Always good! The eggplant and chicken parm is my absolute favorite. Just a plus there house salads are so good! Always family friendly!

When our group arrived before 5 pm on a Saturday night, we were surprised at how full Caruso's was. The aroma of garlic filled the space. The server was courteous and not overbearing. The garlic toast is fantastic and begging to be dipped in sauce. The salad was crisp and vinaigrette well balanced. I had the lasagna al forno, 7 layers of pasta with meat and a hearty meat sauce. Wine prices are reasonable. The meal was filling so I'll have to make a return trip to try their tira misu. read more

Old school red-sauce Italian restaurant, done right! The Caruso's Special pizza is legit. We keep coming back for the retro experience.

We made a reservation a week ahead of time for a large group (12 people). We all met in the lobby, and had to wait 25 minutes until after our reservation time because they didn't have the tables set up yet. Once we were seated, the server took our drink orders. It took 25 minutes to get the drinks on the table! Then the server took our food order. Another 45 minutes for 1/2 of the food to arrive. The rest of the food came about five minutes later. I ordered lasagna and meat balls. It was luke warm, and had a bland sauce. My wife enjoyed her plate of chicken parm and shells. When the server brought the check, he stood and waited while we counted out the cash and figured out the tip. That was a little unnerving. One of the biggest problems was finding parking. We finally found a spot three blocks from the restaurant. We may try it again with a smaller group to see if the poor service was just a fluke read more

Decided to try this place on a whim. Me and hubby just happen to be walking by, when he stopped and exclaimed "wow they have been there FOREVER". I don't know why we stumbled in here when we just got done eating at another place. But we ventured inside for the novelty of the place. We decided to split the Lasagna and Chicken parmigiana. The salad we had was okay as were the bread sticks. I think my husband enjoyed them way more than I did. The entree came and I gotta warn ya, if you do not have a big appetite, bring a friend and share. Even if I hadn't eaten prior to coming here, I still would have split after eyeing the other tables entrees. The food was hot and pretty good, with a homemade taste to it. The service was good, and the atmosphere was alright. My hubby loved this place more than I did. It was solid, and I am glad I tried it. read more

This is not the fanciest or most authentic Italian but the patio more than makes up for the average food. With a water fountain, twinkling hanging lights, draped plants, and children laughing and playing, it's very romantic and charming. Feels a little bit like being in someone's backyard for a fabulous dinner party. I think it's only worth coming here for the garlic bread and lasagna, which is a large enough portion that I've never seen anyone finish it. Just classic, homey, rich, red-sauced food. read more

Came here twice before, and both times the food and service was great! I enjoy the Parmesan chicken, while others seem to enjoy the eggplant entrees. A word of advice, don't come right at dinner time, the place is popular and will have a long wait most nights at that time! read more

After hearing a lot about Caruso's I finally had a chance to stop by. Caruso's is located in the heart of 4th Avenue surrounded by trendy shops, delicious dining and an eccentric night life. The restaurant is nicely kept and clean. The dining are is divided into several areas There is an outdoor seating areas as well as several dividing dining areas in the main area. When I dined here, my part and I just happened to be seated in a small room right in the center of the restaurant. It had 4 walls with window cutouts so you could see into the other areas of the restaurant and had an archway just enough for people to pass through. This made the experience feel sort of like you had your own private room for dining. There was enough space in this room for 4 tables with 4 seats. When we first sat down, our party was the only one in the room which was quite nice. By the time we left, the traffic in the restaurant picked up and all the other tables filled up. If you happen to arrive early before everyone arrives for lunch or dinner, you may want to ask if you could be seated in this area if this is something you would like to experience. The noise was a bit loud during the dinner hour as people were getting off of work and trying to relax. Not a big deal to me, but for others who are looking for a nice quiet, romantic dining experience, take this into consideration. The lighting was dimmed giving the place a cool and mellow feel until you look outside the windows and see the blazing Tucson sun and how bright it actually is outside compared to the inside. And now for the food. To be honest, I thought the food would have been a lot better from all of the hype I heard about Caruso's. The food wasn't bad but I've had better. To start off, my party and I shared the anti-pasta. At first, I was expecting cold cuts, cheese, olives and peppers but it was more like of a salad. It had a lot of romaine lettuce topped with slices of salami and cheese triangles. It had a few black(with pits) and green olives, some baby corn and some thinly sliced carrots. It also comes served with a small pitcher of vinaigrette and garlic bread. The antipasto was good but I was expecting more of the finger food type antipasto. So just be aware that this is more like a salad than a platter of various finger food anti-pasta. The main dish I chose was the house lasagna with chicken parmigiana. The chicken was very nicely cooked. It was breaded and very moist not dry. It came topped with a layer of nice seasoned sauteed mushrooms and a layer of mozzarella cheese. The lasagna was a meat lasagna probably sausage. For those who don't like sausage I know they had a choice of vegetarian lasagna on the regular menu. Perhaps that could be used as a substitute if you ask. The sauce used for the dish, was in my opinion, a little bit on the sour side. I know they use fresh tomatoes and make the sauce daily but I thought it was a bit sour and took away from the chicken and the lasagna. Overall, I had a pleasant dining experience. The ambiance in the restaurant is very nice and it seems like a great place to come with a group and relax and have a nice meal and some drinks. I though the dishes were good though I would have expected them to be a lot better considering the amount of talk I have heard about Caruso's. Perhaps it is because of the ambient surrounding and dining experience coupled with the food that gives Caruso's such word of mouth or maybe because its on 4th Avenue. Overall I had a good time. This is definitely the type of restaurant I would dine with in a group and probably not alone. The food was good but I wouldn't consider it amazing. I would dine here again with a group to have fun and relax. In addition, there's plenty of local shops and lots of night life located on 4th Avenue surrounding Caruso's so that is a plus as well. read more

I would never recommend this establishment to anyone. The customer service from the front door, to the table, to the manager....horrible!! We entered the establishment at 7:58 p.m. on a Friday night. We expected to wait since it was a Friday night. However, the hostess was able to seat us immediately. That being said, there were no smiles at the front door. Upon being seated at 8:00 p.m. we were given water immediately. It took until 8:22 p.m. to get a server to even acknowledge us. My husband and I ordered two BudLight bottles which were promptly delivered to us. After another 10 minutes we finally were able to place our order. At 9:10 p.m. after not receiving our meal, we finally got up from our table and went to the hostess stand to pay. The hostess then sent us to another counter (again, no smiles). We had to hunt down the server to get our bill for the beers. She did apologize but the manager did not say a word even after we voiced our concerns. She just shrugged her shoulders. I have been in the restaurant business for a few years now and I was completely shocked by the un-professionalism by the manager. I will be following up with management on Monday. We went across the street to a small deli to get a sandwich. Our 'date night' was ruined! read more

Really good sauce but to be considered real Italian food and definitely a Italian restaurant the pasta has to be made from scratch in house period. Not having homemade pasta is like a pizza place not making the dough and having it shipped in??? Really nice outside back patio for dining. read more

A bad experience for lunch and a reality check. Four of us for an early (11:45) lunch. The place was not busy and we were the first party seated in an empty room. All of us ordered off the lunch menu, nothing exotic. From my vantage point, I watched as the room started to fill up. My frustration mounted as I watched another party of four be seated, order drinks, then lunch and completely finish their sald course and were half way through their entrees when I asked their waiter if he could ask our waiter what the hold up was. I happend to spy him speak to her as she was coming out of the kitchen. She turned around and came directly to the table with my dish, (there were four of us but she only brought mine), as she approached the table looking as if she were going to throw it at me, she said. "Is there an issue here?, there is no issue here". When I mentioned that I had just watch that party of four who had been seated well after us were almost finished with their meal and we had not yet been served, SHE CALLED ME A LIAR. She stated that the party had been there before we arrived. A clear falshood corroborated by my felllow diners. She then insisted that I had no room to bitch because I had been there only 31 minutes. (is it unreasonable to expect to have your antipasto salad within half hour of sitting down? Especially when you sit waiting and observe an other party arrive, be seated, order, be served and almost fininsh before she even approached the table? I particularly didn't appreciate being scolded about speaking up. If I am wrong here, someone please let me know and I will quit dining out altogether. My first and last trip to this joint. Update, I should have read the reviews. I guess I am not alone. Lots of diners stiffed on service at this sty. Sometimes an old resturant just has too many old wait staff that are just mailing it in and need to find another occupation. read more

I was here for my birthday party with 12 other guests. Karen was our waitress and she was just so wonderful. Carusos has never disappointed me. I love the ambiance, the lasagna al forno is the best, their salads are so delicious, their Italian dressing is unique. But this special time on this special day, Karen was on top of everything at my table. She was fast and caring and made sure everyone got their food. Nothing was wrong with anyone's order, she even set up my birthday cake really nice. I couldn't be thankful enough for her and for the background employees at Caruso's. I've been eating here since I was 5 years old. This is a true classic, delicious Italian restaurant and I will always recommend to friends and family. read more

Caruso's isn't bad, and it's certainly better than chains like Olive Garden, but it's still only average. They seem to try too hard to be stereotypically "Italian". Their food is alright, but the food at Caffe Milano is better. This restaurant is ok, but if you want good Italian food in this neighborhood, I recommend checking out Caffe Milano. The quality is better there, and it isn't that much more expensive. read more

This restaurant is an original Tucson gem and continues to be very consistantly good. My father told me you will see the owners at a good restaurant every night, standing where they can monitor the food coming out of the kitchen. While I wouldn't say the owner does exactly that, he is there EVERY night - and the quality shows. I actually feel bad for the guy.. but I digress. There is no more charming place to eat in this town than Caruso's patio on a perfect night. My long time favorite dish is Lasagne. Once in a while I will branch out a little and have Lasagne and Eggplant, but a trip to Caruso's definitely has to include Lasagne for me. My wife loves the Veal and Eggplant Parmigiana and their Antipasto salad is delicious. We always get it. I would love the dressing recipe. While I am not a big fan of other pasta dishes, I will not comment on any other food, although I can report that there are plenty of pasta eating customers there on any given night. In fact, there is often a wait during the dinner rush time, but it is a large place so the wait time is usually short and thank god they don't use beepers! read more

Recently went to Caruso's for a birthday party and was pleasantly surprised! Great Italian food! I had the vegetable lasagna and loved it! Very flavorful food with average service. Prices are more expensive than you would expect, but you get huge proportions! I also hear the patio is a great experience so I will plan to go back when winter is over :) read more

We had a great rehearsal dinner at this Tucson landmark with a well-deserved reputation as a great family, red-sauce restaurant. There were 25 of us so they put us in a mostly private room (with windows). There were a couple of other 2-tops in with us in the room but they didn't seem to mind and we sure didn't. Everything was all setup of course when we arrived. Even though the place was jammed on a Friday evening (as it always is), the service got us started without a hitch. We'd chosen a fixed menu selection of several of their entrees, something for everyone, likely something some of our guests grew up having. There were 2 Alfredo's, chicken and fettuccine, their special (and humongous) lasagna, ravioli and, my favorite, Eggplant Parmigiana. Instead of breaded "coin-slices" they broil sliced lengthwise pieces of eggplant in a bath of tomato sauce and cheese. Kids were offered spaghetti and meatballs. For starters to a group they serve huge trays of antipasto. Nothing fancy or imaginative, but good. They have a deal where you can have carafes of wine on the table so your tab for drinks doesn't go through the roof. The deserts were great, spumoni, tiramisu and some others. Service was great. You'll love Caruso's. read more

If you're like me--an East Coast BabyBoomer who grew up going to the neighborhood Italian restaurant--you'll find that old time feeling again at Caruso's in the heart of the 4th Ave scene. This was our second visit and better that the first. We had to wait 30 minutes on a Saturday night. Not bad. Courtney our wAitress was delightful and we were munching on slightly warm garlic bread and OK antipasto within minutes. The food is definitely old fashioned. Not the trendy hipster Italian now in vogue. But it's good and the three-generation families sitting around us were sharing their pizzas and passing their plates of different pastas in a pure celebration of tradition. Our plates of ravioli, spaghetti with Caruso sauce, Seafood Delight were hot and tasty and just the right size and price for seniors. So, if you're looking for a nostalgic night out and actually like loud, happy people sitting next to you, try Caruso's. read more

I think some of the reviews are off a little. This place is delish. Loved the salad and I could have eaten the spaghetti with meat sauce all night long. read more

Great location on 4th with an amazing patio. The menu is small and is missing some of my favorite Italian dishes but it makes up for that with extremely reasonably priced food and wine. I've had a great time every time I've been there and the staff is great. read more

Hmm. I've been on a quest to find a good Italian restaurant. I have yet to do so. Caruso's is however a step in the right direction. Caruso's is not a fancy Italian joint, which is a good thing. I find all fancy Italian restaurants to be duplicates of each other. Caruso's is best described as a superior flavored Buca Di Beppo or C&O. Sad thing is I only went there on my last night in Tucson after 4 years. I'd love to go back, its got fantastic outside seating. Especially on those fantastic Tucson nights. I can't quite recall what I ordered, but I remember enjoying the bread, the side sausages(a lot!), and the prices! read more

I've been to Caruso's and loved it. However the last time I went there was for my birthday last year and the service was horrible. I was expecting a larger group and some people were running late/canceled last minute and we were sitting outside. Our waiter, who was maybe 45, took FOREVER to even take our order. I asked him what was in the "meat" ravioli and he said, "Uh... meat." Yeah no shit. Food took forever, service was poor, food was mediocre. I usually like Caruso's but it just kinda sucked the last time I was there. read more

Pizza, pasta, salads, all great!! I always get an extra side of house dressing to dip the garlic bread in. It is even awesome on the pizzas. Come to this place for a family old fashioned Italian eatery. I have been to little Italy in New York and this Italian food rivals the food in NY. It's a great place for true Italian taste!!! read more

Not a fancy place with over the top service, just a down to earth family Italian restaurant with a classic Italian menu. I had the Antipasto which was decent but when it came to my entre the shrimp and clam pasta dish was excellent! I had it with the white sauce it was a classic linguini with white clam sauce recipe with four 16-20 sized shrimp. The shrimp were done perfectly and the sauce was very good. It is a great change of pace from all the great Mexican places in town. read more

I swear I want to like this place but I have yet to have an amazing experience here. The back patio is cute and romantic, and the minestrone soup is very good. Aside from that, the food is generally overpriced and mediocre compared to some of the other Italian restaurants in town. read more

This Place is Unbelievable!!!! I have not been to Caruso's in at least 12 years and I STILL talk about it! The Lasagna al forno is the only thing I have ever ordered! Once you have a phenomenal thing why try something else.. I compare all other lasagna to their's and everyone else fails. It's cheesy and just the right amount of sauce... YUM!!! read more

Very nice atmosphere and good service. I just don't think the food was very good. I feel like I could get better Italian food at olive garden. read more

I was skeptical when I walked in. An old looking place and we were seated just off the entrance which was a bit loud (a lot of large parties). But I was impressed. Great service and excellent italian food!! In Tucson! Go figure. I'd return. But try and go early to get a booth in the back where it is a little quieter. The only negative is the wine. Not a good selection and worse by the glass. Suggestion to management - add some quality California wines to the list :-) read more

Antipasto salad delightful with a light, flavorful dressing. Spaghetti w/ meat sauce ho-hum. Cappuccino freeze desert delicious. Love the patio. read more

Old school Italian. Brings back memories of living in Brooklyn way back when the Italian Mafia owned it! Very traditional. No fusion going on here and that's actually refreshing. I read some reviews about customer service however I have to disagree. When our server was busy waiting on other tables, the Hostess went out of her way to take our order. Completely unsolicited. Think traditional, think Caruso's! read more

Caruso's was recommended by a friend who lives in Tucson; we're from out of town and were in Tucson on business. We ate dinner at Caruso's last week (on a Wednesday). There's a lot to like about Caruso's but, all in all, we'll probably go somewhere else for an Italian food dinner next time we're in Tucson. Likes: - Interesting, bustling historic neighborhood. - Beautiful historic building. - Nice, charming, old-style ambience. - Friendly, helpful servers and bussers. - Lots of menu choices. - Generous portion size. Dislikes: - Food items look good but taste mostly just okay. - Prices are too high, especially given that the food is mostly just okay. Menu says minimum charge $8.00 per person, even at lunch as far as I can tell. - Parking can be a hassle. There is no on-site parking lot. There is plenty of street parking, if you can find a space that is. Be prepared to parallel park, and watch out for the commuter trains while you're trying to park. The street parking is metered, although weekdays after 5:00 p.m. it's free. Wife had the seafood canelloni & cheese manicotti dinner ($15.75). She enjoyed it, but rated it as good, but not very good and certainly not excellent. Wife liked the dinner salad with homemade Italian dressing that came with the dinner. (She had a choice of dinner salad, soup or side of spaghetti with Caruso sauce. Caruso sauce is basically marinara sauce with meat.) Wife liked all the veggie goodies that were in the salad, and the dressing. However, she rated the salad as only good because it was made from what appeared to be iceberg lettuce; would have rated it very good if it had been made from a leafy lettuce like, say, romaine. Dinners come with unlimited garlic toast. That's nice, but the garlic toast wasn't anything special; I'd rate it as fair. Frankly, it was similar in it's bready texture and taste to a toasted hot dog or hamburger bun spread with butter and a little garlic powder. We ate the initial basket that was brought to our table while we waited for dinner to be served, but we didn't want any more. I ordered the veal parmigiana dinner ($16.75 - the most expensive dinner on the menu), which came with my choice of dinner salad, soup or side of spaghetti with Caruso sauce. I chose the side of spaghetti with Caruso sauce. The spaghetti pasta was bland, although the Caruso sauce livened up the side dish. The veal parmigiana looked great, served in a large skillet sort of dish and smothered with baked cheese and sauce. Key word: "looked" [great]. First, I tried to find the veal patty hiding under the cheese and sauce. I know the veal is supposed to be pounded a bit into a thin patty, but this veal was pounded into oblivion. I eventually located a paper-thin layer of meat. The meat, what little there was of it, had a dark brown color. The color struck me as unusual because the veal I've eaten elsewhere is normally a much lighter color. Then I tasted the meat - very strange flavor, and unpleasantly strange. Maybe the meat had somehow gone bad? I don't know and am not accusing, just trying to guess where the strange flavor and color came from. I don't claim to be an expert on veal parmigiana but I have eaten it enough times over the years at enough different restaurants to know about what to expect. There are all those other veal parm dishes I've enjoyed at all those other restaurants, and then there is the veal parm at Caruso's. The latter stands out from the pack, but not in a good way. For $16.75 I expected much better; actually, for ANY price I expected much better. Soon enough, the server came by and asked how our meals were. I told him about my entrée. To his credit, the server did not hesitate to offer a replacement entrée; no questioning, just apologies. It was the right way to react, and that is what he did. I ordered the cheese manicotti dinner ($14.25), and it was brought out promptly. The cheese manicotti was better as a manicotti dinner than the veal parm was as a veal parm dinner. Even so, the manicotti was only good, but not very good and certainly not excellent. So basically everything we were served was fair to good, except the veal parm which was downright bad. No food item was very good or better. Oh yeah, one more thing: Caruso's has Alfredo sauce on the menu but not fettuccini noodles on which to serve it. What's up with that? They do offer spaghetti, rigatoni, linguine, and penne; but when it comes to Alfredo sauce, those pastas are not the same as fettuccini. We're glad we tried out Caruso's. Not likely to go back, though, and not likely to recommend it to others except maybe with warnings. read more

Always enjoy dinner here! Its one of my favorite places to go. Cute, local, affordable.

I celebrated my birthday at Caruso's last night. We had a party of 15. Most people wanted separate checks, and that was no problem. Our waiters, Sean and Matthew, did an excellent job! Everyone agreed the food was delicious. Arguably the best restaurant on 4th Ave.! The prices are very reasonable. I will be eating here a lot more in the future! read more

Went here for dinner on 10/9/2014 with a party of 6. Food was good and service was excellent. A great long standing place on 4th Ave in Tucson. read more

Took my family of 5 here for dinner, 2 adults and 3 kids. We were able to be seated on the back patio, which was very lovely. Overall we had very slow service, we were seated at 6:45 and did not get out check until 8:30. My children were starting to get cranky by this time. Food was good overall, I ordered the seafood delight only to have my scallops cold in the middle. Had my meal replaced with spaghetti and meatballs, however took 20 plus minutes to get my replacement meal. I will try this establishment again on a date night with my husband without the kids, he seemed to really enjoy his food. read more

Went with my wife, had a great meal and great service. I don't normally like Italian food but the food here was great! The best part the prices are very reasonable! read more

very cute basic italian food but sitting outside with the fairy lights is perfect for a first date read more

Favorite restaurant for many years! I always order the chicken parm it is very flavorful, wish I could make it myself. The salads are great I love their secret dressing I always order some on the side to dip my garlic toast in. Nothing bad to say about this place just great food! read more

My favorite restaurant! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this place. Make sure to sit outside during the warmer months. The atmosphere is amazing. Also, get the special Caruso sauce! Amazing! read more

So many great memories at Caruso's. Everything on the item is fresh and delicious. The Italian salad and tomato sauce what makes Caruso's memorable for me! Some of my favorite times were at Caruso's. I have nothing negative to say and I hope this restaurant continues to prosper forever! read more

Good experience good food we ate outside in the patio since the weather was good, waiter was very responsive and polite. I got the carusos special, it was excellent and a very good price, will definitely come back read more