When Princi opened in Wardour Street the concept was one that appealed to me. Two large counters filled to bursting point with freshly made food, including: a mixed bag of continental deserts and patisseries, salads, just out the oven artisan breads and hot Italian staples: lasagne, gnocchi and the like. What's more it's supported by Alan Yau. Surely this concept could not fail? Well when you employ staff who are so obnoxious it makes my head hurt and bakers that believe the main ingredient for bread making is salt the waters become a little murkier. It was just satisfactory when I first went years ago but on a return (and certainly my last) visit with the Friend (f) I encountered ineptitude of perplexing proportions. The food counter appears to act as a portal to a parallel universe. On one side customers are bunched together trying desperately to order, on the other waiters and waitresses glare moodily past you as if all they can see is tumbleweed sauntering by. My exacerbation levels rose as myself and others tried to get a waiter's attention, he pointedly ignored us; too busy preening himself in the shadows. The friend pointing to a focaccia asks what the topping is, 'vegetables' comes the curt reply. Then if you're lucky to find a seat, this being the sort of place where a request for a diner to move her Mulberry handbag from a free seat will be met with a rolling eyes and tutting, the food is the next to disappoint. The gnocchi was far too creamy and way too stodgy, which for something already so carb heavy is an achievement. The focaccia was baked with enough salt to preserve it for a hundred years; mine was topped with some salty, salty parma ham and a slither of cheese. The desserts (we had tiramisu this time) let's be honest are pedestrian, masquerading by presentation as gourmet. The dessert chef believing that just adding more cream is the way to reverse himself out of a culinary cul-de-sac. If you want tasty pizza pop over to the affable guys at Pizza Pilgrims on Berwick Street or for inventive, professionally made deserts head to Yauatcha; what's more over the road Gail's Bakery offers a variety of well-presented breads. Better yet if you want to experience authentic Italian tastes head to Italy! Ultimately with horrendous service and mediocre food Princi is basically redundant. read more

Food - We ordered three different pizzas and all were scrumptious. The dough was light, thin and fluffy. Customer service (or lack thereof) - First, their queue set-up is not ideal, very confusing. We were standing at the front door for approximately 10 minutes before being acknowledged. Another party got a table before us and the aloof waiter still didn't realise we were there first. Once we got our table, the waiter was quick to ask for our order, without even saying hi/describing the menu. After receiving our food, we NEVER saw our waiter again. We had to chase down to get our bill and takeaway box. Setting - Neat concept - half of the restaurant is dedicated to the pizzeria and the other half is for the patisserie. It would be even better if the wait staff had decent customer service skills. read more

I always make it to princi when I'm in london - its a quick walk from Regent Street and has a good variety of salads, desserts and pizzas!

One of the best italian places in town without a doubt. I [Quattro Formaggi Pizza] You.

We came from Israel to visit some friends in London and discovered Princi. The food was fantastic and the Italian exquisite music was a perfect combination. But how we were helped to decide the food and drinks by this aristocrat waiter with a name like an emperor was unexpected and sublime. This guy who looks and walks so elegant should teach all London restaurants how to do it! And he is a living encyclopedia... read more

the ordering process here is quite confusing, but once you get a server's attention, then you can get some nice baked goods and salads. i got a slice of pizza which was tasty but quite small for the price. you get your drinks after you pay, so you are basically carrying your tray all around. it gets quite crowded and stressful, and if you're holding a ton of crap after xmas shopping like i was, it could be overwhelming! read more

Big Ben. Buckingham Palace. The London Eye. Princi. Yes, Princi. It needs to be on your list of must-sees when in London. Ham sandwiches on a croissant. Prosciutto on little "cigars" of olive bread. Cheese on raisin bread. All kinds of focacia. And the desserts. God, the desserts. Looking back at my credit card bills, it was a rare day that didn't involve two trips to Princi, Is it organized? Nope. Is the service friendly and welcoming? Usually not. Will you care? Not a chance! read more

An authentic taste to everyday Italy, Princi is very succesful in Milan where it has many branches. The Soho version is just as good as the ones in Milan with the added benefit of the desserts and cocktail bar. Just splendid! Try the tasty pizzas, grab some really good bread and grissini to take home. read more

I would never recommend anyone to go to this restaurant ever again. I used to be a regular at Princi and despite it's slow service and at times rude staff, I would tolerate it just because the pasta is fantastic. However, after my most recent experience I will never go back again. I raved about Princi to my family, took them there for a meal and we were left hungry waiting almost an hour for the food to arrive. It finally arrived and they gave us all the smallest portion you can imagine. As a regular at Princi I know the portion size and that day they ripped us off completely whilst serving everyone else the full portion. They shrunk our portion, staff were rude and my family and I felt completely outcasted. I spoke to the staff shortly after to make a complaint and they were completely rude, not bothered and made it clear that nothing can be done to compensate for what happened. The best they can do is apparently speak to the kitchen which you would assume they would get back to me, but did not. In addition, told me "I can come back and "have a chat about it if I really wanted". There is absolutely no reason why everyone else was served the correct portion apart from my family and I don't want to make an assumption based on other reviews I have read, however it seems that other customers have experienced racial discrimination from Princi staff and unfortunately I can honestly say my family felt the same. I have tried to contact Princi on social media and their direct email on this matter and no one has bothered to respond. So honestly spend your money elsewhere because it is not worth putting up with, or paying for arrogant and rude staff who don't want to serve you or be there. If you do go, please be prepared to wait hours and god knows they might deliberately shrink your portion for whatever reason! read more

A hip, busy Italian cafeteria tucked in Soho, frequented by an odd mix of tourists, chic locals and designer-types, offering some surprisingly good food. Don't mind the crowds and enjoy a quick, fresh, delish lunch at one of the communal tables. Also great for coffee and heavenly desserts with friends in an upbeat environment. Prices are very reasonable. read more

Amazing breakfast of perfect scrambled eggs on sour dough bread and watercress. The jam filled croissants are delicious too.

Probably good for grabbing a piece of pizza to go but do not recommend sitting down for dinner. The service is poor. The food is mediocre and the music was terrible fir dinner. Not a good experience for us. Will not be back. read more

Possibly the best place I've been for breakfast globally. Very friendly staff, great fresh food, and top class choices to take something out for when you leave (nutella doughnuts are great!). Can't wait to go back. read more

This is a funny place. Imagine the English confronted to a big dilemma: queuing when there's no queue in sight and no system clearly identified. Indeed in this modern Italian bakery there's no other way to order your croissants or lasagna than to grab someone's attention. You'd better bag seats first, then go and order the food. After ordering you're supposed to go to the bar where you pay for everything. Service is quick but not impatient. All the waiters are Italian and this adds to the charm of the place. There are not many seats. People stand and eat at the same time at small tables made of granite and porphyry. There are also seats along the back wall where water is constantly flowing. Along the counter you can choose what you fancy among the varieties of bread, salads, pasta, pizza slices and pastries(I can only talk about pastries. We had a Millefeuille starwberry, a chocolate cake, a glass of red wine and an expresso: all delicious). It's not very expensive and suits perfectly to a late breakfast or a pre-meal. Princi is an Italian that exists already in Milano and has been imported by the Alan Yau, the restaurateur. It's a joint venture, not his own project but this is a refreshing addition to Soho's restaurant scene. It's hip but not pretentious. It's about sharing, sharing food with friends and space with the other customers. It's also an interesting architectural experience. read more

If I could add more stars, I would. This place is awesome and you can get real Italian food for really reasonable prices. The best is the authentic Italian men walking around serving appetizer trials. :) read more

enjoyed margherita pizza! taste like the ones in italy. also had a napolitano pizza. was worth the wait. desert was also yummy

Been coming to Princi since they opened. At first it was just great, very simple and really reflected both Princi in Milan as well as Italian concept and approach to a "bar" or café. Few items and you had to pick up your coffee. Over the years they added more on the menu and additional restaurant space and the de riguer wood-fired pizza oven. Now you don't know what ti is - people bring you food even though it is really like a self-service - the coffee arrives invariably cold and then has to be sent back. The best thing about it now is that we get comped about 50% of the bill because they are so poorly organized. No apologizes, just oh we won't charge you for this - which is not the point. In November went with friends on 4 occasions - each time there was something. Too bad it had a great standard for coffee and cornetti but now joins the rank of substandard over-priced London locales. In the words of the audience at the end of Les Liaisons Dangereuses when Madame de Tourvel makes her final entrance at the opera - Booooo ! read more

I think this is probably the best pizza joint in London. The toppings are such good quality produce and the base is the perfect consistency. Very hard to get a table. read more

Average priced takaway with great tasting food. The coffee is excellent.

difficult to find a sit when its lunch or dinner time! delicious Italian style desserts and pizze! also they have nice quality of coffee and few salads and warm foods. read more

Great cakes and mini buns perfect to go with the decent coffee. Huge long counter with lots of treats on view and the baking is all in open view, so you can see what they are putting in and taking out of the huge ovens. Service is a bit hit and miss but the place is well worth a visit if you're in Soho. read more

This review is just for the coffee and pastries. Cappucino is OK; pastry stuff is OK. A fun place to chat with friends and grab a quick bite. f you can find a seat..alwats crowded. read more

Excellent thin crust pizza, great wine selection and really tasty lemon cake! Food was creative and service was outstanding!

The Princi Bakery SHOULD be great. London needs more places like this where you can come and just order dessert and wine! Unfortunately, 2 out of the 3 times I've been here the staff have been super rude, and once forgot about our food (pizza that they were microwaving) till we politely asked them for it after 15 minutes (no apology was given). The food is fine, but quite overpriced. It was be so much nicer if the staff weren't so obnoxious and I would bother to return! read more

This, in my view is the coolest place in town, I love everything about it, travel to try it.

Super-duper & open till midnight! Nice interior and a large choice of delicious deserts!

Very very busy almost all the time, but service is normally quick and food is lovely. Will take a while to find a spot to sit and enjoy though. read more

Great bustling place that serves heavenly desserts, fresh bread, yummy salads and miscellaneous dishes. Its operates on a self service basis, which makes it really hard to get seats when you're alone and the restaurant is packed (usually). During non peak hours its a nice place to catch up with a friend over coffee. Very centrally located as well. Must try: Lemon chocolate toffee cake! Absolutely heavenly. read more

I had the Diavola pizza in the restaurant area which was really nice and spicy!! Food is always good but the wait to get in is a bit long.

went here last night, the food was nice although the menu fairly small. Big downside was the £15 non-optional service charge which I thought was a bit much, the staff were nice, but it wasn't £15 service. read more

great freshly baked snacks and sandwiches. olive bread sticks are outstanding!