Since The Chancery Rosewood, one of 2025's most anticipated hotel openings, welcomed its first guests in the sleekly reinterpreted premises of the former US Embassy in London this September, Grosvenor Square has become a real magnet for sensational design destinations. Nestled on the Upper Brook Street side of the stay's Grade II-listed building, a 1960 monumental landmark by American-Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, topped with a huge golden eagle sculpture overlooking the square and now dynamically restored by Sir David Chipperfield with interiors by Joseph Dirand, CARBONE London is no exception.
Spanning two sweeping floors and accessible via a discreet entrance at street level, the European debut of chef restaurateurs Mario Carbone, Jeff Zalaznick, and Rich Torrisi's celebrity-loved Italian-American concept brings a taste of the Big Apple to the British capital.
CARBONE London may share its base with The Chancery Rosewood's F&B locations, including Tobi Masa, the innovative experimenting ground of Japanese Michelin-starred culinarian Masayoshi Takayama, and the tranquil indoor oasis that is the Mediterranean-inspired Serra, but if you think that any of those restaurants is enough to take it out of the limelight, well, you clearly haven't dined here just yet. To put it in gastronomic terms, CARBONE London is to Grosvenor Square what the main course is to every menu worth trying: in short, an event.
Carbone London: A Made-in-NYC Culinary Sensation Takes Over the British Capital
The theatrical atmosphere running through CARBONE London is set from the very start, as captured by the draped host stand at its lower-floor bar: the 'antichamber' to the eatery's dining rooms.
The original CARBONE opened up at 181 Thompson Street in New York's Greenwich Village back in 2013. Set up by its namesake, Zalaznick, and Torrisi as part of the Major Food group, the lifestyle portfolio they launched in 2011, the establishment sought to elevate the legacy of the city's most beloved, simple "red-sauce" Italian eateries beyond their familiar feel. A mission the trio pursued from the very start, beginning with its location, which saw CARBONE breathe new life into the site of the 90-year-old Rocco Restaurant, of which it still preserves the neon sign.
Before becoming a favorite of some of the world's most influential A-listers, from Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and the Kardashians to Barack Obama, at its heart, CARBONE strived to transport diners to a different, more joyful and optimistic time. The same vision animates its first London outpost as I step inside, which turns the coveted Mayfair hotspot into the ultimate place for a quintessentially New York night — without the need to check into one of its majestic design hotels to get in on the razzmatazz.
Design Feel: Where Old New York Glamour Meets Blue-Chip Gallery Art
A quick glimpse inside the time-traveling, artsy dining room of CARBONE London. In the picture: Julian Schnabel's "Van Gogh's Trees of Home for Peter Beard 9" (2020-2024).
Going from the black cabs-trafficked streets of Mayfair to the ground floor of CARBONE London allows you to leave the Big Smoke's frenzy behind as its heavy doors gently close at your back and, instead, embrace a rizz of the finest kinds.
The brainchild of prolific American interior designer Ken Fulk, the restaurant's interiors unravel as the most beautifully packaged of gift boxes. They lure you in slowly but steadily, starting from surface level — in this case, the vaguely bistro-inspired, cozy decor of the upstairs dining room and bar, whose high-gloss blue wall paneling, toffee-tinted woods, stools, and lighting, tin coffered ceilings, and textured cafe curtains echo the ambiance of the original CARBONE — to gradually reveal what's inside.
The retro-looking, golden table lamps dotting the room in its entirety recreate the feeling of dining by candlelight, as a softly spoken murmur and jazzy tunes fill the space with warmth and life. The vibe here, as in the rest of the eatery, is slightly noir, the dimmed pendant lights and sconces leaving room for an air of mystery, mischief, and fun.
The irreverent grandeur of CARBONE London's downstairs bar. In the picture: Angel Otero's "I See You Sometimes" (2020).
That CARBONE London draws from the evergreen allure of New York's most legendary bars, and in particular, 1950s icons like the Bemelmans Bar, is obvious from the moment one comes inside. But nothing makes the reference more tangible than the richly narrative, spirited mural that guides visitors to the discovery of its lower ground — a painted fever dream of a CARBONE-style night out, between towering plates, Murano glass chandeliers, champagne chilling in silver buckets, and black-tie attire.
Dressed floor to ceiling in an archival red damask textile wallcovering by British fabric house Watts 1874, with a passion red, reflective coffered ceiling doubling up the silhouettes of people mingling overhead, I find the downstairs bar the most intimidating room in CARBONE London's mazy plan. Swathes of suavely dressed people with huge wool coats and American accents pass me by as I wait for my own party to show up. Bartenders make shaking Manhattans and Old Fashions behind the dramatically back-lit counter into an art. And here I am, desperately wondering whether I am cool enough to "see and be seen" at this lavish, sexy restaurant.
The atmospheric street-level dining room of CARBONE London, where modern glamour, bistro charm, and direct references to the concept's original NYC restaurant collide.
As I learn while momentarily escaping into the restrooms to check my outfit holds up to the glam, the secret to looking in your element, really, seems to be one: take to CARBONE London with the right, cheerful group of friends, dress to impress, and strut about like you were born to eat at that restaurant. Oh, and remember: nothing screams 'confident' more than being at ease with who you are.
The initial anxiety is well worth the price, I think to myself as we move into CARBONE London's cinematic grand dining room. This isn't just a place to eat; it's a film setting — or a film, full-stop — waiting to be immortalized: I warned you, Quentin Tarantino and Brian De Palma. Led by service 'captains' rocking custom burgundy tuxedos by Zac Posen, the waiting staff speedily swings between the elegantly decked tables as if on rollerblades, as bold and confident as entertaining.
Compared to the dynamic, draped-in-plush-floral-fabric bar, where the 1970s-style, tall mirrored ceiling stretches CARBONE London's aesthetics into the fantasy realm, the dining room feels much more intimate, embracing diners with its flame-red billiard cloth, ebony-effect, mahogany-inlaid marquetry, precious Italian 'Ciambella' light fixtures, and eye-catching red and white marble checkered floors.
The opulent private dining room at CARBONE London, featuring American artist and poet Rene Ricard's "Untitled (don't do it...)" (2011) and "Untitled (Go Mae West...)" (2012).
A jewel box of a private dining room hides in plain sight at the core of the eatery's lower ground. Sculpted from golden wood, it boasts Rene Ricard's 'poem paintings' and a central, theatrical Murano chandelier in champagne-tinted handblown glass, both of which make the space look like the resident living room of a wealthy intellectual.
Sitting on one of the Campari-red velvet and distressed leather banquettes that, together with similarly styled chairs, dominate the scene, it is easy to feel like one of the A-Listers who so love CARBONE. Behind my shoulders hang three canvases from Italian painter Francesco Clemente's Self Portraits as the Twelve Apostles series, some of the most enigmatic pieces realized by the very hand that graced New York's most iconic restaurants and nightlife coves — including the eponymous Clemente Bar. Before me, a triumph of New York-style Italian fare (I promise, we'll get there).
Meanwhile, interspersed with the layered Ken Fulk interiors, are more blue-chip artworks, from Ai Weiwei's uplifting Cloud (2023) and Rita Ackermann's haunting nude, Untitled (2005), to Julian Schnabel's melancholic Van Gogh's Trees of Home for Peter Beard 9 (2020-2024), all curated by the latter's son, American gallerist Vito Schnabel. Be it the larger-than-life and extravagantly served cuisine, the seductive decor, or, you guessed it, the art, everything at CARBONE London leans into that heyday New York spectacle, a distinctive feature that, bewitching diners, makes leaving the eatery hard.
A Masterpiece of a Food and Cocktail List, Literally: What to Eat, Drink, and — Trust Me — See
The spicy rigatoni with tomato vodka sauce — one of CARBONE's signature staples — immortalized in their smoky glory in the eatery's eccentric serveware.
Finally, dinner is served, though not before literally battling to open up each of CARBONE London's ginormous statement menus without getting a corner of them into anyone's eyes — don't get me wrong, we loved the drama nonetheless. At the legendary NYC hotspot's first European outpost, the culinary vision remains the same. To quote the title of rising writer and hospitality PR Panayiota Soutis's Substack, The Goal is to Eat. And boy, is the choice wide!
Offering anything from stunningly plated crudo and carpaccio to generous pasta plates, grilled fish, and charcoaly meats, besides, needless to say, plenty of desserts, and giving each customer the opportunity to order world-famous Italian staples like meatballs and carbonara a piacere, the food and drink lists at CARBONE can be overwhelming to navigate. Here's what you shouldn't miss and how much of the eatery's nonna-sized dishes you'll need while dining here, family style:
I. Antipasti
Scallops Rosmarino, Prosciutto & Mozzarella, Caesar Salad — Brace yourself for a feast with a mari e monti (literally, "seas and mountains") selection of appetizers (one each). Mismatch seafood and meat to your liking, as, yes, that's how we do it in the Bel Paese, and catch the live theater that is CARBONE's Caesar Salad, made on the spot in front of diners.
II. Primi
Spicy Rigatoni with Tomato Vodka Sauce — The Instagram-viral makeover of a popular 1970s-80s Italian pasta recipe, this dish is a real banger, packed with as much spice as nostalgia. Order one between two or pair it with a Fettuccine con Funghi to share between four for an even earthier, creamier experience.
III. Secondi
Meatballs, Funghi Trifolati, Potatoes Louie — Call me simple, but I know what I like. As the entry plates are likely to fill you up, an easily shareable main of polpette (no, we don't have them with spaghetti), funghi trifolati, and potatoes louie will suffice. Get one of each and, for non-gluten-free diners only, mop up the meatballs' tomato sauce with bread in a scarpetta at the end.
IV. Dolci
Neapolitan Cherry Flambe — Sweet-toothed guests and the curious cannot miss this performance of a dessert. Remember the ice cream sundae Kevin McCallister devors at The Plaza Hotel in Home Alone 2? Well, this dolce is for indulgent flashbacks. Not your taste? Go for the stracciatella tiramisu on display on the luxurious cake trolley.
Drinks
Stick to anything cocktail to feel like a New Yorker: the Martinis, Manhattans, and Negronis, though, are especially divine. And when anything lacks, go for the finest Tuscan wine.
Last But Not Least, the Livingetc Verdict
The carrot cake of CARBONE London, one of the plethora of desserts up for grabs at the eatery.
Strictly speaking, CARBONE London's food feels much richer, a tiny heavier, and far more extravagant than the meals I was raised on as a child. But what's individual taste when a single, explosive dinner can make you forget about where you were? With a dining room all set for the most powerful cliffhanger, all you have to do once you score a table here is sit back and let the world play its magic.
Book your table at CARBONE London.
CARBONE London's vitality can largely be explained by the British capital's growing obsession with anything simultaneously ticking the boxes for 'culinary' and 'aesthetic'. From the coolest restaurant merch to buy and gift in London this year to the trippy eateries and bars heralding the era of Space Oddity design, our pages remain your easily navigable directory to all the latest lifestyle trends.
