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Carbone London, Hit or Miss?
- karineh17
- Dec 6, 2025
- 4 min read
Carbone London has been one of the most talked-about and hardest reservations to secure in the city. You’d think the hype is justified — but clearly, it isn’t. The intense over-marketing and manufactured exclusivity might make it feel exciting at first, but eventually people will tire of chasing a table, and the buzz will fade, especially given the underwhelming quality of the food. At the moment, the only way to get a booking is through a concierge service at £150 per person, or by sheer luck if you know someone in the industry who can pull some strings. But is it actually worth it? Let’s take a look:
What we ordered:
Drinks - 4/10: We ordered a variety of cocktails (Espresso Martini, Paloma, Spicy Margarita) and they all had one thing in common: the unmistakable taste of cheap liquor. We’d had the same drinks at the Arts Club just an hour earlier, and the difference was genuinely shocking. How can a restaurant justify serving alcohol you’d expect at a university fresher’s night out, yet charge £19 a glass?
Appetisers - 8/10: They start you off with a basket of bread, honestly the best thing we had all evening, along with a plate of salami that tasted no different from something you’d pick up at the supermarket. The pickled cauliflower was an unexpected addition, but surprisingly, it was actually quite good.
Caesar Salad made à la minute - 6/10: This is essentially just lettuce with a salty mustard dressing and four croutons — you can’t even taste the anchovy paste. It’s a completely basic salad, not elevated in any way, and for the price, you’re left wondering what’s supposed to be special about it. Honestly, even Rudy’s Pizzeria makes a better Caesar salad.
Meat balls - 4/10: The meatballs were juicy but lukewarm, which immediately made me hesitant to finish them, especially considering they’re made with beef, pork, and veal. There was barely any tomato sauce, even though this type of meatball should be swimming in it. For the price, the presentation and the fact that they weren’t even properly heated were genuinely baffling.
Spaghetti Vongole - 1/10: It was the first time in my life I’ve had a Vongole where you’re basically eating sand. They hadn’t even purged the clams, so you’re grinding your teeth on grit throughout the meal. The sauce tasted like nothing more than salty, buttery water, so overpoweringly salty that we couldn’t even finish it. It genuinely makes you wonder who is cooking these dishes. How hard is it to make a decent vongole or at the very least, to clean the clams properly?
Vodka Rigatoni - 0/10: Where do I even begin? The beauty of a Vodka Rigatoni lies in the sweetness of caramelised tomato paste balanced with delicate cream but none of that was present here. Carbone sells their sauces in jars, and honestly, I’m convinced that’s exactly what they used. If you told me this was Barilla sauce straight from the supermarket, I wouldn’t argue. It tasted acidic, flat, and completely lacking in spices or any sense of elevation. If I can make a better vodka rigatoni at home on a random weeknight, how is Carbone London, supposedly famous for this dish, serving something this bland and unpleasant? Truly horrible.
Tiramisu - 3/10: The dessert tray they bring around looked completely unappealing, and after being so underwhelmed by the food, I wasn’t exactly eager to order anything but I thought maybe dessert would redeem the evening. I was wrong. The tiramisu tasted only of cream and chocolate, with no coffee liqueur and barely any coffee flavour at all. A total waste of time.
Atmosphere - 7/10: The restaurant itself is fine, but it feels far too large, giving it more of a canteen vibe than that of a cosy, exclusive spot. It completely misses the charm of the old-school Italian restaurant it’s supposed to emulate. A shame.
Service - 4/10: When we arrived, our waiter was friendly and helpful, but several others were noticeably clumsy — they didn’t seem to know how to serve properly or even clear the table. Normally, I wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, but if you’re going to charge a 15% service fee like a Michelin-level restaurant, then the service should at least be impeccable.
What truly ruined the evening was that, while we were still eating dessert, a waiter suddenly appeared and handed us the bill without us even asking for it. I have never experienced anything like that. If you’re going to charge these fancy prices, the least you can do is treat guests with respect until the very end. The whole gesture felt incredibly cheap.
Overall grade: 2/10: If this restaurant doesn’t improve the quality of its food or stops pretending to be exclusive without offering any real substance, it will eventually close. Mark my words.
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