No one really expects greatness from a chain. Decent food? Sure. Predictable menu? You got it. Something to get excited about? Rarely. Except for this Italian spot in Knightsbridge. Cicchetti is serving excellent food in a fun, buzzing dining room, with the only predictable thing about it being the fact that every person you tell to go there will leave impressed.

Cicchetti Knightsbridge is part of the San Carlo restaurant group—a chain of Italian restaurants with locations all over London and the UK—and we weren’t prepared to like this outpost quite as much as we did. From the tasteful red and white striped awning outside, to the jazzy zigzag wall lamps and maximalist interior, it feels very old-school. The dining room gives fancy yacht crossed with a classic New York brasserie energy—all shiny deep brown wood and huge avante-garde art pieces. We’ve been here for family birthdays that are made extra special by the thoughtful staff, recommended it to anyone looking for a special occasion meal in south west London, and brought dates to show them that we know the best place for panzerotto Pugliese (hello deep-fried pizza). Because even at 2pm on a Sunday, the dim lighting makes this a moody, romantic spot to cosy up and celebrate the fact you’ve been fancying the same person for 20 years over Venetian-inspired sharing plates.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

At the risk of sounding like a 16 year-old girl talking about a crush, these sharing plates are different. Firstly, they’re a decent size—so you can get a good spoonful of gnocchi if you’re sharing in a small group. Secondly, the pasta section of the menu, which includes the daydream-worthy truffle and pecorino ravioli and the melanzane parmigiana—a rich tomato sauce with layers of tender aubergine and mozzarella—is the kind of tempting list that’ll have you wishing you could order it all. So the best way to use this restaurant is in a group—get a table in the corner and fill it with a mix of things from each part of the menu. A quarter of a fried pizza here, a creamy lobster raviolo there, and a couple of pieces of truffle-topped steak later, and you’ll be extremely satisfied.

LDN Guide

London’s Best New Dishes Of 2022

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Beef Carpaccio

Razor thin slices of raw beef with peppery rocket, this is an excellent version of a classic appetiser.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Truffle And Pecorino Ravioli

These silky soft parcels of pasta are stuffed with a comforting, cheesy pecorino and earthy truffle filling in a velvety smooth white sauce. Surprisingly light, simple, and beautifully balanced.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Gnocchi Gorgonzola

This cheese-heavy dish arrives in a “baked parmesan basket”, and is a wholesome, carby dish that’s one for lovers of all things creamy.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Raviolo Lobster

We’ve tried both the lobster pasta dishes here, and this raviolo is by far the better of the two. The pasta is filled with soft chunks of lobster and sits in a creamy lobster bisque with prawns. While it’s always a little painful to pay nearly £20 for three pieces of ravioli, you can get this to share with a small group.

Penne Arrabbiata

We’ve ordered plenty of disappointing arrabbiata pastas in our lives with the mindset of “who could mess up something so simple?” But the one here is actually worth ordering. Spicy, with a rich tomato sauce, this is a classic done very, very well.

Pizza Margherita

The pizza is perfectly good, but it’s not going to blow you away nor is it the reason you’ll be back.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Fillet Of Beef Tartufo

We’d like a bottle of the black truffle sauce that comes with this steak to take home. In fact we’d like it on all our future steaks—it’s creamy and peppery, with a nice hint of truffle.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Panzerotto Pugliese

Not enough London restaurants serve fried pizza. And Cicchetti is making up for that with this excellently doughy, cheesy dish that’s covered in a very generous amount of tomato sauce. If you’re unsure whether to go for this or a regular pizza, go for this.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Tiramisu

There are mouthfuls when this feels like you’re eating straight cream, so if you like your tiramisu more on the caffeine-heavy end of the spectrum then this might not be for you.