Last Updated on July 11, 2026
Refined and elegant dining at Caldesi in Marylebone
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
On the corner of Marylebone Lane, in the heart of Marylebone Village, is Caldesi, a family-run Italian restaurant owned by restaurateur Giancarlo and his artist wife, Katie. It’s evident throughout the restaurant that food is, and continues to be, their lifelong passion. Since the original opened, a cookery school, La Cucina Caldesi, has been established, followed by Caldesi in Campagna, in Bray, Berkshire. All pay homage to regional Italian cooking, family and tradition.
On arrival, we were ushered to the upstairs restaurant. Once we were comfortably settled, our menus arrived, and then came the hard task of deciding what to eat. Caldesi specialises in seasonal, regional cuisine from across Italy. This is evidenced by the cookbooks published by Giancarlo and Katie, which will take you on a cook’s tour of the country, including Venice, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily.
First to appear was an amuse-bouche: a generous spoonful of creamy, buttery burrata topped with truffle, a treat from the chef to show us what lay ahead. Even though we’re in an age when it’s truffle with everything, and we might feel somewhat truffled out, this appetite teaser was a pleasing pairing.
We opted for the house wine, a Caldesi, which turned out to be a delightfully light and smooth organic Sicilian red, a blend of Syrah and Merlot grapes. All the wines, much like the food menu, showcase what Italy has to offer.
If you love wine and are feeling indulgent, you can splurge on a 2015 Amarone delle Valpolicella at £375. Otherwise, you have a grand selection of fine Italian wines. And the reasonably priced house wine is actually really good.
The food at Caldesi is all about the best ingredients, cooked well. The menu offers plenty of choice, with a great selection of antipasti and sharing plates, a small selection of pizzas and salads, and then pasta dishes and mains.
In an Italian restaurant, or any restaurant, I don’t want gimmicks; I want to feel satiated and gratified by the choices I have made.
I opted for the British asparagus with a poached egg and truffle shavings. The asparagus was tender with bite, and the poached egg was soft on the outside, runny on the inside, allowing the yolk to soak into the truffle shavings, which in turn didn’t overpower the asparagus.
My husband Sam, a fan of the classics, went with vitello tonnato, a dish from Piedmont: finely sliced veal with creamed tuna mayonnaise, offset with tart capers.
The service was prompt, efficient and attentive. No sooner had we finished our first course than the plates were whisked away to make way for the main course.
I skipped the pasta course in favour of the veal Milanese, which had caught my eye. Prepared as tradition demands, it was a succulent bone-in veal chop coated in breadcrumbs, with a parsley and butter sauce. I could have done with more sauce for the ample chop, which required Sam’s help to polish it off.
My pasta-loving husband chose the ravioli with lobster bisque. The freshly made pasta, cooked al dente, was stuffed with tender lobster (which had arrived in that morning’s fish haul) and coated in a thick, velvety bisque. It’s the sort of flavour that will pull you to the Amalfi Coast.
We needed a pause before setting our eyes on the dessert menu. Our attentive waiter gave us enough time and space to breathe, to regain our appetite for dessert.
I’m not naturally a dessert fan; I’ll happily choose starters over desserts, but this time I made an exception. Sam had already decided on Giancarlo’s recipe for homemade tiramisu. I gravitated towards the poached pear in red wine with white chocolate ice cream. Had I chosen faster, I’d have plumped for that tiramisu. Of course, tiramisu needs no introduction, yet done well it’s worthy of a mention: custard and sponge spiked with coffee and marsala, all singing in unison.
Caldesi is where you go to eat the Italian classics cooked well. The Marylebone branch has stood its ground for the last 24 years, with a traditional menu that is refined and elegant. Good service, good food, good wine: that’s all I need. I left satiated and gratified.
Caldesi in Marylebone
118 Marylebone Lane
London W1U 2QF
Tel 0207 487 0750
Looking for something different in Marylebone? We recommend St John Marylebone for classic British cuisine with a twist
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