August 2025 by Catherine Ramirez
The service was good, the views were lovely, and the place itself is absolutely gorgeous. Drinks were on the pricey side, but I guess that?s expected when you?re paying for the setting.
However, I was extremely disappointed by the state of the disabled toilet. The door was left open and, out of curiosity, I had a peek ? it was shocking. Wet toilet tissue was scattered all over the floor, a pipe was sticking out, and the smell was unbearable. Honestly, I wish I had taken a photo because it was unacceptable. Myself and others were in complete disbelief that such a beautiful venue could allow its facilities to be left in that condition.
There were other toilets available through a door and up a flight of stairs, but that?s not an option for a disabled person who would be forced to use that filthy toilet. For a venue of this standard, the situation was appalling. Please, for the sake of your customers, make sure that toilet is properly cleaned and maintained.
August 2025 by Marziyeh
Good but i wish ti be seated at the open area
August 2025 by Coco Star
This restaurant is on the top of Selfridges. You need to access it from a lift on the ground floor. Don?t go to the 4th floor expecting to reach it there. They should make that clear in the booking as that?s exactly what I did.
The menu is very extensive, maybe 50+ dishes so a lot to decide on. They recommend 4-5 dishes for 2 people. My friend and I had 4 and that was enough. The food was fine, nothing majorly special. There?s probably too much in the menu, they should consider reducing it and make the food really outstanding.
One star down for atmosphere is due to the tables being very close to each other. It felt a bit cramped.
August 2025 by Alex Baxter
Extremely disappointed with my experience. I was on the Alto by San Carlo restaurant when I made my booking for a big celebration, with people travelling a long way for lunch on Selfridges rooftop. When I turned up on the day, I was told the booking was for San Carlo NOT Alto by San Carlo. I have absolutely no idea how this could have happened given I was on the Alto restaurant website and there is no clear way of accidentally booking into San Carlo - I feel completely misled by the website. The whole party had trek across London to sit in the empty, zero atmosphere San Carlo which we had no interest in dining in. At Alto I got the impression this was a regular mix up which suggests there is something dodgy with the website.
August 2025 by louise henry
Just horrid. Service awful to the point of insulting, food ok but there?s better Italian restaurants. Don?t bother.
August 2025 by John
Brilliant customer service
Waiters are so polite and friendly
Great Italian food
Great cocktails
Great oysters
We got a free cake which was a surprise and gleefully received
Will definitely return
Amazing location on a sunny day
August 2025 by Sade-Sarah G
I really enjoyed my visit to Alto by San Carlo in Selfridges. The rooftop setting is beautiful and creates the perfect atmosphere, especially on a hot sunny day. The location is also ideal, adding to the overall experience.
I was fortunate to be served by Ishmael, who was lovely, attentive, and very helpful in guiding us with our food choices. For starters, my friend and I tried the Sicilian arancini, which was absolutely amazing (highly recommend!), and the calamari fritti, which I felt was a little undercooked and could have been better.
For mains, we had the Spaghettini Frutti di Mare and the Ravioli Aragosta. Both were great, around 8/10, but the ravioli really stood out ? definitely a dish I would recommend.
The only downside is that the space feels quite small, so you don?t get much room to yourself. Also, while Ishmael was excellent, we weren?t always served by him, and things like water took a bit longer to arrive. That said, I could see how busy the restaurant was, and staff did their best to reassure us throughout.
Overall, the service, food, and atmosphere made the visit well worth it. I?d happily return and recommend it to others.
August 2025 by Isis Rota
This is the first time I've ever left a bad review, so I think that already speaks volumes.
If you're planning something special, this isn't the place to go...
I booked this restaurant, thinking it would kickstart me and my boyfriend's romantic weekend away in London and the experience was that terrible, it left me in tears. What was meant to be romantic turned into disaster as soon as we sat down. First of all, I asked for tap water and instead was given bottled water, which already had the bill up to £6. As soon as we sat down, the waiter is coming over every 2 minutes asking if we had decided what we wanted to eat, so we felt extremely under pressure and it didn't provide a relaxing environment as it suggested to us, as diners that they wanted us to leave quickly, despite us booking a table.
So let's get into the food...
We order the mixed olives to start, which was extortionate in price for the amount that you get. For mains, I ordered the spaghetti bolognese and my partner ordered the truffle steak. First of all, my pasta came out at the same time as the olives and was terrible (I could've and have made better!), with the sauce obviously not being cooked for 6 hours (as stated on the menu) and the pasta not being al dente, but actually undercooked. We are waiting for around 20-30 minutes for my partners steak to come out, where by that time, I had already eaten my pasta as it would've gone cold. Finally, the steak comes out, which despite tasting nice, was the snidest cut of steak (which was certainly not 500g as stated on the menu) where you also had to order fries alongside it, so his meal alone came to about £45. We also ordered the zucchini frites, which they had written done incorrectly so it was a completely different dish, and arrived after we had finished our mains. What did concern me though is the dish they had mistaken it for was actually a starter and yet, they hadn't even begun to make it. We also ordered two glasses of wine to the table which cost £34, where on the menu it was stated at £12.
While the waiters were attentive at the start, after food was ordered, their attention turned swiftly to new customers and we had been forgotten. Where it is a small rooftop, so I completely understand the crampt environment, something we really disapproved of was the waiters would have multiple table's food being served from one tray. In addition, they would be carrying grey buckets of dirty plates back and to from the kitchen, which wasn't very pleasant when we were trying to eat. Also, the view was a brick wall.
By the end, we wanted to leave as quick as we could. Once the bill arrived it came to, £120 for realistically, tiny portions which left us starving after (so much so, we had to get a KFC), terrible service and a tense atmosphere.
In conclusion, if you are planning on having a good time, LOOK ELSEWHERE!!!
August 2025 by Mariam Al Ali
We had a truly wonderful experience at Alto San Carlo, thanks to Alessandro?s outstanding hospitality. Even though our original booking was for the terrace, he went out of his way to accommodate us in the main dining area, which made our evening even more special.
From the moment we arrived, Alexander and his team made us feel genuinely welcome. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and friendly approach set the tone for the night. The staff anticipated our needs without being intrusive, and every interaction felt warm and personal.
It?s rare to find a place where both the food and the service are equally memorable, but Alto San Carlo exceeded expectations on all fronts. Alexander?s thoughtful gestures, combined with the attentiveness of the staff, turned a simple dinner into a truly enjoyable occasion.
Highly recommended for anyone who values great food paired with exceptional service. We?ll definitely be returning!
August 2025 by Charlotte Davis
Alto by San Carlo ? Disappointing from Start to Finish
I had such high hopes for Alto by San Carlo, but sadly the experience was a huge letdown. The service was slow, to the point where we almost felt forgotten about. Plates sat on our table long after we?d finished, and the staff just didn?t seem attentive.
The food was the biggest disappointment. The Fritto Misto was oily, the batter falling off, completely lacking in seasoning, and one of the scallops was oddly pink. The calamari was chewy and tough. To make matters worse, although the menu states £20.95 for two people, they actually charge you twice something I only discovered when the bill came. Had I known this, I wouldn?t have ordered it.
The Ravioli Lobster (£17.50) was bland and underwhelming, with only a few pieces on the plate definitely not worth the price. The Spaghettini was also extremely bland, lacking even basic seasoning. The prawns were rubbery and chewy, and the tomato sauce was plain and uninspired.
For one sparkling water, Fritto Misto, Ravioli Lobster, and Spaghettini, the bill came to a staggering £76.16. I left feeling frustrated, unsatisfied, and certain I won?t be returning.
Overall, poor service, bland food, and terrible value for money. I wouldn?t recommend Alto by San Carlo to anyone.
August 2025 by Wendy Gibson
Alto San Carol Selfridges. I came here in May and would have given it 5 stars. However I tried to book for 8 people for September to be told they could only accommodate a table of 6 so declined my booking. I then rebooked asking for 2 tables of 4 to be declined again as they said they could not guarantee them next to each other which I find surprising as I was booking so far in advance. Feel like they did not even try to accommodate my request but glad they can afford to turn down a £400 booking
August 2025 by Danai-Athina Irakleidi
Really nice atmosphere and decor. The food is nothing special
August 2025 by Jakub Kosik
We visited with family for a few drinks and I also ordered a desert. The service was slow and very dissipated with presentations of the desert.
Personally I would not serve ?broken? desert to guest?
August 2025 by Taylor S
The venue the location was incredible. The pictures tell you that but the food itself was so disappointing. The oysters were terrible. They could definitely do with some Tabasco sauce. The ravioli lobster was so undercooked and tough to chew on it tasted like it had been microwaved the pasta in general was undercooked, and the dishes just felt like they were missing something completely. There?s a big misalignment between the venue and the location versus what was actually being put out on dishes. We got the bill for £150 for two people and was shocked so I asked for the £16 service charge to be removed and explained I was very unhappy with the meal. We only had 3 beers each, a starter and a main, was a little over priced even for a rooftop especially how crap the food was. Kitty hawks rooftop is better and has nicer food that?s my favourite rooftop restaurant so far in London - skip out on this restaurant
August 2025 by Gregor Hall
Lovely restaurant at the top of Selfridges store. Nice surroundings, very friendly and attentive staff and the food was delicious. You pay a premium price for the location, but for a treat it is well worth a visit.
