
Most days start with strong coffee and end at the beach. I never turn down live music.
You don’t sit down at Cotoletta to browse a menu; you sit down because the kitchen has bet the entire house on a single bone-in veal cutlet. The concept here strips away the usual dinner debates, offering a fixed-price meal designed primarily for two people that centers almost exclusively on Cotoletta alla Milanese. It is a bold, singular focus that turns the meal into a shared ritual rather than a series of individual choices. The rhythm of the dinner is set before you arrive. Service begins with seasonal antipasti – typically plates like truffle arancini or bruschetta with stracciatella – to pace the appetite. The main event is the cutlet itself: a massive, breaded expanse of veal cooked with rosemary and lemon zest, often overlapping the edges of the plate. This specific presentation traces back to the family history of partner Andrea Fraquelli, whose grandfather introduced Italian dining to 1950s London by serving pasta alongside veal to accustom diners to multiple courses. That tradition holds here, where you select two sides to accompany the meat, with spaghetti al pomodoro and house fries being the standard moves. The space matches the simplicity of the food. With only about 50 seats, the dining room feels like a dense, classic bistro where tables are close and the noise level rises pleasantly as the night goes on. Family photos line the walls, reinforcing the feeling that you are eating in a home rather than a concept restaurant. The beverage list is equally decisive, sticking to a concise selection of Northern Italian wines and Prosecco cocktails meant to cut through the richness of the fry.