If you are looking for a restaurant with gluten free food: This is the place to go. They have a seperate menu for gluten free food, great pasta dishes and I loved the desert (I had the gluten free chocolate fondue). The waiters are very nice and the atmosphere great. I went there twice during my stay in London. Recommended!

We do not get out much as we have children so when we do we appreciate good food. I thought that we ought to try Carluccios as we had gone past it before. As it was my 40 birthday, my husband and I decided to try it. What a mistake! My husband had bruschetta as a starter. It tasted awful and we asked for this starter to be taken away. The waitress said that it had been made that morning, so perhaps it might be a bit stale! Then things went from bad to worse. My starter was the tuna fishcake - this was great but the salad with it had definitely seen better days! My husband's main course was the pork - this was very tough and hard to cut. We could not wait for the bill - this took 20 minutes to come after we had asked for it. Luckily, we had not been asked if we required any desserts or coffee! I will certainly remember my 40th, but for the wrong reasons.

Enjoying taking my family members to London we headed into Caluccios for a bit of lunch before a show. Six of us to start with then another 3 decided to join us. We asked to move to accomodate which was not a problem. Knowing that we were in Covent garden and in pleasant surrounding we expect to pay above the odds but to our dismay another £15 put on the bill as we were now a party of 9 over and above the tip already added to the bill. Feel this is slightly outrageous.

Carluccio's has gone down hill. The staff were fine, even above average. The place was busy and they only reserve 30% of tables so it's likely you'd have to wait but it was only for a few minutes. The premises was plain but Carluccio's has always been about the food. Tried the bresaola for starters, the meat was fine, there was a weensy sprinkling of parmesan slivers and a leaf of rocket. It was okay but if you've had bresaola with artichoke, better cheese and rocket this will be insipid by comparison but okay. For the main course I had the bistecca with rosemary potatoes and a pepper dip. The steak was awful and was so much bone and fat that there were about five or six mouthfuls, the meat was okay but nothing special, how difficult is it to season and fry or grill a steak? I could have done with a steak knife but that's my fault for not asking but given the small amount of actual meat, it was hardly going to make a bog difference. The potatoes were bland and didn't have any discernible taste of rosemary but the pepper dip was unbelievable - cold and tasteless - ketchup would have been a vast improvement, seriously. And if you're thinking there was some subtle taste in the dip, forget it, it was first and last dreadful. For desert I had the affogato (nougat and ice cream with espresso poured over it). It was okay but compared to Strada who also do this dessert, it was poor, in both presentation in a tall glass, and taste. For the food and ambiance I give it a 1-star, for the staff I give it a 2 and an average of 2. I won't be returning to Carluccio's. As a chain Strada is now miles better which wasn't the case a couple of years ago. There are also a number of non-chain Italian restaurants close-by but it can be hit and miss with these, but next time I would prefer to take my chances than eat at Carluccio's again.

Very poor indeed - avoid at all costs!!
We arrived at around 5.30pm (early meal before theatre) so restaurant was about half full. We requested a table along the side of the restaurant (there were about 6 free) but told they were all booked. By the time we came to leave nearly 2 hours later they were still vacant!

The table was filthy, as were the seats and the wall paper next to the table. We ordered some olives and focaccia to start. The olives were in some sort of sauce so we were expecting to be given a cocktail stick o pick them out, but told no you have to use your fingers. A rather messy start then. The calamari which followed was truly the worst I have ever endured - tough as leather, obviously frozen, no mayonnaise/dressing, wilting lettuce leaves. Absolutely foul.

Main courses were slightly better, though my gnocci had such little gorgonzola in the sauce it basically tasted like just cream. I've made better myself at home.

The best part of the meal was the wine. Service was pretty awful, very slow considering the time we ate, hapless and generally uneventful.

Would not eat again at Carluccios, very disappointed.

Authentic, delicious Italian food at very reasonable prices. Friendly and efficient waiting staff. Would highly recommend.

Avoid at all costs-warm wine, cold tasteless food and rude staff I would've given zero stars but the website won't let me! My mum and me went for an early evening meal. It all sarted ok (not great as the white wine wasn't chilled) and went rapidly downhill. After waiting a while for our waitress to take our order the starter was nice enough, though as it was cold antipasti even my 15 year old cousin couldn't go wrong serving that. I had ravilo for main and mum had veal. My meal arrived cold and after very politly informing the waitress she took it back. No apology from her at all. Meanwhile mum was trying to cut into a huge lump of grisly, tough veal whilst figuring out if the risotto with it was actually risotto or rice pudding. When my food came back it was luke warm and mum had given up on her food and spoke to the waitress to which the waitress asked her how should the risotto be cooked?!. Mum ordered a different dish and I had a pick at mine. She was served a scruffy spaghetti dish (all the spaghetti was danglng over the edge of the bowl) which was one big saticky lump. The waitress said she would send the manager over once we had finished our meals. We told her we would leave them and for the next 20 mins she positivly ignored us avoiding eye contact when we tried to get her attention to ask where the manager was. To cut a long story short we got no apology and when the manager evtually came overhe thought he could charm his way out of everything. We had no apolgies until I asked for one! We told him we would pay for the wine and starter not the mains and he agreed actually we would pay for the wine only. Fair deal. Until he bought over a bill for £50 andwhen we queried it, then denied agreeing to only charge us for the wine! He obviously was more interested in getting rid of us as his parting words were "oh just have the meal for free". I've had better food at pizza hut.

Had one of the worst experiences in Carluccios 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 seating's 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 Carluccios 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 Carluccios anytime soon.