An Italian friend recommended Cafe Ciao so I had fairly high expectations. After bulldozing my way though Leicester Square and down the Charing Cross road I spotted the giant plastic ice cream which marks the spot that it occupies. It looks like many of the tacky “Italian” cafes found around Leicesters Square which, incomprehensibly, are always full and smell of grease and sweat. Sadly, Cafe Ciao isn’t much different.
Store: Thankfully it did not smell of grease and sweat. It had a few interesting pieces of art and ornaments dotted around: a couple of those huge glass jars filled with an selection of pickles and vegetable neatly arranged in swirly patterns inside the jar, lots of posters of brightly coloured food which they probably didn’t even sell, or arrived frozen in boxes, and a few old photos of a grinning man (the owner?) with other grinning men (z list celebrities?). The radio was on too loudly and I had to listen to the traffic report while I ate my gelato.
On offer: Gelato, sundaes, sandwiches and baguettes, milkshakes and coffee.
What I had: A scoop of bacio and a scoop of pistachio gelato. The bacio had good texture but lacked any real flavour. Any flavour present was very minimal and artificial. I struggled to finish the pistachio as it was so awful. Watery and more like a sorbet than gelato. Tasted strangely lemony and hardly like pistachio at all. The handful of pistachios sprinkled on top weren’t much of a consolation.
Verdict: Very disappointing. Apparently it used to be much better but the last time time my Italian friend who recommended it went there was 10 years ago. Being located on Charing Cross road can be the only reason why people go there now – its frequented by those annoying hungry tourists who clog up the streets around Leicester square and probably leave London thinking that Angus Steak Houses serve the best steak in London.
Cafe Ciao 17 Charing Cross Rd London WC2 0QW
