Carluccio's (Covent Garden)

We thought Carluccio's would be a safe bet for a Christmas reunion dinner and sadly we were very disappointed. Out of 6 mains, 4 pasta dishes came cold, so we sent them back. They didn't reappear until the other 2 had pretty much finished (not sure why it took so long, as they appeared to be the same dishes that had been zapped in the microwave) - and were still cool! When we pointed this out the staff apologised and said that they would try again and bring fresh, newly cooked mains. Even so, one of the pasta dishes was still tepid when it arrived and had to be reheated a third time. Another, the tortellini, was swimming in water while my friend's chicken was extremely tough - I'm sure that's not how they were supposed to be served, but by then everyone was too hungry to care!

The area we were seated in was also very chilly and I had to put a jacket back on, so altogether it was not exactly a cosy evening! To be fair, after we complained twice they agreed to refund our mains in full. Although when the waiter twice reminded us not to forget our 20p change, we couldn't help suspecting he was tipping into sarcasm at our expense - not a great end to our most disappointing Christmas dinner ever. Have always had good experiences at Carluccio's before, but looking at some of the similar comments on here, standards seem to be slipping!
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1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Had one of the worst experiences in Carluccio's yesterday.

We booked a table for 6 earlier in the day, but only 4 of us turned up and we were shown to a table beside the door. Tried to negotiate getting a better seat (with sofa seatings and larger table) without much luck. The waitress kept insisting that the place was already booked and she cannot do anything about it. Minutes later, a similar table is cleared and I wondered if we were going to be allowed to sit in the better seats. Obviously not.

When the meal came, one of the 3 steaks consist mainly of fat, not really our cup of tea. So, my mate asked for it to be changed. A similar piece was brought out to our disgust. The waitress insisted it was not the same piece and they were not allowed to cook the same piece of meat twice.

We finished our food in a huff and our plates were duly cleared and the bill was presented. Feeling dissatisfied I commented to the waitress the the table we could have been placed on was still empty. Further more a party of two was seated in the table vacated not long after we made our orders.

She then apologised and claimed that it was the porter's (captain?) duty in placing customers, not hers and she has no control over seating. Not very sincere as it was her who told us earlier that she checked and the table was booked. Furthermore, we originally booked for 6, so that table must have been ours in the first place. Luckily, we had some vouchers to limit the damage to our wallets.

Also after the waitress complained to the porter, he gave us a further reduction on the steak that wasn't finished. But, service is service and if Carluccio's want to charge the prices they charge for the food, then the service should have been much better.

Don't think I will return to this restaurant anytime soon.
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Beng
1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The most TERRIBLE service and restaurant experience I have ever encountered because of the following things:

1. The waiter did not understand our order and therefore when I was eating my main meal my husband was eating nothing because he had eaten his main meal when I was eating my starter.

2. I had to wait about 30 mins for main meal after my starter.

3. By the time I had finished my main meal I was quite angry and could not have the (esspresso) drink as part of the set menu. They over charged me even though I clearly stated that I had wanted the set menu.

4. They forgot one part of the starter so the waiter had to give me the money back in coins.

5. No acknowledgement that the service I got was absolutely appalling.

DON'T EVER GO HERE unless you want a terrible time!
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Tom''s wife - View all reviews by this user
1 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 2
Saturday, January 16, 2010

I visited Carluccio's on Saturday 16th May, which was the first time I had tried one out, and on first impression I was very impressed. 2 of my Guests were running late for my 12 midday lunch booking, but I was kindly reassured by the Lady on reception that the table would be held until they arrived, which I was pleased with especially as the restaurant was starting to fill up. Upon being shown in to the restaurant and our table, I was impressed by the natural light, and general lay out of the place as it gave an informal feel and we were made very comfortable, it was also nice to witness other diners ranging from young to old, some with young children and some without, which is pleasing for a Dad of a toddler.

The king prawn and brioche starter I had was nice, but hardly exceptional, as with my Guests starters also, which were enjoyed, but not overwhelmingly so. I then opted for the veal escalope with spinach, which again was nice, but far from mind blowing. The veal was slightly overcooked making it quite tough which was almost sacriligious, but thankfully it had retained some of it's flavour so all was not lost, unfortunately though my girlfriends fruit de mar linguine was very poor, with the linguine being over watery (obviously over cooked and not drained enough), the mussels almost powdery, and the calamari rings extremely rubbery. A lot of the mains were left around the table.

My dessert of crepe with mixed summer fruit berries was very nice though, and finished off accordingly, as were the other desserts which were ordered, the only problem with that course being that an expected ice cream with baileys was brought to us as ice cream with espresso, which my guest had to pour over the ice cream herself. So not all that great, but thankfully the pinot grigio was perfectly chilled and eagerly consumed throughout which numbed the annoyance, and the atmosphere remained excellent throughout making it a good, though far from perfect, lunch.
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Matt Maleary
7 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 20, 2009