Il Leone is one of several restaurants run by the larger parent company Mastrantonio. It has a quiet location in the Green Point neighborhood on Prestwich Street. There are a few tables outside on the sunny balcony and a large, beautifully decorated indoor dining area with nice paintings lining the walls. Il Leone prides itself on only the best quality ingredients cooked to perfection, generous helpings, and good wine.

I decided to try Il Leone for a Sunday lunch. Many restaurants in Cape Town are closed Sundays, but Il Leone is open! There is a fairly large menu focusing on Italian favorites—hot and cold antipasto, insalata, zuppa, pasta, risotto, several fish, chicken, and carne dishes, and, of course, dessert—dolce! Besides all that, the friendly and informative waitress rattled off a substantial list of specials. I decided to try the house made ravioli. I chose the beef over the spinach and ricotta and butternut options. I also got to choose the sauce, so I went with Bolognese over butter and sage, napoletana, arrabbiata, or four cheese. My food was served up quite quickly and it was simple, but very good. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce was great. Il Leone also serves a complimentary bread basket with some very interesting thin cracker-like bread and some delicious sweet and soft bread. It’s not the place for someone trying to avoid carbs!

The atmosphere of the restaurant is very clean, modern, and airy and has a very sophisticated feel compared to the usual caricature of an Italian themed restaurant. It’s beautiful by day, and I bet it’s even nicer at night. Service was fast and friendly and very knowledgeable. Il Leone is definitely worth a try for Italian food lovers! It’s a great venue for a casual meal, special occasion, or even business meeting, but a reservation would be wise during peak times.