Carnevale in Chengzhong

I find it quite unbelievable that, after claiming to be a vegetarian restaurant for years, they’re still selling non-vegetarian Parmesan on their menu - they even mention this on the website (calf rennet is made from dead calves). The Vegetarian Society contacted them about this in 2014, but they don’t appear to have taken it on board. There are so many vegetarian cheeses these days (I don’t mean vegan cheese, I mean dairy cheese made without animal rennet), it’s a shame they couldn’t accept this feedback. I wonder how many unsuspecting people have eaten here believing their food to be vegetarian, when it isn’t.

Great interior, bricked accent. Selection of foods were great and the service was excellent

The food was very tasty for the price.

Its an okay place to have a vegan food... I would not say it is best in the town but is at best functional and provides food at good price point.

Quality organic wines here and food too

Having been a regular when I worked round the corner in Bunhill Row for several years, a welcome return visit after a goodly while. Still a simple and good menu, succinct winelist and friendly service. Great that nothing has changed here in that time. Sometimes theres just no need to change.

Overpriced for what it is and food not good quality, nor with much taste nor well balanced

Beautiful vegetarian and vegan food! Very friendly staff and cute setting. Would highly recommend.

Just Dont! From the reviews here it looks like people have never eaten. Everything is from a box and reheated in a microwave/oven.

Such a lovely little restaurant for a veggie meal. So much choice and it was absolutely delicious. Vegan options also available and, whilst I didnt have any myself, the desserts looked amazing. Service was friendly, the walnut bread and olive oil was yummy and its not too expensive. A great choice!

Food is cheap, and really really good! I would definitely recommend, especially for vegetarians.

Food was very good. We had the Chickpea, halloumi curry and the potato cakes with fennel. Food was very tasty and plentiful. Price was average around the area.

Food was not bad and plentiful.Service was barely adequate (particularly as we were the only ones there for most of it - it was market day and proprietor was serving his stall and us!)Venue was best described as tired and is very small and cosy.Cost was high all things considered.Generous 4 stars based on food alone.

Amazing food and staff. Would go again :)

Good food but we were the only diners so atmosphere was a bit flat.

Tasty food, great portion size (some restaurants seem to assume that if youre vegetarian/vegan you must not be hungryand attentive, charming staff.

Ok food, not a particularly nice space

One of the best veggie meals I have had. Hearty, warm, Sunday roast sausage type of dish. Cosy setting. Lovely staff. Will be back.

Excellent quality food, lovely external seating area undercover, quite small and intimate

Waitress/owner was rude,food slow and the vegan culcannon was as basic as humanly possible-mashed potatoes and sosmix,wont be going back here-in all honesty the clue is in the name here Carnevale these people dont understand the concept of avoiding animal products as a protest as opposed to a personal health choice...the lady in questions attitude spoke volumes.

nice local vegetarian restaurant

Its ok but no music was on when we were there. It was a bit awkward. Food was good. Especially potato cakes on aubergine casserole. Service was good as well. Very polite and quick. Just be prepared that it can be a bit quite in there. I also had a starter. Its my fault but the artichoke were sweet but expecting something savoury. The dessert which was vegan chocolate cake was lovely though. We went just after 18 so I think they just opened so it was very quite. But at least food was quick.

My Wife and I have been a few times and always been impressed with the food the space and staff, good value and well worth a visit.

Loved this place! Food is delicious! I felt like I was on vacation in Greece, having lunch in a cosy family owned restaurant. You stop thinkinkig about an average interior, when you make your first bite of freshly cooked dish.

Quiet, very tasty.

Booked a reservation but when we showed up the restaurant was closed.

small, homely, no frills restaurant. food is good overall. Big portions. Worth checking out if in the area.

Just come back to the office with a co-worker after picking up a Falafel wraps from their stall outside. both of us paid extra for halloumi , the young man who was making the wraps was very quick, clearly too quick. as he got both orders wrong. clear drop in standard in comparison to the owner and young lady normally preparing the warps.

Nice service. Went for vegan options but only one option for starter, main and dessert. Nice food but overpriced plus service charge put on the bill. Very cold in the restaurant and a strange air conditioning sound that would have been ignored if there had been music on.

Great fresh vegetarian food

Cute restaurant, small and cosy with terrace, unfortunately the food doesnt match the environment. Service was present but not friendly or prompt, the menu looks more delicious than it is with bland flavours and gnocchi that was fried to an inedible density and then covered with heavy sauce and cheese. Finally the dessert I was excited about from the minute I saw the menu (crumble with custardcame completely undercooked and doughy, sent it back and didnt receive even a small apology from the waitress. I wont be back.

I felt for what you get, it is very over priced and not particularly special. Nothing really stood out to me as delicious. I dont think i would go back.

Really nice place service honest good food. Was a little warm but that didnt stop us having a lovely time on this hottest of days (33 degrees!)

Service was discreet but also very friendly and they were happy to amend a dish for us. Small but well chosen drinks menu and I had a genuine problem choosing a main course as they were all so tempting. Decor was a bit plain. We enjoyed the ravioli and the chickpea curry and I would not hesitate to recommend Carnevale to meat eaters and veggies alike near Old St and the City.

Excellent place with excellent plant based food and service. Recommended to all.

Cosy little restaurant with a great selection of meals. The food reminded me of almost a home cooked style. Plenty of vegan options as well as gluten free. The meals were good sizes and served quite quickly. The desserts were the highlight of the evening. The staff were friendly and free bread is offered with olive oil and balsamic. The meals are reasonably priced.

Food is ok but extremely priced. As well they charge a "service fee" of 12.5% what i found too much for the service provided.

My sister and I visited the restaurant last week and were extremely disappointed. She had a range of salads which should have been delicious but were plain, bland and lacked dressings. I had a curry which was so flavourless (way beyond mildI left most of it. We asked to speak to the manager who was rather defensive and rather than apologise, simply insisted that no-one else had ever complained - something I find hard to accept. We only booked this restaurant on the basis that it had received a good rating so this is published to balance out such comments. Maybe we just went on a bad day.

this is a very good place to try. not too expensive either

Normally a carnivore I really wasnt expecting much when I took a veggie friend to this restaurant. I was very pleasantly surprised! One of the most delicious meals I have had in a long while and I never thought I would say that about a meal without meat! The place is quite small but cosy and friendly. I had the Goats Cheese and Butternut Squash Ravioli which was delicious. For dessert I had the Raspberry Creme Brulee which was perfectly made and absolutely divine!! One of the best desserts Ive had anywhere! Highly recommend this little gem of a restaurant!

The atmosphere was depressing: nothing on the walls, no music, few tables scattered about. The food was decent, but compared to other vegan/vegetarian options in London, just not good enough to justify the price or going out of your way to this place. Our waitress was not rude, but a bit gruff, to the point, and just made the whole experience about getting fed and leaving without much joy or memory to be savoured.

The website states that it is 3 courses for 13.50, and even at this price, the food was ok, but not great. Its the kind of stuff your mum might cook you - stodge. When the bill arrived it was nearly 70, so I said that I thought that 3 courses were 13.50 and the waitress snapped and said, no it has never been that I dont know where you get that idea from, and when I said when we came in the offer was written on a sandwich board outside she said that it was mon-fri until 7pm (it was saturday night, so why have the sign outside?Ill put it down to a bad experience, there are much better places for much less money in London, Mildreds is loads better and cheaper although you have to wait a while if its busy to get a table, even Amico Bio is cheaper on price and everything there is Organic. I would say avoid this place like the plague unless you want overpriced blah food.

Wonderful restaurant with friendly staff. However, the food could not be to everyones taste so make sure to check the menu beforehand.

Lovely, tasty food which our non-veggies also enjoyed - and really nice organic wine. A welcoming host and cosy atmosphere.

Mediocre food. The waiter was kind and the conservatory curious, but the food was poorly cooked. We chose a cheese and spinach pancake and a chickpea and halloumi curry. The pancake was vulgar, the cheese gone with an acid flavour. The curry was graceless, except for the halloumi which was good and the mint yogurt sauce which was excellent.All in all quite disappointing. We decided to eat the dessert elsewhere and I wish I had eaten in the street market in the same street... :-|

The last time I went to Carnavale I was quite disappointed. The food was average for the price.

I went here while visiting some non-veggie friends, and all three of us absolutely LOVED this restaurant. As a vegetarian its always a treat to go to a restaurant and not be limited to one or two items on the menu, and it took me ages to narrow my choices down and pick from all the amazing food on offer.For my starter I had the pumpkin gnocchi in garlic sauce, which was delicious (I also tried my friends balsamic vinegar and honey glazed halloumi, which was amazing). The gnocchi was crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, had a unique flavour and was beautifully complimented by the sauce.For my main course I had the goats cheese and butternut squash ravioli. I felt I should order something more unusual, but its a combination of flavours which I know and love. I was not disappointed, and the familiar taste was enhanced by the unusual addition of lentils to the dish.As a dessert I chose the (veganchocolate roulade, which was absolutely lovely, and made very unusual by the earl grey truffle filling!We enjoyed the elderflower cocktails (possibly too much!and were so glad to be seated in the tiny patio at the back, as we could see the other diners but felt like we had our own private little room- perfect when catching up with friends. Overall it was a wonderful dining experience and I hope to visit again soon, and perhaps try to replicate the delicious gnocchi at home!(It got very busy so I would recommend booking!)

Very nice and brightly flavoured vegetarian food. Not a fancy place by any means but the food is varied and very tasty.

Refreshing vegetarian dishes full of flavor. Not posh or daring, but stylish and tasteful. Not expensive either. Great for conscious eaters (or noton a budget (or not). Perfect for anyone who loves good food.

Im not sure I understand the enthusiasm in the other reviews for this place. As a vegetarian of around 15 years Ive tried quite a lot of vegetarian restaurants in London, and this was the most disappointing so far. I ordered the falafel, my wife ordered the potato cakes. Both were frankly bland and boring, reminiscent of what vegetarian food was like in the 1980s. At £12.50 for the main courses it seemed really overpriced too - you can get far better falafel for half that price at Maoz, for example.