This award-winning Southern Italian restaurant is the kind of place that makes you want to cancel all your afternoon plans and just relax… and eat.
First impressions of Casa Tua, King’s Cross
London, you’re hiding some serious Italian gems, bab. Prior to our Casa Tua visit at the King’s Cross restaurant, I’d heard nothing but amazing things. And in reality, I feel we completely underestimated just how good our first visit was going to be. After an early train journey from Birmingham, we exited London Euston and arrived at Casa Tua around 11AM on a Friday morning brunch mission. It would usually take around 10 mins to walk from the station but we did a little detour to work up our appetite.
It’s extremely welcoming and buzzing, even early doors. People started coming in after these photos were taken, but hurrah for us as we were the first ones in. It’s the kind of place where you instantly feel at ease, like you’ve wandered into someone’s Italian family home rather than a restaurant. It’s authentically ‘Southern Italian’ in every sense of the meaning, right down to the food, the decor and the hospitality. If you close your eyes you can picture someone’s nonna back there doing her sweet thing in the kitchen.
Brunch menu at Casa Tua
We visited early enough to catch the brunch menu, and while I’ll admit I was slightly jealous of the pasta dishes that we didn’t get the chance to scoff, brunch options were more than enough to keep us very happy and full ahead of a busy day. We ordered two main dishes between us. First, I had the avocado on toast – but not as you know it. Think Altamura bread topped with mashed avocado, fresh mint, Maldon sea salt, citrus, a gorgeous micro herb mix, caramelised red onion, pickled courgette, poached egg and smoked salmon. It was a massive portion, super fresh, beautifully balanced and every single element earned its place on the plate.
Josh had the Brunch Italiano which consists of British St Ewe poached eggs, homemade basil and rocket pesto, tomato compote, buffalo mozzarella and fresh Italian sausage. Rich, satisfying and packed with flavour. A proper brunch dish done the Italian way. We were big fans and we saw the meat delivery man hand over the Italian sausage packs to the owner, so we know it’s delivered fresh throughout the week.
The greatest pistachio gnocchi dessert of all time…
Alongside the main brunch options, there are sweet treats to lick, too. The pistachio gnocchi was by far the winning dish I’d say. Gooey. Warm. Completely and utterly life-changing. I’d go back for this alone. It has firmly secured itself a place in my all-time top 5 desserts of all time and I will not be taking questions on the matter. Just order it. Trust the process.
A special mention for Giuseppe Miggiano
We had the pleasure of meeting Giuseppe, the owner of Casa Tua, who went absolutely above and beyond to make sure we were looked after. Drinks, puddings, surprise treats for Josh, and his hospitality (and the teams!) was everything. It’s rare to feel so genuinely welcomed somewhere, and it made the whole experience even more special. Casa Tua is the real deal. It’s exceptionally authentic, vibrant, warm and absolutely delicious. With two London locations in King’s Cross and Camden, there is truly no excuse not to go. And Casa Tua, if you’re reading this, the city of Birmingham is waiting for you. I’m begging.
Casa Tua is an award-winning Italian restaurant and bar, priding itself on fresh pasta, pizza, paninis and more. Located in Kings Cross & Camden, London. Open until 10 pm across the week.
Address: 106 Cromer St, London WC1H 8BZ