Carrabba’s Italian Grill

I’m happy that I tried this Restaurant for the second time today! The first was just after we moved here from California in November and I was excited to see that my favorite restaurant was a mile away! It burst my bubble when we stopped in for lunch and the service was nearly as bad as I’ve ever seen before, 30-​something female waitress could care less about serving or checking on us, no drink refills, etc. and business was extremely slow so no excuse! Just the opposite today! We sat on the right in the smaller bar-​section and the nicest, attentive, caring young man. I wish I had listened closely for his name. waited on my niece and I. the food was great as Carrabas nearly always is but since my husband and I eat out virtually every day, the service is even more important than the food, there is always the next meal but a bad personal experience will stick with a person for a long time! I will go back for sure and I will be looking for this same young man to tell him again how much we appreciated his service.

Food was actually good. Service slow. Salads came late. And two minutes later the meal. Felt they tried to rush is out. Not the old Carrabbas we loved.

2 stars for decent service. The pre meal gooey bread w/​olive oil was okay too. I ordered the chicken parm sandwich with Italian chicken soup on the side. Soup was barely luke warm and mushy and bland, like straight out a pouch. The sandwich was simply terrible. About a 1/​8″ slab of chicken-​like meat that probably was chicken. I could say for sure there was sauce or cheese on it. And dryer than the mojave desert. (Used my soup as a dipping sauce.
This restaurant give restaurants a bad name. AVOID THIS PLACE. No actual food here.

We’re regular diners at Carrabba’s and usually have a decent meal and good service. The last 2 times at this site has been a disaster. First, we arrived at the table and the table had several pieces of bread on the floor that had to be cleaned. We sat and ordered our meal with an appetizer. Our soups arrived but no appetizer. The soup, which is usually good was bland. Big disappointment. Next our food showed (still no appetizer) and they got one order totally wrong and the other three were cold and had to be sent back. Still no appetizer at this point. Finally, the meals came and the one that was wrong (veal parmigiana) was tough and tasted bland as well. We were offered a complimentary desert and ordered a tiramisu. Again this is usually a good desert but this time it just tasted wrong. The marscarpone cheese is usually soft and it tasted like cream that turned to butter and was stiff rather than creamy. Not sure what happened to this Carrabba’s but it’s been a bad experience the last 2 times we went there. The previous outing there, we were served bad fish and one of the orders was served after everyone else in our party ate. Again, no attempt to try and amend the problem. If you’re anywhere near sun tree Melbourne Carrabba’s, steer clear.

Our 1^st time at this location. It’s a little pricy compared to other Italian restaurants such as Chuck-​E-​Cheese. The sweet tea is delicious… BTW, someone said there’s more to life than sweat tea. I’d like to know what the hell planet she grew up on. Anyway, good food, great service, expensive bill!

I’ve tried this location twice now. The food is simply not that great; the management is not attentive. When we spoke to the server about the insanely slow service, we were greeted with a shrug. The Mahi had to be sent back; it was literally inedible and smelled unbelievably bad.

Me and my wife went in for happy hours from 4 pm — 7 pm ! I asked the waiter does still happy hours and he said yes ! They had a table for us, the foods was not bad but not great .
After that were pay full price because they’re told us happy hours just for another side in the restaurant ??? They’re should tell us when we asked. feel like a trick to get customers there !

Food and service were both amazing as always! Megan got us hooked on the spicy sausage and lentil soup and she made sure our visit was perfect. The food was incredible as always. Our sirloin Marsala was perfectly cooked and the taste was out of this world! Definitely one of our places to go :)

I love Carrabba’s. And this location does a great job with the food and drinks. One of my favorite chains.

Have been here several times but last night’s visit was not their best. We waited for a long time for bread and even longer for bread plates and oil. We also ordered a pitcher of red Sangria which had to be the worst we’ve ever had. It tasted like syrup and the only fruit in the pitcher was a couple of strawberries and lots of lemons. The server did get our red sangria replaced with the peach which also was not good but at least palatable. Two of our guests could not eat their meals at all. Our server was trying hard but was fairly new and may have been overwhelmed by the size of the party (9). Will definitely try again.

It’s a good carrabbas, as most usually are. Same typical menu and usually good service. We eat at this location a couple times a month maybe. First place I’ve ever tried calamari at and it was great. I love the tag pic pac pasta with chicken and the mezzaluna too. My bf likes all the different Marsalas and the prosciutto wrapped tenderloin. They also have a great Cesar salad.

At one time this Carrabba’s was good. However, we went here on 4−26−15 & they were out of certain food items (at 6:30 p.m. yet!). The food items we ended getting was a little burnt in one while mine was undercooked. The portions were small & the price was large. I asked 1 server (that left our food) for a refill & he took off (never came back). Had to get my waiter for it. Talk about disappointment! Never coming back here…

If you been to one carabbas you’ve been to most. Carrabbas is great. This is the location I visit most, and I haven’t had any problem. I enjoy coming here every chance I get the food is always great and the service is too.

First time to Carrabba’s in Florida, so we were hoping it has the same quality as the one in NJ.
Stopped in for lunch and got seated quickly, hostess and waiter was friendly and on top of the drinks (never went empty). The lunch menu is a bit different from the dinner menu, so I went with the soup & pizza combo. It was great… the Italian sausage lentil soup was very flavorful and the pizza was great too. I was very pleased with Carrabba’s…as usual!
The one down side (nothing to do with the food or service) there want any cell service or wifi in most of the place. I asked the hostess, she said on the area near the window in the bar section gets it, otherwise it is hit or miss. But that doesn’t justify a star reduction on Carrabba’s behalf.
Keep up the great work!

In the realm of Italian chain restaurants, you could do much worse. All the staff was friendly and welcoming. Service was fast and attentive.
My niece had Fettucine Alfredo. Perfect al dente pasta with a well-​balanced sauce. Nice portion size meant pasta for breakfast.
I chose the grilled chicken with a side of veggies. The chicken was marinated with Italian seasonings and grilled just a tad too long. Juicy chicken goodness was replaced with just a little too much knife action required to get through a slightly leathery slab. The flavor was ok but a minute less on the grill would have made a huge difference. The side veggies included plenty of well-​cooked broccoli which happens to be one of my fave veggies, so all in all, I’m not complaining.
My one gripe? Nearly every table is a high ‘harvest’ table with stools. I’m very aware this is the cool new dining concept, but it’s totally uncomfortable if you are short, and I am. Just getting on the stool and then getting close enough to the table to be comfy requires a few years of gymnastics training. If you’re a lady wearing lets say a cocktail dress and heels, then you’d better have a gold medal in pairs skating because you’re going to need help getting up and down without exposing yourself to the other diners. Once on the chair, the rungs were so low that my feet dangled like a 2-​yr old’s in a high chair. Hardly a pleasant experience. And yes, there were a few low tables but those were all occupied which pretty much implies that most people, when, they have a choice, will pick the low tables.

Food was about par. Not great but certainly not bad. The portions are not as large as I’d like for the price.
At the end of our meal the waiter chased us down in the parking lot. It turns out he rang my credit card as a gift card and obviously it didn’t work.
The worst part wasn’t the embarrassment of this, but the fact that the waiter and the manager we’re accusing me of using a bad credit card and trying to leave without paying.
Once they realized their error, they never apologized.
I will NEVER be back. What an embarrassment and unnecessary situation. The management really need to be better trained on how to handle such issues.

We missed a family birthday last month while traveling, so upon our return we took 8 family members to Carrabba’s for a celebration dinner. When seated, a woman was going from table to table promoting gift cards. She said we could use it for this meal plus get a $ 20 card. So we bought one. When we paid for our dinner, we gave them the new gift card plus a credit card. We were in the parking lot when our waiter ran out the door, yelled for us to stop and told us our card didn’t work so we needed to pay. We were shocked, to say the least, and embarrassed to be stopped in the parking lot on a Friday night in front of many people, a few who knew us. We sent the rest of our family to our home where we all planned enjoy cake, coffee and gifts, while we tried to sort this mess out. Instead of taking us to an office or out of ear shot or view, the waiter who was upset was talking with my husband beside the hostess station, saying our card did not work. We asked for a manager but had to wait a few minutes for her to s how up. Again, very upsetting for us as well as embarrassing. By that time our waiter, my husband & I, the manager on duty, another employee, and the woman who sold us the gift card were all huddled in clear view and earshot of the bar and entrance. I felt like we had become the entertainment for the evening. After a few minutes it was determined that the gift card had been rung up as a credit card.
I realize this review has nothing to do with the food. However, our experience ruined what should have been a happy occasion. I drive pass Carrabba’s at least 2 times a day and still think of how embarrassed I was.
The staff should be better instructed on how to handle such situations. The manager should have known to speak to us in a private location. Any other restaurant would have made an offer — free drinks, free appetizers, free desserts, % of your next bill — anything would have made us feel valued. Instead, we drove home to 2 cars in our driveway waiting for us and a huge damper on our celebration.

I love the food here! It’s a decent value and you almost always get your money’s worth.
Normally, my wife and I sit by the kitchen and watch/​chit-​chat with the cooks, manager, etc. Along with the wait staff they’re friendly people and they know us on a first name basis.
While this is heavily Americanized Italian, I think it’s genuinely good. There’s a reason that they’re the #1 rated Italian chain as rated by ZAGAT. they’re good!
I’ve been to Amici’s down the road and honestly. I didn’t like it. I’d prefer to save money and go to Carrabba’s and get a better, tastier, more filling meal.
The advantage to sitting by the kitchen is to see the effort they put into their meals. the cooks and management genuinely care about what they’re doing — it’s not just a show for us. I’ve seen them re-​do food simply because they weren’t happy with the quality, portion, etc. when they could’ve just taken it to a table and the patrons would’ve known none the less.
I had one disappointing experience which was a dessert (bread pudding) but it promptly followed up by a complimentary mousse brownie dessert — and we didn’t even say anything! The server simply noticed we didn’t enjoy it and brought us what they REMEMBERED to be something we enjoyed in the past!
While I prefer to give patronage to local more than chains. I really feel that this is the best Italian in the area. and in the end I’d prefer eating here and leave full, content, and happy versus feeling ripped off.

Always a line out the door so get there early. Never had a bad meal! Knocks Olive Garden out of the park.

I find it hard to say negative things about this place. It’s everything that the Olive Garden wishes it was. A chain… yes, but somehow, you get the impression that they really care about making their food. There’s also a hint of professionalism in the staff not typically seen at the OG.
The complimentary fresh bread immediately placed on each table saves me from ordering an appetizer. I would be completely happy with my glass of water and free bread, but that practice is typically frowned upon. So, I order the Chicken Marsala, which speaks to me in a language typically reserved for steak.