Carley’s Ristorante & Piano Bar
204 Locust St, Harrisburg, PA, 17101
Carley’s Ristorante & Piano Bar Menu
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Address :
204 Locust St
Harrisburg, PA, 17101 - Phone (717) 909-9191
- Website https://www.carleysristorante.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner, Late Night
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Music : Live
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Italian Cuisine
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.
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Dennis W.
Great spot for a good piano music and a variety of Italian wine. Quality food too. Well worth the effort. Recommend "The Board" for an appetizer.
(4)David A.
A mixed bag here. Nice people. Mellow place. The drinks were a decent pour. The food: The eggplant and meatball appetizer were very good. In fact, should have stopped here. They serve a massive meatball that is very good. The eggplant was excellent, but a much smaller portion that was a bit small for four people. The tomato salad with moist bread chunks and olive oil was a mixed bag. Nice preparation. Red tomatoes were very good but green tomato was as hard as an apple. The service was raving about a special, Boar burger. Never had one. Probably won't again. I don't eat a lot of meat and the meatball did the trick. The burger was just really ordinary. Not much going on. A good change of pace. Will check it our again.
(3)Colleen P.
Favorite happy hour on 2nd street. $2 drafts, $3 well drinks and house wines, half off apps and flatbreads. The food is really impressive! Good service & live piano music (they took our requests) during happy hour. Indoor/outdoor seating
(4)Matt H.
Cool atmosphere, service was good. piano wasn't being played from 5-7 on a Saturday night when we went out to eat. They were out of quite a few things on the menu. Prices were pretty high considering the area, and options like Hilton right around the corner.
(3)Jay F.
The positives: the piano. The pianist is always fantastic and well rehearsed. The bartender. The gentleman that tends bar most weekend nights is above and beyond. He is kind, speedy, clean, funny, and makes an amazing martini. The decor. The decor and ambiance is beautiful and the perfect place for an after work drink or nightcap after dinner. The negatives. The waitstaff. The waitresses are rude, untrained, and self absorbed. The food. I love the ambiance so much I forced my husband to give this place 4 attempts for dinner. After 4 bad entrees he refuses to over pay for dinner. You are better off to go to Sammy's for dinner and stop at Carley's for a martini after dinner. I have stopped with girls from the office after work and the appetizers were just as bad as the entrees. We relocated after work drinks to the Irish bar next door.
(3)julie m.
Just not great. Not a lot of flavors in the pasta dishes, an appetizer that came with "hot pepperS" came with only one, medium rare steaks came out completely rare and barely seared, and my water was never refilled over the course of being there a full hour. They have some talent that sings but it's hit or miss if they can hit the notes they are reaching for. It's loud. You can hear the table next to you as loud or louder than people near you ... I just can't figure out the acoustics. On a service note, they were polite. I am not from Harrisburg and picked this place on a whim coming in from attending a graduation at University of Pittsburgh. My family arrived before I did and I got an obnoxious "nice of you to finally join us" from the waiter when I walked in. I'm sure he meant it well but it came off snarky. Not a fan. If I ever find myself in Harrisburg again I will be sure to skip this place.
(2)Emily V.
Went for dinner with a business associate and we were very impressed. The waiter was professional, classy, and well-versed in Italian cuisine and wine. Greatly enjoyed the live piano. Had the melenzano appetizer and portabello with lump crab as the entree, both of which were high quality and immensely flavorful. However I was not impressed with the trout.
(5)Tracey C.
My previous review was 'filtered' by Yelp and I don't know why...BUT I am more than happy to 're-post' because it was a really nice evening..the bartender seated us promptly outside - which we had requested...AND had some great cocktails to offer. Tasty. The eggplant appetizer is delightful. Not too heavy on the sauce....great flavor and nice presentation. Our dinner was so very good. I am a veal fan and their veal Marsala is yummy....no knives needed to cut and Patrick's crab stuffed portobello mushroom was so very good. We just really had a nice time. The service was great and the staff was very accommodating. Too many people don't give downtown Harrisburg a fair shake. Great people. Great restaurants. A great time.
(4)Katherine M.
I've been here a few times since my first review and have had mixed experiences. I find the appetizers are the best things to get and split with friends. Their wines are all from Italy - which is awesome and definitely the way to go. The cocktails are good, but their wine is really what to order as the cocktails arent really all too special. Only problem we've ever had was a misinformed OK on a dish that 'didn't have nuts' that most definitely did. Always a fun adventure with a nut allergy though.
(4)Julia D.
First and foremost I gotta say the only food I've ever tried here is the pizza, which is decent. Not amazing but decent. I'm a serious fan of the wine list and have been choosing Carley's lately for a glass or two of wine on a weekend evening. They offer a wide selection of Italian wines by the glass, and the bartender will happily give you a suggestion if you aren't familiar with some of the wines. I'm a Pinot Noir drinker and have been drinking Nero di Avalo when I go. It's delicious. If you are looking for a place to chill, listen to piano music, drink wine and laugh with friends then I recommend Carley's.
(3)Hazel S.
If you want a relaxing piano bar with amusingly off color jokes and a few glasses of good wine, this place is great. The patrons at the bar, singing along with the piano guys and trading witticisms were having a great time. SO FAR, I wouldn't recommend it for dinner. The food seemed to be poorly prepared and dull, as well as ridiculously overpriced. They brought out bread to start, but the bread was soft and spongy grocery store style Italian bread. They'd be better off with something good and crusty. Also it was served with a plate of olive oil AND balsamic vinegar AND a pile of cheese AND some herbs. Overkill. Let the oil and the bread speak for themselves. Also, your vinegar wasn't great. The Caesar salad was fine, but for $9? Nothing special, just lettuce and dressing. I had a terrible shrimp pasta, "Shrimp Fra Diavolo," for $25 (?!?!?!). The shrimp were overcooked and the pasta was stuck together. And it was drowning in cheap tomatoe sauce. As anyone who is Italian can tell you, this is the rookiest of rookie mistakes. How to prevent it? Make sure your water is actually boiling and stir the pasta. Like, even once. The "arrabiata" sauce wasn't spicy as it was supposed to be and was pretty lackluster overall. Now, to be fair to them I sent it back and they were very gracious about it. They even offered me a free dessert. So, I have hope for this place if they can hire a decent cook and find a couple of good recipes. But look at their menu! The person who put this menu together was not someone who thinks about food seriously, they are trying to make generic Italian-American food seem "fancy" by making the recipes richer and adding some special ingredients. This is not working for them. "Fried Caprese Roll: House-made mozzarella, basil pesto and tomato pinwheel, sliced and pan-seared to a crisp, served with marinara sauce and béchamel" You are seriously going to take a salad that is all about fresh, delicious summer produce and DEEP FRY IT and smother it in WHITE GRAVY?!? Are you people smoking dope? "Wild Mushroom Risotto: Sautéed shallots and wild mushrooms with creamy risotto finished with aged provolone cheese and white truffle oil" You are going to the trouble of having the subtle and refined flavors of truffle and wild mushrooms and then throw PROVELONE on top? Seriously guys, hire a new chef and heavily revise your menu. Keep the romantic mood and the live music and you will flourish.
(2)John F.
My first time here was about 18 months ago and I have been here maybe 6 or 7 times since. I have always sat at the bar and it has always been on the weekend. I have to say that I really enjoy the place. The crowd is always fun and the piano players are entertaining (albeit sometimes they are a bit loud and overpowering) I have had a pasta dish that was very good and my favorite is their "meatball" for an appetizer. Very simple, but very good--a favorite. I see that many people are panning the food in these reviews, but I have often said that good service can go a long way to overcome poor food. I have not had poor food, but the service I have received..and I will name name --Trent-- has been awesome. When I come in, he remembers my name and my drink, and the conversation picks up from the last time which may have been 6 months ago. VERY attentive, VERY nice. VERY professional. For example, was there two weeks ago and he said he "had a feeling" we would be in so he stocked up on the beers we like. OK, likely a line of bullshit, but an effective one! As I said, I cant; speak for the service at the tables, but it gets a thumbs up from me!
(4)Darren T.
I try really hard to avoid being critical, but this place was awful. I got the artichokes as an appetizer. Literally $9 for 4 artichoke quarters with a slice of provolone over them, melted, and then topped with red pepper flakes. Nasty. Then I had the risotto with sausage. It was basically a can of cream of mushroom soup, some instance rice, frozen peas, carrots, and onions and some cheap sausage. No spices. The texture was awful. I left most of it on the plate. Oh, did I mention it was $19?! Won't be going back. The atmosphere is so dated and cliche Italian and the tables were sticky. Another restaurant in Harrisburg that I'll be avoiding. Not many left to go to!
(2)Jonathan S.
I decided this would be a great place to have dinner as a pre-birthday celebration with someone close to me. It was early on a Tuesday night and we almost had the place to ourselves. The atmosphere is wonderful. Subtle lighting and nice decor. A young musician showed up and sat down behind the piano and played some excellent music with a great voice the entire evening. We shared the meatball which is on the appetizer menu. I wouldn't recommend ordering this as an appetizer for yourself as it is huge (12oz.) and comes with three dipping sauces. The only downside to the food was the pesto dipping sauce was different than before. The new version is more of a shredded basil with some garlic and olive oil. Not the creamy pesto that they once had. We also shared a salad which neither of us could finish. The waitress also brought out some bread with olive oil, spices, vinegar, and grated parmesan to dip into. This pairs well with the meatball and a glass of wine. Finally, since it was in celebration of my birthday they gave me a choice of dessert which was on the house. I chose the smores dessert. The musician spoke out that it was my birthday and asked everyone to sing along. Just then, the waitress came around the corner with the smores dessert with a single candle in it. It was a great time with great food. And quite a coincidence that the waitress shared my birthday and the bartender shared my name. I recommend this place to anyone who wants to enjoy a nice meal with a quiet and cozy atmosphere!
(5)Jo E.
I held off on writing this review until after I had been to Carley's twice, but I have to say that the food and service doesn't live up to the classy decor and convenient location. I've been here once for lunch and was surprised that my coworker and I were the only people in the place. I thought it must have been a slow day, and I generally enjoyed the food, though it was simple - a sandwich and a side salad. The service was slow considering we were the only people there, but I thought perhaps our server could tell we were working and was leaving us alone. I came back for dinner recently, and the service was beyond slow. Even though we were only one of four tables on a Saturday night at 7:30, it took 15 minutes to get our drinks and bread. I ordered the scallops, which were served over heavily breaded and fried ravioli with no sauce. The dish was dry and flavorless. The kicker had to be the damp smell that permeated through the entire restaurant. It was only made worse- nearly gag-worthy - when a server brought out a mop and bucket that absolutely smelled foul and started cleaning up a spill with the dirty mop and water. I was disappointed because I liked the look of the place and had heard good things from someone who had been there in the past. I just don't think I'll be returning, given the other selections nearby.
(1)J L.
Because Stephen, the manager, was so proactive in addressing our comments, we decided to give Carley's another shot on our next visit to Harrisburg. We're so glad we did. We had dinner on a very snowy Saturday night. We'd made reservations for an early dinner because we had theater tickets. We almost had the place to ourselves at that hour, but it filled up soon despite the snowstorm. The snow falling outside was a perfect complement to the jazz styled Christmas music playing. The only thing missing was a fire crackling in the fireplace. Our waiter, Ed, was attentive, personable, and knew his stuff. The specials were noted and the one item that differed from the menu was noted prior to our investigation of the menu. His suggestions for dinner were well chosen. We split a caprese salad (good) and order the grilled portabella with lump crab (excellent with unusual flavors.) Bottom-line, we've chalked the service issues of our first visit up as a fluke, would go back in a heartbeat and would recommend to friends (even the one's of whom we are particularly fond. ;) )
(4)Jonathan M.
My wife and I are in the process of composing our updated review of Carley's. Our initial visit was extremely sub par compared to our last visit. The owner, Mr Weinstock, contacted us regarding our initial review and asked that we give Carley's another try. We decided to take him up on this offer, as we did enjoy the atmosphere and piano music. After our follow up visit we felt a new in depth review is warranted. Our new review will be posted in the next few days, but we have decided to initially upgrade our overall rating. Stay tuned.
(4)Greg D.
I met a friend here for dinner on 3/10/11. The place is small (especially the bar area!) but the atmosphere is pleasant enough. It could use an update though. As for the food, I ordered the lasagna. The portion was decent, but it was some of the blandest lasagna I've ever had. I didn't detect a hint of any herbs, salt, pepper, or other seasoning whatsoever. What was described as "traditional Bolognese sauce" tasted like canned tomato puree and ground beef. The lasagna at Mercado's Pizza, the little joint on North 3rd, is far better and half the price--and you get a salad and garlic bread with it. My friend had the antipasti salad which looked okay, but that's pretty hard to screw up. As for the service, the waiter was very attentive when I first arrived. But once dinner was served, he didn't stop by again until he noticed we were finished eating. My water glass sat empty for almost the entire dinner. I finally had to ask him for a refill when he brought the check. Now for the live music. When I heard this was a piano bar, my first thought was of New York. Wrong. No classics here unless you count some 80s hair band covers. It wasn't bad, just not what I was expecting. However, it was a bit loud for such a small place. I wouldn't think about going back here unless some friends really wanted to go for the live music. Then I would stick to a salad or appetizer if eating.
(2)Abdul M.
1st time here and I think I'm in Greenwich Village. The atmosphere is classy and refreshing from the usual Harrisburg scene. I highly recommend if you're looking for a relaxing place with a fantastic piano bar Carley's is your place. Friendly staff and good service.
(5)Gregg R.
Four of us went here after a show at the Forum Sunday evening. We arrived at about 6:15 and were seated promptly. But it went downhill from there. The service was slow and they clearly had not staffed for the after- show crowd. The restaurant was nearly full. The waitstaff were not well versed on the special on the board out front and it took asking twice and the waitstaff having to go back to talk to the chef to have it explained. Had to ask for bread and to have water glasses refilled. Empty wine glasses sat for half an hour before we were asked for a refill. It took about an hour and a half to get our entrees. The atmosphere could be nice. The tables though are distressed wood and somewhat sticky. The lights annoyingly would get bright then dim throughout the evening without explanation. My wife compared it to a slow strobe light. As for the food, it was edible. My wife ordered the special: asparagus tips and crab in a white sauce over orecchiette. It arrived, but over spaghetti. The waiter made no mention of the substitution. She had the melon/radicchio salad and liked it. I ordered the Caesar salad and veal Parmesan. The romaine in the Caesar had been cut into narrow strips, was limp and the edges were brown. It apparently had been sitting out for while. They have an annoying practice of serving their veal and chicken dishes on TOP of spaghetti in a soup plate so the steaming spaghetti makes the breading on the veal soggy and makes it difficult to cut the veal. The marinara sauce on the spaghetti was nondescript and scant and the spaghetti dry. In my book, this practice of serving veal and chicken OVER spaghetti is not done by any Italian restaurant that takes their food seriously. The chicken Marsala ordered by another of our party was served the same way - over spaghetti. I guess it saves on dishes to have everything thrown into a soup plate. When I want veal Parmesan served this way, I'll go to Sbarro. Mama mia! To be fair, my wife has gone here for lunch and been pleased, which is why she recommended it. But we won't be going back for dinner. We were disappointed because we have gone many times to their sister restaurant Stock's on Second and always have been pleased. If you are looking for good Italian, go to Gabriella's on Walnut Street for the same prices. At Gabriella's the veal comes displayed on its own platter and the pasta (you have choices in addition to spaghetti) in its own dish.
(2)Randy T.
All courses bland; not bad but not good. Service ok, atmosphere ok. All around, just ok.
(3)Barbara V.
Skip dinner as it's the happy hour that is the best deal. $3 house wine and the half price bar menu are great. Gotta sit in the bar area, however so go early to get a seat or grab the few patio spots. My fav here is the 1 lb meatball appetizer with the best garlic pesto around. Extra pesto please!
(4)Kelsey F.
We were here for lunch with a larger group. Service was fast and attentive. I recommend their french onion soup, VERY GOOD! The chicken caesar salad was just okay. Prices were ok, not great, for the amount of food. I wish we could have gotten a discount for all the flies in the restaurant! It was pretty gross.
(3)Brian R.
The food and atmosphere here is amazing. Besides the Hilton, I believe this is the only spot downtown that has live piano music. The owners of Stock's on 2nd also own this spot and they do an excellent job of ensuring high quality food and creative menu options.
(4)Tattoo S.
Great food, great drinks, great service! Oh yeah, and live music!!! What more could you want? What else is there? Good vibes, man!
(5)Tony H.
The visual appeal of Carley's was quickly ruined by the strong moldy odor coming from the table cloth and napkins at our table. To say this place was understaffed is an understatement, I only saw two servers working in the whole restaurant. Needless to say the service was unbelievably slow. Our party of two ordered the fried caprese roll as an appetizer, the family style chicken parm as entrees, and tiramisu for desert. The stars of the evening were the fried caprese roll and the tiramisu which were both fantastic (but it's very hard to screw up either dishes). The portion size for the "family style" chicken parm was equivalent to a single order at any other italian restaurant in Harrisburg. The two pieces of chicken provided were stacked on top of each other and the lower piece was missing cheese altogether. What are you suppose to call chicken parm without cheese anyways? The only nice thing about the place was our server who despite being overworked was pretty darn friendly.
(2)Dan G.
Went to try it out and see I could experience the Billy Joel song. Location is right off of 2nd Street.. It was crowded so very glad we made a reservation. They have different piano players on various days during the week. Great Ambiance. For appetizer we had that Fried Caprese Roll very tasty but for $10 you only get two little rolls. We had the Trout with Salmoriglio and the Penne Pasta. The pasta was great and generous amount of pasta and the sauce was very good. The trout had WAY too much cornmeal, and reminded me of Long John Silver's I knew the trout was hiding in there somewhere so as I pealed back the crust I found the trout, but alas it was too late, it had lost all of its taste, and was flavorless. It is rare that I don't finish the main entree, but this is that case. The redskin potatoes and other accouterments had a variety of flavors and the caramelized cipollini onions were perfectly prepared. As far as the service the staff should know the menu better, but throughout the meal they were attentive and not intrusive. Due to the great vibe, I'll probably go again but will go for the traditional pizza.
(2)Liz G.
Went there for dinner. The staff was attentive and friendly but the food very bland. I had the shrimp scampi and crab pasta and not even salt and pepper couldn help the dish.. My fiancee had the lasagna and it was very bland as well.. The average price for dinner is $25 and not worth it. Wont be returning.
(2)Dennis W.
Great spot for a good piano music and a variety of Italian wine. Quality food too. Well worth the effort. Recommend "The Board" for an appetizer.
(4)David A.
A mixed bag here. Nice people. Mellow place. The drinks were a decent pour. The food: The eggplant and meatball appetizer were very good. In fact, should have stopped here. They serve a massive meatball that is very good. The eggplant was excellent, but a much smaller portion that was a bit small for four people. The tomato salad with moist bread chunks and olive oil was a mixed bag. Nice preparation. Red tomatoes were very good but green tomato was as hard as an apple. The service was raving about a special, Boar burger. Never had one. Probably won't again. I don't eat a lot of meat and the meatball did the trick. The burger was just really ordinary. Not much going on. A good change of pace. Will check it our again.
(3)Colleen P.
Favorite happy hour on 2nd street. $2 drafts, $3 well drinks and house wines, half off apps and flatbreads. The food is really impressive! Good service & live piano music (they took our requests) during happy hour. Indoor/outdoor seating
(4)Matt H.
Cool atmosphere, service was good. piano wasn't being played from 5-7 on a Saturday night when we went out to eat. They were out of quite a few things on the menu. Prices were pretty high considering the area, and options like Hilton right around the corner.
(3)Katherine M.
I've been here a few times since my first review and have had mixed experiences. I find the appetizers are the best things to get and split with friends. Their wines are all from Italy - which is awesome and definitely the way to go. The cocktails are good, but their wine is really what to order as the cocktails arent really all too special. Only problem we've ever had was a misinformed OK on a dish that 'didn't have nuts' that most definitely did. Always a fun adventure with a nut allergy though.
(4)julie m.
Just not great. Not a lot of flavors in the pasta dishes, an appetizer that came with "hot pepperS" came with only one, medium rare steaks came out completely rare and barely seared, and my water was never refilled over the course of being there a full hour. They have some talent that sings but it's hit or miss if they can hit the notes they are reaching for. It's loud. You can hear the table next to you as loud or louder than people near you ... I just can't figure out the acoustics. On a service note, they were polite. I am not from Harrisburg and picked this place on a whim coming in from attending a graduation at University of Pittsburgh. My family arrived before I did and I got an obnoxious "nice of you to finally join us" from the waiter when I walked in. I'm sure he meant it well but it came off snarky. Not a fan. If I ever find myself in Harrisburg again I will be sure to skip this place.
(2)Emily V.
Went for dinner with a business associate and we were very impressed. The waiter was professional, classy, and well-versed in Italian cuisine and wine. Greatly enjoyed the live piano. Had the melenzano appetizer and portabello with lump crab as the entree, both of which were high quality and immensely flavorful. However I was not impressed with the trout.
(5)Tracey C.
My previous review was 'filtered' by Yelp and I don't know why...BUT I am more than happy to 're-post' because it was a really nice evening..the bartender seated us promptly outside - which we had requested...AND had some great cocktails to offer. Tasty. The eggplant appetizer is delightful. Not too heavy on the sauce....great flavor and nice presentation. Our dinner was so very good. I am a veal fan and their veal Marsala is yummy....no knives needed to cut and Patrick's crab stuffed portobello mushroom was so very good. We just really had a nice time. The service was great and the staff was very accommodating. Too many people don't give downtown Harrisburg a fair shake. Great people. Great restaurants. A great time.
(4)Abdul M.
1st time here and I think I'm in Greenwich Village. The atmosphere is classy and refreshing from the usual Harrisburg scene. I highly recommend if you're looking for a relaxing place with a fantastic piano bar Carley's is your place. Friendly staff and good service.
(5)Jonathan S.
I decided this would be a great place to have dinner as a pre-birthday celebration with someone close to me. It was early on a Tuesday night and we almost had the place to ourselves. The atmosphere is wonderful. Subtle lighting and nice decor. A young musician showed up and sat down behind the piano and played some excellent music with a great voice the entire evening. We shared the meatball which is on the appetizer menu. I wouldn't recommend ordering this as an appetizer for yourself as it is huge (12oz.) and comes with three dipping sauces. The only downside to the food was the pesto dipping sauce was different than before. The new version is more of a shredded basil with some garlic and olive oil. Not the creamy pesto that they once had. We also shared a salad which neither of us could finish. The waitress also brought out some bread with olive oil, spices, vinegar, and grated parmesan to dip into. This pairs well with the meatball and a glass of wine. Finally, since it was in celebration of my birthday they gave me a choice of dessert which was on the house. I chose the smores dessert. The musician spoke out that it was my birthday and asked everyone to sing along. Just then, the waitress came around the corner with the smores dessert with a single candle in it. It was a great time with great food. And quite a coincidence that the waitress shared my birthday and the bartender shared my name. I recommend this place to anyone who wants to enjoy a nice meal with a quiet and cozy atmosphere!
(5)Jo E.
I held off on writing this review until after I had been to Carley's twice, but I have to say that the food and service doesn't live up to the classy decor and convenient location. I've been here once for lunch and was surprised that my coworker and I were the only people in the place. I thought it must have been a slow day, and I generally enjoyed the food, though it was simple - a sandwich and a side salad. The service was slow considering we were the only people there, but I thought perhaps our server could tell we were working and was leaving us alone. I came back for dinner recently, and the service was beyond slow. Even though we were only one of four tables on a Saturday night at 7:30, it took 15 minutes to get our drinks and bread. I ordered the scallops, which were served over heavily breaded and fried ravioli with no sauce. The dish was dry and flavorless. The kicker had to be the damp smell that permeated through the entire restaurant. It was only made worse- nearly gag-worthy - when a server brought out a mop and bucket that absolutely smelled foul and started cleaning up a spill with the dirty mop and water. I was disappointed because I liked the look of the place and had heard good things from someone who had been there in the past. I just don't think I'll be returning, given the other selections nearby.
(1)J L.
Because Stephen, the manager, was so proactive in addressing our comments, we decided to give Carley's another shot on our next visit to Harrisburg. We're so glad we did. We had dinner on a very snowy Saturday night. We'd made reservations for an early dinner because we had theater tickets. We almost had the place to ourselves at that hour, but it filled up soon despite the snowstorm. The snow falling outside was a perfect complement to the jazz styled Christmas music playing. The only thing missing was a fire crackling in the fireplace. Our waiter, Ed, was attentive, personable, and knew his stuff. The specials were noted and the one item that differed from the menu was noted prior to our investigation of the menu. His suggestions for dinner were well chosen. We split a caprese salad (good) and order the grilled portabella with lump crab (excellent with unusual flavors.) Bottom-line, we've chalked the service issues of our first visit up as a fluke, would go back in a heartbeat and would recommend to friends (even the one's of whom we are particularly fond. ;) )
(4)John F.
My first time here was about 18 months ago and I have been here maybe 6 or 7 times since. I have always sat at the bar and it has always been on the weekend. I have to say that I really enjoy the place. The crowd is always fun and the piano players are entertaining (albeit sometimes they are a bit loud and overpowering) I have had a pasta dish that was very good and my favorite is their "meatball" for an appetizer. Very simple, but very good--a favorite. I see that many people are panning the food in these reviews, but I have often said that good service can go a long way to overcome poor food. I have not had poor food, but the service I have received..and I will name name --Trent-- has been awesome. When I come in, he remembers my name and my drink, and the conversation picks up from the last time which may have been 6 months ago. VERY attentive, VERY nice. VERY professional. For example, was there two weeks ago and he said he "had a feeling" we would be in so he stocked up on the beers we like. OK, likely a line of bullshit, but an effective one! As I said, I cant; speak for the service at the tables, but it gets a thumbs up from me!
(4)Darren T.
I try really hard to avoid being critical, but this place was awful. I got the artichokes as an appetizer. Literally $9 for 4 artichoke quarters with a slice of provolone over them, melted, and then topped with red pepper flakes. Nasty. Then I had the risotto with sausage. It was basically a can of cream of mushroom soup, some instance rice, frozen peas, carrots, and onions and some cheap sausage. No spices. The texture was awful. I left most of it on the plate. Oh, did I mention it was $19?! Won't be going back. The atmosphere is so dated and cliche Italian and the tables were sticky. Another restaurant in Harrisburg that I'll be avoiding. Not many left to go to!
(2)Jonathan M.
My wife and I are in the process of composing our updated review of Carley's. Our initial visit was extremely sub par compared to our last visit. The owner, Mr Weinstock, contacted us regarding our initial review and asked that we give Carley's another try. We decided to take him up on this offer, as we did enjoy the atmosphere and piano music. After our follow up visit we felt a new in depth review is warranted. Our new review will be posted in the next few days, but we have decided to initially upgrade our overall rating. Stay tuned.
(4)Greg D.
I met a friend here for dinner on 3/10/11. The place is small (especially the bar area!) but the atmosphere is pleasant enough. It could use an update though. As for the food, I ordered the lasagna. The portion was decent, but it was some of the blandest lasagna I've ever had. I didn't detect a hint of any herbs, salt, pepper, or other seasoning whatsoever. What was described as "traditional Bolognese sauce" tasted like canned tomato puree and ground beef. The lasagna at Mercado's Pizza, the little joint on North 3rd, is far better and half the price--and you get a salad and garlic bread with it. My friend had the antipasti salad which looked okay, but that's pretty hard to screw up. As for the service, the waiter was very attentive when I first arrived. But once dinner was served, he didn't stop by again until he noticed we were finished eating. My water glass sat empty for almost the entire dinner. I finally had to ask him for a refill when he brought the check. Now for the live music. When I heard this was a piano bar, my first thought was of New York. Wrong. No classics here unless you count some 80s hair band covers. It wasn't bad, just not what I was expecting. However, it was a bit loud for such a small place. I wouldn't think about going back here unless some friends really wanted to go for the live music. Then I would stick to a salad or appetizer if eating.
(2)Julia D.
First and foremost I gotta say the only food I've ever tried here is the pizza, which is decent. Not amazing but decent. I'm a serious fan of the wine list and have been choosing Carley's lately for a glass or two of wine on a weekend evening. They offer a wide selection of Italian wines by the glass, and the bartender will happily give you a suggestion if you aren't familiar with some of the wines. I'm a Pinot Noir drinker and have been drinking Nero di Avalo when I go. It's delicious. If you are looking for a place to chill, listen to piano music, drink wine and laugh with friends then I recommend Carley's.
(3)Brian R.
The food and atmosphere here is amazing. Besides the Hilton, I believe this is the only spot downtown that has live piano music. The owners of Stock's on 2nd also own this spot and they do an excellent job of ensuring high quality food and creative menu options.
(4)Tattoo S.
Great food, great drinks, great service! Oh yeah, and live music!!! What more could you want? What else is there? Good vibes, man!
(5)Tony H.
The visual appeal of Carley's was quickly ruined by the strong moldy odor coming from the table cloth and napkins at our table. To say this place was understaffed is an understatement, I only saw two servers working in the whole restaurant. Needless to say the service was unbelievably slow. Our party of two ordered the fried caprese roll as an appetizer, the family style chicken parm as entrees, and tiramisu for desert. The stars of the evening were the fried caprese roll and the tiramisu which were both fantastic (but it's very hard to screw up either dishes). The portion size for the "family style" chicken parm was equivalent to a single order at any other italian restaurant in Harrisburg. The two pieces of chicken provided were stacked on top of each other and the lower piece was missing cheese altogether. What are you suppose to call chicken parm without cheese anyways? The only nice thing about the place was our server who despite being overworked was pretty darn friendly.
(2)Gregg R.
Four of us went here after a show at the Forum Sunday evening. We arrived at about 6:15 and were seated promptly. But it went downhill from there. The service was slow and they clearly had not staffed for the after- show crowd. The restaurant was nearly full. The waitstaff were not well versed on the special on the board out front and it took asking twice and the waitstaff having to go back to talk to the chef to have it explained. Had to ask for bread and to have water glasses refilled. Empty wine glasses sat for half an hour before we were asked for a refill. It took about an hour and a half to get our entrees. The atmosphere could be nice. The tables though are distressed wood and somewhat sticky. The lights annoyingly would get bright then dim throughout the evening without explanation. My wife compared it to a slow strobe light. As for the food, it was edible. My wife ordered the special: asparagus tips and crab in a white sauce over orecchiette. It arrived, but over spaghetti. The waiter made no mention of the substitution. She had the melon/radicchio salad and liked it. I ordered the Caesar salad and veal Parmesan. The romaine in the Caesar had been cut into narrow strips, was limp and the edges were brown. It apparently had been sitting out for while. They have an annoying practice of serving their veal and chicken dishes on TOP of spaghetti in a soup plate so the steaming spaghetti makes the breading on the veal soggy and makes it difficult to cut the veal. The marinara sauce on the spaghetti was nondescript and scant and the spaghetti dry. In my book, this practice of serving veal and chicken OVER spaghetti is not done by any Italian restaurant that takes their food seriously. The chicken Marsala ordered by another of our party was served the same way - over spaghetti. I guess it saves on dishes to have everything thrown into a soup plate. When I want veal Parmesan served this way, I'll go to Sbarro. Mama mia! To be fair, my wife has gone here for lunch and been pleased, which is why she recommended it. But we won't be going back for dinner. We were disappointed because we have gone many times to their sister restaurant Stock's on Second and always have been pleased. If you are looking for good Italian, go to Gabriella's on Walnut Street for the same prices. At Gabriella's the veal comes displayed on its own platter and the pasta (you have choices in addition to spaghetti) in its own dish.
(2)Randy T.
All courses bland; not bad but not good. Service ok, atmosphere ok. All around, just ok.
(3)Barbara V.
Skip dinner as it's the happy hour that is the best deal. $3 house wine and the half price bar menu are great. Gotta sit in the bar area, however so go early to get a seat or grab the few patio spots. My fav here is the 1 lb meatball appetizer with the best garlic pesto around. Extra pesto please!
(4)Kelsey F.
We were here for lunch with a larger group. Service was fast and attentive. I recommend their french onion soup, VERY GOOD! The chicken caesar salad was just okay. Prices were ok, not great, for the amount of food. I wish we could have gotten a discount for all the flies in the restaurant! It was pretty gross.
(3)Dan G.
Went to try it out and see I could experience the Billy Joel song. Location is right off of 2nd Street.. It was crowded so very glad we made a reservation. They have different piano players on various days during the week. Great Ambiance. For appetizer we had that Fried Caprese Roll very tasty but for $10 you only get two little rolls. We had the Trout with Salmoriglio and the Penne Pasta. The pasta was great and generous amount of pasta and the sauce was very good. The trout had WAY too much cornmeal, and reminded me of Long John Silver's I knew the trout was hiding in there somewhere so as I pealed back the crust I found the trout, but alas it was too late, it had lost all of its taste, and was flavorless. It is rare that I don't finish the main entree, but this is that case. The redskin potatoes and other accouterments had a variety of flavors and the caramelized cipollini onions were perfectly prepared. As far as the service the staff should know the menu better, but throughout the meal they were attentive and not intrusive. Due to the great vibe, I'll probably go again but will go for the traditional pizza.
(2)Liz G.
Went there for dinner. The staff was attentive and friendly but the food very bland. I had the shrimp scampi and crab pasta and not even salt and pepper couldn help the dish.. My fiancee had the lasagna and it was very bland as well.. The average price for dinner is $25 and not worth it. Wont be returning.
(2)Hazel S.
If you want a relaxing piano bar with amusingly off color jokes and a few glasses of good wine, this place is great. The patrons at the bar, singing along with the piano guys and trading witticisms were having a great time. SO FAR, I wouldn't recommend it for dinner. The food seemed to be poorly prepared and dull, as well as ridiculously overpriced. They brought out bread to start, but the bread was soft and spongy grocery store style Italian bread. They'd be better off with something good and crusty. Also it was served with a plate of olive oil AND balsamic vinegar AND a pile of cheese AND some herbs. Overkill. Let the oil and the bread speak for themselves. Also, your vinegar wasn't great. The Caesar salad was fine, but for $9? Nothing special, just lettuce and dressing. I had a terrible shrimp pasta, "Shrimp Fra Diavolo," for $25 (?!?!?!). The shrimp were overcooked and the pasta was stuck together. And it was drowning in cheap tomatoe sauce. As anyone who is Italian can tell you, this is the rookiest of rookie mistakes. How to prevent it? Make sure your water is actually boiling and stir the pasta. Like, even once. The "arrabiata" sauce wasn't spicy as it was supposed to be and was pretty lackluster overall. Now, to be fair to them I sent it back and they were very gracious about it. They even offered me a free dessert. So, I have hope for this place if they can hire a decent cook and find a couple of good recipes. But look at their menu! The person who put this menu together was not someone who thinks about food seriously, they are trying to make generic Italian-American food seem "fancy" by making the recipes richer and adding some special ingredients. This is not working for them. "Fried Caprese Roll: House-made mozzarella, basil pesto and tomato pinwheel, sliced and pan-seared to a crisp, served with marinara sauce and béchamel" You are seriously going to take a salad that is all about fresh, delicious summer produce and DEEP FRY IT and smother it in WHITE GRAVY?!? Are you people smoking dope? "Wild Mushroom Risotto: Sautéed shallots and wild mushrooms with creamy risotto finished with aged provolone cheese and white truffle oil" You are going to the trouble of having the subtle and refined flavors of truffle and wild mushrooms and then throw PROVELONE on top? Seriously guys, hire a new chef and heavily revise your menu. Keep the romantic mood and the live music and you will flourish.
(2)Jay F.
The positives: the piano. The pianist is always fantastic and well rehearsed. The bartender. The gentleman that tends bar most weekend nights is above and beyond. He is kind, speedy, clean, funny, and makes an amazing martini. The decor. The decor and ambiance is beautiful and the perfect place for an after work drink or nightcap after dinner. The negatives. The waitstaff. The waitresses are rude, untrained, and self absorbed. The food. I love the ambiance so much I forced my husband to give this place 4 attempts for dinner. After 4 bad entrees he refuses to over pay for dinner. You are better off to go to Sammy's for dinner and stop at Carley's for a martini after dinner. I have stopped with girls from the office after work and the appetizers were just as bad as the entrees. We relocated after work drinks to the Irish bar next door.
(3)