Carmelo’s

Without a doubt, the best Italian Restaurant in Punta Gorda and probably in Southwest Florida. We have been here twice in the past week and have tried 4 different dishes. The sauce (gravy) reminds me of growing up in my Italian family. Even the beef and seafood dishes are excellent. The service has been great and the prices very reasonable for this quality of food and portion size. This will be a regular stop for us now.

Hands down delish. Great service and amazing food. Love the owners and John Paul. We have dined several times & will be back.

Without a doubt the very best Italian restaurant in the southwest gulf area. Nothing else compares to this wonderful setting and the Osso Bucco is melt in your mouth. For a real treat that dazzles your friends give the «Bada Bing» a roll. You will be amazed as we all were. Out group of 12 guests all felt the same — excellente!

We went here for our parents 50^th anniversary dinner. It was nothing short of amazing. From the service to the food to the wine, all top notch. They had a special called the bada Bing with a 100 lb cheese imported that they made table side. Everything was amazing and we can’t wait to go back!

Well it took some doing getting a reservation at Carmelo’s I would say it was well worth the wait. Not only was the food great but the staff was excellent. Just walking into the restaurant the smells brought you straight to memories of Italy and their marvelous food. Cannot say enough about everything we had… ample portions, veal was superb.

Absolutley the very best meal we have ever had, here in punta gorda. outstanding antipasto, they get it right all cured italian meats with great imported cheeses and marinated vegetables not those vinegar pickled vegetables from a jar, lasagna so good, chicken valentina, melts in your mouth, service also great, thank you linda, a totally wonderful dinning experience, oh flavored oil with tasty bread for dipping, nice touch!!!

Great food. And server. Worst and slowest service ever. More than two hour wait to get our entrees. We were so frustrated by the time we got out food we has lost our appetite and almost didn’t eat. Manager said said Carmelo says food was made to order and takes at least an hour to an hour and a half.

On a recent stay in PG, we ate here three times. We are glad that we found the place. It was superb.
We sat outside in the «garden» which, after the blazing sun went behind the neighboring building, was delightful.
Happy hour wines were a good value.
Recommended are the zuppa de pesce and the veal piccata and chickens marsala. The beef tenderloin speciality dish was wonderful and discounted during happy hour.
Can’t wait for a return to PG so that we can go back.
Service was professional and attentive without being stiff.

Carmelo may be an amazing chef accommodating me gluten free needs. I’m a 20 year old customer, accommodated by me friend another 20 year old customer. We had a few drinks and the locals of Punta seem to be disappointed in the free will actions and conversation we are having. Food FUCKING amazing, the vibes are terrible. Carmelo could make loads of money in a more moving, modern, industrialized city, nothing against the guy, just the judgmental staff and audience he attracts.
Probably not coming back because it looks like my grandma is giving me the stink eye the entire time.

Best authentic Italian food in the area! The osso buck is to die for! You do have to make reservations a few weeks out due to their popularity, especially during snow bird season.

This place was one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life … we sat outside at night time next to the fire towers and the Christmas lights that created the most amazing ambience. Those also had live entertainment also making the scenery incredibly relaxing and enjoyable. The staff was incredibly kind, attentive, and pleasant to be around. The food was some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had and so was the cappuccino and dessert! This is a highly recommended place on my list and will want to come back every time I have the chance!

So very good. this is a destination that you should not miss. one of the best restaurants we have been to. thanks Carmelo’s for your great food and service. Linda is the best of the best… .thanks…

Excellent food. Highly recommended. This is the best Italian food in Charlotte county and nearby. Authentic and great family feel. Definitely make reservation as it almost impossible to get in without. Only wish they were open for lunch. My favorite place to dine.

By far best Italian in Punta Gorda! The outdoor garden atmosphere is great and the food is amazingly delicious! Coming from Chicago we have some good Italian and this was fabulous! Rebecca was our server and she was great, super friendly and knowledgeable about all of the dishes. They offer happy hour daily and different weekly menu specials. Well in Punta Gorda Carmello’s is a must!

The food was good and reasonably priced but the service was NOT good. If sitting in garden long delays, it was like putting the dog outside and forgetting you left him there.
I actually got up to get some items from the front service area inside. We had a larger group but deplorable service. Entertainment (music) outside very good. There was a lot of hype on his good it was, overall didn’t meet expectations.

Good, not great. Closer the 3.5 stars. Friends have raved about the place. We would try them again, but they need some work.
We can’t comment on some of their signature dishes, but they fell short in a few basics.
I love carpaccio. They almost have a good one. I have never had it served with BALSAMIC VINEGAR glaze!!! I did manage to scrape most of it off, but what are they thinking? Raw beef has a delicate flavor that I love with some olive oil, capers, and shaved Parmesan – maybe some greens and an aioli. If you order it and I would again, but I will make sure they leave the balsamic glaze off.
They had an incredible special on Tuesdays in the off season, most pastas are $ 10 and it includes a salad or the soup of the day. I went for the salad and my wife for the pasta fagioli. It was a nice serving of soup and she enjoyed it. I didn’t try it since I’m not a big fan. I had the salad with the house balsamic vinaigrette. It was extremely overdressed and whoever made the vinaigrette didn’t get the balance right. I had trouble eating a third of it. It was frankly, terrible.
I had the penne pasta alla vodka sauce with sausage. My wife had the penne with pesto and chicken. Both were large servings and good. Pasta was done al dente.
They look like they have some nice desserts, but we were full just eating half of our entrée so we went for an espresso and a cappuccino. I specifically asked if it was made with an espresso machine since I am a coffee snob. The espresso came filled to the top of the cup and didn’t have a crema. It tasted like strong coffee, not espresso.
The service was adequate, but not attentive. A typical uninformed server that was never properly trained.

First visit, and we would definitely come back again. The caprese salad was excellent. The sangria delicious. And the bowl of spaghetti was too big for one sitting. The staff was friendly, and the outdoor dining was very comfortable.
Only negative was feeling ignored when we first got here. The wait and the food was worth it.

First time here, but had been told by many friends it was great. They were right!
Service was superb… attentive…kept our water glasses full. Very tasty hot chabata dinner bread w/​fresh olive oil and other spices set the mood for what was to come.
Try the calamari appetizer… more than enough for two. But save room for the veal parmigiana… it was served with spaghetti and was so ample we had to ask for a doggie bag. Sadly, no room for dessert, so next time we might skip the appetizer.
Put Carmelo’s on your «to do» list for certain.

Honestly surprised this place doesn’t have a higher rating. I took a long motorcycle ride thru Florida and got a hotel where I ended up, Punta Gorda. Rode into downtown and stopped here for dinner. Got a table outside and was served by Chris. He was witty and attentive, well versed in the menu. Excellent service the whole time.
I had the arancine sicilane appetizer, it was probably the highlight of the meal. A crispy outer shell, surrounding a tender, savory center of meat, rice and veggies. With the pomodoro sauce, it was fantastic. Fresh baked bread is served with olive oil poured over an herb blend with your meal, and the bread was some of the best I’ve ever had. For the entrée I got the veal saltimboca with the pasta e’ fagioli soup and asparagus. The veal was tender and cooked perfectly, with a fantastic sauce. The soup was great. My only criticism was that the asparagus was a bit overcooked. For dessert I had the lemoncello cake, also excellent.
This was a meal in a new city that started a great night. I was so happy to find this place, and if I do come back to Punta Gorda I’ll be sure to stop by again.

Was excellent. Lighting and ambiance were nice. Host/​Managers were extremely accomodating in every way. The food was executed to the finest and served at the perfect temperature. My entre, Chicken Vesuvius, was very impressive (anytime there are two different proteins in a dish there is a challenge to present the food and flavors) and this exceeded all of my expectations. The waitress said the owner (Carmelo) also cooks all of the food. It’s about time downtown Punta Gorda had a good italian restaurant.