Family-style Italian dining means the food arrives in the middle of the table and everyone helps themselves, rather than each person guarding their own plate. In Singapore it usually comes in one of two forms: a set sharing menu priced per person, or an à la carte order built for the table. At Cicheti, 52 Kandahar Street, we do both, and this guide explains how to choose, how much to order, and what to expect to pay.
TL;DR
- Family-style means shared dishes served to the centre of the table, ordered either as a set menu per person or built dish by dish.
- Set sharing menus in Singapore's Italian restaurants are typically priced per person, often with a minimum number of diners, so check the minimum before you book.
- At Cicheti, the Cicheti Family-Style Menu is $85 per person and the Feast of the Seven Fishes is $95 per person, both listed on our Festive Feasts page.
- For a casual table, our Venetian-style small plates and wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas are made for passing around.
- Larger groups and celebrations can be arranged through private events.
Table of Contents
- What family-style actually means at the table
- Set menu or order as you go?
- How much to order for your group
- What Cicheti serves for sharing
- The two set menus: Family-Style and Seven Fishes
- Drinks that suit a shared table
- Our view: why we think sharing is the better way to eat Italian
- A word on other Cicheti Group restaurants
- Planning a group meal or a celebration
- If you want to see how Italy does it
- Book a table at Cicheti
- FAQ
- Sources
What family-style actually means at the table
The phrase gets used loosely, so it helps to pin it down. In a family-style meal, dishes are served on platters or in sharing-size portions, placed in the middle, and passed. Nobody has a 'their' dish. The pace is set by the table rather than the kitchen's course-by-course timing, and the meal usually drifts along for a while after the plates are empty.
That last part matters more than the food logistics. In a recent profile, chef Nancy Silverton talks about the table as a place where the meal serves the company, which is a fair summary of why people choose to eat this way. You order so that the conversation never has to pause while someone decides what they want.
There is a practical side too. Sharing lets a group of four taste six or seven dishes instead of four, which is a good argument for it on its own. The trade-off is that you need to agree on what to order, and somebody has to be diplomatic about the last slice.
Set menu or order as you go?
There are two sensible ways to do this, and the right one depends on your group.
A set sharing menu suits groups who would rather not negotiate. You pay per person, the kitchen chooses the sequence, and the bill is predictable. Around Singapore, restaurants that offer these tend to set a minimum number of diners. For a sense of range, one casual Italian restaurant's Selezione menu is listed at S$78++ per person for a minimum of two, with a larger Riserva at S$108++ for six or more, while a Roman-style osteria lists its sharing menu at S$150++ per person. The gap shows how widely a set menu can vary, so compare what is included before you compare prices, and note whether the price is before service charge and GST.
Ordering à la carte for the table suits people who like control, or tables with a vegetarian, a fussy child or someone who doesn't eat pork. You keep the right to say no to a dish, and you can stop when you're full. The cost is that someone has to do the arithmetic.
A simple rule: if your group is six or more, or the occasion matters, a set menu removes friction. If you are two to four people and curious, order à la carte and add as you go.
How much to order for your group
Over-ordering is the classic family-style mistake, and under-ordering comes a close second, usually because the pizza disappears faster than anyone predicted. A workable formula for ordering from a menu of small plates and pizzas:
- Start with small plates, roughly one to one and a half per person. They arrive first, they are easy to divide, and they give the table something to talk about.
- Add one pizza for every two people. Pizzas are shared by the slice, and a Neapolitan pizza cooked quickly in a wood-fired oven is best eaten straight away, so order them in rounds rather than all at once.
- Add one pasta for every three or four people, ideally something that can be spooned out easily.
- Order something sweet last, once you can see how hungry the table still is.
These are our working numbers, not a law. Appetites vary, and a table of hungry teenagers will treat them as a polite suggestion. Ask your server to pace the dishes; a good kitchen will happily stagger them so that nothing sits cooling in the middle.
What Cicheti serves for sharing
Cicheti sits on Kandahar Street in Kampong Glam, in a shophouse where the dining room is rustic rather than formal, with a wood-fired oven that is the reason for much of the menu. Our food is built around two ideas that suit sharing very naturally.
Venetian-style small plates
The name comes from cicchetti (pronounced roughly chi-KET-ee), the small bites served in Venice's bacari, the city's informal wine bars. They are meant to be eaten in a few mouthfuls alongside a glass of wine, which makes them an ideal opening for a family-style table: one plate per couple of people, and everyone gets a taste. The full list changes, so the food menu is the place to check what is currently on offer.
Wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas
The wood-fired oven does something a conventional oven can't: it cooks a thin pizza very quickly at high heat, so the crust puffs and chars in spots while the toppings stay fresh. In a 2016 review of Cicheti, the 10-inch Napoletana pizzas were noted for their charred crust, and that size is useful when you're sharing, because a few different pizzas can make the rounds without anyone feeling committed to a single flavour. More recently, a pizza roundup highlighted our Nduja pizza, which uses spicy Calabrian sausage. Menus change, so confirm the current list of pizzas on our menu page before you plan around a favourite.
Handmade pasta
Our kitchen team makes handmade pasta, and a plate of it is the natural centrepiece of a shared meal. Specific pasta dishes vary, so ask when you book or check the menu rather than relying on a review from years ago.
The two set menus: Family-Style and Seven Fishes
For groups who want to hand the decisions over to us, there are two set menus listed on our Festive Feasts page:
| Menu | Price | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Cicheti Family-Style Menu | $85 per person | Dishes shared across the table |
| Feast of the Seven Fishes | $95 per person | A seafood-led festive menu |
Those are the prices published on the site. We would rather you read the dishes, dates and any minimum group size on the page itself than rely on a summary here, since festive menus are updated for each season. If your question is about allergies or dietary needs, tell us when you book so the kitchen can advise on what can be adapted.
Drinks that suit a shared table
Sharing food invites sharing wine, and a bottle is often a better answer than five separate glasses. Our list leans towards lesser-known Italian grape varieties, which is a good way to try something new without committing to a whole bottle of the unfamiliar. Our Sommelier Selection of the day is listed on the drinks menu at between $19 and $90, so look at the page for what each option covers. If you're unsure, tell the sommelier what you plan to eat and your rough budget, and let them narrow it down. It is the easiest money you'll spend all evening.
Our view: why we think sharing is the better way to eat Italian
We cook for a living and we still think the best part of a meal is the bit after the cooking: someone reaching across the table, someone else saying 'you have to try this', and a plate going round twice. Italian food, in our experience, is built for that. Cicchetti were never meant to be a solitary dish; pizza is cut to be divided; pasta is easy to serve from one bowl.
Our kitchen is staffed by a local team, and the cooking is regionally inspired rather than a single-region showcase. That is why we talk about sharing in terms of variety. A table that orders one Venetian plate, one Neapolitan pizza and one pasta gets a sketch of Italy's regional range, which is far more interesting than four people each eating the same thing.
Our advice, for what it's worth: order a little less than you think you need, then add. A kitchen can always send another round; nobody can un-order the sixth pizza.
— Cicheti
A word on other Cicheti Group restaurants
Cicheti is one of several concepts from The Cicheti Group. Casa Cicheti in Tiong Bahru is a separate restaurant with its own interiors and menu, so if you are considering it, check its details separately and don't assume the dishes we serve at Kandahar Street are on its menu, or the other way round. Everything in this article about menus, prices and booking refers to Cicheti at 52 Kandahar Street.
Planning a group meal or a celebration
For birthdays, family reunions or work dinners, a set menu keeps things calm. A few practical points make the evening smoother:
- Book ahead and give a headcount. Set menus are usually prepared for a confirmed number of diners, so changes at the last minute are harder to manage.
- Tell us about dietary needs early. Vegetarians, guests avoiding pork or seafood, and allergies can all be accommodated better with notice.
- Decide the drinks plan together. Agreeing on a bottle or two beforehand avoids the awkward round of individual orders.
- Think about the mix of ages. Pizza and simple pasta tend to please younger guests while the adults explore small plates.
For larger parties, our private events page covers private events, family-style sharing set menus, pizza-making workshops and wine-tasting classes. A pizza-making workshop, in particular, turns a family dinner into an activity, which helps if you have children, or adults who need something to do with their hands. We don't publish prices for these, so enquire for a quote.
If you want to see how Italy does it
Family-style eating is not a restaurant invention; in much of Italy, meals simply arrive in several rounds of shared dishes. If a trip is on your list, a guide to eating in Lecco on Lake Como shows how locals and visitors approach lunch and dinner in one lakeside town. And for planning the rest of an Italian itinerary, Noble Voyages' Italy guide covers destinations and cultural highlights.
Book a table at Cicheti
If you'd like to try this approach, we are at 52 Kandahar Street. Look at the Festive Feasts page for the Family-Style Menu at $85 per person or the Feast of the Seven Fishes at $95 per person, browse the dine-in menus to build your own spread, or start at cicheti.com to reserve. BOOK A TABLE for the group, and tell us in advance if you have a celebration or special requirements.
FAQ
What does family-style mean in an Italian restaurant?
It means dishes are brought to the centre of the table in sharing portions, and everyone serves themselves. You can do this with a set menu, where the kitchen chooses the dishes, or by ordering several dishes à la carte. It suits groups who want to try more of the menu.
How much does a family-style Italian meal cost in Singapore?
It depends on the restaurant and the menu. Published sharing menus around the city range from S$78++ per person to S$150++ per person. At Cicheti, the Family-Style Menu is $85 per person and the Feast of the Seven Fishes is $95 per person.
Can you order family-style from the regular menu at Cicheti?
Yes. Our small plates, pizzas and pasta suit sharing, so you can build your own spread from the food menu. Order in rounds, starting with small plates, and add more once you see how hungry the table is.
Is family-style dining suitable for children?
Often, yes, because shared dishes let children choose what they like and leave what they don't. Pizza and simple pasta are usually the easiest starting points. If a child has allergies, tell us when you book so the kitchen can advise.
Can Cicheti host a large group or private celebration?
We host private events, and details are on our private events page. Prices aren't published there, so enquire with your date, group size and any dietary needs.
Sources
- Nancy Silverton Knows Good Taste, Beyond The Boardroom
- Locanda, Italian casual dining restaurant in Singapore, Vulcan Post
- Medusa Italian Osteria Romana menu, Singapore Headline
- Cicheti, Kandahar Street, Deelightfully Veg
- Top 10 Best Pizza Restaurants in Singapore, Dinecard
- Casa Cicheti, Time Out Singapore