Carluccio’s

I usually quite like carluccios, and this one was fine, but nothing special. We had the grandioso platter and a bowl of spicy sausage pasta to share. The pasta was ok, a good size portion and well cooked, but a bit bland. The platter had lots of delicious things on it, but in tiny amounts. It didn’t feel like good value for money at £16. The cheese plate from the dessert menu was generous with the cheese, stingy with the bread, so hubby ended up with an entire block of cheese per piece of bread. The meringue with passionfruit cream was like a kind of Eton mess, again, not offensive but not special. The waitress was lovely, but there was zero atmosphere, so I’m not that surprised that the place was half empty when every other restaurant on the high road was packed.

My first experience of a Carluccio’s and probably my last. Terribly slow service, and an incredibly poor seafood risotto, made without any seafood stock and looking more like a watery rice pudding, with congealed globules of rice in it, this was changed for a chicken milanese which was an improvement. Their fragrant and fresh Sauvignon Blanc was anything but, the second glass from a fresh bottle was better but they charged for both.

My waitress was Italian, my food was not. The mushroom risotto was basically undercooked white rice with a mushroom~wine reduction. You can get a very decent cappuccino here on a good day and it may be the latest serving coffee in Chiswick.

This Carluccio’s is par for the course. Food ranging from reasonable to rather good, polite and attentive service, fair prices. Dependable, but not a stand-​out experience.

Went to Carluccio’s about a month ago for lunch and I thought that overall, it was pretty good. The place is kids friendly which is a big deal to me for week-​end lunch. Service was friendly and attentive and the menus that we selected worked well overall. Kids were happy with their dishes which were not the classic kids «burger and fries».
My wife had a salad which was just ok since the tomatoes were «fridged: and had lost their crunchiness. I selected the veal milanese. It was tender and think as I like them.
I would go back there again for lunch. I also tried the one in South Kensington for an informal dinner and I also liked it so thumbs up.

There are a good few places in Chiswick to pick from for food; this is one of the nicer ones, and you know what, this place is no different to any other Carluccio’s.
Three of us had lunch there today — mains with drinks came to £30.
Tip: Do ask for a sample of their Lemon Oil — very tasty.

I went to Carluccio’s for my anniversary on march 21^st. It was the first time I went there and it was good. I had a bruchetta as a starter and a ravioli as the main dish. But If I didn’t had any starter I would still be hungry after my lunch. The quantity of food is very little. But the quality was good.

absolutely delectable food! the foccaccia was wonderfully fresh. the appetizers arrived quickly and tasted superb (bruschetta and fried calamari). the main course, pumpkin sage ravioli, was exquisite.
Decent staff and service; the booths are more spacious than the tables.

good at what it does. Friendly staff, decent food, child friendly, allround a good standard.

What a horrid experience.
Nice looking place, very airy and attractive.
The spaghetti dish we both had was greasy and nasty. After I’d slipped and slithered my through it, there was a puddle of grease at the bottom. Wretched.
We asked for bread to satiate us during the long wait for our pasta. We were given a metal basket with a stale selection, which we returned, so he gave us a chunk of the only bread that wasn’t stale, then charged us almost £4 for it. No, really. Even the waiter agreed it was absurdly expensive. It was insulting, quite frankly.
This is London food of 1974, not 2009… except the prices, which are bang up to date, then add some. Also, bread used to be free in even the most low key places. When did that change?

excellent food, coffee and sweets
one of the waiters is very slow and adds to your bill or forgets to charge you what you order, however the rest of the staff offers great service
also take away

This is a good place to go for breakfast in the week when it’s reasonably quiet. They do very good coffee, good bread and pastries and a nice fruit plate. They also do cooked food like eggs and wild mushrooms on ciabatta which is delicious. If you go on the weekend it’s very crowded and there are usually lots of families with kids running around — great if you have kids and want someone child-​friendly but not so great if you want a quiet breakfast. They have a lovely deli and you can buy posh ready meals that are above the quality you tend to find in supermarkets, along with Pasta, cheese, oils and sweets.

I found this place to be a bit lifeless, lacking the atmosphere that you would expect. A cafeteria-​style restaurant with a deli counter and a few tables out front for people watching, Carluccio’s occupies a space on Chiswick High Road that has been the home to several failed businesses over the past decade. But then I suppose the food is better than the Burger King that used to be here. If somewhat more expensive.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this place, and it is nice to peruse the various regional ingredients, etc. in the shop at the front, but you have to ask yourself, did Chiswick really need another Italian restaurant? While the trendy set has embraced it with open arms (the outside seats are THE place to be seen on weekdays, espresso in hand), I remain unimpressed and can’t help but think that, of all the shops and restaurants missing from W4, a brand name Italian really wasn’t one of them. No matter how good the risotto.

I have always had great food here, but would agree that it can sometimes be hit and miss. Nice size restaurant, and I love the deli at the front of store. Can sometimes be full of parent and toddler groups, but staff are accomodating and great with kids! Better than the covent garden branch!

Bit eclectic in here. I’ve had sometimes where the service has been good and others where it’s been appalling.
Gets very very busy at lunchtimes and weekends. The food is good, nice and authentic, good value and very fresh — the shop/​deli is also a nice addition selling lots of Italian favourites.
They do do the best cappucinos in Chiswick.

My friend introduced me to Carluccio’s and I loved it the first time. I took my boyfriend to our local branch, raving about the food and atomosphere. However, Carluccio’s are very different it would seem! This one seems very spacious, white and well, sparce. The lights are very bright and the air conditioning set on high. It’s like you’re sitting inside a large refrigerator!
The staff were very friendly and the food was nice, although my boyfriend found there weren’t many choices for himand I ended up having a similar problem.
I think if they cosied it up a bit, took the lighting down, put up a few posters it would feel a bit nicer in there. But it really had no atmosphere at all, apart from cold and sterile.

I used to rave about Carluccio’s, but having spent a lot of time in Italy recently I’m not so sure now. Of course from its beginnings on Neal Street in Soho, the initial deli has expanded into a sprawling chain of Italian deli/​diners across London. And Mr Carluccio is now retained in one of those executive advisory capacities. So maybe they’ve lost their touch.
The franchise specialises in high quality Italian deli items. You can get ready cooked pastas, arancini. olives or hams from the counter and Lemoncello, Amaretti biscuits, grissini, virgin olive oil, sundried tomatoes, vino a plenty, sugos & ragus or pugliese bread from the shelves. But to be honest all these items are way over-​priced and represent nothing more than standard (albeit good quality) Italian fare. Even the assistant advised me against buying the hand-​made ravioli. I quote «you don’t get much for your money and we’ve had a lot of complaints so I suggest something else.»!!!
At the Chiswick branch, in line with many others, there’s a diner at the back and tables out front (although you’re a bit odd if sitting by a pedestrian crossing next door to Woolworths is your idea of La Dolce Vita). Very family friendly, reasonable service, modern décor. Although it does make me smile that this used to be a Burger King! Good menu — antipasti, primi & secondi dishes. All the Italian bases covered. There’s even a Vespa on the menu!