Cicchetti is a feast — and not just for the palate — every detail has been considered, and they know how to take care of you. Cicchetti (pronounced chi’ketti) — the name is a reference to the Italian small-bites-style of eating serve up everything from pizzas and truffle pasta to trattoria classics like Veal Milanese. 

We sat down with Marcello Distefano, CEO of the San Carlo Restaurant Group, to talk about his commitment to constant reinvention, and the importance of providing a warm welcome.

How would you describe the experience of running a restaurant in St James’s?

MD: It feels like you’re at the centre of the world here. There are so many nationalities coming to visit. You get people coming from the hedge funds in Mayfair, as well as people trickling in from Soho just up the road. It’s always moving and changing. There are increasingly strong synergies between restaurants, art and fashion — you get all three in St James’s.

We’ve got Jermyn Street, which is all about the quality and craftsmanship that’s so important to the area. Our food has always been about quality and simplicity because Italian food is all about simple, great products. If the food is good enough, you don’t need to mess around with it too much. Just like a tailor chooses the finest fabrics, there’s craftsmanship in sourcing great ingredients. That’s been our focus, and that works really well in St James’s.

How have your Italian roots shaped the Cicchetti experience?

MD: We’re an Italian family from Sicily. My father was from Ragusa. He grew up in a simple family in a region where life is all about food. All we do is eat! I’ve never witnessed such long discussions over a tomato, over mozzarella. There’s just so much passion about every single ingredient. And that’s the way we run our business.

My father founded San Carlo, and he was a classic restaurateur. He knew how to pull all the pieces together and set the scene — a great chef, a great front-of-house maître d’. When he married it all together, it created this vibe, this special emotive feeling in the restaurant.

What’s your favourite Italian dish?

MD: We are constantly researching, travelling and looking for new menu ideas, but we keep the staples the same: simple pastas, grilled fish and hams that we buy from Italy. Veal Milanese in breadcrumbs is probably one of my favourites. And Spaghetti Pomodoro — it sounds so simple, but when it’s done properly and finished perfectly, it’s one of the most amazing things to eat. Maybe it’s because I’ve been eating it since childhood.

Familiarity is sometimes the best flavour, isn’t it? 

MD: Yes, and it’s the same with restaurants too. Once you become familiar with somewhere, it’s a very different experience. Restaurants are such a big part of our lives — we have so many memories there, as the place where we celebrate important moments in our lives. Sometimes a great restaurant becomes an extension of our homes, as the place where we like to go and eat, enjoy the food and just enjoy the experience.