Cafe Murano St James in City of London, Westminster

Was a perfect pre theatre supper. Staff were fantastic, just the right amount of service. Food was expertly cooked and seasoned. First time dining here, would definitely return.

We stopped in for a simple and quick dinner before a show. We were delighted to find choices which appealed to us. We live in Switzerland, but travel to London once or twice a year—excepting pandemics—and look forward to our next visit. We would like to come to Murano on an "off-theatre night" so that we could linger and enjoy our meal.

If any restaurant deserves a 5 star it’s this one. What a fabulous eatery in the heart of St James’s. Incredible food served in a cafe style setting - not fussy and not pretentious - with fabulous service to embellish the experience. Well-priced Italian fayre with an extensive wine list. We had a selection of starters - arancini, bureaus and a primavera salad. I then the orecchiette with courgettes which is perhaps the best I’ve ever had. The tiramisu was tempting had I not gorged on the previous courses Well done Angela Hartnett and the team. If I could I’d give you 6 stars.

Delicious food Excellent, friendly service. 😃

Cafe Murano St James is an absolute gem in the heart of London! From the moment I stepped inside, I was greeted with warmth and hospitality. The ambiance is charming and sophisticated, perfect for a casual lunch or an intimate dinner. The menu is a culinary delight, offering a tantalizing array of Italian dishes prepared with fresh, high-quality ingredients. Each dish is a masterpiece, bursting with flavor and beautifully presented. The service is impeccable, with attentive staff who go above and beyond to ensure a memorable dining experience. Whether you're a local or just visiting, Cafe Murano St James is a must-visit destination for food lovers. I can't wait to return and indulge in more of their exquisite offerings!

My second visit to this lovely restaurant. The orrechiette courgette was heavenly, though my friends crab risotto wasn't quite as good as when I had it last time. But overall a great experience. All of the staff were absolutely lovely, in particular Massimo. Excellent service. Thank you so much.

As always the food was brilliant. Wonderfully friendly staff managed expertly by Michelle - can't be beaten.

Had a great meal at Cafe Murano. The Burrata with walnut pesto was beyond exceptional as was the beef shin Ragu with Tagliatelle. Sadly the carbonara rigatoni was over salted; however, the team at Cafe Murano responded quickly and rectified the issue. This is a sign of good service and we would happily eat here again. Definitely recommend.

Absolutely delicious; I love it here!

Ordinary food, terrible service. When I asked about the “discretionary” service charge which had been applied to my bill, I was yelled at loudly and openly by the server. Incredibly hostile, unprofessional, and disrespectful. Never returning.

Great Italian food and they are very kind... Highly recommend

The whole team were great and really looked after us, especially Grace who was excellent!!Food as expected was fantastic, the Pumpkin Tortellini was outstanding. Thank You so much and I look forward to returning soon. Kind regards Peter

Great atmospheric place to have lunch. Not hurried, carafe's of wine at affordable prices. So many places just do not have the class this place eludes. Matthew

Great return visit! The tiramisu is heavenly.

Amazing food, excellent service, thoroughly recommend.

Love this place - great good and service

Fantastic food. Great service. All first class

4.5 stars! Throwback to a lovely impromptu dinner at Cafe Murano. More bistro-esque than a cafe, this place oozes quaint coziness and I loved the vibe. Dinner was carbs-overload but totally worth it - I still can’t decide which was my fave dish.

The ambience, authentic dishes with high end presentation and quality. Staff can't be more polite. Daniel was brilliant.

great Italian food. professional service. great pre-theater value.

Everything about this restaurant was excellent other than the outdated online wine list. The Pieropan Soave 2018 was in reality a 2022 in restaurant. The in restaurant wine list is also sadly out of date too

Delicious food. Swift and good service. Lovely atmosphere. Recommend!

The restaurant was buzzing but excellent service and divine food.

Another lovely meal, great choices available and impeccable service

The resturant was unbearably cold it felt like we were sat outside! They should not sit paying customers by the windows and entrance during winter months. The food was decent but was cold within seconds of being placed in front of us. Very dissapointing experience all round

A mixed bag - some dishes are both sizeable and delicious, notably the crispy, chewy salt cod fritters, which could serve as a main for one person. But the monkfish (one of the most expensive dishes on the menu) was underwhelming, lacking in flavour with a surfeit of beans, a lack of sauce and monkfish that was borderline overcooked. The specials looked appealing, and the lamb gnocchi we ordered was rich and tasty but had one ingredient too many, and would have been more enjoyable without the addition of mint to the dish. Most disappointing was the dessert - the tiramisu was fine, but the chocolate cake was a bitter disappointment - dry and tasteless, to the extent that I did not finish it which I've only done once before. The drinks menu is curious, with unusual combinations that are pleasant enough, but seem to focus more on throwing unexpected flavours together than on creating an inviting drink. Our waiter was lovely, but that wasn't enough to make up for a disappointing meal that was much more expensive than better meals I've had in the same area. Overall, when there are so many convivial Italian restaurants that offer handmade pasta and other dishes with a warm, cosy atmosphere, places like Murano that don't offer exceptional anything (value, flavours, ambience) start to seem slightly redundant.

An absolutely wonderful experience. Great atmosphere, first rate service, fabulous food and wine. Guiseppe and the team were great - thank you so much, can't wait to go back.

Cafe Murano is one of our favourite places to eat. The service is impeccable and the food is always great - the menu changes regularly enough, there are dishes to suit every appetite & it always tastes fresh. The cocktails are a treat & it’s just a lovely place to relax and enjoy great food. I regularly recommend it to friends and colleagues. We will definitely be back.

Great atmosphere and excellent service, but mixed reviews on our food. My wife enjoyed her gnocchi with lamb ragu, but the the bruschetta was average (Tomatoes were substituted with peppers), and the tagliatelle with beef shin was disappointing. Quite bland and overly creamy imo.

Had diner at Cafe Murano St James last week - family of 4 - food /service and ambience were 5 Star - our waitress that night was exceptional - she was attentive / welcoming / knowledgeable and made our night -!!

Always a great meal and excellent staff.

Have dined here many times. Always superb.

Excellent service, food was under seasoned and uninspired. Had the squash ravioli & it was undercooked. Not worth the price !

Food cooked to perfection, wonderful ambience, a marvellous evening chez Angela

Fabulous service. Great food with perfect sized portions so that you can eat all the courses. The birthday girl with us had a great time and you helped make it special... thank you!

Very good food and service. Quite a lot of reflected noise at the back of the restaurant. Worth knowing if you struggle in noisy backgrounds or have a business meeting for instance.

Decent food but not spectacular for the price, service didn't ask about drinks and didn't give us enough menu's, was very loud and cramped. Decent restaurant but not 5 stars.

Lovely restaurant, kind and friendly service, great menu options, fab wine list. I had the beef crudo and the agnolotti, both were super yum.

We return here every time while visiting London. Predictably wonderful food and the nicest service. Highly recommend

All round a wonderful meal with lovely location, very relaxed and comfortable restaurant, all complimented with fabulous food and wine with relaxed and friendly staff whose knowledge of the wine and obviously the food was very impressive. Thank you for such a lovely lunch.

Clean, good service and on the whole very good. The main of slow cooked venison was a disappointment as it was so dry and as served on a bed of dry celeriac mash very uneatable. I'm not a professional chef but this seemed over cooked.

Amazing place, food and brilliant service!!!!

Nice all around, made a last minute weekday night reservation for a quick meal. Had a very nice plate of pasta- the rigatoni sausags ragu. Friendly front of house staff. No extra frivolities involved, but I think that's part of the style of the place. Thought the interiors could do with a bit of updating and a bit more light, did feel slightly dated/well worn. Could you get as nice a, or a better Italian meal cheaper elsewhere in London?- probably, yes, but it's in a prime and convenient location so you have to expect a premium in price for the location.

Haven't been here for many years and returned recently with children. Service was professional, attentive and friendly. They are very child friendly and have a good kids menu. Dishes were all well presented and tasty.

Great spot for a quick lunch. Friendly staff, fast service, decent food.

Wir waren nur auf einen (sehr sehr guten) Kaffee, drum kann ich über das Essen leider nichts sagen. Sehr feines Kaffeehaus mit netter Bedienung und trotz der feudalen Lage moderater Preis für den Kaffee (nur 3,80).

The food was average and quite bland. Given the high prices I would have expected more. Full of business lunches during the week. Service is good.

Ambiente cuidado y personal amable y atento. Mejor pensar en probar cenar allí

We all hugely enjoyed our experience at Cafe Murano at St James’s. The food was mouth-wateringly delicious - delicate yet flavoursome. The service was exceptional with friendly and knowledgeable staff assisting where necessary. We will definitely return.

странные ощущения. странные ощущения когда ты до 24 лет в заведениях дороже макдональдса не бывал и вдруг тебе подливают воду в стакан за тебя. пот проступает на лбу, ты теряешь контроль. страшно терять контроль, а когда из твоей власти забирают даже определение количества воды в твоём стакане, то тебя может и в панику бросить. еда шикарная конечно. за такую то цену какой она должна быть? всё познаётся в сравнении. сложно поставить оценку когда уцепиться не за что. нужен референс. бенчмарк! дорого = вкусно? или вкусно = дорого? вот и думай. в общем мне понравилось, поставлю дежурную четвёрку, потому что идела не существует, но возьму мурано за референс.

They should offer more choice on the menu. A couple of the pasta dishes are rather bland and disappointing. Needs a refresh!

Cracking place. We booked seats at the counter for lunch as we love to watch the drinks being made and it’s so sociable. Food was lovely and service impeccable. We were lucky enough to get to chat with the staff and they couldn’t do enough for us. Perfect place for a low-key lunchtime celebration - much more fun that going for dinner.

Had a fabulous lunch here today. The food is so authentic. Highlights the foccaccia , the agnolotti calcio e Pepe and the arancini . Our waiter Callum was fanstastic so helpful , going above and beyond and he really made our lunch the best it could possibly be .

Perfect and try the 2019 Amarone

Excellent as always - our favourite in London"

Wonderful last dinner in London. We went early for our reservation and were seated immediately. Requested to move because of a large group noise and were immediately moved. Good food and lovely wine list. Great employees!

This place has changed (for the worse) tremendously. Terrible terrible service. Cold welcome, did not have my booking despite I booked through OpenTable. 1 hour and 25 minutes into our time at the restaurant, the waiter drops the bill on the table (without us asking at all). 1h40 mins into our time, he comes along with a card machine and the restaurant, wait for it, was half empty (Monday night). I enjoyed the food but it’s less sophisticated that it once was but this type of awful service is a definite put off for me. Never again

Lovely restaurant with a good food quality offer, considering the prime location. Despite being an ideal setting for a business lunch it was very loud and we had a poor service; maybe because we were in a corner of the room, we felt slightly “forgotten” and struggled to receive attention. Aside from that the food was really lovely and if I closed my eyes I could feel as if I was in Italy (loudness included)

Very dark room. As we had to get to the Royal Academy for a timed booking we ordered from the dishes of the day, expecting them to arrive promptly. We waited over 45 minutes for our starter, which consisted of shaved raw zucchini and which should have been quick to prepare. My wife tasted my main course of plaice and thought the fish was not fresh. Otherwise the food was adequate. But we shall not be returning in a hurry.

Delicious food, great service but very noisy/loud people at other tables. Made talking to my friends really difficult unfortunately.

Lovely to see everyone as always Thank you to you all Best espresso martini ever - truly appreciate Love Gryffin 🐶

The casual yet elegant atmosphere and flavorful dishes were all great, but our server was especially kind and accommodating.

A last minute booking at 6.00 for a pre-theatre dinner. Booking made on Opentable, confirmed to me by email as usual, but hadn't been received by the restaurant. Not a problem though, they found us a table and we enjoyed an, if quick, excellent dinner.

Massimo was an outstanding server. Knowledgeable, attentive, friendly. He made our night extra special. Some of the dishes were exquisite (crudo, lamb with eggplant parmesan, asparagus).

Lunch with friends and the four of us seated at a nice large table at the back of the restaurant. Excellent food. Between us we had arancini, burrata and gnocchi. All had rave reviews, particularly the gnocchi which was described as “pillow like” in its softness. Main courses were calves liver, risotto and tortelli. Tortelli was delicious as was the risotto. Calves liver for one person was good for the other person their calves liver was a bit rubbery. Desserts were excellent. Meringue, rhubarb and vanilla cream, tiramisu and a good choice of ice creams. First class service throughout. Only reason for not awarding five stars were the noise levels. The restaurant was busy and our table was at the back on the left hand side in something of an alcove. The sound of everyone else seemed to bounce off the walls around us and made conversation quite difficult. Avoid that table and I’m sure you’d be fine.

First class Italian food in London! Great place, nice service, you must ask for the arancini!

The staff are amazing especially Massimo, I haven't tried the food but I'm sure I'll.

Really disappointing meal. Overpriced pasta, basic boring food. Far better places to go.

Nothing to write home about but certainly an interesting and different Italian menu. Lamb or chicken for meat eaters. Chicken Milanaise turned out to be ... well a bit disappointing. Desserts were ace ... but they'd ran out of polenta lemon cake by 9.00pm on a Saturday night. Service was indifferent to the point of 'ah well' just another punter. Thinking about it, I'd have to say it was poor. Would I go again? On tonight's experience... sorry, but no.

I was absolutely blown away with the food, service & the whole vibe of this place. I had the rabbit parpadelle (which blew me away) my wife had the gnocchi cacio e Pepe(superb), can't praise this restaurant enough. Congratulations on a fantastic place to enjoy food in a comfortable atmosphere.

Lovely meal, wine and service. We tried a selection of smaller plates to share and really enjoyed everything. Standouts for us were the calves liver, the pasta with rabbit ragu and the gnocchi. Sadly no time for puds, will have to go back...

Highly recommended. Top service and top food, beautifully done, all at a fair price, with great ambience. The lady on the front desk is exceptional.

Such a welcoming warm venue. Personally I loved the fact I could have chosen everything to eat off the menuReally good priced “daily” menu too with excellent choices

Fantastic food - great menu. Excellent service. Really special for a special occasion.

Massimo is a great waiter. Very polite and can suggest good vine.

Great attentive and friendly service. Food delicious and portions good for lunch.

Met up with friends here. Very nice place.

perfect place for dining and value for money

We were a big group. It is important to note that. The service was fantastic. The staff were attentive, polite and really kind. The food just wasn't to my taste. That's not their fault. The acoustics were dreadful. I couldn't hear myself think. I spent much of the time wishing I wasn't there. I struggled to hear the person next to me. If they're going to allow such large groups, they should invest in some sound-dampening room design.

Friendly staff, good food and wine. I prefer sitting at the bar. The primi pasta dishes are the most exciting and better priced that the more expensive secondi..

We’ve eaten so well in the past, but our experience last Thursday evening was poor. No wine for 20 minutes and slow throughout. The beetroot and blue cheese starter was faintly redolent of school food in the 1980’s. There was on average one piece of cheese per plate and we asked for more which was plonked in the middle of the table without apology. Spicy sausage pasta was pleasant enough, but not spicy. All in a poor dining experience from a restaurant that we know from past experience can do a whole lot better.

Unpretentious decor, friendly service and an excellent menu. The Mushroom arancini and Pappardelle with taggiasca olive and rabbit ragu were particularly delicious. Perfect for a family dinner.

Fantastic meal for Valentines Day. Really tasty food and attentive service. Pork chop and rabbit ragout were delicious. Pear and almond tart was a highlight of the desserts. Chocolate caprese was slightly dry but the beautiful pistachio ice-cream compensated!

Outstanding venue, outstanding staff, outstanding food, and outstanding white wine

No record of our booking but found us a table anyway..

lovely place great lunch set menu

Staff bent over backwards for our group of 4 that grew to 6. Irena made sure we could fit in! Delicious food. Service friendly and super patient. 👌 Thank you!

Amazing Italian food. Convenient location near Green Park, Piccadilly and Leicester Sq. Lovely welcoming staff. Food was excellent. We managed to get a booking for a table for 8paxs and enjoyed every minute of our dining experience. Will def be going back. Gnocchi was sublime and the pappardelle with rabbit ragu was perfectly cooked. And you must have the Tiramisu...be warned, don't share it! 🥴😁😋

Nice intimate vibe, dim lit restaurant which is small enough to feel exclusive. Food is cooked to perfection and a great wine list to go with it!

Delicious food and excellent service.

Wonderful food, fantastic cocktails and incredibly helpful and friendly staff!

First time we eat at CM SJ was very good. Second time? I can only give credit to the Italian waitress managing, basically, alone the all room. Taking the order was an adventure. At 20 o’clock menu choices were already finished. After some compromises order was placed. Main courses were not hot, 1 raw ( fish course ) and poorly presented, the pasta looked good but so salty you couldn’t taste anything else. At the end we sent back the food and asked for the check. The waitress, professionally, informed us that there was nothing to pay. Ultimately arrived home and ordered from Deliveroo. Maybe it was better to don’t open and wait the 3rd of Jan.

Lovely setting. Great service. Excellent food. Also very reasonable prices for London!

Great service and great food! This is a regular haunt that never disappoints!

Great atmosphere and service. Unfortunately the food did not match expectations. Bland risotto.

It was pleasant. Nice staff and an OK chicken Milanese. Maybe some butter ir roquefort on top would have added some other flavours?

Food was really lovely, but Service really let the experience down. Whether they are suffering from currently discussed staff shortages, it was a shame. I don't think it would take much to change the focus and ensure customers feel listened to and appreciated. Don't take people through to their seats if people are already waiting at the bar to sit down. Don't bring dinner drinks if previous drinks are still being consumed (at least ask!). If people ask for the bill, bring it; I gave up and went to the till. Angela, you have a lovely restaurant, but two other people I had spoken to had similar experiences

Great evening, service and food. Will be back.

Great spot and great experience every time! Fantastic dishes cooked with care. Simply delicious. Oh, did I mention the price is right too.

Mediocre overpriced food (we had pasta dishes). Good service. I wouldn’t bother going back - since the expansion the quality of food has gone downhill.