I'm really surprised to read the negative reviews. We've eaten here for years and always have almost always had a fabulous experience! Every meal my husband and I have tried has been delicious. The bread is always warm and fresh, although replenishment could be a bit faster (perhaps that is a blessing in disguise for my waistline!). Try out their Amore Monday's...3 courses for $12, and if you get there before 7pm you get happy hour drinks also. If you sign up for their deals, they email out $10 off coupons every so often, which is a good deal. The reason I didn't give 5 stars is for some minor issues. One, I feel the wine is over-priced, even during happy hour. Two, in the main restaurant, some of the lighting is really bright...overall, the room is dimly lit, but if you get certain tables you end up getting light blazing on you. And three, although the service is usually very good we have occassionally experienced some wait-staff who have been unattentive and "bored" looking. Overall though, this is a great place for a reasonably priced meal out, especially if you take advantage of the deals. We will be back for more!!
(4)
Jason G.
No.......just no. Let's cover what was good here, that's quicker. The caesar salad, and the bread. That's about it. Overpriced, nasty marsala sauce covering entire plate. Kids portions consisting of about 3 oz. of mush noodles. Did I mention overpriced. Seated at a table right up near the kitchen line as well, so got to hear all the servers pissing and complaining about their manger, each other, gossip, etc.
(1)
Steve T.
First time here and we all liked our food. I had spaghetti and meatballs and they did a great job with this dish. Not too rich but just right for middle of the road spaghetti. Good bread with their olive oil dipping sauce they created. Okay wine list for a medium price range selection. Not fancy but good for an everyday Italian food restaurant.
(4)
Olga C.
My husband and I decided to give them another try last Sunday. I wish we didn't. My husband found a hair in his salad, when he told the server she continue to say she couldn't understand how it got there. Well I can tell you it wasn't ours and it already made me sick. I did attempt to eat my Fettuccine Weesie $15.90 but couldn't finish and asked to have it boxed. It was good but could used more sauce The server decided to stop at another table with dish in her hand and have a full conversation. Well the end product was my pasta was put in the garbage. My husband had the Lasagne $14.50 was good but could have used a lot more sauce. The servings were very small for the price. Unfortunately, our selections in Surprise are not many.
(1)
Donald M.
We had the special which was a new concept and an original since it was my wife and Is first time here. The pork came out rare and had to send it back after being told by the waiter "that's how it's prepared" under the light it was purple rare. We got ten dollars off our pitcher of sangria. At the end of the day the meal was good after it was prepared correctly but also priced very high for what it was. Cost was around 100 dollars at the restaurant and I made the same meal we had at home, for four, at the cost of 30 bucks
(3)
Phyllis H.
this place is one of the best!!! had a great waiter named brandon...excellent service and wonderful food!
(5)
Maria G.
Down the street from our house so we thought we would try it out. The Customer Service in this place was OUTSTANDING. Our Waitor was on top of it, always checking on us, very friendly and over all very nice. Even the other waiter in the area (not ours) stopped a couple of times to remove plates and ask us how we where. Food- Not so good. We will not be back- the food is over priced- the menu is rather small and the food really was not that good... at all.... Olive Garden has better food.... and thats not saying much. The pasta was bland, sauce tasted watered down and not that tasty. Their Desert was yummy though. We will not be back because of the food- If we hear they change their menu- or chef we will come back. The service was really good.
(3)
Jodi J.
Everything never comes out the way you're picturing. Simple presentation and not very good. Salty and they ran out of A1 sauce.
(1)
Melissa G.
Good was good! It was close to mind blowing good! BUT ITS VERY EXPENSIVE! sadly the portions are small so it's almost not worth it! The chicken in the chicken Alfredo is so good I can almost taste the wood it was cooked on! Didn't love the oil crap they give you with the bread & I wished the served baked ziti but I would definitely go back! Not on a budget or if I was starving! It's a step up from the Olive Garden!
(4)
K D.
The steak Marsala is absolutely amazing!!! We always have great service. This is my daughters favorite restaurant. We eat at Carabbas probably every six weeks or so. I highly recommend any of their chicken or steak entrees.
(5)
Jet F.
Fun Italian chain, we had the Flat bread chicken appetixer and drinks. Very tasty and priced right. Close to home and we're glad as we'll be back.
(3)
Carol B.
This USED to be our favorite restaurant the food is SALTY, the chicken was dry..the steak was tough..the lettuce in the salad was watery(and of all days- it was our anniversary)...plus my amex number was stolen within 20 minutes after paying the bill at Carrabba's(I called and someone did apologize...said they would send a gift card...and that never came) If you go there...pay in CASH!
(1)
Danielle D.
Hubby and I decided on Carrabas for our anniversary quick dinner out. We walked in on a Friday night, told there was a 10-20 minute wait, within 3 minutes we were being seated! Server was great, knowledgable and on it!! My husband ordered the Fillet medium, it did come rare, however I still give 5 stars because we were so impressed with the way they handled it. They took the fillet on a separate place so he could still eat his sides while they fixed up the fillet. When it was ready, a manager brought out a whole new fresh plate fresh fillet! Very impressive while I believe most restaurants would have re heated. The server comped us our drinks and all our food was VERY good!! Will go back for sure.
(5)
Cecily D.
Loved the red cinnamon sangria and the mussels! Wait staff were friendly and knowledgeable when asked for suggestions.
(4)
Amber P.
We love Frank! He's serves at the bar rail. Always very pleasant, informative, and loves our personal requests. He will even go to the kitchen and make special requests just for us. He's the best.
(5)
Ryan B.
Great place for Italian food. Very family friendly. Mellow atmosphere with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Never had a bad meal. My favorite is Sirloin Marsala and you can choose any pasta they have to go with it at no charge. Recommend to anyone who enjoys quality Italian for a good price.
(5)
Joseph S.
I received a gift card so we tried it out for the first time. The call ahead waiting list is a bad idea. It's not a reservation so I couldn't see what good it did to eliminate or shorten our wait. I ordered a steak medium rare and got raw meat. I really don't like eating the sides before the main item and then eating the meat when everyone else is finished. Decided to give it another try tonight. Ordered salmon with lump crab. The salmon was raw and cold in the middle. Again I had to eat the mashed potatoes alone and the salmon didn't come back until we prodded the waiter. No manager visit to the table, no comp, no good. Unfortunately I can't give a good rating and we won't eat here again.
(1)
Martha C.
This has been a great place to eat in Chandler. Last nite for my BD I WANTED TO EAT AT Carrabbas again. We have been away for a couple of years and recently moved back to Phoenix. We went to the one on west mcdowell. My husband told our server it was my birthday and asked if they had a birthday cake and she replied "happy birthday I" ll see what we can do" and flashed her best coquettish smile. Then came the food.....salad was skimpy and one or two bites of romaine the ret iceberg, slightly wilted and we each had two, yes two croutons, then what used to be amazing hot bread was only slightly warm, and tasteless. I wanted to return the salad but could never see our server. Then my meal. Sirloin Marsala, runny sauce more browned than should be and mostly oily taste very little of wonderful Marsala. Husbands chicken Bryan was way overlooked and dry the feta on top was the best part ...then garlic mashed...like soup! We finally got server and asked for pasta instead of potato soup and asked for manager to talk to about rest of meal. While waiting, her comes server and put a small card in front of me with three desserts and said which one would you like and I picked tiramisu ....here she comes eith candles lit "happy birthday". Thus was the best part of the meal, but not a tiramisu, mostly whipped cream and lady fingers, she brings chech and she charged us for the "dessert with candles". My husband questioned her and she snidely said we don't do birthdays!,,, so I said take this off the ticket you led us to believe this was for my birthday....and she said oh no you misunderstood so I said get me your manager and she threw down the check and walked away, manager finally came over and we explained about the dessert and he removed it...ans said he would talk to the kitchen about the potatoes...?? Then here comes the server and she tossed our credit card on the table and stormed off.....so my tip for her was written on tip line..."check you attitude" girlie! Really sorry as I had good memories of food here....maybe the Chandler location hasn't gone down like this location but don't think i will find out....
(2)
Christy B.
We did curb side take out. The food was hot. ..I had chicken Bryan. .hubby had seafood. . Came with house salad.. Note to carrabas. . Ditch the iceberg lettuce... but other than that. .. great experience. .. will visit again for sure!!! Bread. With olive oil dip comes with. . Even on takeout.
Excellent food, great atmosphere wine prices are reasonable ... We will definitely come back again
(5)
Luca C.
I've been to Carabbas many times before in other cities but this one left me really dissapointed. I took a first date there recently and the place left the both of us really unhappy. The food we ordered was sloshed in sauce to the point where you had to pick out the actual pasta and food. It was also congealing and looked like it was sitting for awhile. I'd compare it to something you buy at the supermarket and put in the microwave for too long. We picked at our food and decided we were better off getting Indian next door.
(1)
Anita P.
I eat at Carabbas all the time, but this was my first time at this one. It was so gross, the sauce drenched the whole plate, the pasta was mush, thumbs down carabbas. get your act together
(2)
Serena U.
The food is good for the most part. I've had a few meals in the past that were so-so and a few that were really good. I was making a stab at eating semi-healthy. I ordered the hazelnut grilled fish - which was very good, served hot - the portion was bigger than I should have eaten, but . . . The pasta side was good . . . cheat on the diet. The chicken soup was quite hot and good but would have been better for my health and tastier if less salt was used. The bread comes to the table HOT with olive oil and blend of spices - too good. Ate WAY too much. My meal was $16 plus tax and tip . . . Service was friendly and attentive. It is one of the better chains in the Bell Road row. If I could I'd rate it about 3.8 - not really a four, but enough better than a 3 . . .
This is a great place. I'm not usually a big fan of chains but this is my favorite Italian restaurant in Surprise. We've had several items off the menu now and almost all have been great. There is 1 exception. The 20 Clove Chicken. The waitress warned us that it was "highly" seasoned with salt and pepper. My friend decided to order it anyway since she tends to like salty things. It was HORRIBLE and we ended up throwing half of it away. As good as most food is at Carrabbas, they should be embarrassed by this one.
(4)
Jennifer M.
We haven't been here in years and were having one of those rare nights where we had a sitter, couldn't decide where we wanted to go and all we could agree on was wanting a sit down dinner in a hurry to make a movie... so, we wound up at Carraba's. The same man who greets guests was still sitting at the door greeting people (very sweet guy, makes the atmosphere, totally). Frank, our server, did a great job, he had a lot of personality and we enjoyed him. Everything else was good, its just always the food that seems to just. be. 95%. I had a bowl of the lentil soup which is awesomeness in a bowl, but got rainbow trout encrusted with hazelnuts. It sounded amazing, and mostly was, but it was drenched in a butter sauce. blegh. The side of broccoli was also cold. Other than that, the price was decent, service was quick and attentive.
(4)
John C.
Still a great chain restaurant, never disappointing.
(4)
Eyezola G.
Totally diggin this one! Our server was awesome!! She gave some great suggestions and the food......Yum! Wait....different place! Lmfao all seriousness...overall nice experience! Kinda pricey but the service and the serving size makes up for that. The older people behind us even talked loud enough for us to enjoy their story about some fun drunken hot tub times they had last winter! That's what I'm talkin bout! Bow chika bow wow!!
Eat there every birthday. My favorite Italian restaurant in surprise.
(5)
Brian J.
Was forced to go here because the rest of my family didn't want to drive too far. Don't go here unless you are ok with mediocre Italian food. Hardly any choices on the menu and not sure if anyone really enjoyed their meal. Spaghetti with meat sauce was watery. I created my own chicken pasta with garlic and oil sauce. No flavor at all. I just don't ever want to go back there.
(2)
Lisa M.
We/ve had great experiences eating at Carrabas in Austin. While on vacation we ate at the Carrabas in Surprise. The food was okay, but the service was well below expectations. There are lots of good restaurant choices in the area, so I wouldn't recommend Carrabas. For what we paid, I would expect better service and quality.
(2)
Argentum S.
I'll make this short and sweet. I've only been here once. I had the parmigiana trio which was awful. The breading was mushy, the cooking oil had an off taste and the red sauce was closer to ketchup than real sauce. Everyone else at our table seemed pleased with their dinner and the service was excellent
(3)
Floyd C.
Tried it twice, not a fan. Wanted to like it? I know Olive Garden is down the street and can produce a quailty product. If I compared the two I have to go with Olive Garden, quality salad, bread, service. Stiff competition around here, if the service was there and the food quality was better it could maybe be as good as the Olive Garden.
(1)
Donald M.
We had a reservation for nine. It took an hour to get seated and and hour and half to get our food. The restaurant was closed an we still could not get our good. The food arrived slowly but eventually showed up. At the end of the day the waitress was attentive and the food was good. Be prepared to wait. In sure there are other restaurants in the area that would appreciate you as a customer.
(3)
Shannon W.
I am Italian. Eating Italian food in a restaurant is usually a crap shoot. However I must say This happens to be one of the better Italian places to eat. We live in Surprise so we have gone there several times. Did we ever have bad service, yes we did on one occasion but I certainly wouldn't rate the place on that one occasion. It doesn't outweigh the dozen other times we had great service. Did I ever have a bad meal there, yes on that also on one occasion . Again you can't honestly rate a place on one bad meal. I have had dozens of other really good meals. I wish people would stop using Yelp as nothing more than a sounding board to vent their frustrations on one incident. I personally would recommend this place. Your chance of getting bad service or a bad meal are pretty darn slim. If it happens two times in a row then go ahead and do your rating. I give them a solid 4 stars. I don't give out 5 stars on a regular basis either.
(4)
M G.
My daughter wanted to try here for her birthday. We went 12/10/14 for her 10th bday. The staff was super friendly, and the restaurant was clean. The chicken bryan is really good and flavorful, pastas were well cooked, and tiramisu tasted like it had been doused in Kahula. I tried the arancinis too because I was told that everyone loves them...they were just ok. People should be aware that they do nothing for birthdays, not even a candle. Also, can be a little pricey.
(4)
Missy K.
The chicken Marsala and Tag Pic Pac are so delicious I find myself craving yet another visit to Carrabbas. The shot glasses with the deserts are small and just the right size to not feel guilty for cheating on your diet!
(5)
Carmelo W.
I called ahead. When I got there, they still gave me a buzzer. They said because I called ahead it would be 20 minutes instead of 40 minutes. It was still 40 minutes. Aside from that, it wasn't bad. I was hungry-grumpy. We really like the food though. We might do curbside or whatever they call it there.
(3)
Adrianne K.
Terrible service. We are the only ones here in the dining area side of the restaurant and we need to keep getting up to flag our waiter down for service. The bar side has some patrons but it is extremely slow. I head to the hostess to ask where the restrooms are. There are 3 employees chatting. Didn't address me for a bit. Disappointing.
(1)
M H.
Food is tasty. I like how they give a piece of pizza dough to kids to play with until their food arrives. This place always seems as if it's packed or it takes forever to get a table. I wish they had more booths compared to tables but not a deal breaker.
(3)
Jason M.
Another corporate chain for people who have no clue how food is suppose to taste! I was forced by my nana (in law) to eat here! First off, stupid busy and a terrible wine and beer list. Typical corporate list! Bread was weber bread formed into a pretend crusty loaf! Gross! I had chix parm! Awful! Defiantly frozen! Super salty! Over seasoned to the point of it becoming bland while burning my taste buds off my tongue! Service sucked! Slow and less than comforting! This is so far from Italian food or even good Italian American it's almost laughable that the patrons think it's the real deal! I will never be forced to eat this garbage again!! I'd rather eat stouffers frozen french bread pizza!!! lol not really but you get my drift!!! I'd rather eat a Burger King chix parm sandwich over this place! At least you know it's frozen and fast food! This place has a open kitchen concept with actors as chefs pretending to cook but they are just reheating par cooked food and frozen food!!! Suckers! Try something else and sell the gift card! Disgusting!! Not good for the stomach 20 min after either!!!
(1)
Ccr Z.
I love this place. great service and food. Worth to try out :)
(4)
Napoleon B.
We ate in this place and was treated poorly after waiting for over an hour. This is a very disorganized place. Pls beware. Don't waste your time. The food is so so and manager of this place has a monster like attitude towards customers, very defensive, and not apologetic for their shortcomings. This place needs to be on the watch list of Better Business Bureau. :(
(1)
Shannon W.
I am Italian. Eating Italian food in a restaurant is usually a crap shoot. However I must say This happens to be one of the better Italian places to eat. We live in Surprise so we have gone there several times. Did we ever have bad service, yes we did on one occasion but I certainly wouldn't rate the place on that one occasion. It doesn't outweigh the dozen other times we had great service. Did I ever have a bad meal there, yes on that also on one occasion . Again you can't honestly rate a place on one bad meal. I have had dozens of other really good meals. I wish people would stop using Yelp as nothing more than a sounding board to vent their frustrations on one incident. I personally would recommend this place. Your chance of getting bad service or a bad meal are pretty darn slim. If it happens two times in a row then go ahead and do your rating. I give them a solid 4 stars. I don't give out 5 stars on a regular basis either.
(4)
M G.
My daughter wanted to try here for her birthday. We went 12/10/14 for her 10th bday. The staff was super friendly, and the restaurant was clean. The chicken bryan is really good and flavorful, pastas were well cooked, and tiramisu tasted like it had been doused in Kahula. I tried the arancinis too because I was told that everyone loves them...they were just ok. People should be aware that they do nothing for birthdays, not even a candle. Also, can be a little pricey.
(4)
Missy K.
The chicken Marsala and Tag Pic Pac are so delicious I find myself craving yet another visit to Carrabbas. The shot glasses with the deserts are small and just the right size to not feel guilty for cheating on your diet!
(5)
Carmelo W.
I called ahead. When I got there, they still gave me a buzzer. They said because I called ahead it would be 20 minutes instead of 40 minutes. It was still 40 minutes. Aside from that, it wasn't bad. I was hungry-grumpy. We really like the food though. We might do curbside or whatever they call it there.
(3)
Adrianne K.
Terrible service. We are the only ones here in the dining area side of the restaurant and we need to keep getting up to flag our waiter down for service. The bar side has some patrons but it is extremely slow. I head to the hostess to ask where the restrooms are. There are 3 employees chatting. Didn't address me for a bit. Disappointing.
(1)
M H.
Food is tasty. I like how they give a piece of pizza dough to kids to play with until their food arrives. This place always seems as if it's packed or it takes forever to get a table. I wish they had more booths compared to tables but not a deal breaker.
(3)
Debbie S.
Overpriced! Split plastic on seats. Salad consisted of romaine lettuce with shredded carrots thrown on top and two tiny olives. I'm not kidding! This was called a salad. I got the $12.00 small chicken with pasta. And it was small, very small. Should have been about $7.00 at the most. My husband got the pasta Carrara, full size for $14.50. The entrees had good flavor but seemed very salty and garlicky. The service was quick and efficient but not particularly friendly. Overall I was not impressed and won't be back.
(1)
Brittney P.
Horrible service. The restaurant wasn't even full and took forever to bring our food. The calamari was salty. I felt like I was eating a salt brick. The food is definitely not worth the price.
(1)
Phyllis H.
this place is one of the best!!! had a great waiter named brandon...excellent service and wonderful food!
(5)
Maria G.
Down the street from our house so we thought we would try it out. The Customer Service in this place was OUTSTANDING. Our Waitor was on top of it, always checking on us, very friendly and over all very nice. Even the other waiter in the area (not ours) stopped a couple of times to remove plates and ask us how we where. Food- Not so good. We will not be back- the food is over priced- the menu is rather small and the food really was not that good... at all.... Olive Garden has better food.... and thats not saying much. The pasta was bland, sauce tasted watered down and not that tasty. Their Desert was yummy though. We will not be back because of the food- If we hear they change their menu- or chef we will come back. The service was really good.
(3)
Olga C.
My husband and I decided to give them another try last Sunday. I wish we didn't. My husband found a hair in his salad, when he told the server she continue to say she couldn't understand how it got there. Well I can tell you it wasn't ours and it already made me sick. I did attempt to eat my Fettuccine Weesie $15.90 but couldn't finish and asked to have it boxed. It was good but could used more sauce The server decided to stop at another table with dish in her hand and have a full conversation. Well the end product was my pasta was put in the garbage. My husband had the Lasagne $14.50 was good but could have used a lot more sauce. The servings were very small for the price. Unfortunately, our selections in Surprise are not many.
(1)
Donald M.
We had the special which was a new concept and an original since it was my wife and Is first time here. The pork came out rare and had to send it back after being told by the waiter "that's how it's prepared" under the light it was purple rare. We got ten dollars off our pitcher of sangria. At the end of the day the meal was good after it was prepared correctly but also priced very high for what it was. Cost was around 100 dollars at the restaurant and I made the same meal we had at home, for four, at the cost of 30 bucks
(3)
Jodi J.
Everything never comes out the way you're picturing. Simple presentation and not very good. Salty and they ran out of A1 sauce.
(1)
Melissa G.
Good was good! It was close to mind blowing good! BUT ITS VERY EXPENSIVE! sadly the portions are small so it's almost not worth it! The chicken in the chicken Alfredo is so good I can almost taste the wood it was cooked on! Didn't love the oil crap they give you with the bread & I wished the served baked ziti but I would definitely go back! Not on a budget or if I was starving! It's a step up from the Olive Garden!
(4)
K D.
The steak Marsala is absolutely amazing!!! We always have great service. This is my daughters favorite restaurant. We eat at Carabbas probably every six weeks or so. I highly recommend any of their chicken or steak entrees.
(5)
Jet F.
Fun Italian chain, we had the Flat bread chicken appetixer and drinks. Very tasty and priced right. Close to home and we're glad as we'll be back.
(3)
Carol B.
This USED to be our favorite restaurant the food is SALTY, the chicken was dry..the steak was tough..the lettuce in the salad was watery(and of all days- it was our anniversary)...plus my amex number was stolen within 20 minutes after paying the bill at Carrabba's(I called and someone did apologize...said they would send a gift card...and that never came) If you go there...pay in CASH!
(1)
Danielle D.
Hubby and I decided on Carrabas for our anniversary quick dinner out. We walked in on a Friday night, told there was a 10-20 minute wait, within 3 minutes we were being seated! Server was great, knowledgable and on it!! My husband ordered the Fillet medium, it did come rare, however I still give 5 stars because we were so impressed with the way they handled it. They took the fillet on a separate place so he could still eat his sides while they fixed up the fillet. When it was ready, a manager brought out a whole new fresh plate fresh fillet! Very impressive while I believe most restaurants would have re heated. The server comped us our drinks and all our food was VERY good!! Will go back for sure.
(5)
Cecily D.
Loved the red cinnamon sangria and the mussels! Wait staff were friendly and knowledgeable when asked for suggestions.
(4)
Amber P.
We love Frank! He's serves at the bar rail. Always very pleasant, informative, and loves our personal requests. He will even go to the kitchen and make special requests just for us. He's the best.
(5)
Ryan B.
Great place for Italian food. Very family friendly. Mellow atmosphere with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Never had a bad meal. My favorite is Sirloin Marsala and you can choose any pasta they have to go with it at no charge. Recommend to anyone who enjoys quality Italian for a good price.
(5)
Joseph S.
I received a gift card so we tried it out for the first time. The call ahead waiting list is a bad idea. It's not a reservation so I couldn't see what good it did to eliminate or shorten our wait. I ordered a steak medium rare and got raw meat. I really don't like eating the sides before the main item and then eating the meat when everyone else is finished. Decided to give it another try tonight. Ordered salmon with lump crab. The salmon was raw and cold in the middle. Again I had to eat the mashed potatoes alone and the salmon didn't come back until we prodded the waiter. No manager visit to the table, no comp, no good. Unfortunately I can't give a good rating and we won't eat here again.
(1)
Martha C.
This has been a great place to eat in Chandler. Last nite for my BD I WANTED TO EAT AT Carrabbas again. We have been away for a couple of years and recently moved back to Phoenix. We went to the one on west mcdowell. My husband told our server it was my birthday and asked if they had a birthday cake and she replied "happy birthday I" ll see what we can do" and flashed her best coquettish smile. Then came the food.....salad was skimpy and one or two bites of romaine the ret iceberg, slightly wilted and we each had two, yes two croutons, then what used to be amazing hot bread was only slightly warm, and tasteless. I wanted to return the salad but could never see our server. Then my meal. Sirloin Marsala, runny sauce more browned than should be and mostly oily taste very little of wonderful Marsala. Husbands chicken Bryan was way overlooked and dry the feta on top was the best part ...then garlic mashed...like soup! We finally got server and asked for pasta instead of potato soup and asked for manager to talk to about rest of meal. While waiting, her comes server and put a small card in front of me with three desserts and said which one would you like and I picked tiramisu ....here she comes eith candles lit "happy birthday". Thus was the best part of the meal, but not a tiramisu, mostly whipped cream and lady fingers, she brings chech and she charged us for the "dessert with candles". My husband questioned her and she snidely said we don't do birthdays!,,, so I said take this off the ticket you led us to believe this was for my birthday....and she said oh no you misunderstood so I said get me your manager and she threw down the check and walked away, manager finally came over and we explained about the dessert and he removed it...ans said he would talk to the kitchen about the potatoes...?? Then here comes the server and she tossed our credit card on the table and stormed off.....so my tip for her was written on tip line..."check you attitude" girlie! Really sorry as I had good memories of food here....maybe the Chandler location hasn't gone down like this location but don't think i will find out....
(2)
Christy B.
We did curb side take out. The food was hot. ..I had chicken Bryan. .hubby had seafood. . Came with house salad.. Note to carrabas. . Ditch the iceberg lettuce... but other than that. .. great experience. .. will visit again for sure!!! Bread. With olive oil dip comes with. . Even on takeout.
(5)
Debbie S.
Overpriced! Split plastic on seats. Salad consisted of romaine lettuce with shredded carrots thrown on top and two tiny olives. I'm not kidding! This was called a salad. I got the $12.00 small chicken with pasta. And it was small, very small. Should have been about $7.00 at the most. My husband got the pasta Carrara, full size for $14.50. The entrees had good flavor but seemed very salty and garlicky. The service was quick and efficient but not particularly friendly. Overall I was not impressed and won't be back.
(1)
Brittney P.
Horrible service. The restaurant wasn't even full and took forever to bring our food. The calamari was salty. I felt like I was eating a salt brick. The food is definitely not worth the price.
(1)
Terri Z.
This is my second visit to this particular Carrabas and I did not have a good experience. First we were treated badly, then they tried to change that, but the damage was done. First let me say I do not send food back in a restaurant. I can count on one hand the number of times I received a restaurant meal that I couldn't eat, however. This was one of them. I had the sirloin skewers with onions and tomatoes. The plate was hot, but the food was ice cold. The meat was cooked, but cold inside. My side of fettuccini was hot around the edges and cold in the center. The pasta was gummy, not "al dente". When I told the waitress my meal was cold, she practically yelled at me that I was not in my seat when she served it. I had sat down as she walked away because I went to wash my hands. I felt like a child being scolded. She said she would get the manager as there were similar problems with other meals at our table. She made it clear that we had our meals, however, and that was that! No one was going to do anything more! A little while later she returned in a more conciliatory attitude, offered my table mate a chance to order another meal, but frankly, we didn't know what someone might do to our meal since we complained. I just decided to take my meal home and heat it. My friend ate nothing. We were charged a reduced rate for the meals, but the experience means we won't go back there. I will forget the cold meal, but I will never forget how I was made to feel.
(1)
Gillian C.
The $10 coupon is no longer valid. It redirects to the website and wants you to sign up for their mailing list. :(. I liked the Chicken soup. I didn't care for the bread with the oil/spice mix. Toss some butter at me, please. My meal was ok. I loved the chicken but picked out the tomato chucks from my sauce on the noodles. I would have preferred a blended sauce, I think over the large chunks. Overall, I will try here again. It's not Olive Garden (my favorite) but the soup will bring me back to try another entree.. :)
(4)
George W.
Not a big fan of chain restaurants but since it was late and I did want Italian I figured what the heck I tell you what, wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Started off with the lentil soup. Why lentil soup? Because I'm wondering how an Italian themed restaurant can make better soup than a proclaimed middle eastern place- yes Pita Jungle. The soup was fantastic with a hint of spice, lots of lentils and unlike Pita Jungle, no overbearing cilantro taste. Entree was the surf and turf, which includes a perfectly cooked fillet and lobster ravioli. Obviously the fillet was the highlight but the ravioli was good as well. For once no beverages except water but do like the idea of their happy hour that has half priced apps!! Service was up to par as was the overall feel of the place.
(4)
Jason M.
Another corporate chain for people who have no clue how food is suppose to taste! I was forced by my nana (in law) to eat here! First off, stupid busy and a terrible wine and beer list. Typical corporate list! Bread was weber bread formed into a pretend crusty loaf! Gross! I had chix parm! Awful! Defiantly frozen! Super salty! Over seasoned to the point of it becoming bland while burning my taste buds off my tongue! Service sucked! Slow and less than comforting! This is so far from Italian food or even good Italian American it's almost laughable that the patrons think it's the real deal! I will never be forced to eat this garbage again!! I'd rather eat stouffers frozen french bread pizza!!! lol not really but you get my drift!!! I'd rather eat a Burger King chix parm sandwich over this place! At least you know it's frozen and fast food! This place has a open kitchen concept with actors as chefs pretending to cook but they are just reheating par cooked food and frozen food!!! Suckers! Try something else and sell the gift card! Disgusting!! Not good for the stomach 20 min after either!!!
(1)
Ccr Z.
I love this place. great service and food. Worth to try out :)
(4)
Napoleon B.
We ate in this place and was treated poorly after waiting for over an hour. This is a very disorganized place. Pls beware. Don't waste your time. The food is so so and manager of this place has a monster like attitude towards customers, very defensive, and not apologetic for their shortcomings. This place needs to be on the watch list of Better Business Bureau. :(
(1)
Brooke M.
I think this place is over priced. I ordered the baked ziti and was a little disappointing with the quality. A baked ziti from the local NYPD pizza restaurant tastes better and is cheaper. Plus the service wasn't any better than anywhere else, so I don't see the draw. I probably would eat here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
(3)
Scott M.
My favorite chain restaurant. It's a little pricier than most chain food, but the quality makes it worthwhile. The food is consistently excellent. My favorite dish is the Spiedino Di Mare - shrimp and/or sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce. It's consistently delicious. I have also tried their combination chicken platter (3 chicken breasts prepared with three unique recipes), the roasted chicken (sounds boring, but it's very good), and the lobster ravioli, and all the dishes are very good. The salads and bread are also very good. One word of warning - I have heard a complaint that the serving sizes are not very big. Personally, I do not agree, and I have never left hungry even though I usually do not order a dessert. Also, I have always found the service to be friendly and attentive. If you have not tried Carrabba's, give it a shot.
(4)
Matt S.
Decent chain Italian.
(3)
Sarah G.
Awsome good, the bread and herbs rock, and I love the steak marsala. Great service!
(4)
Elysia L.
We love Carrabbas. This is our staple go to at least once every few months. The food is always fresh and cooked to order. It always tastes great. For the price, the amount of food you get is great. The ambiance is perfect, and our three year old loves it too.
(5)
Dan N.
I wanted Korean BBQ, colleagues thought otherwise. Carraba's is actually a decent Italian chain restaurant, compared to the "unmentionable garden." It was a quiet night, and service attentive. Started with a glass of Chianti, and the Antipasti plus Shrimp Scampi appetizers. The Antipasti platter included fried calamari, bruschetta andfried Mozzarella sticks. Fried, fried and fried... The calamari & bruschetta were rather tasty. I'm still reeling from the garlic in the Scampi. Main course was grilled shrimp with the sauce of the day, a three bell pepper sauce, plus spaghetti pomodoro. The salmon was rather tasty, but sauce was OK. A good place of an out-of-towner looking for a convenient, consistent Italian experience. Now, how do I extinguish that garlic before my meeting in the morning?
(3)
Alexis S.
Amazing food and atmosphere! love this place!!!!
(5)
Jeff C.
I NEVER go to these types of restaurants. My daughter asked to go to Carrabas so we did. I hate them on principal and that will never change. With that being said, here is an honest review from my daugter, wife and myself. SERVICE: NON EXISTENT. Thats all I can say. Took our drink order and food order and then NEVER saw the server again. UGGGH ! AMBIENCE: Just like all the other ones. Fake, insincere, cookie cutter restaurant. CORPORATE taste is on every plate. FOOD: Caesar salad and both side salads were pathetically put together with NO salad representation other then lettuce and 2 olives....That is not a salad of any caliber whatsoever. Chicken Parmigiana..TERRIBLE quality chicken and breading. First time I have EVER experienced Chicken Parmigiana that is NOT served with pasta. Hmmm...ODD. Options were offered but pasta is not an included item with the dish. Chicken Alfredo. Watery thin sauce lack of any substance. WEAK to say the least. Chicken on the alfredo and Caesar salad had a strong lemon flavor. Again Odd. OVERALL: UGGH It has sunk to worse then Olive Garden.
(1)
McKenna S.
The food is good. But it's expensive. $48 bucks to take my mom out to lunch. Not really worth it..
(2)
Don H.
What is up with the host's lately in restaurants. They have zero personality and really don't set a great first impression. Anyhow lets get to food and service. Carol is great and really overcomes the original impression left by the podium guards. We ordered a tomatoe caprisi appetizer and it was excellent! A new variation on a classic. Tomatoes are spread out on the plate and has chopped tomaroes spread around. The new addition to this classic is fresh red onion and then a balsamic reduction and fresh basil. I could eat this dish as an main course but I don't have that much restraint. I orderes pasta franco and it was very food. The combination of olives artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoe makes this dish a little salt towards the end but it wasn't unexpected. I would order it again. Carol Is very attentive but never pushy and you should definitely ask for her. We don't dine here often enough but we will remedy that.
(4)
Edward D.
Place is not bad at all, very nice environment. Service was great and the food was decent. The grilled chicken was awesome!! Wife loved her Pizza. We will come back again!!
(4)
Jennifer C.
I only have been here when others I am out with pick it. If it was my choice, I would steer clear. The prices are higher for mediocre food. The lighting is too dark for my preference. The place has many Sun City residents visiting/long waits to get a table. No point doing a call ahead, you still wait (we called ahead but waited 45 minutes after our time slot). And the staff rush you through so that they can get the next group through.
(2)
Audrey A.
Good food and good service. Their pasta dishes really excell. On our last visit, we so enjoyed the Chicken Caesar Flatbread appetizer (we polished it off in no time!) and the warm Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Panini was over the top! That, you have to try! Audrey A.
(5)
Lawanda J.
The food was ok, the prices was too high and very few selection dinner choices. Will not return, because of false statement made of another restaurant, very unprofessional
(2)
Ryan S.
Love this place. Great food, good atmosphere, and awesome service.
(5)
Doug A.
Ok place to grab a good meal. The place was packed on a Monday night with a short wait. The salad was ok and the bread, oil, and spices were great. My meal didn't come out so good. I ordered the Penne Franco with whole wheat pasta. The menu said any pasta can be whole wheat...such a deal!! I was excited. When my meal came out it was regular pasta. I asked about it and they said they could remake it, make it to go, or ask to speak to a manager. I spoke to the manager and she agreed to comp the meal. I can't believe you can't get what you order here. She said they only have spaghetti in whole wheat...I don't care! What a mess.
(3)
Joe S.
SO SO good! Minestrone is excellent; salmon under homemade tomato vinagarette. Garlic mashed potatoes awesome. Get in there and eat!
(5)
Laura M.
02/01/2011: Well, I was right...I hadn't been back to Carrabas since my last post in 2009 until this past weekend. My husband, myself and my friend decided on a whim to eat out...and chose Carraba's as we were driving by on Bell. Upon arriving we were told it would be about a 25 minute wait. (which is to be expected at 6:30pm, in Surprise on a Saturday night) We asked if we could sit outside (they had heat lamps) and perhaps enjoy some bread and a glass of water. The greeter said that was no problem and that she would send someone over our way. We explained that we were not wanting to eat outside; simply sit down and relax while we waited. (and its not hard to see that I am 9 months pregnant and so standing for 30 minutes wasn't about to happen!) So we sat outside and a really nice server comes out with menu's and silverware. We explained (again) that we weren't dining outside...simply wanted some bread, water and perhaps an appetizer. She smiled said she'd get the bread/water and we never saw her again. Well, that's not true. When the buzzer went off to alert us that a table was ready for us, she was standing at the podium SMILING and then proceeded to walk us to our table, talking to us as though she had NO CLUE who we were. Nice. Again...9 months pregnant AND hungry people...a little customer service will go a LONG way in keeping this increasingly grumpy lady happy! Once seated, we waited about 10 minutes before our waitress appeared as she was waiting many other tables around us. She was nice enough and was very prompt in keeping our glasses full and the bread replenished. We all enjoyed our meals: my friend and hubby started with the Mama Mendola's Spicy Chicken Soup. They both said it is the BEST soup they've ever had. I enjoyed the Caesar Salad which this time had the perfect amount of garlic, dressing and parmesan...yet it was MUCH smaller than I remember. Thankfully there was plenty of bread and oil/herb mixture they serve. One could live on that ALONE! Our entrees came out pipping hot; lasagna for my hubby, pollo rosa maria for my friend and chicken Bryan for me. We all were in HEAVEN. Each meal was delicious in its own right. Overall a much better experience than the last time I was there...although because of the initial lack of customer service from the server/seater gal, I left with a bad taste in my mouth. I suppose I should be happy it wasn't from the food.
(3)
Eli H.
Veal Marsala + warm bread + great service = Carraba's
(5)
Dale W.
While the food is great , and the table service is four star, I must take issue with the hostess service, Twice , with a party of four, we have had to wait over an hour, while others coming behind we're seated ahead of us ! Repeated checking with the hostess brought excuses like " your table is being cleared". On our next visit I am standing with the hostess, and watching her monitor. What is wrong with a simple pad and pencil ?
I ordered the lobster ravioli. What I got was chunks of lobster shell (felt like cartilage) lodged in my ravioli. That was fun. Never going back =/
(1)
Raven R.
I went here with friends for their birthday and I would not reccomend this restaurant at all. Go home, boil some pasta, add a bottle of Ragu and you will have a better meal. The service was good, but the pasta was overcooked and the sauces were tasteless.
(2)
Lilly C.
Carraba's...I love this place. Always consistently good!
(5)
Gillian C.
The $10 coupon is no longer valid. It redirects to the website and wants you to sign up for their mailing list. :(. I liked the Chicken soup. I didn't care for the bread with the oil/spice mix. Toss some butter at me, please. My meal was ok. I loved the chicken but picked out the tomato chucks from my sauce on the noodles. I would have preferred a blended sauce, I think over the large chunks. Overall, I will try here again. It's not Olive Garden (my favorite) but the soup will bring me back to try another entree.. :)
(4)
George W.
Not a big fan of chain restaurants but since it was late and I did want Italian I figured what the heck I tell you what, wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Started off with the lentil soup. Why lentil soup? Because I'm wondering how an Italian themed restaurant can make better soup than a proclaimed middle eastern place- yes Pita Jungle. The soup was fantastic with a hint of spice, lots of lentils and unlike Pita Jungle, no overbearing cilantro taste. Entree was the surf and turf, which includes a perfectly cooked fillet and lobster ravioli. Obviously the fillet was the highlight but the ravioli was good as well. For once no beverages except water but do like the idea of their happy hour that has half priced apps!! Service was up to par as was the overall feel of the place.
(4)
Terri Z.
This is my second visit to this particular Carrabas and I did not have a good experience. First we were treated badly, then they tried to change that, but the damage was done. First let me say I do not send food back in a restaurant. I can count on one hand the number of times I received a restaurant meal that I couldn't eat, however. This was one of them. I had the sirloin skewers with onions and tomatoes. The plate was hot, but the food was ice cold. The meat was cooked, but cold inside. My side of fettuccini was hot around the edges and cold in the center. The pasta was gummy, not "al dente". When I told the waitress my meal was cold, she practically yelled at me that I was not in my seat when she served it. I had sat down as she walked away because I went to wash my hands. I felt like a child being scolded. She said she would get the manager as there were similar problems with other meals at our table. She made it clear that we had our meals, however, and that was that! No one was going to do anything more! A little while later she returned in a more conciliatory attitude, offered my table mate a chance to order another meal, but frankly, we didn't know what someone might do to our meal since we complained. I just decided to take my meal home and heat it. My friend ate nothing. We were charged a reduced rate for the meals, but the experience means we won't go back there. I will forget the cold meal, but I will never forget how I was made to feel.
(1)
Joycee B.
I'm really surprised to read the negative reviews. We've eaten here for years and always have almost always had a fabulous experience! Every meal my husband and I have tried has been delicious. The bread is always warm and fresh, although replenishment could be a bit faster (perhaps that is a blessing in disguise for my waistline!). Try out their Amore Monday's...3 courses for $12, and if you get there before 7pm you get happy hour drinks also. If you sign up for their deals, they email out $10 off coupons every so often, which is a good deal. The reason I didn't give 5 stars is for some minor issues. One, I feel the wine is over-priced, even during happy hour. Two, in the main restaurant, some of the lighting is really bright...overall, the room is dimly lit, but if you get certain tables you end up getting light blazing on you. And three, although the service is usually very good we have occassionally experienced some wait-staff who have been unattentive and "bored" looking. Overall though, this is a great place for a reasonably priced meal out, especially if you take advantage of the deals. We will be back for more!!
(4)
Jason G.
No.......just no. Let's cover what was good here, that's quicker. The caesar salad, and the bread. That's about it. Overpriced, nasty marsala sauce covering entire plate. Kids portions consisting of about 3 oz. of mush noodles. Did I mention overpriced. Seated at a table right up near the kitchen line as well, so got to hear all the servers pissing and complaining about their manger, each other, gossip, etc.
(1)
Steve T.
First time here and we all liked our food. I had spaghetti and meatballs and they did a great job with this dish. Not too rich but just right for middle of the road spaghetti. Good bread with their olive oil dipping sauce they created. Okay wine list for a medium price range selection. Not fancy but good for an everyday Italian food restaurant.
(4)
Brian J.
Was forced to go here because the rest of my family didn't want to drive too far. Don't go here unless you are ok with mediocre Italian food. Hardly any choices on the menu and not sure if anyone really enjoyed their meal. Spaghetti with meat sauce was watery. I created my own chicken pasta with garlic and oil sauce. No flavor at all. I just don't ever want to go back there.
(2)
Lisa M.
We/ve had great experiences eating at Carrabas in Austin. While on vacation we ate at the Carrabas in Surprise. The food was okay, but the service was well below expectations. There are lots of good restaurant choices in the area, so I wouldn't recommend Carrabas. For what we paid, I would expect better service and quality.
(2)
Argentum S.
I'll make this short and sweet. I've only been here once. I had the parmigiana trio which was awful. The breading was mushy, the cooking oil had an off taste and the red sauce was closer to ketchup than real sauce. Everyone else at our table seemed pleased with their dinner and the service was excellent
(3)
Eyezola G.
Totally diggin this one! Our server was awesome!! She gave some great suggestions and the food......Yum! Wait....different place! Lmfao all seriousness...overall nice experience! Kinda pricey but the service and the serving size makes up for that. The older people behind us even talked loud enough for us to enjoy their story about some fun drunken hot tub times they had last winter! That's what I'm talkin bout! Bow chika bow wow!!
Eat there every birthday. My favorite Italian restaurant in surprise.
(5)
Mary K.
I ordered the lobster ravioli. What I got was chunks of lobster shell (felt like cartilage) lodged in my ravioli. That was fun. Never going back =/
(1)
Raven R.
I went here with friends for their birthday and I would not reccomend this restaurant at all. Go home, boil some pasta, add a bottle of Ragu and you will have a better meal. The service was good, but the pasta was overcooked and the sauces were tasteless.
(2)
Lilly C.
Carraba's...I love this place. Always consistently good!
Excellent food, great atmosphere wine prices are reasonable ... We will definitely come back again
(5)
Luca C.
I've been to Carabbas many times before in other cities but this one left me really dissapointed. I took a first date there recently and the place left the both of us really unhappy. The food we ordered was sloshed in sauce to the point where you had to pick out the actual pasta and food. It was also congealing and looked like it was sitting for awhile. I'd compare it to something you buy at the supermarket and put in the microwave for too long. We picked at our food and decided we were better off getting Indian next door.
(1)
Anita P.
I eat at Carabbas all the time, but this was my first time at this one. It was so gross, the sauce drenched the whole plate, the pasta was mush, thumbs down carabbas. get your act together
(2)
Serena U.
The food is good for the most part. I've had a few meals in the past that were so-so and a few that were really good. I was making a stab at eating semi-healthy. I ordered the hazelnut grilled fish - which was very good, served hot - the portion was bigger than I should have eaten, but . . . The pasta side was good . . . cheat on the diet. The chicken soup was quite hot and good but would have been better for my health and tastier if less salt was used. The bread comes to the table HOT with olive oil and blend of spices - too good. Ate WAY too much. My meal was $16 plus tax and tip . . . Service was friendly and attentive. It is one of the better chains in the Bell Road row. If I could I'd rate it about 3.8 - not really a four, but enough better than a 3 . . .
We had a reservation for nine. It took an hour to get seated and and hour and half to get our food. The restaurant was closed an we still could not get our good. The food arrived slowly but eventually showed up. At the end of the day the waitress was attentive and the food was good. Be prepared to wait. In sure there are other restaurants in the area that would appreciate you as a customer.
(3)
Brooke M.
I think this place is over priced. I ordered the baked ziti and was a little disappointing with the quality. A baked ziti from the local NYPD pizza restaurant tastes better and is cheaper. Plus the service wasn't any better than anywhere else, so I don't see the draw. I probably would eat here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
(3)
Floyd C.
Tried it twice, not a fan. Wanted to like it? I know Olive Garden is down the street and can produce a quailty product. If I compared the two I have to go with Olive Garden, quality salad, bread, service. Stiff competition around here, if the service was there and the food quality was better it could maybe be as good as the Olive Garden.
(1)
Jeff C.
I NEVER go to these types of restaurants. My daughter asked to go to Carrabas so we did. I hate them on principal and that will never change. With that being said, here is an honest review from my daugter, wife and myself. SERVICE: NON EXISTENT. Thats all I can say. Took our drink order and food order and then NEVER saw the server again. UGGGH ! AMBIENCE: Just like all the other ones. Fake, insincere, cookie cutter restaurant. CORPORATE taste is on every plate. FOOD: Caesar salad and both side salads were pathetically put together with NO salad representation other then lettuce and 2 olives....That is not a salad of any caliber whatsoever. Chicken Parmigiana..TERRIBLE quality chicken and breading. First time I have EVER experienced Chicken Parmigiana that is NOT served with pasta. Hmmm...ODD. Options were offered but pasta is not an included item with the dish. Chicken Alfredo. Watery thin sauce lack of any substance. WEAK to say the least. Chicken on the alfredo and Caesar salad had a strong lemon flavor. Again Odd. OVERALL: UGGH It has sunk to worse then Olive Garden.
(1)
McKenna S.
The food is good. But it's expensive. $48 bucks to take my mom out to lunch. Not really worth it..
(2)
Don H.
What is up with the host's lately in restaurants. They have zero personality and really don't set a great first impression. Anyhow lets get to food and service. Carol is great and really overcomes the original impression left by the podium guards. We ordered a tomatoe caprisi appetizer and it was excellent! A new variation on a classic. Tomatoes are spread out on the plate and has chopped tomaroes spread around. The new addition to this classic is fresh red onion and then a balsamic reduction and fresh basil. I could eat this dish as an main course but I don't have that much restraint. I orderes pasta franco and it was very food. The combination of olives artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoe makes this dish a little salt towards the end but it wasn't unexpected. I would order it again. Carol Is very attentive but never pushy and you should definitely ask for her. We don't dine here often enough but we will remedy that.
(4)
Edward D.
Place is not bad at all, very nice environment. Service was great and the food was decent. The grilled chicken was awesome!! Wife loved her Pizza. We will come back again!!
(4)
Jennifer C.
I only have been here when others I am out with pick it. If it was my choice, I would steer clear. The prices are higher for mediocre food. The lighting is too dark for my preference. The place has many Sun City residents visiting/long waits to get a table. No point doing a call ahead, you still wait (we called ahead but waited 45 minutes after our time slot). And the staff rush you through so that they can get the next group through.
(2)
Audrey A.
Good food and good service. Their pasta dishes really excell. On our last visit, we so enjoyed the Chicken Caesar Flatbread appetizer (we polished it off in no time!) and the warm Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Panini was over the top! That, you have to try! Audrey A.
(5)
Sarah G.
Awsome good, the bread and herbs rock, and I love the steak marsala. Great service!
(4)
Elysia L.
We love Carrabbas. This is our staple go to at least once every few months. The food is always fresh and cooked to order. It always tastes great. For the price, the amount of food you get is great. The ambiance is perfect, and our three year old loves it too.
(5)
Scott M.
My favorite chain restaurant. It's a little pricier than most chain food, but the quality makes it worthwhile. The food is consistently excellent. My favorite dish is the Spiedino Di Mare - shrimp and/or sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce. It's consistently delicious. I have also tried their combination chicken platter (3 chicken breasts prepared with three unique recipes), the roasted chicken (sounds boring, but it's very good), and the lobster ravioli, and all the dishes are very good. The salads and bread are also very good. One word of warning - I have heard a complaint that the serving sizes are not very big. Personally, I do not agree, and I have never left hungry even though I usually do not order a dessert. Also, I have always found the service to be friendly and attentive. If you have not tried Carrabba's, give it a shot.
(4)
Matt S.
Decent chain Italian.
(3)
Dan N.
I wanted Korean BBQ, colleagues thought otherwise. Carraba's is actually a decent Italian chain restaurant, compared to the "unmentionable garden." It was a quiet night, and service attentive. Started with a glass of Chianti, and the Antipasti plus Shrimp Scampi appetizers. The Antipasti platter included fried calamari, bruschetta andfried Mozzarella sticks. Fried, fried and fried... The calamari & bruschetta were rather tasty. I'm still reeling from the garlic in the Scampi. Main course was grilled shrimp with the sauce of the day, a three bell pepper sauce, plus spaghetti pomodoro. The salmon was rather tasty, but sauce was OK. A good place of an out-of-towner looking for a convenient, consistent Italian experience. Now, how do I extinguish that garlic before my meeting in the morning?
(3)
Alexis S.
Amazing food and atmosphere! love this place!!!!
(5)
Laura M.
02/01/2011: Well, I was right...I hadn't been back to Carrabas since my last post in 2009 until this past weekend. My husband, myself and my friend decided on a whim to eat out...and chose Carraba's as we were driving by on Bell. Upon arriving we were told it would be about a 25 minute wait. (which is to be expected at 6:30pm, in Surprise on a Saturday night) We asked if we could sit outside (they had heat lamps) and perhaps enjoy some bread and a glass of water. The greeter said that was no problem and that she would send someone over our way. We explained that we were not wanting to eat outside; simply sit down and relax while we waited. (and its not hard to see that I am 9 months pregnant and so standing for 30 minutes wasn't about to happen!) So we sat outside and a really nice server comes out with menu's and silverware. We explained (again) that we weren't dining outside...simply wanted some bread, water and perhaps an appetizer. She smiled said she'd get the bread/water and we never saw her again. Well, that's not true. When the buzzer went off to alert us that a table was ready for us, she was standing at the podium SMILING and then proceeded to walk us to our table, talking to us as though she had NO CLUE who we were. Nice. Again...9 months pregnant AND hungry people...a little customer service will go a LONG way in keeping this increasingly grumpy lady happy! Once seated, we waited about 10 minutes before our waitress appeared as she was waiting many other tables around us. She was nice enough and was very prompt in keeping our glasses full and the bread replenished. We all enjoyed our meals: my friend and hubby started with the Mama Mendola's Spicy Chicken Soup. They both said it is the BEST soup they've ever had. I enjoyed the Caesar Salad which this time had the perfect amount of garlic, dressing and parmesan...yet it was MUCH smaller than I remember. Thankfully there was plenty of bread and oil/herb mixture they serve. One could live on that ALONE! Our entrees came out pipping hot; lasagna for my hubby, pollo rosa maria for my friend and chicken Bryan for me. We all were in HEAVEN. Each meal was delicious in its own right. Overall a much better experience than the last time I was there...although because of the initial lack of customer service from the server/seater gal, I left with a bad taste in my mouth. I suppose I should be happy it wasn't from the food.
(3)
Eli H.
Veal Marsala + warm bread + great service = Carraba's
(5)
Dale W.
While the food is great , and the table service is four star, I must take issue with the hostess service, Twice , with a party of four, we have had to wait over an hour, while others coming behind we're seated ahead of us ! Repeated checking with the hostess brought excuses like " your table is being cleared". On our next visit I am standing with the hostess, and watching her monitor. What is wrong with a simple pad and pencil ?
(3)
Heidi R.
This is a great place. I'm not usually a big fan of chains but this is my favorite Italian restaurant in Surprise. We've had several items off the menu now and almost all have been great. There is 1 exception. The 20 Clove Chicken. The waitress warned us that it was "highly" seasoned with salt and pepper. My friend decided to order it anyway since she tends to like salty things. It was HORRIBLE and we ended up throwing half of it away. As good as most food is at Carrabbas, they should be embarrassed by this one.
(4)
Lawanda J.
The food was ok, the prices was too high and very few selection dinner choices. Will not return, because of false statement made of another restaurant, very unprofessional
(2)
Ryan S.
Love this place. Great food, good atmosphere, and awesome service.
Ok place to grab a good meal. The place was packed on a Monday night with a short wait. The salad was ok and the bread, oil, and spices were great. My meal didn't come out so good. I ordered the Penne Franco with whole wheat pasta. The menu said any pasta can be whole wheat...such a deal!! I was excited. When my meal came out it was regular pasta. I asked about it and they said they could remake it, make it to go, or ask to speak to a manager. I spoke to the manager and she agreed to comp the meal. I can't believe you can't get what you order here. She said they only have spaghetti in whole wheat...I don't care! What a mess.
(3)
Joe S.
SO SO good! Minestrone is excellent; salmon under homemade tomato vinagarette. Garlic mashed potatoes awesome. Get in there and eat!
(5)
Jennifer M.
We haven't been here in years and were having one of those rare nights where we had a sitter, couldn't decide where we wanted to go and all we could agree on was wanting a sit down dinner in a hurry to make a movie... so, we wound up at Carraba's. The same man who greets guests was still sitting at the door greeting people (very sweet guy, makes the atmosphere, totally). Frank, our server, did a great job, he had a lot of personality and we enjoyed him. Everything else was good, its just always the food that seems to just. be. 95%. I had a bowl of the lentil soup which is awesomeness in a bowl, but got rainbow trout encrusted with hazelnuts. It sounded amazing, and mostly was, but it was drenched in a butter sauce. blegh. The side of broccoli was also cold. Other than that, the price was decent, service was quick and attentive.
(4)
John C.
Still a great chain restaurant, never disappointing.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No 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.
Joycee B.
I'm really surprised to read the negative reviews. We've eaten here for years and always have almost always had a fabulous experience! Every meal my husband and I have tried has been delicious. The bread is always warm and fresh, although replenishment could be a bit faster (perhaps that is a blessing in disguise for my waistline!). Try out their Amore Monday's...3 courses for $12, and if you get there before 7pm you get happy hour drinks also. If you sign up for their deals, they email out $10 off coupons every so often, which is a good deal. The reason I didn't give 5 stars is for some minor issues. One, I feel the wine is over-priced, even during happy hour. Two, in the main restaurant, some of the lighting is really bright...overall, the room is dimly lit, but if you get certain tables you end up getting light blazing on you. And three, although the service is usually very good we have occassionally experienced some wait-staff who have been unattentive and "bored" looking. Overall though, this is a great place for a reasonably priced meal out, especially if you take advantage of the deals. We will be back for more!!
(4)Jason G.
No.......just no. Let's cover what was good here, that's quicker. The caesar salad, and the bread. That's about it. Overpriced, nasty marsala sauce covering entire plate. Kids portions consisting of about 3 oz. of mush noodles. Did I mention overpriced. Seated at a table right up near the kitchen line as well, so got to hear all the servers pissing and complaining about their manger, each other, gossip, etc.
(1)Steve T.
First time here and we all liked our food. I had spaghetti and meatballs and they did a great job with this dish. Not too rich but just right for middle of the road spaghetti. Good bread with their olive oil dipping sauce they created. Okay wine list for a medium price range selection. Not fancy but good for an everyday Italian food restaurant.
(4)Olga C.
My husband and I decided to give them another try last Sunday. I wish we didn't. My husband found a hair in his salad, when he told the server she continue to say she couldn't understand how it got there. Well I can tell you it wasn't ours and it already made me sick. I did attempt to eat my Fettuccine Weesie $15.90 but couldn't finish and asked to have it boxed. It was good but could used more sauce The server decided to stop at another table with dish in her hand and have a full conversation. Well the end product was my pasta was put in the garbage. My husband had the Lasagne $14.50 was good but could have used a lot more sauce. The servings were very small for the price. Unfortunately, our selections in Surprise are not many.
(1)Donald M.
We had the special which was a new concept and an original since it was my wife and Is first time here. The pork came out rare and had to send it back after being told by the waiter "that's how it's prepared" under the light it was purple rare. We got ten dollars off our pitcher of sangria. At the end of the day the meal was good after it was prepared correctly but also priced very high for what it was. Cost was around 100 dollars at the restaurant and I made the same meal we had at home, for four, at the cost of 30 bucks
(3)Phyllis H.
this place is one of the best!!! had a great waiter named brandon...excellent service and wonderful food!
(5)Maria G.
Down the street from our house so we thought we would try it out. The Customer Service in this place was OUTSTANDING. Our Waitor was on top of it, always checking on us, very friendly and over all very nice. Even the other waiter in the area (not ours) stopped a couple of times to remove plates and ask us how we where. Food- Not so good. We will not be back- the food is over priced- the menu is rather small and the food really was not that good... at all.... Olive Garden has better food.... and thats not saying much. The pasta was bland, sauce tasted watered down and not that tasty. Their Desert was yummy though. We will not be back because of the food- If we hear they change their menu- or chef we will come back. The service was really good.
(3)Jodi J.
Everything never comes out the way you're picturing. Simple presentation and not very good. Salty and they ran out of A1 sauce.
(1)Melissa G.
Good was good! It was close to mind blowing good! BUT ITS VERY EXPENSIVE! sadly the portions are small so it's almost not worth it! The chicken in the chicken Alfredo is so good I can almost taste the wood it was cooked on! Didn't love the oil crap they give you with the bread & I wished the served baked ziti but I would definitely go back! Not on a budget or if I was starving! It's a step up from the Olive Garden!
(4)K D.
The steak Marsala is absolutely amazing!!! We always have great service. This is my daughters favorite restaurant. We eat at Carabbas probably every six weeks or so. I highly recommend any of their chicken or steak entrees.
(5)Jet F.
Fun Italian chain, we had the Flat bread chicken appetixer and drinks. Very tasty and priced right. Close to home and we're glad as we'll be back.
(3)Carol B.
This USED to be our favorite restaurant the food is SALTY, the chicken was dry..the steak was tough..the lettuce in the salad was watery(and of all days- it was our anniversary)...plus my amex number was stolen within 20 minutes after paying the bill at Carrabba's(I called and someone did apologize...said they would send a gift card...and that never came) If you go there...pay in CASH!
(1)Danielle D.
Hubby and I decided on Carrabas for our anniversary quick dinner out. We walked in on a Friday night, told there was a 10-20 minute wait, within 3 minutes we were being seated! Server was great, knowledgable and on it!! My husband ordered the Fillet medium, it did come rare, however I still give 5 stars because we were so impressed with the way they handled it. They took the fillet on a separate place so he could still eat his sides while they fixed up the fillet. When it was ready, a manager brought out a whole new fresh plate fresh fillet! Very impressive while I believe most restaurants would have re heated. The server comped us our drinks and all our food was VERY good!! Will go back for sure.
(5)Cecily D.
Loved the red cinnamon sangria and the mussels! Wait staff were friendly and knowledgeable when asked for suggestions.
(4)Amber P.
We love Frank! He's serves at the bar rail. Always very pleasant, informative, and loves our personal requests. He will even go to the kitchen and make special requests just for us. He's the best.
(5)Ryan B.
Great place for Italian food. Very family friendly. Mellow atmosphere with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Never had a bad meal. My favorite is Sirloin Marsala and you can choose any pasta they have to go with it at no charge. Recommend to anyone who enjoys quality Italian for a good price.
(5)Joseph S.
I received a gift card so we tried it out for the first time. The call ahead waiting list is a bad idea. It's not a reservation so I couldn't see what good it did to eliminate or shorten our wait. I ordered a steak medium rare and got raw meat. I really don't like eating the sides before the main item and then eating the meat when everyone else is finished. Decided to give it another try tonight. Ordered salmon with lump crab. The salmon was raw and cold in the middle. Again I had to eat the mashed potatoes alone and the salmon didn't come back until we prodded the waiter. No manager visit to the table, no comp, no good. Unfortunately I can't give a good rating and we won't eat here again.
(1)Martha C.
This has been a great place to eat in Chandler. Last nite for my BD I WANTED TO EAT AT Carrabbas again. We have been away for a couple of years and recently moved back to Phoenix. We went to the one on west mcdowell. My husband told our server it was my birthday and asked if they had a birthday cake and she replied "happy birthday I" ll see what we can do" and flashed her best coquettish smile. Then came the food.....salad was skimpy and one or two bites of romaine the ret iceberg, slightly wilted and we each had two, yes two croutons, then what used to be amazing hot bread was only slightly warm, and tasteless. I wanted to return the salad but could never see our server. Then my meal. Sirloin Marsala, runny sauce more browned than should be and mostly oily taste very little of wonderful Marsala. Husbands chicken Bryan was way overlooked and dry the feta on top was the best part ...then garlic mashed...like soup! We finally got server and asked for pasta instead of potato soup and asked for manager to talk to about rest of meal. While waiting, her comes server and put a small card in front of me with three desserts and said which one would you like and I picked tiramisu ....here she comes eith candles lit "happy birthday". Thus was the best part of the meal, but not a tiramisu, mostly whipped cream and lady fingers, she brings chech and she charged us for the "dessert with candles". My husband questioned her and she snidely said we don't do birthdays!,,, so I said take this off the ticket you led us to believe this was for my birthday....and she said oh no you misunderstood so I said get me your manager and she threw down the check and walked away, manager finally came over and we explained about the dessert and he removed it...ans said he would talk to the kitchen about the potatoes...?? Then here comes the server and she tossed our credit card on the table and stormed off.....so my tip for her was written on tip line..."check you attitude" girlie! Really sorry as I had good memories of food here....maybe the Chandler location hasn't gone down like this location but don't think i will find out....
(2)Christy B.
We did curb side take out. The food was hot. ..I had chicken Bryan. .hubby had seafood. . Came with house salad.. Note to carrabas. . Ditch the iceberg lettuce... but other than that. .. great experience. .. will visit again for sure!!! Bread. With olive oil dip comes with. . Even on takeout.
(5)Lynette R.
Upon reading some of the reviews, I could not believe a restaurant that had been so good had gotten so bad, so decided for my birthday I wanted to go to Carrabbas and see for myself. There were four of us arriving at 4:30 on Sunday. We got right in, our waitress was Jessica A. We began with the Zucchini Fritte for our appetizer -- one serving was fine for the four of us and was as excellent as I remember. For the main courses there were two Filet Fiorentinas, one Maui Wulfe - a new dish, and one Chicken Parmesan. There was more than enough bread served, along with a nice size salad and one side with each entrée. Jessica was excellent -- absolutely attendant to our small table, making sure every empty tea glass was filled and everything was delicious! The waitress who brought the Filets to the table made sure before leaving that they were done to perfection. The Filets were tender and juicy, the Maui was an excellent dish, and the Chicken Parmesan was tender and just right. All in all, all four of us were beyond satisfied, and beyond full. One take-home container was required. I don't know about the bad reviews other than I am extremely happy I paid them no mind and set out to prove them wrong!
(5)Titer B.
Excellent food, great atmosphere wine prices are reasonable ... We will definitely come back again
(5)Luca C.
I've been to Carabbas many times before in other cities but this one left me really dissapointed. I took a first date there recently and the place left the both of us really unhappy. The food we ordered was sloshed in sauce to the point where you had to pick out the actual pasta and food. It was also congealing and looked like it was sitting for awhile. I'd compare it to something you buy at the supermarket and put in the microwave for too long. We picked at our food and decided we were better off getting Indian next door.
(1)Anita P.
I eat at Carabbas all the time, but this was my first time at this one. It was so gross, the sauce drenched the whole plate, the pasta was mush, thumbs down carabbas. get your act together
(2)Serena U.
The food is good for the most part. I've had a few meals in the past that were so-so and a few that were really good. I was making a stab at eating semi-healthy. I ordered the hazelnut grilled fish - which was very good, served hot - the portion was bigger than I should have eaten, but . . . The pasta side was good . . . cheat on the diet. The chicken soup was quite hot and good but would have been better for my health and tastier if less salt was used. The bread comes to the table HOT with olive oil and blend of spices - too good. Ate WAY too much. My meal was $16 plus tax and tip . . . Service was friendly and attentive. It is one of the better chains in the Bell Road row. If I could I'd rate it about 3.8 - not really a four, but enough better than a 3 . . .
(4)Alyse R.
I had never been here before and we decided to go for date night. The bread and dipping sauce was grad, along with the mussels. The soup was heavy on the pepper. My entrée, veal picatta, was delicious, though too heavy on the mash. Our dessert, Creme Brulee, was correct in flavor but underbaked and liquid on top still.
(3)Heidi R.
This is a great place. I'm not usually a big fan of chains but this is my favorite Italian restaurant in Surprise. We've had several items off the menu now and almost all have been great. There is 1 exception. The 20 Clove Chicken. The waitress warned us that it was "highly" seasoned with salt and pepper. My friend decided to order it anyway since she tends to like salty things. It was HORRIBLE and we ended up throwing half of it away. As good as most food is at Carrabbas, they should be embarrassed by this one.
(4)Jennifer M.
We haven't been here in years and were having one of those rare nights where we had a sitter, couldn't decide where we wanted to go and all we could agree on was wanting a sit down dinner in a hurry to make a movie... so, we wound up at Carraba's. The same man who greets guests was still sitting at the door greeting people (very sweet guy, makes the atmosphere, totally). Frank, our server, did a great job, he had a lot of personality and we enjoyed him. Everything else was good, its just always the food that seems to just. be. 95%. I had a bowl of the lentil soup which is awesomeness in a bowl, but got rainbow trout encrusted with hazelnuts. It sounded amazing, and mostly was, but it was drenched in a butter sauce. blegh. The side of broccoli was also cold. Other than that, the price was decent, service was quick and attentive.
(4)John C.
Still a great chain restaurant, never disappointing.
(4)Eyezola G.
Totally diggin this one! Our server was awesome!! She gave some great suggestions and the food......Yum! Wait....different place! Lmfao all seriousness...overall nice experience! Kinda pricey but the service and the serving size makes up for that. The older people behind us even talked loud enough for us to enjoy their story about some fun drunken hot tub times they had last winter! That's what I'm talkin bout! Bow chika bow wow!!
(4)Jessica P.
My fiancé and I eat here often! One of our favorite Italian chain restaurants. He usually gets the pasta carraba and I really enjoy the spaghetti and meatballs. Also, the house salad is fantastic!
(4)Tom T.
Eat there every birthday. My favorite Italian restaurant in surprise.
(5)Brian J.
Was forced to go here because the rest of my family didn't want to drive too far. Don't go here unless you are ok with mediocre Italian food. Hardly any choices on the menu and not sure if anyone really enjoyed their meal. Spaghetti with meat sauce was watery. I created my own chicken pasta with garlic and oil sauce. No flavor at all. I just don't ever want to go back there.
(2)Lisa M.
We/ve had great experiences eating at Carrabas in Austin. While on vacation we ate at the Carrabas in Surprise. The food was okay, but the service was well below expectations. There are lots of good restaurant choices in the area, so I wouldn't recommend Carrabas. For what we paid, I would expect better service and quality.
(2)Argentum S.
I'll make this short and sweet. I've only been here once. I had the parmigiana trio which was awful. The breading was mushy, the cooking oil had an off taste and the red sauce was closer to ketchup than real sauce. Everyone else at our table seemed pleased with their dinner and the service was excellent
(3)Floyd C.
Tried it twice, not a fan. Wanted to like it? I know Olive Garden is down the street and can produce a quailty product. If I compared the two I have to go with Olive Garden, quality salad, bread, service. Stiff competition around here, if the service was there and the food quality was better it could maybe be as good as the Olive Garden.
(1)Donald M.
We had a reservation for nine. It took an hour to get seated and and hour and half to get our food. The restaurant was closed an we still could not get our good. The food arrived slowly but eventually showed up. At the end of the day the waitress was attentive and the food was good. Be prepared to wait. In sure there are other restaurants in the area that would appreciate you as a customer.
(3)Shannon W.
I am Italian. Eating Italian food in a restaurant is usually a crap shoot. However I must say This happens to be one of the better Italian places to eat. We live in Surprise so we have gone there several times. Did we ever have bad service, yes we did on one occasion but I certainly wouldn't rate the place on that one occasion. It doesn't outweigh the dozen other times we had great service. Did I ever have a bad meal there, yes on that also on one occasion . Again you can't honestly rate a place on one bad meal. I have had dozens of other really good meals. I wish people would stop using Yelp as nothing more than a sounding board to vent their frustrations on one incident. I personally would recommend this place. Your chance of getting bad service or a bad meal are pretty darn slim. If it happens two times in a row then go ahead and do your rating. I give them a solid 4 stars. I don't give out 5 stars on a regular basis either.
(4)M G.
My daughter wanted to try here for her birthday. We went 12/10/14 for her 10th bday. The staff was super friendly, and the restaurant was clean. The chicken bryan is really good and flavorful, pastas were well cooked, and tiramisu tasted like it had been doused in Kahula. I tried the arancinis too because I was told that everyone loves them...they were just ok. People should be aware that they do nothing for birthdays, not even a candle. Also, can be a little pricey.
(4)Missy K.
The chicken Marsala and Tag Pic Pac are so delicious I find myself craving yet another visit to Carrabbas. The shot glasses with the deserts are small and just the right size to not feel guilty for cheating on your diet!
(5)Carmelo W.
I called ahead. When I got there, they still gave me a buzzer. They said because I called ahead it would be 20 minutes instead of 40 minutes. It was still 40 minutes. Aside from that, it wasn't bad. I was hungry-grumpy. We really like the food though. We might do curbside or whatever they call it there.
(3)Adrianne K.
Terrible service. We are the only ones here in the dining area side of the restaurant and we need to keep getting up to flag our waiter down for service. The bar side has some patrons but it is extremely slow. I head to the hostess to ask where the restrooms are. There are 3 employees chatting. Didn't address me for a bit. Disappointing.
(1)M H.
Food is tasty. I like how they give a piece of pizza dough to kids to play with until their food arrives. This place always seems as if it's packed or it takes forever to get a table. I wish they had more booths compared to tables but not a deal breaker.
(3)Jason M.
Another corporate chain for people who have no clue how food is suppose to taste! I was forced by my nana (in law) to eat here! First off, stupid busy and a terrible wine and beer list. Typical corporate list! Bread was weber bread formed into a pretend crusty loaf! Gross! I had chix parm! Awful! Defiantly frozen! Super salty! Over seasoned to the point of it becoming bland while burning my taste buds off my tongue! Service sucked! Slow and less than comforting! This is so far from Italian food or even good Italian American it's almost laughable that the patrons think it's the real deal! I will never be forced to eat this garbage again!! I'd rather eat stouffers frozen french bread pizza!!! lol not really but you get my drift!!! I'd rather eat a Burger King chix parm sandwich over this place! At least you know it's frozen and fast food! This place has a open kitchen concept with actors as chefs pretending to cook but they are just reheating par cooked food and frozen food!!! Suckers! Try something else and sell the gift card! Disgusting!! Not good for the stomach 20 min after either!!!
(1)Ccr Z.
I love this place. great service and food. Worth to try out :)
(4)Napoleon B.
We ate in this place and was treated poorly after waiting for over an hour. This is a very disorganized place. Pls beware. Don't waste your time. The food is so so and manager of this place has a monster like attitude towards customers, very defensive, and not apologetic for their shortcomings. This place needs to be on the watch list of Better Business Bureau. :(
(1)Shannon W.
I am Italian. Eating Italian food in a restaurant is usually a crap shoot. However I must say This happens to be one of the better Italian places to eat. We live in Surprise so we have gone there several times. Did we ever have bad service, yes we did on one occasion but I certainly wouldn't rate the place on that one occasion. It doesn't outweigh the dozen other times we had great service. Did I ever have a bad meal there, yes on that also on one occasion . Again you can't honestly rate a place on one bad meal. I have had dozens of other really good meals. I wish people would stop using Yelp as nothing more than a sounding board to vent their frustrations on one incident. I personally would recommend this place. Your chance of getting bad service or a bad meal are pretty darn slim. If it happens two times in a row then go ahead and do your rating. I give them a solid 4 stars. I don't give out 5 stars on a regular basis either.
(4)M G.
My daughter wanted to try here for her birthday. We went 12/10/14 for her 10th bday. The staff was super friendly, and the restaurant was clean. The chicken bryan is really good and flavorful, pastas were well cooked, and tiramisu tasted like it had been doused in Kahula. I tried the arancinis too because I was told that everyone loves them...they were just ok. People should be aware that they do nothing for birthdays, not even a candle. Also, can be a little pricey.
(4)Missy K.
The chicken Marsala and Tag Pic Pac are so delicious I find myself craving yet another visit to Carrabbas. The shot glasses with the deserts are small and just the right size to not feel guilty for cheating on your diet!
(5)Carmelo W.
I called ahead. When I got there, they still gave me a buzzer. They said because I called ahead it would be 20 minutes instead of 40 minutes. It was still 40 minutes. Aside from that, it wasn't bad. I was hungry-grumpy. We really like the food though. We might do curbside or whatever they call it there.
(3)Adrianne K.
Terrible service. We are the only ones here in the dining area side of the restaurant and we need to keep getting up to flag our waiter down for service. The bar side has some patrons but it is extremely slow. I head to the hostess to ask where the restrooms are. There are 3 employees chatting. Didn't address me for a bit. Disappointing.
(1)M H.
Food is tasty. I like how they give a piece of pizza dough to kids to play with until their food arrives. This place always seems as if it's packed or it takes forever to get a table. I wish they had more booths compared to tables but not a deal breaker.
(3)Debbie S.
Overpriced! Split plastic on seats. Salad consisted of romaine lettuce with shredded carrots thrown on top and two tiny olives. I'm not kidding! This was called a salad. I got the $12.00 small chicken with pasta. And it was small, very small. Should have been about $7.00 at the most. My husband got the pasta Carrara, full size for $14.50. The entrees had good flavor but seemed very salty and garlicky. The service was quick and efficient but not particularly friendly. Overall I was not impressed and won't be back.
(1)Brittney P.
Horrible service. The restaurant wasn't even full and took forever to bring our food. The calamari was salty. I felt like I was eating a salt brick. The food is definitely not worth the price.
(1)Phyllis H.
this place is one of the best!!! had a great waiter named brandon...excellent service and wonderful food!
(5)Maria G.
Down the street from our house so we thought we would try it out. The Customer Service in this place was OUTSTANDING. Our Waitor was on top of it, always checking on us, very friendly and over all very nice. Even the other waiter in the area (not ours) stopped a couple of times to remove plates and ask us how we where. Food- Not so good. We will not be back- the food is over priced- the menu is rather small and the food really was not that good... at all.... Olive Garden has better food.... and thats not saying much. The pasta was bland, sauce tasted watered down and not that tasty. Their Desert was yummy though. We will not be back because of the food- If we hear they change their menu- or chef we will come back. The service was really good.
(3)Olga C.
My husband and I decided to give them another try last Sunday. I wish we didn't. My husband found a hair in his salad, when he told the server she continue to say she couldn't understand how it got there. Well I can tell you it wasn't ours and it already made me sick. I did attempt to eat my Fettuccine Weesie $15.90 but couldn't finish and asked to have it boxed. It was good but could used more sauce The server decided to stop at another table with dish in her hand and have a full conversation. Well the end product was my pasta was put in the garbage. My husband had the Lasagne $14.50 was good but could have used a lot more sauce. The servings were very small for the price. Unfortunately, our selections in Surprise are not many.
(1)Donald M.
We had the special which was a new concept and an original since it was my wife and Is first time here. The pork came out rare and had to send it back after being told by the waiter "that's how it's prepared" under the light it was purple rare. We got ten dollars off our pitcher of sangria. At the end of the day the meal was good after it was prepared correctly but also priced very high for what it was. Cost was around 100 dollars at the restaurant and I made the same meal we had at home, for four, at the cost of 30 bucks
(3)Jodi J.
Everything never comes out the way you're picturing. Simple presentation and not very good. Salty and they ran out of A1 sauce.
(1)Melissa G.
Good was good! It was close to mind blowing good! BUT ITS VERY EXPENSIVE! sadly the portions are small so it's almost not worth it! The chicken in the chicken Alfredo is so good I can almost taste the wood it was cooked on! Didn't love the oil crap they give you with the bread & I wished the served baked ziti but I would definitely go back! Not on a budget or if I was starving! It's a step up from the Olive Garden!
(4)K D.
The steak Marsala is absolutely amazing!!! We always have great service. This is my daughters favorite restaurant. We eat at Carabbas probably every six weeks or so. I highly recommend any of their chicken or steak entrees.
(5)Jet F.
Fun Italian chain, we had the Flat bread chicken appetixer and drinks. Very tasty and priced right. Close to home and we're glad as we'll be back.
(3)Carol B.
This USED to be our favorite restaurant the food is SALTY, the chicken was dry..the steak was tough..the lettuce in the salad was watery(and of all days- it was our anniversary)...plus my amex number was stolen within 20 minutes after paying the bill at Carrabba's(I called and someone did apologize...said they would send a gift card...and that never came) If you go there...pay in CASH!
(1)Danielle D.
Hubby and I decided on Carrabas for our anniversary quick dinner out. We walked in on a Friday night, told there was a 10-20 minute wait, within 3 minutes we were being seated! Server was great, knowledgable and on it!! My husband ordered the Fillet medium, it did come rare, however I still give 5 stars because we were so impressed with the way they handled it. They took the fillet on a separate place so he could still eat his sides while they fixed up the fillet. When it was ready, a manager brought out a whole new fresh plate fresh fillet! Very impressive while I believe most restaurants would have re heated. The server comped us our drinks and all our food was VERY good!! Will go back for sure.
(5)Cecily D.
Loved the red cinnamon sangria and the mussels! Wait staff were friendly and knowledgeable when asked for suggestions.
(4)Amber P.
We love Frank! He's serves at the bar rail. Always very pleasant, informative, and loves our personal requests. He will even go to the kitchen and make special requests just for us. He's the best.
(5)Ryan B.
Great place for Italian food. Very family friendly. Mellow atmosphere with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Never had a bad meal. My favorite is Sirloin Marsala and you can choose any pasta they have to go with it at no charge. Recommend to anyone who enjoys quality Italian for a good price.
(5)Joseph S.
I received a gift card so we tried it out for the first time. The call ahead waiting list is a bad idea. It's not a reservation so I couldn't see what good it did to eliminate or shorten our wait. I ordered a steak medium rare and got raw meat. I really don't like eating the sides before the main item and then eating the meat when everyone else is finished. Decided to give it another try tonight. Ordered salmon with lump crab. The salmon was raw and cold in the middle. Again I had to eat the mashed potatoes alone and the salmon didn't come back until we prodded the waiter. No manager visit to the table, no comp, no good. Unfortunately I can't give a good rating and we won't eat here again.
(1)Martha C.
This has been a great place to eat in Chandler. Last nite for my BD I WANTED TO EAT AT Carrabbas again. We have been away for a couple of years and recently moved back to Phoenix. We went to the one on west mcdowell. My husband told our server it was my birthday and asked if they had a birthday cake and she replied "happy birthday I" ll see what we can do" and flashed her best coquettish smile. Then came the food.....salad was skimpy and one or two bites of romaine the ret iceberg, slightly wilted and we each had two, yes two croutons, then what used to be amazing hot bread was only slightly warm, and tasteless. I wanted to return the salad but could never see our server. Then my meal. Sirloin Marsala, runny sauce more browned than should be and mostly oily taste very little of wonderful Marsala. Husbands chicken Bryan was way overlooked and dry the feta on top was the best part ...then garlic mashed...like soup! We finally got server and asked for pasta instead of potato soup and asked for manager to talk to about rest of meal. While waiting, her comes server and put a small card in front of me with three desserts and said which one would you like and I picked tiramisu ....here she comes eith candles lit "happy birthday". Thus was the best part of the meal, but not a tiramisu, mostly whipped cream and lady fingers, she brings chech and she charged us for the "dessert with candles". My husband questioned her and she snidely said we don't do birthdays!,,, so I said take this off the ticket you led us to believe this was for my birthday....and she said oh no you misunderstood so I said get me your manager and she threw down the check and walked away, manager finally came over and we explained about the dessert and he removed it...ans said he would talk to the kitchen about the potatoes...?? Then here comes the server and she tossed our credit card on the table and stormed off.....so my tip for her was written on tip line..."check you attitude" girlie! Really sorry as I had good memories of food here....maybe the Chandler location hasn't gone down like this location but don't think i will find out....
(2)Christy B.
We did curb side take out. The food was hot. ..I had chicken Bryan. .hubby had seafood. . Came with house salad.. Note to carrabas. . Ditch the iceberg lettuce... but other than that. .. great experience. .. will visit again for sure!!! Bread. With olive oil dip comes with. . Even on takeout.
(5)Debbie S.
Overpriced! Split plastic on seats. Salad consisted of romaine lettuce with shredded carrots thrown on top and two tiny olives. I'm not kidding! This was called a salad. I got the $12.00 small chicken with pasta. And it was small, very small. Should have been about $7.00 at the most. My husband got the pasta Carrara, full size for $14.50. The entrees had good flavor but seemed very salty and garlicky. The service was quick and efficient but not particularly friendly. Overall I was not impressed and won't be back.
(1)Brittney P.
Horrible service. The restaurant wasn't even full and took forever to bring our food. The calamari was salty. I felt like I was eating a salt brick. The food is definitely not worth the price.
(1)Terri Z.
This is my second visit to this particular Carrabas and I did not have a good experience. First we were treated badly, then they tried to change that, but the damage was done. First let me say I do not send food back in a restaurant. I can count on one hand the number of times I received a restaurant meal that I couldn't eat, however. This was one of them. I had the sirloin skewers with onions and tomatoes. The plate was hot, but the food was ice cold. The meat was cooked, but cold inside. My side of fettuccini was hot around the edges and cold in the center. The pasta was gummy, not "al dente". When I told the waitress my meal was cold, she practically yelled at me that I was not in my seat when she served it. I had sat down as she walked away because I went to wash my hands. I felt like a child being scolded. She said she would get the manager as there were similar problems with other meals at our table. She made it clear that we had our meals, however, and that was that! No one was going to do anything more! A little while later she returned in a more conciliatory attitude, offered my table mate a chance to order another meal, but frankly, we didn't know what someone might do to our meal since we complained. I just decided to take my meal home and heat it. My friend ate nothing. We were charged a reduced rate for the meals, but the experience means we won't go back there. I will forget the cold meal, but I will never forget how I was made to feel.
(1)Gillian C.
The $10 coupon is no longer valid. It redirects to the website and wants you to sign up for their mailing list. :(. I liked the Chicken soup. I didn't care for the bread with the oil/spice mix. Toss some butter at me, please. My meal was ok. I loved the chicken but picked out the tomato chucks from my sauce on the noodles. I would have preferred a blended sauce, I think over the large chunks. Overall, I will try here again. It's not Olive Garden (my favorite) but the soup will bring me back to try another entree.. :)
(4)George W.
Not a big fan of chain restaurants but since it was late and I did want Italian I figured what the heck I tell you what, wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Started off with the lentil soup. Why lentil soup? Because I'm wondering how an Italian themed restaurant can make better soup than a proclaimed middle eastern place- yes Pita Jungle. The soup was fantastic with a hint of spice, lots of lentils and unlike Pita Jungle, no overbearing cilantro taste. Entree was the surf and turf, which includes a perfectly cooked fillet and lobster ravioli. Obviously the fillet was the highlight but the ravioli was good as well. For once no beverages except water but do like the idea of their happy hour that has half priced apps!! Service was up to par as was the overall feel of the place.
(4)Jason M.
Another corporate chain for people who have no clue how food is suppose to taste! I was forced by my nana (in law) to eat here! First off, stupid busy and a terrible wine and beer list. Typical corporate list! Bread was weber bread formed into a pretend crusty loaf! Gross! I had chix parm! Awful! Defiantly frozen! Super salty! Over seasoned to the point of it becoming bland while burning my taste buds off my tongue! Service sucked! Slow and less than comforting! This is so far from Italian food or even good Italian American it's almost laughable that the patrons think it's the real deal! I will never be forced to eat this garbage again!! I'd rather eat stouffers frozen french bread pizza!!! lol not really but you get my drift!!! I'd rather eat a Burger King chix parm sandwich over this place! At least you know it's frozen and fast food! This place has a open kitchen concept with actors as chefs pretending to cook but they are just reheating par cooked food and frozen food!!! Suckers! Try something else and sell the gift card! Disgusting!! Not good for the stomach 20 min after either!!!
(1)Ccr Z.
I love this place. great service and food. Worth to try out :)
(4)Napoleon B.
We ate in this place and was treated poorly after waiting for over an hour. This is a very disorganized place. Pls beware. Don't waste your time. The food is so so and manager of this place has a monster like attitude towards customers, very defensive, and not apologetic for their shortcomings. This place needs to be on the watch list of Better Business Bureau. :(
(1)Brooke M.
I think this place is over priced. I ordered the baked ziti and was a little disappointing with the quality. A baked ziti from the local NYPD pizza restaurant tastes better and is cheaper. Plus the service wasn't any better than anywhere else, so I don't see the draw. I probably would eat here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
(3)Scott M.
My favorite chain restaurant. It's a little pricier than most chain food, but the quality makes it worthwhile. The food is consistently excellent. My favorite dish is the Spiedino Di Mare - shrimp and/or sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce. It's consistently delicious. I have also tried their combination chicken platter (3 chicken breasts prepared with three unique recipes), the roasted chicken (sounds boring, but it's very good), and the lobster ravioli, and all the dishes are very good. The salads and bread are also very good. One word of warning - I have heard a complaint that the serving sizes are not very big. Personally, I do not agree, and I have never left hungry even though I usually do not order a dessert. Also, I have always found the service to be friendly and attentive. If you have not tried Carrabba's, give it a shot.
(4)Matt S.
Decent chain Italian.
(3)Sarah G.
Awsome good, the bread and herbs rock, and I love the steak marsala. Great service!
(4)Elysia L.
We love Carrabbas. This is our staple go to at least once every few months. The food is always fresh and cooked to order. It always tastes great. For the price, the amount of food you get is great. The ambiance is perfect, and our three year old loves it too.
(5)Dan N.
I wanted Korean BBQ, colleagues thought otherwise. Carraba's is actually a decent Italian chain restaurant, compared to the "unmentionable garden." It was a quiet night, and service attentive. Started with a glass of Chianti, and the Antipasti plus Shrimp Scampi appetizers. The Antipasti platter included fried calamari, bruschetta andfried Mozzarella sticks. Fried, fried and fried... The calamari & bruschetta were rather tasty. I'm still reeling from the garlic in the Scampi. Main course was grilled shrimp with the sauce of the day, a three bell pepper sauce, plus spaghetti pomodoro. The salmon was rather tasty, but sauce was OK. A good place of an out-of-towner looking for a convenient, consistent Italian experience. Now, how do I extinguish that garlic before my meeting in the morning?
(3)Alexis S.
Amazing food and atmosphere! love this place!!!!
(5)Jeff C.
I NEVER go to these types of restaurants. My daughter asked to go to Carrabas so we did. I hate them on principal and that will never change. With that being said, here is an honest review from my daugter, wife and myself. SERVICE: NON EXISTENT. Thats all I can say. Took our drink order and food order and then NEVER saw the server again. UGGGH ! AMBIENCE: Just like all the other ones. Fake, insincere, cookie cutter restaurant. CORPORATE taste is on every plate. FOOD: Caesar salad and both side salads were pathetically put together with NO salad representation other then lettuce and 2 olives....That is not a salad of any caliber whatsoever. Chicken Parmigiana..TERRIBLE quality chicken and breading. First time I have EVER experienced Chicken Parmigiana that is NOT served with pasta. Hmmm...ODD. Options were offered but pasta is not an included item with the dish. Chicken Alfredo. Watery thin sauce lack of any substance. WEAK to say the least. Chicken on the alfredo and Caesar salad had a strong lemon flavor. Again Odd. OVERALL: UGGH It has sunk to worse then Olive Garden.
(1)McKenna S.
The food is good. But it's expensive. $48 bucks to take my mom out to lunch. Not really worth it..
(2)Don H.
What is up with the host's lately in restaurants. They have zero personality and really don't set a great first impression. Anyhow lets get to food and service. Carol is great and really overcomes the original impression left by the podium guards. We ordered a tomatoe caprisi appetizer and it was excellent! A new variation on a classic. Tomatoes are spread out on the plate and has chopped tomaroes spread around. The new addition to this classic is fresh red onion and then a balsamic reduction and fresh basil. I could eat this dish as an main course but I don't have that much restraint. I orderes pasta franco and it was very food. The combination of olives artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoe makes this dish a little salt towards the end but it wasn't unexpected. I would order it again. Carol Is very attentive but never pushy and you should definitely ask for her. We don't dine here often enough but we will remedy that.
(4)Edward D.
Place is not bad at all, very nice environment. Service was great and the food was decent. The grilled chicken was awesome!! Wife loved her Pizza. We will come back again!!
(4)Jennifer C.
I only have been here when others I am out with pick it. If it was my choice, I would steer clear. The prices are higher for mediocre food. The lighting is too dark for my preference. The place has many Sun City residents visiting/long waits to get a table. No point doing a call ahead, you still wait (we called ahead but waited 45 minutes after our time slot). And the staff rush you through so that they can get the next group through.
(2)Audrey A.
Good food and good service. Their pasta dishes really excell. On our last visit, we so enjoyed the Chicken Caesar Flatbread appetizer (we polished it off in no time!) and the warm Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Panini was over the top! That, you have to try! Audrey A.
(5)Lawanda J.
The food was ok, the prices was too high and very few selection dinner choices. Will not return, because of false statement made of another restaurant, very unprofessional
(2)Ryan S.
Love this place. Great food, good atmosphere, and awesome service.
(5)Doug A.
Ok place to grab a good meal. The place was packed on a Monday night with a short wait. The salad was ok and the bread, oil, and spices were great. My meal didn't come out so good. I ordered the Penne Franco with whole wheat pasta. The menu said any pasta can be whole wheat...such a deal!! I was excited. When my meal came out it was regular pasta. I asked about it and they said they could remake it, make it to go, or ask to speak to a manager. I spoke to the manager and she agreed to comp the meal. I can't believe you can't get what you order here. She said they only have spaghetti in whole wheat...I don't care! What a mess.
(3)Joe S.
SO SO good! Minestrone is excellent; salmon under homemade tomato vinagarette. Garlic mashed potatoes awesome. Get in there and eat!
(5)Laura M.
02/01/2011: Well, I was right...I hadn't been back to Carrabas since my last post in 2009 until this past weekend. My husband, myself and my friend decided on a whim to eat out...and chose Carraba's as we were driving by on Bell. Upon arriving we were told it would be about a 25 minute wait. (which is to be expected at 6:30pm, in Surprise on a Saturday night) We asked if we could sit outside (they had heat lamps) and perhaps enjoy some bread and a glass of water. The greeter said that was no problem and that she would send someone over our way. We explained that we were not wanting to eat outside; simply sit down and relax while we waited. (and its not hard to see that I am 9 months pregnant and so standing for 30 minutes wasn't about to happen!) So we sat outside and a really nice server comes out with menu's and silverware. We explained (again) that we weren't dining outside...simply wanted some bread, water and perhaps an appetizer. She smiled said she'd get the bread/water and we never saw her again. Well, that's not true. When the buzzer went off to alert us that a table was ready for us, she was standing at the podium SMILING and then proceeded to walk us to our table, talking to us as though she had NO CLUE who we were. Nice. Again...9 months pregnant AND hungry people...a little customer service will go a LONG way in keeping this increasingly grumpy lady happy! Once seated, we waited about 10 minutes before our waitress appeared as she was waiting many other tables around us. She was nice enough and was very prompt in keeping our glasses full and the bread replenished. We all enjoyed our meals: my friend and hubby started with the Mama Mendola's Spicy Chicken Soup. They both said it is the BEST soup they've ever had. I enjoyed the Caesar Salad which this time had the perfect amount of garlic, dressing and parmesan...yet it was MUCH smaller than I remember. Thankfully there was plenty of bread and oil/herb mixture they serve. One could live on that ALONE! Our entrees came out pipping hot; lasagna for my hubby, pollo rosa maria for my friend and chicken Bryan for me. We all were in HEAVEN. Each meal was delicious in its own right. Overall a much better experience than the last time I was there...although because of the initial lack of customer service from the server/seater gal, I left with a bad taste in my mouth. I suppose I should be happy it wasn't from the food.
(3)Eli H.
Veal Marsala + warm bread + great service = Carraba's
(5)Dale W.
While the food is great , and the table service is four star, I must take issue with the hostess service, Twice , with a party of four, we have had to wait over an hour, while others coming behind we're seated ahead of us ! Repeated checking with the hostess brought excuses like " your table is being cleared". On our next visit I am standing with the hostess, and watching her monitor. What is wrong with a simple pad and pencil ?
(3)Nicole L.
I have not been to Carabba's in over 4 years and I am kicking myself now! We had a wonderful dinner and would eat here again in a heartbeat! Very friendly and professional staff from the beginning to the end. Started off with fried zucchini appetizer, it was fried light and crispy with fresh zucchini, not frozen. Then we had Caesar salad and all 3 of us each ordered Marsala. One chicken, one sirloin and one pork chop. Lucky for me I was able to taste test each one and picking a favorite would be impossible. Fresh sautéed green beans as well, where do you ever get that? There is a unique divineness on the grilled meat, possibly hickory? I am a fan. Let me tell you about the delectable dessert with vanilla ice cream (I wouldn't be surprised if they made it fresh), caramel and these cinnamon coated walnuts? WOW. Diet? What diet? I went to a parallel universe while that graced my lips. The pace of meal was perfect, never feeling rushed and even the manager stopped by for a visit. I must say for a chain restaurant this topped my charts, completely blew past the Odive Marden....? Just can't remember the name of that place anymore....hmmm. One other point is that I wouldn't say the portions are HUGE like most cheap chain restaurants, but I still left completely full and not grossed out stuffed. I HATE that feeling from cheap over processed food.
(4)Bob S.
They make Olive Garden look good.
(3)Mary K.
I ordered the lobster ravioli. What I got was chunks of lobster shell (felt like cartilage) lodged in my ravioli. That was fun. Never going back =/
(1)Raven R.
I went here with friends for their birthday and I would not reccomend this restaurant at all. Go home, boil some pasta, add a bottle of Ragu and you will have a better meal. The service was good, but the pasta was overcooked and the sauces were tasteless.
(2)Lilly C.
Carraba's...I love this place. Always consistently good!
(5)Gillian C.
The $10 coupon is no longer valid. It redirects to the website and wants you to sign up for their mailing list. :(. I liked the Chicken soup. I didn't care for the bread with the oil/spice mix. Toss some butter at me, please. My meal was ok. I loved the chicken but picked out the tomato chucks from my sauce on the noodles. I would have preferred a blended sauce, I think over the large chunks. Overall, I will try here again. It's not Olive Garden (my favorite) but the soup will bring me back to try another entree.. :)
(4)George W.
Not a big fan of chain restaurants but since it was late and I did want Italian I figured what the heck I tell you what, wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Started off with the lentil soup. Why lentil soup? Because I'm wondering how an Italian themed restaurant can make better soup than a proclaimed middle eastern place- yes Pita Jungle. The soup was fantastic with a hint of spice, lots of lentils and unlike Pita Jungle, no overbearing cilantro taste. Entree was the surf and turf, which includes a perfectly cooked fillet and lobster ravioli. Obviously the fillet was the highlight but the ravioli was good as well. For once no beverages except water but do like the idea of their happy hour that has half priced apps!! Service was up to par as was the overall feel of the place.
(4)Terri Z.
This is my second visit to this particular Carrabas and I did not have a good experience. First we were treated badly, then they tried to change that, but the damage was done. First let me say I do not send food back in a restaurant. I can count on one hand the number of times I received a restaurant meal that I couldn't eat, however. This was one of them. I had the sirloin skewers with onions and tomatoes. The plate was hot, but the food was ice cold. The meat was cooked, but cold inside. My side of fettuccini was hot around the edges and cold in the center. The pasta was gummy, not "al dente". When I told the waitress my meal was cold, she practically yelled at me that I was not in my seat when she served it. I had sat down as she walked away because I went to wash my hands. I felt like a child being scolded. She said she would get the manager as there were similar problems with other meals at our table. She made it clear that we had our meals, however, and that was that! No one was going to do anything more! A little while later she returned in a more conciliatory attitude, offered my table mate a chance to order another meal, but frankly, we didn't know what someone might do to our meal since we complained. I just decided to take my meal home and heat it. My friend ate nothing. We were charged a reduced rate for the meals, but the experience means we won't go back there. I will forget the cold meal, but I will never forget how I was made to feel.
(1)Joycee B.
I'm really surprised to read the negative reviews. We've eaten here for years and always have almost always had a fabulous experience! Every meal my husband and I have tried has been delicious. The bread is always warm and fresh, although replenishment could be a bit faster (perhaps that is a blessing in disguise for my waistline!). Try out their Amore Monday's...3 courses for $12, and if you get there before 7pm you get happy hour drinks also. If you sign up for their deals, they email out $10 off coupons every so often, which is a good deal. The reason I didn't give 5 stars is for some minor issues. One, I feel the wine is over-priced, even during happy hour. Two, in the main restaurant, some of the lighting is really bright...overall, the room is dimly lit, but if you get certain tables you end up getting light blazing on you. And three, although the service is usually very good we have occassionally experienced some wait-staff who have been unattentive and "bored" looking. Overall though, this is a great place for a reasonably priced meal out, especially if you take advantage of the deals. We will be back for more!!
(4)Jason G.
No.......just no. Let's cover what was good here, that's quicker. The caesar salad, and the bread. That's about it. Overpriced, nasty marsala sauce covering entire plate. Kids portions consisting of about 3 oz. of mush noodles. Did I mention overpriced. Seated at a table right up near the kitchen line as well, so got to hear all the servers pissing and complaining about their manger, each other, gossip, etc.
(1)Steve T.
First time here and we all liked our food. I had spaghetti and meatballs and they did a great job with this dish. Not too rich but just right for middle of the road spaghetti. Good bread with their olive oil dipping sauce they created. Okay wine list for a medium price range selection. Not fancy but good for an everyday Italian food restaurant.
(4)Brian J.
Was forced to go here because the rest of my family didn't want to drive too far. Don't go here unless you are ok with mediocre Italian food. Hardly any choices on the menu and not sure if anyone really enjoyed their meal. Spaghetti with meat sauce was watery. I created my own chicken pasta with garlic and oil sauce. No flavor at all. I just don't ever want to go back there.
(2)Lisa M.
We/ve had great experiences eating at Carrabas in Austin. While on vacation we ate at the Carrabas in Surprise. The food was okay, but the service was well below expectations. There are lots of good restaurant choices in the area, so I wouldn't recommend Carrabas. For what we paid, I would expect better service and quality.
(2)Argentum S.
I'll make this short and sweet. I've only been here once. I had the parmigiana trio which was awful. The breading was mushy, the cooking oil had an off taste and the red sauce was closer to ketchup than real sauce. Everyone else at our table seemed pleased with their dinner and the service was excellent
(3)Eyezola G.
Totally diggin this one! Our server was awesome!! She gave some great suggestions and the food......Yum! Wait....different place! Lmfao all seriousness...overall nice experience! Kinda pricey but the service and the serving size makes up for that. The older people behind us even talked loud enough for us to enjoy their story about some fun drunken hot tub times they had last winter! That's what I'm talkin bout! Bow chika bow wow!!
(4)Jessica P.
My fiancé and I eat here often! One of our favorite Italian chain restaurants. He usually gets the pasta carraba and I really enjoy the spaghetti and meatballs. Also, the house salad is fantastic!
(4)Tom T.
Eat there every birthday. My favorite Italian restaurant in surprise.
(5)Mary K.
I ordered the lobster ravioli. What I got was chunks of lobster shell (felt like cartilage) lodged in my ravioli. That was fun. Never going back =/
(1)Raven R.
I went here with friends for their birthday and I would not reccomend this restaurant at all. Go home, boil some pasta, add a bottle of Ragu and you will have a better meal. The service was good, but the pasta was overcooked and the sauces were tasteless.
(2)Lilly C.
Carraba's...I love this place. Always consistently good!
(5)Lynette R.
Upon reading some of the reviews, I could not believe a restaurant that had been so good had gotten so bad, so decided for my birthday I wanted to go to Carrabbas and see for myself. There were four of us arriving at 4:30 on Sunday. We got right in, our waitress was Jessica A. We began with the Zucchini Fritte for our appetizer -- one serving was fine for the four of us and was as excellent as I remember. For the main courses there were two Filet Fiorentinas, one Maui Wulfe - a new dish, and one Chicken Parmesan. There was more than enough bread served, along with a nice size salad and one side with each entrée. Jessica was excellent -- absolutely attendant to our small table, making sure every empty tea glass was filled and everything was delicious! The waitress who brought the Filets to the table made sure before leaving that they were done to perfection. The Filets were tender and juicy, the Maui was an excellent dish, and the Chicken Parmesan was tender and just right. All in all, all four of us were beyond satisfied, and beyond full. One take-home container was required. I don't know about the bad reviews other than I am extremely happy I paid them no mind and set out to prove them wrong!
(5)Titer B.
Excellent food, great atmosphere wine prices are reasonable ... We will definitely come back again
(5)Luca C.
I've been to Carabbas many times before in other cities but this one left me really dissapointed. I took a first date there recently and the place left the both of us really unhappy. The food we ordered was sloshed in sauce to the point where you had to pick out the actual pasta and food. It was also congealing and looked like it was sitting for awhile. I'd compare it to something you buy at the supermarket and put in the microwave for too long. We picked at our food and decided we were better off getting Indian next door.
(1)Anita P.
I eat at Carabbas all the time, but this was my first time at this one. It was so gross, the sauce drenched the whole plate, the pasta was mush, thumbs down carabbas. get your act together
(2)Serena U.
The food is good for the most part. I've had a few meals in the past that were so-so and a few that were really good. I was making a stab at eating semi-healthy. I ordered the hazelnut grilled fish - which was very good, served hot - the portion was bigger than I should have eaten, but . . . The pasta side was good . . . cheat on the diet. The chicken soup was quite hot and good but would have been better for my health and tastier if less salt was used. The bread comes to the table HOT with olive oil and blend of spices - too good. Ate WAY too much. My meal was $16 plus tax and tip . . . Service was friendly and attentive. It is one of the better chains in the Bell Road row. If I could I'd rate it about 3.8 - not really a four, but enough better than a 3 . . .
(4)Alyse R.
I had never been here before and we decided to go for date night. The bread and dipping sauce was grad, along with the mussels. The soup was heavy on the pepper. My entrée, veal picatta, was delicious, though too heavy on the mash. Our dessert, Creme Brulee, was correct in flavor but underbaked and liquid on top still.
(3)Donald M.
We had a reservation for nine. It took an hour to get seated and and hour and half to get our food. The restaurant was closed an we still could not get our good. The food arrived slowly but eventually showed up. At the end of the day the waitress was attentive and the food was good. Be prepared to wait. In sure there are other restaurants in the area that would appreciate you as a customer.
(3)Brooke M.
I think this place is over priced. I ordered the baked ziti and was a little disappointing with the quality. A baked ziti from the local NYPD pizza restaurant tastes better and is cheaper. Plus the service wasn't any better than anywhere else, so I don't see the draw. I probably would eat here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
(3)Floyd C.
Tried it twice, not a fan. Wanted to like it? I know Olive Garden is down the street and can produce a quailty product. If I compared the two I have to go with Olive Garden, quality salad, bread, service. Stiff competition around here, if the service was there and the food quality was better it could maybe be as good as the Olive Garden.
(1)Jeff C.
I NEVER go to these types of restaurants. My daughter asked to go to Carrabas so we did. I hate them on principal and that will never change. With that being said, here is an honest review from my daugter, wife and myself. SERVICE: NON EXISTENT. Thats all I can say. Took our drink order and food order and then NEVER saw the server again. UGGGH ! AMBIENCE: Just like all the other ones. Fake, insincere, cookie cutter restaurant. CORPORATE taste is on every plate. FOOD: Caesar salad and both side salads were pathetically put together with NO salad representation other then lettuce and 2 olives....That is not a salad of any caliber whatsoever. Chicken Parmigiana..TERRIBLE quality chicken and breading. First time I have EVER experienced Chicken Parmigiana that is NOT served with pasta. Hmmm...ODD. Options were offered but pasta is not an included item with the dish. Chicken Alfredo. Watery thin sauce lack of any substance. WEAK to say the least. Chicken on the alfredo and Caesar salad had a strong lemon flavor. Again Odd. OVERALL: UGGH It has sunk to worse then Olive Garden.
(1)McKenna S.
The food is good. But it's expensive. $48 bucks to take my mom out to lunch. Not really worth it..
(2)Don H.
What is up with the host's lately in restaurants. They have zero personality and really don't set a great first impression. Anyhow lets get to food and service. Carol is great and really overcomes the original impression left by the podium guards. We ordered a tomatoe caprisi appetizer and it was excellent! A new variation on a classic. Tomatoes are spread out on the plate and has chopped tomaroes spread around. The new addition to this classic is fresh red onion and then a balsamic reduction and fresh basil. I could eat this dish as an main course but I don't have that much restraint. I orderes pasta franco and it was very food. The combination of olives artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoe makes this dish a little salt towards the end but it wasn't unexpected. I would order it again. Carol Is very attentive but never pushy and you should definitely ask for her. We don't dine here often enough but we will remedy that.
(4)Edward D.
Place is not bad at all, very nice environment. Service was great and the food was decent. The grilled chicken was awesome!! Wife loved her Pizza. We will come back again!!
(4)Jennifer C.
I only have been here when others I am out with pick it. If it was my choice, I would steer clear. The prices are higher for mediocre food. The lighting is too dark for my preference. The place has many Sun City residents visiting/long waits to get a table. No point doing a call ahead, you still wait (we called ahead but waited 45 minutes after our time slot). And the staff rush you through so that they can get the next group through.
(2)Audrey A.
Good food and good service. Their pasta dishes really excell. On our last visit, we so enjoyed the Chicken Caesar Flatbread appetizer (we polished it off in no time!) and the warm Chocolate-Caramel-Banana Panini was over the top! That, you have to try! Audrey A.
(5)Sarah G.
Awsome good, the bread and herbs rock, and I love the steak marsala. Great service!
(4)Elysia L.
We love Carrabbas. This is our staple go to at least once every few months. The food is always fresh and cooked to order. It always tastes great. For the price, the amount of food you get is great. The ambiance is perfect, and our three year old loves it too.
(5)Scott M.
My favorite chain restaurant. It's a little pricier than most chain food, but the quality makes it worthwhile. The food is consistently excellent. My favorite dish is the Spiedino Di Mare - shrimp and/or sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce. It's consistently delicious. I have also tried their combination chicken platter (3 chicken breasts prepared with three unique recipes), the roasted chicken (sounds boring, but it's very good), and the lobster ravioli, and all the dishes are very good. The salads and bread are also very good. One word of warning - I have heard a complaint that the serving sizes are not very big. Personally, I do not agree, and I have never left hungry even though I usually do not order a dessert. Also, I have always found the service to be friendly and attentive. If you have not tried Carrabba's, give it a shot.
(4)Matt S.
Decent chain Italian.
(3)Dan N.
I wanted Korean BBQ, colleagues thought otherwise. Carraba's is actually a decent Italian chain restaurant, compared to the "unmentionable garden." It was a quiet night, and service attentive. Started with a glass of Chianti, and the Antipasti plus Shrimp Scampi appetizers. The Antipasti platter included fried calamari, bruschetta andfried Mozzarella sticks. Fried, fried and fried... The calamari & bruschetta were rather tasty. I'm still reeling from the garlic in the Scampi. Main course was grilled shrimp with the sauce of the day, a three bell pepper sauce, plus spaghetti pomodoro. The salmon was rather tasty, but sauce was OK. A good place of an out-of-towner looking for a convenient, consistent Italian experience. Now, how do I extinguish that garlic before my meeting in the morning?
(3)Alexis S.
Amazing food and atmosphere! love this place!!!!
(5)Laura M.
02/01/2011: Well, I was right...I hadn't been back to Carrabas since my last post in 2009 until this past weekend. My husband, myself and my friend decided on a whim to eat out...and chose Carraba's as we were driving by on Bell. Upon arriving we were told it would be about a 25 minute wait. (which is to be expected at 6:30pm, in Surprise on a Saturday night) We asked if we could sit outside (they had heat lamps) and perhaps enjoy some bread and a glass of water. The greeter said that was no problem and that she would send someone over our way. We explained that we were not wanting to eat outside; simply sit down and relax while we waited. (and its not hard to see that I am 9 months pregnant and so standing for 30 minutes wasn't about to happen!) So we sat outside and a really nice server comes out with menu's and silverware. We explained (again) that we weren't dining outside...simply wanted some bread, water and perhaps an appetizer. She smiled said she'd get the bread/water and we never saw her again. Well, that's not true. When the buzzer went off to alert us that a table was ready for us, she was standing at the podium SMILING and then proceeded to walk us to our table, talking to us as though she had NO CLUE who we were. Nice. Again...9 months pregnant AND hungry people...a little customer service will go a LONG way in keeping this increasingly grumpy lady happy! Once seated, we waited about 10 minutes before our waitress appeared as she was waiting many other tables around us. She was nice enough and was very prompt in keeping our glasses full and the bread replenished. We all enjoyed our meals: my friend and hubby started with the Mama Mendola's Spicy Chicken Soup. They both said it is the BEST soup they've ever had. I enjoyed the Caesar Salad which this time had the perfect amount of garlic, dressing and parmesan...yet it was MUCH smaller than I remember. Thankfully there was plenty of bread and oil/herb mixture they serve. One could live on that ALONE! Our entrees came out pipping hot; lasagna for my hubby, pollo rosa maria for my friend and chicken Bryan for me. We all were in HEAVEN. Each meal was delicious in its own right. Overall a much better experience than the last time I was there...although because of the initial lack of customer service from the server/seater gal, I left with a bad taste in my mouth. I suppose I should be happy it wasn't from the food.
(3)Eli H.
Veal Marsala + warm bread + great service = Carraba's
(5)Dale W.
While the food is great , and the table service is four star, I must take issue with the hostess service, Twice , with a party of four, we have had to wait over an hour, while others coming behind we're seated ahead of us ! Repeated checking with the hostess brought excuses like " your table is being cleared". On our next visit I am standing with the hostess, and watching her monitor. What is wrong with a simple pad and pencil ?
(3)Heidi R.
This is a great place. I'm not usually a big fan of chains but this is my favorite Italian restaurant in Surprise. We've had several items off the menu now and almost all have been great. There is 1 exception. The 20 Clove Chicken. The waitress warned us that it was "highly" seasoned with salt and pepper. My friend decided to order it anyway since she tends to like salty things. It was HORRIBLE and we ended up throwing half of it away. As good as most food is at Carrabbas, they should be embarrassed by this one.
(4)Lawanda J.
The food was ok, the prices was too high and very few selection dinner choices. Will not return, because of false statement made of another restaurant, very unprofessional
(2)Ryan S.
Love this place. Great food, good atmosphere, and awesome service.
(5)Nicole L.
I have not been to Carabba's in over 4 years and I am kicking myself now! We had a wonderful dinner and would eat here again in a heartbeat! Very friendly and professional staff from the beginning to the end. Started off with fried zucchini appetizer, it was fried light and crispy with fresh zucchini, not frozen. Then we had Caesar salad and all 3 of us each ordered Marsala. One chicken, one sirloin and one pork chop. Lucky for me I was able to taste test each one and picking a favorite would be impossible. Fresh sautéed green beans as well, where do you ever get that? There is a unique divineness on the grilled meat, possibly hickory? I am a fan. Let me tell you about the delectable dessert with vanilla ice cream (I wouldn't be surprised if they made it fresh), caramel and these cinnamon coated walnuts? WOW. Diet? What diet? I went to a parallel universe while that graced my lips. The pace of meal was perfect, never feeling rushed and even the manager stopped by for a visit. I must say for a chain restaurant this topped my charts, completely blew past the Odive Marden....? Just can't remember the name of that place anymore....hmmm. One other point is that I wouldn't say the portions are HUGE like most cheap chain restaurants, but I still left completely full and not grossed out stuffed. I HATE that feeling from cheap over processed food.
(4)Bob S.
They make Olive Garden look good.
(3)Doug A.
Ok place to grab a good meal. The place was packed on a Monday night with a short wait. The salad was ok and the bread, oil, and spices were great. My meal didn't come out so good. I ordered the Penne Franco with whole wheat pasta. The menu said any pasta can be whole wheat...such a deal!! I was excited. When my meal came out it was regular pasta. I asked about it and they said they could remake it, make it to go, or ask to speak to a manager. I spoke to the manager and she agreed to comp the meal. I can't believe you can't get what you order here. She said they only have spaghetti in whole wheat...I don't care! What a mess.
(3)Joe S.
SO SO good! Minestrone is excellent; salmon under homemade tomato vinagarette. Garlic mashed potatoes awesome. Get in there and eat!
(5)Jennifer M.
We haven't been here in years and were having one of those rare nights where we had a sitter, couldn't decide where we wanted to go and all we could agree on was wanting a sit down dinner in a hurry to make a movie... so, we wound up at Carraba's. The same man who greets guests was still sitting at the door greeting people (very sweet guy, makes the atmosphere, totally). Frank, our server, did a great job, he had a lot of personality and we enjoyed him. Everything else was good, its just always the food that seems to just. be. 95%. I had a bowl of the lentil soup which is awesomeness in a bowl, but got rainbow trout encrusted with hazelnuts. It sounded amazing, and mostly was, but it was drenched in a butter sauce. blegh. The side of broccoli was also cold. Other than that, the price was decent, service was quick and attentive.
(4)John C.
Still a great chain restaurant, never disappointing.
(4)