Caffè Vergnano 1882

Delicious soup and risotto. Personable and helpful wait staff. Desserts were some of the best ever. Coffee and vanilla ice cream with espresso to pour over it. Good wine and beer choices. Service was not rushed so don’t go if you’re in a hurry.

I would give this place 3 ½ stars. A friend and I stumbled upon Caffe Vergnano the afternoon we arrived in London from the U.S. after searching for Wagamama, which we never found. It looks like more of a coffee shop, but we weren’t really interested in anyplace else we came across at the time. I ordered the gnocchi w/​gorgonzola and radicchio, which was pretty good, but a tad on the sweet side. Service was okay — nothing spectacular, but not bad either.
Not bad for our very first meal in London, but the other meals we had surpassed this one.

OMG… this restaurant on the South Bank is gorgeous! There is not only outdoor seating for those warm spring, summer and fall days, but there is a nice café area right inside the door, as well as a beautiful sunken dining room… seriously, beautiful!
My friends and I stopped by here after walking across the nearby footpath after dinner on the North side of London at Lupita. It was close to closing time on a weekday evening, so the restaurant was mostly empty, but the staff was so friendly and accommodating… even when we just ordered 3 cups of the famous hot chocolate for dessert! And boy… is this amazing hot chocolate… it is so thick, its almost like chocolate pudding… but the best chocolate pudding I have ever tasted! Our waiter was a doll, and we tipped him a little extra for being so attentive to such a «cheap» table. I loved Caffe Vergnano 1882.

Venture downstairs!
For some reason Caffe Vergnano doesn’t have the presence on the South Bank that the other local eateries do. Squeezed in-​between various big chain restaurants, Caffe Vergnano always seems empty in comparison. Once you venture inside though you realise that everyone is just hiding downstairs! Standard wooden café tables upstairs make way for deep armchairs and walls made from wine cellars. It’s like stumbling through B and Q to find Ligne Roset in the back. Gorgeous.
The food is also really good. Nothing is obvious; no spaghetti bolognese, instead flat pasta with beef fillet in a rich tomato sauce etc. At my last visit i had balsamic marinated chicken with sautéed pumpkin and spinach. Of course the secret to Caffe Vergnano is the desserts. Go for a Tartuffo with chocolate sauce. Not only does it look fab; with the sauce in its own miniature jug on a beautiful japanese style black tray, but when you pour the sauce onto the ice-​cream it creates a frozen shell round the dessert, in effect creating your own giant choc-​ice. Genius. It’s not cheap, but then again its not too expensive. You’re looking at about £30 per head for 2 courses and coffee. It’s not a venue for a date but if you want to sit down and catch up with old friends it’s perfect.
Secret tip: If you cant afford or don’t want a whole dessert order a hot chocolate. It’s thicker, creamier, and larger than any pudding. The richness of the chocolate is insane and i swear it has a stronger effect than three shots of Espresso.

A very nice coffee shop, hidden away on the south bank. The coffee is great and the chocolate is very good.

Extremely poor service — we waited over 45 minutes for our main course.

You will need to take a look inside to really get the most out of Caffè Vergnano, the start white interior, has a clean quality, and the balcony near the entrance, looks out over the downstairs area through a huge arch. The food is simple, averagely priced sandwiches and salads. It is the drinks are what make this place special. Traditional hot chocolate, made from real melted chocolate, is rich and delicious. Be warned though, the large may prove just a little bit too much.