Gallio Charlotte Street

Gallio Charlotte Street feels right at home in this chi-chi neighbourhood, with lemony, scallop-edged awnings that’ll have diners snapping pictures for their social media before they’ve even got through the door. Inside, the space is cavernous, reaching outwards, back around the bar, alongside the open kitchen and upstairs, with plenty of room for tables of all different sizes. The décor matches its Mediterranean feel: limewashed walls, rattan lighting, terracotta plates mounted as artworks. It’s trendy and easy to like – a great place to come with friends, enjoy the pomegranate spritzes (delicious - we had several) and get stuck into the sharing shawarma chicken for two.

Gallio’s family-style menu has lots to like. We started with a mix of baba ganoush and hummus, alongside tenderstem broccoli with garlic butter and chilli, and halloumi and aubergine skewers. The dips were particularly good – flavourful and just right with soft, fluffy homemade pittas – while the tenderstem and skewers all held their own, albeit perhaps slightly overdone.

For mains, the signature dish was carried out: supported by a central trellis, huge chunks of moist, glistening chicken shawarma (crowned by a ginormous chilli) are carved off by diners which is ideal for a group of pals. Surrounding this masterpiece are piles of pickled pink onions, tomatoes, rice pilaf and harissa yogurt. We’ll say it again - it’s a delicious plate of food that we’d happily return for.

If that isn’t your thing, the creamy mushroom pasta and saffron seafood stew also looked great. We didn’t really have room for dessert but the team – who, by the way, were warm and hilarious – wouldn’t let us off without trying the Greek style doughnuts, which we were glad of. Think little squidgy loukoumades drizzled with crumbled pistachios and honey – yum.

Gallio’s colourful, Med-inspired cooking is reliable, delicious, good-for-sharing, get-your-hands-dirty food.

For a slice of sunshine in the middle of London, Gallio Charlotte Street brings a taste of the Mediterranean to Fitzrovia. Equal parts relaxed and stylish, this all-day restaurant is the kind of place that makes you want to linger. It's a space where the clatter of plates and the hum of conversation create the perfect backdrop for long lunches and easy-going dinners with friends or family.

The atmosphere channels Mediterranean warmth with London polish. Terracotta tones, marble tabletops and soft lighting set the scene, while the menu does all the talking. Everything is made from scratch, with dishes that celebrate freshness, colour and flavour in equal measure. Start with mezze plates to share like the creamy garlic hummus topped with pickles and pink onions, tzatziki with yoghurt and dill, or Gallio’s signature hummus topped with shawarma chicken or lamb ragu. Each arrives beautifully presented, designed for dipping, tearing and passing around the table.

For mains, expect generous plates and bold flavours. The saffron seafood stew, rich with mussels, prawns and white fish, feels like a seaside escape, while the tender, slow-cooked and aromatic beef stifado offers pure comfort. The bejeweled pilaf rice bowl, topped with falafel, chicken or lamb kofta, is a favourite among regulars. And then there’s Gallio’s famous dough: an 18-hour proved base made with ancient grains, used across their pizzas, flatbreads and pides. The lamb lahmacun with pomegranate seeds and tahini yoghurt and the fiery Ciftci Pidesi with merguez sausage and hot honey are particular standouts.

For something livelier, Gallio’s Mediterranean Bottomless Pizza and Prosecco Brunch captures the essence of the Med: long, leisurely, and full of laughter. Open daily from 11:30am to 10pm, Gallio Fitzrovia suits every kind of gathering whether it’s a midweek catch-up, weekend celebration, or family dinner that runs blissfully late. With its generous food, feel-good atmosphere and modern Mediterranean charm, it’s proof that you don’t need to leave London to dine like you’re on holiday.