Across the road, Harrods glows like a green monument to excess. Inside ALBA, the competition is fierce: lobster on ice, citrus trees indoors, pasta glossy enough to catch the light and a dining room styled like a superyacht with better tailoring. By the time the first cocktail arrived, Knightsbridge had been recast as the Amalfi Coast with valet parking.
ALBA is not interested in giving you a faint suggestion of southern Italy. The room commits completely. Olive green, lemon yellow and terracotta run through the interiors, while real citrus trees, handmade Venetian floors and maritime furniture create the feeling that someone has sailed a luxury yacht straight into Brompton Road. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame Harrods opposite, which becomes particularly impressive once darkness falls and the department store lights up.
At the centre of the restaurant, the open kitchen provides its own theatre. Beside it, a seafood display piled with lobster, oysters, langoustine, sea urchin and king crab makes ordering modestly feel almost insulting.
We approached the menu accordingly.
A mix of pasta, fish and meat gave us a proper introduction to Head Chef Cristian Ianni’s cooking. Ianni, formerly of Bocconcino and Margot, has built a menu around the flavours of the Amalfi Coast, but the execution is more polished Knightsbridge than rustic seaside trattoria.
The pasta was the standout. Rich without becoming heavy, generously sauced and cooked with precision, it had the confidence of food that knows it is the reason people came. The fish followed the same principle: good produce, handled carefully, with no unnecessary tricks competing for attention. Meat dishes brought greater richness and weight, best ordered when dinner is the evening rather than something squeezed in before it.
Presentation matters here. Every plate arrived looking considered, immaculate and fully aware that a camera might appear before a fork did. Yet the food never felt designed purely for social media. Behind the gloss were proper ingredients, strong flavours and technique.
The cocktails were equally photogenic, though thankfully not all style and no substance. Bar Manager Marco Tilocca’s menu plays with limoncello, citrus, prosecco, lavender and yuzu, keeping the drinks bright, fresh and unmistakably Mediterranean. An Amalfi-inspired spritz is the obvious starting point, especially while the sun is still pouring through the windows.
Wine drinkers are given far more serious decisions. The cellar leans heavily towards Italy and France, with bottles ranging from familiar favourites to Masseto, Dom Pérignon and Romanée-Conti. Château d’Yquem is even available by the glass, which feels less like ordering wine and more like making a financial announcement.
Dessert continued ALBA’s taste for theatre. This is not a restaurant likely to place a quiet scoop of something in front of you and disappear. Sweet courses arrive with flourish, particularly the (enormous!) tableside gelato, ensuring the meal ends with the same sense of occasion with which it began.
ALBA is glossy, indulgent and unapologetically Knightsbridge. It takes the colour, seafood and sunshine of the Amalfi Coast, adds London polish and serves the result opposite one of the world’s most famous department stores.
Come hungry, dress accordingly and abandon any suggestion that you are only stopping for one plate.
@alba_ldn | alba-ldn.uk
70 Brompton Rd, London SW3 1ER
