Phil Howard pasta restaurant changes name to Notto due to legal issue

Phil Howard has announced that his upcoming pasta restaurant set to open in London's Piccadilly next month has changed its name from Otto to Notto.

The chef – who is behind Elystan Street, Church Road, and Kitchen W8 restaurants – said he had "no desire or intention to clash with an existing business with a similar name".

Howard said: "We took the quick decision to evolve our own identity to Notto – clearly retaining our root identity whilst eliminating any confusion."

Notto launched as a pasta delivery service in May 2021 as a celebration of Howard's love of pasta and will now bring its simple dishes to the public at the pasta bar.

Howard and restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas will continue to run Elystan Street, Kitchen W8 and Church Road.

See next week's issue of The Caterer magazine for an interview with Phil Howard on the opening of Notto.