Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Where to start. The waitress was very helpful, she exchanged the cut of steak for a better one for $ 6 more. She exchanged the Linguini and clam sauce my wife got because of way too much crushed red pepper. Who ever the cook was he needs to come to my house and I’ll teach him to cook. Subbed lobster ravioli and got charged $ 3 extra.
Place was full so I guess we got the bad meal of the night. Sorry one visit only for us.

We went there for lunch right at 11 when they opened up and decided to sit outside which was a great day for. Waitress wasn’t great at all, possibly the worst in a long while. Each had one alcoholic drink and convinced us not to have another one. Food was great but had no one scallop in my dish as described in the menu. Once we got food no sign of waitress and had to go inside and ask for the bill. Our waitress Michelle P, finally came out and apologized saying that she had one other table. She seemed miserable from the minute we got there and tried to repair the damage when we got the check. Still left a tip but not a great one. She barely had to do any work. I’m understanding and easy going and have a tolerance for people but sadly it wasn’t the best experience, especially first time eating at a Carrabbas. If you go and get Michelle P ask for someone else or expect bad service.

Ate here last night. Terrible experience. Let me begin by saying I’m in the business. The only thing decent about the meal was the server. Split the calamari appetizer with my wife. Calamari was only half cooked. Breading was white. Very little crunch. While sauce was good it included only one small wedge of lemon that was a bit old. The salads must have come straight from the bag onto the plate. Wilson Farms, Calif. Same old, same old. Nothing special here. My wife had the Chicken Bryan and said it was «good» but she is always generous. I opted for the prosciutto wrapped shrimp with sirloin steak. Smallest shrimp I’ve been served on a skewer. Still looking for the prosciutto. And the steak, ordered medium well, was on the rare side of medium rare. This was easily the toughest steak I’ve ever been served. I was stunned. Some of it could not even be chewed it was so full of gristle and tough. Granted, you can’t expect much for $ 20, but this was really bad. Suffice it to say we skipped dessert.
Let’s get it together guys. You can do better than this.

I love the food at Carrabas and frequently eat here with my husband. The service and food is consistent. However the last time I ate at this Carrabas I’ve noticed they have increased the prices. I ordered a glass of wine and the glass was dirty. When I asked the waiter for a new glass he apologized but was also condescending and seemed annoyed. When he returned with a new glass I noticed this one was also dirty… I didn’t want to seem like a major pain so I sucked it up. When the food came the portions were small. I mean to the point where it seemed like our entrees were half portions. Naturally, I ate every last morsel of my chicken Marsala because it was delicious. When the waiter came to take my plate he scoffed at how much I ate; which I thought was odd and rude. I was still hungry so I ordered cheesecake for dessert. I ate all of it. This was also delicious. Long story short, the food at Carrabas is great but the portions are too small for their increasing menu prices.

Love this Carrabba’s. The meals are always superb and you can now go to their website to see what the wait time is and make a reservation. The staff is always friendly and recognize you as a regular.

This place is awful. Service was rude and completely unacceptable. If people do not want to work then they need to stay home or get a different job that doesn’t involve being around people. I felt rushed and cut off. The food was also horrible. I would Never ever go back. Commercials on tv are false advertisement. I honestly don’t know how they could still be open.

Have been going here for years. Really like the atmosphere.
Servers years ago were much better. I think it’s the new generation. They’re on their phones way too much! Remember… you are in the service business! You don’t get paid to look at your phone.
Love that they change the menu at least a few times a year.
Food is always good. Good value. Need to step up the customer service.

Haven’t been here in awhile and was surprised to see some menu changes. Bread was fantastic. Soup and salad was fantastic. Thoroughly enjoyed my entrée of sirloin steak and my mother was very happy with her marsala. I was not originally excited to come, but it was very different from the last time I was here. I’ll be back!

Where might you ask, would my mother-​in-​law want to go when visiting the Capital Region from the west coast? Well Carraba’s of course, and I was happy to oblige since its been years since we’ve been.
For apps we started with the prosciutto wrapped asparagus and chicken lettuce wraps. The asparagus was a little sad and withered so I would say skip it. The lettuce wraps were surprisingly spicy, fresh, citrusy, and carb-​free. A must try!
I ordered the Johnny Rocco salad which is topped off with shrimp and scallops. Really surprisingly good! So fresh, tasty, huge portion (though it was $ 17), but I was impressed. My husband got the chicken Maria which was chicken breast with melted cheese and mushrooms it’s a side of pasta. Yes it tasted very processed but it was good and was a very generous portion
Service was great, though it took a little longer than I would have liked. Almost to the point where you start reaching for awkward conversation but thankfully our food came in the nick of time.
Not too shabby for a chain.

Carrabba’s is just okay for me… I’ve been here dozens of times over the years, but I’ve never really been wowed with anything they have to offer. I received a gift card here, so decided to use it this past Saturday evening with a group of 9 of us. I called ahead (about 2 hours ahead), because they don’t take reservations, but when we arrived, we were told a 45 minute wait anyway. No big deal since we could stand at the bar, but while doing so, we were basically hovering over parties trying to eat their meals, it was a bit awkward.
Our server was a young man, probably in his early twenties, and he was very friendly, and funny at times, which worked for our group. He got all of our orders in correctly, but I just wasn’t impressed with the food we ended up getting. The fried mozzarella, was burnt to a crisp, and there wasn’t really anything special about any of our entrees. It seems like over the years their portion sizes have become smaller and smaller. Maybe they just look overly small because they serve a tiny piece of chicken and a few pieces of penne on a huge plate, but they should definitely work on their presentation.
Overall, Carrabba’s is a little bit more classy than Olive Garden, and it’s not cheap! It’s commercialized, Italian-​American fare, and I use the term loosely. You would be better off going to one of the many authentic Italian restaurants in the area. Your money would be better spent, and you wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night with cotton mouth due to all of the sodium you consumed.

Great food! I had the lobster ravioli with blackberry sangria. Highly recommended! Nice ambience!

Enjoyed a relaxing lunch with mom
Loved the fact that on my Caesar salad I had the option of anchovies most places do not offer n they were far from skimpy ! My mother throughly enjoyed her cannoli which had chocolate chips inside n crushed pistachios on the top with a dusting of powder sugar n chocolate sauce can’t say much for the pizza thou !

Hate to say it, but Carrabba’s in Latham, NY, is slipping badly. Our last couple or three experiences have been somewhat regrettable, at least. Imho, it’s all on management, but the largely young & inexperienced waitstaff clearly reflect management’s current attitude. There are very few smiles among them and their frenetic but futile efforts only compound the obvious issues. Their waitstaff used to be one of their finest attributes but that’s just a memory now.
I could also complain about the skimpier salads and the removal of the olive oil from the tables, but that kind of stuff is fairly routine everywhere among chain restaurants these days.
For what it’s worth, I’ll just say that I’d rather pay more than lose it, is all.
However, the stale bread … not just «overcooked» as our most recent waitress bravely suggested … is unforgivable. She did bring fresh bread, though
We’ve been to many Carrabba’s in our frequent travels and Latham has always been a great measure of all others, until recently. Most others have always measured up quite well but now they’re beginning to surpass Latham.
Finally, just gotta say that a patron in a wheelchair should always be seated at a table on the outermost perimeter of the room, for everyone’s comfort. On our most recent visit, my wife and I, she in her wheelchair, were seated squarely in the middle of a crowded room, even with 2 totally vacant 4-​tops on the perimeter. One of the 4-​tops remained vacant throughout our visit and, of course, our departure necessitated the disturbance of a couple of other patrons and the involvement of some staff. All were very accommodating but it was very awkward/​embarrassing for us and it should not have been necessary, at all. We’d much prefer to wait for a more suitable table than risk such an event.
We still love Carrabba’s but we may not be back to the Latham location any time soon, if ever.

Had a great dinner here tonight! We had a large party of 13 and service was amazing and food was very good! Started off with salad (creamy parm dressing) which was amazing. I also ate some of my sons sausage lentil soup (awesome).
For dinner I had the wood grilled chicken with mashed potatoes. Both were good but portion size was a little small. My wife had the Caesars salad and my daughter had some baked ravioli dish which I also sampled! My son got the lobster mac and cheese which he really enjoyed (portion was a little small for a $ 19 dish).
Had an issue at the end of the night with not taking the 15% off coupon because a couple people in our large party got specials! I called over manager and he took it off total bill! I understand not taking it off specials but most of us got regular priced dishes (need to fix computers to accommodate this). Manager did the right thing and I will definitely go back!!!

We came here on a Friday night, and were seated immediately.
We had the Shrimp Divalo, spicy chicken soup, mezzluno pasta, chicken parmigiana, and apple crostata for dessert.
The shrimp Divalo as an appetizer was delicious and they didn’t skimp on the shrimp. The banana peppers enhanced the flavor.
The soup was good, not very spicy but lots of flavor. Could use more chicken.
The mezzaluno was very rich, lots of tomato and ricotta.
The apple crostata was the best part of the meal, it was bomb dot com! Melted caramel on an apple pie crust, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Just delicious.
Overall, would give it a 4.5 stars.
Definitely recommend coming here!

Returned for dinner last night and was as impressed and happy as I was with my first visit. I had the Sirloin Marsala which was cooked to perfection and as tender as a fillet. The Caesar salad that comes with the meal (not extra like at most places) was the best! Great menu and affordable prices. Can’t wait to go back.

Great food. I can’t rank them better though because a restaurant is more than its food. It’s about the experience. This carrabas (not others I have been to) has the worst restaurant hosts I have ever seen. They typically huddle in friend circles at the door and will force you to wait a while for them to finish chatting before acknowledging your entrance (it’s happened multiple times here) and I’m sure based on the comments on the manager, it’s something they only do when the manager is absent. I have never seen anything like it before.

Nothing I’d write home about. Waitress promptly brought bread with a plate of olive oil. I noticed other diners got some balsamic added NOT us. Had to ask for more water. Entrees came and looked like they were the size of appetizers at a family restaurant. Doubt I’ll ever go back

Decent food for an Italian chain. Staff is friendly, but not attentive. Sadly if waitress would walk around more, I wouldn’t have to post that. When me and wife went we were the 4^th set of people in restaurant.
Food was good and out in a timely manor. Check for coupons before you go.

This was the choice for Easter Dinner. While they say that they don’t take reservations, they do allow you to call ahead and say what time you will be arriving and how many are in your party. Supposedly, this gives you some priority. In fact, we understood that we could actually call a day ahead of time — which we did for our party of 3 arriving at 5:30.
We were 5 minutes early and were promptly seated in a restaurant that appeared to be about 80% full. This also turned out to be an excellent time to arrive since many of the other tables were now leaving.
Service was prompt throughout our visit. With a basket of bread in front of us, our drink orders were taken. A Seven-​Up ($ 2.80), and a couple of craft brews ($ 2.65 each). We were quite surprised when our server said we were there during «happy hour» so that might explain why the beer was cheaper than the soda.
For an appetizer we had the Arancini ($ 6) — six very large, hand-​breaded balls of risotto mixed with Italian fennel sausage, red bell peppers and romano cheese. A marinara sauce was served on the side for dipping. These were delicious and in danger of filling us up. But then we could always take home any leftover entrees so we demolished all six of the arancini.
For our entrees we chose: Rigatoni Martino ($ 14) — wood-​grilled chicken, sautéed mushrooms and sundried tomatoes tossed with rigatoni in a tomato cream sauce (I didn’t get to try this but I was told that it was very good); Veal Marsala ($ 18.90) — tender, not too thin slices of veal sautéed and topped with mushrooms, prosciutto and a Lombardo Marsala wine sauce, with garlic mashed potatoes on the side; and The Damian ($ 22) — a combination plate of wood-​grilled salmon topped with tomato basil vinaigrette, similarly wood-​grilled shrimp and sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs and topped with a lemon butter sauce, all served with a side of «Cavatappi Amatriciana» pasta. The only minor complaints were that the prosciutto was not very evident in the veal dish and the butter may have been a bit excessive on the shrimp and scallops. Only a portion of the veal did not get finished and ended up being taken home.
The Dessert Trio ($ 9.90) gave us the opportunity to try three of the most interesting choices on that menu — Sogno Di Cioccolata «Chocolate Dream», a fudge brownie with chocolate mousse, whipped cream and chocolate sauce; Tiramisu, lady fingers dipped in liqueur laced espresso, layered with sweetened mascarpone, Myer’s rum and chocolate shavings; and Dessert Rosa, a butter cake topped with pastry cream, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, and whipped cream. We did an excellent job of cleaning the entire plate.
Coffee ($ 2.80) and Cappuccino ($ 4) helped to wash down dessert and add a nice ending to a very pleasant Easter Day dining experience. Overall, service was quite good considering the long day the staff had already put in.

I have only recently become familiar with Carraba’s. Based on the fact that it is owned by the same company that owns Bonefish Grill, good reviews here, and the fact that it was within walking distance of a hotel at which I was staying, two of us had dinner here recently. We enjoyed it, and I consider it an above-​average dining experience for a chain which specializes in Italian food and wood-​fired pizza.
We walked in without a reservation at 7pm on a Friday and were told there would be a 30 – 40 minute wait for a table. But if we wanted, we could sit at the counters in front of the kitchen, which is first-​come, first-​serve, and there were presently open chairs. We did this and had very prompt service. Plus, we were able to watch the chefs prepare meals and dessert. A comment my dining companion made is that when you can see what the chefs are doing, you can generally get a better idea that the kitchen isn’t playing any tricks with your food.
The atmosphere here is casual; if you’re familiar with Bonefish Grill, I’d consider it maybe a half-​step lower but still nicer than most other Italian restaurant chains.
They have a pretty good drink and wine menu, and most wines can be ordered by the glass. A quartino is slightly more (similar to at Bonefish) and can give you a generous glass worth of wine or enough to split between 2 for just enough wine to complement your meal.
We were given a loaf of warm, dense, bread with olive oil and pesto. The pesto was delicious but very salty, perhaps to help you along with that next drink?
We decided to take advantage of the wood-​fired grill and order two grilled chicken entrees. They were both pretty much prepared the same but with different sauces and toppings. Both were good but could have perhaps had a little bit more flavor. Then again, you don’t want to overdo it, you want the wood-​grilled flavor to permeate as well. Entrees typically come with a side of pasta, but you can substitute some vegetable choices. We opted for spinach which was either steamed or lightly sauteed (I forget which). It was prepared exactly the way I like it, moist but still green and slightly crisp.
We were too full for dessert, but we happened to sit in front of the dessert chef, so we got to watch all the desserts being prepared. Their brulee blowtorch is NOT for amateurs. The desserts were a bit pricey, generally $ 6 to $ 8, but they looked quite good.
I rarely dine at Italian food chains, preferring independently owned restaurants. I’ll make an exception from time to time for Carraba’s.