Cornicello Pizzeria — Restaurant in London

"Apparently Fully Booked – But Not for Everyone"

I arrived at 17:30 on a weekend evening to a restaurant that was only half full. I asked for a table and was told they were fully booked for the night — fair enough. I was offered a takeaway pizza with a 45-minute wait, which I accepted without issue.

But here's the twist: when I returned to collect my order, another couple walked in and asked for a table. The owner's response? "I'll see what I can do."

This isn’t the first time I’ve been turned away early in the evening with the same explanation, and it’s starting to feel less like bad luck and more like inconsistency. Hence, the review.

No pizza is that good when the experience leaves a bad taste. #Update after owner's response:

Hi Katie,

Thanks for the detailed reply — it’s clear you put a lot of thought into how the place is run, and that’s fair enough.

That said, the issue for me wasn’t about bookings, weather, or floor plans. I wasn’t waiting outside — I went for a walk for 45 minutes (I’m not from the area), then came back to collect my pizza. Just as I arrived, someone else walked in and was immediately considered for a table.

No one asked if I wanted to dine in. No one took a number in case something opened up. Nothing. I ended up eating my pizza on an outdoor bench, after having waited patiently — and frankly, it just felt like I didn’t count.

From a service point of view, that was disappointing. I’d made the effort to support your business and got no consideration in return.

Still, I appreciate the time you took to respond — even if it missed the point. I’ll give you an extra star for the word...

It's the first time ever we have been turned away from a half empty pizza restaurant at 20.00, when they close at 21.00 being told 'we're fully booked'. Did they really think I was going to believe that they were going that many customers arriving in such a short time who had all booked the same time too? We deicied to order the pizzas verde, as take away and went back to pick them up almost an hour later. They were well presented but the dough was undercooked, they were so floppy that you couldn' take them out of the box and had to hold the piece with both hands, or the topping would collapse. Shame, it came higly recommended, but the lie about fully booked and the undercooked dough put us off. It's back to Pizza Express whose dough is always properly cooked. I'd rather go to an independent restaurant than a chain, but it's got to...

Cornicello Pizzeria serving great pizza with a true flavour of Italy 🇮🇹.

We ordered for take out two pizzas , piccolo margarita for kids and folded (like Calzone ) with Parma ham and rocket salad for adults .

Freshly made took something between 5-10 min and very friendly staff delivered straight into my car as I waited outside restaurant (free on street parking -residential area ) .

Next time definitely we will come in with my family and friends and sit down and spend little longer exploring delicious foods however pre booking recommended as this place is small- medium size and on Saturday night was quite busy . Great pizza dough 😘 Great quality...