San Carlo - Liverpool

Came here for my son’s 15th birthday and he absolutely loved it. The service was amazing from start to finish and the food was delicious. The restaurant has got a nice atmosphere and feels like you’re having a special treat. I do have to agree with other reviews the tables are very cramped which is a shame. I also struggle with the service charge which is more than 10% automatically being added to the bill, even for a drink at the bar. Saying that though I would return for a special occasion.

Greeted and attended by courteous and attentive staff. Starter Calamari is good, cooked to the right temperature and texture. Wish a bigger portion. Pasta is homemade, al dente! Love the tomatoey creamy sauce on it. Folded pizza is new to us, very generous and cheesy filling, but still think the dough part is too much, it's definitely quite big for one. Beside the complimentary birthday puff, we ordered a tiramisu, which is a little bit disappointing, it's not cheesy and creamy enough as I expected. Could have done better considering it is the best Italian restaurant in Liverpool.

We made a reservation for our friend's birthday but arrived on time to find that our table was not ready. We were left waiting in the bar area for half an hour and had to follow up twice before being seated. There was no acknowledgement or apology for the delay, and the service was slow with disinterested staff. We had to flag down servers and request additional drinks and desserts ourselves. The food was just okay, and no one checked in to see if we were enjoying our meals. When the bill arrived, I asked for the service charge to be removed but was told I needed to speak to a manager first. The restaurant had lovely decor, but we likely won't be returning in the near future.

My family and I visited this restaurant for a birthday celebration on a Sunday evening. The new decor is amazing, but the table lamps seemed cheap and didn't provide enough light, making the restaurant quite dark. Our main waitress was great and the food we ordered was excellent. However, we had difficulty getting drinks throughout our meal and had to ask multiple different waiters before receiving any. Although we have always enjoyed San Carlos restaurants in the past and have been impressed by the food and staff, we felt that the staff in the Liverpool location were not as engaged with their jobs or customers. It seemed like they were just going through the motions.

The food was delicious. The atmosphere was wonderful and the service was excellent. The staff was very attentive and accommodating. I will definitely return.