Alto by San Carlo | London

Alto by San Carlo is absolutely fantastic! The moment you walk in, you’re greeted with a warm, welcoming atmosphere and a team that truly knows what great service looks like. Every staff member was attentive and the entire experience felt smooth and well-taken-care-of. The food was exceptional, beautifully presented, full of flavor, and clearly made with high-quality ingredients. The ambiance is stylish yet comfortable, making it perfect for both special occasions and relaxed evenings out. Highly recommend to anyone looking for amazing dishes, top-tier service, and an overall memorable dining experience!

Went for dinner one night and Drinks two nights later. Great rooftop and the food passed my expectations. A very festive Christmasy atmosphere. However, service was a bit lacking and slow. Two nights later, sat at the bar and had drinks only. Great mixes and service.

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.

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.

I went here for dinner and was not satisfied. The food was at best average. We ordered for a ravioli with mushroom sauce, zucchini fritters and a lamb lasagna. The service was alright, however given the crowd, they weren't able to tend to all guests in a timely manner. It's worth noting that we went there for dinner and the ambience is better during the day, hence I did not enjoy any part of the dining experience.

Just popped in for lunch and had some really delicious food. We had crispy prawns, frutti de mare spaghetti and lemon sole. We finished with pistachio tiramisu, I’d come back just for that. Really welcoming staff and buzzy vibe, delish reasonable food in central london. Will be back.

The mixed reviews of this place almost had me pass when I was searching for a date location. I'm glad I took a chance because it was definitely worth. The food was emaculant. I dont think I've ever had sliders that's taste so good and I'll be hard pressed to find another. Service was on top of their game and even brought us a gratis chips which were excellent! The atmosphere was exactly as good as I was told it would be. The only flaw is that the view from the windows is blocked so you cant see over the city. Overall, check this place out but be prepared to pay because it's not cheap.

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.

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!

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!

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

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.

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).

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