Yet another chain review! Ok, so I've only been here twice, and had the same thing both times. Spaghetti and meatballs. Me and the pregnant girl actually had the same thing... You get a HUGE serving of spag, and balls here. You can def split it into 2 meals. The beer and drink selection is pretty good, and their "Carrabbarita" was pretty good. So basically the spag is ok... It's not great. The sauce is not stellar... What really shined here for me was the soup. The tiny cup I got before my meal was better than the whole meal (minus the bread and olive oil). I got Grandmas original chicken soup. It was nice and hearty, and a bit spicy! I'll come back here again, just to eat a bowl of this. The menu is kinda small, and I'm super picky. So I'm not sure if i'll try anything else. To break it down simply. I spent $50 for 2 bowls of spaghetti and 2 drinks... Not worth it... BUT they have curb side carry out, and 2 bowls of soup for $12 is def worth it. They also supply bread and oil in carry outs of soup. Now thats a decent meal for 2 on the cheap. Go, try it, you may love it. It's always packed, so other stuff they make must be good.
(3)
Shen J.
Not bad, not great. If you like the Olive Garden then you'll love Carrabba's. I've been here twice and I enjoyed the "Rambo" pasta, but the "Speidino" (however you spell it) wasn't so good. I also like their salad. The standout dish here though is the mussel appetizer. It's good enough to raise Carrabba's to 3.5 stars, but 3 stars for now until I find another standout dish.
(3)
Mark H.
OK, so it is a national chain restaurant. While I generally prefer the local fare any day of the week, Carrabba's makes the cut for me and I try to visit a few times a year. The Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu is excellent. Big slabs of roasted garlic with a nice mix of tomatoes and herbs make this dish a winner. I get it with the chicken, and then ask for them to add mushrooms. The mushrooms are an undocumented add that a waiter suggested a few years ago and has been a win ever since. The Chicken Bryan, Pasta Weesie, and Pollo Rosa Maria are also great choices. Call ahead to get your name on the list on Friday or Saturday night, at least at this location. Since Carrabba's isn't on every other street corner in Metro Detroit, the few that have found this place keep coming back and you'll be waiting for a table along with them. Service has generally been good, some of the wait staff is a little more on the ball than others, but I've not had any I would complain about. To just put things in perspective, I find other Italian chains like Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden really bland, but will return to Carrabba's again and again.
(5)
Dani W.
Even though it is a chain restaurant, I love the quality and taste of the food. The staff is always willing to accommodate special requests.
(4)
Jeff V.
Quality and consistency, Great service! The Calamari Ricardo is Fantastic!
(4)
Craig M.
Very , very good Italian chain restaurant. 4 locations in the Metro area makes it a chain, but then again so is Andiamo. I've had much better meals at Carrabba's than at Macaroni Grill and for far less money that Andiamo. $89 for 4 adults with a bottle of a decent Chianti Reserva averages out to $22 each. Their signature sauce is Marsala offered over chicken ($15) or Sirloin Steak ($18). I had the 10oz Sirloin Marsala this trip and it was fantastic. Prepared to a perfect Medium Rare and served with a choice of sides. I chose the Spaghetti with meat sauce (hey, I was in a red meat kinda mood). The Minestrone soup was Tuscan style with crisp fresh veggies. My daughter could not finish her Risotto di Mare with mussels, fish, shrimp, scallops and clams, so I had a taste.. Unintended Surf & Turf. It too was outstanding leaving me with a dilemma for the next trip. The service was outstanding as well. All and all a top rate meal for a reasonable price. No no... keep the price out of it. It was a top rate meal period.
(4)
Mike W.
Awesome experience on Father's Day. Surprised it wasn't as busy given the holiday. Wood grilled chicken with goat cheese was fantastic. Although it's a little pricy, I have to say this is my new favorite chain Italian restaurant.
(5)
Shae C.
Delish ! I love, love, LOVE their crab cakes with the roasted red pepper sauce ! Sometimes I order 2 portions of this alone (since it's an appetizer). The chicken & spinach cannelloni is really good & I love their sangria & the bread dip. My only complaint is the menu is WAY small so I usually end up ordering between the same 3 things.
(4)
Tony S.
I like how at about 11:30am (right before lunch) you're at work and a Carrabba's radio commercial comes on talking about some dish they cook and how they prepare it with lemon, garlic, sizzling or whatever. Well, thanks for bragging on your food when I'm hungry already, is it good marketing or just irritating? Both. Well, I thought I'd call them on their commercial. I went there last year looking for a place to have a gathering, someone suggested this place and I had never been there before. What did I have? Chicken Bryan. At an Italian place? Sounds Irish. Yeah well, it looked like something they were proud of so I tried it. Not bad. There was something in the goat cheese that gave a very sharp savory tang that took me about 5 minutes to figure out that it was an anchovy. That was the highlight of the the Chicken Bryan, the burst of flavor from an a real good quality anchovy. The other thing that was good were the garlic croutons. Very good. Sounds like I loved it right? No. Just 2 good things don't rock my world. Croutons and an anchovy. Although this is a review from last summer, I can tell you if I can't remember anything else then it wasn't that great (it wasn't bad, just not great) Oh, and I remember one other thing, the guy up front (I thought it was the manager I'm not sure) we came up after dinner to ask about where we would sit if we had a group here and he answered her question like he was annoyed. Could have been a misunderstanding (it was pretty noisy) and I will give them another chance to try some other things on the menu but this did not leave a good impression. *** update 4/26/11 ok, I told my girl how I reviewed this place and to my amazement she said that she loved it! After we left the place I thought that she had the same impressions as me (that was not the case) She really loved the Chicken dish she had (although she did mention she thought it was too expensive). I based my 2.75 stars on the fact we both felt the same way, well they still ultimately still only get 3 stars but I am raising them (on my scale) from 2.75 to 3. 25 stars 3.25 Stars
(3)
Fern G.
Perfect in every way! Bread, soup, & apps are excellent. Pizza is awesome. Shrimp scampi app is to die for. Chicken Bryan, steak, lasagna, pastas of all kinds, EVERYTHING here is fantastic. I'm a Carrabba's fan for life!
(5)
L C.
So good that I forget it is a chain restaurant! Chicken Bryan is flavorful, tender, and topped with creamy goat cheese. The mashed potatoes are a must. Service is always friendly and attentive.
(4)
Brie B.
Every time I come here,I always swear that I'm never coming back. That being said, I still haven't managed to break free of the Carrabas spell that i'm apparently under. First and foremost, this food is WAY better than the garbage they serve at Olive Garden. However, the price continues to piss me off. I understand they are serving decent quality food, but i feel that almost 17 dollars for chicken marsala seems a bit steep for a chain restaurant. Both the food and service are wildly inconsistent. Weirdly, every time I order the marsala, both my food AND servers are excellent. Other times when i stray away from the marsala and try something different, I always regret it. The one time i ordered a bowl of pasta (tasted as good as something I could've made at home), the server snatched our bowls away even though we weren't done eating. Order the marsala, perhaps a glass of wine, and head somewhere else for dessert. oh, and be prepared to wait forever to get a table.
(4)
Jimmo X.
Jim and Mo debated between 3 and 4 stars. The main pasta courses were ok - nothing special. The Caprise appetizer and bread with spices really hit the spot. We were surprised the pasta came with salad, and after ordering a shared dessert, we had a load of food for 40 bucks. The restaurant was nearly empty when we were there, but we were impressed with the quality of service.
(4)
Darth V.
Not bad but not great in any way. Very generic Italian tastes, with an overpriced menu. Portions are pretty small and the side pasta is some strange twisted Kraft macaroni hybrid thing. Chicken parm was $15 and is literally a split thin breast. Save your money.
(3)
Hussouni S.
A horrible experience that could have been easily resolved and made pleasant, but the managers lack of experience in customer service was evident.. The greeting at the door and immediate seating was prompt and courteous, but that's where the buck stopped.. A friend of mine and I went in for a late dinner, he loves Carrabba's and turned me also into Carraba's a fan...He has been frequenting Carrabbas for years before when they even came in to existence in the state Michigan.. So he is familiar with the food, and always orders his favorite dish the Chicken Trio.. So this visit was no different for him he order his usual and I ordered the chicken parmeisgian and lasagna combo.. When the food came out mine was cooked to perfection, but his on the other hand was undercooked, where the chicken was raw looking, pink in color, and chewy in texture, since he did take a bite he was a little nervous of a food born illness. He had a bite and asked me if it looked raw and I was quick to respond, stop eating eat and don't eat the other chicken either, fearing of salmonella.. After about ten minutes, we got the waitress's attention and told her about the issue..She looked at the chicken and was quick to respond and say "yes that looks undercooked, and sorry about that we will handle this immediately".. A few minutes go by and the manager comes to the table..So we were assuming she was going to apologize and cook us a new one, instead she takes down our names and telephone numbers and starts questioning us like we were involved in a crime and she was the officer responsible for taking the report..I look at him and tell him "that was a awkward, an interrogation for an undercooked meal?" She left and said she would bring us out a new one, we were OK with that, but still found it strange to be interrogated for a piece of chicken.. About 15 minutes pass and the waitress brings out the new well cooked free of semolinela chicken, at this time he was eating alone since I was done with my meal.. Whats the point of even eating dinner with someone if you don't eat at the same time?. Then the manager (Andrea) comes to the table, So we started to think, oh she is going to come and apologize for the way she approached us, but no that wasn't the case.. she pretty much said there was nothing wrong with the chicken and they always under cook chicken to keep it tender .. Really undercooked chicken???? and she goes on saying that she had some earlier like that with her pasta and nothing happened to her.. she kept telling my buddy you'll be OK.. no apology at all just pretty much calling us liars, while the waitress saw what we were talking about and even herself said it was undercooked.. So at this time I was fed up and promised myself I would never spend a dollar at another Carrabba's again.,. I also went on telling the waitress that I found the way her manager handled the situation was not in the manner of a well trained manager in a food establishment..and went on telling her that this could have resolved with an apology and a well cooked piece of chicken.. The chicken issue made a somewhat unpleasant food experience and the interrogation and false accusations made it an all round food and service disaster... with the right customer service and approach this could have been resolved... The waitress goes on telling me this excuse " you know these last 2 days have been hectic here" what kind of excuse is that? I left so disappointed in all these years of eating at food establishments I have never experienced such horrible customer service! I went from loving Carrabbas food to never wanting to go to any of their locations again so I never have to experience this kind of treatment again...managers are trained from the top so its safe to assume that all locations are trained the same... bye bye Carrabbas
(1)
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Address :44695 Schoenherr Rd
Sterling Heights, MI, 48313
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.
Dan O.
Yet another chain review! Ok, so I've only been here twice, and had the same thing both times. Spaghetti and meatballs. Me and the pregnant girl actually had the same thing... You get a HUGE serving of spag, and balls here. You can def split it into 2 meals. The beer and drink selection is pretty good, and their "Carrabbarita" was pretty good. So basically the spag is ok... It's not great. The sauce is not stellar... What really shined here for me was the soup. The tiny cup I got before my meal was better than the whole meal (minus the bread and olive oil). I got Grandmas original chicken soup. It was nice and hearty, and a bit spicy! I'll come back here again, just to eat a bowl of this. The menu is kinda small, and I'm super picky. So I'm not sure if i'll try anything else. To break it down simply. I spent $50 for 2 bowls of spaghetti and 2 drinks... Not worth it... BUT they have curb side carry out, and 2 bowls of soup for $12 is def worth it. They also supply bread and oil in carry outs of soup. Now thats a decent meal for 2 on the cheap. Go, try it, you may love it. It's always packed, so other stuff they make must be good.
(3)Shen J.
Not bad, not great. If you like the Olive Garden then you'll love Carrabba's. I've been here twice and I enjoyed the "Rambo" pasta, but the "Speidino" (however you spell it) wasn't so good. I also like their salad. The standout dish here though is the mussel appetizer. It's good enough to raise Carrabba's to 3.5 stars, but 3 stars for now until I find another standout dish.
(3)Mark H.
OK, so it is a national chain restaurant. While I generally prefer the local fare any day of the week, Carrabba's makes the cut for me and I try to visit a few times a year. The Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu is excellent. Big slabs of roasted garlic with a nice mix of tomatoes and herbs make this dish a winner. I get it with the chicken, and then ask for them to add mushrooms. The mushrooms are an undocumented add that a waiter suggested a few years ago and has been a win ever since. The Chicken Bryan, Pasta Weesie, and Pollo Rosa Maria are also great choices. Call ahead to get your name on the list on Friday or Saturday night, at least at this location. Since Carrabba's isn't on every other street corner in Metro Detroit, the few that have found this place keep coming back and you'll be waiting for a table along with them. Service has generally been good, some of the wait staff is a little more on the ball than others, but I've not had any I would complain about. To just put things in perspective, I find other Italian chains like Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden really bland, but will return to Carrabba's again and again.
(5)Dani W.
Even though it is a chain restaurant, I love the quality and taste of the food. The staff is always willing to accommodate special requests.
(4)Jeff V.
Quality and consistency, Great service! The Calamari Ricardo is Fantastic!
(4)Craig M.
Very , very good Italian chain restaurant. 4 locations in the Metro area makes it a chain, but then again so is Andiamo. I've had much better meals at Carrabba's than at Macaroni Grill and for far less money that Andiamo. $89 for 4 adults with a bottle of a decent Chianti Reserva averages out to $22 each. Their signature sauce is Marsala offered over chicken ($15) or Sirloin Steak ($18). I had the 10oz Sirloin Marsala this trip and it was fantastic. Prepared to a perfect Medium Rare and served with a choice of sides. I chose the Spaghetti with meat sauce (hey, I was in a red meat kinda mood). The Minestrone soup was Tuscan style with crisp fresh veggies. My daughter could not finish her Risotto di Mare with mussels, fish, shrimp, scallops and clams, so I had a taste.. Unintended Surf & Turf. It too was outstanding leaving me with a dilemma for the next trip. The service was outstanding as well. All and all a top rate meal for a reasonable price. No no... keep the price out of it. It was a top rate meal period.
(4)Mike W.
Awesome experience on Father's Day. Surprised it wasn't as busy given the holiday. Wood grilled chicken with goat cheese was fantastic. Although it's a little pricy, I have to say this is my new favorite chain Italian restaurant.
(5)Shae C.
Delish ! I love, love, LOVE their crab cakes with the roasted red pepper sauce ! Sometimes I order 2 portions of this alone (since it's an appetizer). The chicken & spinach cannelloni is really good & I love their sangria & the bread dip. My only complaint is the menu is WAY small so I usually end up ordering between the same 3 things.
(4)Tony S.
I like how at about 11:30am (right before lunch) you're at work and a Carrabba's radio commercial comes on talking about some dish they cook and how they prepare it with lemon, garlic, sizzling or whatever. Well, thanks for bragging on your food when I'm hungry already, is it good marketing or just irritating? Both. Well, I thought I'd call them on their commercial. I went there last year looking for a place to have a gathering, someone suggested this place and I had never been there before. What did I have? Chicken Bryan. At an Italian place? Sounds Irish. Yeah well, it looked like something they were proud of so I tried it. Not bad. There was something in the goat cheese that gave a very sharp savory tang that took me about 5 minutes to figure out that it was an anchovy. That was the highlight of the the Chicken Bryan, the burst of flavor from an a real good quality anchovy. The other thing that was good were the garlic croutons. Very good. Sounds like I loved it right? No. Just 2 good things don't rock my world. Croutons and an anchovy. Although this is a review from last summer, I can tell you if I can't remember anything else then it wasn't that great (it wasn't bad, just not great) Oh, and I remember one other thing, the guy up front (I thought it was the manager I'm not sure) we came up after dinner to ask about where we would sit if we had a group here and he answered her question like he was annoyed. Could have been a misunderstanding (it was pretty noisy) and I will give them another chance to try some other things on the menu but this did not leave a good impression. *** update 4/26/11 ok, I told my girl how I reviewed this place and to my amazement she said that she loved it! After we left the place I thought that she had the same impressions as me (that was not the case) She really loved the Chicken dish she had (although she did mention she thought it was too expensive). I based my 2.75 stars on the fact we both felt the same way, well they still ultimately still only get 3 stars but I am raising them (on my scale) from 2.75 to 3. 25 stars 3.25 Stars
(3)Fern G.
Perfect in every way! Bread, soup, & apps are excellent. Pizza is awesome. Shrimp scampi app is to die for. Chicken Bryan, steak, lasagna, pastas of all kinds, EVERYTHING here is fantastic. I'm a Carrabba's fan for life!
(5)L C.
So good that I forget it is a chain restaurant! Chicken Bryan is flavorful, tender, and topped with creamy goat cheese. The mashed potatoes are a must. Service is always friendly and attentive.
(4)Brie B.
Every time I come here,I always swear that I'm never coming back. That being said, I still haven't managed to break free of the Carrabas spell that i'm apparently under. First and foremost, this food is WAY better than the garbage they serve at Olive Garden. However, the price continues to piss me off. I understand they are serving decent quality food, but i feel that almost 17 dollars for chicken marsala seems a bit steep for a chain restaurant. Both the food and service are wildly inconsistent. Weirdly, every time I order the marsala, both my food AND servers are excellent. Other times when i stray away from the marsala and try something different, I always regret it. The one time i ordered a bowl of pasta (tasted as good as something I could've made at home), the server snatched our bowls away even though we weren't done eating. Order the marsala, perhaps a glass of wine, and head somewhere else for dessert. oh, and be prepared to wait forever to get a table.
(4)Jimmo X.
Jim and Mo debated between 3 and 4 stars. The main pasta courses were ok - nothing special. The Caprise appetizer and bread with spices really hit the spot. We were surprised the pasta came with salad, and after ordering a shared dessert, we had a load of food for 40 bucks. The restaurant was nearly empty when we were there, but we were impressed with the quality of service.
(4)Darth V.
Not bad but not great in any way. Very generic Italian tastes, with an overpriced menu. Portions are pretty small and the side pasta is some strange twisted Kraft macaroni hybrid thing. Chicken parm was $15 and is literally a split thin breast. Save your money.
(3)Hussouni S.
A horrible experience that could have been easily resolved and made pleasant, but the managers lack of experience in customer service was evident.. The greeting at the door and immediate seating was prompt and courteous, but that's where the buck stopped.. A friend of mine and I went in for a late dinner, he loves Carrabba's and turned me also into Carraba's a fan...He has been frequenting Carrabbas for years before when they even came in to existence in the state Michigan.. So he is familiar with the food, and always orders his favorite dish the Chicken Trio.. So this visit was no different for him he order his usual and I ordered the chicken parmeisgian and lasagna combo.. When the food came out mine was cooked to perfection, but his on the other hand was undercooked, where the chicken was raw looking, pink in color, and chewy in texture, since he did take a bite he was a little nervous of a food born illness. He had a bite and asked me if it looked raw and I was quick to respond, stop eating eat and don't eat the other chicken either, fearing of salmonella.. After about ten minutes, we got the waitress's attention and told her about the issue..She looked at the chicken and was quick to respond and say "yes that looks undercooked, and sorry about that we will handle this immediately".. A few minutes go by and the manager comes to the table..So we were assuming she was going to apologize and cook us a new one, instead she takes down our names and telephone numbers and starts questioning us like we were involved in a crime and she was the officer responsible for taking the report..I look at him and tell him "that was a awkward, an interrogation for an undercooked meal?" She left and said she would bring us out a new one, we were OK with that, but still found it strange to be interrogated for a piece of chicken.. About 15 minutes pass and the waitress brings out the new well cooked free of semolinela chicken, at this time he was eating alone since I was done with my meal.. Whats the point of even eating dinner with someone if you don't eat at the same time?. Then the manager (Andrea) comes to the table, So we started to think, oh she is going to come and apologize for the way she approached us, but no that wasn't the case.. she pretty much said there was nothing wrong with the chicken and they always under cook chicken to keep it tender .. Really undercooked chicken???? and she goes on saying that she had some earlier like that with her pasta and nothing happened to her.. she kept telling my buddy you'll be OK.. no apology at all just pretty much calling us liars, while the waitress saw what we were talking about and even herself said it was undercooked.. So at this time I was fed up and promised myself I would never spend a dollar at another Carrabba's again.,. I also went on telling the waitress that I found the way her manager handled the situation was not in the manner of a well trained manager in a food establishment..and went on telling her that this could have resolved with an apology and a well cooked piece of chicken.. The chicken issue made a somewhat unpleasant food experience and the interrogation and false accusations made it an all round food and service disaster... with the right customer service and approach this could have been resolved... The waitress goes on telling me this excuse " you know these last 2 days have been hectic here" what kind of excuse is that? I left so disappointed in all these years of eating at food establishments I have never experienced such horrible customer service! I went from loving Carrabbas food to never wanting to go to any of their locations again so I never have to experience this kind of treatment again...managers are trained from the top so its safe to assume that all locations are trained the same... bye bye Carrabbas
(1)