Alto by San Carlo | London

I’m sorry to leave such a low rating, but as you can see from the pictures, the food didn’t just look awful – it had absolutely no flavour. Mine was a prawn and asparagus risotto, and my friend’s was pasta with caviar (good luck spotting the caviar if you can). One of the waiters asked me if I wanted cheese on my dish, then managed to serve it not only on mine but also on the table and even in my friend’s glass of water. Accidents happen, that’s fine. But he didn’t even bother to replace it – he just said “oh… sorry” and walked away. We waited for a while thinking he might come back once he’d finished with other tables, but nothing. We had to ask for another glass ourselves. And then we were charged £6 for bottled water, as apparently tap water wasn’t an option for us. The setting itself wasn’t much better. The table was tiny, the atmosphere underwhelming, and even the toilets left much to be desired. The only halfway decent dish was the burrata, and even that was fairly bland. To top it off, we were seated right by the so-called “terrace”, and halfway through our meal someone decided to open one of the doors without asking, letting in a freezing draft – we were shivering by the end. We had really been looking forward to coming here, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment.

Amazing roof top views especially when the weather is hot. The Italian food is very fresh and tasty but what topped it off was the customer service provided by our server. All the staff are welcoming and kind as well as being professional. My best friend and I had a memorable time and will definitely be back.

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.

I came here for my birthday with my boyfriend and it was perfect! It’s such an escape from busy Oxford street. It’s absolutely gorgeous and such a nice atmosphere. It really feels like you’ve been transported to Italy. We were super lucky with the weather - warm and sunny! The food was amazing and not too pricey. We thought it was a “normal” menu in the sense of starters/mains etc but it was recommended to buy 3-5 dishes. However, we both got a pasta dish each and some garlic bread which was more than enough between us. Very fair prices too. They also made it special for my birthday so I really can’t fault this place, will definitely be back!

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

Underwhelming Experience! We got to the restaurant after 5pm for our evening dinner table on one of the hottest days in UK 2025 summer. It was packed as expected but I thought it was a spacious rooftop. In fact it was quite cramped and sitting under the roof which was closed under were we sat and eating hot food made us uncomfortably warm. Whilst we were there the roof was only retracted around 6.30pm at least an hour into our visit. There was an instant breeze which we wished to have experienced earlier. Service for us was fine at first but then a bit slow after, we sat with our empty plates for quite sometime before they were removed and us offered the dessert menu. One good thing was the food and we were not rushed to give up the table I suppose but all in all I’ve experienced better at other rooftop restaurants. There is no need to visit again unless you what to be superficially seen.

Loved it! Staff where friendly and professional. Atmosphere is great even if you just having drinks on the rooftop bar. The chef commanding the kitchen can take a bow...delicious food. Loved every bite. Ciao

Very pricy but good food. Great for a nice treat. Good wine selection that pairs nicely with the food available. Small portions and few options to share. Limited tables with good views. A place to go if you want to treat yourself and be seen. Recommend to book ahead of time. For special occasions make sure you mention at arrival. Place has a very nice entry way, worth to take nice photos. Also clock room available. Entry by the main door at Selfridges lift with the green foliage

Have to say I was surprised to see the overall rating for this spot so low it's a little difficult to find as you need to find the express elevator up from the ground floor in the department store-- but definitely worth looking for! Nice rooftop restaurant with good ambiance and excellent service-- drinks were great and food was delicious and quite reasonable for downtown London!

So, I have been here around 5 times already-safe to say I like the place. It is beautiful to go on a sunny summer day when the roof is retracted. I have also been for dinner as well. Beautifully decorated with an upscale vibe. Service is usually quick and the plates are served tapas style, so it's great to order a few things and share. My favorites are the calamari, garlic bread (hand made daily) which is so fresh, and the lasagna! My go to drink is a margarita which they make really good. It's best to have a reservation here although I have been able to get in for lunch by myself as a walk in. Located on the top of Selfridges makes it extremely convenient after shopping. I'll return again, I'm sure!

Took my husband here for his 50th birthday. Reservation at 9 and told kitchen closes at 9:30. Then the birthday cupcakes I bought from downstairs, I'm told they cant serve unless I pay 20 lbs. Then we get the check with no birthday candle or dessert. Not super happy about the service for such a big occasion.

It's a bit hard to find the elevator to get to the restaurant from the mall. Remember to go from the special one on ground floor. The food is high quality and fresh. Recommend the tuna salad and seafood spaghetti.

Had a 7:00pm reservation and arrived at 7:00 but wasn't talked to until 7:10 so our table was given away? Waited over an hour for our table. Food was okay and the restaurant is really pretty.

Great food, good service and you can't beat a rooftop atmosphere! Reservations highly recommended.

So glad I was able to experience this beautiful location. Upon getting there, I was told you need a reservation. Luckily, I was able to convince the lady to please let me in as I was only visiting for some days and that I only wanted to take pictures. It was so beautiful and very busy that this were the only pictures I could take. I will certainly be back.

Saw a bee in the pizza Dior San Carlo Alto restaurant London Very slow service and not selfridges standard , this is embarrassment for brand of Dior to have their name in this restaurant. health and safety is very poor and hygiene is poor. We went to the Dior San Carlo Alto restaurant on 15/09/2021 at 17:20 and was really disappointed from the quality of food that was served to me. Service was slow. We ordered grilled prawns, roast potato, sea bass lemon , baby leaf salad mix and pizza orange and water . The pizza I ordered had bee on top I have attached the picture, this is unacceptable and unhygienic. Staff acted not professional. Notice about the bee on the pizza I was lucky I didn't ate, three of us are feeling sick from seeing this Also I want to add the pasta I ordered was too hard . I called staff about the pasta and said to me we can't do anything about it . And about the pizza it took long time for them to come and talk to us . We got sick from this and ask for bill and left. We was feeling annoyed and upset from this . We paid £ 51.35 very unhappy and not good. Poor service , food wasn't the best slow service and staff . Food is not Selfridge London standard should be better. Even design .

I went there in Oct 2019 and I had been (and loved) their other restaurant in Manchester. I was craving for some of the Spaghetti Carbonara. Made a reservation ahead of time and had to wait about 5-10 min once we got there for the table. The restaurant is beautiful and really makes you feel like you are in the Italian countryside in the summer with the lemon trees. Ambiance is the only thing worth going for (hence the extra star). The food was subpar and didn't feel authentic at all. I was disappointed with the portion sizes - it was quite expensive for how much food you got, and the fact that the food wasn't amazing. I would only go back for the ambience.

I had delicious Arancini and rocket salad. Beautiful atmosphere on top of Selfridge's. Service was good the restaurant is lovely. Topped it off with a latte. Not a friendly staff but good service

Such a beautiful restaurant with a lovely atmosphere so it is such a shame that the food is nothing above average with slow service. A few dishes we ordered were good, like some pastas and breads with meat, but others like the Mediterranean grilled prawns were over cooked, fishy, and inedible (we sent them back).

Beautiful place, but beyond horrible service. We had a 6:45 reservation and were not seated until we complained at 7:15. We then sat at our table for 20 minutes with not a single waitstaff having said one word to us. We looked around and saw other people sitting there trying to get the attention of waitstaff to either pay their bill or order. We ended up just getting up and leaving. I hope they can work out the kinks, but I would not go back for food, just pictures.

Great lunch spot with incredible views of London! The salads are incredible as are the specials list. I really like their pizzas, but how can you go wrong with this view. Excellent service and wonderful experience!

Awesome! Plates are fresh and well prepared. Drinks are craft at its finest. Completely blew us away for what is ostensibly a department store restaurant!

Traveling to London, we didn't know where to eat at first. After a nice lady told my family about Alto, we immediately walked that way. It's in a beautiful location, with a nice view. The decoration was amazing and we took tons of photos. The food, though, might have been the best I've ever had. My sister isn't a big fan of Italian food, but after trying their pizza rolls, lasagna, and spaghetti, she changed her mind. We ordered three dishes for us all to share. I definitely recommend going here!

Extremely poor service waited for 20 - 30 minutes before we even got acknowledged or got a glass of water and that too after asking 3 times. Fold was mediocre and over salted . Staff just could not be bothered . I would say ditch this restaurant there are so many better ones in London