The Mediterranean diet is the only diet most people can describe without having read a book about it. Olive oil rather than butter. Vegetables on every plate. Fish more often than meat. Bread and pasta as the base of a meal, not the enemy of it. A glass of wine with dinner, and dinner eaten with other people, slowly. It is less a diet than a description of how people along one coastline have eaten for a very long time.
That coastline includes Amalfi, which is where ALBA's menu starts. So this is not an article about ALBA adapting to a trend. It is about an Amalfi-inspired Italian restaurant in Knightsbridge cooking the way the Amalfi Coast cooks, and what that looks like on the plate.
Why It Is So Highly Regarded
For eight consecutive years, from 2018 to 2025, U.S. News & World Report named the Mediterranean diet its Best Diet Overall, ahead of every other eating plan its panel of dietitians, doctors and researchers assessed. For 2026 the publication stopped ranking diets altogether and asked its expert panel instead which approach they would recommend; sixty-nine per cent chose the Mediterranean diet, more than every other answer combined.
We are not nutritionists and this is not nutrition advice. What the ranking tells you is that the people whose job it is to compare ways of eating keep arriving at the same one, and that the one they arrive at is built from ingredients a good Italian restaurant already has in the room.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is at the heart of the Mediterranean way of eating, taking the place of butter as the principal source of fat and bringing its own character to a dish. At ALBA, it is used throughout the menu, from the dressing on the raw bar to the finishing touch on many dishes.
The tuna tartare offers a more contemporary expression of this approach. Made with tuna, truffle oil, truffle and shiso dressing, it brings together delicate seafood with earthy and aromatic notes. The pink prawn carpaccio follows a simpler approach, allowing the natural flavour of the seafood to take centre stage, lifted by the freshness of citrus and the richness of its dressing.
It is in dishes like these that the connection between the Amalfi Coast and the Mediterranean way of eating feels most natural: quality seafood, carefully chosen ingredients and thoughtful combinations that let each flavour shine.
Vegetables
Vegetables have a central place in Mediterranean cooking, with meat and fish often playing a supporting role rather than taking over the plate. That balance is reflected in ALBA's menu, where the antipasti offer plenty of vegetable-led choices and the vegetarian selection has a character of its own, rather than feeling like an afterthought.
Vegetables also find their way into dishes in less expected ways: artichoke adds another layer to the beef carpaccio, chanterelles bring depth to the Pizza Funghi, and the courgette fries served with the Sunday fish roast are a favourite at the table. Each is a reminder that vegetables are not simply a side dish, but an essential part of the meal.
Fish and Seafood
Eating fish regularly is one of the cornerstones of the Mediterranean diet. Along the Amalfi Coast, where the sea has always shaped local cooking, it is simply part of everyday food culture. At ALBA, that influence runs throughout the menu, from the raw bar, with its oysters and crudo, to more substantial seafood dishes.
The Amalfi Tagliolini with Mazara prawns and bottarga, crab ravioli and lobster linguine each offer a different take on the flavours of the sea. On Sundays, grilled mixed fish brings that same coastal spirit to the table. The Japanese counter offers another expression of this approach, with a menu centred on fish, served in the order chosen by the chef, accompanied by rice and carefully considered details. For anyone looking to enjoy a meal built around seafood, it is a particularly fitting choice.
Grains
Bread and pasta have a natural place in the Mediterranean diet. Rather than being avoided, they are enjoyed as part of a varied meal, alongside vegetables, fish and other fresh ingredients. At ALBA, this tradition is reflected in the handmade pasta and pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven brought over from Naples.
One dish that captures the pleasure of Italian pasta-making particularly well is the Tuesday Cacio e Pepe, finished in a wheel of Pecorino at the table. It is a classic preparation, built around a few good ingredients and made to be enjoyed for what it is. Because in Italy, as at ALBA, a plate of pasta needs no apology or elaborate explanation; it is simply one of the great pleasures of the table.
Wine with Food
Wine has long been part of the Mediterranean dining tradition, enjoyed alongside food and in good company. At ALBA, the wine list is designed with the menu in mind, making it easy to find a glass that complements what is on the table. A Campanian white, for example, pairs naturally with seafood, while a wine from Piedmont can bring out the flavours of the carpaccio.
The emphasis is on taking time over a meal, enjoying good food and a well-chosen glass of wine in the company of others. It is this relaxed approach to dining, as much as the ingredients themselves, that lies at the heart of Mediterranean food culture.
Eating Together
The least discussed principle and arguably the one that matters most. The Mediterranean diet describes meals, not just ingredients, and the meals it describes are shared, unhurried and sociable. ALBA's Italian Sunday roast runs from midday to five in the afternoon and the table is not turned; group and private dining is built around sharing menus for the same reason. The long table is as much a part of the diet as the olive oil, and it is the part a restaurant can offer that a recipe cannot.
A Way of Eating, Not a Diet
There are no calorie counts on ALBA's menu, and this article is not about prescribing a particular way of eating. ALBA does not offer a dedicated "Mediterranean diet menu" or make health claims about its dishes. Instead, the restaurant takes inspiration from the food traditions of the Amalfi Coast, where fresh ingredients, seasonal produce and the pleasure of sharing a meal have shaped the local table for generations. The dishes featured here are on the menu because they are rooted in those traditions and, above all, because they taste good.
If you would like to enjoy a lighter lunch, ALBA's set lunch is served Monday to Friday, while the raw bar is available throughout the day. Book a table and discover the menu for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ALBA have a Mediterranean diet menu?
No. ALBA serves an Amalfi-inspired Italian menu, and most of it sits naturally inside the Mediterranean way of eating: olive oil, vegetables, fish, handmade pasta and wine with food. Choose from the à la carte as you normally would.
Which dishes at ALBA fit the Mediterranean diet best?
The raw bar is the simplest answer: oysters, the tuna tartare and the pink prawn carpaccio. Beyond that, the seafood pastas, the grilled mixed fish on Sundays and the omakase counter are all fish-led plates with little added.
Is the Mediterranean diet still ranked the best diet?
U.S. News & World Report named it Best Diet Overall every year from 2018 to 2025. In 2026 the publication stopped ranking diets, but 69% of its expert panel still chose the Mediterranean diet as the approach they would recommend.
Does ALBA publish calorie or nutrition information?
No. ALBA can tell you what is in a dish and how it is cooked, and the team is happy to guide you to lighter plates, but there are no calorie or nutrition figures on the menu or on this website.
