Carmelo’s

Love Carmelos. Always a good meal. Their baked dishes are the best. They also make a great Caesar salad, a mean steak and a fantastic dessert. Server Shelley is also always happy and helpful.

Lovely little place, good food. Our service was slow, but otherwise a gem. I had the artichoke sauté, which was pretty good. I was bummed that I forgot my leftovers.

Thanks Mark, Shelly and our lovely daytime server Emily. We love coming over for lunch, and never have been disappointed. It’s always wonderful and Shelly the new art work is amazing. You guys are the best and we appreciate you accomadating our time restraint for lunch. Emily you really made us feel special for Valentines. What a nice touch!
The Girls next door.

What a treasure! We moved from Minneapolis to Saint Paul about six months ago. Wow. What can I say? Only that I wish I had known about this place earlier. It is like finding a rare jewel in a brown paper bag. From the outside, Carmelo’s looks very simple, understated and old school. Part of me wants it to remain like this. (So I can keep it to myself and the rare birds that actually seek out mom and pop owned restaurants like this one). And because it is so Saint Paul to be so humble., which is why this city is close to my heart. I am so bored with trendy hipster corporate joints. I was tempted to hide it from the rest of the world and the inevitable invasion. But alas, I feel that I have to toot their horn.
First of all, when you enter, you are pleasantly surprised and delighted to find a warm, semi casual yet elegant atmosphere. Billie Holiday was playing as we entered (this is something i can NOT touch upon enough-​music, to me is as important as lighting and the food). We were greeted by a warm, energetic, woman with a beautiful smile and bright eyes. Shelli was our server for the evening – and I can honestly say, I haven’t had more authentically caring, nurturing efficient and classy service in YEARS. You can’t cultivate that kind of style or charm. She genuinely cared about our experience. I grew up with good food and a family that understood true hospitality. Is is so nice to find it in a casual homey place like this one. So even IF (which was NOT the case,), we had eaten, and the food was decent but not amazing, we still would have happily come back. But to our amazement– and absolute joy-​the food was absolutely PERFECT. From the artichoke dip (better than the Loring Pasta bar, and that is a tough one to beat), to the Bistecca Pomadora, to the Shrimp Macalester, down to the last bite of tiramissu (too bad for you Grand Latte’, I just found a new winner!). Everything we ordered was wonderfully prepared. The quality of meat, and seafood, the sauces, the preparation and presentation, far exceeded our expectations. And the wine that Shelli recommended was a perfect accompaniment. By the way-​everything is made from scratch by owner and Chef Mark Stevens– La Chef exceptionnelle! To top it off, the portions are generous, and the prices modest. How can you beat that? I just dare you to try. The exterior does not hint at the true gem that this little slice of happiness is. but I for one-​am glad. I hope they stay exactly the same as they are; because all of us out there who know and love them are fast and loyal fans. All I can say is Bravo Carmelos!

I had high hopes but have to say we had a pretty mediocre experience at Carmelo’s. It feels like the kind of place that is a neighborhood establishment and has a loyal following but perhaps isn’t quite what it used to be.
The restaurant itself is cute. It’s very small but cozy painted in warm colors, dim but not dark. When we arrived, it took awhile for us to be acknowledged and then seated. In the end, our waitress ended up seating us because the hostess was busy. Once seated, our waitress was a bit overwhelmed. I think she was the only one on for the whole dining room. It’s not huge, but I counted 21 total tables and I would say there were maybe eight filled when we arrived. Because our waitress was overworked, there were big gaps in our service. It took a long time for her to come back to our table after seating us. She waited until we were finished eating our appetizer to take our entrée order. And it took too long to get our bill when we indicated we were done. But on the plus side, our server was very nice and had good menu knowledge.
We were disappointed to hear that they were out of the ravioli Carmelo — after reading reviews here, that was something we wanted to try. We got the calamari, which I honestly did not like. The breading was very thick, slightly undercooked and very oily. The creamy sauce wasn’t good and I wished for a good old cup of marinara. My husband’s side salad seemed pretty average, and my asiago cheese soup was oily, lukewarm and just OK. Honestly, the bread in the bread basket was the best thing on the table until that point in the meal. Entrée-​wise, things improved. My fettuccine Alfredo was very good — rich and creamy with perfectly cooked pasta and a good hint of pepper in there too for a little kick. My husband tried the seafood cannelloni, which he said was good. He said that he was impressed that the seafood was fresh. We skipped dessert, so no comment there.
In all, it was OK but not the best. I honestly think we would prefer Scusi or Broders for Italian. But I’m glad we tried it and am not sure if we just caught a bad day or what. At $ 50+, it was a little steep for what we got, we thought. Not sure when we will be back.

Carmelo’s has been a staple for years.
Never have I been disappointed, last night was no different.
Fresh seafood, show stopping red sauce and service to boot.
Recommend take out if you don’t feel like dining in.
Definitely try this local fare, and the baked ravioli app

I have been eating at Carmelo’s for at least 10 years and it’s always amazing! The food is fabulous! Literally my all time favorite places to dine! Love the small cozy atmosphere! Everything at Carmelo’s…the bread, the wine, entrees and the staff are great!

Love this place. Love the soups that change daily and the Alfredo sauce. Hands down my favorite Italian restaurant.

Sorry, but there is absolutely NO way Carmelo’s can be rated very high.
We were there Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014.
The restaurant is very, very noisy for starters, and there was low fairly loud bass music playing in the background as well. not even pleasant Italian music. Not an intimate environment even though cloth table linens were used.
My wife had veal parmigiano, and I had salmon. Both had an overpowering garlic flavor that lingered after we finished our meal. The white soft bread even had a subtle garlic flavor.
It’s time for the owners to step up their game around food flavor and dining environment. How about even opening the window blinds so diners can see what’ going on outside?
We won’t come back to this restaurant or recommend to others.

I love this place. I’ve been coming here on and off for close to 10 years. I’ve been here both weekends and weeknights, with 2 — 4 people and have always had a good experience. Service is consistently good, food is consistently good, etc. My husband loves it too and has pretty different taste in food than I do. I can’t really imagine anyone not liking it.
It’s a small place and not terribly fancy so I wouldn’t go in expecting black tie or anything like that. This sort of casual atmosphere is what I prefer at a restaurant so it works for me.
I hope to continue to eat here for many years to come.

The modest exterior belies the amazing experience inside this storefront restaurant. It offers excellent Italian food and wine. Very good value for the money. The entrée price includes a salad and fresh bread. I am a big fan of the chicken parmesan, but everything I have ever ordered has been very good. We’ve been going there for more than 10 years and it has been consistently good during the entire time. Quite a feat.

Quaint place, very small and cozy. We were there tonight and there were very few people there. So the service was great, the food was good, I did not care to much for the pasta which came with my steak. The steak was stuffed with peppers and other tasty things but the steak it self was kind of chewy… I have eaten here before and it was great so tonight might have just been a glitch, lots of other places to eat for now.

Recently discovered this hidden gem. The food was amazing, the service great (our server was Shelly), the atmosphere cozy. The prices were great as well (and if you go on a week night the wine is ½ off!).
I started my meal with the house salad with peppercorn dressing. The dressing was so good. They also give you homemade garlic bread that is so soft. For my entrée I ordered the seafood cannelloni (seafood mixture of crab, shrimp, scallops, ricotta, fresh basil & sun dried tomatoes wrapped in a pasta sheet. topped with a portabella mushroom cream sauce). It was delicious. The sauce was amazing, the seafood not at all fishy. The only complaint would be that the sauce got a little salty towards the end, but that is somewhat common with white sauces.
My companion ordered the Chicken Carmelo (lightly breaded, baked & topped with fresh crab, parmesan & a lemon cream sauce served over angel hair & garnished with roasted vegetables) which was absolutely amazing! The veggies were so crisp, the chicken was tender, the lemon very refreshing. If I went again I would order this dish, hands down!

Randomly stumbled upon Carmelo’s in true Unilocal fashion. Amazing bread basket… almost dangerously good. I ordered the primavera with Alfredo sauce and my dining partner in crime had the spinach and cheese ravioli. Both were excellent. For the price the portions could have been a bit larger but still very happy with our meal.

Skip it. Horrible service :(We made a reservation for a dinner out for two and when we showed up (driving all the way from Plymouth) and the entire restaurant had been rented out for a private party. Not only did they fail to call us and inform us that they had since rented the place out, but when we arrived the staff was sassy and acted as if we had never made reservations at all. We called to let them know what happened and they stated that the private party had been reserved over a month ago… when our reservations were made two weeks ago. Either they have ghost employees who answer the phone or they have horrible communication skills. We will never step foot in this restaurant again after the way they handled their own mistake.

Wonderful little restaurant with good good and a great setting! The lighting is dim and intimate and makes the meal enjoyable!

I cannot believe I forgot to review this little hole in the wall that if you blink while driving down Snelling you will miss. It is small. Which makes this a wonderful intimate dining place to have a nice meal with somebody you enjoy. My daughter and I used to go here for lunch because we are big pasta lovers and we enjoy the cozy atmosphere. Never had anything that I did not like here off the menu.

It’s been a while since we’ve been to Carmelo’s. After the meal we just had, I’m kicking myself and wondering why it took so long to get back.
It’s just what you want in an Italian restaurant. Family owned, quaint, unpretentious, beautiful hearty meals, and a very attentive and helpful staff.
I had the Bistecca Pomadora which is a NY Strip stuffed with garlic and Parmesan, served on marinara and topped with onion, mushrooms, and roasted red pepper. Very nicely cooked to medium rare. My wife said her Chicken Milanese was very good. I’ve had pasta dishes in the past that were excellent also. The bread is homemade and extremely fresh and tasty.
As good as I thought my meal was, nothing could prepare me for what came after. I ordered the Tiramisu. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Italy, and I can honestly say that this Tiramisu was better than any I had there. It was so much different. Not prepared in a big pan. It looked individually prepared and the Flavors and textures were amazing.
I highly recommend Carmelo’s. Not the place you would want to bring the kids (although last night there was a table with rather young kids there). Prices are very reasonable throughout the entire menu. We will be back soon for sure.

Our party of four was served well. Basket of bread was delicious. Salad was alright. Quality greens and all, but there was just something about it that I didn’t care for. Too small? Presentation? Who knows. I had the Chicken Carmelo and really enjoyed it. I tried a bite of my girlfriend’s ravioli and was happy with that too. The only reason I’m not giving 4 stars is the wine. When I spend $ 30+ on a bottle of wine, I expect to be happy to drink it. I understand that restaurants like to mark up their wine, but I wouldn’t pay $ 5 for a bottle of their Pinot Noir. It detracted from what could have been a decent dining experience.
I might try Carmelo’s again.

We live just a couple blocks over from Carmelo’s but, we hadn’t tried this restaurant since there are many italian options to choose from in the neighborhood. It’s a small, quaint little joint so you definitely need reservations. We had a reservation for our first time. Although, we sat for 15 – 20 before being greeted/​water/​drink orders. When our waitress came over the first time we could tell that she was rushed so I asked her about it casually trying to make light of the fact that they might be short staffed. It turns out that they were short one waitress. It’s a small joint and most patrons looked satisfied with their wine, etc.
We started out with the Bruschetta Lucia which was tasty. My wife and I then shared the Shrimp Macalester which is a pasta named after some professors at Macalester. We chose this plate because when asked about favorites on the menu we received the boring and ever annoying response «everything is good»… Carmelo’s also had the notorious split plate charge which is a little old school (just increase the price on your plates).
I thought the Shrimp Macalester was good but, my wife did not enjoy it and thought that it had a funny taste and that the shrimp were «fishy». Disclaimer, we are pescetarians so we eat a good bit of seafood.
Overall, we were a little disappointed mostly with the service factor even after we recognized that they were short staffed the waitress wouldn’t even physically make it to the table for each check up (I would hear her behind my back)…weird.
Bottom Line: Take your time with every table and be prepared to make sincere recommendations.