Caffe Caldesi

I wouldn’t eat here again. The linguini was over cooked and the ginger crusted chicken was so soggy the crust fell off. Thank god. The wait staff was English challenged. The bar staff was excellent and served an excellent martini Nice atmosphere but only drink here

Been to Caldesi few times and it never disappoints. Milanese is excellent and sizeable, mash is creamy and delicious, lasagne — fantastic. Fried calamari and zucchini is something I order each time I visit the place as its superb. I always order tiramisu at Italian restaurant as its one of my ways to judge the place and its great over at Caldesi, however it used to be served on the large open plate and now in a jar with slanted walls and its hard to get the whole thing out. Don’t really understand the reason why they decided to serve it this way. Service is good, but often they put air-​con on blasting the cold wind even when there are fewer customers at times. But when asked the staff to adjust it, there was no problem at all. Love the place and eat there frequently. If you are in Marylebone, you cant miss it.

Not sure how I forgot to review this restaurant when we were there back in November but seeing their rating upon looking it up again I felt compelled to add my two cents. We ate here twice in 5 days, once upstairs & once at street level. Both were excellent but upstairs was a truly outstanding meal so that’s what I’m reviewing here.
The manager recommended an excellent wine & in fact gave us a couple recommendations for other wines to shop for while in London, which was nice.
I had the paccheri alla genovese & it was so good that it’s what prompted me to look up this restaurant again, because I’m making my own today! The meat was incredibly tender & flavorful, the sauce velvety, and the paccheri perfectly prepared. One of the tastiest pasta dishes I’ve ever had, and we’ve tried some of the best. My husband had the pasta with sausage & loved every bite. The salads were fabulous, the bread & olive oil were delicious, and the service was impeccable. I’m not sure why anyone would give this place a poor or even mediocre review. We were staying at the Marylebone hotel so this place was incredibly convenient as well– will definitely eat there next time we visit London, regardless of where we stay.
Oh! I forgot the gelato! I’m allergic to nuts so the desserts were off-​limits to me, so the chef offered a trio of gelatos instead. All 3 were incredible so I had this dessert at both visits but the blood orange one was my favorite– just decadent & beautiful.

I went last week for dinner and wow!!! What a different place now. I have been there a few times in the past but I have never even bothered to write reviews because it was not a memorable place. this time, I was really impressed now — chef must have changed and food was amazing. I had black bream aquapazza and my husband had ragu rigatoni. My fish was one of the bes I had in London t — really fresh, cocked beautifully with crispy skin and it really just melted in my mouth. I am very critical of fish and really, this was really amazing!!!
My husband had rigatoni with good sauce — although pasta was over picked, he was able to enjoy it.
Thing it is a great casual choice if you are looking to grab italian in the area. Not sure, it is good enough to be a destination restaurant — but if you happen to be in the area, definitely a solid choice for italian.

We were in the area having a few drinks and tried Caffe Caldesi because it opened later compared to the other restaurants in the area. The restaurant itself is very cosy with mahogany wood and framed pictures on the wall. We were all starving so we ordered a lot of appetisers to share. The staff didn’t speak very good English but they were very friendly. We loved the calamari. Then we got mains and my friends really enjoyed their veal and steak, but I got the seafood pasta and found it quite bland. For an Italian restaurant maybe my expectations of their pastas would be higher, but it really wasn’t that good :(

Had a Sunday brunch here… It has a dull ambiance, cold, over cooked pasta, it’s over priced and is run by lethargic staff. will not be returning. Not sure how they stay in business…

It’s always nice to try restaurants for a work dinner as you can order to your hearts desire without thinking about the bill at the end. It was pretty impressive that they were to accommodate a table of 12 and there was also room for another group of similar size. This review is for the restaurant as the space downstairs look a bit more on the casual side.
I had the pumpkin ravioli to start and it was actually quite perfect for a starter size as I think sometimes it’s a bit too much food to have pasta as a starter. They were quite small but packed with flavor. I’d be happy get that as a main course. For the main, I ordered the osso bucco. It was huge! It was cooked really well — extremely tender as you’d expect. I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce but it kept it interesting. The desserts looks great but I passed as I was stuffed beyond imagination at the end.
Atmosphere was nice and cozy and overall service was quite good. Majority of the orders came out at the same time but understand it must be tough for such a large group.

A local fave for ex pat friends. Sat on main level. Nice and busy. Each had a Spritz. FYI, spritz in Italy, couple of so euros. Spritz here £6!. Had salads to start. All good. Two had rigatoni with ragù. I had porchetta. All very good. Not outstanding… Wine was decent. Wine service was amateurish. Wait staff was friendly. I’d go back.

My experience of Caffe Caldesi could be summed up just like the last reviewer’s in that the service is a bit of a let-​down. Mind you, in our case this was quite welcome as we were happy to be left in piece to catch up without being hassled every few minutes.
My friend and I both went for pasta dishes which were a bit on the mean side (considering the prices) but very tasty.
I would certainly come here again and always choose it over the increasing number of chains on Marylebone High Street.

Staying at a hotel nearby and sat outside for dinner one night. The ambiance was charming.
I was pretty happy with the food. When food is that simple it can be easy to mess it up. Here they really delivered. I had the caprese with broad beans as a starter, the tagliata as a main and tira misu for dessert. All of it excellent!

Came here last night. Was tucked away and I missed it at first; it has a very bland, brown exterior, with a traditional old-​style Italian restaurant feel. I felt very welcomed as soon as I arrived, and taken swiftly to my table. Even though the restaurant was not busy when we arrived, it still had a good ambience and it felt cosy and comfortable. The waiter was very helpful. I asked about a particular red wine, and he was on the point of opening it when I asked if he would recommend it. He was honest enough to demur, gave me some to taste, and then recommended another, comparably priced bottle. Again I got to taste it before I made my choice. I was quite impressed that he hadn’t tried to get me to buy a more expensive wine. I had scallops to start, which were good, if not a bit small. The beef fillet was more rare than medium, which I wouldn’t have minded so much if it had been tasty. It wasn’t. It actually reminded me a bit of school dinner mince beef! My friend had the carpaccio to start, and then the chicken breast, both of which she enjoyed, but the chicken looked to me to be overladen with sauce. In summary; nice place, not sure about the food. I might go again and try something else from the menu, or then again I might just not bother.

We popped in for drinks and small plates on the ground floor last evening and had a good experience. The waitstaff were very friendly and attentive, the food was fresh (presented simply and served promptly), and the ambiance was lovely.

One of the worst Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to. As the Italians would say «Che schifo».
It’s difficult to cook Italian food badly, but this place did so. The pasta was not homemade, the sauce was bland and the mushrooms tastless. No amount of parmasan could make it tasty. I had a antipasto plate before hand which was ok. However it was plastered with cheap ham and only had a small amount of decent prosciutto. My girlfriends chie=cken was blander than bland. The coffee was good and the wine nice, but that’s it.
I love Italian food and this is an insult to it. I have Italian friends who would be ashamed that these fools are selling food under there countries label. There are plenty more Italians in Soho or a 20 minute raduis that are much, much better.
If you like Italian food then don’t go here. If you want to pay through the nose and get something you could cook better at home then sure go.

For photos see Greedy Diva @

I have serious kitchen envy. I want the Caldesi kitchen.
My kitchen at home is only just big enough for TPG and I to work, crab like, as co joined twins. Our bin blocks the passage between stove and sink. We have enough storage to stock up on a whole 2 days worth of ingredients — so long as we’re eating cheese on toast on day 2 (sometimes minus the toast). Our freezer is the size of a small box of matches. Handy.
Also, as my crunchy «caramel chicken» debacle pointedly illustrated (you don’t want to know), my cooking skills could do with some serious polishing.
So the invitation to join Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi for an Italian cooking class at La Cucina Caldesi was gratefully accepted. Finally a chance to spread my cooking wings. To unleash my inner chef. To shine like the sun and soar like an eagle… Ahem. I was a bit excited.
La Cucina Caldesi is a family business, positioned next to the Caffe Caldesi where I have happily dined on Tuscan fare and celebrated with friends in nights out gone by. La Cucina runs a variety of cooking courses of different durations focusing on foods from various Italian regions, and with a range of chefs or foodie experts leading the charge.
On this occassion, the dynamic Caldesi duo would be showing me, and a bunch of other food bloggers, the ropes.
We started the evening with some prosecco and nibbles, before the cooking business began. We were each allocated a small chicken, before Giancarlo guided us through the deboning process — a first for me. They were stuffed with garlic, chilli, and rosemary then roasted and served with pancetta, roasted potatoes and onions — pollo al mattone (chicken under a brick). Gorgeous aromas of roasty bits filled the room. Yes, it was better than my caramel chicken.
Meanwhile, Katie showed us how to mould neat little parcels of gnocchi gnudi (a mix of spinach and ricotta, no pasta), later tossed with melted butter and sage and served as our starter.
We watched the Caldesis in action as they prepared a hot and very chocolatey chocolate and brandy dessert, served drinkable from a tea cup (although it solidifies to a mousse if left overnight). Cosy and warm, this was simply divine, and something I will eagerly replicate at home, perhaps even with a hint of chilli as suggested by Katie. The family had discovered this little gem on earlier travels — their son had the pluck to ask for the recipe from the original chef.
I enjoyed getting my apron dirty, however after cooking comes the feasting — where my talents really come to the fore. Everything was lovely. The Caldesis, as generous hosts, also supplied wines, and sparkling entertainment.
The Caldesi classes generally range from £25 — £170, although I sampled this one on the house. There are 7 week courses with Stefano Borella for £525. Obviously, like me, you won’t be transformed overnight into a Michelin class chef by a 3 hour class, but my brief foray was enough to indicate that these classes will provide inspiration, at least as much as skills, for your Italian cooking inclinations.
Katie Caldesi has recently published an Italian cook book, The Italian Cookery Course, filled with recipes she has collected and adapted from over 3 years of research all over Italy and its varied gastronomic regions (Yes, I note jealously, this is called «research» in the world of K Caldesi). This thing is one comprehensive collection — over 400 recipes and 40 master classes are caught between its covers. It’s thick and choc-​a-​block with a large variety of recipes and gorgeous pictures to have any Italianophile drooling. I did not have the opportunity to browse through it in great detail, but I loved the photos and the obvious breadth and depth captured — I’ll be seeking it out for closer inspection.
I really liked Katie’s style, and her non fussy approach to cooking good, hearty Italian food. And I want her kitchen

Cucina Caldesi — Pics at The London Foodie
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Cookery classes are among my favourite things to do in London, and whenever I can, on holiday too. This is for three main reasons — in addition to having a great meal, I also get to learn new cooking ideas and recipes, and meet some interesting people. Since attending my first cookery class at Reiko’s Hashi Cooking, where I made some good friends, we all decided go back and take her remaining courses together.
I regularly meet these friends for dinner or other social occasions like Emma, who accompanied me to Passionate about Seafood at the Billingsgate Seafood School or Regis, a fellow Brazilian, member of the London Cooking Club and like me a lover of Persian Cuisine.
Regis and I attended classes at Eat Drink Talk — another great cookery school run by the delightful Jennifer Klinec in Clerkenwell. Also interesting is Atsuko’s Kitchen, based at The Grocery on Kingsland Road, where I learnt some very authentic Japanese winter dishes. Atsuko’s cooking is influenced by Shojin Ryori, a style of Japanese vegetarian cuisine eaten by Shinto monks.
In Hoi An, Vietnam, I recently took a couple of classes at Red Bridge Cooking School, and last year, I was thrilled to spend a whole week at the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School in Thailand. They were excellent experiences, very good value and an interesting angle to learn more about the culture and eating habits of these countries.
So when I was recently invited with a group of other food bloggers for a complementary class at Cucina Caldesi on well-​heeled Marylebone Lane, I was thrilled. I had wanted to attend one of their classes but for one reason or another was never able to book into one.
Hosted by the owners and co-​founders Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi, we were warmly welcomed with a glass of chilled Prosecco and canapés made of endive leaves topped with dolcelatte cheese, honey and pine nuts which started the evening on a good note.
Katie and Giancarlo were entertaining hosts, charming and very interesting to watch. Their interaction was funny and engaging, teasing one another (and sometimes us) throughout the class, which made for a very enjoyable evening.
We were shown how to prepare an authentic 3 course Italian meal, and were encouraged to participate in the cooking of these dishes. We were all given a corn-​fed poussin to debone that we were to use for our main course this was a daunting task but I was surprised to find how well my bird turned out, all down to Giancarlo’s uncomplicated teaching.
For primo, Katie showed us how to prepare Gnocchi nudi con burro, salvia e pinoli (Spinach gnocchi with butter, sage and pine nuts).
I had made gnocchi di ricotta a few times before from one of my favourite Italian cookery books Italian Food by Elizabeth David, and was looking forward to trying Katie Caldesi’s take on this classic recipe. Unlike Elizabeth David, Katie adds green spinach to the gnocchi, also shaping them into quenelles, which helps maintain their form when cooking.
This was an interesting tip as more than one of my previous attempts resulted in some of the gnocchi disintegrating in the boiling water. I find that the dry texture of the ricotta used for these recipes is also important when making this dish.
I loved the flavour of Katie’s gnocchi nudi, they were bright green, fresh and the flavours combined beautifully into one perfect dumpling. I could not imagine eating these beauties with anything else but sage quickly fried in plenty of butter, with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. This was a fantastically simple and delicious dish.
For secondo, we had Polletto al mattone (Poussin under a brick). Once the birds were deboned, we stuffed them with rosemary, garlic and chillies and left them marinating for an hour or so before roasting. In my opinion, few things smell or taste better than good quality chicken being roasted, and Giancarlo’s Polleto al mattone was no exception. The meat was perfectly cooked, succulent, full of flavour and aromatic. It felt great cutting through a perfectly shaped but boneless chicken.
To accompany the poussins, we had a lovely combination of potatoes, onions and pancetta which had been diced and roasted.
As dolce, Giancarlo and Katie showed us how to prepare Cioccolata in tazza (Hot chocolate mousse in a cup). Served warm in a small tea cup, it had a rich chocolate flavour without being cloyingly sweet. The addition of brandy to the recipe was also an excellent idea, giving an elegant finish to the dessert.
Katie Caldesi has recently published The Italian Cookery Course book, a collection of over 400 recipes from various regions in Italy with some stunning photography which took her 3 years to complete. The book is beautifully laid out with some entertaining stories of her many trips around the country and the delightful people she met.
Verdict — Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi were excellent hosts,

I spent last night at this Italian Cookery school with a gang of food bloggers and was impressed by the attention given by Giancarlo and Katie to our slightly rambunctious crowd.
We were shown how to de-​bone a small chicken and mould the Gnocchi nudi of spinach and ricotta in a hands-​on demonstration of what goes on in a full day course here.
The Gnocchi was served with a butter, pine nut and sage sauce and was light to the point of evaporation.
The chicken, roasted with a stuffing of chilies and rosemary and served with potatoes, onions and pancetta was full of flavour and rendered a treat to eat by the lack of bones.
It was followed up by a hot, drinkable, chocolate mousse in a cup (with brandy!) It worked for me as a bitter end, although technically I shouldn’t have been getting involved having given sweet things up for a while.
Giancarlo was an affable and very Italian host and the interaction with his wife was an amusing one to watch. Katie’s book, The Italian Cookery Course, has just gone into a second print run and looks like a wonderful coffee table tome, with fantastic pictures of the amazing characters she met over the three years researching in rural Italy.
The full courses here would leave you with a love of Italian cooking and with the skills to make fresh pasta, pizza and breads as well as meat, fish and desserts. It really is no-​nonsense simple Italian cookery with no added squirrels as Giancarlo might put it.

This charming restaurant was a stone’s throw from an apartment we rented a year or so ago and we enjoyed it enough to return twice during our two-​week stay. The ground floor houses an informal wine and coffee bar with a light menu and the dining room is upstairs.
Beet tortelloni stuffed with radicchio is served in a butter, sage, and pinenut sauce that’s so delicious you’ll want to mop up every last drop. Liver is something I never order in restaurants — in fact, I rarely eat it at all — but it was so highly recommended by our waiter I decided to try it one night. It was grilled with onions in a white wine and sage sauce and was so tender it almost flaked with a fork. The tiramisu is one of the best I’ve eaten.
If you order an appetizer, a pasta dish, an entrée, and wine, plan on spending about £50 per person.
This listing incorrectly says that attire is formal and a jacket is required, which is not the case, although the restaurant is nice enough to warrant leaving your jeans and T-​shirt in the closet and dressing up a little.

After a concert in Wigmore Hall I made a reservation at Café Caldesi. This restaurant is placed in the Marylebone Lane, behind Marylebone Highstreet.
Marylebone High street is like little Kings Road but for my taste lesser High street stores but more delicatessen.
From the outside the restaurant is nothing special — you have to know it, as there is a very chic first floor for dinning.
White table clothes throne in the wooden tables. We had a charming young waiter who spoke Italian, even though he worked there for several month he complained that his English did not got better — as so many Italian come and eat at Café Caldesi. If this place is good enough for Italian themselves, it is certainly good enough for me!
We ordered a bowl of spaghetti frutti di mare, steaks and fried calamari’s. I recommend taking a light starter, as the main course is very generous. It is a hearty Italian dinner.
If I would life there in the neighbour hood that would be their regular!

I love this restaurant. It’s the little sister of the bigger Caldesi restaurant and is definitely not the poorer for so being — no hand me downs here. There are two floors, downstairs has the real café vibe with the menu being relatively minimal and the room dominated by a huge coffee machine. This is a really good place to come if you just want a quick bite or an espresso and a chat with friends. Upstairs is the proper restaurant bit and to differentiate it as such they have flowers and white tablecloths. The menu is a good deal more comprehensive too and for my money it’s about as authentic as you’re going to get in this part of London.
When I was last in they had certain dishes with the ‘Mamma’ sign apparently denoting the fact that these courses were actually at one time cooked by the chef’s mothers. So authentic perhaps but flown in from Italy — is that environmentally friendly? Either way there are so many great things on the menu you’ll have a hard time choosing, unless you’re a vegetarian I guess in which case there is always a bit less hassle deciding.

I’m not a fan of Italian restaurants, mainly because I’ve had so many bad experiences with either rip-​off chains that boil it in a bag or cheap and nasty cafes that are an insult to Italian cuisine. So when I was invited one evening by an Italian work colleague, I knew I’d find this place to be at least half decent.
Like everyone else, I went to the Tuscan restaurant at the other end of Marylebone Lane. I was there with a few other people who had done the same, which must really piss off the staff having to constantly tell every other customer to go down to the ‘other’ restaurant! Although on initial impressions, the layout of the Caffe seemed better than the Tuscan restaurant.
We sat downstairs in the wine bar, which I would recommend as it’s got a nice ‘bustley’ feel to it. My Italian friend recommended the cured meat platter for starters and some prossecco. Again this is the first time I’ve experienced proper cured meats in an Italian, rather than the shrink wrapped stuff you find in Tescos.
For main course I had escallop of veal, which was beaten flat and breaded in the Italian style. It was also the biggest piece of veal I had ever seen! Very tasty though.
In all some pretty decent flavours, but then this should really be a minimum standard for Italian restaurants. The wine selection was pretty comprehensive too.
Bill came to about £50 a head, all in including wine and coffee, which isn’t too bad for this part of London. Definitely worth a visit.