Was there for my birthday. The service was minimal and the food was not what I expected it to be. I can't imagine going back again.
(1)
Armand D.
Having lived in Italy for several years, I love Italian food which means I hate the Olive Garden (aka, "the AntiChrist of Italian food"). A few people have told me to try Carabbas, saying that it's much better or much more authentic than the OG. So we decided to try this place yesterday and I could not have been more disappointed. Our server had an attitude from the get go which didn't help our experience. Upon scanning the menu my first thought was that the prices seemed really high for such a place but I figured maybe the food really was that good. After all, it did look good on the menu. Alas, it was not to be. My wife got the chicken marsala and I ordered the chicken trio as I wanted to try a few different things. The chicken marsala was terrible, it was smothered with mushrooms but the sauce was little more than watery brown gravy with no sauce. I'm not sure in which universe that is considered "marsala sauce" but surely not this one. My chicken trio was presented nicely on the plate but unfortunately that was the high point. All three were so unbelievably salty that my lips actually started to prune a bit and even though it was supposed to be a sampler of three different dishes, I honestly had a hard time distinguishing between them, taste wise. Maybe it was the salt. The salad was nothing more than a heap of tasteless lettuce with some dry shredded carrots and two lonely little olives. Most people eat their salad drowning in dressing which kind of defeats the purpose of eating a salad; I expected an Italian place to offer oil and balsamic but nope, only the typical fat laden crap that most people drown their salads in (the implied recommendation of course would be to opt for the soup rather than the salad). The server screwed up my wife's special pasta request but I'll take partial credit for that as I obviously didn't explain it well enough to her. No Italian meal is complete without vino of course and Carabbas fails miserably in that department as well. The average price for a glass of decent wine was a whopping $9.00. FOR ONE GLASS. I could not fathom a wine-less Italian meal so my wife and I split a quartino of a forgettable Sangiovese for $13 which was still grossly overpriced. When our server brought it to our table, she started carelessly pouring it as if she was refilling a glass of water at which point I stopped her and told her I would pour it myself. Cripes, if you're going to charge such high prices for your wine, at least make sure your servers know how to pour it. Not surprisingly the bill was extremely high for two adults and two kids (thank God the kids meals were only $5.50), much more than I would expect to pay at a place like this and definitely not commensurate with the quality and quantity of food. No WiFi, a negative in this day and age. The only good thing about our experience is that now I know for sure that this place is no better than the evil Olive Garden. Having lived in Italy for many years, admittedly my standards for Italian food are high but even if I'd never stepped foot on the peninsula, I still would be incredulous that people think this is good Italian food and willingly pay such high prices for it.
(2)
Denise K C.
Even though it's a chain, the particular Carrabba's off Two Notch has been consistently good. Service is attentive and the food is fresh. I recommend calling ahead about 30 minutes before you want to be seated The call ahead seating works well here.
(4)
Chad A.
Carrabba's never disappoints and this is no exception. Had the mahi Wolfe, and the filet mignon with the garlic whipped potatoes. The appetizer had calamari, brushetta, and the tastiest fried cheese sticks you can find in this area. You won't be disappointed.
(5)
Ashley A.
I have been here twice now and both times I have had a good over all experience. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The food has been great both times. My only complaint is that I wish there was sauce on the raviolis. A big pro is that they offer a 10% military discount!
(4)
Renee E.
We ate at our local Carrabba's last evening in celebration of our anniversary. The food, service and drinks were all very good. The Sangria was excellent. The Monday specials were right on point. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the hostess desk we were initially greeted by a young lady with a very arrogant attitude. There was another young woman hanging out who was not an employee who also was rude in her manners. The hostess told another employee to seat us at a booth right by the door. As there were several other tables available, I asked to have a different table. The hostess displayed quite an attitude, acting like it was a major disruption and finally sent us to another table If we had seen a manager at any time during our dinner we would have shared this information along with complimenting our food and waitress. Unfortunately, we never saw a manager at all.
(4)
T Y.
The food was delicious as always, service by our waitress (who was in training) was superb, however, the roach crawling on the wall then jumping on to the seat of my booth after the meal was absolutely disgusting. The manager couldn't be bothered to come to our table to see what the issue was even though he/she was told about the roach, too busy assuming we were trying to get a free meal. We were offered a free desert the NEXT time we come by another waitress. No thanks, you can have the roach infested food and desert and take this bad review. Too bad because I was really looking forward to my leftovers. Bad management skills and customer service.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
George K.
Was there for my birthday. The service was minimal and the food was not what I expected it to be. I can't imagine going back again.
(1)Armand D.
Having lived in Italy for several years, I love Italian food which means I hate the Olive Garden (aka, "the AntiChrist of Italian food"). A few people have told me to try Carabbas, saying that it's much better or much more authentic than the OG. So we decided to try this place yesterday and I could not have been more disappointed. Our server had an attitude from the get go which didn't help our experience. Upon scanning the menu my first thought was that the prices seemed really high for such a place but I figured maybe the food really was that good. After all, it did look good on the menu. Alas, it was not to be. My wife got the chicken marsala and I ordered the chicken trio as I wanted to try a few different things. The chicken marsala was terrible, it was smothered with mushrooms but the sauce was little more than watery brown gravy with no sauce. I'm not sure in which universe that is considered "marsala sauce" but surely not this one. My chicken trio was presented nicely on the plate but unfortunately that was the high point. All three were so unbelievably salty that my lips actually started to prune a bit and even though it was supposed to be a sampler of three different dishes, I honestly had a hard time distinguishing between them, taste wise. Maybe it was the salt. The salad was nothing more than a heap of tasteless lettuce with some dry shredded carrots and two lonely little olives. Most people eat their salad drowning in dressing which kind of defeats the purpose of eating a salad; I expected an Italian place to offer oil and balsamic but nope, only the typical fat laden crap that most people drown their salads in (the implied recommendation of course would be to opt for the soup rather than the salad). The server screwed up my wife's special pasta request but I'll take partial credit for that as I obviously didn't explain it well enough to her. No Italian meal is complete without vino of course and Carabbas fails miserably in that department as well. The average price for a glass of decent wine was a whopping $9.00. FOR ONE GLASS. I could not fathom a wine-less Italian meal so my wife and I split a quartino of a forgettable Sangiovese for $13 which was still grossly overpriced. When our server brought it to our table, she started carelessly pouring it as if she was refilling a glass of water at which point I stopped her and told her I would pour it myself. Cripes, if you're going to charge such high prices for your wine, at least make sure your servers know how to pour it. Not surprisingly the bill was extremely high for two adults and two kids (thank God the kids meals were only $5.50), much more than I would expect to pay at a place like this and definitely not commensurate with the quality and quantity of food. No WiFi, a negative in this day and age. The only good thing about our experience is that now I know for sure that this place is no better than the evil Olive Garden. Having lived in Italy for many years, admittedly my standards for Italian food are high but even if I'd never stepped foot on the peninsula, I still would be incredulous that people think this is good Italian food and willingly pay such high prices for it.
(2)Denise K C.
Even though it's a chain, the particular Carrabba's off Two Notch has been consistently good. Service is attentive and the food is fresh. I recommend calling ahead about 30 minutes before you want to be seated The call ahead seating works well here.
(4)Chad A.
Carrabba's never disappoints and this is no exception. Had the mahi Wolfe, and the filet mignon with the garlic whipped potatoes. The appetizer had calamari, brushetta, and the tastiest fried cheese sticks you can find in this area. You won't be disappointed.
(5)Ashley A.
I have been here twice now and both times I have had a good over all experience. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The food has been great both times. My only complaint is that I wish there was sauce on the raviolis. A big pro is that they offer a 10% military discount!
(4)Renee E.
We ate at our local Carrabba's last evening in celebration of our anniversary. The food, service and drinks were all very good. The Sangria was excellent. The Monday specials were right on point. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the hostess desk we were initially greeted by a young lady with a very arrogant attitude. There was another young woman hanging out who was not an employee who also was rude in her manners. The hostess told another employee to seat us at a booth right by the door. As there were several other tables available, I asked to have a different table. The hostess displayed quite an attitude, acting like it was a major disruption and finally sent us to another table If we had seen a manager at any time during our dinner we would have shared this information along with complimenting our food and waitress. Unfortunately, we never saw a manager at all.
(4)T Y.
The food was delicious as always, service by our waitress (who was in training) was superb, however, the roach crawling on the wall then jumping on to the seat of my booth after the meal was absolutely disgusting. The manager couldn't be bothered to come to our table to see what the issue was even though he/she was told about the roach, too busy assuming we were trying to get a free meal. We were offered a free desert the NEXT time we come by another waitress. No thanks, you can have the roach infested food and desert and take this bad review. Too bad because I was really looking forward to my leftovers. Bad management skills and customer service.
(1)