Carlucci’s Italian Ristorante

Horrible! Lunch order placed at 11:30AM received it 3 hours later. The chicken tenders were the WORST I’ve ever had. They were so over cooked it was like rubber, no flavor whatsoever, no honey mustard dressing, matter of fact parts of the breading had dark parts to it they didn’t look safe to eat so I threw them out with the fries. Oh, and to top it off they mixed in some fried fish! The good of this was they took off the entire bill and kept the tip. Won’t be using them again.

I have decided to write a review. I do not order from carlucci’s often for their inconsistency. Today is the perfect example, my pizza like cheese and the crust was a little tough. Also the wings were a little over cooked dry. They were also smaller than usual. It’s not what I expect from an Italian restaurant. I have noticed recently the clientele has begun to change. Place is usually busy but last few times I have been in there different days of the week in different time of days there’s six to eight people eating only a few tables. This may be due to the inconsistency of their cooks and taste and quality of the meals being prepared

In situations like these, I really wish there was such a thing as a half star rating, because while the service was friendly and food was good, it wasn’t exactly deserving of 4 stars, but at the same time, my experience was slightly better than 3 stars. Nevertheless, I suppose I need to rate based on the food only, and ignore the service, or anything else, and food is good, but not mind-​blowing, so three stars it is.
Carlucci’s is conveniently located in a strip mall next to a movie theater, so it makes for a no-​brainer when it comes to choosing where to eat dinner after a movie. Why go elsewhere? Their dinner prices seem standard, when compared to other Italian restaurants, somewhere between $ 12-​$ 20 per entrée, depending on your selection. My friend and I were seated by Rish, who was friendly and very relaxed, despite the volume of people he was handling in a neighboring table that had a party of about 12, and that is not even taking into account the other tables that he was serving.
We looked over the menu and decided to choose chicken entrees. We were delighted to find out they also include a soup or salad. We both chose the salads. The salads were okay, I have seen better and with more ingredients. The salad included only one wedge of tomato and one cucumber slice, which is kind of miserly. I believe they say it’s a house Italian vinaigrette that they use on their salads, meaning it is made in-​house, but I didn’t much care for the milky consistency or the taste of it.
At that point, I assume the kitchen was swamped, as we waited at least 30 minutes for our entrees, but Rish was very apologetic. We understood it wasn’t his fault, anyway. In the meantime, we were given garlic rolls to tie us down. They were extremely greasy so my friend and I abstained from eating those and patiently waited. Finally, our food came out. I was happy to see my chicken was not swimming in grease and was actually very light, as I wasn’t looking for something heavy to eat considering it was after 10 o’clock. My stomach was a bit heavy from our Mexican lunch, so this was very welcomed.
The Pollo alla Carbonne is actually light enough to eat if you’re on a diet, or have indigestion issues and looking for something light. It is a grilled chicken breast with sauteed vegetables. My friend’s food though was the complete opposite. The Chicken Cacciatore was a huge smörgåsbord of chicken, vegetables, and a ton of pasta. Just looking at it was nauseating, yet he somehow ate it all. Ironic, considering he’s a stick and I am not, yet he eats a lot more than I do and is also not as active, go figure! As to the food quality, I would say it’s probably on par with Carabba’s, and a step up from Olive Garden. You do get a decent amount of food, for the price, especially if you’re wanting to fill up on pasta (see pictures of my friend’s meal, for reference).
Since my friend had eaten flan for dessert at lunch, I thought I would get something a little more exotic that night, to make up for his lack of sharing. The waiter rattled about 3 or 4 different options, and the one that stuck out the most was the Cannoli. It was pretty good, stuffed with creamy ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. It had chocolate syrup drizzled atop, with some whipped cream on the side. It was delicious and of course, I retaliated against my friend by not letting him try any of it.
While I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, I wouldn’t mind returning if I am in the area catching a movie.

Owner is a rude, arrogant, unprofessional person. Does not care about repeat business.

On business trip to fort Lauderdale, late night at the office needed dinner close by and was in the mood for Italian… Word of advice there are far better Italian spots than this one. The only saving grace was the garlic knots, despite being slightly better than lack luster. I’m giving this place three stars only because I think their pizza may be better than their other items.

Enjoyed the unique eggplant and chicken parmesan combo. Good service, generous portions, garlic rolls were crispy outside and soft inside. Overall that burst of Italian flavors was missing, but it was a decent meal.

Very cute place. Nice large menu with good northern Italian. The garlic rolls are yummy and the eggplant rollatini appetizer was delicious. We also had the Chicken Cacciatore with sausage and artichoke hearts in a white wine sauce. The wine and beer selection was small but good.

I wish I could say everything is delicious but whenever I go I am determined to try a new menu item but cave and get my usual, tortellini alla Audrey, which is mouth-​watering yummy. Their garlic bread is spot on too.
I will have to keep praising that single tortellini dish due to my lack of well-​rounded experience with their menu.

We called ahead with a party of 15. It took forever for the food. Over an hour after ordering, three people still did not get their food. I ordered a Diet Coke, it took a ½ an hour. I asked the busboy twice for the drink and he did not bring it. He eventually stopped coming around. Waiter says he was changing the CO2, yet other tables around us got theirs. Poor service…
The waiter never stated that the check couldn’t be split. Insisted at the end that it must be on one card.
Food was average. This place cannot handle large business parties for lunch.

It’s a decent place for an Italian lunch, but really nothing special. The server was nice and the food (Chicken Parmesan) was good. The sauce on the pasta was a bit runny/​watery. If I had to choose I’d probably choose elsewhere but it was OK.

Best. Pizza. Ever. Well the best I have had since I moved to Florida 10 years ago. The crust was crispy. The sauce and cheese were perfect. I can’t wait to go back next week for more pizza and to try to Pasta Fagioli.

Staying at Marriott across the street, had walked by and it looked good. Unilocal’s were mixed but not sure the reviewers all had the right type of Italian in mind. This is what I would call a «family style» place. Huge portions, very good but basic food, no white tablecloths or 25 year aged balsamico.
Great service, great food, great ambiance, especially for a strip center anchored by a movie theater and an Office Depot.
My waiter, Michael, was top notch, attentive but not clingy and obviously thought the food was great. I had a cup of the pasta fagioli (good, not great), the Eggplant rollatine appetizer (great, huge for an app but still really, really good and lighter than it looks) and the broccoli rabe and sausage app (also huge, very good, loved it.)
Overall, great meal, good wine, great value for the money and I will go back again. If you want good, mid-​priced Italian, this is a great bet. If you want high end, fancy food with $ 14 a glass wine, this is not the spot. (Chianti, $ 6.99 a glass. For $ 7, I enjoyed it. If it were $ 14, I would have though it was a rip off.)

Great food and great people! Loved our waitress who was from New Jersey.

I stopped by Carlucci’s Italian Ristorante as it had some good Unilocal reviews and I was wanting some really good Italian food. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I was very impressed. Though the interior décor is warm and inviting with its darker woods and brick, the seating comfortable and things looking rather upscale, the menu offerings and food don’t seem to match up. Indeed, the menu struck me as one more for the budget minded than for anything near to or approaching upscale dining. The only veal dish I noted on the menu wasn’t even a veal dish, but merely a veal parm sandwich and the rest basically appearing to be run of the mill rather typical variations of pasta.
I ordered a Miller Lite beer, they didn’t have so switch to a Heineken and since there was no veal francese, piccata or marsala ordered a chicken marsala which came with a side salad.
The salad was a pretty simple concoction of rather small chopped up iceberg lettuce, one thick diagonal slice of cucumber and a small wedge of tomato accompanied by a small thumb size bowl of a house vinaigrette dressing. The lettuce was crispy and nice, but the salad overall pretty much like you’d find in any diner; certainly nothing of note.
The chicken marsala came on a large square plate, good in appearance, mixed in with a spaghetti and a good looking dark marsala rich in mushroom sauce. The marsala sauce had an exceptionally good totally fine and rich marsala flavor about it, but I found its consistency to be on the watery side causing it to quickly drain off instead of cling to the food as you ate; basically rather soupy. The chicken was good large cut of breast, nicely done, but the spaghetti somewhat overcooked and soggy as not being al dente or clean to the bite.
My service was pleasant, very good, totally polite, professional and the bill more than reasonable for what I had. However, with so many very good Italian restaurants in the area, I can only say that for Italian food and Italian menu selections there are better choices albeit somewhat more pricey but in my opinion worth it.

Greeted quickly. Staff was great. These garlic rolls are really great! We ordered a Hawaiian pizza with side salads.
Salad was great. There is a taste of mint in the salad I really liked. Overall for a side salad, it was great.
I never make statements lol this but probably the best pizza I’ve had in years, if not my life. Just saying wow.
Heard it gets crowded at rush hours! Make reservations with larger groups or you will be waiting. Not the largest space.
Great experience. Definitely coming back.

Came back for another visit while I was staying nearby.
Had a good laugh that the Christmas Icicles still adorned the windows, but the place does have a cozy feel. A bit cheesy but not a deterrent for a casual meal.
I had the meatball and (separate) homemade mozzarella apps. Both were very good. The red gravy was a little too sweet but the meatballs were delicious and the mozzarella did indeed seem fresh.
My chicken Marsala entrée offered a generous portion for the price ($ 16.95). They offered a soup or salad will the entrée, but I declined. Here too the (Marsala) gravy was too sugary
The service was excellent. All female servers this time. All were pleasant and efficient.
The rest room was ok. Clean but not sparkling. The tv with a basketball game on (silent) was a positive and the Tom Jones CD fits well with the cheesy décor.
Overall, it is a good local choice for casual Italian. I will come back when in the area.

A big bowl of soup and salad for $ 4.99! Whoop whoop! I love a bargain, always have and probably always will, but this deal is cheaper than McDonald’s.
We had a business meeting not too far from this location and I asked a friend who works in the area where we should go to lunch and she suggested Carlucci’s.
It was quick, inexpensive, and very tasty. The Pasta Fagioli (see pix) had a ton of beans and was thicker then most broth based soups. Definitely sticks to your bones and fills you up. I also ordered some garlic rolls with a side of marinara sauce and they were delicious!
Would definitely go back if I was in this neck of the woods.

Food and service is 4 stars. Being open on a Sunday is another 2 stars. Garlic bread was warm, garlicky and fresh out of the oven.
Would totally come back!

Excellent little place. Started with fresh garlic knots and fresh mixed green salad with house dressing. My sister had eggplant parmesan which she said was great, the eggplant was nice and crispy. I had a dish with tri-​color tortellini in a sauce with sundried tomatoes and garlic it was delicious.
Finish the meal with a cannoli, beautifully plated with whipped cream on the side.
Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable and we had our garlic knots and salad just minutes after ordering. Can’t wait to eat here again.

We were looking for something different for dinner last night and decided to go back to a place that we hadn’t visited for the last 5 years.
As we walked in, there was hardly anyone there, but it was early. There was one group of 5 that were making quite a bit of noise, but the gentleman who greeted us, took us to another room, which was nice and quiet. That was something that I really appreciated.
The décor was very homey, dim lighting, dark brick walls and nice dark wood tables with an inlaid cityscape. It smelled like a good Italian restaurant should — like garlic and tomato sauce.
I ordered the Linguini Ala Trattoria. It came with either soup or salad and garlic rolls. I decided to try the Pasta E Fagioli soup. The broth was much heavier than I had expected. It was more or less a heavy bean soup with a few bits of pasta. The flavor was hearty, but one-​note.
The garlic rolls were nice. They were a bit overcooked, but that’s not a problem for me. I wish they had used roasted or at least slightly sautéed garlic. Raw garlic is too strong and has too much of a bite.
It was a large bowl of properly cooked linguini, swimming in a light wine sauce. There were bits of tomatoes and spinach along with a good amount of nicely grilled chicken chunks. I do like my pasta served at the proper temperature, but this was scalding hot. Even if I waited between each bite, blew on the fork for a while, and whistled a short tune, it was still at mouth burning level. I didn’t know that pasta could hold it’s temperature for that long! The flavor was nice, but could have used more depth and layering of flavors. I wouldn’t order this dish again.
We finished what we could, but still had more than enough to take home.
While there is nothing really wrong with the food, it also wasn’t anything unique. Since the prices were about average, we would probably choose to go elsewhere the next time we are looking for Italian.
***I’m adding a postscript. We just ate the leftovers from this dinner and this is definitely a «second day dish.» It reheated really well. The sauce had thickened and the flavors had developed. It was much better than yesterday! Now, I would order it again as a take-​out dish for the following day.