Title: Exceptional Last-Minute Service and Perfect Pasta We made a spontaneous decision to dine here on a Saturday around 6:30 p.m. I called on the drive over, and the hostess graciously offered to squeeze us in if we could arrive within 10 minutes and be finished by 7:45, since the table was already booked for later. We arrived promptly and were seated immediately. We let our server know about the timing, and he absolutely nailed it--attentive, efficient, and never made us feel rushed. We started with warm bread and the Italian butter (highly recommend). My wife had a house salad followed by the Capellini de Angel, while I ordered a Caesar salad and the Fettuccine de Maré. Both salads were crisp and well-dressed, and the pastas were cooked perfectly with balanced flavors. From the thoughtful accommodation at the door to the spot-on pacing and excellent food, the experience was terrific. We'll definitely be back--and next time, we'll book a reservation. A wonderful evening with my wife. read more

We met some friends here for dinner after a musical on a Sunday and it was wonderful. They had been here a few times and it was our first visit. The interior of the restaurant is a little bit dated and kind of old, but that's no big deal because the food is amazing!! There were a great variety of people here, including couples friends, and multiple tables put together for big families. This Brookside gem has a fantastic wait staff! Our server was wonderful and she had a back up that was very competent in making sure our drinks were kept full. The wine list was impressive for a small place like this. I enjoyed a nice Shiraz from Australia. We had some delicious mozzarella sticks for an appetizer. I ordered the Chicken Spiedini Oscar and my wife had the tortellini. Both of them were excellent. They arrived at our table piping hot. We were very pleased. We can't wait to return to Carmen's Café to sample their lasagna and other dishes. read more

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Highlights - excellent food and service was good. We were seated upstairs and according to our friends, the cocktails were not awesome. They felt like the downstairs bar had a better selection and possibly better cocktails, but we have no way of knowing that for sure. We will ask for a downstairs reservation next time though just to see and because I think it looks to have more ambiance than the upstairs space , which feels more like the room you use for rehearsal dinners and overflow seating. Our server, Ray, was engaging and offered some good ideas for ordering as it was our first time there. The calamari was very good as an appetizer and worth ordering. I had the fettuccine di mare and enjoyed it. I wouldn't have minded more seafood in it, but what was there, was very good. Hubby had the Steak Oscar and was impressed with the quality of the steak as well as the scallops in the dish. Definitely a win with that one! We ordered a bottle of wine to go with dinner and that was enjoyable as well. All in all, this is a place we wish we had been to sooner and we will definitely return! read more

The service was slow - took like an hour to get our meals and when they came out the sauce was watery and pasta overcooked. The cherry on top was the cockroaches SWARMING behind our table which was in the corner at the southwest corner of the dining room which we didn't realize till the end of our meal when someone got up to go to the restroom. 5-6 bugs constantly roaming around - very disgusting read more

Carmen's Cafe - Cockroaches - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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Carmens Cafe for Italian food was a treat. Located in Brookside Plaza with plenty of parking stalls around the area. We ventured out on a cold night while here as we heard great reviews of this place. I noticed that it seemed to be a favorite in the area as many familys were dining. The establishments entry was through the Bar area and then through a narrow passage where it opened up into a large restaurant space. We ordered a bottle of wine and a calamari appetizer to start which was divine. Our basket of sliced warm bread soon followed. We ordered our entries, mine a creamy vodka based rigatoni. It certainly didn't disappoint. It had a sprinking of peas and pancetta throughout which completed it. I only wished the spice level was turned up but thats an easy fix. Would i revisit when back in the area? The simple answer to that is yes! read more

Carmen's Cafe - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Such a staple in the kansas city restaurant scene. Highly Underrated and hits all the classics and elevates them. One of the best Caesar salads I've had. Amazing seafood dishes. And great Alfredo. Friendly staff who actually cares. 10/10 and a place I take people when they're in from out of town. read more

The service was fine. The food could be a bit more seasoned and flavorful in my opinion, next time I'll try one of the chicken spadini's.

Came here for a birthday dinner (made a reservation that morning), and had a really good experience. Our service was great and attentive. We were greeted with warm bread and butter, and water. We ordered stuffed artichoke and Italian butter for appetizers. The Italian butter is definitely worth the $3 to dip your warm bread in, and they will bring you warm bread when you run out (love that). I got baked Mannacoti, and it was delicious (just needed a little more flavor, but delicious). It came with a delicious salad, too. We gotta the white chocolate strawberry cheesecake for dessert and it was DIVINE. They even packaged up all of our food for us and gave us bread to go, too. Loved my experience and would come back! read more

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Everyone at my table ordered different entrees and they were all delicious. Mine was lasagna, which was perfect. The house salad with Gorgonzola sprinkles on Italian dressing was so good. Be sure to spend the $3.50 on the Italian butter which is olive oil, butter and fresh basil. So good with the table bread. Our waitress Monica said she's been there for about 24 years and she took care of everything. read more

We decided on Carmen's Cafe for our anniversary after it being recommended by a coworker. The ambience was elegant and quiet, so we could talk to each other. I had the Judy's Rigatoni which was very good and husband had the Salmon Oscar, which was also very good. We were told to order the Italian butter and what a treat to drizzle over the complimentary bread! We ended by sharing the pistachio dessert, which was light and delicious. We are already planning our return to Carmen's Cafe! read more

A staple of Brookside, Carmen's has been around for ages. Love this place and so many things about it. Now, you should be warned, there is no clear front door. It is jarring the entrance situation. Yes, it is a hidden door that leads to an inconvenient curtain that lands you in the lap of those sitting at the bar. Of all simple things to fix, one would think they would resolve this terrible issue but alas, it has been this way for decades. The bar is strong. Their martini game is STRONG. Let me be clear, I'm picky when it comes to a martini... Carmen's has a strong game in the martini department. Food is absolutely amazing. Truly, I can't speak highly enough of their food... however, if they could find a way to serve it hot, it would be amazing. I struggle with rating Carmen's, so I'm going with a 4-star review as there is so much potential there. They truly have all the ingredients to providing a 5-star review but the simple fixes seem to evade them... read more

Carmen's Cafe - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Great food, great menu, great service, the space can be a bit confining and the restrooms are tiny, but everything else is wonderful!

The food here is consistently very good! We travel from the KC Northland to eat here at least 1-2 times a year for special occasions. I've been coming to Carmen's for at least 20 years and the service never disappoints. We enjoy the linen tablecloths, candlelight and cozy atmosphere! My go to meal is Tortellini Andres and I am hard pressed to try anything else. My husband loves the Chicken Spiedini Carmen and the Fettuccine de la Mare is fantastic too! Try Carmen's Cafe, you won't be disappointed! read more

Visited here with my sisters and MIL while out visiting them in Weston, MO. They picked this restaurant because it was in an area they wanted to bring me to so I can see this cute part of Kansas City and to see the Christmas lights. We had reservations at 5:30pm on a Wednesday and when we pulled up to the restaurant, the parking spots were filled already. Please arrive a bit early to find a parking spot if you go at this time or later. It did get more crowded as the night progressed. The front of the restaurant didn't look like much and neither did the entrance, which was a door with a curtain a few feet past the door, which opened into the bar and around the corner, the restaurant. Here's a simple review of our experience: Ambience: Intimate setting with linen napkins & tablecloths, eclectic artwork a few seasonal decorations/lights and soft music. Great vibe for gathering of friends for dinner and holiday parties. Food: Appetizers: 1- Stuffed artichoke-cooked perfectly with deliciously seasoned garlicy, buttered breadcrumbs. We chose no meat on this one. I highly recommend this! 2-Italian Butter: A MUST!!! One of the best garlic olive oils I've had. It was served warm with TONS of garlic. It was a hefty serving and it was enough for the four of us to eat it with the loaf of bread that was served with it. We had leftovers even after eating so much during our evening. Wine: We had a bottle of Chianti which was good, but a little on the sweet side. Be sure to taste it before buying an entire bottle Entrees: 1-Eggplant Parmigana: My MIL had this and she said it was very good. The sauce was great and the eggplant was cooked crispy and perfect. 2-Chicken Spiedini Julian: Two of us had this and we were not disappointed. The breaded chicken was charbroiled perfectly and the filling of artichokes and the scrumptious fettuccine Alfredo was over-the-top AMAZING! It truly was one of the best Italian dishes I've ever had. I am still dreaming about the next time I visit to order this again read more

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Juan, I'm now giving Carmen's a 1-star review for your inappropriate response to my review. You obviously don't want to learn from my review and make corrections. My salad was barely touched due to the improper pacing of courses in which the main course was brought to the table too soon after the salad was brought to the table which was to soon after the appetizer was brought to the table. It's been over 40 years since I've witnessed a restaurant employee so intent on removing an unfinished plate over the my repeated objects. That also was done by a young person who perhaps didn't know any better due to lack of training. On that occasion and after several of his attempts, I taught the kid respect by pretending to forcefully attempt to his hand with my fork. He got the message. Also, returning a person's credit card to the table is not permission to whisk away one's unfinished extra cost drink without asking. By the way, stuffed artichoke is my dinner companion's favorite appetizer. She didn't like yours either. We were at another albeit much more expensive restaurant on the evening of two days ago. The waiter was a middle aged man and obviously professional. He very carefully paced the courses. We were not rushed away. read more

Went here for Father's Day dinner. Was disappointed they said they would not offer Sunday specials (1/2 bottle of wine) due to it being Fathers Day. The ambiance was nice with candle lighting. Set up for a beautiful more upscale evening dinner. The waiter was nice. Entire table chatted with him more than I typically would with a server. The food overall was kind of disappointing. Nobody at the table was super impressed with what they ordered. I ordered the Carmen Shrimp. Wasn't bad, wasn't exceptional. Just average. The salad was your typical Italian salad- had no complaints on it. But let me tell you. The one amazing food item I had was the PISTACHIO CREAM TORT. It's house made. I could eat this everyday it's so delicious. I recommend everyone try it! The menus are located under the glass part of the table so you look through the glass to read the menu. I was located in the middle of the table and had to either lean over the persons shoulder sitting next to me to read it. I understand covid precautions, but I ended up having to ask for a physical menu because it was such a pain to attempt to read. Our first bottle of wine was alright. Decided to order a different bottle the second time. They didn't realize they were out of stock till approx 10 min later. We ended up having to order the same bottle again. But the server comped the second bottle. I appreciate him doing that but at the same time servers should be aware of what they have/ are out of stock of. read more

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I will forever come to Carmen's Cafe for any fancy/celebratory occasion. Always make a reservation as it's a quaint little building with limited seating. The staff is very well trained and very polite. You can tell there are a lot of people that are regulars due to the interactions you witness. Everything is very fresh and delicious. I've never been disappointed. It's easy to fill up on bread because they keep asking you if you want more and of course you always say yes. I've always gotten the Chicken Spiedini Julian because why fix something if it ain't broke? I always have half to take home for another meal the next day. I will say it's the best fresh! The lighting is very romantic and dim. I love everything about this place. It's great for the perfect date night! We usually spend $75-120 here total so we usually make this a more fancy occasion place. So thankful our friend got us a gift card and told us to go here! read more

Carmen's Cafe - Chicken Spiedini Julian - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Service is always great and the food is always on point! My favorite place for Italian in the city! Highly recommend! read more

Carmen's Cafe - The Samantha and the Chicken Spiedini Jacqueline - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Of all the amazing Italian Restaurants in KC, this is our tried and true favorite. Carmen's dine-in or carryout is always delicious. The old school restaurant is a great date spot with an intimate, dimly lit atmosphere. You can also just post up at the bar and enjoy good food and great convo. We frequently order carryout and it is always timely and still tastes good when we get home. Not to mention they give a giant serving of fresh bread and butter. read more

Carmen's Cafe - Shrimp Scampi with Diablo sauce - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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After eating at this restaurant for several years now, my wife and I were extremely disappointed in our most recent experience; where we picked up takeout food. Not only was the quantity much different (less) than we were used to, but the price of the order was not in in-line with the food we ordered. Sadly we will not eat (or order out) from this restaurant anymore / unless something changes... read more

Have been a customer here for nearly 20 years and unfortunately will never go back. So many happy memories there, and my grandmother died today so my family decided to come here to celebrate her life. The service was slow, then bad/rude, and then an order was incorrect, and the food that was correct was awful. We spent 10 mins trying to track down our server to tell her the incorrect order and ended up having to just tell the chefs at the bar. The chef then gave my mom a bowl of the correct sauce.. expecting her to just transfer the pasta from her wrong sauce into the bowl of new sauce?? Again, the servers were nowhere to be found. The "carbonara" had scrambled eggs in it. We informed the server who was nearly impossible to track down. She agreed to take that off our check, but there was still a "side of" fettuccine for $7 on the check, which she told us was for getting white sauce instead of red. Fettuccine is a pasta not a sauce... not sure how that makes sense. And that should have been communicated when ordering, regardless. To top it all off, as we were about to leave, a different server shoved through me and reached across the bar at my table to look at tickets and disrupted my personal space in a very abrupt and startling way. I think she said "scuse me" but did not wait for my response or to move out of the way. I was pushed and had to lean on the edge of my seat to give her room. The man sitting next to me very firmly said "You need to stop doing that" multiple times before she finally stopped. When she was done, I told her, "that was very rude", and she then proceeded to go loudly complain about me to the other servers around the corner. I approached her and told her "pushing and invading a customers personal space is not ok", she said she "did not push me", and I said "and don't complain about your paying customers right in front of them" then walked out. Never going back. read more

Carmen's Cafe - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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First visit to Carmen's celebrating daughter home from college. Great service, staff always keeping water and cola drinks full, although could not talk them into keeping my beer topped off.... Appetizer - Artichoke and italian butter were delicious. The Artichoke was huge. As you will see via pics, i missed taking pics of Artichoke and main meal....need to focus more in future reviews. Had the 'Chicken Spiedini jacquin' which was just absolutely perfect. Other dishes ordered were: 'Cheese ravioli', 'Pasta Alfredo', which all were given thumbs up. Highly recommend and per the prices, very reasonable for the generous amounts of food. Highly recommend. read more

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preamble: We have been eating at Carmen's for twenty some years and - despite the fact we no longer live in Kansas City - we continue to eat at Carmen's whenever possible. I'm not sure this is the world's most perfect restaurant for us, but it's darned close. bar: There are a dozen or so seats at the bar and a handful of two-top tables in the bar area. Pro tip: take a seat at right side of the bar facing the line cooks if you're interested in watching the magic happen. The bar is solidly competent for classic cocktails. My wife's Cosmo never disappoints. I tend to order Boulevard's Pale Ale on tap. Lots of wine choices, with deals during happy hour and on Sunday night. service: Consistently great. Whether you're at the bar or in the first floor dining room, the service is professional and engaging. food: Although their tapas and seafood are fantastic, ignore everything except their spedini and steaks. It's off-menu, but we order the spedini three way. Don't be all judge-y, three way just means all three sauces - diablo, Alfredo, and amogio - on one plate! We have it served over fettuccine, although I think it usually comes with a side of mostaccioli and sugo. Finally, we have the kitchen split the entrée for my wife and me. So, the pictures are half a normal entrée size! The steaks are simply fantastic. You want either the Oscar or Modiga. Either are exceptional. The house salad is great, although we hear good things about the Caesar. If you think you can handle appetizers beforehand, we recommend the meatballs or toasted ravioli. details: There is some seating on the second floor, but we've never eaten up there. Be sure to ask for directions to the first floor restroom; you'll never find it on your own. Parking is all Brookside-ish; Uber or be patient. read more

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the place to go for italian. One of my favorite places to eat, drink, meet friends, catch up, celebrate. Highly recommend.

Carmen's is my favorite Italian restaurant in KC! I've been coming here since childhood. The food at Carmen's always comes out piping hot and is always delicious. The Caesar salad and chicken spiedini are definitely my favorites. I had the spiedini Alexa last night to switch things up, but the Beatriz is usually my go-to. You simply can't go wrong with what you order! In addition to the food, the servers and over all experience are always enjoyable. Carmen's has a homey, traditional Italian flair inside. Emily was our server last night. She was very accommodating to my mom's gluten free needs and was very attentive. read more

Carmen's Cafe - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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I returned to KC to see friends and we went out for dinner at Carmen's. I had not been there is 5 years. Area restaurants were busy so I was surprised when we entered and found seats at the bar. We started with bacon-wrapped shrimp. The bacon was raw and the shrimp very tough. It was covered in a thick red sauce. I has linguini and clams. The pasta was mushy. There was one tiny clam and they had made a greasy sauce that was very salty. The other two split a chicken spedini that looked dry and almost burned. The wine we selected was good. The bartender was very good. Friendly. read more

Food, service, ambiance, bartender. All of it. Price was great too. We came here since Il Centro was full (our favorite) and it didn't disappoint. We will be back. read more

First visit to Carmen's. Great service, staff always keeping water and cola drinks full, although could not talk them into keeping my beer topped off.... Appetizer - Artichoke and italian butter were delicious. The Artichoke was huge. As you will see via pics, i missed taking pics of Artichoke and main meal....need to focus more in future reviews. Had the 'Chicken Spiedini jacquin' which was just absolutely perfect. Other dishes ordered were: 'Cheese ravioli', 'Pasta Alfredo', which all were given thumbs up. Highly recommend and per the prices, very reasonable for the generous amounts of food. Highly recommend. read more

I really enjoyed Carmen's. We went there on a recommendation and it was a great recommendation! We had a party of 5. The atmosphere is cute and it's a great spot in the city. The bread was brought out first and it was decent bread. What really made it special was the oil mixture they served with it. Seemed to be a blend of cheeses and oils. It was so good. Now, this made the bread! We did order a Don's Artichoke as a starter. This was a great spin the stuffed artichoke. It hasn't been my favorite I've had out but I'd get it again here. I enjoyed the crab meat with it. The side salad was probably the only portion of the meal that I didn't care for. The ranch dressing wasn't my favorite and I thought it was an underwhelming salad. But, who goes to an Italian joint for a salad, right? I had the Chicken Spiedini Oscar, which was quite fantastic. The cream sauce with seafood was really delicious. My husband had the veal, which he very much enjoyed. We will definitely come back! read more

The food and atmosphere are top notch here. The service is great as well. Love all the different chicken spedinis as well. read more

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Stopped in with no reservations on a Saturday night and grabbed a spot at the bar- but ended up getting a small table in the bar area. Love the vibe! Had some sangria- highly recommend! Split the gnocchi but substituted tortellini- OMG! Amazing! Followed up with the pistachio dessert- WOWZERS- GET THIS!!! Great staff and great service. Absolutely zero complaints. Wish I'd taken pics- but I ate too fast! read more

Spectacular food and service! One mistake on my daughter's meal but otherwise amazing!! This will become a regular spot in KC for me! read more

Carmen's Cafe - Salmon Oscar - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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We have so many great memories at this restaurant and I always look forward to the amazing stuffed artichoke when we visit!

Carmen's Great, friendly and attentive staff! Excellent service, in spite of the busiest times. This includes the line cooks!if your lucky enough to sit at the bar, you'll understand-love bantering with them).The food is "top-notch!" Atmosphere is wonderful...small but perfect and unique for Kansas City. Sadly, paella is no longer offered.....but totally understand(huge time issue). (This review "accidentally" was associated with Cafe' Trio, also a good restaurant!) read more

The service was good, the food was great. Will definitely return to try other menu items! They're practicing COVID rules very well and I felt safe in there. The staff was real nice and they were on point. I had the chicken spedini Jacqueline and my date had the combo ravioli. The stuffed artichoke and calamari were great apps to start the meal. Thanks Carmen's cafe for a great dinner experience! read more

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Good Italian Restaurant that somehow I'd never heard of. Went for a friends birthday dinner and it was excellent!! They have a great wine menu and the house salad is fabulous. For my entree I got the combination ravioli which was good but my girlfriend got the lasagna which was far superior! Next visit I will be getting the lasagna. read more

Carmen's Cafe - Combination Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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Fantastic food and service ! Made a reservation as the space is small and quaint. Service was dynamite and all of our dinner and wine amazing. Highly recommend! read more

I stopped by tonight for a salad. The menu said it would have artichokes, red onion and a variety of other ingredients. All I received was a small container with iceberg lettuce, a little cheese and nothing else. This was six hours and $.50. Very disappointing. I live in the neighborhood literally two minutes away. Was hoping to find a good Italian restaurant. Apparently this is not it. Guess I'll keep going to Garozzo. read more

My wife & I had dinner before seeing a theater performance. Service was excellent and dinner with artichoke & spedini was to die for. We hadn't been to Carmen's in several years but they remained to their high standards as we remembered. WTG Carmen's. read more

My wife and ate here early Saturday evening. We ordered the "Italian Butter" to dip our delicious bread in, it was to die for and we ate two loaves of it. We were afraid that we wouldn't have room for our salad and entrees but that was not the case. I ordered the Chicken Parmigiano and my wife had the Salmon Oscar with Caesar Salads to start, all was very good. Chance and the rest of their team hit it out of the park in the service department. Would definitely eat here again when we are in town. read more