Carlucci’s Grill

A party of seven can be a challenge for a popular and busy restaurant, especially when six of the guests have never eaten Italian food before. Confusion, questions, blank stares. But, when lucky enough to be handed off to a seasoned professional wait person, what might have been an eye-​rolling chore, becomes an interesting and entertaining part of the evening.
So it was at Carlucci’s Grill in the Lower Makefield shopping center that is anchored by Kohl’s Department Store at the corner of Oxford Valley and Big Oak Roads. I was given the responsibility of ordering for everyone, so after studying the menu I decided to stick with the classics, so everyone would discover what Italiano was all about for the most people. Parmigianas for everyone, except for the more adventurous who opted for Carlucci’s «Princess» finish to chicken and shrimp. Standard sides of pasta with red sauce, except for the aglio olio linguini I preferred.
Gotta give kudos to our main man in black & white, and the kitchen. The feast began with a puff bread with an olive oil garlic drip. Never had that before, and it was very good fun to rip apart and devour. The accompanying salads all had balsamic dressing, and were solid, if not exceptional. We finally arrived at the entrees. Large plates of veal, chicken and shrimp or eggplant, covered in red gravy and melted mozza or cream sauce (Princess), and sharing space with an ample load of al dente linguini, were placed before us.
We all fell silent as we dove in. The veal was fine, thin sliced and sautéed before dosing in ample thick and chunky gravy, with just enough cheese cover to allow the dueling colors to swirl without sealing the meat within. Nice chew, better swallow. The eggplant could have been more tender, probably due to the thickness of the slices and not enough time in the fry pan to really soften the large circumference of the purple beast. Still, a credible job. The pasta sides were average.
Carlucci’s is BYOB, so we consumed Pinot Grigio and Corona in sufficient quantities to keep everyone lose and engaged. Most importantly, we gave our guests something to talk about after returning to Asia.
This is what Marco Polo had in mind as he returned to Venice on the Silk Road with his first shipment of rice and noodles. He could not have fully realized what he was starting. The Carlucci’s have certainly carried the traditions that evolved from the Court of the Great Kublai Khan to us in competent hands.

Have gone here multiple times. Food is always great. BYOB is a plus. Staff has always been very friendly.

Carluccis is an excellent choice when you’re craving Italian food! They offer unique choices at a reasonable price. Always come hungry though! They have several different servings of bread that are all amazing as well as large entrees.
I would also recommend coming here for a birthday. They sing happy birthday in almost an opera style which is unique and impressive! Take note that if you want to order take out here, you must order from Carluccis express which is next to Shop Rite (Which is equally as good!!)

Asked a friend for a good Italian place in the area. We came to Carluccis as recommended. The only good thing was the seafood bisque. Lasagna was salty and service was horrible. Getting our waters refilled seemed like a very strenuous task and it took us about 25 minutes to get a check. Looked like it was a slow night, one table next us was looking to pay and the other to order dessert and we all just kept looking around to get someone’s attention. Couldn’t wait to leave. We couldn’t believe someone would recommend this place because nothing about our visit was pleasant. We will not be coming back.

Carlucci’s is one of the best places in the area for honest Italian food. The service is always great, the meals are done perfectly, and the atmosphere is relaxed. We always look forward to the flatbread that is brought out before the meal, as well as the desserts. Worth every penny.

As others said, it seems to be authentic Italian restaurant that offers huge quantity and tasty food. I liked my eggplant parmesan and alfredo fettucinin but didn’t like the garlic bread. I saw a dome-​looking bread so I ordered it but the garlic bread from the menu was slices of italian bread brushed with garlic and butter. Service was attentive and fast.

My boyfriend and I went here for my birthday weekend dinner and it fell a little flat for me. The atmosphere is nice– sort of loud, and we were sat promptly. The service was great– very attentive and many hands on deck with above average speed from the moment we sat down. They brought us a bread with sauce all over it which was just a bit spicy and mushy. Next we got calamari– this I enjoyed– the sauce wasn’t as spicy and it was just the calamari rings. We both ordered gnocchi which came with soup or salad. The pasta fagioli was decent. For some reason a big loaf of garlic bread was brought out, it was delicious, so nothing to complain about there. We were basically full before our main dishes came out. The big issue for me was my main entrée. The gnocchi was just really mushy. My boyfriend commented how he liked it since he doesn’t like when they are too firm. I guess I’m more traditional. The sauce and seafood in the dish were tasty. I didn’t want to complain, as the only fix would have been to have the dish remade, and at that point I wasn’t even hungry anymore. Overall the place was decent, prices were pretty good, and it’s a Byob. You do get 15% off with a check in but they ask for your email also. I would give them another shot, and maybe just request my pasta not be cooked quite so much next time.

Delicious food, quick, on top of it service. Definitely worth a trip here. Everything came out hot and cooked just right. We will be back.

Recently had my baby shower here. The food and service was fantastic! My only suggestion would be a bigger space for shower type events so the tables can be more spread out. I had about 40 people and it was a bit cramped between the tables and chairs.
I also came for lunch on a separate occasion and t was also fantastic. I highly recommend the seafood bisque soup!

A part of me wants to move to the area just to eat there at least twice a week and the common sense half is glad that I live 800 plus miles away or I would weigh 400 pounds. The food was amazing and only surpassed by the service. Ask for Stella to be your waitress. Love that girl!!! My husband and I just wanted a small plate of pasta and a side of meatballs. We were able to order side dishes of pasta and marinara sauce. The sauce was flipping amazing. Stella brought us more sauce for our dishes and I ordered two containers of sauce to bring home. The two containers of sauce came to just six dollars.
Did I mention it is BYOB. Winner, winner, pasta dinner just on that. Go there, and go often if you can. You will thank me.

Food is great, lots of people, BYOB. Only negative is that it is very noisy and difficult to have a conversation.
Recommend you try to sit in the middle that is a little sheltered from the noise

Don’t see what the fuss is about.
We’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for years and always see how busy it is. That’s usually a good sign.
Last night we went, waited only about 15 minutes for a table, honestly not bad.
While waiting we heard a waiter singing «Happy Birthday, beautifully and at the top of his lungs, twice.
While waiting for our orders we received some bruschetta (meh) and a loaf of bread (better).
The meal arrived and was mediocre (chicken caruso and veal saporito). Not a lot of flavor, though the portions were right (not too little and not too much.)
The restaurant was loud, conversations seemed to be too much and the singing! No less than EIGHT times while we were there. It was nice the first time, the next seven times was ridiculous.
Not going back.

Excellent food very good service the best clams casino and calamari ever.
Lots of seafood dishes and it’s a BYOB

Uhhhh… are you kidding me with the almost five-​star rating for this restaurant? I am absolutely shocked. The only possible reason I can think of for this rating is that the further away from the city you get, the more acceptable and enjoyable sub-​par food becomes to the locals.
My husband, my mother, stepfather, and I all went to Carlucci’s for dinner last Saturday night. The thing that first rubbed me the wrong way was that when we walked in, some man yelled out to us «NO WAIT!» so I thought, good, no wait!
Then 2 other people walked in behind us, and they were seated before we were. As a matter of fact, there were like 500 open tables, and we ended up getting seated right next to the party of 2 (both at 4-​seat tables). Why, then, I ask you, were they seated first? It was inappropriate and the staff came off as completely unorganized.
Next up came the very bizarre «free breads» as I’m calling them. One was literally a loaf of thick bread just doused in hot pasta sauce. Was this supposed to be a take on tomato pie? If so, why was it hot? The sauce just melted right into the bread and created a soggy mess. My mom kept calling it «mush bread,» and that’s precisely what it was; it was not appetizing.
After the mush bread came the pita bread which we thought was some version of garlic bread. That turned out not to be the case. This freebie was literally some pita with oil on it. No garlic. No seasoning. BLAH. No one at the table cared for that, either.
Now onto the entrees. I got the pizza that came with red peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and artichokes. Each quarter of the pie had a specific topping, and the pizza was barely edible for several reasons: the topping to pizza ratio was WAY OFF. Listen folks, I don’t need a whole flipping jar of roasted red peppers on my pizza. I don’t need a pound of mushrooms, either. Go easier on the toppings and try adding some salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano to your pie. It was not seasoned *at all.*
My husband’s meal (gnocci) and my mother’s meal (some chicken/​shrimp dish) were both completely disgusting-​looking and absolutely covered in way too many vegetables. There were so many red peppers on my mom’s dish she couldn’t even see the protein on her plate, and she literally said to me that it seemed like «someone in the kitchen has a hard-​on for red peppers.»
The ONLY redeeming factor of this joint was their dessert. The ganache cheesecake was quite tasty, and my husband enjoyed his lemon sorbet. Their coffee tasted like dirty water, though. I couldn’t even finish it.
Did I mention that the waiter spilled iced tea and ice cubes all over my stepdad? Because that happened. They should probably invest in larger glasses since every 2 seconds our cups were empty.
The last thing that annoyed me about this place was that I «checked-​in» on Unilocal and ended up getting a 15% off coupon as a result. When I went to present this to my waiter he said that I could only get the discount if I signed up to be on their mailing list. Dude, I don’t want to be on your mailing list — just give me my freaking discount.
The bottom line — the food is not good and the service sucked.

Excellent seafood. The calamari was a bit tough compared to other Italian places I’ve been in the past, but the authentic Italian atmosphere couldn’t be beat. Their pizzas are really hearty and the staff do a lot to make sure you are satisfied. Even if the rest of the experience was only four stars, hearing the owner singing happy birthday in that booming Italian accent definitely was worth the fifth star.

Excellent food, started with free hot bruschetta and garlic pita bread.
I had chicken and shrimp princess, was very good.
Atmosphere was also very friendly.

One of the best of bucks. Always a good time at the restaurant, and take out is great too. I would hate to see them get too big and lose the control of the dishes served… Don’t let me down
4.5

We just wanted to grab some lunch before heading in to the nearby Kohl’s to do some shopping. We did not expect much from a strip mall eatery, but Carlucci’s can definitely be classified as a hidden gem. It is very nicely appointed inside, a lot fancier than we expected, with wall dividers hiding most of the dining room from the large front windows. They have a varied menu of Italian favorites, or considering their many sandwiches, Italian-​flavored favorites. We ordered a roast pepper dip that was on special and a side of Sautéed Spinach. Both were amazingly delectable, and we vowed to come back when we really had time to explore their menu, and to tell everyone we knew about the place.

Outstanding. The service topped off the food. Had the crab stuffed ravioli. I had to pace myself. Delicious.

So I’ve been reading all the Unilocal reviews about carlucci’s grill. so decided to give it a try on fathers day for dinner!
When I arrived around 5 p.m. It was kind of packed, but was seated as soon as possible. The staff was very friendly and the service was top notch. A few issues I had, I was seated in the corner table and it was tight, so mabe them removing a table or two could help make some more room. Will get to the other issue soon.
But after being seated I was welcomed by a nice young pleasant waitress, she brought these cubes of bread with marinara sauce on top, and wow it was so good, then she asked what we would like to drink, brought the Drinks back within 5 minutes with a loaf of some kind of bread with some kind of seasonings on top. And was so good.
Then when I place my order. I went for the homemade eggplant parmesan, and it either comes with spinach or pasta. I went with angel hair pasta, you get to choose what kind you like. And can choose between a salad or soup, decided to go with the Cesar salad, the salad was good and was fresh. but the other issue I had was with how much sauce they put on the pasta and the eggplant parm. It was covered in sauce. Mabe they could cut down on that alittle. But that did not stop me from enjoying the meal, eggplant was so fresh and even the pasta was good, but the next time I will go with something a little different, something that doesn’t have a lot of sauce on it like the seafood,
For dessert I got a cannoli, and it was the best I have ever had, so if you want to try something good for dessert give that a try, or even the chocolate mousse cake what’s good,
Other than the few issues I had. I definitely recommend this place, and I will be coming back to enjoy another dinner in the near future.