Carino’s Italian Ristorante

Dinner here was delicious. Friendly waiter but service a little slow especially getting the check and then had to go to the front to retrieve credit card as our cab had arrived to pick us up. We called cab after waiter told us he would bring our bill. Cab took 15 minutes to arrive. Our waiter did apologize and said he had a seven top to attend to. The food was really good. The bread was warm soft and fantastic with the olive oil that accompanied it. Two of us had the special shrimp and crab, but with different noodles & sauces. One fettuccine Alfredo and the other penne with olive oil and garlic sauce. Both were great. Our third entrée was gnocchi gorgonzola which was good but a little to creamy for our taste. Probably should have gone with the pink sauce option. We really enjoyed our meal here and would return.

We had dinner here at the recommendation of a friend, sorry we did.
We were seated in the lounge area at a table set for 4, extra settings were not removed, then we had a waitress that was only a fill in and didn’t know the menu, she had to call over another server to explain the dishes. I had the crab and shrimp dish that I wanted over linguine but ended up with over cooked spaghetti that was so stuck together it couldn’t be twirled, I could have thrown it across the room and hurt someone with it. The food came out warm at best. I tried to get our servers attention for grated cheese, but she was too busy talking to he bartender. I didn’t finish my dinner and she didn’t seem to care as to why. The manager finally came by and I told him of the experience, and he stated that it will never happen again. Well he did get that right as we will never go there again.
We desired to hear the entertainment so the wife ordered a dessert and I, another glass of wine. We finished dessert and wine @ 7:25 and the entertainment had not yet started, posted time for starting was 7:00. Lovely wait person asked if we desired anything else and when we said no she got our check to us and stated that they needed the table for someone else.
This was the worse dinning experience we had in St Pete.

So pleased to find Carinos! It was Sat night, we were starving, and no reservation. Having already tried another place with an hour wait, my husband and I walked into Carinos. Despite being very busy they found a place for us. The clientele was more local than tourist — always a good sign. Service was great and food was authentic Italian. We both had the special: jumbo shrimp and crab meat in Fra Diavolo sauce on linguine. The crab was amazingly fresh, as were the shrimp, and the sauce nicely covered the pasta, and with a slight kick but not too hot. Bread and salads were fresh too. We were very grateful and will be back for sure. Can’t wait to go to the piano bar!

Enjoyed the early bird dinner last night. Service was exceptional very friendly.

Best sauces. Veal is always tender. Eggplant is to die for. And the service is exceptional.

My bestie and I went to Carinos for dinner this past Monday evening. It was delicious! We were greeted at the door. Our service was impeccable in a good way! Our server was very attentive but not in our face.
I had a white sangria which was delicious! My bestie had a glass of wine. We ordered the fried mozzarella which was good and comparable to many restaurants. I ordered the chicken Parmesan with pasta. The chicken was perfect and hot! It was breaded and fried to perfection! The pasta was delicious as well. The pink sauce (I live in the Chicago suburbs and it’s known as vodka sauce, was awesome! Very flavorful and the perfect pairing with the chicken. My bestie had blue cheese gnocchi. It was really good with a mild blue cheese flavor. We both had a house salad that came with our meals. Their house salad dressing is delicious! I wish they bottled it!
Carinos is worth the trip! You won’t be sorry!

The employees that work here are so caring and you can tell they take pride in their restaurant. They asked us each our name when we sat down, very personable. The entire meal from the sangria to the desert was fantastic. Definately a place to try.

Wonderful little Italian restaurant. Logan our waiter was very attentive with an awesome personality. The food was great. Will definitely come back!

Overpriced for simple overcooked food served barely warm enough to eat. Except for the butter for your bread which is served frozen. Your salad is soaking in dressing and is just lettuce with one tomato. The seafood options are limited to just three dishes. The décor and menu options speak to 1980ish. I had a pasta dish with shrimp and crab that was just «ok» and only had 3 shrimp on it. My daughter would not eat more than a few bites of her kids spaghetti and meatballs. She wasn’t sure what she didn’t like about it but said it didn’t taste like mine. We were part of a large group and the waiter was attentive and everything came out on time. We were pleased with the service. My one star review is a reflection of the food quality and price.

This is a restaurant with a very dated look and I’ve had better frozen food than what I got here. The service is slow and almost argumentative in trying to give you food prepared their way rather than your way. And the girl that was supposed to be refreshing water glasses was continually hiding out in the darkened unused dining area on her cell phone.

We had a great dinner here on Saturday night! We were referred to this place by locals and were glad we chose to dine here. Our waiter was exceptional. Very attentive, helpful and definitely took pride in his restaurant.
I got a pasta special with jumbo crab and shrimp and it was fantastic. The pieces of crab were definitely large. My daughter loved it, too!
Hubby got a veal dish and thought it was fantastic. One of the best he has had. We would definitely come back if in the area.
There usually is live piano music in the lounge area, but the pianist was sick the night we dined.

Had dinner while in town. Absolutely great service and food. The strip mall location kind of dragged down the upscale vibe a bit, but it was a nice place. We tried the mushroom appetizer and it was incredible.
We had the special seafood pasta (ridiculously good) and chicken marsala. Both were great.
Two things I thought were a little odd… the «by the glass» wine selection was very small. Maybe only 5 unnamed «house» wines. I also thought the pre-​grated parmesan was a little strange for an upscale place. The server overheard me comment about it and said the Parmesan wheels became too expensive. Neither of these were particularly bothersome, just struck me as odd for a nicer place.
Overall it was a really great dinner and the service was equally fantastic!

This is the worst Italian food I have ever tasted! It has no taste! They don’t use goat cheese or garlic! The bread tasted soo cheap like a mix for the bread! I17.00 for penne pasta with some sauce. Waste of money, and time after flying from Phoenix, and we didn’t eat since 5:30am! We were starving! We had to go to another restaurant. Even the kids were complaining how horrible the food was!

This place was full blown excellent.
Great atmosphere that is super authentic. Most of the staff seems Italian and speaks it as well. Our waiter Santina (spelling?) was a hoot and such a character and knew the menu like the back of his hand. He was confident enough to redirect me from the menu to something better.
I had the basic house salad which was simple but was fresh, crisp, and had an awesome dressing which made the salad itself. Our waiter recommended a fabulous chianti to complement our meal.
For my entrée I had the seafood pasta with red sauce, which was so good I will dream about it. It had a plentiful array of succulent seafood. My pasta was absolutely littered with calamari, scallops, shrimp, and clams. All were perfectly cooked.
My family and I ate here on a Saturday night, which was so fun because they had a piano player who played the most fabulous songs. What made it special was that many of the diners at the restaurant sang songs with the piano player.
All in all, this is the real deal and an absolute gem. Came here expecting a simple Italian dinner but came our with wonderful and colorful memories.
The staff has passion, and this passion comes out through the food and the atmosphere and the people who go to eat there.

Wonderful Christmas dinner. Excellent bread, salad and seafood pasta. Staff made the meal even more special. Husband and I drove across the state to the gulf and were hoping to find something open. What Christmas luck we had! Too full to eat dessert, but it looked sooo good. Decorated really nice and cozy too. Definitely recommend. Thanks again for making our first FL Christmas special.

My family and I have been coming here for over 15 years, since they were at a different location and it NEVER dissapoints! We only come to Florida during the summer and going to Carino’s is something we look forward to so much. The food is amazing, always cooked by the owner and the wait staff is always nice and attentive.
Ive been coming here since im little and this year ill be coming back with my husband! i cant wait!

Our Thursday pre wedding dinner was here 2 years ago and we had previously enjoyed the atmosphere and food on numerous occasions.
This is an off the beaten path, out of the way spot with great entrees and pasta. On weekend nights they have a piano player who plays Sinatra.
Every year on our anniversary my wife and I make it a point to eat here. Great memories but the food stands out on its own merit.

Carino’s Northern Italian Caffee and Lounge
This was the only non-​on-​the-​road restaurant we visited on our quick trip to St Pete, but that doesn’t change just how wonderful this meal was. On recommendation from our hotel bartender for local Italian food, we went the few miles from the beach to the strip shopping center location. The atmosphere was comfortable and cozy without being shabby or pretentious.
The meal started with warm, flavorful bread and oil and a wine from an impressive list. The list was far above my head for the most part, but with the help the waiter, we got just what we both needed to supplement the meal.
We shared an order of calamari fritti (being the item that we seem to order in every Italian place) and it was crisp and flavorful without the rubbery texture that so often makes thsi dish go wrong.
My friend ordered the veal scaloppine and he finished his using that great bread to clean up all the spare sauce. I ordered the spaghetti bolognese and, try as I might, I couldn’t get through it (might have had something to do with the side of meatballs I put with it). With no room left and completely satisfied, I would have tried anything the chef had offered. Hearing this comment, the waiter inisted that we try the Aurora sauce for the tortellini dish that had been both of our second choices. I could have swum in that sauce to my next home – a cream sauce with a touch of tomato. It was the end to all that we could consume with a dip of bread into that sauce.
It was a surprise to us both that the place was not filled to the walls. I just wish I lived closer so I could take advantage of the full menu. Staff were extremely helpful.
There is a separate lounge (aside from the dining room we were in) that was occupied by a few more locals, but still under-​attended according to the service.

New Favorite Restaurant! Let me just say that I am an EXTREMELY picky eater. I was a little sad when they didn’t have anything I wanted other than the delicious Mozzarella Bella and Angel hair pasta with marinara. (However, if I wasn’t a picky eater everything would have been delicious.) I really wanted something lemony. So they let me create my own dish!!! Angel hair pasta in a white wine lemon crème sauce with capers and roasted chicken. I was soooo happy! I’d never had a restaurant just let me make my idea of a perfect dish! It was superb! Absolutely everything about this place from the staff, environment, and to the food was perfection! Seriously. This place is a must. Especially for picky eaters!

We almost decided to take a longer drive to the Carabba’s in the area but my father didn’t find that appealing. The restaurant was very clean and elegant looking on the inside. Our waiter was very helpful and attentive, albeit the place wasn’t very busy, nonetheless the service was great.
They were very accommodating. My father ordered the veal Parmesan with a side of pasta. He requested the bolognese sauce for the pasta. I ordered the chicken in mushroom sauce which came with a side of pasta. I also got the bolognese sauce on my pasta. The sauce was so meaty and rich it was like a meal in itself. My wife got the spaghetti alla puttanesca.
The chicken was just what I was craving. I was hoping to get something like the Pollo Rosa Maria like the one at Carabbas but this was better. My father said the veal was the best he ever had. I had a taste and I agree it was wonderful. My wife enjoyed the spaghetti alla puttanesca.
We didn’t stay for desert but I will definitely be back when I’m in town.