Guido's

Guido's is an Italian kitchen on Kingsway, the second of two sites run by Guido's Kitchen Ltd and the only one that offers dine-in as well as takeaway. The whole operation is built around fresh pasta cooked to order, prepared in front of the customer, and the kitchen sums up its approach with the phrase "mangia italiano". No reservations are taken, so you simply walk in, order and watch your dish come together.

The company describes its food as authentic, interactive and made with love, with the aim of transporting customers to the heart of a traditional Italian family kitchen. Its first site on Chancery Lane runs as a takeaway-only lunch counter on weekdays; the Kingsway kitchen is the larger sibling, trading Monday to Saturday with seating, and the company also runs a loyalty programme and a cook-at-home range.

Fresh pasta on Kingsway, made in front of you

The menu is led by pasta. You choose a shape, with penne, spaghetti, farfalle, rigatoni and a wholemeal option on the list, then pair it with a classic sauce: carbonara, cacio e pepe, ragu alla bolognese, arrabbiata, pesto genovese or amatriciana. Salads such as burrata with pomodorini sit alongside, and the dolci end on a classic tiramisu or a Nutella version. Everything is cooked to order from fresh ingredients rather than held in a bain-marie, which is the point of the made-in-front-of-you format.

Office workers are a big part of the trade. Guido's delivers business lunches directly to offices, with free delivery for parties of eight or more, and it handles catering for larger orders by phone or email. Online ordering covers both collection and delivery.

What to expect on a visit

Kingsway is a broad avenue between Holborn and Aldwych, surrounded by offices, so lunchtime is the busy period and the kitchen closes in the early evening. Holborn Underground station is a couple of minutes away and the theatres of Drury Lane and the Aldwych are a short walk south. For more quick, good-value options in the area see our guide to takeaways in Covent Garden, or for a sit-down slice head west to Homeslice in Neal's Yard.