Carluccio’s

It was okay definitely authentic Italian food. I had the chicken pâté and ravioli. Both were okay not mind blowing.

I think the word I am looking for to express my experience is «disappointment». I can say the staff is good but the food… doesn’t have anything to do with «italian» thing and I am quite sure the ingredients they used to prepare the meal were outdated.

When we entered, we were ignored for a couple of minutes, so we just stood there. Throughout our stay, the service was patchy. To begin with, the table was not set up properly, so we did not have cutlery or napkins. Even when they delivered our starters, they did not notice or ignored that we didn’t have any. Calamari had thin crispy batter and was very tasty, but the Ravioli was a disaster. The filling was very watery and bland, and didn’t have any flavour. The sauce contained very bitter sage. Vanilla Gelato was bland and grainy as well. No one checked back during our visit, as they were busy chatting at the waiter’s station and drinking coffee. I don’t think I will go back to this branch.

Love this spot! Great for a quick coffee or meal. Very child friendly with a ton of high chairs and easy access to a bathroom with changing facilities for kids. The staff don’t mind if you park your buggy next to your table. Monday’s and Friday’ at 10:30 local moms meet up in the back of the restaurant through St. John’s woods moms group and are very welcoming to new faces.

Fantastic food. Goat cheese salad, lobster
Spaghetti great wines! We were walking back to hotel after going to Abby Road and ran across this restaurant amazing Italian food tomorrow we go on UK tour then to Paris

I’m amazed at such good reviews of this place, as my experience was really bad. The customer service was awful, table was dirty and after I ordered they forgot to put cutlery and napkins (essential when you go with a little girl who has just ordered chocolate milk and a giant chocolate cookie!). Until that, well, I though about it just as a series of unfortunate events, but when I asked for the bill, the guy in charge (I don’t know if it was the manager, one of those guys who wears grey trousers and waistcoast, dark hair, very lofty) seemed not to have heard me judging his gaze lost in the horizon. He did not even reply or look at me. When he brought me the bill and threw the plate in the middle of the table and withouth looking or saying anything, I had already decided that no tips or anything I would add to the payment. They did not deserve it, any of them. After I pay I said «Thank you very much, have a good evening» and again I did not obtain even an answer. Awful service, awful people and it wasn’t even crowded so they didn’t have any excuse to be rude. St John’s wood is plenty of good cafés, I’m definitely not coming back here. I have been living in Italy for a time before and have to say that Carluccio’s coffee is really plain, average. Not even worth the loftiness of this staff.

Awesome Italian eatery and bakery. Favourite time is seeing all of the confections for Christmas and Easter. Reminds me of my childhood. On the menu are items that are typical and traditional Italian fare and fixed menus for 11£ for two courses. Service is very accommodating and I have asked the meat dish on the fixed menus to be broiled instead of fried and that was not a problem. Overall, great place.

Do yourself a favor. Get the bicerin– espresso, florentine drinking chocolate, and cream. My only regret is that I didn’t take a photo (or get two). The poached eggs were cooked to perfection. The best eggs I have ever eaten.

Perfect for chilling out and sitting in the sunshine outside and enjoying a cup of coffee. they offeer 2 types mild and strong, i usually go for the mild one «milano» .
Food is also nice with many options for vegetarians, i recommend trying their pasta dishesany of them, they all taste nice and i have gone through their menu during my many visits, tasty every time.
Members of staff are polite caring and quick, that includes the managers too, always visitable on the shop floor if not having a friendly chat with one of the customers, then they’ll be helping out serving or taking orders, always busy .
If you love chocolate, try the chocolate drink. they also have a children menu.

Overall this is a respectable showing given that this is London. The Bicerin looked amazing. The antipasto sampler was excellent. The Pasta Fagioli had all of the pasta stuck together but the broth was delicious. I wouldn’t get the beef chianti again because it wasn’t as tender as I like it and the ponenta was grilled to the point that it was too dry. The wine and drinks were good. Nothing blew my face off, but if I lived here this place would probably be a staple.

Had the chicken liver pâté w/​crostini and chicken Milanese off the prix-​fixe menu for £10. The pâté was delicious, though I wish there was more bread so I could’ve finished it. The chicken Milanese was essentially a chicken schnitzel served with a small salad, dressed with a light vinaigrette. The size of the cutlet was surprisingly large (I was unable to finish it on my own) but it was pretty good, especially when eaten with the salad. The servers were all extremely friendly, and not once did I feel rushed. Will definitely be returning.

My friends and I walked here from Abbey Road for lunch and it was fantastic. They have a prix fixe menu where you can get an appetizer and a main course for just £10. My friends got the bruschetta and i got the garlic bread which was excellent. I really enjoyed my penne with a spicy sausage sauce. I definitely would eat here again, it’d be nice to try out their dinner options. They also have pastries, desserts, and small sandwiches available to go up front. Bright, cheery atmosphere and great service.

For a chain — this place is really quite special. Italian food cooked to perfection!

I do like Carluccios. The quality of experience is generally pretty consistent and that is welcome in the land of overpriced eateries known as St John’s Wood. This location one of the better Carluccios, with the specials board often bearing some treats.
The food is always decent, but I have some gripes —
The wine list really lacks.
Staff can be aloof.
Portions can be a little… erm… little.
Intimacy is pretty much nonexistent in this loud and clattery eatery.
So, if you can forgive my fussy complaints above, give it a shot. The food is great.

It’s a Carluccios. What more can one say — they are all the same. I tend to go there when I am bored of everywhere else. I usually have the lasagne… maybe its the MSG or the high salt content but the food tastes good.
It is also good for families.

i love carluccio’s. and i particulary love one in hampstead because it’s right across the street from that crêpe stand. i almost always order the chicken milanese, with lots of lemon wedges… simple and delicious… you can’t go wrong

Excellent breakfast! I’m a huge fan of the english breakfast that’s served with tomato, yeah tomato!
Had scrambled eggs on toast, a little basil, sauteed mushrooms, pancetta, and a steaming hot latte. Left feeling ready to conquer the day. Great décor, cute little bakery, friendly staff… will definitely be back tomorrow morning… the morning after… the morning after that… Only cost about 10 quid for everything! Yeah!

It is the best chain restaurant in London. No wonder why it is so popular in Hampstead and it’s always full of people. Good quality italian food for a decent price.

Really cool place. I’m not claiming I’m any kind of a food critic, but the Penne ala Luganica that I got at the Carluccio’s in St. John’s Wood is without a doubt the best pasta meal I’ve ever had. It wasn’t particularly expensive, either, and the place had a neat combo of restaurant and market/​shop. Definitely worth checking out. If I still lived in London, I would be there all the time!

One of the main reasons I like this restaurant is because it’s not your typical pizza/​pasta Italian place. Inspired by more coastal cuisine of Italy, Carluccios serves everything from calamari fritti to arancini di riso Siciliani– which are a deep fried rice balls.
Carluccios is both a deli and a café It’s a great place to stop in just for a coffee and a pastry or if you have some grocery shopping to do, you can find fresh mushrooms, olives, handmade pastas, etc. The owner are social conscious as 50p from every dish of Penne Giardiniera will be donated to Action Against Hunger fund. Great place to eat alone or with many friends!