Beautiful restaurant! Large portions, complimentary bread & butter, happy hour discounts, and amazing flavors! Lovely, helpful, accommodating staff read more

Cara Mia - Shrimp Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

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Very disappointing experience. This restaurant used to be a good place, but unfortunately things seem to have changed since the new ownership took over. The restaurant was extremely hot and uncomfortable inside, and we brought it to the server's attention. We expected at least a little concern or an apology from the owner, but the owner wouldn't even come out and speak with us. Instead, she left it up to the floor manager to deal with. The way the situation was handled made us feel like the customers simply didn't matter. We ended up having to leave shortly after eating because it was so uncomfortably hot. It's disappointing to see a restaurant that used to be good become this way. Good customer service starts with listening to your customers and showing that you care when they have a legitimate concern. Unfortunately, that was not our experience here. read more

How I rate any restaurant 1: food quality 2: service 3: price 4. ambience/ environment 5: everything else Food quality is decent. I ordered pizza, pasta, and steak. Steak is a bit salty but it's truly medium rare Service: horrible. Esther came out 2x and disappeared. I had to ask other server or waiter/waitress to get things done. I saw her chatting with other workers for a good 10 minutes then when I asked the busser for food, he delivered to me. So who is supposed to bring the food out? My waitress or the busser? Price: average Ambience/environment: as expected Everything else: parking is easy. Place is clean. The service is HORRENDOUS. Not just us. I observed the other tables getting no check up. This Esther lady just does not give a sh*t. If owner or manager wants to contact me, please do. I have a video of her just chatting away for a good 10 minutes until I ask the busser for the food and HE brought it out while she was still chatting with her colleague read more

Outstanding food, quality appetizers. Phenomenal desert options. Only issue I had was with who appeared to be one of the owners or managers who seemed appalled that we ordered so much food for three of us & just made a comment that didn't sit well with us. Our server was good, but with only two other parties at the restaurant at the time, it seemed like we were not a priority. Food great. Location awesome. Service, lackluster. read more

Lovely restaurant. We came on a Saturday night without reservations but were seated quickly near the bar area with someone who was singing live. They were also playing the World Cup at the bar. The calamari was seasoned and fried perfectly. We got a glass of Chardonnay and a spicy margarita. The complimentary sourdough bread and whipped butter was a table favorite! We came around 6:30pm and were told that it was happy hour which meant $3 off drinks and appetizers, yay! Our server was nice. She recommended that our little ones share the kids pasta and it was more than enough. I got the Cara Mia salad and I loved the greens and candied walnuts. I should have asked to go light on the dressing as it was a little too much for me, I usually don't like my salads coated too much but it was still good. Hubby got the Penne alla vodka with a side of meatballs and it was very flavorful. We brought back leftovers enough for another meal. For dessert we ordered ice cream and panna cotta. Let me tell you, I didn't want either one but when I tasted both, I was so glad hubby ordered them because they were both so tasty! Thank you for a lovely dinner. read more

Super yummy food! Amazing service and super clean inside! My daughter loved her minestrone soup and spaghetti, I had chicken piccata which was divine!!! And my dad had the macadamia nut crusted chicken and that was delicious!! We will definitely be back!!! read more

Okayyyy this place made SUCH a good first impression. They started us off with warm fresh bread and butter and honestly... that already had me sold. Nothing hits harder than fresh bread at the table. We ordered the calamari and it was chef's kiss. Super crispy, perfectly seasoned, not greasy at all, and the marinara tasted so fresh and homemade. Like the kind of appetizer you accidentally keep eating even when you swear you're saving room for your entrée. The Caesar salad was also so good -- perfectly dressed, fresh, crunchy, and balanced without being overly heavy. For my main, I got the Penne alla Vodka with added chicken and WOW. The sauce was rich, creamy, flavorful, and had that perfect comforting pasta energy. The chicken was juicy, the pasta was cooked perfectly, and every bite just hit. You know a pasta dish is good when the whole table goes silent for a minute. Everything tasted high quality and made with care, which honestly makes such a difference. Definitely one of those spots where you immediately start planning what you're ordering next time before you even leave. Can't wait to come back and try the rest of the menu because if this was the first impression... I already know there are more hits waiting. read more

Cara Mia - Bar area - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

Friendly staff. Nice decor. But the food was amazing. I love eggplant parm. And this one is one of the best I have and I love the side of veggies it comes with. And it's plentiful read more

My daughter and I dined here Thursday night and it was fantastic. She had a major let down and a canceled dinner date with her dad so she invited me out to eat after I got off work. We actually attempted a pizza place in upland who only had one patron dining so we left to try a next door Mexican restaurant. When our food was served she bit into her taco and pulled out a long hair from her mouth that clearly wasn't hers as her hair was back in braids. We actually had a hard time finding this place due to using the Waze app and passed it up twice. When we were walking in, I told her if this restaurant doesn't work out we're just going home cause I'm tired. It was a quaint restaurant and we were greeted with smiles. Our Waitress was Erica and Our Server Dugo. They were both wonderful. My Daughter had an angel hair pasta with artichoke and I had a vodka pasta with Bacon.. I felt like it could have been pancetta because it was kind of smoky. Absolutely generous portions. We also had a margarita pizza for the table and table bread. We took plenty of leftovers and the music was upbeat and pleasant playing in the background. The cherry on top of my Shirley Temple was how adorable it all was. Ty for the pleasant experience and you will most certainly see us again. read more

Ambiance galore on a Sunday!!! Singer Performer / beautiful music - fantastic food - most wonderful service and server / customer collaboration. Truly a great authentic Italian cuisine place. Thanks you for the wonderful evening !!!!! read more

The food and service was great once again. My husband and I like to sit in the bar area to listen to the live music while enjoying our meal. Today we both got a cocktail me an espresso martini & he got a Gold Rush both were good. For appetizers we got the burrata bruschetta which is always amazing (sorry no pic we devoured them) we also tried the special bacon wrapped dates. These were good served with arugula & blue cheese, I think would be a little better if the dates were stuffed with the cheese. For dinner my husband got his usual the lobster ravioli. This dish is amazing the raviolis are cooked perfectly with the right amount of lobster in them and the shrimp that's also served with the ravioli are cooked perfectly also. I ordered the tortellini genovese this was very good just the right amount of sauce and the pasta cooked perfectly. read more

Cara Mia - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

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Parking: Plenty available (spots also available around / to the side of the building) Ambience: Great dressed-up date night vibes--live music with dim lighting and candles. Service: Standard, could pick up dirty dishes more quickly, but overall good and no complaints! Taste: Got the burrata bruschetta--tad bit too much balsamic glaze for my preference, but overall delicious combination of flavors! Cara mia pizza was lovely and had such a creamy, rich flavor. Fettucine alfredo was unremarkable, didn't taste like much. Tiramisu was decent! read more

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First time here and they have amazing service and a good ambience. Food is great and really enjoyed the live music

Tried this restaurant in Hopes for decent Italian. The lavender martini is made with cheap vodka. When we explained to the hostess that it was not very sweet and lacking the smooth texture a martini should have said it was no problem and that she would take it off the bill. We asked if we could just substitute it with a lavender lemonade. She said no problem. The bill arrived and we were still charged $16 for a cheap and nasty martini on top of being charged for the additional lemonade. The chicken Parmesan was a dry fried slab of chicken smothered in Marinara sauce and cheese. No flavor with a poor attempt to make it taste decent by overwhelming it with cheese. The potatoes and vegetables were also bland and flavorless. I do NOT recommend this restaurant. read more

Cara Mia - Salty not very flavorful Lasagna. - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

This place is one of my favorite, took my man for Father's Day and we loved everything. Service is great,food is delicious! Can't wait to go again . read more

The family decided to get together for dinner. Our original plan was to go to a buffet, however due to the long lines to get in, we opted for something local. In this we discover Cara Mia; and Italian restaurant. With five and a half empty stomachs we decided to check out this spot; and we are glad we did. We were greeted and seated immediately upon our arrival. The staff was very friendly, attentive and made us feel like part of their family. From the food to the drinks and even the live music, we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Can't wait to check this spot out again soon. read more

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Always delicious !! been here many times, staff is attentive, food is fantastic. I recommend the fettuccine Primavera with red sauce, wow.!! I love supporting small businesses like this one, all the food is made to order read more

The food was delicious and my dad and mom agreed My mom said she loved the Cioppiano and my dad also loved the Cioppiano. I think Cara Mia is one of my favorites of all read more

Cara Mia - Cioppiano mmm - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

If I could give it negative stars I would. Service is poor unless you order wine. Patrons are allowed to let children scream and bang things and run around disrupting others' dining experience. The pizza is a joke. The staff is not clean and uses bare hands to run through their long dirty hair and then serve food. Used to be a good restaurant. What happened? We were so embarrassed for bringing out of town guests here. We will never go back! read more

This half Italian can run rather brutal in Italian restaurant reviews. This is because my recently late Momma could humiliate almost every Italian restaurant in the Inland Empire. So I adjust out of fair play. This restaurant violated one of my strict restaurant rules, that applies to all cuisines: if you walk in and don't smell any food of any kind -- if the place smells like nothing -- turn and walk out immediately. But since YELP insisted this was a go, I stayed. TIP TO THE OWNER: if I were you, just before you open each night, I'd roast some garlic and hide it in the dining room -- maybe with a small fan on it. I'm not kidding. Okay, we were greeted by Sinatra in the air and Veronica, who gave us a gracious 'Italian' welcome. This is as much a part of the experience as anything. I've recently been to a new Italian spot that flubbed this. We were nudged towards risotto balls, which I'll be honest I've never managed to try but yum they both were. As was the marinara served with them, which is more of a delicate art than people understand. Some rolls came out and they were freshly made and delightful. They weren't doused in salt and so they needed that dash of provided soft whipped butter. So good I had one more roll than I wanted. Veronica made an excellent wine recommendation and off we were awaiting our entrees. We got there at opening and so we were seated in the bar/dining side. Ambiance was pretty okay but needed tweaking. I know tablecloths can scare off budget customers, but the room needed some warmth and that would have helped. Also bright setting sunlight was pouring in and I'd recommend lovely blinds for such occasions. The door at the bar leading into the back needs some paint. My vegetarian partner in crime got the eggplant parmesan, something both the menu and Veronica particularly recommended as a house specialty. It was good, but to this half Italian, not as special as it needs to be. Proper Egg Parm must absolutely melt in your mouth. If you must chew the eggplant at all, it's 'chewy' and not authentic. Look on YouTube, find an Italian -- do what you can to fix this. Trust me. My Chicken Piccata was good too, but not great. It was off somehow. To my tastebuds it wasn't creamy. If the owners PM me, I can tell you of two places within 40s minutes that do this plate properly. I enjoyed it, finished it, but I wouldn't order it again. Each of our plates came with two carrots, two pieces of broccoli, and two wedges of roasted potato. We could have had pasta but went with these sides. THEY WERE SHOCKINGLY GOOD. Not over cooked, not over seasoned, just perfect. It's an extremely odd experience to have a great wine, great appetizer, great bread, great sides -- but merely good entrees. This ate a star, sorry. We will return and try two other entrees. If they too disappoint, we likely won't return. But understand we want you to be great, because I strolled into Brio later and it was noisy cringe. read more

Another great meal. Sorry I ate before taking the pic. But the stomach wants what the stomach wants. When your stomach brain takes over your Yelp brain. Try the special. Amazing. read more

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Very good food, drinks were ok. Location is kinda hidden. Waitress was super speedy in a not so good way. We were in mid question twice & she was already gone. ‍ Came back 2x in 5min after we said give us some more time. Other than that, pretty good. They did give a complimentary bday Slice of cake, very thoughtful read more

The waitress unpleasant. It took a long time giving me and my family to give us our food.

Customer service and ambiance is great. They are very pricey & to be honest the flavor is not equivalent to the cost. I've tried their food twice and I'm not impressed enough to go back. read more

Cara Mia - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

Owner and what seemed to be his brother (who was clearly well past drunk) were insanely rude not only to me and my family but to their staff as well. I heard them cussing at the servers all the way in the kitchen for taking a water break instead of standing at the front desk, which should be the job of a host/hostess, not a server. Seems like the owners cheaped out on staff and the servers are paying the price instead. read more

Original plan was to go to Soup 'n Fresh. After seeing the very long line, we decided not to wait in line so we stumbled upon Cara Mia. Since we already parked, we decided to give this place a try. Didn't know what to expect, but the restaurant is very cozy and welcoming. We were seated right away. Water arrived shortly with our breads and butter. We were so hungry that we devoured the warm and delicious breads after it hits our table. We then proceeded to order our foods. While waiting for our foods, we were pleasantly entertained by a lady singer. Her singing was quite entertaining. Every guests there enjoyed her performance. Before you know it, our foods arrived. We were pleasantly surprised by the large portions of each dishes. The foods were delicious and since the portions were more than we expected, we ended up taking the rest home. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and would come back again in the future. read more

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Terrible food! Stay away from this place if you want authentic Italian food. Also, ordered a Lavender Martini worst Martini I've had. I am not sure what type of liquor the used. Tasted like cheap tequila. AND to top it off I was charged for it. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!! read more

Tasteful food and great service. The salmon was so juicy and the flan is a must for dessert read more

Cara Mia - Flan - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

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Came here with my girls for a birthday dinner. First time here. Didn't realize it's in the exact same area as soup and fresh, as I've been here many times to this lot. Cute little spot. Loved the vibe and played smooth music. It's tucked away in the corner and parking can be ROUGH due to soup and fresh. There are signs specifically stating NO SOUP AND FRESH PARKING in front. Ordered their appetizer special of chicken, potatoes and sausage. They ran out of bell peppers but there was a generation portion served. However, I gave it a 3/5 as it lacked flavor. No herbs or spices on it. Had a sangria. It's was so good!! I like sweet drinks and this was a perfect balance of me! Very happy with my drink! My pesto tortellini was good. Not too overpowering in the pesto flavor, which I don't care for. I actually had to add salt and pepper to bring the pesto taste out. Pasta was cooked to perfection ruin tho. They gave me a free slice tiramisu and sang to me for my birthday. That was cool. read more

Cara Mia - Appetizer with chicken, sausage and potatoes. They ran out of bell peppers - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

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Our latest experience here was not the best. We began with a Foccaccia Roll and butter, and a Margherita Pizza as good as before. A side Caesar Salad uncharacteristically contained tomatoes, and to my disappointment the restaurant was out of anchovies. Minestrone Soup for me, and Lobster Bisque for Diane, were fine. Lobster Ravioli with good-sized shrimps on top were real good but the orange-colored sauce overpowered the ravioli, so that no lobster taste came through. Diane's Chicken Parmigiana Alfredo was wholly missing Alfredo Sauce. Then, when belated Alfredo Sauce at last arrived, it was too liquidy. Service this night was sporadic, and the ambiance was ruined by a female toddler running around the dining room with no shirt on, unrestrained by her mother. However, it was pleasurable to listen to piped in Frank Sinaftra music. XXX-1/2 stars overall this time around! read more

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I ordered the salmon linguine and the salmon was visibly old and rancid. If you order from here to go, make sure to thoroughly check your food! read more

Cara Mia - Salmon Linguine - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

So yummy. Great staff. The bread hot and fluffy. The menu has something for everyone. The cocktails all sound good, we have to come back to try them next time. We did dessert this visit and panna cotta and creme brûlée were chef's kiss. Glad there is this little gem in the neighborhood read more

it was so goooood was there today! I think the value here is really good . I also see that they have a happy hour anmd will be back

I love Cara Mia! Great authentic & freshly made Italian food! Large portions! Good food and outstanding service. The freshly made cannoli tasted delicious! Reasonably priced for their portions and quality of service. I highly recommend this place read more

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For delicious food and great drinks head here. The service was excellent and since we were there on a Saturday night they had live music in the lounge where we ate. Even my daughter, who doesn't like loud music, truly enjoyed her experience here. My husband had the steak, my daughter has spaghetti and meatballs and a had a pasta with pesto and veggies. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The Italian Margarita was quite tasty and the panna cotta was delicious. Head here and you won't be disappointed. Unfortunately we ate to quickly and forgot to take pictures. read more

Cara Mia is an establishment that doesn't appreciate its regular customers who stop in and enjoy a drink, appetizers and the entertainment. Management made a comment about people not buying the spicy food when the customer has a diet restriction because of heart condition read more

First time trying this long time bookmark in Rancho. First Impression.. wonderful! We came in close to the opening time. There's live music in the evenings on the bar seating side with plenty of tables for couples or families to enjoy. The banquet side looked great for private parties. Service was phenomenal. Walking in we were greeted and given this wonderful bread and whipped butter. Being newbies we were surprised by the amount of this glistening whipped cloud butter but then shortly after realized why. The bread keeps coming and it's hard to stop because it's delicious. This is the place to carbo load. After adding some salt and that Parmesan cheese with crushed red the tortellini in pesto sauce was delicious. The happy hour was a great surprise for a glass of vino. Would definitely come back to enjoy the live music while dining at this fine establishment. read more

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Delicious! We randomly stumbled into Cara Mia and would go back. It was a rainy night and where we originally wanted to go had too long of a wait so we continued our walk into Cara Mia and don't regret it. My 3 boys loved it. The pizza, lasagna and chicken Alfredo was 10/10. We didn't sit on the bar side and honestly didn't even know a band was playing. It's a decent size restaurant. read more

My new favorite place! The food was great and the staff was even better! They were able to accommodate a last minute party of 11 for a birthday and Esther our waitress and other staff members really made the day great. The cocktails were delicious and food was amazing. Everything was also very reasonably priced. A cute spot for a date night as well. Can't wait to go back. read more

Cara Mia - Italian Near Me - Rancho Cucamonga, California

Pleasantly surprised by this little hidden gem. The food at Cara Mia was delicious. The service was great, the recommendations from our waitress were spot on, the portions were large and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. What more could you ask for? The atmosphere with live music on a Sunday evening was perfect. I am very picky, particularly when it comes to Italian food. The lasagna was just about as good as can be expected in a restaurant and my wife's baked shrimp linguine was excellent. Most importantly (in my book anyway) both dishes were served piping hot. We are looking forward to dining at Cara Mia again! read more