Trattoria Da Aldo

I had a baked penne dish here that was really quite fantastic. Definitely worth a try if you haven’t tried it yet. One thing though — they aren’t big on additions/​substitutions; I tried to add chicken and was greeted with a flat «no» to that request. Food was still great, but something to be aware of.

Found this place with Tastecard, there were four of us and everything on the menu except specials and drinks were 50%.
The calamari fritti was really delicious! It tasted fresh and was piping hot. Spaghetti Scoglio was yummy, the spaghetti cooked just right and the seafood plentiful. The veal Saltimbocca was flavorful along with the potatoes.
I knocked off one star because while the portions were filling, they are not huge and the prices were a bit high without Tastecard. That said, with the Tastecard i felt we got a really good deal and definitely would return with it.
The tables surrounding us were all Italian, so that was a good sign.
I don’t know why some reviews elsewhere say the service is shoddy, we had a really friendly server that was prompt and did her job without being overwhelming.

During a weekend getaway in London, two friends and I visited the restaurant to have dinner.
The waitress brought us, without being asked, bread and olives, after we ordered our food and drinks, which was quite nice. The food was good and also was the white house wine.
Unfortunately, these are the only positive things I can say about it.
The service was rather poor since the plates got cleared while we were still eating. In addition, we got charged for the bread and olives without letting us know (or at least giving us a hint.) in advance that it is not complimentary as we thought.
After finishing our dinner we asked for the bill. As the service charge was described as optional, we refused to pay the service charge after we got our change back. The waitress acted confused and the manger intervened. He was most impolite by blaming us not to talk about the service issue before we paid and telling my friend that her English is really poor. We didn’t get the money for the service charge back.
I cannot recommend this restaurant.

Just went for dinner tonight. Our feet hurt from walking all day, we were exhausted and we were so hungry. So when we saw this adorable and cosy Italian place, we just went straight in.
The service was good, we got everything we asked for, just needed to remind the waitress for water. The ambience is amazing though! Checkered table cloths, small booths, intimate lighting. I didn’t go to the restroom but my friend said it did not match the lovely-​ness of the rest of the restaurant.
For Soho, the food was really reasonably priced, and it totally hit the spot! We were both craving pasta and her fusilli special was just as good as my spaghetti carbonara. For starters we had garlic bread and mushroom bruschetta. All of the plates were good size portions. Just simple and delicious Italian. Everything was cooked well and tasty, I would definitely pop in again.
Also, the owner/​manager gave us two rounds of limoncello for free. We felt realllllly good after leaving.

Mamma mia…
That little trattoria in the West End oozes Italy, and makes you want to sing «O sole mioooo !». The waitresses are adorable, and very attentive to your needs.
Foodwise, the Spaghetti all Scoglio (one of my favourite) is cooked beautifully, with tasty fresh fish, while the Tagliatelle al Pesto are yummi (very very Green), and the Pappardelle all’a puttanesca are delicious, with a twist of tuna instead of the traditional anchovies…
The toilets, though, are a reminiscence of the Italian attitude… Better not to go…

Awful service food nothing to get excited about.

Kind of an Italian old city centre atmosphere in here!
Good italian folk music playing all the time and good food, indeed!
Fried schrimps, Lobsters and all kinds of pasta (bolognese, amatriciana, carbonara) really well cooked to be in UK!
I liked it!
Recommended!

This is my hundredth review and it’s important do it now :)!
If you are around this beautiful London’s neighborhood, you’re tired of fast food and burgers (even if one leads to another here) and you know a little bit Italian cuisine come here!
The italian staff welcomes you kindly, the restaurant seems a little corner of Italy, carefully decorated trattoria-​style, it’s just a feeling that there is too much stuff around you but every object is a piece of my land.
They brought to you immediately olives, bread and you can choose from the many classic italian wines they have.
We took for main courses «Tagliatelle alla bolognese» (meat and tomato), Amatriciana (bacon, onion and tomato) and Calamari fritti (fried squid): everything so good!
The prices are perhaps a bit high for something that I could eat every day… and even if they are simple dishes of our tradition, I don’t agree with who say they could cook it at home. but it’s my point of view: P !

My friend and I thought this place looked so lovely that we came in, even though we had absolutely no plans to have dinner! I had the mozzarella salad which was pretty plain, was only helped when I put more balsamic vinegar in it! Th bread and olives we were gien at the start were nice but its annoying when they charge you for them when you didn’t ask for them! If they are going to bring you something without you ordering it, should obviously be complimentary! The actual restaurant is so adorable but not sure the food is all that!

I always find it hard to rate Italian restaurants because: 1. I always feel I can make the same thing at home for ¼ of the price and 2. I never go to them because of 1.
However, last night it was raining, I was hungry and I had to wee. We walked past this place and it looked so cute and homey that we decided to stop in and give it a go.
For starters we had the garlic bread and the tricolore salad. The garlic bread was very large and crunchy and garlicy. The tricolore salad was a bit of a disappointment. There were only 2 slices of mozzerella cheese and 3 slices of tomato. The avocado and the light pesto drizzled were nice, but for the price of the salad I was hoping for more than a half a plate of lettuce.
I got the daily special — chicken cacciatore (sp?!) which was three large chicken drumsticks covered in a really nice marinara sauce with a cup of risotto on the side. The sauce was very nice and the chicken was very tender. The other half got the seafood spaghetti. There was LOADS of fish and squid and assorted seafood in the spaghetti. The sauce had a little bit of kick as well.
The food was nice, but it wasn’t amazing. Again, it was dishes which I felt I could have made at home. However the people were very nice and the place is very cute.

Nice food and efficient service, with nice décor. My friend and I used Tastecard but even without the prices are very reasonable. I had the bolognaise because I just couldn’t decide what to have from the menu, it was really nice, my friend enjoyed the mussels.

I had a fab night here last night with some friends from work. I got a deal online, but they also accept Tastecard. Service was great as was the food. If you Google this you will find a picture from 2008 which is really awful, ignore this, it is a lovely little place that has definitely had a revamp since 2008!

Petit restaurant italien en plein cœur du quartier de Soho. Accueil impeccable même pour un repas en plein milieu d’après-midi, cuisine pas vraiment exceptionnelle mais tout à fait correcte, déco un peu chargée voire ringarde mais dans l’ensemble bon rapport qualité/​prix.

If you are in soho and want a cheap delicious no nonsense dinner this is the place for you.
Da Aldo couldnt be more central for theatres, bars, clubs, so is the perfect place to begin a night of mayhem.
Walking in is like being on the set of goodfellas. the restaurant is narrow and quite long with checked formica table cloths and various maps and other italien frippery adorn the walls.
The waiters are grumpy overweight gangster types who add a nice authenticity to the place.
I have had the set menu on both visits, the first time my main was pollo milanese (for which i was almost whaked for asking if everything was made fresh «what do you think this is? Fwarkin McDonalds» was i think the response i got) It was indeed fresh and very delicious simply served with a lovely spaguetti pomodoro. The second time my main was italian sausages with beans served with pollenta also simple but delicious, the sausages being authentic dense fat fingers of goodness.
Dessert is always the home made ice cream — lemon flavoured which encompasses all the deliciousness of ice cream with all the benefits of sorbet!
We had a very palatable bottle of house red to accompany the meal (montepelciano) and a fine espresso to end it and the bill worked out incredibly reasonable (£10 per person for 3 courses plus drinks)
This place isn’t heading for a michelin star any time soon but if good honest tasty food at an affordable price in a great location floats your boat then Da Aldo is definately worth a look in.

A good, old-​fashioned Italian is hard to find in the centre of town, but that’s what you’ll get here.
The staff are super-​friendly, and often throw in a free Limoncello. Clientele ranges from pre-​theatre to clubbers to drag queens. Many are regulars.

I’ve just come across Trattoria Da Aldo on Qype and was pretty surprised that there weren’t any reviews posted yet for this lovely little restaurant! I’ve been going to this place on and off for the 7 years and have recommended it to many friends and colleagues as a great pit stop place to dine either before a gig or theatre in Soho. The ambience and food are authentic, yet this restaurant still makes for a very affordable place to eat when you’re in rush, but looking for something homemade and tasty.
Service is quick and attentive and often waiters offer you a choice of pre-​theatre £10 for 3-​course menu or you can of course choose other dishes from the main menu.
Everytime I visit Trattoria Da Aldo nothing ever seems to have changed — owned and run by a couple of fine Italian gents (who look like they’ve enjoyed a lifetime of pasta and good wine!), the tattoria has tables laid with red gingham table cloths, old wine bottles with candles, paintings and pictures lining the walls featuring many a great spot in Italy.
Don’t go to this restaurant if you’re looking for a fine dining experience, but do go if you’re looking for reasonably priced authentic Italian food with a real local flavour and like Mama used to make it feel.

Last night I met up with some old university friends. One of whom is moving to Paris soon. It wasn’t their leaving but, nonetheless, they were feeling quite nostalgic. As a result we wet to Da Aldo where my friends had been for their first meal after moving into their house in second year. I hadn’t been to the restaurant before, but had often walked passed and noticed their set menu deal advertised on a notice board outside.
It is a small place with a mix of table and booth seating. The ceiling is low and the walls are decorated with generic Italian paraphernalia, matching the generic Italian restaurant music playing throughout (Rat Pack, swing etc.)
To eat we all went for the aforementioned set menu. I had marinated sardines to start and Italian sausage, polenta and beans for my main course. The sardines, accompanied by a simple green salad, were tasty. The main course was satisfying, but, similarly, could have been reproduced at home easily. To finish there was ice cream. This too was quite nice and worked as a final dish. Throughout we had bread and oil as an accompaniment. With are food we had a bottle of the house red which was certainly drinkable. This was followed by a round of espresso. The final bill came to 52 pounds for three of us.
The food at Da Aldo is very average but the place has a good atmosphere and is suited to conversation amongst small groups.