Manicomio - Gutter Lane in City of London, Westminster

Overpriced and not very good food. That's not a great combination. Vegetarian options are fairly limited. Others at the table who were not vegetarian were also disappointed with the food.

Lovely setting, good food and great service, whats not to like on the 2nd floor?!

Use to love it but now they keep moving my reservation outside, letting me know only last minute. Will not try again.

Great food, excellent service. I went on a monday, so it was not busy. Great mussels for the entrée, crab pasta for the main dish and chocolate mousse for dessert. All great options. Also, a short menu ensures all comes out fast and tasting good!

We ordered one burrata starter and one fried squid starter, we got the burrata starter and thought they were waiting to bring the fried squid, but then our mains turned up. So the server must have forgotten to put our squid through. We ordered the lobster pasta, it was a bit light on the lobster and the pasta sauce was salty. We got the pannacotta dessert, it was clumpy and honestly tasted off nothing. Like they forgot to put in whatever was supposed to favour it. I should have asked them to take it off the bill and remove the service charge but I didn't want to make a scene on my valentines date. Disappointed given the prices being charged.

For starters you can never go wrong with the Zucchini fritti, honestly best i’ve had in London so far super crispy. Moving onto the Lobster linguine it was nice, but not worth the price in my opinion. Affogato to top it off, nothing but pure joy. Staff were very accommodating and the house white was a delight!

Get ready to be bled. That’s their business model. The place can be summarised in 3 “hyper” adjectives (rare qualities these days): hyper salty, hyper expensive, hyper grim. - hyper-salty: they add so much salt to the food to give it flavour, that the dead sea is now running out of salt. The mark of a good Italian chef is to NOT add too much salt, by the way… most Italian chefs would either laugh or cry at it. Personally, I cried … - hyper-expensive: the wines prices are insultingly expensive and likely to be the most expensive in London - for what they are. You can find the same wines between 30% and 50% cheaper, pretty much anywhere else in London. So simply avoid wine altogether… Also they don’t do lunch menus. They need to bleed you at all costs since you are more than happy to throw money out the window… - hyper-grim service: staff do not smile to clients… ever. As if it was painful to serve people, even when they smile at you. Also we were 6 on a table for 4: they obviously need to maximise space for such high prices in the first place. We barely had space to eat our food… What a place!

Good food no atmosphere very sleek design Staff prepared decorations for next party while we were eating Expensive

Don’t be greedy… Why even bother setting up tables outside in WINTER if you don’t have enough heaters. I’m baffled at how people haven’t complained more about this. If you set up tables outside in winter you should have enough infrastructure to guard against the weather. Clearly greed has gotten the best out of a place with otherwise average food. Never coming here again with my work colleagues and recommending against it to everyone I know.

Highly recommended, for an amazing lunch and I love that the wine is all by the glass

What a hidden gem. Will definitely revisit

Excellent food and service again. Recommended

Great food and one of my favourites but does not get my 5 stars as pricey.

Thoroughly enjoyable experience, and delicious carbonara!

İ eat the steak steak was really good fish is also very good if you want to eat good fish or steak you have to Come here

I would give it 3.5 stars. The food was generally good, but the carbonara was a promise not kept: very little pancetta, instead crispy bacon on top.

Lovely space, delicious food and impeccable service! I went with my son as we pass by everyday on his way to school and he loves the setting and we were treated like royals. Such a special place, we will visit again.

Great gluten free options and fantastic wine menu

Fabulous week night date. Food and service were fab. Last min reservation and they made the night easy

It’s a hidden away bar and restaurant mainly frequented by law firms because of the location. All very amiable and a go to. (Didn’t eat this time).

A superb place to go for coffee and have a chat in very nice surroundings

Manicomomio ya he ido varias veces no decepciona siempre bien. Constante, fluido y En el Cemtro de la actividad economica de londres

I like the fact that the menu is seasonal and pasta dishes change quite often. The ones with girolles were absolutely yummy. The beef carpaccio is also one of the best I ever tried.

food and atmosphere is great so I'll go back again

Really great food. Menu could be slightly longer.

Came with a party of 9. Food was really good, everyone enjoyed it. Service was professional and friendly, although a little bit slow.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Manicomio restaurant with a friend, and I must say it was an unforgettable experience. From the delectable food to the exceptional service, every aspect of our visit exceeded expectations. First and foremost, the food at Manicomio was simply outstanding. We decided to indulge in their coffee and pasta offerings, and we were not disappointed. The pasta dishes were cooked to perfection, with flavors that danced harmoniously on our palates. Each bite was a delightful symphony of taste and texture, leaving us craving for more. The attention to detail in the preparation and presentation of the dishes was evident, showcasing the chef's expertise and passion for culinary excellence. What truly set Manicomio apart was the impeccable service. The staff members were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. They made us feel welcomed from the moment we stepped in and catered to our every need throughout our three-hour visit. It was refreshing to experience such genuine warmth and professionalism, which added an extra layer of enjoyment to our dining experience. Although the restaurant offers outside seating, we opted to sit inside due to the slightly chilly summer weather. The interior ambiance was cozy and inviting, with tasteful decor that complemented the overall dining experience. While I can imagine the outside seating being wonderful during warmer months, the comfortable indoor environment ensured we could fully savor our meal without any discomfort. In conclusion, Manicomio restaurant left a lasting impression on me with its remarkable food, exemplary service, and delightful atmosphere. Whether you're a coffee lover, a pasta enthusiast, or simply seeking a memorable culinary adventure, this establishment will surely exceed your expectations. I highly recommend paying a visit to Manicomio, as it embodies the perfect combination of gastronomic excellence and exceptional hospitality.

We came for an anniversary meal and the staff really looked after us. The food and service was great and would be coming back again

Went for breakfast, lovely venue decent enough food but very over priced for what it is

Arrived for an anniversary dinner but didn’t let them know on the booking. Mentioned it to Carmen on arrival. We were treated like Kings after that. Made is both feel so welcome and the staff couldn’t do more. The food was delicious and didn’t feel rushed in anyway. Staff very very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. Would definitely recommend.

Pleasant ambiance Great food Ultra professional service

Ate here on a work night, great staff and tasty food..

The wait time was a bit lengthy considering it was barely busy.Other than that everythings great and amazing italian cuisine

We came across Manicomio by chance whilst wandering around St Paul’s. Our waiter Michael Angel was extremely friendly and down to earth which made our experience very pleasurable. We will be returning soon 100%!!

The food is okay but the service is shocking! One waitress popped champagne for another table and the cork flew straight at my guest, almost hit my guest’s face and could have caused very serious injury. No apologies from the waitress, the service team or the manager at all!

The food was average but the disappointing part was the staff’s attitude. One waitress opened a champagne bottle in the bar which was far away from the table and the cork nearly hit my eye. The waitress came over and was only interested in locating the champagne cork, no apology whatsoever from the waitress or the restaurant manager. That was very dangerous and my eye could have been severely damaged!

I realised I wrote a review for this restaurant in 2015 so it was 8 years since my last visit! This time the experience was faultless. We sat downstairs for lunch in the restaurant which was buzzing and absolutely packed. Nevertheless we were served really promptly, and the food we chose from an ample menu also arrived in good time. I had the cod which was brilliantly cooked and just delicious and fresh. The zuchini fritters were to die for, I wish I knew the recipe for the crispy, tasty light batter! Even though it was busy and we were served fast and food was prompt, we were then not rushed out by an unsolicited bill or a pushy waitress. Just faultless.

Professional and friendly team. Great venue. Delicious food.

The best food we have tried, everything we tried from starters to dessert was magnificent, the pasta was spectacular, a great job from the chefs, the attention, very friendly waiters, they had no problem explaining the menu to us because we do not speak English very well, I recommend it 100%

Nice food and service, but it is overpriced for what it is.

Disappointing, overpriced food. The bruschetta snack was ok, the tomato very tasty. The starters of salmon and endive salad were decent. The tagliata main, however, was served cold and uninspiring, the spinach addition a bit of a misfire. For £34, it seemed extremely lacking. We ordered the "rosemary" chips to supplement the sparse (expensive) meal and these were very disappointing, for a place that likes to appear classy, they were fat, tasteless, and soaked in bad oil, I was shocked that this place would allow such a dish to come out of its kitchen. Perhaps they should be less stingy and add a portion of less stodgy, more subtly seasoned, smaller chips with their expensive, hardly premium, tagliata rather than making this an additional cost. The love cake was a delightful surprise and one of the few redeeming features of the night, but the fact remains that this place is overpriced and disappointing and, sadly, I won't be back

It's OK. I would say it's better for take away than sit down. Take away you get the quality food and get out. They are very busy and failed to come to our table when we asked several time - This was already after 2pm, so place was clearing out - didn't understand that at all. And at the end they brought us the bills without us even asking. It ended up being a bill from another table as well. Maybe it was just one of those days.

Ate here as part of a business trip. Really good dishes but rather uninspired desserts. Service is decent and the location is nice. The floors/interiors are maybe a bit difficult for wheelchairs/disabilities, but other than that this is a recommended spot for a good dinner.

A little expensive but decent food

On entering I was sent upstairs to sit and the first thing I noticed was there was a strange smell, mustardy. Didn’t like it If it weren’t for the peculiar toxic smell I would’ve rated this restaurant five stars Glanced the menu. It was expensive I only had 50 minutes to spare so I ordered the chips only They were very lovely and stood out against all other chips. They were perfectly cooked giant chips, not oily or overcooked or anything Perfect! That’ll do for £6/7 Glad I popped in Recommended

Lovely and delicious food all through the courses. I didn't expect the carbonara to be sooo delicious as they were not quite traditional looking...Great service!

Decentish value for money. Tasty food but a couple things lacking. Got both the focaccia and pane carasau to nibble, spenny but v tasty. Downside is drinks took a long while until we had our bread and they had forgotten the ice and soda for the wine spritz at first. Afterwards, had 2 lobster risottos special and the chicken Milanese with some sides. All tasty just the lobster was only tail and legs (which is a messy struggle to actually have with the risotto), would have been nice to have some claw but oh well. Sides were nice. For dessert we had the panna cotta, tiramisu and lemon tart. Last two were nice and the flavour of the panna cotta was great BUT it wasn’t set, still tasted nice so had it but it had the fluidity of greek yoghurt welp. Oh yeh the latte was lazily mixed without having the layers which I would expect from an expensive Italian.

Was 5 stars, but price went up (£6 to add a mozzarella for takeaway lunch) which is forgiveable. But the quality and choice went down for the takeaway lunch. Its just pasta or salad now, no vegetables even. The choices never change either. Ill stop going along with all my colleagues until range and variability increases

Food below standard and server was rude!

Booked here for a birthday lunch, arrived 15 minutes early and asked if we could have a drink and wait. The member of staff who greeted us promptly replied that she had no room for us and shrugged her shoulders. The place was next to empty. Abysmal service and attitude, we promptly left and spent our money in a far more friendly local establishment.

Vraiment bon restaurant, la nourriture est très bonne, service parfait. Notre serveur Justav a été super. Nous allons retourner à ce restaurant avant notre départ de Londres.

Staff service was excellent from the bar team, overall 10/10 experience v nice i had a very good view, cool time

the staff are poggers, the orange juice was very well made with the food i had ordered, bar team is SUPER cool :) the place is poggers too, i enjoyed the outside area with my meal.

For an expensive Italian place, it's justified to be really picky with everything. Food 4 stars, as my overall impression was good. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. The focaccia was slightly dry on the edges, probably because they're cut and left in the open or not covered properly. So some extra care needed there. The olive oil served with it however was outstanding. All the other dishes we ordered were lovely. The ambience of the restaurant was overall good. It was however cold, as I would feel a draft coming from the A/C. On asking to turn it off, I was told they can't. So I was left with feeling really cold for most of the time I was there. And because of this I'm giving it 4 stars. Also there's no proper place to hang you coats/bags.

Everything was delicious. We tried many things including the cocktails.

מסעדה איטלקית ידועה באיזור העסקי של לונדון. במקום כמה קומות כשהקומה התחתונה לקבוצות קטנות ולמעלה מקום ךקבוצות גדולות. יש גם תפריט קבוצות אם רוצים לחסוך כסף. מבחר יפה של מנות ראשונות. הזוקיני המטוגן טעים וגם פלטת הנקניקים למי שאוהב. במנות העיקריות ההאליבוט, הסטייק והפסטה פירות ים מצויינים. לקינוח כדאי להזמין טיראמיסו האקוסטיקה במקום נהדרת ואפשר לשמוע את הסובבים לשולחן גם כשהמסעדה מלאה.

Delicious food, courteous staff and lovely environment. Definitely an amazing choice lunch or dinner.

Carbonara and lemon meringue tart was fantastic. Extremely tasty for the both of them! (Pastry for tart was amazing)

Great food (esp the desserts!) but the top floor restaurant gets too noisy for a business meeting

Having eaten here previously and been impressed with the food and service this visit was disappointing. My starter, Burrata was wet rather than creamy and had little flavour. The Chicken Milanese with Grilled Gem Lettuce was pleasant but nothing special. The service started well but then fell away and had to chase up drinks that had been forgotten, not what you expect at the prices charged.

Really nice food, the prawn linguine was amazing. Service was great, not rushed at all. Great location.

Never will return. Food was average, service was awful. Staff smell like cigarettes, quite off putting when you are trying to enjoy a meal.

Fantastic service and a wonderful Carbonara as authentic as they come. Well worth a visit.

Decent food, could have done with a wider variety of dinner choices though. Friendly staff and pretty, modern style venue.

The restaurant is very nice and staff friendly and professional. The focaccia was well made, soft with crunchy outside and served with nice evo oil. The campanelle with mushrooms were amazing, creamy with a rich mushroom flavour. Great dish, very well done! The tiramisu was ok - the cream was too sweet and thick in my opinion but apart from that everything else was amazing.

Pricey and bit of hard sell, bread and water ain't cheap here.

This place literally had the best pizzas and Caesar salad ever. Very warm and courteous staff! Had an awesome experience with my girl gang!

Bought a pot of prawns to takeaway, 7 of them for £4.50!

Always a hit, especially the chicken milanese with Caesar salad. Delicious tiramisu : properly Italian . Great service and style, with lots of natural light - a hidden gem.

Lovely restaurant, but marred by poor service when the restaurant was almost empty, and wine is vastly overpriced. It's old half price Friday night deal made it a much better and realistically priced venue.

Amazing food, especially the chocolate delizia with peanut butter. Staff were friendly and let us enjoy a long lunch without interruption in the sunshine. Good wine selection by the glass.

Great meal out... fine wine and delicious dining. Nice hot drinks to accompany the cold weather. Will visit again for sure. Enrique was great and looked after us!

Over-priced and sub-par food. This was one of the most disappointing meals I have eaten out in London in 25 years. We ended up being sat in the casual dining area downstairs, rather than the much nicer restaurant upstairs and it was all downhill from there. Every single dish was poorly prepared and presented as if cooked by a child. Everything we ordered, ranging from sides and starters to mains and desserts were way over-priced, compared to what you would pay for food of a similar standard in the city. One of the major disappointments was the lobster pasta - the dish my wife had seen on the website and decided on way before we had arrived. It was, in no uncertain terms, a complete disaster. One of the worst bowls of pasta I have ever seen outside of a school canteen. A complete disaster made all the more hard to stomach, given its £30 price tag!!! As someone who eats out very regularly in London, even during recent months, I can safely say this is one of the most underwhelming efforts I have ever witnessed. If you are looking for seriously overpriced mid to low end chain restaurant fare, this might well be the place for you. A disaster!

Lovely place! I love the food, a little bit of the pricey side but understandable because of the quality of the food, excellent service and the amazing atmosphere. Great job!

The place was packed when we got there, I guess it's pretty famous especially lunch and dinner time. I ordered carbonara and it was okay, very creamy. The proportion of the food was quite small yet a little pricey.

Very good overall. Good food good service good view and nice deco although i would remove some of the cheap framed £5 print artwork on the walls

Difícilmente la comida italiana sea una sorpresa por lo inusualmente rica...ya que es habitualmente rica. Este lugar no es la excepción. Si se pudiera agregar media estrella más, la agregaría.

Amazong italian... always good food

Stuffy and overpriced with mediocre coffee. Popular with city middle management for “power”meetings. The ‘80s called it wants it’s dross cafe back.

Good food and nice and chilled out but every time I go here for lunch service has been a bit slow. You need a good 1.5 hours for two courses. Depends what you are looking for ...

A short menu is usually a good sign and so it is here.

Our visit to Manicomio was Wonderful as always! I must say that this is one of my favourite place to dine in London and the the best Italian place. The food is always top quality, delicious and just to the point. We were served by Fabrizio and Enrique who took care of us in the best possible way. Their food suggestions where just fitting perfectly to our tastes. I would like to say a BIG Thank you for such a great experience, I must say that Fabrizio and Enrique are definitely a credit to the restaurant. Coming back one day soon. p.s and Carbonara best in town 😱

Wonderful atmosphere, food was devine. Although on the pricer side the portions were generous and were cooked wonderfully.

Three of us, all work colleagues had a late lunch on Friday. I realised that I had been before, months earlier for a late coffee one afternoon with a client. Today, we went upstairs and were seated at a comfortable table on the side of the restaurant. Buzzy atmosphere, lots of people, a little noisy but not offensive. Italian menu. I am on a whole food plant food diet and was delighted with the charred artichoke meal. My colleagues both opted for pasta. All dishes tasted great. Reasonable prices, circa GBP 18 pp. Good service and the food came in a reasonable time frame. Really enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere. I will be back!

I have not visited this place since I last reviewed it some three years ago. Food and service are still good but it is now definitely overpriced, in my opinion. Leaving aside the cost of drinks, one almost certainly needs to factor in a side dish with each main course which jacks up an already very full price. The addition of both a cover charge and a service charge is simply not reasonable, IMHO.

one of the best restaurant where i ate in my life.

Excellent food and service for a well appointed Italian restaurant in the City. Excellent for business and colleagues lunch.

Last week I was organising a business networking event at Manicomio - ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! As an event professional, I am always looking for flexible and reliable teams/venues to work with, and these guys ticked all of the boxes. They will go the extra mile to ensure everything goes smoothly. The food was delicious, and none of our guests had an empty glass for more than a second. Fantastic venue, definitely recommend to everyone! Special thanks to Jason and Fabrizio.

I come here every with day for my morning coffee. Superb

I enjoyed this excellent business lunch on the second floor. I had the chicken Milanese which was very light and exceptional with a side dish potatoes. Service first class.

Constant quality over the years

We had a private event at Manicomio. Everything went extremely well: the food was delicious, the venue is stunning but the best part id service. Fabrizio and his team took very good care of us and made all of our guests happy. Had a lovely night, thank you so much and we will be having more events at Manicomio Gutters Lane for sure!

Good on a Friday night for 2 for 1 cocktails

Secret city spot for a relaxed drink. Also good for breakfast! Only heard positive things about the restaurant

Manicomio is usually the first place we try to book for breakfast meetings due to the premium service and the quality of food. More often than not, the ground floor is too noisy so I would opt to sit on the first floor if you need to have a decent conversation.

Service was first class, attentive yet unobtrusive Food wasn't even as food as my own cooking. I'm no master chef, but that's what you pay for when eating.out. especially at £25 a.dish!

Food is exquisite & lovely staff

The food was definitely to salty for me :/ . However, the dessert was just amazing! I had the poached “Pear Tarte”

Fight your way through the crowded bar to a shabby lift. Not a great start. Ambience nil. Start by standing with a drink to meet our party - asked to sit down as they don’t like people standing in the restaurant. How warm and fuzzy. Thankfully the company was excellent but I can’t say the same for the food or service. The staff were very stiff and functional. I don’t think they were having much fun. It showed. The food was mixed. The buffalo mozzarella starter was outstanding. The lamb rump main was tough and fatty. The creme caramel was the biggest disappointment - how can you ruin such a simple pleasure? So I won’t be going back in a hurry. Sorry.

Pumpkin ravioli was nicely prepared, then ruined by being left ‘warm’ under heat - which meant it was barely warm and had dried out. The staff were prompt but kept opening bottles of water without checking if these were wanted, which led to wastage.