Beautiful setting, great staff, and delicious food. Parking was easy to find. Loved the sample of the wine before dinner. read more

Carmello's - Italian Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

I was so disappointed in my meal tonight. I haven't been to Carmelo's in years and was really looking forward to it. The chicken was dry and the pasta tasted funny. Definitely not a $38 meal. My friend had the salmon with crabmeat and said the crabmeat also tasted funny. The limoncello cake was delicious, though. read more

The food was good, not great. The service was ok for upscale dining but not for Fine Dining. The one thing that was stomach churning was the dirt and a bug I spotted on the floor. Not what I expected for the money. read more

We had the pleasure of dining at Carmellos last weekend for my daughter's wedding shower. It was an outstanding experience all around! Right from day one, we were met with professionalism with prompt communications, and personalized care to design a custom brunch menu and beautiful mimosa bar. On the day of the event, the elegant ambiance, top notch service, and fabulous food made the shower extra special. I am immensely thankful to Carmellos, their staff and the events coordinator for working hard behind the scenes to make a day full of happy memories. read more

A rare 5 star from me (maybe more accurately a 4.8 for a few minor details but... I'll explain those... first bc they are minor).. the negative first bc the rest was fantastic. Butter-- they make fresh hot rolls but the compound butter is rock hard lol-- it should be spreadable. My husband's pet peeve. He irked me for 15 minutes complaining about that. Second-- the crème brûlée, which was homemade in house, is not bad but it's missing a little oomph acc to my husband who will choose this above all other desserts except his mom's tapioca pudding... lastly, the mains seem a little on the high side particularly the pasta, chicken and pork loin dishes when you consider relative pricing to filet mignon and seafood but it's hard to complain when at least mine was sooo good...now for the rest! Service is fantastic. The waiters are polite and professional, attentive without being cloying. We did have to ask for a few things like water refills but in the scheme of things on a Saturday night it was really refreshing to have such good service. The manager Stephen stopped by and we had a nice chat about some of his ideas for a new website and how they've tweaked dishes, the concept of the restaurant and its history and the place next door which is in the same family. It was like being in a small neighborhood place where you get to know folks which is lovely. There is a reason this made the top 50 (after 34 years in business BTW which is really quite cool). The drinks were very good. My Negroni was en pointe and the Moscow mule was just standard but properly made. The prices were very reasonable for NOVA as well for a fine dining concept (but as I note I did think the relative pricing of certain main items was a bit out of balance; however, the apps and salads seemed well priced overall). We chose a variety of things from the menu for apps and mains: we had the seasonal salad which they split beautifully between us without batting an eye lash. The salad was dressed d with a tangy vinaigrette that had the most delicious smoked truffle oil that hit me right off the bat and a sharp citrus vinegar. There was apple maybe fennel as well as arugula and pepitas and some cheese crumbles. Fantastic. we also shared the scallop app which had three delicious and perfectly cooked sea scallops on three big and well cooked spears of asparagus and a mushroom sauce (shiitakes which were yummy). Hubs had the shrimp bisque which was a bit like cl chowder to me and came in a giant bowl that was pretty full (he took about 1/3 home). He also had the steak tip app. Two smallish skewers but well cooked (medium seems to be the default) and a tasty coulis type berry sauce or something like that drizzled on the plate. The salad with the skewer was an after thought and just pieces of lettuce as a bed..of all the dishes we tried this one I'd skip on price to quantity and quality balance but it wasn't not tasty. Just not as tasty and nice as the rest For my main I had the veal scaloppine which came with Brussels sprouts and soft pillowy delicious gnocchi (as a rule I don't order these bc I never like them but I asked so many questions about dishes and such that I didn't have the heart to ask to substitute and I'm glad I didn't)... I never understood why anyone would eat gnocchi or why they were called soft and pillowy until today bc these must be the real deal. The tasted like what I always see written as what you should expect. The Gorgonzola sauce was modestly dressed and not over powering which I count as good. When I looked at the menu I thought it was really strange that they would have two rather rich sauces in one dish-- sauce for the gnocchi and a second caper and lemon based sauce for the scalloping. Well call me silly bc it was really great! The scallopine sauce was fabulous as well. It also had Brussels sprouts with bacon which was perfectly cooked. It's a rich dish and all the elements seem a bit wacky but it was really really good. Given we had I doubled in bread salad and scallops I had over 1/2 to take home to the wee ones because let's face it... I was going to have dessert too. My husband had the crème brill mentioned above and I had an absolutely divine apple cobbler (to be honest I'd probably call it an apple crumble or crisp or maybe even a Brown Betty but not a cobbler bc there is no biscuit or other top but rather an oatmeal like crumble on top and it has a crust which a cobbler does not-- but neither does a crisp-- but here I am being a little bit picky when whatever I you want to call it, I'd call it delish...) and it had a scoop of ice cream. On a not so indulgent evening I'd happily share this with my kids. All in all one of the best meals I've had off the NOVA best restaurants lists over the years. It was a splurge for sure but then we ate literally 1/4 of the menu. Our total with tax top and a small surcharge for using a credit card was about $170 but it's very rare that I turn out a 5 star review so... read more

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I love this food. Highly recommend this food. And their service was good. Food test was delicious.

If you're looking for a fine dining experience, a place to celebrate a special occasion or gather with friends for a unique dining experience, this is your place. Cate and I finally made it here for dinner on Sat evening and had a wonderful experience. Our server Javier was able to make some excellent recommendations. We had the grilled portobello mushrooms and the sea scallops for appetizers and then shared the fruite de mare for our main. All this paired nicley with the Vinho Verde white Portuguese wine. It was all exceptional and a truly singular experience that Cate and I will not soon forget. read more

We had our babysitter cancel on us so we brought our 2.5 year old with us, expecting them to say that he couldn't come in. But to our surprise they said it was not a problem. They seated us in the side room which was so much better for our son. The waitstaff was wonderful. They were great at recommendations and service. The food: Appetizer- Fois Gras Delicious. The glaze on top was perfect and the mushrooms and onions complimented the fois gras perfectly. Salad- Insalata Carmello's Great house salad. Delicious. Entrees- Rack of Lamb and Short Rib Rack of lamb was amazing. Meat cooked well. Short rib was not what I was expecting. They told me that it had pasta underneath but not at all what I pictured. The short rib itself was amazing. Fall apart and delicious. The pasta was light and tasty. But my idea of what it was going to be made it fall short. Desert- Pecan pie with ice cream Raspberry and orange slice not needed. Too many components on plate. It was so delicious that the fruit wasn't necessary. It was so good. read more

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I had the pleasure of being served by Brodie during my recent visit, and she truly made the experience exceptional. Besides the great food and atmosphere, Brodie was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu and offered great recommendations that didn't disappoint. The southern fried chicken BLT was apparently her favorite, and now mine too! We felt well taken care of throughout the meal. It's clear Monza takes pride in providing excellent service. I'll definitely be coming back, thanks to Brodie's outstanding hospitality!" read more

Absolutely delicious food. We really enjoyed everything. My husband and I will be back again!

Wonderful place to have business dinner meetings ! The food is remarkable and the staff is awesome ! read more

Carmello's - New York Strip cook to perfection ! - Italian Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

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A preface: I went to Carmello's to hear a pitch for retirement planning--one of those "Spend an hour listening to our pitch and we'll give you a free dinner." Unfortunately, due to very heavy traffic, I arrived late and wasn't permitted to hear the pitch. However, the dinner's sponsors did provide the dinner in a separate (the main) dining room. So, on the one hand, I received a free meal at Carmello's. On the other hand, the free menu was limited and I suspect the serving sizes were much smaller than Carmello's regular dinners. Nevertheless, I did have an opportunity to judge the restaurant. Location Carmello's is in Old Town Manassas. It's convenient to 66 and 28, though I was delayed about 20 minutes taking 28--it was raining during rush hour. Yes, I should have known better. However, despite the summary of the place's features above, it offers no parking. There's no valet service, no parking garage, and very limited on-street parking. There is parking a few blocks away--several free lots and reportedly a few garages. So you may have to walk a few blocks. Ambiance Nice but not great. Brick walls, wood floors, padded chairs and booths. The place was nearly empty--there were three other groups of two or three people. Even then, the hard surfaces caused sound to carry. It wasn't bad nearly empty, but it probably could get pretty noisy if the place gets busy. Some music--maybe Sinatra--was playing quietly in the background. Lighting was okay. Temperature was okay. Food This may be the weakest part of my review since--as I mentioned--I had intended to attend a private dinner with a limited menu. The choices were steak, salmon, and chicken. I had the salmon, which came with broccoli and roasted potatoes. It was preceded by a salad and a warm dinner roll. All of that was pretty good. The bread was warm and tasty, with some sort of special butter. The salad was definitely fresh, and was okay. The salmon, too, was fresh and properly cooked. Very small portion, though--which probably was due to the limited menu selection. And ice water. There was no opportunity (even though I knew I'd have to pay for it myself) for coffee, tea, drinks, or dessert. And that brings us to . . . Service Service was poor. The other three tables were served by a chipper, friendly, helpful, attentive female server. Nice personality and from what I saw she interacted well with the other diners. I got a dour male server. (I mention their sexes just to distinguish the two.) He wasn't impolite or nasty, just cold, inattentive, and noncommunicative. I asked him--as I often do--what menu item he'd recommend. As mentioned above, the three choices were steak, salmon, and chicken. I asked specifically about the steak and salmon. All he could offer was: "They're both popular." O...kay. He came around just once to fill my water glass and to provide a clean knife. As I mentioned above, I would have ordered and paid for tea or coffee and a dessert but--maybe because it wasn't on the limited menu--it wasn't even offered to me. At the end of the meal he just vanished. Maybe because he figured I was only there for a free meal, he didn't see a need to be attentive. I really don't know. I did leave him a tip, though--about 25% on what I figured the sponsors had paid for the meal. After about 10 minutes, I just stood up and left into the nighttime drizzle for a three-block walk back to my car. read more

This restaurant is stellar. The service was impeccable, the food divine. Renee was our waitress and as soon as we walked through the door, she asked what the occasion was that we were celebrating. We explained that it was for two birthdays and she immediately told us the deserts would be comped for them. She was very engaging and was on top of everything especially for the size of our party. The food was delicious! The scallops and shrimp were cooked to perfection. There were 11 of us, and everyone had a terrific dinner. It was so good that everyone ordered dessert. Highly recommended. read more

Carmello's - Angel hair, artichoke hearts, shrimp and scallops in a garlic butter and wine sauce. - Italian Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

Service was wonderful, food and wine were delicious. Celebrated a birthday here and it was a wonderful choice. Will definitely be back!

Mom and I went out for dinner last evening - we were planning to hit Okra's - but found it was closed for one night for some sort of training event. So we decided to try Carmello's - I've wanted to check the place out for some time. We were seated immediately. Nice semi-elegant decor. After looking over the menu - we decided to get an appetizer - the Funghi Ripiene Di Granchio (mushroom caps stuffed with crab meat) - and the Seafoood Paella for two - they call it "Paelha Valenciana." The description from their menu states: "a traditional dish prepared in the Portuguese style - with a generous combination of lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, chicken, and chouriço steamed in a saffron rice casserole with chicken broth and tomato. Mom ordered a glass of Riesling and I tried the Portugese Beer they offered - a Sagres. An interesting beer - not quite sure which beer category it falls into - it was tasty - light, yet flavorful. The Mushroom caps came out first - a serving of six of them - we got three each. Not bad, I thought they needed a tad more salt and seasoning. Then came the Paella - served in this massive rustic looking pot - very cool looking. We both served ourselves from the "Pile O' Paella." It had more broth to it than I've experienced with previous Paella's. In fact - I believe Paella should not have any broth - the rice should be moist but not sitting in broth! I felt the clams ans mussels were tasty and cooked just right, but the Lobster, Scallops, and shrimp were definitely overcooked. I was disappointed that much of the seafood was overcooked. Hopefully this is not how they regularly prepare and serve their Paella. Mom wanted to take the leftover Paella with us - they put the leftovers into a aluminum pan container with one of those tops you see at the salad bar in Giant - where you have to fold the lip of the aluminum over the top to secure it. This sort of container is not liquid proof. As soon as we started walking down the street, Mom noticed it was leaking and had a bag full of liquid, which caused her to discard the whole thing in the nearest trash can. Ambiance was nice, service was good. I would come back and try some other dishes. read more

Carmello's - Italian Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

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Food was absolutely amazing! Wonderful, friendly staff. We were very pleased and will definitely be returning. read more

I'm not sure why this isn't the top spot in Manassas. We are not from around here and researched several places with friends for a nice dinner out following a business meeting, and Carmellos was in the middle of several lists. It looked appealing to me so we took a chance. I expected average cute downtown Italian fare. Carmello's delivered a delicious, friendly, comfortable and welcoming meal that was way above my expectations. Our group had salads, wine, a filet and the vegetarian lasagne, followed by homemade apple cobbler. All were delicious and hearty without being over-seasoned. Service was prompt and friendly without being too present, and the environment was great for a conversation. Everyone in the place seemed to be having a fantastic time. This is the place you want. read more

Absolutely amazing food and service with a cozy atmosphere. 5+ stars. The perfect date night and we'll be back soon! read more

Carmello's - Vierias - Italian Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

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One of my fav Manassas spots. Been these for special days and they do not disappoint. The waiters are well versed in the food selection. Steaks and pasta made perfect every time. read more

We went here for Easter brunch. Had a reservation made three weeks ago and we arrive and they claim they "lost" our reservation, despite the fact we called them 30 min before our arrival to confirm. So we were seated in the attached Monza restaurant rather than the actual Carmello's dining room. Food was pretty good - a bit pricey for the lack of ambiance and small portion sizes. All in all giving this three stars because the food was alright, just didn't love the ambiance or the service, or the fact that they managed to lose our reservation. read more

Went here for our annual Christmas Dinner and we were pleasantly surprised!!! The food was out of this world! The service was impeccable! And it was so close to home. We have decided this is our new go to restaurant For fine dining. We would highly recommend eating here. read more

Hi there- I arrived late and flustered on Sunday evening because my phone died just before I got to the restaurant and I didn't have the exact address. The team calmed me, welcomed me and charged my phone for me while I enjoyed your wonderful food and service. I left 110% satisfied with a 93% charge on my phone. What more could I ask for? It was a delightful experience and our waiter Javier led the way. Many many thanks and I promise we will be back- on time - and not so needy! Best, Tracy read more

Food and ambiance is good. Good service but the kitchen staff needs to keep it down, could hear them yelling in the back. However for a fine dining restuarant, there is a lack of dress code or it is not enforced. People were wearing tanks and baseball hats. read more

I came here last night for date night and the food was just amazing! We were the only ones in the restaurant so the ambiance felt very intimate and exclusive like we reserved the whole restaurant we started with the calamari, which was perfect. It wasn't heavily breaded or drenched in grease, and tasted so fresh. I got the lobster ravioli and my date got the filet Mignon topped with foie gras, which I ate his foie gras, and both entree's were to die for. I will definitely be coming back, my new favorite. read more

Carmello's - Italian Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

I lived in Manassas area for a while, but I did not notice this restaurant. Perhaps because it is hidden behind a tree. I was pleasantly surprised. Great food and nice atmosphere. We will be back! read more

Sadly disappointing. We were super excited to eat here based on all the online reviews. It's a cute little place (and by little I mean tiny). The have a nice menu with options for all tastes and an impressive wine menu. After that things starting falling apart. There was a large birthday celebration - they were loud and consumed over half the physical space, bumped our chairs throughout the evening and insisted on hovering around our table. Not cool! Our waiter was preoccupied with something (other than the large party). He rushed our food order, drinks showed up after appetizers and we had to flag down other employees to get refills. The food itself was superb but but that got lost in the overall experience. Not the way we wanted to spend a romantic evening get away in the middle of the holiday craziness. We won't be going back. read more

Three and a half stars for classy fare and friendly service. I'm surprised to like Monza next door a bit more, but at Carmello's the flavor is still there and the effort shows beyond plating. The execution on the dish I tried wasn't quite as spot-on as the price point warrants. The braised beef in my al dente ravioli was half-shredded, and the sauce had been cooked down for long enough that it was almost too salty for my taste. I'd probably give them another chance with some gnocchi and lobster bisque, though. read more

Overall I would say their main meals are near perfect, but their desert needs a bit of work. Grilled Lettuce Steak Deliciously prepared. Clearly seared at a high temperature with a charred after taste that adds a great taste to the salad without loading it with unnecessary sodium or cholesterol. Peanut Butter Cheesecake Has a thick bland cheese taste. Not very sweet or flavorful. I wouldn't recommend this particular desert. Creme de Brûlée Decently prepared, I did expect more from this item due to the rest of the menu being outstanding. Never the less, it was delicious. The Chicken Fettucini with shrimp. The tomatoes add were an excellent touch that paired well with the meal. The chicken with seasoned and grilled to perfection with bursting flavor. The salmon was excellently prepared, plenty of flavor, not bland by any means. Sided with a potato cake and salty spinach, this entry will leave you filling healthy and satisfied. Like most of their meals you can taste the toasted flavor from their oven that I can only guess exceeds 500 degrees judging by the seared flavors in their meals. The veal was over gravy rice, green beans, and prosciutto. Broiled to perfection at an extreme temperature. Gentle yet sufficiently seasoned. The necessary salt comes from the rice which brings the dish together. Their service was average. The waiter forgot to bring out dinner forks after our appetizer and salad forks were taken away. Either that or they expected us to use the salad for the meal. I'm not quite sure. read more

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Hidden Gem/Great Experience in old town Manassas. Nicely appointed and intimate setting along a most inviting and active section of Friday nightlife. Yes, "romantic" would apply both inside and out. Every plate aimed to please and succeeded. Well portioned, ambitious and presented "Continental Fare" that leans towards Italian seafood. Imagine what you last enjoyed on a favorite cruiseship. My Risotto with Scallops were as good as you can get in NOVA and a Chardonnay by the glass was well chosen to represent. Oysters and Calimari appetizers were just right. The service was most polite, well dressed and on top of things. I believe if Carmelos was magically transported to the other "Old Town" (Alexandria), there would be trouble getting in. read more

Carmello's is a wonderful and romantic restaurant. I've been here a hand full of times, fortunately through a Groupon. They have a seasonal menu which can satisfy virtually any culinary desire. This is the type of place where you would get dressed up and take your wife or your family to on a Friday or Saturday night. Some of my favorite appetizers are the fried risotto balls with a truffled mushroom sauce, the clams potruguesas, fried calamari and caprese salad. Yummy entrées include the oso bucco de Puerco, rigatoni with veal ragu, and veal with mushrooms in a creamy sauce. They offer specials like fish of the day which my wife orders often and hand made ravioli. For all the times we've come here, the food and service was very good and our experience was always pleasant. read more

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We had Calamari and Oysters Rockefeller. They were delicious. The main dishes were pretty good. My complain is with the hostess. She was pretty rude considering she went to every table asking how things were but skipped our table. She was clearly going out of her way to make us feel unwelcome. When I asked where the rest room was, she rudely pointed the direction. So needless to say we didn't feel good at all. We felt it was total waste of our time and money. we went to enjoy the night for early Valentine's Day celebration instead feel unwelcome. Hopefully this woman will read this and learn not to judge people and realize that they need us more than ever during this times. She is a very sad person. read more

After my previous review I was messaged by Miguel, the owner, and he sent me a business card encouraging me to come back. I am very glad of this because Carmello's now has a NEW HEAD CHEF and an ALL NEW MENU. Make sure you come in and try it out because it has vastly improved. I'm so happy about it it. I've been rooting for Carmello's like an underdog. Service was pretty good. With their new menu I think there was still some uncertainty about it, but that will hopefully improve over time. Monza also knocked out a wall and expanded greatly. There is a TON of seating now. But make sure you sit outside because every Friday and Saturday night Manassas has musicians playing right in the street. Its a great idea. So if you have been to Carmello's in the past, come back! Its changed for the better. read more

Carmello's - Veal Pucinelli - Italian Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

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Everything was wonderful. The food was delicious. The ambiance is lovely. The service was wonderful. We had the fillet and the lamb which was all cooked perfectly. We had drinks and desert as well. Will definitely be back! read more

My absolute favorite restaurant. It's a must try. You will need a reservation for special holidays.

Went to Carmellos for the first time a couple days ago to celebrate Mother's Day. I made the reservation through Open Table. It was a wonderful experience. When we arrived they had our table set up already in a semi private area. The server was very patient, knowledgeable of the menu and provided excellent service. The food was delicious. I never thought I was going to enjoy the entree as much as I did. read more

Carmello's - Italian Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

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We went to this location for a birthday dinner.... The server bypassed us on multiple occasions ... we arrived at 7:45p our total party arrived at 8pm ... we placed our order by 8:20ish..... we did not get our food until about 9:45pm... the server gave very lil reassurance.... The food was hot when it arrived but service could have been better...... we waited so long a couple behind us came over to our table and said y'all have waited very long and apologized as if it was there establishment ...Even tho food was hot the service and the amount of time it took to get the food was what made this experience awful ... I would not eat here again even if it was free! read more

What a Gem right in the heart of Manassas Old Town. I've been a resident of Manassas for 19 years now and I'm just discovering this amazing restaurant. The ambiance is fantastic and so is the food, the wine, the service and the location. I've been there twice now and have yet to find something I didn't like. Very friendly stuff. Highly recommend it! read more

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I have never been to this area for dinner, but I was pleasantly surprised to find an amazing Italian restaurant in Manassas. The food was amazing, the staff was awesome!! As soon as I was about to ask for more of anything, the wait staff was right on top of it. The chef is such a talented part of the staff!! The appetizers were so good, we almost made a meal of those. The interior was clean and very inviting. I tried not to fill up on the bread, as I knew that my dinner was going to be SO good from the looks of the dinners around me. Thank you so much for such a great experience. We will definitely be back! The only thing i can say is the leftovers we had were totally enjoyed the next day! I will come back for all things on the menu! read more

Went for Valentine's Day with my bfs day had a great time. We called last min and got a great spot. The food was great. I ordered ravioli which was mouth water and my bf ordered steak that we both loved. A nice personable fancy spot for downtown Manassas. read more

My wife and I evaluated several restaurants in the NVA area before selecting Carmello's to host our son's wedding rehearsal dinner. We're so glad we did! From the planning, tastings, menu selections, room/table layout and execution, we were guided every step along the way (thanks Gabby!). The resulting event was absolutely flawless! We, and our guests (40) found the service to be impeccable and food to be truly outstanding. By the end of the evening we felt as if we had made new friends among the staff and found a new favorite restaurant that we plan to visit often (and we live over 25 miles away). The ambiance and atmosphere of our private room was perfect and the setting was very comfortable for all of our guests. From the young ladies checking the coats, the bartenders, to the servers, everyone was amazing and fully invested in the success of our event. It's been a long time since we've encountered professional servers and we certainly did at Carmello's! Can't say enough about them. While not the least expensive option in the Northern Virginia area, it is no doubt the best! There is a parking garage conveniently located 1 1/2 blocks from the restaurant, so parking is easy. Many thanks to Gaby and all of our service professionals. It was all of your efforts that made our event such a success! Wish we could you 10 stars! See you again very soon! read more