This Is Marylebone’s Most Delicious Hidden Gem

Marylebone’s picturesque streets always seem to conceal dining gems for its well-heeled locals. In summer, the area is especially alive with outdoor dining terraces and prettily dressed rooftop cocktails, though the postcode carries that familiar central London hazard: paying too much for food that’s hardly worth it. It was then a delight when we found Bellazul – among the newer kids on the block – with its combo of reasonable pricing and menu of hearty Mediterranean fare. Did it deliver? 

Bellazul, Marylebone

Yes, Bellazul is one of those discoveries that you’ll want to gatekeep. This little independent Mediterranean restaurant serves hearty, sun-drenched fare at reasonable (for London) prices (mezze from £9, pasta from £16, mains from £19).

But the restaurant isn’t a secret to those in the know: it’s buzzing upon my midweek visit in early summer. The blue-fronted restaurant’s terrace is bustling under its neatly striped awning. A man who is floating from table-to-table is working the crowd with genial – and genuine – charm, and later turns out to be the owner. And a waiter is at complete ease as he whisks away my coat to set me up by the big, arched windows to people-watch as I wait for a friend. It’s the perfect housewarming. 

The interiors at Bellazul

The interiors are unfussy and minimal, without being greige: yellow banquettes, bar seating, a few gallery-lit artworks. There’s no kitsch spin of the trattoria aesthetic nor any ambition to be Instagram fodder. It feels, much like its owner, very real. 

There’s a thread of something quite proper and traditional at the same time. The wine list opts for producers like Ferrari, which favour old-school winemaking methods, and you’re less likely to find a pet nat here so much as tried-and-true grape varieties. But there’s garnishes of play within this. The sparkling also contains fresh strawberries, for instance. Or where there’s a heavily implied focus on Italian foods – pizza and primi making up a larger portion of the menu – it departs with broader dishes from the med like its puffy homemade pittas that are slick with spice and herbs, as well as a peppery baba ganoush. These departures work because the basics are executed flawlessly and meticulously considered.

The cooking is precise, too. But it remains impressive: a chicken paillard, pounded thin as a pancake, arrives perfectly grilled. Truffle and mushroom tagliatelle is rich, creamy, and impeccably al dente. The kitchen has a clever, inventive streak, to boot: aubergine parmigiana gets its satisfyingly crisp top courtesy of a quick finish in the wood-fired pizza oven. The warmth of the team makes peeking behind the curtain easy; the chefs chat about their methods generously. 

And the pricing is good for the portion sizes. Dessert is perhaps the one winceable part of the menu, until it arrives – megalithic sizing. A towering lemon meringue tart (£12) wobbles over, drawing envious comments from a neighbouring table that had considered being puritanical and skipping the sweet treat. I notice they change their mind when the waiter offers the dessert menu.

THE FINAL WORD

Bellazul quietly excels at the essentials but deviates with success across its Mediterranean menu. Especially well-priced for its location.

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43 Blandford St, London W1U 7HF | bellazul.co.uk