La Porchetta - Muswell Hill; Review

Hello lovelies,

A few weeks back, i had a girls night out with some of my lovely ladies, and we decided on dinner out first. Its always a little challenge to figure out somewhere to go and eat that will meet every ones needs, as well as provide a a wide range of food and some Gluten Free food, as i have some gluten free friends. We all fancied Italian, (and as we know, Italians love pasta and pizza, which is full of gluten), so we had too have a good look around. To be fair a lot more restaurants are becoming aware of gluten foods, and they tend to note it down at the bottom of their menus now which is always a plus.

After some hunting around and some phone calls, we decided to go to a local Italian restaurant in Muswell Hill, La Porchetta. It has a wide selection of foods, from pastas and pizzas to freshly cooked fish such as sea bass, mussels, prawns and even squid. I had been to this restaurant before and even though its not one of my favourites in North London for Italian food, the atmosphere can be quite nice. La Porchetta is a chain company which means there are a few more of them in and around London.

We arrived and were seated straight away, the food didn't take long to come and the one thing i love about them, is their portion sizes are always spot on. I had mussels to start with and then Carbonara as my main. Its a very inexpensive restaurant, and can be very busy at times, especially peak times. We went when there was football on, so it was louder than usual. You had waiters coming out of the kitchen just to shout out "GOOOOLLLLO". That being said, on any given night the restaurant is usually busy. Lots of birthday parties are also booked in and when the birthday cake comes out the restaurant likes to turn the lights off and sing happy birthday loudly and over the top which can make for a fun evening out, or could be your idea of a not so great evening out when you are trying to eat your meal in peace.

Overall the girls i went with, liked the food and the atmosphere, even if it was a little hectic and crazy especially with the football going on. I would go back again, as its a local to me, the food is good and inexpensive..but if you are looking for a more romantic venue for just you and your partner i might give this one a miss.

Have you ever been to a La Porchetta? What restaurants do you recommend in North London!?

Ana
xx