Johnny Carino’s

Came here for lunch — it will be the last time. Such a dirty Johnny Carinos. There was hair in my rolled silverware… when I asked for a new one, there was hair in that one too. There was also black specks in my water. Sorry Johnny Carinos, I love your food but this place was disgusting!

The hostess sat us at a booth — one of those 2-​seaters with very low backs and only a short wall divides you with what could be the other half of the booth but for another party of 2… so I pointed to a larger booth where They were back to back, not side by side. The hostess accommodated my son and I but with hesitation at first so I knew she was most likely seating the waiter in that section a table too many. That said I told the waiter not to worry about us and just take his time– we were not in any hurry and I knew I had asked to sit in this section (I rather have slow service than basically eat with strangers in booths no one should have in their restaurants). Well he said thanks and still didn’t miss a beat (if I was to rate service alone this would be a 5 and not a 1… thanks Joseph!)
Food=2 Stars
The Italian nachos looked amazing. They would have tasted amazing too had they not been cold. I ordered them with my meal instead of having them come out first– maybe that was the issue.
The Spicy Shrimp and Chicken was not good. It was edible only because this was the first time I had eaten all day. Only way I can think to describe it is to say it tasted like it had been in the freezer, defrosted in a microwave, dropped in a skillet and freshened up with some 3 day old sauce.
Bathroom=0 stars… no…make that negative 5 stars. In 1998 –2000 I ate lunch or dinner here 3 – 4 times a week (if not more) because several of my friends worked there and we all went to HCC between barker and fry road… so the 50% discount was right up our «poor college kid» alley. Not a single thing (except maybe the towel dispensers) had changed in the bathroom. Old as dirt soap dispensers and one was broken or out of soap) no towels in one of the towel dispensers (that if it had been replaced from 1998 it was done in 2002 lol)…one toilet was out of order and smelled of death, no artwork on the walls at all and although there were lots of paper towels on the floor it was only because lazy people missed the trash can when tossing it and walking out (thanks for having it by the door though so I don’t have touch the handle).
The bill was $ 42 (kids meal, my app and entrée, 2 glasses of wine) and I left a $ 10 tip. $ 52 for a night out with my kiddo… not bad but I rather bring leftovers home I want to eat the next day… not give to the dogs so I don’t waste food.
I’d go again… It’s a sentimental place for me and also my kiddo loved the kids pepperoni pizza but I hope he doesn’t ask for it again soon. Come on Carino’s show some love to that restaurant. Babins and Saltgrass next door blow you out of the water. Too many places in Katy now– you gotta step it up.

While the food is good, we saw a huge roach crawling along the wooden banister as we were eating. When we told the waitress she only said «gross» and walked away. Out of the 2 people who were told that there was a roach neither one seemed to have informed the manager. Both seemed very nonchalant about it… basically was paid 40.00 for food that we had maybe 4 bites out of. Time to find a new Italian place to eat at

Horrible. Ordered simple — Lemonade, potato soup and penne pasta with spicy marinara sauce… what could possible go wrong, right?
Pasta came before the soup and the drink, so when the soup came I sent it back. The lemonade tasted wrong, not sure why but not good. I eat at Carino’s in Lake Jackson and this place doesn’t compare, doesn’t even come close!
To be fair… the pasta was good!

Had A Great Dinner last night with the Family, No long wait time to be seated whatsoever and especially on a Friday. Food and Appetizers came out fast, and our waitress was also Great. I had the Classic Caesar Salad with Shrimp, and the Ladies all had Chicken Parmesan. Lovely Experience for my First Time

Everytime we come here I get the same thing, chicken penne gorganzolla (sp). I absolutely love that it always taste the same. I always ask for extra blue cheese crumbles and I’m never charged extra. I’ve been to other Carinos but this one is awesome and always on point.

Ok. Yeah. Obviously there some mad difference between Houstonians and Los Angelenos taste paletes because I’ve been to the ‘popular’ Unilocal Italian places and honestly… Uh, blah. Bland and kinda below average. This place. Yum! Delicious home made food. Great tasting sauces. Knowledgeable friendly staff. And fast effective service! Monday nights they apparently have a family meal special and there’s a big discount and we didn’t even know. We enjoyed our meal greatly. Had a delicious sweet red wine our waiter Anthony suggested. I highly recommend!

I tried this place for the first time and let me say I was impressed. I ordered the Johnny’ trio, it was really tasty. I will definitely visit this place again.

Amazing from start to finish. Went for dinner on a Monday and they started off with warm bread and this delightful oil with roasted garlic. Monday’s was half off family plates so me and my smokin hot girlfriend split some chicken parm. It was a lot of chicken parm, especially for 16 bucks or so. We had dinner from in for another night. It was still good as leftover. We decided to go for the individual desserts which were small (which we wanted) and delicious.
Can’t wait to go again!

Far better than what it was. Bread was fresh, Calamari was cooked correctly and spices were on par, soups were delicious, and our main courses of ribeye and seafood medley just rocked. we wish we had space for dessert. check out their happy hour prices for their drinks. our waiter was thoughtful and friendly and well worth the tip.

Best deal is on Mondays after 4PM, when you can get a family platter (enough to feed 4 people) for half the price. It also comes with a choice of soup or salad. Coming from a family of 5 it’s a great way to get the family together for dinner without putting a huge dent in your wallet.
Favorite entrée choices are lemon Rosemary chicken, & italian pot roast.
Soup favorites are the potato soup and minestrone.
Friendly and attentive staff, even on busy nights. And clean restaurant.
Friendly and attentive staff and clean upkeep.

Ordered a to-​go order of 4 entrees and 1 dessert
The order was :
Homemade 16-​layer lasagna with minestrone soup
Traditional Margherita pizza
Lemon pepper salmon with roasted garlic potato soup
Honey pecan crusted salmon salad
Lemon cream cake
Everything I ordered was correct except the salad. Instead of the Honey Pecan Crusted Salmon salad they gave me the Pecan crusted chicken salad.
I did not go back to get my order corrected since we were already a distance away.
The entrée I order was the salad as well. The chicken crust was slightly burnt as the chicken was overly cooked that it was dry. Honestly wouldn’t order this again but the spinach that was the main green for this salad was pretty fresh and also the other veggies that were chopped up. The dressing was okay with the salad.
Also tasted the pizza it was not bad probably would of tasted better dining in.
The lemon pepper salmon was just okay wasn’t really seasoned wasn’t super moist but wasn’t super dry but more on the drier end.
I heard the lasagna was good. By appearance it looked rice.
The best part of the order was the lemon cake though that didn’t last between a toddler and his PaPa’s.
So overall the food was okay. Haven’t ate Carinos food in about a good ½ a year or so. It was better before then today but nothing outrageous just a place to eat Italian food if there wasn’t better option

Came in yesterday during happy hour. Their Margarita was actually on point, very yummy. I’ve always come to carinos when I used to live in the Northwest side, before they started closing restaurants. I started with the usual, the Italian nachos (combo) and they were delicious. My girlfriend and I both got the spicy shrimp and chicken plate. It was served promptly and was delicious. Always get a side of their Alfredo sauce with this plate. Overall, very pleased with our server Brandon, very prompt, friendly, and polite. Very pleased with this carinos in Katy! Oh and the Ceasar salad was yummmmy

We used to come to Carino’s the first few years they were open in this area. Back then, it was called «Johnny Carino’s» and it has since been changed to «Carino’s Italian Grill». They always had fairly decent Americanized Italian-​inspired dishes and pretty good service. This is a chain restaurant, so I’m not expecting the full authentic Italian experience. If I want that, I can go to a mom-​and-​pop type place. But Carino’s is definitely great for dinner with friends, family, or solo.
They seemed to go through sort of a period of mediocrity a few years ago, and as other restaurants opened, we gave our restaurant love to other establishments.
I met a friend here for dinner not long ago and everything was above average. Again, decent food, good service, a very fair price.
I met the same friend for dinner there tonight and, wow. We really enjoyed it more than I expected. It turned out that on Monday nights, they have a special called Family Night. Our server, Paul (who was FANTASTIC) told us when we ordered our entrees, that the two we chose we could get as a family platter for the same price as an individual entrée (this is only entrees that are regularly served as family platters). They can box up the leftovers AND they give you a loaf of Italian bread, oil w/​roasted garlic, and an extra soup or salad. It was a GREAT deal. We decided to go with family platters of the Create Your Own Pasta (Spaghetti w/​spicy marinara for me, the Spicy Shrimp & Chicken for my friend). We left with a HUGE amount of leftovers to share with our respective families. I tipped on what I estimated the actual cost of a family platter was, although I wasn’t sure how much that was. It was such a good deal and our server, Paul, really deserved a great tip. He was extremely attentive, but never interrupted (that’s an art), suggested the Family Night special, which we never would have known about, boxed our leftovers for us, was prompt, cleared away dishes, and took care of everything else we needed. Very professional and courteous.
My friends dish was pretty tasty, as was my spaghetti marinara. I will add something I wish more Italian-​themed restaurants would do. Mix the spaghetti IN the marinara in a skillet, then serve. There was a lot of water that had drained off the pasta at the bottom on the bowl, the sauce poured on top. The presentation this way is always pretty, but watery pasta is not good. When I make marinara at home, I was doing the same thing and I couldn’t figure out why there was always water at the bottom of my pasta bowl. I recently read that pasta should be drained well, then poured directly into the sauce. It works! And it’s much more appetizing.
So Carino’s, if you’re reading this, consider the suggestion. Also, having a giant bottle of wine on the table is a bit of a turn-​off, as not everyone drinks alcohol. I’d prefer it was offered instead of having it right there on the table. I have an allergy to alcohol and don’t drink, so I think I’m more aware of these things.
Overall, a really great experience when I wasn’t expecting it. Well done, Paul & Carino’s!

The Italian nachos were delicious though the chips a bit greasy. Both our main entrees, the ribeye and the salmon, were not seasoned well. This was odd as the sides were seasoned perfectly. The twins enjoyed their cheese pizza dippers.

If 3 stars is average then this is definitely below average for an Italian place. The service was okay. It’d be nice if the server had told us the specials. The food just wasn’t very good. Cheap chicken and bad sauce. Don’t waste your time.

My husband and I went there recently after we had not been in several years and it was not like we remembered.
The atmosphere doesn’t feel like an Italian restaurant and it is mostly bare. It’s not a place you want to stay too long.
The service was really good and the bread they first bring you tasted good but our main meals were not good at all. They weren’t nasty like you can’t take another bite, but they were lacking in flavor and quality. I ordered the chicken fettuccine that came with about five slivers of chicken that tasted like they boiled and nothing else. The sauce was runny and literally tasted like salt and pepper. My husband said he had a little more flavor in his dish, but nothing that really impressed him.
For the prices they charge I would expect a better quality of food.

I liked this place. We ordered three different pasta dishes (I forget what the other two were, but I had Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp). I think I liked the service most because our waiter could tell that we just wanted to eat quickly and go, and he responded by being prompt with everything: the menus, the ordering, the actual bringing of the food, the check. The pasta I had was nothing special, but it was good and everything was cooked right.
Price: Appropriate for the quality of food you’re getting
Service: Excellent
Would I go back?
Certainly! If I had reason for an Italian restaurant in Katy, I’d go here. There might be other Italian restaurants, but these prices are accessible and the food is reliably good.

I like carinos a lot, my favorite Italian price, it’s more affordable, especially at lunch time. Their food has always been good and service is great. The only complaint is the cheesecake, which is tiny… For $ 2.50
If it was bigger, I’d be happier

Out of all the chain restaurants in Katy, I can’t really think of a good Italian one, but Carino’s is not bad. And when I say not bad, I mean, yeah, I’ll come here to meet a group of soccer moms in downtown Katy. So yes, sign me up for Happy Hour! Why? Because their Frozen Peach Bellini and the Carino’s Nachos with chicken and sausage are yummy!
They also have a pretty awesome 2 can dine for $ 25. Here’s the deal: 2 soups/​salad, 2 entrée, 2 mini desserts and 2 soft drinks (get the strawberry lemonade, ooh, pucker up! you gonna luv it). I love getting the salad with vinaigrette (house vinaigrette, I think), Bow Tie Pasta with chicken (I recommend, light on the cream sauce and add capers). The mini chocolate cake dessert is just the right amount of sweet to finish your meal off with a smile on your face.
I’d give this place more stars, but the lighting is so dim and the interior is outdated. But you know what, you’ll be surprised at how tasty your leftovers will be the following day. Not bad cuisine for Katy. But if they want more stars, freshen up that ambiance ;)