Is Bar Italia really...?

was there last week actually, the coffee is still good which is the main thing. the old register is gone but honestly that thing barely worked half the time, i'd always watch them smack it to get it to open. rocky's portrait is still up, they auctioned a replica print not the original.

the tiramisu thing is real though, i'd grab a maritozzo from lina stores down the street instead if you want something sweet. the new staff are fine just very efficient, no more of that old italian nonna energy where you'd wait 10 minutes for them to finish their conversation. still worth going for the buzz and the coffee, just don't order dessert.

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ngl that's a bummer to hear but i was there last month and it's not all bad. the old register is def gone but rocky's portrait is still there, i think they auctioned a copy not the original. the tiramisu was never my fave honestly, i always went for the cannoli which were still decent last time. the new staff are fine, just younger and less grumpy which is kinda weird for bar italia. it's still worth the stop for the coffee and the vibe, just don't expect the exact same experience you remember.

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yeah i heard about this from a mate who lives on dean street. the sale went through a few months back, new owners are a group that runs a few other cafes around soho. rocky's portrait is still there, that thing's practically part of the building now.

the coffee machine is the same one from the 50s which is good, they'd be crazy to swap that out. but the whole back area where they used to make sandwiches got redone, feels more like a chain now. if you're doing the christmas lights thing maybe just do your pop in for old times sake and then grab a proper bite at mccullum's on greek street instead, their mince pies are decent.

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SpareRoom's "rooms wanted" ads are underrated for this. people post what they're currently paying alongside what they want next, so you can scrape a rough sense of going rates by postcode without anyone knowing you looked. it skews young and flatshare heavy tho, so not much use if you're after 2-beds in zone 2.

Another one is just the depozit or tenancy deposit scheme data. not public-facing, but your council's housing officer can tell you median rents from deposit registrations if you email them under FOI. takes weeks, but its proper anon and nobody clocks u.

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Rightmove and Zoopla only show asking rents, which are often 10 to 15 percent above what a place actually goes for, so they're a poor benchmark. The trick I've used is the ONS Price Index of Private Rents, which breaks things down to borough level and is genuinely anonymous since it's aggregate data, no listing or account needed. For something more granular, the London Renters Union runs a rent reporting tool where you submit what you're paying with your postcode and it maps it against others nearby, though the coverage is patchy outside the inner boroughs.

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the openrent "rent check" thing is decent for zones 3-4 where the unions tool barely reaches. also worth checking the london.gov.uk planning portal for new build applications, they list "affordable" and market rent figures per unit in the viability assessments, which is basically the developer telling the council what they expect to charge. bit of a faff to dig through but its public, anonymous & nobody knows ur looking

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