over priced and cold food, unfriendly staff, wont be back
(1)
Tsimos J.
We visited for the first time last night for my girlfriend's birthday. For starters the bread & oil was very good. I ordered the 9 oz wood-grilled sirloin with spicy Sicilian butter. It was cooked to near perfection and was scrumptious. My girlfriend had the Sirloin Marsala and it too was cooked perfectly. Oh and the Marsala sauce was simply awesome. Our waitress Simone deserves a shout-out, she put up with our questions and was just as friendly as can be. Also a shout-out to her manager who gave us a free dessert when she heard it was our first time there. We will DEFINITELY be going back!
(4)
Sharon S.
Great menu. Pastas are good and portions don't disappoint. Friendly staff and quick service.
(4)
Atlantis A.
Over priced for what you get. Food was not up to par. Chicken Marsala was FAR from a marsala! ICK We sat at the bar and had terrible service, then the bartender warmed up a little but too late. Wine was good. That was the only good thing I can say. Over rated establishment.
(1)
Anthony A.
This has been a pleasant experience for a family restaurant. The food is not bad, it's fairly good. The best thing is the bread served while waiting for your meal. Unfortunately, I ate so much bread I couldn't finish my meal. I would be back again.
(4)
Carlie D.
We have went to Carrabba's several times and the food is excellent! If you are a seafood fan, the Spideno De Mar with shrimp and scallops is to die for!. Their sirloin marsala is one of the best steaks I've ever had. We have never had better service at any other restaurant. They are always consistently good with service and always friendly. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.
(5)
Sonny B.
Over-priced mediocrity trying to be upscale. Rude greeters, and a no reservation policy, but you can "call ahead" (you still get in line and handed a pager) it makes no sense at all. Our food came out cold and the portion sizes are ridiculously small. The appetizer was obviously made in a factory, frozen and shipped in. The food was all very bland. Save yourself $60 and go to Olive Garden. Twice.
(1)
Mat M.
I celebrated Thanksgiving here with my family, I know right...not the traditional turkey and dressing family outing... but hey, it works for us. The staff was very attentive and the food was great. It's good to get a consistent chain restaurant that actually cooks the food to order. I'll keep going back..
(4)
Anando S.
Excellent ambiance. Good food. Overall great experience. Try their complimentary warm bread. They have a nice Italian beer too. In the foods the grilled stuff is a must! Quite different from usual stuff.
(4)
Jennifer F.
Yay! Loved the bread served with an olive oil based dip before the meal. The appetizer was good with mozzarella sticks, fried calamari, and brushetta (very tasty with goat cheese and a bit of sweet & spicy bite to it), my husband's salad was very good, fresh and tasty, the boys' pizza was excellent (this is the kind of pizza we had in Italy) and my Chicken Brady with sirloin Marsala (a special), not to mention the green beans were all excellent. Fresh provolone or Parmesan cheese grated over your food by the waiter. I have to mention the little things that I liked as well: the pepper and salt shakers were grinders, which makes a big difference for the quality of the spices, the olive oil was real olive oil of good quality, and the napkins were made of cloth ( great for the environment and so much better than paper). The waiter was very sweet with our four boys even though not very experienced (he attempted to ask our 15 month old son what he wanted to drink... Ha. Yeah, seriously. So sweetly innocent, right?) The kids got crayons and fun coloring/activity books. Kids menu had a lot of choices at $5,50. As a family of 6, we were positively surprised by the bill as well. We have paid a lot more for much worse food! We went on a Wednesday and it was quite busy, I liked the fact that there were people of all ages there too - families, young after work people, older couples in groups, etc.), which made the atmosphere vibrant. Compared to any of the other steakhouse/dinner restaurant type chains, this is in a different, higher class (yet not more expensive), and the best I've had in a long time (and we try new places a lot!).
(4)
Samantha S.
Our waitress was knowledgeable and quick, despite being very busy. Food was AMAZING!! We had the Pasta Weenie, with yummy pasta and shrimp and mushrooms. The bruschetta was delicious and tasteful. I would HIGHLY recommend this restaurant.
(5)
Rick F.
Good service, awesome food; excellent quality for a chain. Not the cheapest, but you definitely get what you pay for and then some. There's really not a bad item on the menu. Bar selection is better than most and desserts are tremendous. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an excellent Italian restaurant.
(5)
Adam N.
This is the best "chain" restaurant by far! They know how to do it. Always fresh (and you can taste it), great service, and reasonable prices. Even when they messed up my dates order last time, we had the manager, general manager, and the server apologizing and offering the dish compted, along with a dessert. They even bagged up the wrong entree for us to take home. Excellent!!!
(5)
Mark W.
Don't listen to any bad reviews about this amazing place. Anyone with any food sense can tell you that this place is amazing. In every way. The chicken Marsala is the BEST! Always busy here. Always a wait Why? Duh. The place has the best food of any chain, hands down. And that includes the 'never fresh' olive garden.
(5)
Melissa B.
I have been to Carrabba's 20+ times. I have NEVER had a bad experience. It's hard to pick a favorite meal because everything is just wonderful - Chicken Bryan, Chicken or Sirloin Marsala, Lobster Ravioli. Amazing. They also have the best calamari anywhere. Carrabba's is always the first stop for my friends and me on our annual Mishawaka Christmas shopping day. Best Italian restaurant in Mishawaka!
(5)
Chris H.
Had dinner here a few weeks ago. We were seated right away and the service was great. The food was amazing. Our server was Abby who was very friendly and attentive. She even brought over pizza dough for our kids to play with while waiting for our dinner. I had the Linguini with seafood which was delicious. I'll be back here for sure.
(5)
Richard B.
Outstanding food and service. Invited special guests to celebrate their engagement. We had such a great experience. Our guests were even provided a special dessert. And, even though they were very busy, we were not rushed. Very professional.
(5)
T K.
Definitely get the blackberry sangria. You won't regret it. The food is pretty good. I'm happy with my food most of the time. I've been coming here since I was a kid. They use plenty of herbs in most of their cooking, which is great for me. It's less great for people who like really plain food, like my dad. It's the best Italian you'll get in the Grape Road area.
(4)
Ann D.
Bread was warm and tasty. The chicken parmigiana was delicious, but they charge extra to change from spaghetti noodles to angel hair pasta. Lasagna was delicious. Cozy feel to a big chain restaurant. I would eat here again. Like that they put a spicy twist in one of their sauces and you choose the sauce you would like with your pasta.
(3)
MK S.
Good luck if you don't have reservation. The wait to sit down is still pretty long even if you do have a reservation. Izzy and Kelsey (previous reviews) are pretty accurate in describing the ambiance. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because of their great fried calamari--which is one of the best I have had here in northern Indiana.
(3)
Lauren M.
I've been to Carrabba's 20+ times and have never been disappointed with the food. It's absolutely great. The food has a ton of flavor which I love! Even the bread you get, which is excellent by the way, is served with olive oil and a lot os herbs and spices. The prices are also extremely reasonable, you really do get more than what you pay for. The first time I went there a waitress told me I had to get the Mama Mandola's Chicken Soup and I am so glad I listened! It's the best chicken soup you will ever have -- lots of flavor, fresh vegetables, and rotissery style chicken that is delicious. Some other things I would reccomend are the pesto cavattapi and the caprese salad. The salad is not on the menu but they'll make it for you if you ask and it comes with some great pesto on the side. The only thing I've ever ordered there that I was not completely blown away by was the pizza. Other than that, everything has been great and extremely affordable. The wait can be sort of long sometimes, but one good thing is that you can always call in for take-out and they'll delivery it right to your car! I absolutely reccomend this place.
(5)
Rebecca B.
Got the Lobster Mac and cheese and it was served pretty cold. The lobster seemed kind of fishy tasting. Bread and dipping oil was good. My husband had Spaghetti with sausage. He said the Spaghetti was bland and the sausage was just laying on top and he had to cut it up into pieces himself. He was expecting to have it incorporated into the Spaghetti. Sausage and lentil soup was good. Service was good.
(3)
Justin H.
Fantastico!!! Always great service and great food. Have never had an issue with staff or food. Everything on the menu has been great. Have tried something different every time. Its our favorite restaurant!!!!
(5)
Javid D.
Much improved.
(4)
Maurine M.
This was my first visit to Carrabba's because I'm a student in South Bend and we don't have any Carrabba's in my part of Chicagoland. We thought we'd give it a try since we're big on Italian food and eat at Papa Vino's all the time. Their system of taking reservations is shameful. We had a reservation for 7:30 for 6 people including my elderly diabetic grandmother. We made the reservation almost a week in advance and they assured us they would have a nice table for us. We arrived to check in at 7:20 and were not seated until after 8:10, forty minutes after our reservation. While we waited, they shooed us over to the bar to wait even though three people out of six were significantly and visibly underage. We almost left except that it was a busy weekend and there was no where else to go without a reservation. They didn't even apologize for seating us over a half hour late. Then they put us at a tiny table that is clearly meant for 4 or MAYBE 5 people. The restaurant was incredibly loud. I'm not sure why but it seemed like everyone in the entire restaurant was shouting. The lighting was far too dim and the menu was... gross. I've been all over Italy, and let me tell you, what they "serve" is NOT Italian food. Everything tasted like fried Velveeta. The service was horrible. I sat with a completely empty glass for twenty minutes (!!!) and had to ask several passing wait staff to either get me another drink or to please ask our server to get it. I finally received a refill... it was a regular Coke (or Pepsi, whichever) and I had ordered a Diet. We also informed the server that we needed to get an appetizer out quickly because my grandmother's blood sugar was tumbling and we were supposed to have been seated forty minutes earlier. Her response? "I can't make them cook things any faster just because she's diabetic." I kid you not. I hate complaining in restaurants and I try to never be rude to wait staff. However, everything about this place was completely inexcusable. From reservations to seating to the disgusting menu and horrible service, the management (or lack thereof) of this place is seriously irresponsible. I will NEVER return to this or any other Carrabba's, a sad excuse for an Italian restaurant. Carrabba's in general is dishonest, loud, and rude. Save your time, money, and frustration and go to Papa Vino's instead.
(1)
Izzy N.
This reminds me of a lesser known American Italian chain like Olive Garden but much darker in lighting. MUCH darker. I'm all about some dim lighting sometimes, especially when I'm lookin real rough, but Turn on some lights damn it. Great calamari, their chicken caesar salad is effin huge. It comes in a huge bowl. That's all I ordered.. the restaurant choice was not mine and I dislike Italian food so the salad and appetizer sufficed. It's pretty crowded and noisey, I guess typical of any chain around mishawaka/south bend. It'd be a good date spot.
(3)
Tom K.
This is a great Italian restaurant - everything is made fresh right there. If you have to indulge then you have to try the fried chesse and then anything else on the menu is awesome as well. Save room for dessert and get the chocolate dessert it is an adult ho ho! Ask for server Ryan and make sure you ask him to do his killer Christopher Walken impression!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : 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.
Red P.
over priced and cold food, unfriendly staff, wont be back
(1)Tsimos J.
We visited for the first time last night for my girlfriend's birthday. For starters the bread & oil was very good. I ordered the 9 oz wood-grilled sirloin with spicy Sicilian butter. It was cooked to near perfection and was scrumptious. My girlfriend had the Sirloin Marsala and it too was cooked perfectly. Oh and the Marsala sauce was simply awesome. Our waitress Simone deserves a shout-out, she put up with our questions and was just as friendly as can be. Also a shout-out to her manager who gave us a free dessert when she heard it was our first time there. We will DEFINITELY be going back!
(4)Sharon S.
Great menu. Pastas are good and portions don't disappoint. Friendly staff and quick service.
(4)Atlantis A.
Over priced for what you get. Food was not up to par. Chicken Marsala was FAR from a marsala! ICK We sat at the bar and had terrible service, then the bartender warmed up a little but too late. Wine was good. That was the only good thing I can say. Over rated establishment.
(1)Anthony A.
This has been a pleasant experience for a family restaurant. The food is not bad, it's fairly good. The best thing is the bread served while waiting for your meal. Unfortunately, I ate so much bread I couldn't finish my meal. I would be back again.
(4)Carlie D.
We have went to Carrabba's several times and the food is excellent! If you are a seafood fan, the Spideno De Mar with shrimp and scallops is to die for!. Their sirloin marsala is one of the best steaks I've ever had. We have never had better service at any other restaurant. They are always consistently good with service and always friendly. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.
(5)Sonny B.
Over-priced mediocrity trying to be upscale. Rude greeters, and a no reservation policy, but you can "call ahead" (you still get in line and handed a pager) it makes no sense at all. Our food came out cold and the portion sizes are ridiculously small. The appetizer was obviously made in a factory, frozen and shipped in. The food was all very bland. Save yourself $60 and go to Olive Garden. Twice.
(1)Mat M.
I celebrated Thanksgiving here with my family, I know right...not the traditional turkey and dressing family outing... but hey, it works for us. The staff was very attentive and the food was great. It's good to get a consistent chain restaurant that actually cooks the food to order. I'll keep going back..
(4)Anando S.
Excellent ambiance. Good food. Overall great experience. Try their complimentary warm bread. They have a nice Italian beer too. In the foods the grilled stuff is a must! Quite different from usual stuff.
(4)Jennifer F.
Yay! Loved the bread served with an olive oil based dip before the meal. The appetizer was good with mozzarella sticks, fried calamari, and brushetta (very tasty with goat cheese and a bit of sweet & spicy bite to it), my husband's salad was very good, fresh and tasty, the boys' pizza was excellent (this is the kind of pizza we had in Italy) and my Chicken Brady with sirloin Marsala (a special), not to mention the green beans were all excellent. Fresh provolone or Parmesan cheese grated over your food by the waiter. I have to mention the little things that I liked as well: the pepper and salt shakers were grinders, which makes a big difference for the quality of the spices, the olive oil was real olive oil of good quality, and the napkins were made of cloth ( great for the environment and so much better than paper). The waiter was very sweet with our four boys even though not very experienced (he attempted to ask our 15 month old son what he wanted to drink... Ha. Yeah, seriously. So sweetly innocent, right?) The kids got crayons and fun coloring/activity books. Kids menu had a lot of choices at $5,50. As a family of 6, we were positively surprised by the bill as well. We have paid a lot more for much worse food! We went on a Wednesday and it was quite busy, I liked the fact that there were people of all ages there too - families, young after work people, older couples in groups, etc.), which made the atmosphere vibrant. Compared to any of the other steakhouse/dinner restaurant type chains, this is in a different, higher class (yet not more expensive), and the best I've had in a long time (and we try new places a lot!).
(4)Samantha S.
Our waitress was knowledgeable and quick, despite being very busy. Food was AMAZING!! We had the Pasta Weenie, with yummy pasta and shrimp and mushrooms. The bruschetta was delicious and tasteful. I would HIGHLY recommend this restaurant.
(5)Rick F.
Good service, awesome food; excellent quality for a chain. Not the cheapest, but you definitely get what you pay for and then some. There's really not a bad item on the menu. Bar selection is better than most and desserts are tremendous. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an excellent Italian restaurant.
(5)Adam N.
This is the best "chain" restaurant by far! They know how to do it. Always fresh (and you can taste it), great service, and reasonable prices. Even when they messed up my dates order last time, we had the manager, general manager, and the server apologizing and offering the dish compted, along with a dessert. They even bagged up the wrong entree for us to take home. Excellent!!!
(5)Mark W.
Don't listen to any bad reviews about this amazing place. Anyone with any food sense can tell you that this place is amazing. In every way. The chicken Marsala is the BEST! Always busy here. Always a wait Why? Duh. The place has the best food of any chain, hands down. And that includes the 'never fresh' olive garden.
(5)Melissa B.
I have been to Carrabba's 20+ times. I have NEVER had a bad experience. It's hard to pick a favorite meal because everything is just wonderful - Chicken Bryan, Chicken or Sirloin Marsala, Lobster Ravioli. Amazing. They also have the best calamari anywhere. Carrabba's is always the first stop for my friends and me on our annual Mishawaka Christmas shopping day. Best Italian restaurant in Mishawaka!
(5)Chris H.
Had dinner here a few weeks ago. We were seated right away and the service was great. The food was amazing. Our server was Abby who was very friendly and attentive. She even brought over pizza dough for our kids to play with while waiting for our dinner. I had the Linguini with seafood which was delicious. I'll be back here for sure.
(5)Richard B.
Outstanding food and service. Invited special guests to celebrate their engagement. We had such a great experience. Our guests were even provided a special dessert. And, even though they were very busy, we were not rushed. Very professional.
(5)T K.
Definitely get the blackberry sangria. You won't regret it. The food is pretty good. I'm happy with my food most of the time. I've been coming here since I was a kid. They use plenty of herbs in most of their cooking, which is great for me. It's less great for people who like really plain food, like my dad. It's the best Italian you'll get in the Grape Road area.
(4)Ann D.
Bread was warm and tasty. The chicken parmigiana was delicious, but they charge extra to change from spaghetti noodles to angel hair pasta. Lasagna was delicious. Cozy feel to a big chain restaurant. I would eat here again. Like that they put a spicy twist in one of their sauces and you choose the sauce you would like with your pasta.
(3)MK S.
Good luck if you don't have reservation. The wait to sit down is still pretty long even if you do have a reservation. Izzy and Kelsey (previous reviews) are pretty accurate in describing the ambiance. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because of their great fried calamari--which is one of the best I have had here in northern Indiana.
(3)Lauren M.
I've been to Carrabba's 20+ times and have never been disappointed with the food. It's absolutely great. The food has a ton of flavor which I love! Even the bread you get, which is excellent by the way, is served with olive oil and a lot os herbs and spices. The prices are also extremely reasonable, you really do get more than what you pay for. The first time I went there a waitress told me I had to get the Mama Mandola's Chicken Soup and I am so glad I listened! It's the best chicken soup you will ever have -- lots of flavor, fresh vegetables, and rotissery style chicken that is delicious. Some other things I would reccomend are the pesto cavattapi and the caprese salad. The salad is not on the menu but they'll make it for you if you ask and it comes with some great pesto on the side. The only thing I've ever ordered there that I was not completely blown away by was the pizza. Other than that, everything has been great and extremely affordable. The wait can be sort of long sometimes, but one good thing is that you can always call in for take-out and they'll delivery it right to your car! I absolutely reccomend this place.
(5)Rebecca B.
Got the Lobster Mac and cheese and it was served pretty cold. The lobster seemed kind of fishy tasting. Bread and dipping oil was good. My husband had Spaghetti with sausage. He said the Spaghetti was bland and the sausage was just laying on top and he had to cut it up into pieces himself. He was expecting to have it incorporated into the Spaghetti. Sausage and lentil soup was good. Service was good.
(3)Justin H.
Fantastico!!! Always great service and great food. Have never had an issue with staff or food. Everything on the menu has been great. Have tried something different every time. Its our favorite restaurant!!!!
(5)Javid D.
Much improved.
(4)Maurine M.
This was my first visit to Carrabba's because I'm a student in South Bend and we don't have any Carrabba's in my part of Chicagoland. We thought we'd give it a try since we're big on Italian food and eat at Papa Vino's all the time. Their system of taking reservations is shameful. We had a reservation for 7:30 for 6 people including my elderly diabetic grandmother. We made the reservation almost a week in advance and they assured us they would have a nice table for us. We arrived to check in at 7:20 and were not seated until after 8:10, forty minutes after our reservation. While we waited, they shooed us over to the bar to wait even though three people out of six were significantly and visibly underage. We almost left except that it was a busy weekend and there was no where else to go without a reservation. They didn't even apologize for seating us over a half hour late. Then they put us at a tiny table that is clearly meant for 4 or MAYBE 5 people. The restaurant was incredibly loud. I'm not sure why but it seemed like everyone in the entire restaurant was shouting. The lighting was far too dim and the menu was... gross. I've been all over Italy, and let me tell you, what they "serve" is NOT Italian food. Everything tasted like fried Velveeta. The service was horrible. I sat with a completely empty glass for twenty minutes (!!!) and had to ask several passing wait staff to either get me another drink or to please ask our server to get it. I finally received a refill... it was a regular Coke (or Pepsi, whichever) and I had ordered a Diet. We also informed the server that we needed to get an appetizer out quickly because my grandmother's blood sugar was tumbling and we were supposed to have been seated forty minutes earlier. Her response? "I can't make them cook things any faster just because she's diabetic." I kid you not. I hate complaining in restaurants and I try to never be rude to wait staff. However, everything about this place was completely inexcusable. From reservations to seating to the disgusting menu and horrible service, the management (or lack thereof) of this place is seriously irresponsible. I will NEVER return to this or any other Carrabba's, a sad excuse for an Italian restaurant. Carrabba's in general is dishonest, loud, and rude. Save your time, money, and frustration and go to Papa Vino's instead.
(1)Izzy N.
This reminds me of a lesser known American Italian chain like Olive Garden but much darker in lighting. MUCH darker. I'm all about some dim lighting sometimes, especially when I'm lookin real rough, but Turn on some lights damn it. Great calamari, their chicken caesar salad is effin huge. It comes in a huge bowl. That's all I ordered.. the restaurant choice was not mine and I dislike Italian food so the salad and appetizer sufficed. It's pretty crowded and noisey, I guess typical of any chain around mishawaka/south bend. It'd be a good date spot.
(3)Tom K.
This is a great Italian restaurant - everything is made fresh right there. If you have to indulge then you have to try the fried chesse and then anything else on the menu is awesome as well. Save room for dessert and get the chocolate dessert it is an adult ho ho! Ask for server Ryan and make sure you ask him to do his killer Christopher Walken impression!
(4)