World Pasta Day 2026 is on Sunday 25 October, and the clocks go back that morning, so everyone gets an extra hour in bed before lunch. That makes it an ideal day to round up friends for pasta and pizza at 64 Old Compton Street. Our big windows fill the room with natural light, and the tables look straight out onto one of the liveliest streets in Soho. We are open from midday until 10.30pm, so you can come in for lunch or meet up later for an early dinner before the week begins.
Pasta to share round the table
Our menu is made for a table of friends ordering a few plates and passing them round. The spaghetti carbonara is cooked Italian style, and the spaghetti with homemade beef and pork meatballs is a hearty choice for anyone who wants a big plate of comfort. The potato gnocchi with slow-cooked beef ragu is hearty and filling, and the chicken, saffron and asparagus risotto brings something lighter and golden to the middle of the table. Everything is easy to share, so the whole group gets a taste.
Homemade beef lasagne
Our homemade beef lasagne is one of the most comforting plates on the menu, with layers of pasta and slow-cooked beef baked together until the edges turn golden. Lasagne is one of the oldest pasta dishes in Italy, and every family seems to have its own version handed down through the generations. It is the plate we would point a first-time visitor towards on World Pasta Day. To try making it yourself, our guide to how Italians make lasagna walks you through the traditional way, step by step.
A day for sharing pasta
The idea for World Pasta Day came out of Rome on 25 October 1995, at a congress where producers from 40 nations gathered to share ideas about the food they make. That is why World Pasta Day is always held on 25 October, and since 1998 the date has been marked every year as a day for sharing pasta, and cooks and restaurants all over the world post their favourite plates. For us it is a reason to celebrate the dishes we cook every day, and a Sunday lunch with friends is about the most Italian way to do it.
Lighter plates and pizza for the table
For something meat-free, the spinach and ricotta ravioli comes stuffed with fresh ricotta and dressed in tomato with basil, while the penne arrabbiata brings the heat with cherry tomatoes, fresh chillies and garlic. If anyone at the table would rather have pizza, every one is hand-stretched and made fresh in-house, and a pizza in the middle of the table goes well with a round of pasta. The full menu has everything else we are cooking this autumn, including our desserts for anyone with room left.
Finding us on Sunday 25 October
For a World Pasta Day in London with friends, head to Old Compton Street in the centre of Soho, a few minutes on foot from Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road stations. Weekends get busy, especially at lunchtime, so the easiest way to get the table you want is to reserve a table online ahead of the day. Bigger groups are welcome too, and booking early gives us time to set up a table for everyone. You will find directions and a map on our locations page.