Il Castelletto

Nice little Italian restaurant, affordable meal deal prices, but small portion sizes. Lasagne was a bit cold probably heated in the microwave ;). Atmosphere and overall taste was still pretty good though.

Amazing amazing pizza. Of all the pizza joints I tried in the Bloomsbury area, this one had the most vegetables on it! It wasn’t some flat scattering of vegetables on top — this vegetable pizza was piled high with cheese, fresh arugula, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, and tomatoes. It was fantastic. The crème brûlée and cheesecake are the best also, and trust me, I’m an expert on cheesecake. The greatest pizza ever.

So disappointed. This used to be one of our favorite restaurants in London, but under new ownership, it’s just not the same. Service was iffy and food was hit or miss. All in all, quite a mediocre experience.

Food is somewhat acceptable for tourism area that is not the best in food usually. The service in this restaurant is slow. They easily start messed up especially after 50% of those tables are occupied.

A pleasant surprise. Looking to avoid a tourist trap around the British museum we found this little Italian place around the corner. We each had a pasta salad and house wine for under £11. Nothing spectacular but a good hearty serviceable meal for a fair price makes this a perfect little getaway fom the crowds and noise.

After a busy morning at the British Museum, my boyfriend and I thought better than the absolutely overpriced museum restaurant and found this cozy Italian place just across the street. It looked quaint, but the real magic was the 10.95 lunch special posted on the signboard outside!
Exhausted and in dire need of some carbs and refreshment, we popped in and ordered almost immediately. It was quiet when we got there, only another couple eating, but by the time we left it had filled out nicely. I ordered the cannelloni with spinach and cheese with a garden salad and red, and, spaghetti carbonara and white wine for my boyfriend. Our wine came toute-​suite (house, but still fine) and our food not long after.
In terms of the ambiance, the interior was definitely dated, cheesy almost but not in a worn-​out kind of way. It seemed like this restaurant hadn’t changed prices or features in a decade or two. The place settings and wall-​hangings neither. But it was cute, comforting and quiet.
My canelloni was full of ALL OF THE SPINACH, the sauce was delectable and it was super filling. We both quickly cleared out plates and left, ready to tackle more of the impressive museum!

Lovely food! Rustic and tasty. A gem hidden away from the main roads.

Staying at Radisson Bloomsbury this little restaurant gem was just 2 short minutes walk away close to themain entrance of the British Museum. Looking for a nice little place for some good old traditional italian food this one looked a good bet, also getting good reviews on the net.
The food was delicious, I tried the Penne All’Amatriciana, and being one of the more simpler italian dishes it is also one that could tell if they care about the dish. Their Penne All’Amatriciana was a full flavored meal, with good fresh tomato taste and nice ingredients. I had the garlic bread as a side dish and it was just as much a treat as the main course. I really enjoyed this meal, more so than the the same dish from more traditional big time italian restaurants.
I always leave the fifth star for the coffee after, the espresso to be specific. If they mess this up the food can only save four stars. But the espresso was top notch, both strong but also smooth with a perfect crema.
To end with the staff was friendly and very service minded. Being a small restaurant the noise level was quiet. Thumbs up, so give this place a try if you fancy some good old italian food.

Tastecard adventure #2! A girlfriend of mine was having a bon voyage party in Bloomsbury so we decided to grab dinner before the pub as a mini-​date.
It was nice. The nicest place we’ve eaten in London. They replace your fork after each course. We aren’t used to places like this… especially in this city. Almost everyone else there seemed to be a regular and some people practiced their Italian with the owner. He was very friendly and the waitress was very nice as well. A cute date spot, to be sure.
From reading another review, I knew the house wine would be decent and I was not disappointed. At just over 3 pound for a glass, it was the best value wine I’ve had in London.
The food was delicious. I had a bruschetta starter and the river trout for dinner. The veggies, potatoes, and fish were all cooked perfectly. I was stuffed and the Irishman ended up eating my potatoes and half of the trout went uneaten (after I devoured its yummy, yummy head), sadly. He got the Pollo Farcito, chicken stuffed with ham and parmasean, after having melon and prosciutto as an appetizer.
With the Tastecard, we got 2 for 1 courses so for one app, one meal, a glass of wine, and a Peroni, it was only 30 quid. Not bad for a super spiffy meal, walkable from the British Museum!
It would get full marks, except the Irishman spied the Food Hygiene rating on his way to the toilet. 3 out of 5 stars. I’m a 5 out of 5 snob, so I won’t be able to bring myself to eat there again.

Within a block of the British Museum, is a small, classic Italian restaurant. Attentive and very personable service from the presumed owner provided a warm atmosphere for our evening meal. Entrees included the penne alla amatriciana (smokey bacon, tomatoes and onion), chicken cacciatore, classic fettuccine, and a fried scampi dish. All were good and reasonably priced at 11 – 13 GBP. House wine is decent for around 4 GBP. This is a neighborhood find and if I lived here, it would be on my list of frequented restaurants. Plus, I can practice my Italian with the owner while there.

Not a fan of eating Italian when I’m dining out. To me, Italian is what you whip up for dinner at home. It’s classic bachelor food. If food had a default setting, it would be pasta.
So when I dine out, I like to go something more exotic: Ethiopian, Korean, Malay, etc. But when the boss is paying and the boss KNOWS London and likes to eat and has a deep appreciation for good red wines and is armed with the company Amex platinum card, can you really say no? No, you can’t.
Il Castelletto has to be, hands down, some of the most knock out Italian food you’ll find in an English speaking nation. The garlic bread is out of this world. It’s like eating a creamy buttery popcorn infused with garlic. Yeah. Popcorn. There’s this interesting movie theater popcorn top note that just finds all kinds of comfort zones.
The red wine selections are great. Highly recommend the Illuminati to start followed by the Le Caleselle.
I noticed gnocchi on the menu and ordered it without a second thought. I always appreciate a real Italian owned/​run restaurant that has gnocchi on the menu. Gnocchi, in my experience, is one of those serious comfort foods that few will ever make better than the diner’s mother. An Italian restaurant that has gnocchi either knows they’ve got dumplings to rival or they’re vastly arrogant. Given the garlic bread starter, which I could probably have eaten as a main, I figured Il Castelletto’s owner (who seems to be waiter, Maitre d’, sommelier, and task master to some unseen Carlson the Doorman character called Paolo. Paolo gets shouted at a lot from the top of the stairs.
Anyway, the gnocchi was as heavenly as the garlic bread and wines. The dessert menu came around. The boss and our man in London ordered the Tiramisu. I went with the crème brûlée. The crème brûlée was about the only disappointing thing of the evening. I’ve had better. I’ll leave it at that.
We finished up the evening with shots of an Italian liqueur called limoncello. Another great find.

This is a cool spot, especially for those patronising the British Museum, which is only a block away.
Il Castelletto is a small Italian restaurant. I had lunch here last Tuesday with my wife and a good friend who recommended the place. It was a long, leisurely lunch with a couple of bottles of wine and attentive, though not intrusive service.
We all had pasta dishes. Everyone raved about their choices.
I’m a fan and will return here on my next visit to London and the British Museum.

Klasse Italiener und ein ‘Echter’ dazu. Der Besitzer kommt original aus Florenz und man kommt mit ihm schnell ins Gespräch. Die Speisen sind gut bis hervorragend und das Weinsortiment überdurchschnittlich.
Man kann leicht übersehen, dass hier ein tolles Restaurant auf einen wartet, da es von aussen keinen ‘überwältigenden’ Eindruck macht. Die Preise sind im mittleren Segment.
Pizzen gibt es hier übrigens nicht !