Hit or miss. It seems like your not spending a lot than the service reflects that. Too bad food is ok trying to be italian but epic fail.
(2)
Julie T.
I sat up at the cook's bar area with my boyfriend one night. We happily received complimentary mozzarella sticks, their free and delicious bread and their happy hour drinks and we were extremely pleased! The service was fast and friendly. The cooks were helpful and talkative when they could chat between cooking. We ordered the sausage lentil soup with the filet and got the grilled zucchini and mashed potatoes. We always love the sausage soup, and this was the heartiest scoop I've ever had at any Carrabba's. The filet was amazing, I prefer it to have been cooked a little longer, but I noticed that the cook who started our order wasn't cooking it when it was completed. So halfway through someone started cooking a meat that they didn't know how long it was on the grill for (not a good thing). The sides are always amazing and I love the simply grilled veggies.
(4)
Rosemary L.
My panini was the size of a wonder bread baloney sandwich and almost as tasty. The service was attentive but we waited for quite a bit for the check. The portions were small and the food wasn't anything special. They use simple recipes that anyone could make at home. There aren't many vegetarian options and most of their soups are made with chicken stock. Save your money and eat at one of the smaller mom and pop Italian restaurants in the area.
(2)
Nora C.
Love the food and especially the service. They went out of there way to accommodate my mothers low sodium diet.
(5)
Rhonda H.
Just left Carabbas A disaster tonight Waitress came over and first thing she said was I'll be right back She came back and 1/2 way through the drink order she turned and walked away! We asked for a new waitress and we got a nice waitress.However I ordered the Cavitelli Forno special and it listed with chicken. It came with no chicken and she said I had to ask for it! It specifically said with chicken. While waiting for our food I saw three waitresses with dirty aprons. I wonder why restaurant is so empty at 8:00pm Used to be best Italian in Clermont Please fix your problems It
(1)
Ryan K.
I generally consider Carrabba's to be an above average Italian chain and this location is no different. On my most recent visit we had a large party of 12 and although they don't take reservations, they were very accommodating. This service was pretty slow on this visit but that was to be somewhat expected given it was right at dinner time and there was another large party seated next to us. Their food options are plentiful, they mix up the choices quite often, and I love their sausage and lentil soup!!
(3)
Don C.
Went here last Saturday. I'm a pretty picky / health conscience eater. Before ordering the shrimp and scallops in lemon butter sauce I asked if there was any seasoning or salty topping added. I was informed there was only a light breading and the lemon butter sauce so i ordered it with a side of asparagus. The order came completely covered in salt. I had to scrape the breading off the shrimp and scallops and eat them straight. and I was not able to eat the asparagus at all. Partly to blame myself for not liking to raise a fuss, i should have sent it back and hoped it didn't return with a "special topping". For $23.00 I only got 4 shrimp and 4 scallops that i had to eat plain. I wont be back.
(1)
Fred B.
Sundaynight dinner, party of 10. The meal started out fine, then 9:00 pm came and the A/C went off. Became extremely hot, all the members of my party began to get uncomfortable. When it was discussed with the staff they all indicated that it was a normal practice to run people out. Management did not want to deal with the issue. I dropped $300+ on dinner, you would think that we could have just a little comfort! I will not return.
(1)
Walt M.
On 1/09/2015 I took my family to this location. Parking is a premium so I dropped my wife and son off and parked. When I came in I asked where my wife and son were, thinking they were seated. They motioned to the waiting area. We sat and watched people come in a get seated right away. After 15 minutes of this my wife asked the manager who apologized and sat us within a few minutes. A plate for the appetizer was dirty and replaced. When the drinks came out all the glasses felt dirty. (I think it was un-rinsed dishwasher powder). They replaced the glasses but the new ones felt the same and my wife's wine was not what she ordered. The salad was wilted and the shrimp and mussels over-cooked. Not horrible but there's too many other places to go to bother with this one again.
(2)
L. R.
Service left much to be desired. Waitress tapped foot on ground while taking order, surely a sign of her impatience. When asking about Gluten-free menu, she offered us Whole Wheat pasta. Food delivered to a party of seven in different rounds.
(1)
Thomas P.
My wife and I love this place the food is great service is really good we look forward to every visit
(5)
Dale E.
The food is great here !!!! They seem to do everything right be it Pork Chicken or Fish.
(4)
Lisa J.
After a long hiatus due to 2 rounds of takeout that was mediocre at best, we decided to order takeout from Carabbas. I was told the order would be 15 minutes. Twenty minutes after the time promised, our order was delivered to my car-- wrong. It was a simple order: 2 chicken caesar salads and an order of mussels. We received cold mussels and 2 side caesar salads. I am done Carabbas. Sadly too, since you used to be the best place in town.
(1)
Luis G.
I really Like the food at this Carrabas the drinks are decent and the staff is professional and courteous. The only problem is this restaurant is extremely SLOWWWWWWWWW........ It usually takes 30 minutes to get your food after you order. Even on slow days.
(4)
Laura D.
I've been to many Carrabba's locations in Central Fl and other states, so I understand this is a chain. Despite that fact, the staff has always made us feel warmly welcomed and provided personable service. Unfortunately, that was not our experience at this location. We were rushed through dinner at a blazing pace. Our server must have decided to give us the bum's rush when we declined drinks and appetizers. Sensing a low check total, she pushed the entrees out to the table before we had finished our salads. It felt more like a McDonalds than a table service meal. Never saw a manager Plus, the clientele are pushy and rude. We have no interest in going back.
(1)
Josh M.
We really used to enjoy coming here. But recently the portion sizes have been getting smaller. We asked a Manger about it the first time we noticed and he told us the plates had gotten smaller and that was probably throwing us off...
(3)
M A.
This is a very good restaurant. The staff is friendly and do whatever they can to make you happy. The food is great and the bartenders are awesome! I would recommend this place to anyone.
(5)
Kent M.
4 of our group here this eve for dinner. Really good. Service was slow, but they were busy. Not sure if I would return. Prob not.
(4)
Ellen P.
We're not big on chain eateries, but we have had good meals here; there's an emphasis on freshness and variety, and the seasonings also seem more authentic than the generic-Italian or made-up-Italian of other franchise restaurants. We also loved our waiter, Dominic, who seems to have been recruited right from Central Casting but who was nonetheless a great waiter and good salesperson. Some of our favorites here are the linquine pescatore, penne franco and pollo rosa maria.
(4)
Ryan T.
I've always heard about how delicious Carrabba's supposedly is, so I finally decided to give one a try. I've heard stories about the bad service, burned food, and outright incompetence at the one in Lady Lake (which is unfortunately par for the course for a goodly number of chain restaurants in The Villages area; what's up with that, BTW?), so I didn't want to go to that one; I was in Clermont some time ago, so I decided to go to that one. My server was this older lady who was trying way too hard to impress. She droned on about various specials, none of which interested me; too much foo-foo and not enough yum-yum. The server just kept talking until I began drumming my fingers on the table; it wasn't intentional to be rude, it was just instinct. She obviously realized she lost me somewhere between "Rocco Pollo Mollo" and "Clam DiGornio Mussel Brisque" or what-have-you, so I just ordered some lasagna with a side of fettuccine alfredo; there were few dishes available that piqued my interest. The lady then brought me some bread that can only be described as "creepy," as fellow Yelper Rosemary called it. Just weird. I enjoy the garlic bread sticks at Olive Garden and I loved to dip in olive oil the fresh-out-of-the-wood-burning-oven bread from Pasta Faire, but this was tasteless, stale and lukewarm. And the portion was so small I had to ask for a reorder. The service was fine; nothing special, and the lasagna was about the same as something I stock daily in the frozen food department where I work. The price was about right for such a meal, however. I'm going out on a limb saying this, but I honestly think that Olive Garden was better than what I had, and that's not saying much.
(2)
Wade N.
Good food. Fun ambient a bit on the pricey side.
(3)
Tom A.
Went here today for an early dinner/late lunch. As always the food was good. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo and it was amazing. The service was really good. Our server spent a lot of time explaining specials to us and was very prompt with his service. If you decided to go here go early because it gets crowded around dinner time and there can be a long wait.
(5)
Thomas K.
If you have to eat italian at a chain, this is the one to go to. The food, always tastes like its made with fresh ingredients, and flavored with fresh herbs and spices. The food is definitely not "odd cuts" of meat that are blasted with MSG and salt to make it taste decent. My absolute favorite item on the menu is the Chicken Bryan. Nice solid chicken breast grill perfectly with a nice lemon / butter sauce with sun dried tomatoes and nice rounds of fresh goat cheese on top. You can't go wrong with this! Their fettucini alfredo is also fantastic. Taking the more original approach of the dish, without loads of cream or other thickening ingredients and just going with what counts. The bread is fantastic too. None of these mass produced stereotypical "breadsticks" but instead, fresh out of the oven Italian bread. Hot, with a nice soft ,chewy inside and perfect crusty outside. It really is great! The caesar salad is excellent too. You can really taste the anchovy, cheese, and other ingredients that make caesar salad fantastic. Overall, I love this restaurant, and is one of my favorite all time chain places to eat.
(4)
Brian M.
Sarah T was the best server very cheerful and informative we will be back again. the food here is always the best but even better when you have a GREAT server too.
(5)
PitBull D.
First time ever at any Carrabbas. Generally I don't prefer chains, but this was allright. I favor menu and prices at Macaroni Grill, though. My meal was: Spiedino Di Mare Shrimp and sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce It was excellent. I would order it again. Companions had rather pedestrian selections, spaghetti and meat sauce, and mom ordered the open faced tilapia sandwich but got the meal in error ($6 more) Tilapia Nocciola* Lightly breaded with hazelnuts, topped with roma tomatoes and basil lemon butter sauce One of the waitresses was a dead ringer for Hillary Swank. That was perhaps the most memorable part!
(3)
Jane P.
I have to say that the strangest thing just happened, Tom, who was a great server tonight Apr 29th, gave us our bill and we noticed that we were charged a higher Children's menu amount when all we ordered were 3 sides. We didn't get the side items included in the child's menu but the manager wanted to charge us the higher rate because we had two children. Now my babies have severe allergies and for him to try and "up the bill" in the hope that we didn't see it is downright wrong! The server couldn't make the adjustment only the ignorant manager could. Was it my responsibility to tell him why we didn't order from the children's menu. Shame on you Mr. Manager you made a very bad decision here by compromising guest service for a couple of hidden bucks! Tom, the server, however was very gracious !
(3)
Paul D.
This location apparently starts their call-ahead service until the moment you arrive at the restaurant which is a direct violation of their corporate policy; it is supposed to start the moment you leave a name. For instance we were quoted to show for seating at 8pm, however upon arrival we were told that we'd have to wait another fifteen to forty five minutes; as "their" call ahead service "starts the moment you show".
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
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.
Joe B.
Hit or miss. It seems like your not spending a lot than the service reflects that. Too bad food is ok trying to be italian but epic fail.
(2)Julie T.
I sat up at the cook's bar area with my boyfriend one night. We happily received complimentary mozzarella sticks, their free and delicious bread and their happy hour drinks and we were extremely pleased! The service was fast and friendly. The cooks were helpful and talkative when they could chat between cooking. We ordered the sausage lentil soup with the filet and got the grilled zucchini and mashed potatoes. We always love the sausage soup, and this was the heartiest scoop I've ever had at any Carrabba's. The filet was amazing, I prefer it to have been cooked a little longer, but I noticed that the cook who started our order wasn't cooking it when it was completed. So halfway through someone started cooking a meat that they didn't know how long it was on the grill for (not a good thing). The sides are always amazing and I love the simply grilled veggies.
(4)Rosemary L.
My panini was the size of a wonder bread baloney sandwich and almost as tasty. The service was attentive but we waited for quite a bit for the check. The portions were small and the food wasn't anything special. They use simple recipes that anyone could make at home. There aren't many vegetarian options and most of their soups are made with chicken stock. Save your money and eat at one of the smaller mom and pop Italian restaurants in the area.
(2)Nora C.
Love the food and especially the service. They went out of there way to accommodate my mothers low sodium diet.
(5)Rhonda H.
Just left Carabbas A disaster tonight Waitress came over and first thing she said was I'll be right back She came back and 1/2 way through the drink order she turned and walked away! We asked for a new waitress and we got a nice waitress.However I ordered the Cavitelli Forno special and it listed with chicken. It came with no chicken and she said I had to ask for it! It specifically said with chicken. While waiting for our food I saw three waitresses with dirty aprons. I wonder why restaurant is so empty at 8:00pm Used to be best Italian in Clermont Please fix your problems It
(1)Ryan K.
I generally consider Carrabba's to be an above average Italian chain and this location is no different. On my most recent visit we had a large party of 12 and although they don't take reservations, they were very accommodating. This service was pretty slow on this visit but that was to be somewhat expected given it was right at dinner time and there was another large party seated next to us. Their food options are plentiful, they mix up the choices quite often, and I love their sausage and lentil soup!!
(3)Don C.
Went here last Saturday. I'm a pretty picky / health conscience eater. Before ordering the shrimp and scallops in lemon butter sauce I asked if there was any seasoning or salty topping added. I was informed there was only a light breading and the lemon butter sauce so i ordered it with a side of asparagus. The order came completely covered in salt. I had to scrape the breading off the shrimp and scallops and eat them straight. and I was not able to eat the asparagus at all. Partly to blame myself for not liking to raise a fuss, i should have sent it back and hoped it didn't return with a "special topping". For $23.00 I only got 4 shrimp and 4 scallops that i had to eat plain. I wont be back.
(1)Fred B.
Sundaynight dinner, party of 10. The meal started out fine, then 9:00 pm came and the A/C went off. Became extremely hot, all the members of my party began to get uncomfortable. When it was discussed with the staff they all indicated that it was a normal practice to run people out. Management did not want to deal with the issue. I dropped $300+ on dinner, you would think that we could have just a little comfort! I will not return.
(1)Walt M.
On 1/09/2015 I took my family to this location. Parking is a premium so I dropped my wife and son off and parked. When I came in I asked where my wife and son were, thinking they were seated. They motioned to the waiting area. We sat and watched people come in a get seated right away. After 15 minutes of this my wife asked the manager who apologized and sat us within a few minutes. A plate for the appetizer was dirty and replaced. When the drinks came out all the glasses felt dirty. (I think it was un-rinsed dishwasher powder). They replaced the glasses but the new ones felt the same and my wife's wine was not what she ordered. The salad was wilted and the shrimp and mussels over-cooked. Not horrible but there's too many other places to go to bother with this one again.
(2)L. R.
Service left much to be desired. Waitress tapped foot on ground while taking order, surely a sign of her impatience. When asking about Gluten-free menu, she offered us Whole Wheat pasta. Food delivered to a party of seven in different rounds.
(1)Thomas P.
My wife and I love this place the food is great service is really good we look forward to every visit
(5)Dale E.
The food is great here !!!! They seem to do everything right be it Pork Chicken or Fish.
(4)Lisa J.
After a long hiatus due to 2 rounds of takeout that was mediocre at best, we decided to order takeout from Carabbas. I was told the order would be 15 minutes. Twenty minutes after the time promised, our order was delivered to my car-- wrong. It was a simple order: 2 chicken caesar salads and an order of mussels. We received cold mussels and 2 side caesar salads. I am done Carabbas. Sadly too, since you used to be the best place in town.
(1)Luis G.
I really Like the food at this Carrabas the drinks are decent and the staff is professional and courteous. The only problem is this restaurant is extremely SLOWWWWWWWWW........ It usually takes 30 minutes to get your food after you order. Even on slow days.
(4)Laura D.
I've been to many Carrabba's locations in Central Fl and other states, so I understand this is a chain. Despite that fact, the staff has always made us feel warmly welcomed and provided personable service. Unfortunately, that was not our experience at this location. We were rushed through dinner at a blazing pace. Our server must have decided to give us the bum's rush when we declined drinks and appetizers. Sensing a low check total, she pushed the entrees out to the table before we had finished our salads. It felt more like a McDonalds than a table service meal. Never saw a manager Plus, the clientele are pushy and rude. We have no interest in going back.
(1)Josh M.
We really used to enjoy coming here. But recently the portion sizes have been getting smaller. We asked a Manger about it the first time we noticed and he told us the plates had gotten smaller and that was probably throwing us off...
(3)M A.
This is a very good restaurant. The staff is friendly and do whatever they can to make you happy. The food is great and the bartenders are awesome! I would recommend this place to anyone.
(5)Kent M.
4 of our group here this eve for dinner. Really good. Service was slow, but they were busy. Not sure if I would return. Prob not.
(4)Ellen P.
We're not big on chain eateries, but we have had good meals here; there's an emphasis on freshness and variety, and the seasonings also seem more authentic than the generic-Italian or made-up-Italian of other franchise restaurants. We also loved our waiter, Dominic, who seems to have been recruited right from Central Casting but who was nonetheless a great waiter and good salesperson. Some of our favorites here are the linquine pescatore, penne franco and pollo rosa maria.
(4)Ryan T.
I've always heard about how delicious Carrabba's supposedly is, so I finally decided to give one a try. I've heard stories about the bad service, burned food, and outright incompetence at the one in Lady Lake (which is unfortunately par for the course for a goodly number of chain restaurants in The Villages area; what's up with that, BTW?), so I didn't want to go to that one; I was in Clermont some time ago, so I decided to go to that one. My server was this older lady who was trying way too hard to impress. She droned on about various specials, none of which interested me; too much foo-foo and not enough yum-yum. The server just kept talking until I began drumming my fingers on the table; it wasn't intentional to be rude, it was just instinct. She obviously realized she lost me somewhere between "Rocco Pollo Mollo" and "Clam DiGornio Mussel Brisque" or what-have-you, so I just ordered some lasagna with a side of fettuccine alfredo; there were few dishes available that piqued my interest. The lady then brought me some bread that can only be described as "creepy," as fellow Yelper Rosemary called it. Just weird. I enjoy the garlic bread sticks at Olive Garden and I loved to dip in olive oil the fresh-out-of-the-wood-burning-oven bread from Pasta Faire, but this was tasteless, stale and lukewarm. And the portion was so small I had to ask for a reorder. The service was fine; nothing special, and the lasagna was about the same as something I stock daily in the frozen food department where I work. The price was about right for such a meal, however. I'm going out on a limb saying this, but I honestly think that Olive Garden was better than what I had, and that's not saying much.
(2)Wade N.
Good food. Fun ambient a bit on the pricey side.
(3)Tom A.
Went here today for an early dinner/late lunch. As always the food was good. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo and it was amazing. The service was really good. Our server spent a lot of time explaining specials to us and was very prompt with his service. If you decided to go here go early because it gets crowded around dinner time and there can be a long wait.
(5)Thomas K.
If you have to eat italian at a chain, this is the one to go to. The food, always tastes like its made with fresh ingredients, and flavored with fresh herbs and spices. The food is definitely not "odd cuts" of meat that are blasted with MSG and salt to make it taste decent. My absolute favorite item on the menu is the Chicken Bryan. Nice solid chicken breast grill perfectly with a nice lemon / butter sauce with sun dried tomatoes and nice rounds of fresh goat cheese on top. You can't go wrong with this! Their fettucini alfredo is also fantastic. Taking the more original approach of the dish, without loads of cream or other thickening ingredients and just going with what counts. The bread is fantastic too. None of these mass produced stereotypical "breadsticks" but instead, fresh out of the oven Italian bread. Hot, with a nice soft ,chewy inside and perfect crusty outside. It really is great! The caesar salad is excellent too. You can really taste the anchovy, cheese, and other ingredients that make caesar salad fantastic. Overall, I love this restaurant, and is one of my favorite all time chain places to eat.
(4)Brian M.
Sarah T was the best server very cheerful and informative we will be back again. the food here is always the best but even better when you have a GREAT server too.
(5)PitBull D.
First time ever at any Carrabbas. Generally I don't prefer chains, but this was allright. I favor menu and prices at Macaroni Grill, though. My meal was: Spiedino Di Mare Shrimp and sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce It was excellent. I would order it again. Companions had rather pedestrian selections, spaghetti and meat sauce, and mom ordered the open faced tilapia sandwich but got the meal in error ($6 more) Tilapia Nocciola* Lightly breaded with hazelnuts, topped with roma tomatoes and basil lemon butter sauce One of the waitresses was a dead ringer for Hillary Swank. That was perhaps the most memorable part!
(3)Jane P.
I have to say that the strangest thing just happened, Tom, who was a great server tonight Apr 29th, gave us our bill and we noticed that we were charged a higher Children's menu amount when all we ordered were 3 sides. We didn't get the side items included in the child's menu but the manager wanted to charge us the higher rate because we had two children. Now my babies have severe allergies and for him to try and "up the bill" in the hope that we didn't see it is downright wrong! The server couldn't make the adjustment only the ignorant manager could. Was it my responsibility to tell him why we didn't order from the children's menu. Shame on you Mr. Manager you made a very bad decision here by compromising guest service for a couple of hidden bucks! Tom, the server, however was very gracious !
(3)Paul D.
This location apparently starts their call-ahead service until the moment you arrive at the restaurant which is a direct violation of their corporate policy; it is supposed to start the moment you leave a name. For instance we were quoted to show for seating at 8pm, however upon arrival we were told that we'd have to wait another fifteen to forty five minutes; as "their" call ahead service "starts the moment you show".
(1)