Carrabba’s Italian Grill

As this was my first time at Carrabba’s, it’s safe to say that this is probably my favorite franchise restaurant now. Comparing it to Olive Garden, this place is just so much more fresh and good. No, you don’t get unlimited breadsticks and salad but the quality of the food is ALOT better for roughly the same price.
They first give you bread and pesto (The pesto is delicious) and our waitress was very friendly and patient. If you go on their website and sign up for their amici club, they give you a free appetizer or dessert. I highly recommend the mussels. In normal chain restaurants, the seafood is usually not very good and in particular, the mussels taste rubbery and not fresh. In this instance, the mussels were delicious and garlicky and very fresh.
The entrées come with your choice of a salad or soup. I recommend the sausage and lentil soup– it’s amazing.
I had ordered a fettuccine pasta and while Alfredo sauce isn’t really authentic Italian (it’s a common misconception) it was really good and the best part was that the noodles tasted homemade and fresh. I keep on emphasizing «fresh» because if you have ever been to a Olive Garden, most of the meals leave you thirsty from the msg and most of them tastes like fat-​saturated lean cuisine (the irony).
In the future, I would definitely come to Carrabba’s for a fresh, reasonably priced meal.

Ask to be seated in Eugene’s section !
Went in for lunch on a Sunday and was seated at Eugene’s table. Food was great and the waiter made it that much better. Eugene was on point with bringing out drinks, checking in on my table, bringing out food. Very charismatic, very attentive, great food. Would definitely go back again.

Usually I sit at bar. Very friendly & attentive staff. Meals are consistently good, have tried the salmon, chicken, pasta dishes as well as some apps. Never had a bad meal, my on criticism is the food tastes salty. But over all great experience for a chain restaurant.

The food is great and always tasty, though it seems like they’re scaling back on the variety in the menu and the glass sizes for the bar drinks are embarrassingly small. I can’t say enough about how perfect the food is here, they always get it right. But the wait staff is another story, very hit and miss and the hosts are the same, you never know if you’ll be met with indifference or greeted warmly. I once left my phone here by accident and the host told me I was mistaken. I had to make him find the waiter who then turned over my phone to the host, (he hadn’t bothered to turn it in) and I didn’t even get a «sorry» from the host. Anyway, wonderful food, just the best, the rest is a flip of the coin.

Awesome food and service. Gene our waiter and kevin the owner manager hosted a wine dinner we attended Everything was amazing. Dan

Used to love this place… Not so much anymore! The menu is constantly changing, and not for the better. The prices have definitely gone up and the quality just isn’t there any more. The service has majorly downgraded, and most of all the sanitation of this establishment isn’t what it used to be. The management seems to be understand, gracious, and to have the restaurants best interest at heart but there seems to be A LOT they need to work on!

Not the kind of place I normally go to but I’m glad I went. I was stuck in traffic and I was hungry and unusually it was open for lunch (Christmas etc.) .Reader, I went. I had an arugula — prosciutto pizza at the bar and a quartino of wine. Service was prompt and polite and I enjoyed myself. I’m not counting on being back soon but I have no regrets.

They’re only getting one star because of the customer service of the managers and my server. I’m so disgusted with this place and have no desire to return to this establishment. The food was completely cold every time they returned it to me my stomach was in so much upon leaving here. DO NOT EAT HERE !!!

I’ve been to Carrabas 4 times and all 4 times I’ve been super impressed. The service is always fabulous and the food tastes amazing. After being seated we always get the most delicious bread so warm and soft. For appetizer we had these chicken parm bread bites!!! They were delicious! Out of this world. I also got the Sicilian chicken soup which was amazing. A little spicy yet super amazing!!! For dinner I had spaghetti and meat balls. And another time I had the grilled chicken. I also got a steak which was perfect. I never left that place unhappy. I don’t live in the area so I go there very seldom but I’m deff going back very soon.

Today, we order mozzarella tomatoes n basil pizza, chocolate cake and fresh mozzarella stick. Overall it’s was okay, although cake was great. Mozzarella stick was cold may be bcoz it was take out order, it would have taste better if it was warm. They offer complementary bread with sauce was tasty.
This was my first time, I excepted better food then what I got. I’ll give second chance to this restaurant.

Tried the lobster ravioli and now I am obsessed. It was oerfect. I also had the calimari as my appetizer which I also enjoyed very much. Our waiter was amazing and made sure we had everything we needed and was very polite. I can not wait to return.

Carrabba’s is better than «The Olive Garden», but that’s not saying much. Having eaten at 3 locations now, I can say they are all very consistent at prepping sub-​par Italian style food. You probably won’t leave hungry — but you just know the food could be fresher and prepared a little nicer. The Green Brook location is extremely busy and the service suffers.

I’ve been to this chain 30−40x over the years & this location is the one I’ve gone but for a handful of times (the locs in EB & Secaucus are closer mileage-​wise but longer with traffic).
So this will be more of a summary review with notations about the less than stellar experiences (which haven’t been nearly enough for me to consider not coming back)
As you’re coming down 22W there is a tiny sign you can easily miss & by the time you see their sign at the entrance you’ve gone too far & have to wind up doing a double U-​turn so look for it right after the Washington Ave jug handle.
Parking lot is good sized as the other businesses aren’t the type that generate large volumes of customers.
Host/​hostess are always friendly (keep in mind you can now do online «call ahead» which has kept my wait time from 0 – 10 mins tops).
The seating is comfortable, the booths can easily fit 4 decent sized people & if they’re not busy even if you’re a smaller party they will seat you in a booth (more appreciated in the winter when you have to take off your coat, etc)
The bread with dipping oil is always fresh & tasty. I always get the blackberry sangria (a bit sweet but not overpowering & everyone I’ve had try a sip always wants to get it). I believe Wed is the day this & other wines are served at a discount.
Appetizers: calamari (used to get it but they no longer have aoli sauce, their marinara is ok but I do not like the lemon pepper sauce more like flavored water), zucchini fritte is vg looks greasy but isn’t & their aoli-​like sauce perfect complement. Have gotten the arrancino it’s ok a bit bland. My fav was always the Italian scampi on toast (think of Olive Garden but a higher quality); sadly, a couple of yrs ago they removed it from the menu & replaced it with shrimp diavolo (which I’ve never been a fan of).
Entrees have been prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin (very tasty & always get extra fig wine sauce as the meat is dense but moist), Chicken Bryan/​Rosa/​Marsala – if you like goat/​fontina chees these are all very tasty & most times I get the trio (better value if you like all 3), chicken parm & lasagna (both standard but tasty).
You get a choice of soup or salad & a pasta side. Keep in mind most of the soups are a bit spicey but pretty good. I usually get the Caesar salad always just the right amount of dressing & served on an ice cold plate (which most salads should be but aren’t). For the pasta the angel hair & alfredo sauce is very good but if you don’t finish it’s very hard to reconstitute the leftover
Desserts — chocolate dream – very moist, not heavy but rich – I’m not a fan of the brownie/​ice cream combo but this is a much better version, dessert Rosa – cake on the stale side – fruit items so-​so would not get again, mini cannoli standard, tiramisu ok light tasting, john cole ice cream pretty good but what makes this is the delicious cinnamon roasted pecans & caramel sauce, panna cotta very smooth cream how good this tastes depends on if the strawberries are in season (usually it’s april/​may-​june/​july)
Always finish with cappuccino which is pretty good (biscotti not so much).
Just about every time the service has been pretty consistent with no noticeable lags, staffers always friendly & if you ask a question they don’t know they find out rather than guessing.
Now, the «bad experiences» I can recall 3 of them. I ordered the chicken parm togo it was either too thin or pounded too much as it was hard/​burnt, another time I ordered the dessert rosa to go for someone who is allergic to strawberries so I asked if it could be made w/​o was told yet, when said person started to try it didn’t realize not only were the strawberries not removed but dessert was upside down so didn’t realize it until put spoon in mouth but fortunately wasn’t swallowed & no reaction, other time our table was forgotten as there was a mix-​up apparently in whose table it belonged.
Unless it’s something that requires immed attention (wrong item, poorly cooked, etc) I don’t believe in «making a scene» I rather contact the restaurant/​corp office & all 3x the owner/​mgr of the place called back to discuss & sent me anywhere from a $ 25 — $ 40 gift card & asked to be seen upon my next visit so when they do occasionally mess up they make good so if you ever have a bad experience they want you to complain rather than stop patronizing (remember no business is perfect & any restaurant owner will tell you the «undedicated» customers are as important as the regulars.
Also, I’ve notice many of you complaining this isn’t authentic Italian… hello, this is a CHAIN it’s not supposed to be authentic & even in «family owned» restaurants most times it’s not Italians doing the cooking. That’s why when I dine at an Italian chain I never order something Mom makes at home (& why would you if you can get it at home?)
Out of the 30−40x I’ve come here I’d say 90% of the times it’s been a 4 star experience with a couple of 3 & 5 star ones so my rating is a solid 4 stars.

The food is pretty tasty but also pretty, pretty salty. The olive oil mixture for dipping the bread was great. Everyone here is very friendly.
Problem was one of our 3 entrees was wrong and by the time they brought back the correct dish, I had already finished my meal and my other friend was almost done with hers. OK I do eat maybe a little too fast but that was not a good situation. No remedy other than «we’re sorry» was even offered. Most places would automatically comp that late dish or comp dessert. Just saying.
Well at least they apologized. I once had a similar experience at a «nice» dining establishment in Clark and the owner started a fight with us because they screwed up 2 dishes. That place I will never go back to again.
I will give this place another chance because other than the above screw-​up, it was a pleasant evening. What I really liked is that we sat and lingered awhile after everything was done and they never rushed us out despite the fact there was a wait for tables.

We had dinner and a show last night, or waiter, Chris was not only attentive and did an amazing job, but he was entertaining and engaging without being intrusive; he really enhanced our meal. From the soup to canolis everything tasted delicious and was well made. My husband’s prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin was so juicy and tender, it tasted like a steak. Asparagus and green beans were fresh and well seasoned. Absolutely wonderful experience Chris, thanks for a memorable meal!

LONG WAIT! A bit expensive, but the food is really good!

We happened to be in the area and weren’t sure what we wanted to eat, but you can never go wrong with Italian, can you? We shared calamari, which was a little salty, but I didn’t mind. It was a good portion and tasted pretty good. Then I went with the parmesan encrusted chicken. The chicken was cooked well, but there was something really bitter in my salad and I kept feeling like I was crunching on whole peppercorns. I left eating the «top» of my salad. Overall, we had a good time, but this is definitely not «Real Italian.» It’s a chain, so you get a hardy meal, but you get what you expect-​nothing more, nothing less. I probably won’t be back.

Carrabba’s seems like a good option to go to with friends and family, but I beg to differ. Italian restaurant… it may seem that way, but the food is not authentic to me.
My friends and I order the Calamari– Hand-​breaded to order and served with housemade marinara or spicy Italian pepper and lemon butter sauce. It wasn’t crispy. It didn’t have much flavor and taste to it.
My Conchiglie ai Formaggi– Shell-​shaped pasta tossed in housemade Alfredo sauce with mozzarella, fontina, romano, parmesan and goat cheese with chicken. My pasta came out cold. The pasta was nothing to me. Almost like having plain pasta.
Wasn’t worth spending my money here. No flavor and taste in my food. There are better Italian food from somewhere else.

As always we had a great meal at Carrabba’s, they never let us down. A great place to take guest because you are sure everything will be fine.
Every time I go I say I am going to have something different but always have the Spiedina di Mare. It is Shrimp and sea scallops coated in Italian breadcrumbs then grilled on the wood fire. Then the best part, it is topped with their house made lemon sauce, they will surly have that in heaven. If you like shrimp and scallops you will love this signature dish.
Today my wife had something new, it was called Mahi Wulfe, because I wanted to try the tuna. She loved it, the tuna was lightly breaded the wood fired grilled, then topped with their lemon sauce. I tell you anything would be good with this sauce.
The service was right on the mark, very attentive.
This one place you cannot go wrong.

I remember the first time I went to a Carrabba’s, which was a few years ago in Virginia. My experience there was just okay. But now, since we had a coupon, and this was the closest (yet still distant) location from my area, my parents and I figured «hey, why not?».
We went on the evening of Memorial Day. When we got in, we were seated promptly. Our waiter was very nice and patient, and gave us highlights and recommendations for dinner. We could even see the «open» kitchen, where once in a while HUGE bursts of flames would ignite from the steaks, like BOOM! (Sorry, no picture of that!) The interior of the restaurant looked okay, and there was adult contemporary music playing in the background on low volume. At the time we went, it wasn’t noisy. The service throughout our experience was slow (hence the 1-​star removal), but based on what we received, it may have been worth the wait.
I had the Italian Orange Soda, and even though it was priced higher than soft drinks, FREE REFILLS were included. That was a huge plus for this premium, tasty, tart soda. It also wasn’t very sweet, so I was happy about that too.
A few minutes after our order was taken, we got our side loaf of bread. The waiter then poured olive oil (in an interesting way) onto a plate of seasoning for the dipping. The bread was fresh and hot from the oven, and so HOT, that it made my hand hurt, prompting me to let the bread cool down on the plate briefly before the dipping. That tasted good!
Next, we shared the gnocchi fritti appetizer. Again, it was hot and fresh, and chunky marinara sauce was included for dipping. Those mini potato dumplings were quite tasty, and the sauce was all right. After that, I had the Tomato Basil Soup, which was included with my entrée. I couldn’t believe it! The soup was thick and flavorful with mini pieces of tomato included. It was hot and tasty! There was also a spicy «bite» in it, and as soon as I was finished, I was left with a SPICY sensation in my mouth. That felt awesome! My parents had side salads as their inclusive choice for their entrée, and they liked theirs too.
For my main entrée, I had the pork tenderloin, wrapped with prosciutto and topped off with Wine Fig sauce. It also came with spinach as an inclusive side as well. That was the best tasting pork tenderloin I ever had, and the crispiness of the prosciutto only added more goodness to the meat. The sauce itself was quite flavorful, and there were tiny pieces of fig on top as well. My parents had chicken and seafood entrees, and they enjoyed them too. All our entrees were hot and fresh, and there was no sign that any of them was frozen at all.
For our dessert, we split upon the chocolate dream. This fresh brownie was very tasty, and was topped off with choco mousse, fine whipped cream, and choco sauce. It was definitely a sweet (or dreamy ;)) ending to our tasty meal.
Overall, we all enjoyed this very good experience. Considering the distance of this location from my area, we will definitely be back only if we get a coupon.
Cheers! :)

Yes, it’s a chain restaurant, but I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Carrabba’s. Everything was good and — occasionally — GREATNESS was achieved.
The basket filled with soft, hot bread with a side of olive oil for dipping was great. I had a half of my mom’s Chicken Parmesan (one serving has two HUGE pieces of chicken), and it was also great. I ALSO had a bite of the Rigatoni Martino — mm mm creamy and delicious. They even have a gluten-​free menu so my sister could eat without too much worry.
But it was the Apple Crostata desert that really sealed the deal. Man, was it freaking amazing! I’m tempted to come visit again (alright, probably more than once) JUST to have this desert again.

This is not authentic Italian food, and I think most people probably know that. Carrabba’s is a chain, and for what it is, it’s good. It’s an Outback owned chain, and having worked at Outback all through my teenage and young adult years, I know that for chain restaurants, the company actually holds very high standards.
My in-​laws took me here to pre-​celebrate my birthday. They love Carrabba’s. Our service was pretty good. We started with the Sangria, which is actually really good. It was Blackberry that night.
To start, we had the Zucchini Fritte. It was good, although perhaps too greasy. The garlic aoili was very good. We tried our best not to fill up on the bread, but epically failed. The bread is warm and delicious and I’m kind of a sucker for a olive-​oil dipping sauce.
We all ordered soups and all of them were good. I really liked the Minestrone, although it’s not traditional Minestrone at all. That’s probably why I liked it, because I typically don’t. My mother-​in-​law didn’t care for it and thought there was way too much cabbage in it. There is a lot of cabbage, but I liked that — think lighter, healthier vegetable soup without a heavily tomato base like Minestrone usually has. I got their popular Chicken soup, which was flavorful. I didn’t like it however because it had pieces of dark meat chicken, a lot of veins, and fractures of bones. My husband got the Lentil Sausage which was very good and had a kick to it.
I got the Pasta Weesie for dinner. It was really good and well cooked. The shrimp was fresh and very flavorful. A lot of people at the table ordered the Shrimp & Scallops mixed grill, and it was so good. The scallops are sweet and really fresh. The seafood is lightly breaded with homemade breadcrumbs. We had a mix up with our dinners, and they fixed it as fast as they could and re-​sent out the right meals. They were really on top of it.
For dessert, we had pretty much everything. We ordered the Raspberry & Peach Crostata and Tiramisu, and they bought me out the Chocolate Dream too since it was my birthday. The Tiramisu was my favorite. The crostata was very good, too, but I don’t think the crust was fully cooked through at all. The chocolate dessert (brownie, mousse & whipped cream) was a little dry.
All in all, I’d return again. The food was average but of decent quality. If I’m craving really good Italian, I would go elsewhere, but for a chain, this is pretty good.