Carmelo’s Ristorante

I have never been knocked out by a meal at any Italian restaurant so this place is not any different. Went here on a Friday night with the family and the overall experience was ok. Complimentary bread was very good and hot and more came when requested. Had the seafood anti-​pasti meal and it was, again, ok and not any different from similar selections in other places. Décor was interesting and was the subject of a small conversation during the night. Live music was nice and had a feel of authenticity. We weren’t particularly dressed properly for the restaurant but that didn’t seem to bother anyone. The big kicker for me was the exceptionally high prices for the meal (family of four) and feeling that our dinner just wasnt worth the final check. There are plenty of choices in this area for this type cuisine so we will likely go somewhere else in the future.

As 2 thirty-​somethings we headed out to Carmelos last night looking for some tasty Italian food. We’d recently been to an event which was catered by the restaurant and the food was amazing. Was a bit disappointed by the actual restaurant experience, but perhaps we aren’t their core market.
I had the ‘Pollo Carmelo’, it was a bit fussy and confusing and I didn’t really enjoy it. I was imagining a lovely fresh olive and mushroom topping but I didn’t find either particularly fresh or enjoyable. He had the lobster special which was loaded with a creamy sauce and heavy pasta, it wasn’t so great. With a beer, Diet Coke and coffees, the bill with tip came to just under $ 100. Expensive for what I felt we had.
I liked what they have done with the interior but the combination of the clock chiming every so often along with the live accordion music was just too much for our already tired brains.
I’d go back at a push, but not if I was paying!

The fish is excellent, even my husband who usually gets steak agreed. The pasta is delicious and the steamed squash perfectly done

This was my 3^rd trip to Carmelos in the last 2 years and things have changed since I was here last. The prices have really gone up, my $ 30 pasta should have been $ 15. Our waiter really didn’t care about us cenen though the resturant was close to empty. The food was good, but not good enough to come back again any time soon.

Their spaghetti is absolutely amazing! Also it seems like they are never too busy, so it’s easy to get a reservation.

Date night with husband.
Fresh bread along with olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan was brought to the table along with two meatballs and a light red sauce to start while we looked at the menu. Super fresh bread and the sauce on the meatballs was fantastic, nice to start with something like that, and a classy way for the restaurant to start the meal.
We started with the Cozze (Mussels in light wine, garlic and butter sauce) along with a Caesar salad. Mussels were fresh and sauce was done with just the right amount of lemon and garlic, neither one was overpowering the taste of the mussels. Caesar was light and not overly dressed, also classic with hint of anchovies and cucumber like my step mom from Sicily made.
We paired a Tuscan Volpaia 2011 ($ 45 bottle) with the appetizers and can say that for the price it was a nice earthy Tuscan dry red that went well with both the seafood appetizer and the later courses.
My husband had the Gamberi Ripieni which is shrimp stuffed with crab over a bed of risotto that was so good that he only ended up eating half because I couldn’t stop myself from eating the other half of it. I had the Fettuccine Mare Luisa which was a cream sauce with shrimp, crab and garlic that was perfectly cooked and had hints of not just cream and cheeses but a fantastic undertone of garlic that accented the clams and shrimp. My husbands was better than the pasta I had but both were a big hit with both of us.
Finished the meal with a Cappuccino and Bananas Foster that was probably the worst thing we had all night. It was a great presentation made table side for two and served over ice cream and while good was not the best I have had, hard to put my finger on why but it just seemed to be lacking something. Again, the server did a fantastic job with it’s presentation, just the let down after the rest of the meal.
Our server was attentive but took the hint and allowed us to linger and take our time ordering over the course of the evening, did not hover or make us feel rushed. Made sure out wine glasses were full, water was always full and did not push to make us get the check. This was our first visit to the establishment even though we have been past it literally dozens of times.
Will make sure we go back when we are looking for a quiet date night, not inexpensive but for sure not the most expensive place we have ever eaten either.

Carmelo’s has been a favorite of mine for years. Literally.
On December 28, 1991 I married my lovely wife. We had a small family wedding, and afterward we treated our guests to dinner in Carmelo’s wine room. When we lived in the Houston area, this was one of our date spots. But this review isn’t about that.
I took my parents to Carmelo’s last Saturday in celebration of their birthdays. My first impression on entry was a sense of relief — with all of the growth and changes in west Houston, it was refreshing to feel the familiarity of Carmelo’s.
One of my favorite Carmelo’s dishes is the Steak Diane, prepared table side. We all opted for that and enjoyed watching our dinner prepared before our eyes. The meal was absolutely delicious. Our steak was fork tender and perfectly prepared. The Diane sauce was rich and flavorful and the garnishes of asparagus, potatoes and tomatoes completed our plates nicely.
Carmelo knows what he is doing. Service is superb, fare is fine, and the wine list offers something for everyone.

We went to Carmelo’s on a Wednesday evening and it was fabulous. Wait staff very attentive and food excellent. Moderately priced but the portions are enough to share.

Went here for Valentine’s Day and was very disappointed. My steak was burnt and my wife pasta wasn’t cooked though. Was expensive but expected that of course. Was also very hot and seating was very cramped. Try another place!

Ate there last week and food and service was excellent! Got the seafood Rippianno (spelling maybe off) and it was so good fresh crab and shrimp yummy! The bell that someone commented about is a freakin grandfather clock you moron! You don’t belong in a place like this if you don’t know that a grandfather clock rings every 15 minutes! Go to place for an elegant dinner they had a big party in the back but our food did not suffer in the least! Will be back soon!

Excellent food! Authentic. However, quite expensive. It’s always pretty empty for lunch and dinner so you can always get a table fast. Writers speak Italian and are very nice.

One word. Terrible.
Eccentric/​stupid décor; not attractive to say the least. They also have a bell that goes off like every 15 minutes that was super annoying. But that’s not the worst part.
The service was super slow even though the restaurant was nearly empty. Drink’s came out slow, food came out slow and check came out slow (maybe they forgot?). But that’s not the worst part either.
The worst part was the food. Expensive and bad.
Free bread was meh. There was a flat bread that was hard as fuck and there was regular bread that was okay. They serve it up with the quintessential olive oil as other Italian places do, but they also hook us up some meatballs with sauce. Appetizer was some fried zucchini thing. It was ok. For my entrée I ordered the «Costolette d’Agnello» which is described as lamb chops, mint reduction and potato gâteau (cake). After I ordered it, the server asked me how I wanted the chops cooked. I requested medium rare. Imo, any self-​respecting restaurant shouldn’t have to ask that because anything over medium-​rare is not worthy of being served and anyone who asks for well done should be shown the door. #realtalk
But let us recall what I supposedly ordered: medium rare chops and potato gâteau. And this is what I recieved. OVERCOOKED CHOPS AND FRENCH FRIES. WTF?! Seriously. First, why the fuck would you ask me how I want my chops cooked if you are gonna fuck that shit up anyway. Meat 101 guys; learn how to cook your shit to medium rare. The chops came out dry and disgusting. Second, potato gâteau or french fries? Hmm. Third, that shit was thirty eight bucks, man. THIRTY EIGHT BUCKS! Fuck you Carmelo. Fuck you.
I know I should’ve sent it back but I’m not the type to do that because my eating buddies would have to wait and I don’t want some disgruntled cook handling my food. Would not come back… ever.

Not great. I was very thankful for the experience and the meal but would not go back. servers actually leaned in on top of us several times, food was not that great .it wasn’t horrible but not worth the price and you wouldn’t crave it later?

We just went to eat yesterday night for our prom dinner. We were only given the prom option menu.
The service was terrible! It was appalling… my prom group was not happy with our night.
First the prom menu was not extremely specific on what it had to offer. Refills on drinks cost extra, only one cold, small meatball for everyone, and splitting with a date was an extra $ 5. The total price for a Caesar salad & a small entrée was $ 26! Before while we were browsing the menu online, we THOUGHT it was a great choice to go with. But after the small portions, we should’ve just gone to another venue for our prom night.
Second, the service was only sub-​par. Most of the servers could not understand the questions that we had for them, and when checks came out, there were so many mistakes. It took awhile for us to communicate with them, and in the end, we just gave up and paid whatever the revised check called for. One of the servers also started being really snappy with my friends…
Third, it was so dark. I understand the whole dim setting is more romantic and psychologically push you to want to eat & consume more. But I could barely see my plate in front of me! My friends and I started to use flashlights to see what our food looked like better.
I was super excited to come to Carmelo’s due to the great reviews on Unilocal.But I guess my expectations were a little too high for this place to begin with…

Booked a table for anniversary dinner. The restaurant gave me 2 follow-​up calls, already have a feeling that I’ll receive great service and heck, it was better than I was expected. I was greeted kindly. I requested to be sat down somewhere quiet and private and they sure did delivered. The restaurant feels very quiet and romantic. We ordered the Fettuccine Mare Luisa, it was delicious! When we finished and asked the the check this gentleman brought us a plate of Italian cheese cake with «happy anniversary» written on it. and he said happy anniversary to both of us. I am very pleased with the service and will definitely recommend this place for any special occasions!

I came here in 2009, by a friend’s recommendation. We celebrated my (Now) husband birthday at that time. He ordered a dish that wasn’t on the menu and they made it for him with No extra charge. Tonight 3÷13÷15 we returned for my husband’s bday dinner. We had a party of 20. I called in advance to RSVP 2 weeks ahead. Daniel was so friendly and after sharing our previous visit here in 2009, he reassured me that we would have excellent service! I was not aware that this place have several party rooms you can request. Wish I had known that… besides that our party room was set up very nicely like a banquet. I won’t complain about that. The room was perfect, being that we had 8 children playing/​entertaining each other. Staff provided the utmost service! Very attentive. One thing I was not informed about is that I brought my own cake and their policy is a $ 2 fee for each person. I was pretty surprised! I spoke to the manager and told him I was not aware of this. He was understanding and let it go… So beware of this!!! We enjoyed the night! They did an amazing job! Food was great! Staff was accommodating and treated our guest with high standards! Great place for large parties! There is no charge for private party rooms. You can choose… had no idea about that either. Good to know for next time!!!

The menu choices are broad and the atmosphere is cozy, inviting, and romantic. A great place for a special dinner.

First things first: They know how to prepare pasta. Al dente. Very nice.
The ambiance is a little underwhelming. The staff is Hispanic only, the restaurant offers Italian food in a British styled restaurant.
So it’s a Hispanic Britalian Restaurant. :-)
The waiters are very slow. Refills for your drinks are on repeated demand only. The kitchen seems slow, too.
My wife’s lobster ravioli were good, my veal spaghetti drowned in sauce but ok. The carpaccio looked and tasted uninspired.
In regards to price point the restaurant is not delivering enough experience for me to be ok with it.
I splashed my coffee all over the table and my mishap was dealt with very pleasantly. That is a plus for this restaurant and makes it three stars.

Gamberi Ripieni shrimp with crab meat over risotto. Perfectly done. Delicious. Fettuccine Mare Luisa-​crab, clams & shrimp. Prepared in a diablo sauce al dente. Again, great flavor. Place is pricey. Service was a bit of a letdown. Salad served w/​out dressing. Waitress didn’t know who ordered which dish (there were only two of us).

I enjoyed my experience at Carmelo’s Ristorante. Established in 1985 by Carmelo Mauro.
I was greeted and shown to the area. The entry has a nice warm feeling If I ever visit Italy I would imagine that the restaurants would look like that. The staff greeted me with smiles and told me welcome. There was a cute little man plaing the accordion and it was just like how I would see it in the movies. This is a great place to take your special someone, because the lights are dimes and it feels romantic.
The food was delicious I had the privilege to try different types of food from sirloin to salmon and they had their great selection of cheese yum. I also had the privilege of seeing and hearing the owner Carmelo speak and he is intelligent wise and very caring. You can tell that he truly cares about his customers and his restaurant.
I highly recommend this place to everyone!