Carluccio's

Popped into Carluccio’s Meadowhall with modest expectations… which, impressively, were still not met. The staff were borderline okay which sounds harsh, but hear me out. They were extremely busy, mainly because one member of staff appeared deeply committed to enjoying her own food at the bar, leaving us patiently waiting for two hot lattes. Hot might be ambitious. Luke warm? Yes. Acceptable? Barely. But at this point, we’d bonded with them, so we drank up. Now… the food. The chicken burger was so greasy it could’ve been used to lubricate Meadowhall’s escalators. The bacon looked like it had been gently introduced to warmth but never formally met a pan. The side of garlic broccoli deserves its own paragraph. I don’t mind al dente I actually welcome it but this was less Italian bite and more school eraser. Hard, pale, and with strong “microwave button smashed twice” energy. My wife’s pasta was stodgy and somehow undercooked at the same time a culinary paradox that science may one day explain. Would I go back? Only if this was the last restaurant on Earth, the chef had been replaced, the ownership had changed, and society had collapsed to the point where choices were no longer a thing. ⭐ Rating: generous imagination required ☕ Latte temperature: emotional support only 🍝 Authenticity: Italy has been notified

Food was amazing.. Pasta al dente, fresh bread and succulent chicken. Service wasn't up to standard. We stood for 5 minutes at the door and then told sit where we wanted and we'll bring menus. Wasn't very busy just looked unorganised. Ended up with 2 servers asking similar questions, which is fine but doesn't give confidence. I do like the billing system where you can scan the QR and pay your bill

I visited today as I was told there was a gift shop at the restaurant. I was looking for ideas for a Xmas present and was helped by Bradley. He was very friendly and helped me put together a lovely hamper. Nothing was too much trouble and I’ve got a great present for my friend. Thank you Bradley for first class service. Will definitely be visiting again.

A quiet Sunday morning breakfast for me was not quiet in this kitchen, as they only had one chef on, I was warned of the thirty minute wait before I sat down (without a wait). But I had nowhere to be, so it wasn’t an issue, and the staff were so good about it as well. The cappuccino was very tasty, but the apple juice I ordered alongside, I question whether it was watered down. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was in order to make the “Go Magnifico!” offer financially viable. In the end, I only waited about twenty minutes for my food, and it was alright. I’m pretty sure my Eggs Pancetta Benedict was served with bacon, not pancetta. The eggs were a little undercooked, but this is preferable to over-poached eggs, so it was fine. The Hollandaise sauce tasted “jar-y”, and indeed it’s spooned out of a bowl from under a heat lamp, so if you’re a Hollandaise snob, would not recommend. Overall, for £15, it’s a nice coffee and some alright grub. It didn’t break the bank, and it’s nice to have a server actually smile at you for once, unlike at other family friendly restaurant chains nowadays.

We were really looking forward to our visit, but unfortunately it didn’t quite meet expectations. There was no gluten-free bread available as the delivery hadn’t arrived, which was disappointing. I ordered the Eggs Benedict and it went cold quite quickly, and the pancetta was a bit grisly, and the hollandaise sauce was a little sickly. We also had quite a long wait for our drinks to arrive, and overall the service felt a little slow. Not the worst experience, but not as enjoyable as we’d hoped. Don't feel it was quite worth the price paid.