Carluccio's - Reading in Reading

I hadn't been here for a long time and since it was on my way, we sat down for a coffee break. Our order was a total of 3 items, a brownie and two coffees and two waiters brought them all. Even so, the coffee plate was dirty when it was brought and the waiter served it without caring about it and left the table. It was sad to spend money that we didn't earn easily to get such service.

Great food and service. Lovely lunch we were even offered a booth. Charlene was so friendly and personable we will come back just for the service. What a credit to the business.

Came in on Monday for breakfast on a quieter day. Service and food was exceptional. Special mention to Charlene who was efficient and knowledgeable. She asked if we worked in Davidson House as some new companies had moved in. We said we had moved upstairs and been in for lunch a few times. She offered us the coffee loyalty cards and mentioned the 50 per cent offer for mains at the moment. We will be back.

Although staff were friendly I’m afraid not enough staff. No atmosphere and food was average.

Had a lovely lunch here, the food was excellent! Dropped a star for service as we had to wait ages for drinks after the meal and the waitress spilt one of them all over the table as it was too full! But they did knock the price of the drink off the bill without us asking, so that was nice of them! I’d go back again.

I have been hosting monthly events at Carluccios for quite a few months now and I cannot fault the venue at all. The staff are extremely attentive and so friendly, they cannot do enough for you. The food is always impeccable, using the freshest of ingredients and the space is so modern and light, even on a rainy day the vibe in the restaurant is unbeatable. The venue continues to exceed expectations and I can’t wait to host more events with you.

Never again!!!! Myself and my partner decided to spend Valentine’s Day here as it was the first place that we met. (A really special day for the both of us) We then had ordered our drinks and food. My starter arrived at the table 10 minutes before my partners, the server clearly forgot about this. Once the wait was over the food was not too bad. However the mains came, my chicken was dry and tasteless. My partner opted for the beef ragu, unfortunately this came out bland and tasteless. We straight away informed the server whom took the food away. I did not expect this at all especially for the price you are paying. I will not be returning

The food here is good, but despite what the website might say, this is NOT a dog friendly restaurant. We sat down at our table (a round banquette seat in the warm part of the restaurant) We had brought a small dog, which we mentioned in our booking, who sat on my lap. We were quickly approached by the management and told that if we had a dog we had to sit by the door. They directed us to a tiny bistro table (for four of us) next to the main entrance, the coldest part of the restaurant. The restaurant might advertise that they like dogs but the staff definitely do not.

I enjoy going in for a coffee and pastry, but the venue is more orientated towards the food menu, and its often noisy and the staff are otherwise engaged with waiting on tables and delivering meals.

lowering my review due to bad experience

My friend and I had lunch today. The food was good but the service was excellent. We had two lovely people looking after us. Charlene and a really friendly guy. They were funny and attentive without being intrusive. Well done. Charlene is just cool.

Very tasty chicken milanese. Healthy food with Goldilocks portion sizes. Attentive service in a relaxed atmosphere. Also nice to find a range of deli items for sale to provide the impetus and inspiration for some home cooking in the same style too. I plan to make this a more regular lunchtime haunt, work permitting.

Came in on sunday and had a lovely meal! Food was light and tasty and Charlene was smiley and attentive Will be back soon!

Charlene and team five star service great food as always . Thank you

The crab sauce in the seafood linguine was very tasty.

High quality of meal provided. Sometimes discount can be as high as 50% for the mains

Great food and great service shout out to Charlene what a great waitress we will be back.

New Year’s Day with the family came in for lunch. Charlene our waitress was amazing we will be back

Visité Carluccio's como parte de un gran grupo de compañeros de trabajo celebrando la Navidad. A pesar de que había unos 30 de nosotros, el servicio era rápido y amable. Estaba un poco decepcionado con las opciones vegetarianas disponibles, especialmente porque la cocina italiana puede ser tan buena. Elegí los raviolis de espinaca y ricota y desearía no haberlo hecho - no fue muy emocionante. Aquellos en el grupo que eligieron el bistec estaban satisfechos con sus comidas.

Charlene was incredible and delivered amazing service that was funny and personable for our family. Charlene was even helpful with our dogs! Recommend the great service and good food and drinks.

One star left for the lasagna I ordered. I also ordered "medium rare" and I talked with the manager then received a reply that this is their medium rare. My common sense is hard to accept this.

Tucked away from the crowds, a great place to enjoy a quality meal.

Christmas Menu absolutely let down not steak on the set menu but food was very tasty

Great food and service as always. Always come in on Sunday to be served by Charlene. She always makes myself and my husband laugh.

Garlic Focaccia; Mozzarella and garlic butter with melted mozzarella. Adding a mixed salad tossed with a balsamic dressing to take away. I combined the two for lunch at home and found the combo to be simply divine. 😋

Agradable brunch con un amigo. ¡Preparadnos para ir de compras! Disfrutamos de un desayuno cocido y aguacate, salmón ahumado y huevos escalfados en tostadas. Ingredientes frescos de muy buena calidad. Cappuccino era bueno y tuve un segundo después de llamar la atención de los servidores. Podría haber sido un poco más atento. Chef estaba feliz de alterar mi elección ligeramente para acomodar y era muy sabroso. Sin embargo, se sirvió en un plato fresco, lo que significa que la comida no se mantuvo caliente, pero me gustó. Un ambiente relajado. Vale la pena caminar un poco lejos de la principal zona comercial de la ciudad.

Had a lovely evening here with some friends for a birthday, our server Mihai was brilliant and the food was as very nice! We’ll definitely be coming back!

Haven't been for ages but the food remains the same - excellent - with an added pizza menu! Was serviced by three folk all very friendly and communicative - especially Charlene. Look forward to coming back soon...

Charlene was a great waitress we came for an impromptu lunch. Great recommendations.

Amazing service and food. Special mention to Charlene she was amazing. We will be back

Food was canny, service, excellent, but a tad overpriced

Not bad food but not great either especially for the price, staff were friendly and the calamari was good but the lasagne and beef ragu dishes were fairly bland. Large portions at least so it was filling.

I visited Carluccio's restaurant. The food is delicious, and the service is excellent. We were served by a very friendly gentleman named Denzil. I would highly recommend this place.

Beautiful ambience and good food at affordable prices

Fine for a late pizza. Staff were good and good was entirely acceptable.

There is a very good waiter...Michel...

I came here for breakfast and walked in with just the expectations of eating and going about my day...then I was greeted by Charlene, wow....she had an amazing energy and aura about her! She completely changed my morning. I couldn't help but feel re-energised, invigorated by her. So helpful and smiling...even when it started getting busier and she appeared to be a serving and attending to guests all on her own, she still managed to take everything in her stride. I only came for eggs Benedict but left feeling benefited from the amazing service I received. I will definitely be returning, the food was delicious. Very impressed, so thank you.

Another great breakfast from a regular customer. Fab service from the team, a special mention to Charlene.

Very busy Sunday we came in for a family lunch. We have to say even though it was busy the service we got by Charlene was the best we have had in a Reading restaurant. Personal, great recomemdations and it seemed she was looking after all the tables. Wow, wow, wow! We will defintely be back! WELL DONE CARLUCCIOS.

Great Sunday breakfast. Food was 10 out 10. Charlene was fantastic we always come in on a Sunday morning to be served by her.

Opera nightcat Carluccios. Outstanding fun opera evening, interspersed with arias from various operas delivered in a fun, engaging way. Food, not my best experience, The entertainment made up for it. D'Amici opera group- outstanding. Thank you.

Vino a cenar, el martes por la noche lluvioso, y el restaurante estaba ocupado, sin duda tenían poco personal, pero la encantadora señora Amy nos dio un servicio brillante. Nada era demasiado problemático para ella. Ella hizo nuestra noche especial y sin duda vamos a volver. Un servicio tan brillante de esta encantadora mujer.

When I was walking around the nearby area, I chose this restaurant by chance. It was one of several restaurants of its kind when I stayed in the UK for my holiday. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was the best of those I tried in terms of price, atmosphere, quality, and service. I would highly recommend this restaurant to others traveling to the UK.

Lovely mushroom risotto!! Atmosphere was lovely too, top from all the people that work there !!!!!

Nice place for an early evening meal, staff were very friendly.

Highly recommended! The best central location in Reading, the best cooked breakfast, good food / pizza and, above all, nice atmosphere and friendly staff well managed by Andreea. Thank you guys for such a great place!

Very disappointed with the quality of a too good to go order. The alleged value was £30 worth of food, included was a can of coffee, two muffins, a jar of sauce for a single Bloody Mary and a jar of tomato sauce for cooking, when compared to the prices on the website it was clearly less than £30. Very poor compared to what you expect from too good to go orders.

We came in for breakfast earlier today, Charlene took great care of my family we had a wonderful time. Will definitely be back.

Had a fantastic time great service and will definitely be back. Amy and Mihai and Denzel were brilliant! Thanks again

First visit to Carluccios , me and my partner came for a dinner on Sunday night last week,the food was amazing and delicious .. our server DENZEL was very knowledgeable about the food as we asked loads of questions as we were new to the Italian cuisine .. and the recommendations were too good . Will definitely return with the voucher ❤️

Good lunch today, lovely food. Very well looked after by our waitress - sorry didn’t get her name, but was a mixed race girl. She was great and was a credit to you. Great experience.

The breakfast was excellent, and Mihai, our server, processed our order quickly and with great kindness. Without a doubt, we will return.

The customer service was poor, and there was no friendly service

What a lovely meal at Carluccios in Reading. Nice setting in the ‘plaza’ in front of Forboys Park. The food was delicious. We were there for our anniversary. Not a particularly special one but always worth celebrating. We shared the bruschetta as it’s always a generous portion for just one person and then went for the sea bass and steak respectively. Again really beautifully cooked and served. Finished with a slice of polenta cake. Lovely and moist with a hint of bitter orange. The highlight though was the service. Charlene and Shweta were excellent. Charlene treated us as if we were ‘regulars’. Such a warm welcome and a great service. It makes such a difference in making an evening out feel special. Thanks again and hope to see you again soon.

Excellent service from the lady working on a quiet Sunday mid afternoon. She's a credit to the company. Food was so nice and a brilliant relaxed ambience.

Vino a almorzar. El servicio prestado por Charlene fue fantástico. Muy atento y muy amable. Fue una experiencia encantadora junto con buena comida. Sin duda recomendaría.

Great service and food. Charlene was amazing she always looks after us as a family

Wonderful food and best location in town!

Amazing service by Charlene. Love coming here.

Our server Charlene was excellent, Charlene was always there when we needed her anticipating our very need. I would highly recommend Carluccio’s especially if you have Charlene as a server. 10/10

Was last night, very busy but the waitress Cami and Amy was very good in serving and patience with us. Offered the full information about your menu and drinks. Definitely we'll come back!

5 star Charlene is amazing as always we work next door and she always remembers our coffee order.

Mi marido y yo fuimos a desayunar y la comida y el servicio era excelente. Charlene era genial. Ella era muy amable. Qué gran servicio al cliente.

Qué gran lugar escondido, pero un lugar encantador en Reading. El desayuno era perfecto y Andreaa el gerente y Charlene era fantástico.

10 star service at this restaurant. All the staff are consistently so good to us, which is why this is a favourite restaurant for us. Food is just delicious, great choices on menu. Wine is always superb. Very very good value, have been coming here many years and the staff are always friendly, professional - highly recommended for a relaxing and enjoyable meal. JF

My husband I went there for some Sunday breakfast. Charlene was great. She was very helpful and friendly. Excellent customer service.

Great food and excellent service. A lovely spot away from the Oracle. Special mention to Cami and Mihai. We will definitely return.

A pleasant environment, it gets a little noisy sometimes. Staff are very receptive to everyone and very kind. Has almost a warm homely atmosphere. Very busy at the weekends. I've been going here for years. I wish they would bring back the groceries you could buy. But that didn't affect my view of Carluccious in the long run. I just wish they'd bring it back. Padded seats are a little firm. Better than nearly all the other places in Reading. Scenic views of Forbury Square.

Lovely experience at Carluccios for Monday lunch. Lovely seating outside and great food. Thanks to Charlene for looking after us. We will be back when in Reading.

Charlene was thoughtful and attentive, advised on the menu and choice of drinks. She was delight to chat to you and thank you for the local tips.

Lovely lunch in the sun today , Charlene was incredible and very attentive

Had an lunch meeting with old friends and the staff were great and service wss excellent. Will definitely be using this venue for future meetings.

Good lunch dishes and great outdoor seating area but SUCH miserable staff!! No smiles and very surly service - we did not leave a tip as they did not deserve one.

I had heard of the options on the menu before, but we decided to try it for the first time. There was a very friendly and sincere lady at the reception and service. First of all, we would like to thank her very much. In the starters, the calamari was very successful (I think the chef marinates and chops it himself, it was not factory-made, but a well-prepared tartare sauce would go better with a nice calamari, instead of mayonnaise. Smoked mozzarella arrancini was very successful, we found the consistency of mushroom risotto very successful, penne arrabiata and lasagne. It was above average. They didn't forget to give us a nice gift for my wife's birthday. The atmosphere, the service of the lady who welcomed us in the lounge, the food and the kitchen team were all good. I recommend it.

2nd time here. Good food. Tiramisu on point. Pizza not as good as our last visit. Enjoyed the warm smile and good service of Shweta.

Good for a quick drink / cake today

First time visit, we had the chicken and the duck which were both dry and over cooked. One of the reasons to try the place was a 30% voucher I got on email, however when I came to pay the computer said not valid at this location- watch out for that as nothing on email mentioned location restrictions. I will stick in future to the other good Italian places in Reading you might want to do the same.

Good food. Most of the dishes are good except the duck and the milanese escalope. Pizza are just ok.

Great time on Monday we came in for my daughters 19th birthday. There was a big party also and our waitress Charlene was amazing. Serving that big table and also being so kind to us and the other tables we really were blown away. Will definitely return.

I tried pasta and mixed salad and that was really delicious and authentic Italian food. The service and kindness of Denzil added to the awesome experience

Nice evening sat in a comfy booth. Good chicken/sea bass and excellent potatoes. Also had a focaccia starter - good bread although could’ve been slightly more warmed. Service from Denzil was attentive and quick.

Lovely food and atmosphere. Charlene was an efficient and friendly waitress, who kept the drinks flowing. We will be returning soon!

Visit today with my friend for a spot of lunch and I’m must say that Charlene was doing gods work trying to keep the place running smoothly while clearly understanding I most she did a understanding job she made us fell so special and her knowledge of everything was very impressive you got a diamond there look after

Excellent food and service. Charlene was fantastic.

Sharlene was amazing on my visit to carluccios, she was attentive and really lovely! Thank you Sharlene! We will be back

Great place - great food - excellent service and awesomely nice staff - keep up the lovely service, Andreea, Charlene

Came in today with my family. Utilised the offer which was great and a really good deal. Charlene was a standout for us. Really friendly and great recommendations. We will be back soon.

had a great time. food and servive was great. celebrating my 16th birthday amd charlene was great.

Denzil is an excellent waiter with good communication skills and friendliness with a great smile. His suggestions of food and drinks We enjoyed alot . Denzil 10/ 10

Charlene is the best! Her hospitality, great service and efficiency always uplifted our dining experience there!

Great food, good service. Very quiet in the morning so best time to go.

Great food, great service and Charlene is the best!

Best service and great pizza. We haven't been here for a while but decided to pop in after a long walk by the Thames. Charlene was fantastic very friendly and so helpful she recommended great pizzas and asked if we wanted extra chilli oil as we ordered picantte pizzas. Will be back!

Charlene is so warm and welcoming - provides best service; food is excellent

Charlene is the best waitress in this restaurant

Ate in the restaurant for the first time yesterday and was very dissapointed... we've had pasta on deliveroo before and it's quite tasty so thought we would try the restaurant... overall it was very average, and very expensive for what it is. I had a steak and that was a big mistake - it had no seasoning at all, was cooked at least to medium when I asked for rare and the sauce was really bad. We were in a rush so I didn;t send it back, but I should have done. If this was £9.95 at a pubchain you kind of expect that, but when you're paying £30 for a small steak and sauce the chef should know how to season and cook the meat. My other half enjoyed her pasta and our wine was nice so not a disaster, but unfortunately there was no love in the food or service and it was extremely underwhelming for the price.

5 stars for the excellent location and view. Probably the best cafe location in Reading for every day. The food is a little toned down but delicious. The deli shop is great too and the staff is lovely!

Always have a fantastic brunch here. Our favourite place in Reading at the moment. Charlene is an excellent server and friendly face! Thank you

Another fab meal with great service by Charlene as always, her face lights up for all her guests and you feel welcomed and valued. Food and drink always hit the mark as well.

I ordered two pizzas today which were very very good. Very fresh and super tasty so well done to the Chefs as well as to the front of house team for warm welcome and hospitality. Thanks 🙏