Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Arrived on a Tuesday eve. Upon walking in the three employees never looked up to acknowledge us. Not busy, there wasn’t anyone else in lobby. I had to closely approach podium and say hello! Seated and greeted by our server right away. down hill from there. Server was horrible. Had to continually ask for refill for our drinks. Food was brought, asked if my friend wanted grated cheese. Gave her some and abruptly left the table without asking my husband who had ravioli’s if he wanted any. We tried to flag him down and gave up. Chicken Bryan has decreased in size. It looked like the chicken was the size of two plums. My chicken was smashed on top of my potatoes in a small take out box. My friends chicken was smashed in her spaghetti in small take out box but our tiny sliver of desert was wrapped in large box??? Server never came back to ask if everything was ok. We were handed our check without being asked if we wanted desert. WE DID! I handed the check back and asked to see a desert menu. Coffee was brought, no cream… had to flag our server down yet again. Did I mention it wasn’t busy? I have been a server for over twenty years, usually have sympathy for the wait staff… NOT THIS NIGHT. It was one thing after another. Never saw a manager. Usually they are required to circulate and check in on guests etc. Upon leaving… same ding dongs that were at the podium never looked up.“usually” you are suppose to thank the guests, say good bye, good riddens… something. Again, there wasn’t anyone in the lobby but us. Did I mention it wasn’t busy? lol Won’t be back to this location.

This review is for carside: I arrived there five minutes after the online order said to arrive. A few minutes later someone comes out to get my cc. 20+ minutes later, my food come out. When i asked if it always takes that long (25 minutes past when they said to arrive) the staff person said the delay was because the kitchen forgot the soup.
Ive worked in restaurants and it takes 5 minutes to heat soup so i am not sure what the delay actually was.
Food tasted good but was room temperature (not surprising after wait.)
For the price, It was not worth the experience for takeout. I had a similiar experience 5 year ago, my own fault for giving a second chance. Inside service is better. Online ordering system shouldn’t have people arrive, wait in sun, then get food no longer hot. My recommendation: dine in or order outback curbside.

I only went here because I had a giftcard, but I wanted to share something. The hostess saw this older couple coming and let them in the side door. The woman was using a walker and now she didn’t have to make her way to the front of the building and then to the back where they ended up getting seated. They must be regulars because their waiter (Anthony) brought them out their drinks before they even ordered. Kind gestures go a long way with me.
Anthony/​service was great. Food was fine.

This place never disappoints me regardless of their location. Went out on a date night with my wife & service was great.

Not managed well. Call ahead seating is a joke, the hostesses need lessons in customer service and the food all came out AND WAS SERVED before we were done with the previous course. It’s obvious they want you in and out. New menu is better than the food before but nothing amazing. I will say however, that the caprese salad has been the best thing I’ve had there in a LONG time. Likely because it’s an item where they can’t fake freshness. Skip it.

Food Poisoning from their new scallops and shrimp dish up all night long still very sick! Called to report it to the manager and she was very rude! Couldn’t believe it we have eaten here all the time! We Will not be coming back and will make sure to let all our friends and family know of our experience!

Ordered to-​go. Food was great… but very small portions. Would have been satisfied if the portion was a little larger even down to the dessert (my husband was still hungry after he finished his meal), or a reduction in the price… I genuinely don’t feel this meal was worth $ 45.00 :(

Well I’ve read online they have been quite dirty in the past so won’t be returning…

The soda was flat not to mention the Coke was flat I tried to order a Sprite it was also flat. Food was subpar

Always spot on service, food, and ambiance. You can do call ahead seating instead of reservations as long as it is more than 30 min before the time you’ll need a table. This is one of the family favorite spots to go. Calamari and the Mama Mandola’s Chicken Soup are fantastic. I’d definitely recommend it.

They must have got rid of the manager with hot flashes LOL. All kidding aside, things have been getting better, eating here once a week we have seen more consistency.

This location is one of a few in the Tampa area. The wait is not too bad as long as you go before 5p on weekends. The staff in the front are very nice and helpful. I witnessed one help an elderly women to her seat since she couldn’t walk well and her husband was unable to help as he was on oxygen himself.
We ordered calamari and breaded cheese sticks. They were both very good. The sauce was a bit spicier than expected but still good. The warm fresh bread with olive oil and seasoning dip is soooooo very delicious!
For our main course we ordered Alfredo fettuccine with shrimp and mushrooms, Alfredo with chicken, chicken Marsala and Italian pizza. All were very good although my fiancée’s chicken Marsala is much better. All the other dishes were very very good. There was ample supply of drinks and our waiter came back to check on us about 8 times even with a full section to wait on.
This is a great restaurant for good Italian/​American style food.
We will go back again. Oh and it’s wonderful for a date night, little pricey but the atmosphere is perfect.

Wrong review it’s always good at carrabas

Have eaten at this Carrabas several times in the past few years. Has been remodeled since we were last here and the place looks very good.
It is an Italian restaurant chain but most of the food is very well prepared and authentic tasting. My go-​to meal at Italian restaurants is usually lasagne and their version is well prepared, flavorful and very pleasing. We had calamari as an appetizer which was outstanding. Others in our group tried the veal marsala, pork chop marsala, and a shrimp and scallop pasta combination. Everyone was well pleased with their food.
Some of their prices are a little on the high side but combination meals with appetizer/​entrée and desert included seem to be quite reasonable and offer some interesting alternative menu choices. Service was quite good.

excellent service. great food.

Always delicious! The mezzaluna and Chicken Bryan is awesome. The kids love the spaghetti and meatballs. Ashley was a great server. Will come back for sure.

Not bad, not great. Ate there last night with my wife. Had the new pork tenderloin, which is an awesome place. I’ve now had that three times. I decided to «upgrade» to the fettuccine Alfredo with was horrible. It was covered in butter and a stinky Alfredo sauce. Wife got the chicken Bryan, which is a great dish. Her garlic mashed potatoes however look liked a soupy gray liquid. They were awful. Waitress took it back and replaced it with green beans. The green beans were oily. The dessert was excellent: had the chocolate dream. And added one scoop of vanilla ice cream. As awesome as it was, it wasn’t worth $ 11 for that dessert. Service was fine. Food was just mediocre.

This is the sorriest excuse for Italian food ever. They start you off with bread you could buy at the grocery store. Awful stuff. My husband got a lasagna dish that was pure slop. My dish (and it was so insipid I can’t even remember what it was) was totally mediocre and didn’t have anything Italian about it at all. It was like diner food. If you ask for a dish with «no garlic» they’re totally stumped about how to use other seasonings. This is the worst kind of chain restaurant food — characterless.
The only good thing about the place was that when my husband returned his lasagna uneaten the manager came out to find out what was wrong with it. But, being a chain, I’m sure nothing will change.

For a chain restaurant Italian food (I know that’s an oxymoron), Carrabba’s is good. I love their calamari and steak Marsala. It is much better than an Olive Garden, but doesn’t come close to a mom & pop Italian restaurant.

I would like to give zero stars. I called ahead for a party of 20. They told me sure we will work it out. When we got there they said they don’t have the staffing to open the extra room in the back and whoever told us they could made a mistake. So a party of 20 is standing outside and the person in charge turned us away. Foolish. What an idiot.

Have eaten at a few different Carrara ’ s this one was a middle ground with regard to food. I had the lasagna, my husband had a steak. My lasagna seem a little old. Hubby said steak was good.
Restaurant was clean but the ladies restroom was dirty and had an unpleasant smell. The overhead music was much to loud.

Visited a Carrabba’s several years ago and was not impressed at all. Received a gift card and visited on a Monday night when they have dinner specials. Super impressed with the experience overall — not at all the Carrabba’s we experienced several years ago.
Great herbs and garlic in the bread dipping oil. Tag Pic Pac with chicken — totally my kind of sauce! Chunky tomatoes, garlic chunks, and fresh basil. Super impressed that pasta was fresh (not dried). Desserts were great too — mini cannoli’s were very good and loved the John Cole (ice cream with caramel sauce and awesome crispy sugary pecans)!
Our server was great — very friendly, responsive, and attentive. Kudos to him for alerting my BF that there were anchovies in the creamy parmesan salad dressing (BF told server he was allergic to everything seafood). So many servers and restaurants do not care about allergies and we completely appreciate that this server took it seriously and came back after we ordered to notify my BF.

I have to say this location really has it together. We were greeted by a very friendly host and hostess and they were very accommodating to our needs. The interior Decore is quite lovely for a chain restaurant. Our server Nathan was very attentive, sweet and also very accommodating.
We started off with ordering their quartino also known as a glass and a half of wine. A good value at $ 10 for that. Our meals and salads were both quite good. My husband had the combination specials they are running which included the mahi-​mahi served with artichoke hearts and sun-​dried tomatoes and also a sirloin marsala with a large side of garlic mashed potatoes. The flavors were all there and quite tasty. Only setback is the sirloin was overcooked. I would attribute that to a small portion of steak since it was a combination platter. But at the price point of $ 16.90 it was a very good value for what you received. I ordered the rigatoni Martino and substituted fettuccine noodles which I absolutely loved. The portion was yummy and large so I was able to take half of it home for leftovers.
All in all a great restaurant as always over the years. We will come back again and again as we have had done over the last 15 years of living in this area. Big kudos to this company for properly training their staff and having high standards of service for all employees.

The place looks GORGEOUS since the renovation!
I was in the mood for something, but i couldn’t put my finger on it. So we went for italian and I was able to get my Chicken Bryan. I LOVE that. We also indulged in a bit of calamari and some delightful peach sangria. GOD was that food good!

My bf and I have eaten here a few times, but this particular night we stopped by just to get dessert after dinner at the sushi place nearby. We’re fans of a lot of items on Carrabba’s menu and one in particular is the Tiramisu. Everything about the tiramisu is delicious. I especially like the chocolate shavings on it. Hmmm, actually, the only thing that could make it better is if the lady fingers are soaked in Kahlua.
We sat at the bar and ordered coffee with Kahlua and shared a tiramisu. Life is good.

I admit that grew up at metropolitan city, I am wired differently. I feel so relaxed at a restaurant pack with people, earful of noisy conversation at next table, smell sauté garlic from kitchen, unpredictable service… sounds like chaos to others, it is heaven to me.
Carrabba’s is probably the very few restaurants I can find nearby that brings the bussling sense of city life back to me. When I miss home, I come here to be cured :)
The restaurant is full of energy and great for people watching. Layout is simple. We sat at the end corner with the view of most of the restaurant and enjoyed the great atmosphere. Food are always good and reliable. I have tried several good Italian restaurants at Palm Harbor, but at the end, Carrabba’s won my heart. I know it is a chain restaurant, but I have never been disappointed at any Carrabba’s I visited. It is my ‘comfort restaurant’.