Jamie Oliver's Favorite London Restaurant Is This Italian Eatery That Helped Jump Start His Career

If ever you needed a reason to fall in love with the foodie haven that is the city of London, it would be because of a recommendation from a chef who has spent years cooking, eating, and making a living serving up dishes in the city's most treasured hotspots. As far as London dining goes, the options are seemingly endless but Jamie Oliver swears by The River Café, the West London restaurant that truly kickstarted his culinary career. Jamie Oliver's adoration for this Hammersmith-based restaurant is shared by many from hard-core Italian food lovers who know their stuff to stars looking to end the day and celebrate the Italian way – with a full stomach.

The River Thames-adjacent restaurant, renowned for its beautiful dining experience and commitment to flavor, was co-founded by Ruth Rogers and the late Rose Gray. Since opening its doors in 1987, the restaurant transitioned from operating as a way to feed staff from the Richard Rogers architectural practice to becoming one of the top-rated places to indulge in a well-cooked, unforgettable plate of Italian flavors and aromas. Jamie Oliver rose to fame after being discovered in the kitchen of this restaurant, where a TV producer picked up on his talent. With an undeniable love and appreciation for Italian food (his chosen last meal would be a fiery and quintessentially Italian pasta-dish), it makes sense that the celebrity chef's love for the intricate Mediterranean flavors would lead him back to The River Café.

Besides the personal nostalgia and the place that the restaurant has in his early career, one of the reasons that Jamie Oliver keeps returning to The River Café is because the menu changes twice daily. The restaurant also takes food back to its bare boned goodness – simple, delicious, and classic tastes are the pillars of a good meal at The River Café, according to the Naked Chef. While the menu is made fresh and in accordance with the season, one dish that Jamie personally enjoys is the turbot, an Italian classic that absorbs the best of Italian seasonings to hit the spot. The restaurant is also known for its commitment to excellence — including its Italian wine offerings — so expect to sip on some wine that lives up to the expectation of the extravagant Italian standard.

The River Café is also a pretty iconic part of the city's culinary scene since it has trained some of the UK's most prolific chefs, including multi-award-winning broadcaster and author of the "River Cottage" books and TV series Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. In fact, several alumni have gone on to contribute to the foodie fabric of the culinary world, opening their own restaurants internationally. The attention to detail and effort to introduce authentic and seasonal Italian food to the London community has not gone unnoticed and has had a lasting impression on many restaurant-goers, but arguably, none as much as Jamie Oliver himself.