Padella London: Which Branch to Book, and Why Soho Is Cheaper

The Padella queue is famous and it is entirely optional.

Borough Market takes no reservations at all. Shoreditch and Soho take them up to four weeks in advance.

Same restaurant, same pasta, rolled by hand in the window at all three. People queue at Borough because it is the one they have heard of, and two miles away you can book a table a month out.

The branches are not priced the same

This is the part nobody has written down. Checked on Monday 5 October 2026, the same dishes cost different amounts at different branches.

Pappardelle with 8 hours Hereford beef shin ragu: £16.50 at Borough Market, £15.50 at Soho.

Pici cacio e pepe: £13.50 at Borough Market and Shoreditch, £13 at Soho.

So the two signature dishes are both cheaper in Soho, which is not where you would expect to find the bargain. On the signature ragu that is a pound saved for walking into W1 rather than SE1.

It does not run one way. Lamb’s lettuce with salted ricotta, grapes and tarragon is £7.50 at Soho and £6.50 at the other two. And Soho has a dish the others do not: tagliarini with mussels, Amalfi lemon, chilli and oregano at £15.

Shoreditch swaps its cured meats, serving Salami Molinari and Prosciutto San Daniele where the others have Salame di Cinta Senese.

The parmesan default is reversed between branches

The best small detail on their whole site, and it is one line at the bottom of the pasta list.

Borough Market says: please let us know if you want Parmesan.

Soho says: please let us know if you don’t want Parmesan.

So at Borough you get none unless you ask, and in Soho you get it unless you refuse. Same group, same dishes, opposite assumption. Extra 24-month aged parmesan is 50p at all three.

Borough Market: the queue, and how it actually opens

6 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TQ. The original, open since 2016, on the London Bridge side of the market beside the Borough High Street underground exit. Two floors, kitchen counter dining, a little outside seating.

No reservations. Groups of up to 6 only. For anything larger you are sent to Shoreditch or Soho.

The queue has two doors and they open at different times, which is the thing worth knowing.

Lunch: the queue opens at 11am in person, for tables from 11.30. Remote joining on the Dojo app only opens at 11.45am.

Dinner: in person from 4.30pm for tables from 5pm. Remote from 5.15pm.

So turning up in person gets you into the queue 45 minutes before anyone can join from their phone. If you want the first sitting, standing at the door beats the app, and the app is only useful once the early tables are gone.

Scan the QR codes at the door, or speak to a host if you have no smartphone.

Hours: lunch Monday to Sunday 11.30am to 3.45pm. Dinner Monday to Saturday 5pm to 10.30pm, Sunday 5pm to 9pm.

Shoreditch: bookable, with a ten minute grace period

1 Phipp Street, London EC2A 4PS, just off Great Eastern Street, near Old Street, Liverpool Street and Shoreditch High Street. Open kitchen, bar and counter seating, and a large terrace.

Reservations up to four weeks ahead. One condition stated plainly: the table is held for 10 minutes after your slot and no longer. That is tighter than most and worth setting an alarm for.

Groups of 7 or more get a three-course set menu, up to 22 people.

Walk-ins are often fine on the counters or the terrace, which is heated on colder days. When it is busy, the Dojo virtual queue works remotely within 2km of the restaurant.

Hours: lunch Monday to Saturday midday to 3.45pm. Dinner Monday to Saturday 5pm to 10pm. Sunday is continuous, midday to 9pm.

That continuous Sunday is the most useful line in the whole set. It is the only Padella where you can eat at 4pm on a Sunday, because the other two close for the afternoon.

Soho: the newest, the cheapest on the classics, the biggest groups

2 Kingly Street, London W1B 5PB. Open kitchen with counter seating, subterranean dining, and tables outside on Kingly Street.

Reservations up to four weeks ahead. Groups of 7 or more on the three-course set menu, up to 29 people, which is seven more than Shoreditch takes.

Virtual queue through Dojo, remote within 2km, or the hosts will add you at the door.

Hours: lunch Monday to Sunday midday to 3.45pm. Dinner Monday to Wednesday 5pm to 10pm, Thursday to Saturday 5pm to 11pm, Sunday 5pm to 8.45pm.

So Soho runs latest of the three, to 11pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and closes earliest on a Sunday at 8.45pm.

What a meal costs

The cheapest pasta is £9.50 at all three: tagliarini with dried chilli, garlic and pangrattato. The dearest is the Dorset crab tagliarini at £16.50.

Sourdough with Le Ferre olive oil is £5.50, olives £4, burrata £9.50.

Puddings: tiramisu £8.50, biscotti and Marsala £7.50, pear and almond tart £6.50. Ice cream £5 a scoop, affogato £6.50.

So a plate of pasta and a pear and almond tart is £16, and a plate of pasta on its own is £9.50, which in central London in 2026 is the reason the queue exists.

How to plan it

Do not want to queue: book Shoreditch or Soho, up to four weeks ahead.

Set on Borough Market: be at the door at 11am or 4.30pm, which puts you 45 minutes ahead of the app.

Cheapest signature dishes: Soho, at £15.50 for the ragu and £13 for the cacio e pepe.

A group of more than six: Soho, up to 29, or Shoreditch up to 22. Borough caps at six.

Sunday afternoon: Shoreditch, the only one serving straight through.

Late on a Saturday: Soho, to 11pm.

And ask about the parmesan, because the answer depends which branch you are in.

Padella Borough Market

Address

6 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TQ

Nearest

London Bridge, beside the Borough High Street underground exit

Hours

Lunch Monday to Sunday 11.30am to 3.45pm. Dinner Monday to Saturday 5pm to 10.30pm, Sunday 5pm to 9pm

Booking

No reservations. Virtual queue via QR code at the door or the Dojo app. Groups of up to 6

Price

Pasta from 9.50 to 16.50 pounds. Sourdough 5.50, tiramisu 8.50

Standing

The original Padella, open since 2016, hand-rolling pasta in the window

How to get in

The queue opens in person at 11am for lunch and 4.30pm for dinner, but remote joining on the app only opens at 11.45am and 5.15pm, so the door beats the phone by 45 minutes. Parmesan is not served unless you ask for it here, which is the opposite of the Soho branch.

Padella Shoreditch

Address

1 Phipp Street, London EC2A 4PS

Nearest

Old Street, Liverpool Street and Shoreditch High Street all nearby

Hours

Lunch Monday to Saturday midday to 3.45pm. Dinner Monday to Saturday 5pm to 10pm. Sunday continuous, midday to 9pm

Booking

Reservations up to four weeks in advance. Groups of 7 to 22 on the set menu. Walk-ins on the counters and heated terrace

Price

Pasta from 9.50 pounds. Three-course set menu for groups of 7 or more

Standing

The East London branch, just off Great Eastern Street, with a large terrace

How to get in

The only Padella that serves continuously on a Sunday, midday to 9pm, so the only one open at 4pm on a Sunday. Tables are held for just 10 minutes after the booked slot. The Dojo virtual queue works remotely within 2km.

Padella Soho

Address

2 Kingly Street, London W1B 5PB

Nearest

Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus

Hours

Lunch Monday to Sunday midday to 3.45pm. Dinner Monday to Wednesday 5pm to 10pm, Thursday to Saturday 5pm to 11pm, Sunday 5pm to 8.45pm

Booking

Reservations up to four weeks in advance. Groups of 7 to 29 on the three-course set menu

Price

Pappardelle with beef shin ragu 15.50 pounds and pici cacio e pepe 13, both cheaper than at Borough Market

Standing

The newest branch, with an open kitchen, counter seating, subterranean dining and tables on Kingly Street

How to get in

Cheaper than Borough Market on both signature dishes, and takes the largest groups at 29. Parmesan is served unless you say you do not want it, the opposite of the Borough Market default. Open latest of the three, to 11pm Thursday to Saturday.

Where to go next

Borough Market covers the rest of the market, and Soho restaurants cover Kingly Street.

Cheap eats covers the rest of London under twenty pounds, and the Italian restaurants cover the step up.

Questions we get asked

Do you need to book Padella?

It depends which branch. Borough Market takes no reservations at all and runs a virtual queue. Shoreditch and Soho both accept reservations up to four weeks in advance, so the famous Padella queue is avoidable.

What time does the Padella queue open at Borough Market?

The in-person queue opens at 11am for tables from 11.30, and at 4.30pm for tables from 5pm. Joining remotely through the Dojo app only opens at 11.45am and 5.15pm, so turning up at the door puts you in the queue 45 minutes earlier.

How much is pasta at Padella?

From £9.50 for tagliarini with dried chilli, garlic and pangrattato up to £16.50 for the Dorset crab tagliarini. Prices differ slightly by branch: the beef shin ragu is £16.50 at Borough Market and £15.50 in Soho, and pici cacio e pepe is £13.50 at Borough and Shoreditch but £13 in Soho.

Which Padella is cheapest?

Soho, on the two signature dishes: £15.50 for the pappardelle with beef shin ragu against £16.50 at Borough Market, and £13 for the pici cacio e pepe against £13.50. Soho is dearer on the lamb's lettuce at £7.50 against £6.50.

Is Padella open on Sunday afternoon?

Only in Shoreditch, which serves continuously from midday to 9pm on Sundays. Borough Market and Soho both close between lunch and dinner, reopening at 5pm.

Can Padella take large groups?

Soho takes up to 29 and Shoreditch up to 22, both on a three-course set menu for bookings of 7 or more. Borough Market caps groups at 6 and takes no bookings at all.

Do you get parmesan at Padella?

It depends on the branch. At Borough Market the menu asks you to say if you want Parmesan, so it is not served by default. In Soho the menu asks you to say if you do not want it. Extra 24-month aged parmesan is 50p.