Karolina G
Google
We visited Alto by San Carlo with high expectations, and while the food absolutely delivered, the service inside the restaurant was extremely disappointing.
To start on a positive note, the food was genuinely amazing - every dish we tried was excellent and full of flavour. The service leading up to arriving at the restaurant was also fantastic, which made what followed even more frustrating.
Once seated, things quickly went downhill. We were offered water and placed our drinks order. The drinks arrived… but no water. This became a recurring issue throughout the meal. We ended up asking for water three times, and it didn’t arrive until the very end, just before the bill came.
When ordering food, the waiter repeatedly asked about allergies - at least 20 times - despite us clearly stating multiple times that none of us had any. This felt excessive and disruptive.
When the mains arrived, only three out of four dishes were served. Everyone else had finished eating by the time my steak finally arrived - and when it did, it came without my sides, which arrived separately afterwards. When I raised this, I was told that food is served as it’s ready. I honestly find that unacceptable. When four mains are ordered, they should arrive together or at least close enough that one person isn’t left eating alone. Steak is hardly a long cooking process, and serving it without its sides just made it worse. At this price point, you expect food to arrive together and warm.
By this stage, we were already on our second cocktail, still no water.
We asked for the dessert menu and waited eight minutes just to be handed a piece of paper. The cocktail menu was taken away even after we asked for it to stay, forcing us to ask for it again. It honestly felt like we were being discouraged from ordering more, which is bizarre for a restaurant.
We ordered desserts and more cocktails, and once again were asked about allergies another five times.
Finally, I asked for the bill , and that’s when the water arrived. Far too late.
The bill, of course, included a service charge. I paid it, but I genuinely don’t believe it was deserved. This was one of the worst restaurant service experiences I’ve had in 2025, and the only saving grace was the outstanding food.
Such a shame, because with competent service, this could have been a fantastic experience.