london
Norma
• Italian• Fitzrovia
About the restaurant
Chef-patron Ben Tish established himself as the executive chef of the Salt Yard Group in the 2010s, where he developed the group’s style of elegant, Mediterranean-inspired small plates and charcuterie across restaurants Salt Yard, Opera Tavern, Ember Yard and Dehesa. After leaving the group, he became culinary director of The Stafford hotel, but also launched Norma on Charlotte Street.
The food at Norma is inspired heavily by Tish’s travels through southern Italy and his love of the Moorish food culture of southern Europe. There’s a raw bar serving an excellent prawn crudo, and grilled meats and fish to complement a raft of freshly made pastas.
The dining room balances opulence with cosiness: comfy booths that are made for whiling away a couple of hours over a long dinner, but high ceilings, marble and impressive ceiling installations make for a luxurious ambience that doesn’t verge too far into outright luxury.
Reviews from the Web
Critic reviews
The Guardian
There is no question: I went into Norma hoping for the best. I always do. Happily, this one delivers on the potential of all those involved. It was that joyous thing: a new restaurant genuinely worth being excited about.
Standard
Beguiling Sicilian with walloping flavours entices repeated indulgence
The Infatuation
The thing is, when we first went to Norma we had a great meal. We like to think of that evening as a happier time.
The Telegraph
We’d loved the design – the mysterious pools of light, the nooks and crannies, the plush play of textures – and, apart from Maudlin Mickey the Melancholy Monkfish, we’d loved the food, too: anchored in a sense of place but not overly weighed down by authentocratic pieties – free to play around, to delight, to seduce.
- 8 Charlotte St.
- W1T 2LS
- London
- +44 20 3995 6224
- Visit website
