World Pasta Day at 40 Dean Street
Lobster spaghetti, spaghetti vongole and fresh pappardelle at the Soho restaurant that has been cooking pasta since 2009
Every 25 October, pasta lovers around the world mark World Pasta Day, and World Pasta Day 2026 falls on a Sunday. At 40 Dean Street we have been cooking Italian food in the heart of Soho since 2009, and pasta has been at the centre of the menu from the first day. Nima and his sister have run the restaurant since it opened, and our pasta is made fresh every day, so a Sunday dinner at 40 is a fitting way to mark the occasion. The kitchen is serving from 12pm until 10.30pm that day.
Where World Pasta Day began
World Pasta Day dates back to 25 October 1995, when pasta makers and experts from 40 countries met in Rome for the first World Pasta Congress. It has been celebrated every year since 1998, and restaurants, home cooks and pasta makers mark it by sharing their favourite dishes. Italy still leads the way, with Italians eating around 23kg of pasta each a year, more than any other country. It is a celebration of everyday food, and few things bring people round a table quite like a steaming bowl of pasta.
Seafood pasta at the heart of the menu
Seafood has always been at the heart of our pasta menu. The lobster spaghetti comes with fresh lobster meat, cherry tomatoes and a shellfish and brandy sauce, a plate made for a celebration. Spaghetti vongole keeps things classic, with clams, chilli and white wine, while the lobster ravioli is filled with fresh lobster meat and served in a rich shellfish bisque. For something lighter, the linguine with tiger prawns, garlic, chilli and extra virgin olive oil is fresh and full of flavour, and it lets the sweetness of the prawns come through.
Ragu, truffle and the classics
If you would rather skip the seafood, the pappardelle with beef and tomato ragu is rich and comforting, and the wide ribbons hold the sauce in every forkful. The gnocchi with wild mushrooms, smoked mozzarella and truffle oil is earthy and warming on an October evening, and the ravioli filled with ricotta and truffle is a lovely vegetarian choice. For a little heat, the penne arrabbiata comes with fresh chillies and cherry tomatoes. To learn more about the shapes on the menu, read our guide to types of pasta.
A glass of wine with your pasta
A glass of Italian wine rounds off a pasta dinner nicely. A crisp white sits well alongside the seafood dishes, bringing out the sweetness of the lobster and clams, while the ragu and the truffle plates pair best with a softer red. Have a look at our wine list before you arrive, or ask the team on the night and they will help you choose a bottle for the table. Our guide to the best wine with pasta has plenty more ideas for matching wine to each dish at home too.
Sunday 25 October on Dean Street
World Pasta Day is a Sunday this year, so it is a natural evening to spend World Pasta Day in London over dinner in Soho before the working week starts again. We are open from 12pm until 10.30pm, and the restaurant gets busy at weekends, so booking ahead is the best way to get a table at the time you want. You will find us on Dean Street in the heart of Soho, a short walk from Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square stations.