Bella Italia - St Martins Lane

You're stumbling out of the English National Opera or dodging the street performers around Covent Garden, and honestly, you just want a decent plate of pasta without the faff. This St Martin's Lane outpost sits pretty much dead centre of theatreland, which should be a red flag, but somehow they've managed to keep things both affordable and actually tasty. The carbonara's got proper bite, the pizzas aren't cardboard, and the tiramisu doesn't taste like it's been sitting in a fridge since 1987. Yes, it's a chain, but when you're this close to Leicester Square and they're charging reasonable prices for food that won't make you regret your life choices, that feels like a minor miracle. The interior's nothing revolutionary, but it's warm and buzzy enough to feel properly Italian rather than corporate sterile.