with risotto, salads and a run of Italian desserts, and the wine list stays loyal to Italian regions from Campania to Piedmont. Vegetarians do unusually well here, since so much of the menu is built around the cheese itself, and the tasting boards make an easy shared starter for a table that cannot agree on anything else. Lunch works as a quick plate of pasta, while evenings stretch into shared boards and a bottle among friends. Seasonal specials rotate through the year, and the group runs a loyalty club that rewards regulars across its London restaurants.

How the visit works

Booking is sensible for dinner later in the week, though the bar seats keep space for walk-ins, and the room works as well for a date as for a table of six. It sits within easy reach of the rest of the restaurants in Soho, and pairs naturally with a proper Neapolitan pizza night at Cinquecento on Greek Street.