07/04/09

Pretty Good

by vlsmith4

This place was okay - not the best I've had

• Pros: good food, creme brulee, chicken saltimboca

06/06/09

Didn't like the old fish

by festivalcandy

I thought this was going to be a nice evening out with my husband. I was told from a friend that this restaurant had good food but my husband and I beg to differ. We both had ordered the linguine with frutti di mare, basically pasta with seafood, and it was terrible. We both thought the seafood tasted a little old and past it's freshness peak when we tasted it but decided to finish since it cost us more than we thought it was worth. Huge mistake. We both ended up sick for 2 days. I will never go back and urge anyone who goes to stay away from the seafood. : - (

• Pros: Nice atmosphere
• Cons: Bad food

05/22/08

Great atmosphere and awesome food

by KeithLitaliano

I really like this small little bistro. The food is always decent. Disagree with reviews where people said that the food was salty. I never noticed that during the times that I have eaten there. The menu is full of some pretty authentic Italian dishes, and everytime I've been I've tried something new. They have the best pizza in North Raleigh, hands down - try their Siclian pizza. It's got plenty of servings and is inexpensive too! Service can be slow when they are busy, but they are attentive with the drinks. The only other drawback is that if you get a lot of loud people at the bar, they kind of "take over" the whole restaurant.

• Pros: ambiance, food is authentic and fresh, excellent wine list, usually good service
• Cons: small, can be noisy, when busy the service can suffer slightly

08/30/07

Great restaurant in north Raleigh if you're looking for Italian food.

by bicycleguy66

Always a great meal with a relaxing and inviting atmosphere, tied with great service. San Carlo has been around for some time in north Raleigh and I'll admit to being a long time customer, as such I can't think of time when I've had anything less than good food and service. While with any restaurant there is turnover and necessary training time for new staff, I've always had attentive waiters/waitresses. Even when the person was new or only with a little experience. For the variety of specials and menu selections I have not had one that has been a problem, whether for dinner, lunch, or just a quick appetizer. In fact there are a few that I tend to order on a regular basis, including the Bianca (white) pizza, and the salmon dishes. The friends and famly I have brought to the restaurant have had the same experiences and passed along their compliments: great food, great service, great atmopshere, great restauant.

• Pros: Location, food selection, atmosphere, very little wait time when busy, parking, service
• Cons: none

07/18/07

Horrible service

by marlanah

Me and my husband went to lunch here and we left very disapointed. Our food took 30 minutes to come out (only 2 other tables in the restaurant) and when it came out it was wrong twice and tried to charge us for it. The staff was not attentive at all to drinks as well as very slow with any small request. I will never go back here again

• Pros: nice atmosphere
• Cons: terrible service

05/03/07

Adorable bistro style restaurant with good food and character

by kyshara

My friend and I have eaten lunch at San Carlo?s three times. Today was our third visit and we brought another friend along. On our initial visit, we were very impressed with this cozy bistro style restaurant. Usually I prefer to order ?simple? meals when trying out a new restaurant, so I ordered a Stromboli and I think she had a pasta dish with a side of steamed veggies. The food was excellent and our server was perfect! We love the foccacia bread.

Our second visit was the complete opposite, like we had been jinxed with bad luck! I can honestly say that if we had experienced this the first time we went, I am certain we would not have gone back! Our food was barely tolerable! We ordered one of the daily specials and I feel like I could have made a better pasta dish at home. The foccacia bread was the only thing we had to look forward to. Our server was quite rude ? we thought maybe she was having a bad day, but she seemed like she was giving other customers better service. The best thing was when we were on our way out ? we could see the server we had last time on the other side and she recognized us! She was glad to see us back again and asked how we were doing. So we thought we wouldn?t write San Carlo off completely.

Today we had another great experience. I ordered a chicken parmigiana sub, but the three of us got completely different meals and each of them were delicious! Our server was the woman who had been the bartender on our last two visits and she was very helpful and attentive to us and the other customers on our side.

So, with a record of 2 out of 3 for good food and service, we will definitely be going back for lunch meals. It?s definitely worth it for the great prices they have at lunch as well! I?d also like to take my husband to try their dinner offerings at some point. On our next visit I think I will make a request for one of the servers we liked on our previous visits...

• Pros: Ambience, Value, Location, Casual but Classy, Service, Great food
• Cons: Unpredictable service and quality of food

09/27/06

Salty food, inattentive service, but not horrible

by MonAccount

Assagio's is still at the top of my list for Italian in this 'style' (home cooking, not pretentious). San Carlo's food was quite salty, though, from the complementary foccacia to my Ziti to the Calzone. It's a shame because underneath all that salt was some good cooking- the calzone crust was very crisp and flavorful, and the vegetables and pasta were all al dente.

The service, beyond drink refills, was lacking, although the staff was knowledgeable. I probably won't go again but if someone said they love the place I would know what they are talking about- there is something in there to love, under all that salt and inattentive service.

• Pros: Affordable, convenient, good cooking methods
• Cons: Salty food, inattentive staff

An ornate Italian joint that's not afraid of garlic, laughter or taste.

by Contributor

In Short
Inside, wrought iron grapevines and fun, over-the-top Italianate mirrors compete for attention. A well-trained staff maintains the sultry ambience, with each server dressed in black button shirts, neckties and low-slung bistro aprons. Amid the formal flair, you'll find a family-oriented menu. San Carlo is as much a pizza place as a specialty pasta emporium. Stick with the simple Italian basics.

04/05/06

Still Lacks Service

by cowboypete

Now I remember why I haven't been here in a while. We were seated for 10 minutes before anyone greeted us at our table. The Servers were up at the bar area talking to each other. Then one of the managers/owners finally recognized us and came out to get our drink order. Then one of ask if we could substitute fries for the chips that came with the sandwich. He said they didn't have fries...They are on the MENU!!! They served no butter with the bread and the bread was burnt. I could of made a better sandwich at home. There are plenty of Italian food places in Raleigh to never have to think twice about going back to San Carlos, ones that have good food and know a little about customer service.

• Cons: Service, Service, Food

01/28/06

Great spot!

by lduse

We love this little place. We live near and order take out a lot and also eat in the dining room! The owners/staff are very gracious and kind. We love the menu and really feel that it is a great spot!