Cafe Carolina

Nice little italian restaurant in the valley. whole in the wall place .
we took our own vine. appetizers and the food was good
I would definitely recommend this place.

We go to Casey’s for some of the most authentic Italian food. And having been to Italy, we can vouch for its authenticity.

Love this restaurant. Beautiful interior, cool little wine selection, and excellent fresh pasta. I’ve worked in restaurant hospitality for a long time. My wife and I are always charmed by a true labor of love. Thank you, Café Carolina, for caring service, delicious food, and always a great date night!

This place seems to be hit or miss. The bread they serve you in the beginning is really good (crunchy exterior, almost cake like interior) but the marinara sauce that comes with it is oily and tasteless. Their menu sounds fantastic but I was not happy with my dish. I ordered the special (spinach ricotta ravioli in a rosemary butter sauce) and was very underwhelmed. The ravioli was cut too thick, so it didn’t cook well enough or evenly, the spinach ricotta flavor was pretty bland and while the sauce was good, there was not enough of it. Another bummer is that they do not serve a proper cappuccino (mine was more like a latte). The one shining star that makes this A-​OK is the dessert. I really enjoyed the torta nonna (italian cake with lemon cream, almonds and pine nuts), it was scrumptious.
2 hour parking on the street.

This place is my go to family restaurant. They know my order and my daughters. Both my parents and my in laws come here on their birthdays. The most friendly staff and amazingly fresh food!

One of our neighborhood faves! Family owned, amazing specials, and a charming atmosphere. We had our daughter’s high school graduation dinner here. It was delicious and extremely reasonably priced for a party of 25! We love this restaurant and come here often! They like it if you call for reservations. :)

Excellent Italian restaurant in the valley!
–Funghi di Campobasso (appetizerl): I’m sorry but it’s NOT worth ~$ 10. Two medium-​sized grilled stuffed Portobello mushrooms (vegan — it’s soy meat!). For our table of 4, we ended up cutting the mushrooms in half. One bite per person. Great flavor, but just not worth the price.
–Spiedini: pork sausage with grilled red bell peppers and onions. Comes with an arugula salad and roasted potatoes. Recommend if you’re not interested in a pasta dish!
**Strozzapreti: This (ricotta-​spinach) gnocchi baked dish is the reason why I would love to come back and why I highly recommend coming here. Very unique because the gnocchi almost looks like a snap pea shape instead of round chunks. Comes in a mushroom cream sauce which actually isn’t as heavy as it sounds. My boyfriend ate the entire dish (although I definitely helped out because it was so good!)
Tips: Make a reservation and order the *Strozzapreti*!

My favorite Italian restaurant. Folks I have told about it always come back with a big smile and thank you. The specials change every 3 weeks to reflect a different region of Italy. The food is healthy organic and tastes great. The staff is friendly and makes you feel like family. I’m looking forward to seeing which part of Italy I’ll be visiting tonight.

The food and the staff are as good as it gets. We love it there!

My husband and I have been fans of this restaurant for the past decade. We love the casual vibe of the place – but more important – we love Chef Guiseppe’s cooking. The quality of food is top drawer, mostly organic and highly creative. Monthly, he showcases foods from different regions of Italy. Who knew there were so many different tastes? Of course, they keep the tried and true winners which keep people coming back.
The food is consistently good and we’ve introduce many many friends to the restaurant. I really love to cook and I am particular about quality and ingredients so I dine out less than a few years ago. Ever a weight watcher – I don’t want to blow the calories on food that isn’t really good. They have always adjusted fat and dressing so I am a happy camper.
If you want fancy and stuffy – this isn’t the place. But as a family restaurant with a big heart and soul then this is your place. It’s a little gem in a very un chic ho hum stretch of Ventura Blvd. Once inside you forget the outside world. The Italian food is stellar and on par with dining in Italy. That’s partly because the Chef is from Northern Italy. And re the 1 star… argh. Sounds like an «off» night which happens. Sometimes the service can be less than amazing but they sure try hard. Anytime something like water hasn’t been delivered to the table Pronto – a few nudges and they make it better.

Tasty food, though my pasta carbonara’s noodles were tougher than al dente (perhaps made earlier and became dry) and the prosciutto tasted old. Wife’s bone marrow dish was stellar and raised review from 3 to 4 stars. Waitstaff is friendly and there is parking in the back.

Fantastic lasagna. Mom and pop joint that is very serious about good food. Mellow atmosphere — I take my college friends here so we can talk for hours with no pressure.

I can’t believe I have not written a review for Café Carolina, as it is my absolute favorite restaurant. My husband and I eat here at least once a month. We had my mother-in-law’s 50^th birthday party here. I have had multiple friends move to the Encino/​Tarzana area and the first thing I do is give them a run down on the «must eat» locations, with Café Carolina being #1. Why? The food is amazing. Delicious. Seriously.
My absolute favorite menu item is the strozzapreti, which is a spinach-​ricotta gnocchi in a mushroom cream sauce, baked and topped with bread crumbs. SO GOOD. If you are looking to order an appetizer, I highly recommend the burrata. The way it is presented changes slightly on a seasonal basis, but it is always amazing; creamy and delicious. Also – be sure to check out their specials, they change on a monthly basis. If there is ever a ravioli on the specials menu, order it. It’s going to be delicious. Fresh, hand-​made pasta? Yes, please!

This restaurant failed miserably! I came her from out of town with my family who lives in Calabasas. We were a party of 9, and had a reservation. From the minute we walked in, the experience was horrible. We ordered appetizers, and about 15 minutes later another waitress came by and asked us if we wanted to order appetizers. We said we did already, and she said that the waitresses had switched stations and the order hadn’t been placed yet. I will spare you the details but things got progressively worse from then on forward.
We waited over 30 minutes to get our appetizers. About 55 minutes later our order came. I ordered asparagus which was on the menu but they said it was out of season and didn’t have any. They didn’t bother to let me know for over 20 minutes so when they finally let me know, everyone’s food had come and I had nothing to eat.
I am a very laid back foodie, and this experience really sent me over the edge. When the food finally came, it was just ok. Not worth a 2 hour wait.

Very fast to be seated. Great service from the staff too.
Best foood ever I could eat here every day!!! Everytime u order for delivery there soo fast too! Less than 30 minutes!!! Highly recommend u try anything u won’t be surprised! Highly recommend the pesto pasta!!! The portions here are HUGE! Deff can share a portion and still be full! l

We tried this place based solely on Unilocal reviews, and we weren’t disappointed. What a find! We’ve been there many times since, and we’ve always been very happy with the food and service we’ve received.
Café Carolina is a cozy little neighborhood on a not-​very-​fashionable block of Ventura Blvd. Looking at it, you’d never know how great it is. However, they attract the kind of clientele that keeps going back for years, and once you eat there, you’ll understand why.
It’s not cheap, but it’s not too dear, especially given the quality of the food. The chicken marsala is amazing, and we love their revolving menu — each month, they highlight a different region of Italy, providing a little history on the menu about the kinds of food they’re serving from each area.
We’ve been there in a variety of contexts: Valentine’s Day, birthday party for several guests and, most notably with a notoriously picky food snob who grudgingly agreed that the food was outstanding.

I was excited to visit this restaurant because it boasts organic and has «vegan» options. I was so disappointed and won’t be returning.
Here’s the basics:
–restaurant was empty at 630 pm. By the time we left two hours later, there had been 3 other tables. It was a ghost town.
–waitress was not educated on the food. Three times we asked questions, regarding food and also price for ½ pasta order. She didn’t know and had to go check with the kitchen.
–bread was bland and marinara tasted like it came from a can.
–our appetizer was brought out and the center was still cold. It was the fried rice balls. (can’t remember the name.) obviously this is not a fresh item if it was cold in the center. It seems they must microwave it.
–the dinner was okay tasting but I am lactose free and often eat vegan so as to avoid it. I ordered pasta with vegan pesto. The waitress came back and said the sauce is vegan but the pasta is not. What?! That’s totally misrepresenting. Very unfortunate as they claim they have vegan/​non dairy options. I guess if you just ate the pesto you’d be safe but it was VERY oily and tasted like straight basil. It was also quite chunky, more like a marinara sauce.
–dessert was the only decent part of the meal, according to my friend.
I find it hard to believe that all of their ingredients are organic and fresh. It tasted much like food one would get at Olive Garden (Which isn’t saying much…) but the price is higher. Our meal (for two) was $ 60.
I’d rather visit another one of the lovely Italian restaurants on Ventura. Won’t be returning.

This is a true gem in the valley. Their dinner choices are delicious, from the rack of lamb with spinach and rosemary potatoes, to their mouth watering pasta dishes. The dessert options are just as good with a nice round of tiramisu and hot chocolate or coffee.
Service is great as Mo will make sure you are taken care of and your needs are met.
Parking is on Ventura blvd.

This is based on a take out order.
It was OK, kind of a let down because we dined at the restaurant before and thought it was good (we came back, right?)
The salad was tiny! So if you plan on sharing beware. We ordered 2 entrees. The Ricotta Spinach gnocchi was weird. It tasted like flour. The Thomas (chicken meatballs) was pretty good.
If I am blown away –next time– then I will change my rating.

Ok so at first look this place is cozy and has a unique layout with the 2 seperate rooms. The waitress was super attentive and very open for making recommendations which is always great.
Starter: Burrata Caprese
Holy poop, if your a mozzarella/​cheese fan you have to get this. It’s just the right consistancy between creamy and firm (That’s what she said) ok sorry. But I would honestly have to say its one of the better mozzarellas i’ve ever had in my life.
Pasta: Rigatoni Buttera
Sausage fans just order this. It has a great peppery taste mixed with some great herbs. The sauce isn’t 2 runny and the consistancy between the oil from the sausage and the pasta itself is wonderful.
Fish: Ombrina alla Genovese
(This was a special they had cause they were doing a regional special each couple weeks from different area’s of italy which was pretty cool)
It was meant to come with halibut but came with sea bass instead which i think it took away from the richness of the meal. Overall it was good sitting on sauteed spinach & cherry tomatoes.
Dessert: Cheescake
Not your normal cheesecake just please do it. It’s like a hybrid between cheesecake & flan. It’s freaken wonderful. I just told the waitress to bring me her favorite n she slammed that greatness in my life. I would order that byitself over n over. I probably could have ate 3.
I will definatly be back