Italian food in Dublin...I felt like I was dining in the middle of Firenze or Rome! The service was fantastic as was the food and wine. We enjoyed a cheese plate as an appetizer, pasta for dinner, and I had tiramisu for dessert. I am a sucker for tiramisu, and this was a fantastic, creamy take on the treat. Not too heavy nor too light as to not be satisfying. The cheese was delicious as expected, and the pasta dish was perfectly sauced and not too heavy (I had a penne dish and the noodles were gigantic). The montepulciano we had to drink (red wine) was yummy, just sweeter than I realized it would be. read more

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Went here yesterday with my girlfriend for lunch, its one of these places I pass every day but never consider going too ! We took a seat outside on account of the lovely weather. We opened with a cheeky bottle of Sunday afternoon Montepulciano, for starters we shared a plate of garlic bread with provolone cheese ( with black pepper ), which was delicious. For mains I had carbonara ( which they did not taint with mushroom, if you put mushroom in a carbonara you need to be carted off to an insane asylum ) the pancetta was perfectly cooked and crispy, and the sauce was fantastic. My girlfriend had the seafood salad, which she assured me was tasty, and from my perspective looked heavy on the seafood ( mussels, calamari and shrimp ) which is great. I took a stroll inside and the cute little shop inside the door sold delicious looking ground coffee, cakes and the like ! Overall the food was fantastic and the ambiance was almost perfect but somewhat spoiled by the unpreventable pit falls of the Dawson street "Have yaa goootttt a spareeeee eurrrroooo" crowd shambling past and interrupting our romantic afternoon lunch. read more

No. No. No. No. No. Very disappointed last Thursday. 4 of us for a breezy family chow. Table reserved no problem but service on the night was pathetic and destroyed an otherwise ok evening. Dirty fork replaced after harassed waiter cornered, water not supplied until requested twice, not refilled either. White wine was almost as warm as the beautiful Dublin summer evening, cutlery not replaced after starters. Get the picture? Meal wasn't particularly memorable but service was. Tip withheld. We may be back but I wouldn't bet on it. read more

Dr Frankenstein said it best: IT LIVES! Announced just days after that warning article in The Times, Carluccio's and its landlord have come to an agreement that will see the much-loved shop open for business at a reduced rent. Huzzah, dopio espressos all around! read more

Our group of 6 came here dinner, because Italian sounded great at the time (plus, they have gluten-free options for some of the people in my group). Since it was around dinnertime, the wait for a large group would be long. Understandable, and they even had free focaccia and olives for us while we waited. They also have a bakery/cafe at the entrance, so you're welcome to get coffee and baked goods/desserts while you wait (or to-go). It looked like they sold packaged pasta, etc near the front too. When we finally got our table, I ordered the duck pappardelle with a citrus iced tea cooler, and my bf ordered the festoni with smoked salmon and vodka with a fresh lemonade. The drinks were refreshing, but for the price, the portion wasn't worth it (mine was over $5 for a small glass half filled with ice). I enjoyed the duck papperdelle, although thought the pasta was a little overcooked. The flavors of the sauce were good, but I barely noticed any of the meat mentioned in it. Plus, portions could be bigger considering the price. It was the only time on that trip that I easily finished my meal, and still felt hungry afterwards :/. My bf's pasta was also okay, but opposite of mine, his pasta tasted kind of undercooked. read more

Fabulous dinner a few times, followed by a horrendous lunch experience. I have to say the luch experience was mortifying as I'd invited family to join after so many gorgeous dinners there. We were left waiting to order about 20 minutes,despite it being quiet. When we finally got our mains they were wrong. My sister's meal was not what she ordered. Mine wasnt right, and my aunt's breaded chicken resembled a dehydrated sponge. It was literally so dry she had to peel the "bread" off it. And all it came with was green salad leaves. It was not a "meal" by any measure. The only saving grace was the tiramisu. Its beautiful. But we were all still hungry and mightily annoyed at the whole experience. We were finishing coffees and staff were clearly preparing for the dinner changeover but they were talking so loudly behind us,we couldnt hear each other speak. Then they dropped all levels of professionalism and started swearing within their own conversation. There were 2 other tables still occupied ( we were upstairs) but the staff's volume pushed us to leave. It was a complete contrast to previous dinner experiences there. Never in a million years would I go back for lunch. I realise one star is harsh,but if thats their normal lunch experience for customers,they need to get the finger out and improve! Dinner yes, its amazing, tasty and fresh. Lunch, hell no. read more

Again I'm going to steal my partner in crime's catch phrase "Om nom nom nom!" Anytime I've come here, which is usually at lunch time just as the lunch rush hits and I have to say, the service is excellent. They're even happy to see a fleet of push chairs crammed into the shop section and our push chair is rather larger, when I say ours I mean my little brothers, I'm happily childless for the moment. But the children just add to the friendly atmosphere, as long as they're not running around screaming, encouraging not so long forgotten thoughts of infanticide. Now lunch there is proper proper Italian food but slightly modified to Irish palates. Please don't ask for ketchup to put on your spagetti...I think you may be asked to leave by some of the dishy Italian waiters. Oh did I not mention the waiters, well my partner in crime and I do rather enjoy going in just to stare in awe at a few of the waiter's. Sleazy I know but they started it by looking so damn yummy! You don't necessarily have to eat a full meal, you can alternatively just go in and indulge in some wonderful coffee.....or give your heart the biggest scare of it's life. On the bottom of the coffee menu, underneath the hot chocolate...there's another sort of chocolate...I don't know if you'd class it as a drink. But it's so sinful that I have heavily considered converting to the catholic church purely so I could confess the sin of eating it. Yes. It's that good. Now this lethal little chocolate fix is served in an espresso cup, you might think that this is a messily portion. Another restaurant falling victim to the "Mixing a tasting portion to a real portion" epidemic. Oh no. They got the portion size just right. This shot of chocolate is basically nearly solid, but hot. The trick I've learnt is to order the place of biscuits, which itself is a nice change to an over sized muffin, and dip it in. Then when the biscuits are gone...resort to the spoon. It's quite similar to my eating of nutella with a spoon from the jar, but I can't find any health benefits. Chocolate, lovely looking Italian waiters and a wonderful little deli built into the restaurant...what more could a food fiend like me want? read more

After an afternoon spent book shopping I went here to read my new book over some lunch. I ordered the seafood salad which had the right portions of calamari, prawns and mussels. The leave mix was OK but that's just because I'm not the biggest fan of that spiky style lettuce, it always pokes out of my mouth and the tartness isn't immediately to my liking but it juxtaposed well against the sweet prawns. For dessert I had the vanilla and bitter chocolate gelato which was absolutely superb and the portions were just right. I also had an americano too and it was perfect. Service was wonderful and engaging, I never felt rushed and I could read my book in peace. There was a lot of young families but it was a Saturday not that they are the plague but if you want peace and quiet maybe rethink here but if you have young kids then this place is very kid friendly. read more

Its a step into a bit of Italy in the heart of Dublin. The pastries smell terrific and the setting is relaxed, clean and bright. The staff is lively moving quickly between tables of guests with classic Italian vigor. I came on a Sunday morning before the rush started. There were about 5 other tables seated in the main floor area. I ordered the toasted fruit bread. When it arrived it looked nicely toasted and fabulous. Unfortunately it was absolutely cold. Given it wasn't a busy time, that was disappointing. The white coffee was average and had a slight bitter finish than I recall on my visits to Italy. This is an OK place to tuck into but not where I'd bring my out of town friends. The staff are welcoming, efficient but there is a slight disconnect with the kitchen timing. It could of just been 'one of those mornings' for Carluccios staff. We all have those. Maybe lunch sometime will be what impresses. read more

I had been to one of their restaurants in London and paid my first visit to the one in Dublin and it is still good and the only difference was the accents of the diners around me being more Irish than English. Still no point in re-inventing the wheel if the model works in one country then the chances are it will work in another. I had the 2 course lunch and it was good my started was chicken liver pate and it was one of the best I have ever had lovely and smooth and nicely presented. For main course I had chicken breast flattened and breaded and fried which was tasty and tender. Price €14.95 The sparkling water was a bit of a shock at €3.25 but I guess that is how they make their profit. Coffee and cream at €2.75 was a little better although coffee was a little bitter. A stater of Mozzarella and tomato at €7.95 I thought pricey for about 2/3 slices of each. We were served by David who was very nice and helpful. I resisted buying anything at the front counter although everything looked delish and I knew if I started I would go quite mad here. read more

This is one of my favourite lunch time haunts .... that I need to haunt more! My love affair with Carluccio's began just before Christmas 2009. Beginning with the odd Cappuccino (Milano, aka smooth, blend) here and there, my morning routine soon evolved into the Cappuccino with a side of delicious Almond croissant. Yum! I've also sampled the majority of the lunch time deli counter; everything ranging from Aubergine salads, Chick peas with chicken, pesto, olives. My plain descriptions really can't do the dishes any justice but needless to say the ingredients are fresh, tasty and authentic Italiano. They seem so simple but despite my many attempts to recreate them at home, I can never get it right.... tips please! My extensive research into the wonders of this café/restaurant can allow me to safely say that the Ravioli 'Homemade delicate ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta, served in the traditional way with butter and sage' is my favourite choice for a main course. Mmmmm tastes like MORE! For a sit-down lunch, you can never go wrong with a Panini, especially the Parma, 'Long cured ham, melted taleggio cheese and sun blushed tomatoes'. The staff are absolutely lovely. I went for lunch there last week with a friend who had already eaten, so she ordered ............. A Gingerbread man! She's 23! The waiter was great craic and found her order as hilarious as I did, he laughed and joked and when it came to bringing out the 'Pupazzetti' (which actually means puppet, not gingerbread man) he proceeded to do the Jaws theme song, no idea why!. My only wish is that when they see me they would say 'the usual, I suppose!' I clearly haven't been visiting enough :D read more

It pains me to have to slam Carluccio's; after all I have a warm appreciation for its owner, Antonio, especially after watching his immensely enjoyable programme "Two Greedy Italians" in which he and his friend Genaro tour across Italy cooking up a storm. The restaurant certainly looks like it should be a good quality experience and the atmosphere is always buzzing, but quite frankly I was let down by the taste, the price and the service. It was a cold November when I last visited. The place was packed and queues for the deli counter were out the door. We were seated downstairs and then left for nearly 15 minutes before an Italian waiter appeared to take our order. His English was pretty dismal and so I had difficulty getting him to explain some of the dishes to me. I settled on the Pork escalope wrapped in parma ham with sauteéd potatoes. He also asked us if "we would like some olives" for the table? We said "yeah, sure, if you're giving them to us" assuming they were free nibbles, like the breadsticks. We waited for another 40 minutes for the food to arrive. The pork was bland and the potatoes (all three of them) were that weird place between hard boiled and roasted. For €14.75 I was pretty disgusted. We skipped dessert and ordered coffee, which took 10 minutes to appear. It tasted great, for sure, but I'd already had enough at that point. Another 6 minutes waiting for the bill. And then we discovered the olives WEREN'T free at all. My aunt went recently with a friend and they both complained that their soup was mediocre and the pasta, tasteless. Honestly, the coffee and the Deli are good, but the restaurant is a huge dissappointment. read more

Popped in here for lunch on Sunday. Managed to nab a seat in the sun which was lovely. Service was attentive and quick. We both had salads, which were tasty. Mine was a little too oily for my taste, but I have to say that I polished it off, so I can't really complain :) The menu here looks very nice. I'll be back to sample more. read more

I only noticed this place while I was walking to town and what first caught my eye was the design of the outside, blue is a great color to catch the eye and also they had all the different types of pastas In the window too which is a great way to make someone hungry..it certainly worked on me! anyway I decided to pop In for some lunch and wow did I enjoy it! If I can recall back I ordered the spaghetti carbonara which was a safety order if I'm honest as I hadn't tried it before and was In the mood for a good filling meal! It did the trick, sure filled me up and was actually a really good dish! One of the better ones too have! Also the service was good as they would of captured from my hefty lunch tip of 5€.... It must of been the pasta paying ! Anyway if u want a fresh Italian meal for lunch or dinner here is the place to hit up! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! read more

Visited during lunchtime on Sunday 25 Feb 2018. Was extremely busy, we got the last available table, so pre-booking Carluccio's would be advisable to avoid disappointment. Service was very good and menu extensive with quite a few vegan options - both wonderful and unusual to see in an Italian. We ordered wine, a platter and selection of starters. The Verdure Board Platter consisted of roasted peppers with garlic, tomato and onion, poponcini peppers with pesto, red onion marmalade with goat's cheese bruschetta, marinated artichokes, balsamic onions, caponata, mint and garlic marinated green beans, mixed olives, caper berries and focaccia. We clearly started we wanted the vegan version of this, which was supposed to come without goats cheese and pesto, as per menu. Lo and behold it came to us with pesto and goats cheese. This was disappointing and thus I have dropped a full star from my review because of this. Luckily our party consisted of 2 vegans and 2 omnivores, so we didn't send the platter back to the kitchen. Nonetheless our wine and food was absolutely delicious and in particular the Crostini ai Funghi (mushrooms and kale with garlic/chilli on toasted ciabatta) was to die for - extremely fresh and flavoursome. Despite the mishap with our platter I enjoyed Carluccio's immensely and would return, but next time will complain if our food isn't served as ordered (i.e. vegan). read more

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I absolutely fell in love with Carluccio's the first time I went there. One night while doing a made up wine walking tour (in which we walked to every restaurant and wine bar we could find and stopped at each to order a glass) we stopped in to Carluccio's for a glass and wound up staying for two bottle plus desert (Italian butter cookies like my great grandmother mother used to make!). We immediately planned another night to go for a full dinner and were in love again the second time. I had gnocchi which I remember as perfect. I love the blue-teal color of the rooms, I love the attached shop (with cookies and olives and other treats!), I love the service, I love the food and the wine. We went three times in one week--that's how much we loved it. Carluccio's was so amazing, I can't wait to go back. read more

My mom and I had a great brunch here. It has a clean, modern interior and I'd always admired it from the windows. I had the scrambled eggs with salmon. It was very flavourful and tasty, especially with the delicious toast it came with. I got tea on the side with was standard. What I really appreciated was the service- our server was super friendly and chatted away to my mom in French. Nice location and good value. read more

Haven't been here for food for a while but Carluccio's is one of my go to spots for coffee in Dublin. In fact I usually get a combination of a macchiato and a fresh mint tea! Hits the spot. Also a great choice for a quick lunch from the deli counter, fresh pasta or panninis nom nom :) read more

Super tasty food, great staff and excellent canoli. For me there is nothing better on going to carluccios on a sunny day and getting a coffee to go and pick up some pastries and make your way to a bench in Stephens green. read more

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Carluccio's essentialy a British food chain - but does have an upside. Coffee is great, the large glases or wine will blow your head off, and the Gnocci, spinach and gorgonzola main course will keep me coming back forever! Breakfast and pastries are amzing and the Italian style breakfast rolls ( scrambled egg & parma ham!!) are divine. Fortunately, I have found a few things I adore here - and as it's a chain, with a formula it sticks to - then I can depend on the good things. Straying off my usual path has been hit and miss at times - especially when they are busy. Last time we ate, my husband had the deep fried seafood the last time we ate and it was bland and overcooked and we waited for about an hour for our mains. Worth a try but can be over priced for what you get. read more

The exterior of the place looked very impressive, so I was really thrilled to go eat there . But was very disappointed , the food was not special at all, the meals were cold and tasteless. The service is the main problem. I really hate waitresses with attitude and that one certainly had bad attitude. She wasn't welcoming, was a bit rude, and didn't really give our table much importance. Not to mention that the food came about 45 minutes after we ordered it, we were so hungry by then, yet so disappointed. Not recommend . read more

Despite my Cardiff experience I still ended up at Carluccio's. A friend had seen it and fancied going and to be honest, for a good bowl of pasta then it is a good choice. They had a set menu at lunchtime in Dublin so 14euro or so for a couple of courses. The choice is limited so we ate off the normal menu. As the weather had been warm and I'd been out for dinner every night, I wanted a salad rather than a full on bowl of pasta. The seafood salad was lovely - packed full of seafood and they amended it for me as I'm gluten free and not the biggest fan of fennel. Essentially, the salad came deconstructed and I could customise it how I wanted with oil's and balsamic vinegar (and requested lemon slices were provided). Tasty and enough for lunchtime but also to keep me going all day. My friend enjoyed her carbonara but as it was our last lunch together, we decided to go for the special panna cotta with limoncello which was beautiful. Lovely, wobbly panacotta with limoncello and little crystalised drops of lemon - it was rich but also refreshing at the same time. This certainly redeemed Carluccio's after my Cardiff 'nuked' dessert. So, if you know what Carluccio's offer and you are looking for a sure thing rather than traipsing around town, then it is worth a visit and a bit better than many of the Italian chains... read more

Booked a table for 8,30 - ordered desert at the end of the meal and told kitchen and bar closed - no warning from wait staff - on the street at 10 - just crap - won't be back read more

If you pine for the little family owned eateries in Italy and like the honest straight to the point nature of Italians, you'll love this place. Waiting staff is busy, many are Italian, and don't suffer fools lightly! Personally I love that about them. Passionate! Best if you book. The queue can get quite long ( always a good sign!) Food is uncomplicated, no fuss, reasonably priced and choc full of flavour. The antipasti is to die for! Portions are rather large, which isn't always a good thing as I hate sending back a plate of unfinished food. They've fashioned me a doggy bag on various occasions! Lastly, the fact that you can buy take home Italian goodies from the deli... How absolutely lovely! read more

Very delicious Italian food made me feel like I was in Italy. I got their panzanella bread salad and caponata (eggplant stew). Both were so good. I also got their bread, butter, and chocolate pudding which was served warm. The server who took care of me was very nice and gave me good recommendations. I will definitely be back when I visit Dublin next time. read more

Carluccio's - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

The waiter who served us was very open and friendly; and entertained us well with his life stories before long... For starters we took a nice selection of fresh bread and olives; just exquisite! We chose for the main course the 3 platter dish, which enabled us to select 3 different dishes for the price of 2. We had the Mushroom Tortellini, Venison / bacon Tortellini and the Feta Ravioli... all three were just scrumptious, especially the venison, which is a real treat! After the tea was good, and I was surprised to have the choice between 2 blends of cappuccino; I chose for the strong one, which was a nice one. All in all a very nice place for a truly scrumptious dinner! read more

I've only been here for a coffee so this review is going to be light until I can get back for another look! I'll admit I came here on a weird day for me personally, and I was in a very unforgiving mood. The service was kind of strange from the off, they didn't make it very clear what we were supposed to do to get a coffee, and when we just wanted to take our coffees outside, they insisted we have table service. I know that it was a matter of misunderstanding from our side and their policies about table service but it was all very awkward and weird. That said, the coffee was quite nice, and what I could see of the interior seemed very classy and cool. I'd like to come back for some good grub or something from the deli section but this time was a disapointing visit. read more

This was a really bad experience. It took 30 minutes before our order was taken. People who came after us had their order taken before us. We practically had to beg for a drink (water) before we got one. It was awful, overpriced and we will never go back there again. read more

Had a very nice meal. Husband & I shared the mussels, yummy. We asked for spoons to finish the broth. Then we shared the spinich & gorgonzola Gnocchi. It was delicious! portions were just right. The dessert was just ok. but overall it was very good. read more

I admit it, Carluccios gets my €'s every day - from an Espresso Napoli (€1.95) to Pizettes and stuffed Foccias (c.€3,50 ) , I cannot get enough of Carluccios, especially when you look around the 'competition' nearby - the Thai place on Duke St charges €5+ for Noodles and ??, Tuzo Mex charges €6.50+ for Burritos and Gochi charges ??? for ??? . No, Carluccios is THE best value on Dawson/Duke St's read more

Come here for breakfast as it suitable for biz purposes but its still chaotic. There's no sense of order. There are a good selection of egg options but the execution is erratic from great to only grand (Irish term not English meaning) I still come back regularly but they just need a little order and direction to make it better value. Avg 25e for two for breakfast read more

YUM: basil gin drink at the top of their menu. I searched for basil gin to find this place to review it. Yup. Cute place, a little more classy than casual, but classy in a casual way. The dishes are written up in a foodie way, and I got the duck dinner. It was great and I would have licked my plate but my boss and co-worker were right there (eating salads!) =) I'd seek this place out if I'm ever in town again. read more

Carluccio's is a rather nice little café cum restaurant, though it would be more of a lunch place than somewhere that you'd go for dinner. Their coffee is pretty fab (though quite strong if you're used to drinking shit Dublin coffee that tastes of burnt beans. And the food in Carluccio's is really good, authentic Italian cuisine. They do a mean ravioli and a more than decent linguine al frutii di mare (that's pasta with fish to you proles). There are two things going against Carluccio's, however. For one thing they're pretty expensive, not shockingly so, but more than I would want to shell out for a bit of lunch. This wouldn't normally bother me untowardly - Dublin is expensive to eat out in and the food in Carluccio's is good - were it not for the fact that Dunne & Crescenzi are but a few feet away. The food in Dunne & Crescenzi is just as good if not better than the fare at Carluccio's, but it also comes with less of a price tag. Carluccio's do real nice food and excellent coffee, but if I had eaten there without ever having eaten at Dunne and Crezenzi, I probably would have enjoyed it more. read more

My wife, 18 month old son and I stopped in for dinner at Carluccio's on a Friday night. Although crowded, they were able to accommodate us quickly and had clean available baby chairs (which is a big plus as baby chairs are not available in all restaurants in central Dublin). I ordered then Saltimbocca Pollo (Chicken Breast covered with thin Parma ham) over cooked potatoes covered in Pesto. It was incredible and a great ensemble. I highly recommend it. My wife had the linguine seafood which she said was also very delicious. They do have a fixed price menu which they also offer for around 15 EUR for a main course and one other item (appetizer or dessert) which probably would be appealing to others. They did have a kids menu although it was more expensive than most places and we just opted to feed our son food which we brought with us instead. read more

I love this place. My most recent visit was for breakfast with my mum. She had scrambled eggs and mushrooms and I had the omelette with mushrooms. Both were delicious and we had two coffees each which were also excellent. The staff are friendly and attentive too. It's bright and airy inside and they have outdoor seating for days with nice weather. There's a deli / bakery at the front if you want some treats to take home. A trip to Carluccio's is always a pleasure. I will be back for dinner soon I hope. read more

With Carluccio's in white italics against a traditional royal blue background, the simplistic yet stylish design exuded by the logo is more than carried through within the actual restaurant itself. Sparkling Royal blue and white lines run through the interior creating a chic milieu in a way only the Italians know how. Their food is freshly prepared on the premises everyday using the best, fresh and natural ingredients, where possible from Italy, and it shows! The food is pricey but never a let down. You get to taste the succulence of Arancini filled rice balls - these golden savoury balls are absolutely scrumptious and you will always get one filled with ragu, and one filled with mozzarella. This disparity works well to present you with as much varied Italian flavour in one dish as possible. Another favourite of mine is the Gnocchi di Patate Con Spinaci e Gorgonzola for €8.65 - a fresh potato gnocchi with a gorgonzola and spinach sauce served with a very refreshing rocket salad with herbs. This is one of my favourite dishes in Carluccio's that exhibits all of the hearty Italian charisma and zest that this place are connoisseurs in knowing how to successfully pull off. You can of course just pop in to taste their well-to-do coffee exclusively roasted and blended in Italy. The mandatory question you always get after you ask for a coffee is whether or not you would prefer the Napoli blend - Arabica with a characterful kick of Robusta, or Milano - smooth and sweet roast based mainly on Arabica beans. Both are as prosperous in flavour as the other, I never usually stick to the same choice for long in order to experience as much alternation and henceforth diverse aroma and taste as possible. A splendid haven also in the Summer months when you can enjoy a coffee and panna cotta outside in the extensive seating area. read more

This has been my go to place in Dublin now for 3 years. Best breakfast and the breakfast deal for 12 Euro cant be beaten in Dublin anyway. Freshly squeezed OJ and amazing coffee or tea along with your fabulous big breakfast will keep you going till dinner. The lunch and dinner menu is also great and they do specials, we love this place and sometimes when your not in the mood to try somewhere new its nice to wander into a familiar spot with great staff and soak up the atmosphere. I am not one to frequent chains but I do like this place. It has something special. read more

Had lunch with a party of 3 adults and 4 children. The restaurant was very accommodating for children and provided an activity pack for each child. I had focaccia with dipping O&V to start. The focaccia was more of a brioche texture vs traditional rustic focaccia and a larger O&V could have been provided for the bread. For my main, I had prosciutto tortellini which was tasty. For dessert I had the berry meringue which was served more like Eton Mess and was too sweet. Didn't need so much sugar- my teeth ached! Overall food and service was enjoyable, (not authentic Italian) and the host should be commended for his warm welcome. He offered me a chair whilst waiting (I did decline) because I'm heavily pregnant, and he remembered me from a year ago when we had lunch prior to flying to Sicily to get married! That's service! read more

Carluccio's - Berry meringue. Tasty but too sweet! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Dublin, D

I actually quite like this place. It's not too expensive, and a lovely place to come for a lunch if you plan to linger, as they don't make you feel rushed or under pressure to just eat and go. The food really is good. Proper Italian stuff here, none of your store-bought stuff. Think REAL buffallo mozerella and tomatoes (which is the test of any proported Italian in my book). And it passes. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the interior; I think it's a bit cold personally. I've never been a big fan of the starkly white look, and with all the mirrors it can feel a bit empty or something. However, I'd well recommend it for a nice lunch with an old friend. read more

Yummy Price Fixe menu!! 15 euro for 2 courses at lunch time. I had the focaccia to start, and then the Penne Alla Luganica, which was DELICIOUS. The pasta was a really tasty, but still a fairly light sauce, and I am super picky about Italian sauces since I do have a lactose sensitivity, so I am really careful about the types of sauces I eat. The sauce was a really balanced cheese sauce, not too creamy, but very tasty. The sausage was the perfect complement to the sauce, and overall it was a great meal! The Focaccia was a tad bit oily, and it didn't come with any sort of dipping sauce, which I think would've added a lot to the starter. As for the drinks, we both got an apperol spritz, which was nice and light, although it could've been a bit stronger But I guess for lunch time, it was great!! Having outdoor seating is an additional perk for Carluccio's and is a great spot to sit outside and people watch, although being on Dawson St does have its cons, because you do get the occasional people walking by, begging for money, which can be a bit annoying :/ But, I can't wait to go back again and try another pasta dish!!!! read more