Four of us had a beautifully presented and very tasty lunch at Al Duca on a weekday. The service was very friendly and quite fast. The restaurant was busy, so fairly noisy, but this added to the ambiance in a positive way in our opinion.
The expectations for this restaurant we’re hi, however the service was poor at best the ability for the staff to communicate was low which created frustrations for the evening. The menu was not self-explanatory which created complexity when trying to understand what was included and then finding out that everything was all a cart.
This is conveniently located in a adjacent busy street of St James neighborhood.
The environment is a bit sad, the light a bit gloomy, decor not very engaging.
The staff is nice and active, they check regularly to process your meal and drinks.
Now the food: this is the part that is problematic, it is not interesting nor any good.
I had the special, pasta with white truffle, it was cooked in water with olive oil and shaved white truffle.
Nothing else, not bad but not pleasant. My diagnose is that the cook is incompetent .
The osso buco was a small piece of meat dry inside, tasteless and the sauce looked like out of a can of peeled tomato, not pleasant. The best white wine by the glass was acidic and sour. The desert was a very gooey chocolate cake, it fell on my stomach like a brick... A very unpleasant meal and I fell super heavy, border line sick immediately afterward. I do not recommend this place, there are many other restaurants much better nearby.
I paid a hundred pounds for this meal, that is what I would pay for a delicious lunch in a one star Michelin...
Great service and very imaginative menu ideas or presentations of classic dishes.
The food was very nice, but slightly on the bland side. Two of the fish dishes, cod and salmon (special), were without a sauce and slightly on the dry and somewhat minimal side. Things needed a little spicing up in some manner. The swordfish was better, but still slightly unimaginative. On the other hand, the mussel and clam soup starter was fantastic. The atmosphere was great and the service was excellent.
Al Duca is a "go-to" restaurant for a good value lunch with charming staff and a good Italian menu. You can be quick in-and-out. Difficult to beat for an informal business lunch. The location is absolutely perfect, between St. James's Square and Jermyn Street. Not too noisy.
We met old friends for lunch. The pasta was excellent, especially the seasonal game and mushroom sauces. One gluten-intolerant diner was very pleased with the choice of gluten-free pasta. Desserts were also delicious and the service was attentive and courteous. We have eaten at Al Duca a number of times and never been disappointed.
Hey is was perfectly nice, good service and friendly, but the food was a bit ponsie - small portions, vert tasty but three Scallops for £17 and you know where this is going.....so nice but the menu needed greater choice
My favorite Italian restaurant in London. The food and service are consistently excellent! I highly recommend it!
The food is always good, the ambiance perfect for lunch or dinner, and the staff lovely, kind and attentive.
The tables are very close to one another. My liver was bland and would have benefitted from potatoes and a rich gravy
Always reliable for good basic Italian style food.
Having been here on a number of occasions this time was really disappointing. The food was terrible! Al Duca...... what has happened. Started of warm mozzarella wrapped in parma ham was a cold watery soggy mess. Other started of octopus was in a very bitter tomato sauce with no other flavoring. Main of "slow cooked ham shin" was a greasy mass of very very (>50%) fatty ham with a side of "roast vegetables" that was four or five strips of veg that had clearly been pre-cooked and warmed in a microwave.... again soggy. Second main of past with porcini mushrooms and truffle was very dull, little truffle flavor and gritty mushrooms. Sorry Al Duce but for this sort of money in St James's a real awful meal. My advice..... go to Sartorria on Saville Row, a great and sophisticate Italian.
Staff all very good. Food disappointingly average
I visit London 3 or 4 times a yet and always find time for a meal at Al Duca. The service is good but unobtrusive and the food quality is excellent.
I can thoroughly recommend this venue for lunch or dinner.
Always good
Food and service was outstanding. The wine list was not impressive
A good experience but restaurant was really quiet
First time for a business lunch at Al Duca, excellent experience. Food was delicious and not too overwhelming portions, service attentive and good with advice. Could imagine if full it would be quite noisy, but wasn't like that on this visit. Would certainly return
Well, the noise level was low because there was only one other table occupied while we were there. Have given excellent marks to food and service because they were deserved. Half-portions of the pasta course were just right and our main course was delicious and also right-sized. This was a return visit for us and you'll remain our number one choice if/when we return to London.
Lovely people, great service, great food. The summer is great as they open the windows and it is almost al fresco.
Lovely restaurant. Delicious pasta. Great service.
The service was great and we hot a nice table too but unfortunately the food wasn’t enjoyed as much as we had hoped apart from my tagliatelle with black truffle and mushrooms which was delicious!
Service was slow and portions tiny. Regressed since my last visit 12 months ago.
Nice friendly and attentive Italian staff. Food consistently good and we always enjoying visiting this restaurant.
If you want a reasonable, predictable italian meal, served quickly and (by comparison to nearby rivals) cheaply this will fit the bill. A good choice for a business meal, pre-theatre etc. Service coulf improve as could more or les everything ( its a bit tired) but I have no specific negative comments. What you see is what you get.
This is a delightful family run, genuine Italian restaurant in the heart of Mayfair. The food is first class and moderately priced for the area and the wine list is extensive classic Italian wine. The serving staff are warm and friendly and its almost like dining at a friends house
This used to be a favourite of mine and I stopped going because of a not-great experience, but I thought I would try it again last night to entertain business colleagues over from China.
Mistake! The food is nice enough; not outstanding but fair for the price. Unfortunately the service was embarrassing. Everyone was very polite; just REALLY slow. There was an an excruciatingly long wait between the starters and the main course, compounded by five of the six dishes coming together and then a pause whilst the guest of honour sat with an empty space in front of him snd the rest of our food cooled down.
Whilst a verbal nudge elicited some apology there was little communication from the waiting staff, and as our table was on their route to the kitchen, a remarkable lack of willingness to have any eye contact.
Perhaps if you go when the restaurant is only half full and the waiting staff and kitchen are better able to cope then you might have a better experience. Unfortunately having been let down twice I will not be returning.
Pasta is too salty, veal Milanese is basically 70% breadcrumbs, disappointing experience.
Great food and great service. Reasonably priced. Would recommend and visit again
Service was very welcoming, knowledgable and helpful, in helping select the wine and in explaining the precise nature of some of the dishes. The chef was accommodating in modifying certain dishes to individual requests.
As unassuming establishment where the quality of the food presented was high and the range of Italian wines on offer was unusually well curated in terms of price, grape varietals and geography.
Well worth a visit
The service was very good and staff very friendly. Everything that we ordered to eat was melt in the mouth amazing. Would defiantly recommend and will be back very soon
Very dependable and genuine Italian, friendly service, one of the best in Town!
Always good food, served by friendly and enthusiastic people - a long term favourite !
I have eaten at this restaurant 7 times in the last 2 years and have never been disappointed with the food or service. I visit London 3 or 4 times a year and almost always have a meal with friends or family at Al Duca. I can thoroughly recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner. The staff are polite and friendly and the food is good. The service is excellent but not intrusive.
I took an Italian to Al Duca and he was very happy. What more could you say! It's authentic Italian with very good good, good value, and charming staff.
The food at this restaurant was great, however the ambiance was extremely loud. I ate with family members and we basically stopped talking to each other because it was such a strain to hear or speak.
Such a charming Italian restaurant in the heart of St. James's. The service is excellent and the staff absolutely charming. Excellent pastas, very good starters, and some delicious meat dishes as well, and all so reasonably priced. And a nice touch...my friend with whom I was dining left an item by the table and one of the waiters came running down the street with it afterwards - how often would that happen?
Al Duca is consistently good and makes a perfect venue for a casual meal or a romantic evening. The staff are always super friendly and efficient and the food is great. It’s our go to restaurant and we are always happy to introduce it to other people!
The welcome was wonderful, the espresso martini great. Unfortunately the main course was disappointing, my truffle pasta had no aroma of truffle, and was over salted, as were a side of sauteed potatoes that my dining companion ordered. It was such a shame, the staff were wonderful
