San Carlo Cicchetti

Shared the deep fried pizza (!!!) and beef short rib between two of us and the food was absolutely amazing. The deep fried pizza was like a cheesy savoury doughnut, which was a real treat. The short rib was so well cooked and fell apart as soon as a fork was put to it. The restaurant is great for sharing lots of little things amongst friends.

Amazing Italian restaurant tucked in a side street two minutes from Covent Garden. We called in for lunch on a Thursday and it while it was busy the front of house was possible the best I’ve ever seen, he had us sat down immediately and was buzzing around the whole we were there making sure things were just so.
The atmosphere and décor is relaxed and comfortable, the waiters were bantering back and forth in Italian constantly which was fun to listen to.
Our waiter was very attentive, he explained the tapas style experience they have and we ordered x5 dishes which included the posh ham, lamb cutlets, some amazing cheese&ham bread and the duck. It was all great and we finished up with a cheese board to share. The cheese we found was a little short on strength for us but some great port with it made up for that.
I’d highly recommend them and we’ll certainly be heading back at some point.

Incredible food, atmosphere and staff. Italian ‘tapas’ style dishes (I loved the truffle ravioli) and very good service. The restaurant is dimly lit and has a cosy feel to it. I went there for my birthday last week and enjoyed my experience very much.

Stopped in and I agree. Amazing food and service. A real gem. The mussels were amazing.

It was excellent! We sat at the bar and also greatly enjoyed conversing with the bar tenders. Excellent service. Outstanding host. Terrific ambiance. Buonisima!

We didn’t have a reservation, at peak time, during Christmas. Food was fast, service was first class and the price was less than anticipated.

Wow, what a gem! I friend and I went here on a Saturday night. We walked past and decided to stop in. The restaurant is beautiful. Gorgeous ambiance. And the food was divine. We got the seafood platter with buttery scallops, succulent prawns and delicious mussels/​clams.
The staff were all very friendly as well. I can’t wait to go back.

This restaurant was so highly recommended we had to try it. We came pre-​theatre without a res, but were told we could have a table as long as we were able to clear it by 7:30. That was lovely. The table was not. The restaurant is very long and very narrow, using lots of mirrored walls to give the impression of depth. Our table was awkwardly placed in a curve of the wall, right next to the wait staff station. We ordered several dishes to share, and several were good. The simple salad was fresh but boring. The mussels, though they were prepared in a good Neapolitan sauce, were disappointingly undercooked, with several unopened (not good in a starter portion!). The pumpkin risotto was excellent, if a bit al dente, and wonderfully presented in a baby pumpkin. We were eating the interior pumpkin flesh (delicious) when our waiter whisked it away. The scallops, while tasty, were ridiculous. The presentation was lovely — two scallop shells on a plank arranged with lemon slices. Each shell contained one (1) smallish scallop. Really. One of the highest priced items on the menu, too. Worst of all was the behavior of management and staff at the wait station behind us. Our waiter, apparently new, was frequently and loudly reprimanded for just about every move he made. It was beyond uncomfortable, and inexcusable. Cannot recommend this place, trendy though it may be.

We are in town from the US and met some of our London friends here. We had a great time. It’s tapas style so we ordered several small plates and shared. Keep in mind they are very small plates so be sure to order a lot! The waiter was very attentive and friendly and the food was wonderful. Beautiful interior of the restaurant as well.

Wow. The service is fantastic. The antipasti was just like italy. Great wine at fair price. If you love olives you will love the restaurant
The tuna tartare was very tasty and the rest was great.

Really yum Italian food with delicate environment! Highly recommended the seafood combo and the pasta ! Tiramisu is also Delicious !!

Amazing Italian food. Beautiful restaurant. The best vegetarian antipasti I have had.

Excellent food!
The restaurant was a bit loud, there were a lot of groups. Not I would go for a romantic date, but great for dinner. We ordered an array of food and wine, everything was outstanding. I am looking forward to going back.

Been here for breakfast 4 times now, consistently excellent, relaxed professional service and great food. The Cicchetti breakfast with scrambled egg (at a very reasonable £7.95) is very tasty, nicely presented, I personally skip the black pudding just my personal taste…
Perfectly located close to Covent Garden piazza.
Well recommended

I love tasting lots of little dishes rather than committing to one, so in many ways San Carlo Cicchetti is perfect. But perhaps the concept should translate as small dishes for small groups. My experience as part of a large group of ten left me hungry and out of pocket.
Everything I tasted was delicious, but just a tasting menu it was. Staff were very friendly but not very helpful and just added to the confusion. It feels they got more orders wrong than right and couldn’t tell their broccoli from their spinach (actually, it turned out to be chard — luckily I love all greens).
I am also a little bit sad that this means PJ is no longer — San Carlo replaces a retro burger joint with the names of regulars carved into brass plates … I wonder if they sent them to their respective «owners»? Seems as though the location asks for tackiness somehow and pleased to report that the new surroundings look just as tacky to my eye.

Great restaurant, great service (except for the girl at the entrance), fantastic food.

They say good things come in small packages! San Carlo Cicchetti pronounced chi-​KET-​tee serves authentic Italian dishes on small plates.
From the outside, the restaurant looks like a butcher’s! There are meat, seafood, cheese, dried food and wines on display at the front of the restaurant, seriously. Once you entered the restaurant, you will feel like you have been magically transported to a different place. I like the sophisticated interior of the restaurant, it feels posh!
The restaurant is part of the San Carlo Group. They are inspired by the delightful Venetian culinary custom of cicchetti. The food here taste so much better than the ones I had when I was in Venice.
Cicchetti launches a new menu every season. Their classic favourites would be retained while the new dishes will include seasonal ingredients sourced all the way from… Milan.
Ask and you will receive the complimentary freshly baked pizza. There is also a sweet snack, that looks like the sweet version of poppadom!
The tagliolini with lobster tail was delicious, not too heavy. The sauce was, however, a little too salty to my taste.
The dessert of mixed selection of cakes is a must try! The cakes were fresh and light. My favourite is the pistachio flavoured cake.
Good food and great customer service.
Ciao, grazie!

Delicious Italian food and very friendly service. Perfect for sharing. Already planning on coming back

Great Italian food. The service was attentive.
The pasta and the steak was delicious.

I don’t understand how this place doesn’t have 100 reviews. It was fantastic. Very authentic Italian. I think every single person working there was from Italy. The food was great, the wine was awesome, and the service was spectacular.