Owner's description
A chic all-day dining venue with a buzzing atmosphere, Cicchetti (pronounced Chi-KET-tee), serves freshly prepared regional small plates typically eaten in bars in Venice. It is a traditional relaxed style of Italian eating with tapas dishes bought to the table when ready - perfect to share with friends or enjoy alone, with a beer, glass of wine or cocktail.
The extensive menu includes meat, fish, pasta and pizza as well as speciality seafood and seasonal specials.
Much of the food is sourced from the best producers in Italy such as Bottarga from Sardinia, Burrata from Naples, Culatello from Parma and, of course, Autumn white truffle from Alba. This Italian produce is also the basis for the restaurant's stunning, artistic window displays of breads, seafood, fruits, vegetables and fine wines.
Each season Cicchetti launches an expertly crafted menu, with new creations featuring alongside the restaurant's long-standing classics and established favourites.
San Carlo Cicchetti boasts an enviable reputation for outstanding food and impeccable service and has achieved numerous awards and accolades. As with all San Carlo Group venues, the Piccadilly restaurant attracts a wide mix of customers from tourists and families to business people and well-known celebrities.
All restaurants in the San Carlo Group offer a true Italian experience and epitomise all that is best in genuine Italian hospitality.
San Carlo Cicchetti Piccadilly has a sister venue, Cicchetti Covent Garden at 30 Wellington Street.
Restaurant details
San Carlo Cicchetti Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Food ok and portions quite large. However, I really do not enjoy restaurants where the food can be served in any order (in this instance, four orders arriving at the same time)."
"Certainly a very convenient location for the West End and as promised we were out in plenty of time for the show. The quality of the dishes was a little variable, and we found the suggested order of 6 between two people to be too much for a pre-theatre supper. The service was efficient and friendly, and would have rated higher if we heard have heard the waiter more easily. This place is described as 'buzzy', for which read loud. Conversation was difficult, especially as the tables are really squeezed in."
Harden's survey result
Summary
“For a quick bite” in touristy parts of town, all with a bit of affordable glam thrown in, these “closely packed” Italians with their wide range of Venetian-style Cicchetti have carved a sizeable following: fans say “the small-plates formula works well” and “the whole place buzzes”. Ratings came under more pressure this year, though, with service – generally “swift and charming” – sometimes found “rushed” or “rather random”.
Summary
“Don’t be put off by the tourist location or the gold frontage” if you visit the flagship branch of this successful Italian chain near Piccadilly Circus (which is due to double in size over 2023). For a national group, it and its siblings deliver a surprisingly high-quality formula that mixes “a great range of Venetian-style small plates” with “friendly and efficient” service and “bright and vibrant interiors” which create a “wonderful and buzzing atmosphere”. Top Tip – “super for pre-theatre eating”.
Summary
These “slick and professional” Italians (offshoots of the national San Carlo chain) are “buzzy and convenient sorts of places, where you can enjoy an upbeat bite without hanging around too long”. They serve “an extensive menu of small Venetian sharing plates”: “at best they’re excellent” and almost invariably a meal is “good fun”. The best known outlet is steps from Piccadilly Circus – “it might look like a tourist trap in its prime location but it’s a reliable and smartly decorated venue”.
Summary
A “vibrant atmosphere (especially good for a group)” helps underpin the appeal of these “glitzy and lively” spin-offs from the San Carlo national chain of glam Italians, whose most central branch – just off Piccadilly Circus – is decked out with “marble tables and stylish chandeliers”. “Very tasty small plates” that are inspired by Venetian “cicchetti” are “served speedily”. In late 2021, they are due to open a second Knightsbridge branch, just across the road from Harrods.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Opening hours
Last orders: 11 pm
