Carlotta, Marylebone: An Honest Review of Big Mamma's Italian American Trattoria

Some of the best dinners are the ones you never planned. This Carlotta Marylebone review exists because of a craving, a warm summer evening and a red restaurant frontage that practically flagged us down on Marylebone High Street.

I had been trying to get into a Big Mamma Group restaurant for what felt like forever. And then, without a reservation, without a plan, without even knowing this one existed, I ended up at the best table in the house.

As always at The Chic Explorer, this visit was entirely self funded. Carlotta had no idea I was coming, no idea I write reviews, and no idea I would be photographing their bathroom quite so enthusiastically. What follows is exactly how the evening unfolded, including the one thing that did not go to plan.

The evening started, as all good evenings do, with a decision made before we had even left the station. I was meeting my friend Miles for dinner and the moment we stepped off the train I said it. Shall we have Italian? The answer was an absolute yes, and off we wandered through Marylebone.

We were greeted by Alehandra on the front desk, who could not have been lovelier. We asked if there was any chance of a table in half an hour, because we wanted a catch up drink first, and she said absolutely, we can get you in.

While we chatted, the penny dropped. Miles asked if they had another restaurant in town, and Alehandra smiled and said they actually have seven. We are part of the Big Mamma Group, she said. Reader, I nearly fell over.

If you know, you know. Big Mamma are the team behind some of the most talked about Italian restaurants in London. Gloria in Shoreditch. Circolo Popolare in Fitzrovia. Ave Mario in Covent Garden, which I have been trying and failing to book for ages because reservations vanish the second they appear. And Jacuzzi in Kensington, which I visited previously and absolutely adored. The group has been on my list forever, and here I was, accidentally standing in their Marylebone trattoria asking for a walk in table.

Walking through Carlotta is an experience in itself. You step beyond a velvet curtain into a room that is gloriously over the top in that signature Big Mamma way. Gold everywhere, sumptuous fabrics, walls crowded with framed pictures, a Rosso Levanto marble bar glowing with retro charm, and lighting that makes everyone look like they have just come back from two weeks in Positano. My first thought as we walked in was simple. Ooh, this is posh.

The theme running through it all is Italian American family life, a love letter to the Italians who packed up their recipes and crossed the Atlantic. Look closely at the walls and you will notice something unexpected. Boxing. Framed vintage boxing memorabilia appears throughout the restaurant, and when I questioned it, Miles reminded me that boxing runs deep in Italian and Italian American culture. I had no idea, but Carlotta leans into it beautifully, and once you spot it you see it everywhere.

It is theatrical, it is maximalist, and it absolutely should not work as a backdrop for dinner. It completely works.

Our waiter was Vincento, and he set the tone for the entire evening. Great glasses, naturally stylish, genuinely friendly, asking about our day and matching our energy from the first hello. When the service is this warm, the whole table relaxes.

Now, the wine. When Vincento asked what we liked, I told him the truth. I am a Californian Chardonnay girl, or a South African Chenin Blanc girl. Buttery, rounded, generous. Sauvignon Blanc is not really my thing. He lit up, because the wine he wanted to recommend was exactly that, the Chardonnay Terre Siciliane IGP 2024 from Terre di Vita, a really buttery Sicilian number. Then his face fell. It was no longer available. You had me at butter, I told him. Do not tease a girl.

And here is where Carlotta quietly won me over. Rather than shrugging and pointing at the list, Vincento said he would send the sommelier over so I could try a couple of options. Bear in mind we were only ordering wine by the glass. This was not a table about to order a showpiece bottle. It did not matter. The sommelier arrived with two glasses for me to taste. One was an Italian Sauvignon, of course. The other was the Falanghina Taburno DOC 2024 from La Fortezza in Campania, and that was the one for me. Gently floral and citrussy without the sharp green edge that puts me off a Sauvignon, it was lovely with the burrata and even lovelier for being chosen properly rather than guessed at.

That level of care, for a glass of wine, for a walk in table, on a random weekday evening, tells you a lot about a restaurant.

There are rules at an Italian restaurant, and rule number one is that if burrata is on the menu, you order the burrata. Miles and I looked at each other, said we are sharing the burrata, right, and the answer was one hundred percent yes. At Carlotta it is the Burrata al Pistacchio, £18, a 250g burrata from Caseificio Montrone in Puglia with pistachio pesto and Sardinian carasau bread. Vincento also gently talked us into the bread basket, which took no convincing whatsoever because bread is everything.

When it arrived, it was phenomenal. And enormous, which matters, because Miles and I can eat. It was everything burrata should be. Delicate on the outside, gooey and creamy in the middle, with that nutty pistachio pesto cutting through the richness. Torn over the bread with a generous pour of olive oil, it was right up my street all day long. Honestly, one of the best plates of burrata I have had in London, and I do not say that lightly.

We kept the mains simple. We were hungry but not three courses hungry, so Miles ordered the Pasta all'Arrabbiata, £18, mezzi rigatoni in a spicy San Marzano DOP tomato sauce with chilli, smoky stracciatella and dragoncello. I went for the Spaghetti with Spicy 'Nduja Meatballs, £23, pork, beef and 'nduja meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce under a promised mountain of Parmigiano, because I fancied a bit of heat.

The pasta itself was served properly al dente, which is standard at this level of restaurant, and you are either into that or you are not. I can get on board with it. But I am not going to dress this up, because that is not what The Chic Explorer is for. I bit into a meatball and something was off. It was dry, the flavour was not quite right, and for a dish built around 'nduja, that famously fiery Calabrian sausage, the promised spice never really arrived. I quietly moved my meatballs onto Miles's plate, and after a couple of mouthfuls he agreed. Not quite right.

Here is the truthful bit, and it is on me as much as anyone. I did not say anything. I am usually the first person to be upfront when something is not right, politely and constructively, because good restaurants would always rather know. And I have no doubt Carlotta would have fixed it in a heartbeat. They would have replaced the dish, brought chilli oil, taken it off the bill, whatever it took. The service all evening told me exactly what kind of team they are.

But we were full of bread and burrata, deep in conversation, and having such a lovely time with Vincento bouncing back and forth that I simply did not want to invite negativity to the table. Sometimes you make that call. The lesson, for me and for you, is to speak up in the moment. Restaurants can only fix what they know about, and I did not give them the chance. That one is on me. The dry meatballs, though, that one is on the kitchen.

I took my phone to the ladies, as every content creator now must, just in case. I have never been more pleased with a decision in my life.

The bathrooms at Carlotta are insane, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. A circular room, mirrored from floor to ceiling, washed in red and pink light, like stepping into a disco that happens to have very good hand wash. And in the middle of it all, a statue of the Virgin Mary. Look closely. She is wearing boxing gloves.

I cackled. It is completely bonkers, wildly extra, and I am here for every single second of it. Sign me up to the crazy toilets. If you go to Carlotta and do not visit the bathroom, did you even go?

From Alehandra's warmth at the door to Vincento's easy charm and the sommelier's patience with a two glass table, the service at Carlotta was genuinely special. Nothing felt scripted. The team chatted because they wanted to, checked in without hovering, and made a spontaneous Tuesday style dinner feel like an occasion.

And remember, nobody knew I write reviews. I did not know I would be writing one. This is just how they treat two friends who wandered in off the street, which is the only test of service that really matters.

• Date night couples who want glamour without stiffness. The lighting alone is worth the booking.
• Girls' dinners and catch ups. The people watching, the bathrooms and the wine list were made for it.
• Anyone who has failed to book Ave Mario. Carlotta delivers the Big Mamma magic with a fighting chance of a walk in table.
• Content creators. Every corner of this restaurant is a backdrop, and the bathroom is a location shoot.
• Solo diners who enjoy a bit of theatre with dinner. The staff will make you feel like a regular by the time the burrata lands.

Yes. Without hesitation. And I want to be clear about why, because this is the first review I have written where I did not finish my main.

The burrata was exceptional. The service was some of the warmest I have had in London this year. The room is a joy, the bathrooms are a destination, and the sommelier moment, for a table having a single glass of wine each, showed a restaurant that cares about hospitality at every level of spend.

The meatballs missed, and at these prices the simple dishes should land every time. But one dry dish does not undo an evening like that, and it has not put me off the Big Mamma Group in the slightest. Next time I will order braver, go for the dishes that looked insane sailing past our table, and say something if anything is not right. I would suggest you do the same.

Would I recommend Carlotta? Yes. Order the burrata, trust the sommelier, skip the safe choices, and whatever you do, take your phone to the bathroom.

• Address: 77-78 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 5JX, in the heart of Marylebone Village.
• Nearest stations: Baker Street, Bond Street and Regents Park are all within a comfortable walk.
• Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 11:45 to 15:30 and 16:45 to 22:30, Friday 11:45 to 23:00, Saturday 11:30 to 23:00, Sunday 11:30 to 21:30.
• Booking: reservations are taken for up to seven guests, and Carlotta holds back tables for walk ins every day. We were seated within half an hour on a warm weekday evening. Groups of eight to eighteen can book the group menu from £62 per person, and the whole space can be privately hired for bigger celebrations.
• Lunch tip: the Pranzetto set lunch menu, created by chef Davide, runs Monday to Friday from £27, a lovely way to try Carlotta without the evening buzz or the evening bill.
• Before dinner: there is a great pub right next door, perfect for a pre table catch up drink, and Carlotta's own terrace is made for warm afternoons.
• Rough spend: antipasti sit around £12 to £24, primi from £18 to £48 for the truffle fettuccine for two, and desserts around £9 to £14. Our burrata was £18 shared and our pastas £18 and £23, so with wine by the glass this is a very doable Marylebone dinner. An optional 12.5 percent service charge is added.
• What to order: the Burrata al Pistacchio, the bread basket, and the boldest dishes on the menu from head chef Angelo Bruno's kitchen. Let the sommelier steer the wine.
• Contact: carlotta@bigmamma.com for questions, and the Big Mamma Group, a certified B Corporation, handles bookings through its website.

Yes. Carlotta is part of the Big Mamma Group, the team behind Gloria in Shoreditch, Circolo Popolare in Fitzrovia, Ave Mario in Covent Garden and Jacuzzi in Kensington. Carlotta is their Marylebone trattoria, themed around Italian American family life, complete with vintage boxing memorabilia and gloriously maximalist interiors.

Booking ahead is sensible, especially for evenings and weekends, because Big Mamma restaurants are famously hard to get into. However, Carlotta takes reservations for up to seven guests and deliberately keeps some tables free for walk ins every day. We walked in on a warm weekday evening and were offered a table within half an hour, so it is always worth asking at the door if you are passing.

Yes. Carlotta's Pranzetto set lunch menu, created by chef Davide, is available Monday to Friday at lunchtime from £27 per person. It is a brilliant way to experience the restaurant at a gentler price point, especially if you are shopping or working around Marylebone.

The Burrata al Pistacchio, £18, is outstanding and generous enough to share, a 250g Puglian burrata with pistachio pesto and carasau bread, and the bread basket is non negotiable. Based on our visit, I would steer towards the more adventurous dishes rather than the simplest pasta plates, and let the sommelier guide your wine.

Carlotta is at 77-78 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 5JX, in the heart of Marylebone Village. Baker Street, Bond Street and Regents Park stations are all a short walk away, and the surrounding streets are full of pubs and wine bars for a pre dinner drink.

Carlotta sits in the mid to upper range for London Italian dining. Sharing a starter, ordering simple pastas and drinking by the glass keeps it very manageable for Marylebone, while the bigger sharing dishes and bottles push it into special occasion territory.