What is fritto misto?Italy's 'mixed fry' and our mixed fried seafood at Fiena, King's Cross

Fritto misto simply means "mixed fry". It's a mainly savoury dish found in the cooking of many Italian regions, and it can be made with meat, fish or vegetables, cut into small pieces and deep-fried in oil. Every region has its own version. It can be served as an antipasto, as a one-plate meal, and in some places as street food. Some versions even slip in something sweet, such as fried apple or amaretti biscuits.

On the coast, the favourite is fritto misto di pesce, a mixed fry of fish and seafood. Typical ingredients include baby octopus, calamari rings, cod, sardines, shrimps and whitebait, and it's often named after the place it comes from, such as fritto misto ligure from Liguria. Inland there's fritto misto di verdure, made with vegetables such as artichoke hearts, courgette flowers and mushrooms.

The dish has a long history. An engraving from 1803 shows fritto misto being handed to a family, and one from 1816 shows a street fryer cooking over a wood-burning stove while his assistant wraps portions in paper cones. By 1849 a London book was describing it in a chapter about eating out in Rome. In 1872 the Parisian chefs Urbain Dubois and Émile Bernard called it "a national delicacy of Italy", and added the advice every cook still gives: serve it very hot, "because as it cools it softens and thus loses all its qualities." In other words, don't let it wait. Background from Wikipedia's fritto misto page.

Our version is in the fish section of the main menu. The Mixed fried seafood brings together calamari, Argentinian prawns, tiger prawns, sea bass and salmon, served with a side sauce. It's served from midday until close, as a main for one or to share at the start of the meal. If you'd like just a taste, the Baby calamari starter, deep-fried baby squid with tartar sauce and a lemon wedge, is the smaller cousin. Add a side of Zucchini frite, Chips or a Mixed salad.

Prefer your seafood with pasta or rice? Try the Linguine frutti di mare, the Linguine vongole with clams and baby prawns, or the Risotto asparagus & prawns. See our posts on risotto and seafood, linguine alle vongole and capesante, our pan-fried scallops.

Seafood gets a good mention in our reviews. One guest who had the seafood linguine wrote: My pasta was great the fish was cooked perfectly. (Google review) And Yasmeen summed up the menu: Wonderful food - delicious , fresh dishes with lots of options. (Yasmeen, Google review)

Fried seafood loves something crisp and cold. From our drinks menu, try a glass of Pinot Grigio, the Sicilian Vitis Nostra Grillo with its citrus and green apple aroma, or the bone-dry Gavi di Gavi. Bubbles work too: a glass of Prosecco or a Limoncello spritz. Beer drinkers can't go wrong with a pint of Moretti. Our posts on the wine list and limoncello have more.

“The food was outstanding — fresh ingredients, beautifully cooked, and full of authentic flavor.”

Ayub, Google review, 2025