Three ingredients, no cooking, and nowhere to hide: the Caprese is one of the simplest dishes on any Italian menu, and one of the best tests of a kitchen's ingredients. It's on the starters list at Fiena, our family-run Italian cafe, bar and restaurant at 4 Medway Court, Judd Street, London WC1H 9QX, a few minutes' walk from King's Cross St Pancras. Here's where the salad comes from, how Italians eat it, and how we serve ours.
A salad from Capri
Insalata caprese means "salad of Capri", the island in the Bay of Naples, in Campania, where it is believed to have been created. Nobody agrees on exactly how. One legend credits the Roman emperor Tiberius, who spent his holidays on the island; other stories call it a patriotic tribute to the Italian flag, with green basil, white mozzarella and red tomato. According to the Capri food writer Marino Barendson, the salad got its name in the 1930s at the Ristorante Luigi ai Faraglioni, while the Naples Chamber of Commerce traces its rise to the 1920s, when the Futurist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti served it at a series of dinners at the Grand Hotel Quisisana.
The Caprese became known around the world in the 1950s, when Capri was a playground for celebrities and royalty. The story usually told is that it was served to King Farouk of Egypt while he was visiting the island. Background from Wikipedia's Caprese salad page.
How Italians eat it
At its simplest, a Caprese is sliced tomato and mozzarella with basil, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil, usually laid out in alternating slices. In Italy it's eaten as an antipasto, a starter, and it's served without vinegar: the belief is that vinegar would spoil the delicate flavour of fresh mozzarella. Popular wisdom also says basil should always be torn, never cut with a knife.
Even in Campania, the cheese varies. On Capri and the nearby Sorrento peninsula, cow's milk mozzarella, fior di latte, is the favourite, while elsewhere in the region buffalo mozzarella is more common. And don't confuse it with insalata tricolore, which also uses the colours of the flag, but with any green ingredient in place of the basil.
A word on buffalo mozzarella
Buffalo mozzarella, mozzarella di bufala, is a fresh, soft cheese made from the milk of the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. It's traditionally produced in Campania, especially in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno, and since 1996 mozzarella di bufala campana has been a protected designation of origin. More on Wikipedia's buffalo mozzarella page.
Our Caprese
On our main menu, the Caprese is buffalo mozzarella, heritage tomato and basil leaves. It's vegetarian and gluten free, and it's served as a starter from midday until close every day. If you're coming as a group of five or more, our group menu has a sharing version too, with tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil pesto.
Like buffalo mozzarella? The Buffalo pizza is tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, served with buffalo mozzarella, so it's a Caprese on a pizza base. The Margherita uses fior di latte instead; our post on the pizza Margherita explains the difference. For more tomatoes on the side, there's Heritage tomato & red onion, or Rocket & parmesan.
Our guests love the fresh food. Ayub called it fresh ingredients, beautifully cooked, and full of authentic flavor
(Ayub, Google review), and Kathleen summed up a visit: This cafe had delicious food and a lovely little patio!
(Kathleen, Google review)
Make it an aperitivo
A Caprese is just right with a drink before dinner. From our drinks menu, try an Aperol spritz, a Hugo spritz with elderflower and fresh mint, or a Limoncello spritz, all topped with prosecco and soda. If you'd prefer wine, the crisp Pinot Grigio, the bone-dry Gavi di Gavi or the pale Chemin de Provence rosé all suit tomato and mozzarella. See our posts on aperitivo and spritzes and the wine list.
Then follow it with pasta, pizza or something from the grill, or keep it light with a salad lunch. On a sunny day, our outdoor tables on Judd Street are the place to eat it.
“Amazing drinks, amazing food, amazing music!”
Leni, Google review, 2026
Good to know
- When: the main menu runs from midday until close, 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 21:00 on Sunday.
- Booking: tables for up to eight can be booked online, and walk-ins are welcome whenever we have space.
- Allergies: information on the 14 major allergens is available on request. Please speak to your server before you order.
- Address: 4 Medway Court, Judd St, London WC1H 9QX. Phone 020 4618 6314.
Tomato, mozzarella and basil, from midday. Book a table or walk in at 4 Medway Court, Judd Street.