Since it opened in 2007, Ida has also hosted Cillian Murphy, Lily Allen, and once all four members of U2.
The cosy Italian on the corner of Fifth Avenue, Kilburn is run by husband and wife team, Avi and Simonetta Wenkert together with their three children.
Ida on the corner of Kilburn Lane has attracted celebrities including Harry and Meghan before their move to California, and U2. (Image: Jonathan Goldberg) Named after Avi’s Italian mother, they opened it to serve the kind of homely food you would eat at the house of your favourite aunt and its core menu of pasta, ragu and gnocchi, made in-house daily, is based on Ida’s recipes.
The couple remortgaged their property to open the restaurant and lost their home following the banking crash and recession when “bookings fell off a cliff”.
But they kept the restaurant and managed to turn its fortunes around to appear in multiple lists of the best Italians in London.
Now it has been named among The Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants for 2025 – winning Best Local Restaurant in London.
“Winning Best London local restaurant couldn’t make us happier,” said Simonetta Wenkert.
“We are nothing without our neighbours, and love being part of the community here on Kilburn Lane. There’s no better feeling than watching our customers’ children grow up and return with families of their own.
“We are grateful to everyone who has supported us in the almost twenty years we have been here, as well as to our small but mighty team.”
Les 2 Garcons French bistro in Crouch End was also named among the top 100 Local Restaurants in the UK by The Good Food Guide. (Image: Thomas Alexander) The Good Food Guide’s editor, Chloë Hamilton, said of Ida: “The moment you walk in, you’re greeted by a warmth that comes straight from the heart of the family.
“It’s a deeply personal place and all the more charming for it.”
‘Restaurants like Ida don’t come around often,’ wrote one of the restaurant’s many loyal regulars who sent in a nomination.
Now in its 15th year the awards spotlight brilliant, independently run venues that define affordable and accessible dining across Britain culled from nearly 60,000 public nominations from diners championing their favourite spots.
The Guide’s anonymous inspectors then put these nominations to the test from wine bars serving small plates, to neighbourhood bistros and the cherished family-run gems where you can enjoy a great meal for under £20.
Also named in the Guide’s list of top London spots is Les 2 Garcons in Crouch End, a French bistro run by friends Robert Reid and Jean-Christophe Slowik who met while working in Michelin starred restaurants.
Another French restaurant, Paulette in Formosa Street, Maida Vale was also named alongside Cinder in St John’s Wood High Street, which specialises in Mediterranean-inspired food cooked in a charcoal oven.
Finally Miga, a modern Korean in Mare Street Hackney was included on the guide’s top 100 list.