Carlo’s Restaurant

By now it’s the 3^rd time that I was here. First time was a Groupon voucher for their Steak on the hot stone and the following two occasions I went for that meal as well.
It is usually € 17.95 which is incredible for a Steak in Dublin and seeing it’s quite big and lovely tender and makes it easy for any steak lover to cook it exactly to their taste. It comes with three sauces. Mushroom, Pepper and Garlic Butter. You can coose between chips (they actually weren’t too great this time) or Salad.
This time (October 2015) they had a sign outside with the offer of 2 Steak on a hot stone for € 35 but when I checked in on Unilocal that became even better: 2 Steak on hot stone and 2 glasses of house wine for € 29! So obviously two of us went for it. When I asked the waiter if that’s really correct he wasn’t aware of any offers and didn’t even know Unilocal it seemed (Oups!), but whether he checked with his colleagues or just trusted me he acknowledged the offer no problem.
One in our group had her birthday that night so one of the girls asked for a candle on her dessert. Not only was that no problem either, they even wrote «Happy Birthday» on her plate — a very nice touch.
So yes, I’m definitely a fan and would go back any time. And it’s a great alternative to other restaurants on O’Connell street.

We visited this place on Tuesday 8/​24, it was in the evening, and so like a dummy I ordered Fish and Chips, a café latte, and still water. My son had something totally different. While my friend had the fish and chips too. Something either in the food or in their water has made me sick, Like a dog, and it wouldn’t be so bad if it at least tasted good, but it was very, very plain. If you’re a foreigner and it looks like only one guy is working, go somewhere else unless you want the Irish version of Montezuma’s Revenge. P. S. don’t drink the water!

We got a voucher for an irish breakfast for two people, total € 10. So worth it! Restaurant is really nice and the waiter was efficient especially, seeing how busy he was. We got humongous ‘Full Irish’ breakfasts! Toast and fried eggs were great, hash browns and rashers/​bacon were delicious!!! Sausages, mushrooms and puddings were only mediocre.
Overall not a bad place for brekkie!

Went for breakfast here as we had a voucher which we purchased off of a deal website. Food was average staff was a little rude. My friend was advised she could not have sprite as it was only tea and coffee on the voucher so order a water instead as does not drink tea or coffee. When the drinks arrived they were slammed down on front of us. The water was also cold. Staff never came back to check everything was ok

Very clean and great location. Friendly staff and food was tasted. Toilets were very clean but down stairs which was an effort in heels. Very warm but worth it for the massive portions of authentic Italian food. Highly recommended.

I’ll give them 3 stars TBC.
I went in on a grab one lunch deal, so I hardly think it fair to review on such a limited basis.
The setting is kinda odd; very dark and having to make do with the building they’re based in.
The staff were pleasant, but pretty much just told us: «this is what you get for the deal» and that was it; no attempt to cross sell anything over the ‘deal’.
I thought that was the whole idea of Grab One; get them in the door on a cheap offer and sell them some extras!
The staff seem to have missed that management memo.
We would have had coffee and desserts, but we just were’nt asked.
I ordered the rib of beef, the missus orders salmon. It was pretty standard fare.
Very much like the switch of Porn going from shooting on Film to video. In Boogie Nights, when they shoot their first movie on video, Burt Reynolds’ director character asks the Director of Photography, «What’s it look like?». The unimpressed reply? «It is what it is.»
It is what it is.

Definitiv das beste Restaurant, was wir mit unserer Gruppe von 8 Leuten in Dublin besucht haben. Von Außen sieht es eher unscheinbar aus, und auf der Karte gibt es viele verschiedene Gerichte, was ja oft nicht unbedingt Qualität erwarten lässt. Im Lokal selbst merkten wir, dass unsere Vorbehalte vollkommen unbegründet waren. Nettes Ambiente, zuvorkommendes Personal, Top Getränkeauswahl und Spitzen Essen, egal ob Pasta, Geflügel oder Steak. Wenn ich wieder in Dublin bin, werde ich auf jeden Fall wieder hierher kommen. Auch preislich waren wir von diesem Restaurant sehr angetan. Klare Empfehlung!

I went to Carlos for lunch. Its in a great location. The food was good and the staff was friendly. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place as it was rather quiet and enjoyable. I went for lunch and they were quick to bring us the food after we ordered. This place is affordable as well. Worth a try!

I go here quite a bit because it is so reasonable and it hits the spot. Really great value. 2 courses for 14.95, sure Empty pockets is the same price and this is slightly better and isn’t as bad on the aul ticker.
I had deep fried brie to start followed by an 8 ounce fillet steak-​only a 5 euro supplement– sure where would ye get it. It was nice, no surprising flavours but was well worth it. My mam had mushrooms and trout.
I might have given a four rating based on value for money but I asked my mother what she would give and mothers are always right. The 3 stars is down to the veg with the trout being quite cold. My mother being as quiet as she is, didn’t mention it. But when the waitress asked how was the food, my mam emerged from her shell and said ok. My vegetables were quite cold. The waitress half said sorry and moved quickly on. The waiter is friendly but bring called honey at first glance was a tad much.
Will return though as it handy if around that O’ Connell street area.

With so many great restaurants in the area, this place just really disappointed us. This restaurant is one of the reasons why I distrust Italian restaurants. It’s what I call a faux-​fancy restaurant. Sure, it’s worlds better than Olive Garden, but it’s still not anything worth dropping major bucks (or euros) for.

Let’s face it; Italian food is easy to cook. Anyone with any skill for cooking can whip up some pasta or a pizza at home with very little outlay on ingredients. When I go out for Italian, I’m looking for very specific things that you cannot recreate at home so easily; namely an authentic ambience and good, honest, freshly prepared food served in generous portions by friendly and attentive waiting staff. The joy of dining in a traditional Italian trattoria is all about that special feeling of being treated like you’re a part of the family for the night.
Sadly, that spirit was totally lacking here. For a start, the music that was being played throughout the restaurant was totally inappropriate and far too loud; my dining companions and I had to raise our voices to be heard over a bizarre mix of electronica, indie and cheesey pop hits. I don’t expect all restaurants to stick to the traditional music of the country whose cuisine they’re serving, but at least get the mood right and have it set at a level where your patrons don’t have to shout to have their order heard.
The décor was in the vicinity of ‘shabby chic’ but fell short and only managed the ‘shabby’ part. The interior felt tired and worn, but not in an endearing way.
The food itself was distinctly underwhelming. I had a bland and uninspiring penne arrabiatta, which in all honesty was of a lower quality than you can pick up ready made in Tesco’s. It was meant to be accompanied by a salad, which the waiter forgot to bring… he was profuse in his apologies when I pointed this out, but it still never materialised. My friend had the ‘famous’ steak which you cook yourself on a heated stone slab, which incidentally arrived about 20 minutes after my pasta. It was billed as fillet; meat isn’t my department and I cannot possibly tell one lump of meat and another, but my discerning and decidedly carnivorous fellow diner swore it was a much cheaper cut of meat and complained to the waiter, who admitted they do sometimes use other cuts — though he insisted they were always honest and told the customer up front when that was the case.
Our waiter didn’t speak very good English — though he wasn’t Italian either — but was very enthusiastic and almost over-​friendly. I felt sorry for him more than anything.
Overall, I would not recommend Carlo’s. If you’re looking for Italian food, I’m sure there must be better places in Dublin than this; or you could save yourself a lot of money and just whip something up yourself in the comfort of your own home.

Staff seem thoroughly unimpressed at our taking the ‘café’ part of the name literally. They do have a café menu, so I don’t know what the problem was. For 10 euro we got a pot of tea for two and the scabbiest piece of the crappiest strawberry cheesecake I’ve had in some time. 5 euro for a dessert really does require that its a decent size. Not impressed and won’t bother again!

O’Connell Street is not generally somewhere I would think of for an evening meal, considering it’s a bit of a fast-​food hellzone, but Café Carlo is a lovely spot. Located in Lynam’s Hotel, it’s got a classic kind of feel, but with an slightly down-​at-​heel edge which actually makes it very homey. The lighting is lovely, with candles cleverly placed to give a warm glow.
But to the most important part of the experience: the food! I brought my mother here for a stone-​cooked steak and a glass of wine last night, and we both loved it. I had never done the stone-​cooked steak thing, and it was fun! The steak is seared so that it’s done very rare, almost blue, and is then presented on a slab of superhot rock for you to finish off to your taste. The stone is made of volcanic rock, and heated to 340 degrees in an oven for twenty minutes, so mind your fingers. The meat was so juicy, like butter. I like my steaks blue so I started eating right away, but the mammy likes hers well done so she left it cook on for a little while. The meal was served with a yummy glass of red wine and a side of chips and salad for me, and a side of salad for the mammy.
The service is really good, friendly and easygoing. The staff really wanted us to have a nice experience, without being too pushy either.
If you want flouncy and shiny and new, don’t come here, but if you like atmosphere and quality, do.

I love this restaurant, the food is delicious and very good value for money compared to other restaurants in this area. The lunch menu is great value. Fairly standard menu but the food is good, the wine list is very good aswell. I loved the carbonara. The service was fast. € 14.50 for 2 courses was excellent value, especially as the food was very nice and the portions were large. Bruschetta starter was yum! I would definitely go back. So I recommend this to all.

Café Carlo is a Irish and Italian Restaurant. I think its a gem of delicious fusion of Irish & Italian cuisine.
I think its got a relaxed setting and the restaurant has reasonably priced food. The staff are very friendly and nice too.
They produce using only the best locally sourced product to produce pizzas, pastas and salads, yummy selection of deserts. They also a wide range of wine, as well as a wide variety of spirits, liqueurs, and beers.
There are many menus such as, Early bird menu, Express Lunch and A La Carte menu. I think this restaurant is lovely, produces great food and i will be going back there very soon.