Caraffini — Restaurant in London

After visiting the Chelsea Flower Show 2019, we went to Carafinni. Even though the restaurant was almost empty, service was rushed, the penne was not al dente, and the inedible ravioli was smothered in butter, all part of the "special" menu for CFS. What's worse, part of the butter wrapper's foil was in the ravioli. We paid and then almost reluctantly alerted the waiter, who brought the manager after apologising and noting that loyal clients should stay away during CFS, because attention is paid to neither service nor food. We were somewhat appeased, despite paying almost £80 for 3 inedible pasta dishes and a bottle of wine. But despite having gone many times to Carafinni over the last 3 years (it's 2 minutes away from our door), the manager abruptly informed us that we should have told him ASAP about the foil, because a staff member had not seen it after we had noted it, and that you have to specifically request al dente pasta, because most Brits don't like it, so they don't usually serve it at Carafinni. Authentic Italian food this was not, the service was more akin to fast food (despite charging a £2 per person cover and 10% tip), and the manager's elegance and sense of service would be inappropriate even at McDonald's. I was a huge fan of Carafinni; it used to be my favourite local restaurant, but I will not be back. You can not treat loyal customers as dispensable simply to cash in on the swarms of people at the Chelsea Flower Show. Maybe they can tolerate bad service and bad food at high prices, as if they were in the Piazza San...

My wife and I happened upon Caraffini our first night in London and we could tell immediately it was going to be an authentic Italian dining experience. Despite not having a reservation that first night (and they were very busy) we were still warmly greeted, promptly seated outside, and provided with impeccable service. I ordered the gnocchi dish (gnocchi with spicy salami, pistachio, cream and saffron) and it was the best gnocchi I've ever had (and we've been to Italy many times). The service was friendly and attentive, the food made with the highest quality ingredients and attention to detail, and the atmosphere very welcoming.

We loved our experience so much that we booked a table for our last night in London so I could savor that gnocchi again. They recognized us from our first night (something that rarely happens at busy London restaurants) and warmly welcomed us, treating us like family - a true sign of good management infused with authentic Italian culture.

I would fly back from the Seattle to London just to have that gnocchi again - and I probably will. :) Thank you to the team at Caraffini - you made our first and last night meals in London so wonderful. We hope to...

My friend and I came to have dinner here and felt it was a bit disappointing. The food was ok, the interior is plain with an awkward layout when it comes to seating and the service itself was quite off putting in some ways. Ultimately, it’s an average ‘Italian’ restaurant (with mostly portuguese and spanish waiters). As mentioned by someone else on here ‘just because we were dressed casually doesn’t mean we can’t afford the food’ which was made very apparent when we walked in. We waited quite a while after being seated before we were actually acknowledged yet our plates were cleared very quickly when we were finished. Customer service shouldn’t be dependent on how much you think someone is going to spend when they first walk in to your establishment. If you’re a local, you’ll be welcomed with open arms but if it’s your first...