Carluccio’s

I wanted to love this place … really badly after seeing the huge gluten free menu online.
A full A4 sized gluten free menu sounded promising … i had my options picked out before heading in.
A lover of carbonara and italian food … surely carluccios would deliver?
Sadly not … it started well. The waiter was friendly and our order was taken reasonably quick. My friend wanted to change one of the salad items and they were happy to accommodate. I ordered my carbonara and couldnt wait.
It arrived and all looked promising and then the taste … oh my good god it was awful! There was no taste at all. A few bits of panchetta were nice but it was just so bland. No creaminess or garlicness no nothing! My friend tasted it and agreed it was awful.
I ate a few spoons and then left it. The waiter when clearing my table asked how the meal was when he spied how much i left. I told him how i felt and he actually told me that another italian chain do it better!
We had dessert and i had the chocolate torte which was nice but sadly didnt make up for the dissapointment of the meal.
No offers to reduce the bill or try and salavge our custom means i 100% wont be back.

Overall a distinctly average place. My arancini was pretty dissappointing with a red pepper risotto that had a very lemony vibe, not really my cup of tea. We also had the Polpette with tomato sauce which was nice but quite plain. Our latte’s were nice and the staff were attentive and helpful. But overall I wouldn’t come back.

I’d been to Carluccio’s once before and had a bit of a dire experience, and was looking forward to a proper visit where I could try the food and update (and hopefully upgrade) my review. Well, I had the proper visit but sadly the review update is going down rather than up — and it’s the food that has saved it from being 1 star!
I was meeting a friend but she was running late, so I was happy to take a seat and look over the menu while I waited for her. For some reason, both times I’ve visited Carluccio’s I’ve been seated in the less-​nice café area rather than the restaurant space. And, as with my first visit, I asked for a menu to look over and then didn’t get one. I actually started to wonder if it was me! I got a menu after about a 10 minute wait (I’m not exaggerating on the time either). This basic service issue just left me totally baffled and by the time my friend arrived I was very close to suggesting that we leave and go somewhere else (we only stayed because Stereo nearby hadn’t opened yet). I could see a nearby table just as frustrated and bewildered as I was about the service. It wasn’t for lack of staff either.
So onto the food. I ordered the Colazione Magnifica (£9.95) which is «your choice of free range eggs with grilled smoky pancetta, sautéed mushrooms, tomato and toasted Italian bread. Coffee or tea and a fresh juice.» I was never asked about the juice and never received it. When the food arrived the bread had been burnt on one side, which was placed facing down on the plate so I didn’t realise until I got a mouthful of burnyness in my mouth. As you can guess I was pretty grumpy by this stage and so I just picked my way through the dish which, apart from the burnt bread was fine, nothing to rave about though.
I don’t normally comment on loos unless there’s something to say about them, and in this case there was. I visited twice during my visit and there was toilet paper in only one of the cubicles, which wasn’t refreshed during the time I was there (over an hour). Not very impressive that they don’t check up on these things.
For me, this visit was a whole bunch of small niggles that probably I’d look over normally, but they all added up to disappointing, slow service and a bad atmosphere. Even when they took payment away it was quite a wait to get the change back. With so many great cafes in Glasgow offering both really great food and friendly service, I can’t think of a reason I’d go back here.

They were understaffed and, working in a restaurant myself, I spent most of the time feeling sorry for the staff!
We had been to Carluccios in Dubai airpost last year and had a lovely pasta with fried courgette balls in it but couldn’t see it on the menu.
After a sharing antipasti, I had the spinach ravioli and it was fine. Just fine I guess.
The middle of the road food and lack of staff scream chain restaurant and it is a chain restaurant so I should have expected it really.
I wouldn’t choose to go back when Glasgow has so many fab Italian restaurants but if someone else chose it then I wouldn’t refuse to go back.

Carluccio’s was pleasant enough for a quick hot beverage stop before a family dinner. Upon entering, I was instantly reminded of the dutch-​style delis I’d stumbled upon and fallen in love with in Amsterdam. — Huge meringues, jars of delicious foods and handwritten boards offering up the daily specials.
I would’ve loved to walk around and browse the deli section but I felt like the fancy dining half of Carluccio’s didn’t quite sit well with the lovely-​looking deli half. They just didn’t seem to fit well together. As much as it all looked darn good, it didn’t even cross my mind to browse; it almost felt like the deli wasn’t part of Carluccio’s or that it was out of bounds. Since the dining area struck me as a ‘don’t touch anything, you might break it’ type of place, this also carried over to the deli for me. In comparison, if we’re talking about my favourite deli-​café in Stirling, The Greengrocer, I can browse endlessly as the whole place has such a genuinely relaxed and welcoming vibe. I can wander around to my heart’s content, prodding and sniffing their glorious produce, and I never feel like I’m intruding, even when it’s full to the brim. This is how the deli-​café should be!
So we sat down and had teas and coffees. And they were fine. Although my tea pillow (How fancy!) had a teeny tiny rip in it. Luckily I spotted it and ensured that no loose tea escaped into my cup. If that’s ever happened to you then you’ll know that it makes for a very sad cup of tea and plenty of fishing out of little bits and it’s not in the least bit pleasant. Anyway, I don’t blame Carluccio for that; he can’t be blamed!
I’d like to return and give Carluccio’s another go and be proved wrong about the deli. I wouldn’t say no to another visit!

I’m definitely a little biased when it comes to Carluccio’s since my little brother is a chef there. However I loved my meal here with friends. Staff were all very friendly, great atmosphere and major brownie points for having a gluten free menu for my friend who is Coeliac. I would highly recommend the Tortelloni di Cervo (pasta stuffed with venison), their focaccia breads, my friend’s gluten free Spaghetti alle Vongole (spaghetti with clams and chilli) looked delicious as well.
I had to really try hard not to empty the deli at the front too, so many lovely goodies you can take home with you!

I really like this place. It’s just a really nice place to spend time — it’s nice and clean, airy, spacious and bright, and you can sit in and just have a coffee as easily as you can order a meal. There’s also a shop /​deli where you can buy fancy pasta etc.
I had brunch there today, a delicious eggs florentine, eggs perfectly cooked. My friend had eggs royal (with smoked salmon) which I probably would have ordered had I not had the awful smoked salmon experience at The Tea Rooms last week. But THIS salmon looked fresh and delicious. I also ordered a hot chocolate — bad idea as it alone filled me up.
The couple beside us ordered wine, antipasti and a main meal, which was nice to see as often places are funny about serving a brunch menu at the same time as a normal menu. Our waiter was super friendly, although our food was quite slow in coming (this wasn’t his fault and he did apologise).
This is a great city centre location, really great to see the area of town around Central Station perking up a bit. If you sit in the right place you can also oggle at the pastries of Patisserie Valerie next door, although you probably won’t have room! If you’re in a rush, maybe not the place but an ideal pre-​shopping brunch location in town.

Popped in for post party brunch with friends on Sunday, as it was closer to their hotels.
No problem getting a large table for 7 folk at 11am. Breakfast menu wasn’t overwhelming to choose from, but some lovely options nonetheless. I was rather peckish so opted for bread basket and crepes.
Everyone had something different, hence the array of pictures. Scrambled egg was lovely and the bread used for toasting. Only downside for me was the coffee. Its perfectly nice, but I did miss the papercup roasts in comparison.
Service again was pleasant enough, but after food was delivered, never asked if anyone wanted a refill or more, which everyone did.
All in all, not a bad place. Didn’t feel rushed or pressured to leave and had an enjoyable two hours blethering away with mates, which ultimately was the point of choosing this place.
Can’t comment on main course dinners, as only did the breakfast. Hopefully, they are equally as good.
You Gotta BRUNCH it up here, For Sure! :-D

When I saw that this was opening I couldn’t wait to try it. Went with my boyfriend as we received a voucher from their website for a free bottle of house wine. The restaurant was very busy and it is very nice inside. They have a small deli at the side where you can buy massive meriangues and brownies (along with other cakes), and carluccio branded pasta, olive oil etc.
The menu is typically Italian and what I expected from a chain. I asked for the seafood salad and was told this was not available however I noticed that they had seafood pasta which was available, so I asked how they couldn’t use the seafood for the pasta in a salad (?!). The waitress asked the chef and they made a salad eventually. My boyfriend has the mixed seafood deep fried in batter which he liked. However there was nothing special about this place. It is just another Italian chain restaurant which I doubt Carluccio has actually put any work into.
Prices were quite reasonable and we had bellinis to start which were good.

My experience here was terrible because of the food, but this was offset by the friendly service.
I had the spaghetti carbonara for my main meal. It tasted like it had been cooked in the microwave and the sauce was too heavy. I also found a big piece of plastic in it halfway through so I just abandoned it.
The response of the staff was appreciated though. They gave me a coffee and I chose an apricot tart to replace the main meal (and take the taste out of my mouth!) They would have been prepared to charge me nothing for the whole meal, but I offered to pay something (and ended up just paying for my first drink).
I will probably still go to Carluccio’s in the future, but this experience has awakened me to the reality that the quality can be variable.

We got take-​away from the deli section of the restaurant. So it was a bit cheaper then the sit-​down restaurant itself.
The food was delicious we got! Lovely roasted chicken paninis and a delicious lemon tart!
Much better then stoping at one of those chain sandwich shops ! Will go here again!

Now this is my idea of a fry up :), poached eggs, pancheta, mushrooms and toasted ciabatta. Came here for breakfast and have now been for dinner twice and for a chain it is really very nice. The menu and format are very much alligned to Jamie’s Italian; the cooking, the service and the experience however are far superior.
Having dinner with my cousin and her best friend can be a challenge, they are gluten free and allergic to well lots of things. Welcome Carluccios who dont just have GF options they have a whole other menu which is Gluten Free and it is about the same size as the regular menu. This made for two happy ladies.
For me, the calamari and then the rabbit ravioli and I was a very happy JD. It does what it says on the tin and does it well. Its not glam but it is good staple Italian food!

It almost pains me to do this. Poor old Antonio, I’m such a fan, but if he tried eating at his little Glasgow shop he may well agree with what I have to say.
Maybe they had an off night, but now that I recall, I have visited Carluccio’s twice now and succumb to the massive salt levels in the food.
Ok, so the first time I went I did order a putanesca, which by its very nature is rather salty (olives, capers, anchovies). The pasta was cooked nicely and the sauce itself pretty good, but, for me to say it was salty, coming from a man who is happy to forgo high blood pressure for an extra dash of salt, you know its gonna be like the Dead Sea.
My most recent visit really enraged me though. Pushy staff, relentless pouring of our wine, asking if we wanted more even although our glasses were almost overflowing, up-​selling and so on. These are all the things I dislike about a server and business. I want to feel relaxed, to be looked after and not be seen as a walking wad of cash.
I decided to skip the starter as I wasn’t particularly hungry and went straight for the steak. Not surprisingly the waiter asked if I was sure about my decision, and subsequently started to read off the list of starters they had, fair enough, but I wasn’t going to order one. I asked for my steak medium, it arrived, incredibly salty again, overly peppered and really well done. The potatoes too, were really salty and I had to drink around a liter of water with my meal as a consequence.
I really like the menu, the look of the place and what they are trying to do, but at the moment it just isn’t working and Mr Carluccio needs to get himself up to Glasgow to sort it out.

Not the world’s most gourmet Italian place, but the flavors were fresh and, well, flavorful. I had the prix fixe, with a tasty (though not exceptional) roasted garlic bread and a lovely spicy sausage penne. The wine was decent, and the tiramisu was very palatable. And the price was pretty good, too. Service was unengaging but professional. I’d go back there, though for a casual /​non-​romantic nosh.

Carluccio’s are doing a lunch deal of a panini, biscuit and soft drink for a fiver. Which might not seem that remarkable, but these are proper Italian, proscuitto-​filled panini, delicious biscuits — I had olive and parmesan but there are sweet ones — and the soft drinks include Chinotto, which is really hard to find in Scotland. Yum, double yum
I want to go back and have lunch soon — I’ve eaten at Carluccio’s in London and it was fantastic, so I’ll report back when I’ve tried the Glasgow one properly.

Gets better every visit. Top Italian nosh, relaxed atmosphere, great wine, cocktails and coffee. Fab.

Another Italian in the City Centre I hear you cry?
This was as pleasant a dining experience as I’ve ever had.
Stellar service, an inviting open plan décor with plenty of space to rest comfortably and chat away without feeling as though everyone is listening to you (because I’m an undercover agent and need to be overt when I dine out, you see).
Set menu for me at £9.95 where I chomped down on what would’ve been the best bruschetta I’ve ever had if it was a bit warmer. My main was a fantastic chicken dish where looking back, the portion size for the price was staggering (take note, Jamie’s Italian). Thee missus sampled the specials and was as happy as I’ve ever seen her.
Some nice touches on the menu, where the big sell is that this is an authentic Italian joint, reflected in the dishes (try the bread and oils).
Enjoyed that bruschetta so much, I bought some from the shop region in this place which has a fine selection of oils and vinegars.
Can’t vouch for the takeaway coffee.
Sub total, two happy customers who got their money’s worth and will be back again.
Recommended.

Hmmmm. When in need of a coffee jolt and wandering around town I was tempted into this place by the fresh looking grub in the window and the big ol’ sign advertising take away coffee… sold.
So let me start this off by acknowleding that I’m becoming a bit of a coffee snob. I’m not someone who could tell you why a coffee is good/​bad, but for my own taste, I can certainly tell a nice cup from a bad cup.
In a pops to this joint then, expecting a tasty wee flat white to warm the bones and whack the brain back into gear. Intital signs were pretty good as the pleasent chap at the door guided me over to the counter where the barista offered me a choice of two beans… good start!
I was then offered a choice of size for my flat white… now, I may be giving myself away here, but I’d always assumed that a flat white, in essence, is a coffee with a higher coffee to milk ratio than say a latte. The alarm bells were therefore set a ringin’ when my server asked if I wanted a large one… I feared the worst.
What I received (in a time far too short to be able to make a decent coffee) was most certainly not a flat white and also had the fiery heat of a thousand suns. Not good.
Even when it became cool enough to drink, it was mediocre at best and certainly not even up to the standard of yer big generic chains.
I may be back to sample the grub from this place, but I certainly won’t be grabbing a coffee.

My fiancé and I had booked ourselves in for a meal last night having tried and failed in the past to drop in and get a table. It is astonishing that places like this are so busy that you need to book.
Anyway, first thing to say is that the service was great. The two that served us were full of smiles, happy chat and quick to attend and that makes a real difference.
The food, well it was OK. This is the kind of Italian food that Antonio Carluccio probably really wouldn’t be that into. It is production line Italian food. My pasta with «spicy» sausage was nothing more than a reasonably nice pasta sauce. Nothing unpleasant, wholly pleasant but nothing to excite any part of you. My fiancé had some chicken that she enjoyed but was simply a breaded breast of chicken with a few leaves of little gem lettuce on the side. My Tiramisu was nice and light and her ice cream was ice cream.
I would say the Garlic bread was excellent though. Rarely do these places think through something like that and it was buttery, soft, toasted nicely and had a good kick of Garlic.
We actually ended up choosing from the fixed menu and the total with a glass of wine (small) and my pint of Peroni was £30. This isn’t too bad for eating out and I didn’t resent paying it at all. I have had a lot worse, but in all honesty I have cooked a lot better myself.

Always heard good things about this place but never actually realised they’d opened up a restaurant in Glasgow until about a month ago. Oops. Daft thing on my behalf is I must’ve walked past the place quite a few times… shameful. Normally I am very observant, especially when it comes to food thangs.
Was invited here one weekday evening by some old work friends and the strict remit had been ‘Somewhere nice but NOT TOO EXPENSIVE’ (not a cheap-​skate, just in a constant state of skintness unfortunately) and one of my friends decided on here. I was a bit baffled as I’d always presumed this place was mega dear. Turns out I was wrong. We went for the Menu Fisso (or Fixed Price Menu to us non-​Italiano types) which was £9.95 for 2 courses and you can opt to add a 3^rd course by adding £3.50 onto that. I went for the chicken liver pâté with toast ~ this was a mega size portion of pâté and as usual (lots of places do this) the pâté to toast ratio was daft — always end up with loads of pâté left over and no toast :(This time the pâté was so delicious I actually ended up eating it by itself like some crazed pâté fiend, GIMME PATE NOW! *smeared pâté face*
I have to say all the waitresses/​waiters were very lovely and attentive and also one of them even complimented my hair :) Sweet.
Main course was a toss up between the Milanese di Pollo or the Pasta alla Puttanesca ~ I decided on the pasta as the chicken only came with salad; no spaghetti or chips?! Hmph. The pasta was lovely anyway, really enjoyed it and the portion wasn’t as teeny as I anticipated it to be. Alongside this foodage we supped a rather tasty Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, this was very good indeed. Slurp.
Wasn’t gonna go for a dessert but someone slightly twisted my arm (well, it was more of a wee nip really… oh, okay, you guessed, I caved into peer pressure and just thought ‘I’m having one if they are!’), not many options on the dessert menu we could chose from so it was Tiramisu for Angela. Not usually a favourite of mine but I have to say this one was very good.
Ended the evening with a coffee (I asked for a double macciato but I only received a single but whatevs.) and vowed to certainly return again to Carluccio’s. I really enjoyed the food, atmosphere, service and I also love the wee deli/​shop too. After all the wine I had I am so surprised I didn’t leave that place with bags full of their delicious looking raspberry meringues and lots of other Italian food goodies. Phew. My wallet thanked me for that.