Carrabba’s Italian Grill

First time and won’t be my last time. The food was great the soup and salads were bigger then expected the so called cup of soup was actually the size of a bowl. The waiter check on us and made sure we where OK. The food is cooked fresh so you have to wait longer for your order but it is worth it.

I’ve been to so many Carrabba’s all over the country as it is my favorite chain restaurant.
However, no matter how many times I go to this specific location, the service is always terrible. It does not compare to the other Carrabba’s I’ve been to. But it’s fine, I’m only in this location a few times a year and not nearly as frequent as the ones in Long Island, NY where I feel like I’m in my own dining room and my mother is serving me.
The food is always great, but the waiters here in this location are below average. I constantly find myself nagging my companions about when the waiter will come out and serve us.

Having just been to our local Carrabba’s for dinner earlier this week, I can definitely give this location a glowing 4-​star review!
Our group of 4 was immediately seated just after 6 pm with no waits. Maybe a half hour later, the restaurant was packed and quoted a 30 minute wait. Despite this, we were never rushed or neglected by our fantastic server, Brandon.
Shortly after we were seated, he took our drink orders and gave us time to review the menu. Once we were ready, he answered all our questions and gave us recommendations. Not long after, we received our soups and salads, which looked fresh and delicious. He also checked in on us. Once we were done, our bowls and plates were immediately cleared.
Minutes later, we received our entrees, which looked really fresh and delicious. In fact, my sister and her boyfriend’s fettuccine looked so much better than what my husband had received just days earlier at a location in Maryland! We were also offered freshly grated cheese which did not occur at the other location either.
This location is definitely a head above other Carrabba’s locations in both consistency of their food preparation AND their overall customer assistance. I really wish I could say the same for my closest Carrabba’s!!!

I was in the area visiting family so I popped in here for a quick meal. It is a very large restaurant with a really chill ambiance. Great for relaxing after a long busy day at work. I sat at the bar, was greeted by a nice bartender and ordered a pint of Stella. Service was good. She seemed a bit tired so there was no chat between us or anything which was fine with me. I was too tired to chat myself so we were both on the same page!
For food, I ordered the Chianti Chicken entrée which came with a complimentary lentil and sausage soup beforehand. Some fresh bread with oil arrived before anything. Absolutely gorgeous, I had to ask for more! The soup came in a large bowl and it was very tasty. Nice flavors and it was the perfect size before my main course. However, the main was not to my liking that much. It consisted of two pieces of nicely cooked chicken but was lathered with the sauce which unfortunately was not to my liking. I would recommend getting the sauce on the side as they put too much on and it overpowers the taste of the chicken. The apple salad it comes with is also nice and fresh but also draped in dressing. The overall dish was also a bit too small for $ 15.
Overall, it’s a nice place but it didn’t blow me away. Service was nice and quick which I always appreciate and if I return (which I may do), I will order a pasta dish next time to try something different. Definitely a place worth trying if you’re in the area.

I am so surprised that Carrabba’s only has 3 stars. There are places I kind of expect to be 3 stars because they are a chain, but I had the most unexpectedly amazing meal here the other night.
I’d been out all night long until the sun came out. I napped a few hours and met my parents at my place because they were kind enough to help me paint. I fell asleep face first on the carpet the entire day, woke up and it was done (also the carpets cleaned). They are the best people in the universe. They were starving and wanted to go to Carrabba’s. Carrabba’s is a Italian holiday, you should go really hungry type of place.
We started with sangria. Minus a star for having SO much ice in it that you can hardly get the drink at the bottom. Why is that?! Also they were forgetting to give everyone silverware — host stand — get up on your sh! t because you are making the good waiters look bad.
Jordan was our waiter. He was excellent! Why? He gave honest recommendations of the food. He didn’t try to sell us on anything. It was honest and descriptive, and everyone was happy with their dishes.
The bread is irresistible because they give the amazing oil dip.
For appetizers we had:
Tomato Caprese with Fresh Burrata: Creamy burrata mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil, red onions, balsamic glaze, drizzled with extra-​virgin olive oil. It was amazing but needed more balsamic glaze
and the Arancini: Crispy bites of risotto, Italian fennel sausage, bell peppers and romano cheese. Served with our marinara sauce. Also yummy.
You get a soup or salad with entrees. I got the Caesar salad. It’s nice that it’s an option because most places caesar dressing is a specialty or something. Why is that? My sister requested the strawberry vinaigrette. My mom wish she had done the same. She only went with regular. The salads are quite large, not your typical small side salad. I wished I’d requested dressing on the side like I usually do. Oh well. It was really good, just too much for my personal liking. My dad enjoyed some kind of spicy chicken soup.
For my entrée, I had: Proscuitto-​wrapped shrimp
Wood-​grilled, topped with lemon butter and served over orzo pasta with roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives, bell peppers, red onion and lemon. Served with the seasonal vegetable.
I think it was supposed to come with the seasonal vegetable, but I was asked which side I wanted anyway so I requested the asparagus. It was really great! I never make asparagus right, but I also never try, so it’s nice to have some good asparagus, nicely seasoned large stalks. My dad got: Proscuito-​wrapped pork tenderloin: Medallions wrapped in prosciutto, wood-​grilled and topped with our port wine fig sauce. The port wine fig sauce was delish. I can’t remember what anyone else got, but his seemed to be the highlight, besides that I liked my own.
OMG the dessert though! Sogno di cuiccolata «Chocolate Dream.» A rich fudge brownie with chocolate mousse, fresh whipped cream and chocolate sauce. It is so so so so good! It’s also kinda giant. We got the mini cannolis, but I’m not a fan of pistachio on my cannolis so I wasn’t too happy about that. I know it’s a thing at some places. The Brulee ricotta cheesecake: Italian-​style ricotta cheesecake served with strawberries and a port wine reduction was delicious. Def my mom’s fav. Mine was the dream.
Bonus points for having a lot of gluten free options.

We have been coming to this place for over 3 years. Their calamari are to die for; soft, tender and simply delicious. We never been disappointed neither with food or service.
But the last time I was there my experience with food was terrible. We ordered calamari which didn’t have breading. When we mentioned this to the waiter he was really helpful and brought us another plate of calamari. It had breading on it, but was very chewy and dry. As entrée I had prosciutto wrapped shrimp with steak. And let me tell you, I would not have fed that piece of meat to my dog. It smelled and tasted disgusting. I thought I was just being picky, but my fiancé also thought that it was inedible.
Seems like something happened to this place, because it used to be packed with people and have 45 min to 1 hr wait. But on Friday night, at 8 pm it was almost empty.
It will be a while before we come back to carrabbas again.

Good food, great service! The grilled fillet was perfectly cooked. Everyone enjoyed their meals. The chicken soup was quite spicy, though. I wish they would add roasted potatoes as a side. Would definitely go back.

The pizza is completely failure. It is like a ready made one more than an «Italian»
When they say peppers for the toppings, it is not fresh green/​red peppers but just herbs.
Would recommend going to another place for pizza

One of my top places to go eat. Their Caesar salad with chicken is hands down my first pick. I also have their delicious raspberry sangria to die for. During the summer the have a little patio where you can enjoy your food!!!

Went today for lunch with my family and was pretty good. When we arrived at the restaurant, there was not a long wait but about 10 mins. The food was excellent, we had the calamari and tomato caprese for the appetizer. Also, the bread and olive oil is super good. However, one of my family members had ordered a plain corkscrew pasta with tomato sauce on the side. But unfortunately they mixed the order up and they had the corkscrew pasta but with the tomato sauce on it and a meatball. Then they almost got the order right but it was the same with no meatball. Luckily, the 3^rd time they got the order correct. The person who was having the pasta thought it was exquisite! The service was nice and the atmosphere was friendly. I would defiantly come back here to eat!

We sat there 10+ min, no drink, no hello, no one cares. It is not even busy. Stand up and left.

After a NIGHTMARE across the street at Red Robin, my family was delighted to have such a pleasant experience while eating at this Carrabba’s. I wish I had gotten the server’s name because he was extremely attentive, polite, and aware of what we needed at all times. We were greeted by the hostess immediately whereas at Red Robin across the street we waited 20 minutes to even see the hostess. Here we waited 15 minutes for a table. We had been seated immediately at Red Robin, but never acknolacknowledged or approached for 30 minutes before we walked out. So, needless to say, we were excited to finally be closer to eating. I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 because my family members wanted sandwiches and it was a Sunday which is apparently the ONLY day they don’t have a lunch menu. However, our food was still very good and overall I was very impressed and delighted!

I have always loved Carrabba’s. This is thanks, in part, to the fact that there weren’t many up north and a chance to go to one was only on the rare occasion that we were in Middletown NJ. Now that we have one in Secaucus, this restaurant is slowly becoming my go-​to for a quick, but nice meal. when we’re in the area.
Let me explain.
The location: Harmon Meadow in Secaucus, which conveniently has a bus that is just a $ 4 fare and a short ride to NYC.
The service: Outstanding. On our last visit, our waiter was superb without being overbearing, and also made sure to take care of us and get us the check prior to taking on a large party of 10+. The effort was greatly appreciate.
The food: Decent. I love the bread with oil that you automatically get upon sitting down, and the other meals are, from my experience, largely portioned and well balanced.

This was my first visit to a Carrabba’s. It was a Saturday at 1:00pm. The area is a bit confusing with shops in different sections and separated by very busy streets. I parked at Wal-​Mart and walked over rather than park in a parking garage. I sat at a table big enough for two. Unilocalers had said that the indoor setting is dark but that’s not the case for lunch when it’s sunny outside. I enjoyed the spicy sausage & lentil soup, bread, lemonade and cavatappi franco while watching the chefs at work and listening to «Lemonade» by Chris Rice and Fiona Apple sounding tunes. I turned down Kevin L.‘s suggestion for dessert since I ate more than enough. There is also a television by the bar with ESPN on the air.

First time there! Loved how fresh and delicious the bread is with the homemade garlic sauce on side
I ordered the chicken parmesan. Wow! Amazing 1000 times better than olive garden! …
For dessert i had the brownie with the mousse n whip cream. WOW! Amazing
Great server very polite !
I will deff be back !

Been coming here regularly, the food always tastes great. Today, the bread was a bit hard and the entrees were served in a small oval plate, half portion size. I thought the restaurant switched hands, I asked, it was not the case. One of my regular dishes was prepared differently than usual too, the Pollo Tia Maria. I don’t like going to a restaurant and leaving hungry and before it was never the case here as the portion was a decent size.
The manager Justin came over to my table, comp’d the appetizer and also discounted the check, which was very much appreciated. I will be coming back because they surely listen and care for what their customers have to say, and that has more value then any food ever will. It’s not about the money really, but the «usual» expectation when you come often to a place and order your «usual». I prefer to pay more and get what I want than less and get something else. I will certainly be back, thanking Jamie for serving and Justin for helping out and listening!

I really wanted to like Carrabba’s especially since this was a special request for a loved ones B’day dinner but sadly Sangria, appetizers & dinner were all sub par and left us all disappointed with having chose this place.
To Elaborate…
Sangria — Who Puts Ice in Sangria? — Carrabba’s does!
We chose the red Sangria which tasted like an overpowered Cinnamon Kool-​Aid, was loaded down with Ice in both the pitcher and Serving glasses, so if there was any hint of wine mixed into this it just turned into Kool-​Aid!
It turns out they have 3 different types of Sangria of which shock of all shocks the red sangria was the poorest of choices and the other two choices are Berry– something (I cant’t remember the name) & Peach; we found this out after the fact and upon waiting for the check and complaining to our server & then the Manager.
Zucchini Fritte — Limp & Thinly Julienne’d battered strips with a nice tasting dipping sauce (Skip this)
Mussels in White Wine Butter Sauce — Disgusting didn’t taste fresh to me and the sauce was flavorless in my opinion
Mama Mandola’s Chicken Soup — My mom got suckered in by the commercials on TV and thought she was going to get a hearty Italian pasta soup — this couldn’t have been farther from the truth what Carraba’s did give her was 5 to 8 pieces of pasta on top of a decent tasting broth.
I got a thin dried up & Tiny Sirloin Steak with Spicy Butter and was not happy with the portion size, taste/​flavor or tenderness.
Other people in my party ordered Shrimp & Scallop Spiedino with Asparagus all both parties agreed that the Shrimp and Scallop was ok but the asparagus was to salty (how do you mess that up)?
None of the food we ordered was outstanding in taste or flavor with the exception of their fresh & delicious Table Bread & Herbed Infused Dipping Olive Oil.
So why did I give Carraba’s 3 stars…
Simple…
Our Waitress (Shamika) was attentive as she could possibly get, was listening to us Bitch & complain about everything every step of the way but she only works there and did the next best thing and alerted the assisting manager.
Out comes this wonderfully apologetic and empathetic Assistant Manager by the name of Justin (I hope I remembered his name correctly) who heard out all of our gripes and explained their hands are tied to the Franchise and they cant alter or change ingredients or serving style but what he could do was comp us on all the appetizers and the Pitcher of Sangria. Thank You, I feel better.
Noteworthy…
They offer a generous amount of samples for almost everything they have on their menu so feel free to ask for samples before making your final selections. Sadly we only found this out after the fact.

I haven’t been to a Carrabba’s in a long time, and for the most part I was pleasantly surprised.
The atmosphere is a bit more dark colors/​more elegant/​more intimate than say an Olive Garden, which was great for a date. The parking is in a garage that’s pretty packed, so that’s not ideal.
I had a coupon, so I decided to order a little higher than I normally would. I picked the Shrimp and Scallop Spiendo, which has the seafood wood-​fired, and the flavor of the wood was amazing. When I go out, I like to get dishes I wouldn’t/couldn’t make myself, so I was very happy to get something so flavorful and a lesser used cooking technique.
My boyfriend got a steak with prosciutto wrapped shrimp. I tried the steak, it was very juicy and the combo of the proscuitto and shrimp was interesting (maybe not as good as bacon wrapped shrimp) but very interesting to try.
The service started out great but after the food was served we didn’t see our waiter again for a long time. We had to ask another waiter to find our waiter to get the bill, and we had other plans, so we were annoyed to be sitting there, waiting for a bill with no drinks and by that point no need for a refill. This keeps it from being a better score.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere so I would come by again.

I’m a pasta lover. so coming here I had high expectations. Yes some might say that this restaurant this is similar to Olive garden. I’m not going to lie. they are right on the way the restaurant is presented except I think it has a more «at home» look. They also have a few tables outside so you can enjoy your lunch/​dinner, which on some days I absolutely enjoy!
Throughout the restaurant they have art frames, bottles of wine, etc & its all nicely put together. The lighting its pretty dim so it has a intimate feel, so if you’re expecting a bright restaurant, this is probably not the best place to go.
The food. how do I put it? … FRESH nothing like Olive Garden.
Everything I’ve tried so far has been great. Beginning with the warm bread you get as soon as you arrive. to my favorite appetizer which would have to be the Tomatoes Caprese! to of course the entrees (I’ve tried a few different entrees, all very fresh and good.) To their chicken soup, & last dessert!
For drinks I’ve tried the Peach & Blackberry sangria, I highly recommend both. If you don’t feel like having any alcoholic beverages then I’d say go for the lemonade. its refreshing.
Service has been consistently good, all of the servers have been friendly & informative which is also another reason why I’ve continue to come back for another great meal.
I will continue coming back to try out more of their delicious menu !

I don’t know if I am crazy but this is probably my all time favorite chain restaurant. I hate chains so maybe my standards are a little low for Carrabba’s but i definitely believe it deserves better than what people have been giving it!
Today I stopped in for a quick dinner. For appetizers I usually have the tomato caprese but they had some yummy seasonal options that I couldn’t resist. My favorite was the «Bruschette Scotty Thompson», not sure where the name came from but whoever Scotty Thompson is I love him. This was basically a delicious serving of toasted bread with baked goat cheese in delish marinara sauce, I’m obsessed.
For dinner I usually get cavatappi martino but wanted to try something new. I went with the 6oz Sirloin Marsala with a side of cavatappi. The steak was cooked perfectly and the sauce was soo good. I was so happy there was bread leftover in our bread basket to wipe my plate with!
After dinner there was NO room for dessert but I have tried probably everything and none disappoint!
I don’t know what it is about Carrabba’s but I love it!