The food was prepared authentically and it was delicious. The ingredients were quality. Since it was our first time going to this restaurant, we were limited as to what food we tasted. Both were red sauce pastas. One lasagna. The other. Sizzling Skilletini® Cacciatore. Both delicious. Proceeded immediately, there was very few customers at the time we went. We were served shortly after we gave our order no complaint on that level. It felt like a very authentic Italian restaurant I loved it. The only downfall was that it was attached to another restaurant. And it shared the same restroom. read more

Sergio was our service and he was nice. Food was bad. Spaghetti was watery, and the brisket was overly salty and cold. Pretty sure it comes frozen and they just reheat it for us which is a bummer. Pizza was decent. But overall sad this used to be a decent place. RIP Johnny Carino's. read more

First time here and it looked like a nice place to eat. Unfortunately we came out unhappy campers. We were a held hostage waiting for our food and bill. The food was decent, three out of four was good. The chicken Marsala was over heated making it super hard and dry even though it was drowning in juice. My husband thought I ordered chicken soup. I also ordered their watermelon margarita which I could see the bartender making it and it sat on the bar for 20 minutes before bringing it to our table. We could see the staff mingling with each other instead of attending to their customers, not good. Please work on your customer service and team work. Don't leave us waiting. read more

Johnny Carino's - Watermelon Margarita - Italian Near Me - Downey, California

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Good food and good service. There were plenty of options to choose from. I got the Shrimp Scampi. It was very tasty and filling. Easy to find parking, too. read more

Johnny Carino's - Italian Near Me - Downey, California

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Purple hair girl gave amazing service was attentive, thank u grettel coming back soon

The food is alright, not that good, and only one waitress. Never again I'm use to lomeli's italian vibe and treatment.

I ordered chicken parmigiana. It is usually a thick slice, breaded, and baked in marinara sauce, and tender to chew. Mine was breaded and fried in oil. The chicken and coating were hard! There was melted cheese on top and some sauce. It wasn't easy to chew. The bread was hot and crispy. It was good. We got a free pepperoni pizza for signing up for email. I asked for all the pepperoni on one half, and she said no. Really ??? The pizza crust was like a large cracker. My boyfriend ate it. The waitress was very attentive and refilled the drinks. read more

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Sergio Excellent service and good recommendations Thank you Clean and easy to have conversations read more

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I checked in recently to punch in my Free Pizza Card for January and Krista the Hostess really blew me away with how on point she was with her rhythm! Krista was well dressed, friendly and inviting, and communicated responsibly that Karen my Server was currently taking a big party and offered to get a drink started for me. I ordered a Raspberry Cream Soda and Krista made it perfectly! She is so sharp and detail oriented and takes really good care of her Hostess Station making sure there is an abundance of neatly rolled Silverware and organized Kids Menus folded neatly with colorful crayons on a cute Italian Country Style basket inviting the little ones to get lost in wildly fun creative escapes true to Italian Methods of healing through Artistic Expression and effective problem solving! Karen was a good Server and took my order efficiently too! I liked how she upsold me the signature bread to go with the House Salad I ordered and asked if I wanted the Pizza and House Salad to come out at the same time. I was only a little thrown off that my Pizza wasn't served on a nice holding tray to elevate the experience like Kenny did for us last time, I feel like the sequence of Service protocols need to be consistent when it comes to presentation excellence. Karen was really good at offering me additional parmesan cheese and pepper flakes to jazz up my Pizza though, and grabbed me the balsamic vinaigrette and candied walnuts I asked for to modify my House Salad the way I was craving it. The Pizza Maker in the back added a lot of warmth and positivity to my experience too! I like how she made effort to welcome me with strong eye contact, a warm smile, and said "de nada" when I thanked her for the delicious food! My Mom really enjoyed the Pepperoni on Pepperoni thin crust Pizza leftovers at home and I appreciate the Carinos Team so much for helping my Mom savor the sexy flavors of Italy through the delicious crafting system here and reminding her one of the best reasons to be living in the US vs. China is that the Pizza here is so good and made with lots of love and heart consistent with the Italian philosophy of letting our Food be our Medicine to help us beast through the toughest uphills of our Adulting blues! read more

It was our first time here, it wasn't packed and plenty of seats. Good ambience and the place looked clean. Once we ordered our food, it took them about 30min to get our food, which was somewhat ok. We had to look for a server to give us plates and utensils. Once we got our plates, it was grimy and had dried pasta stuck on it, and you could feel some type of food stuck on it. It was disgusting. When we were looking for the server, we found him in the back chatting up another employee and they were eating. Our pizza was completely burnt at the bottom, mozzarella sticks weren't stretching, Alfredo pasta was dry (sauce was practically non existent.) I do not recommend this place at all. Completely not worth it. It's sad that it's partnered up with Famous Dave's which was next door with an adjacent entrance. Famous Dave's is our favorite, but we will not be going to this location for that. read more

Johnny Carino's - Dirty plate with pasta still on it. Just like the rest of the plates that were given to us. - Italian Near Me - Downey, California

Staff was very friendly, food came out fast, was very good and considering all we ordered the bill was very reasonable. Our waitress Andre was excellent as well. She would check on us in a very fair amount of time, was on top of refills and answered all our questions and fulfilled all our requests. This is my wife and I's favorite date night spot and service like this is a big reason why. Thanks everyone at Johnny Carinos for a great bday celebration. read more

Food was fabulous but music is too loud. Food was very good and our server was wonderful. The music was a bit loud though. It was difficult to hear across the table and talk to our waitress. Restaurant was clean, lit well just not fond of the step up tables. It's a nightmare for over 50 and little kids. Would come back and highly recommend just turn the music down please. Jazz was great but I want to hear the waitress and my kids. read more

Outstanding Service: Our server, Jose, was fantastic--attentive, friendly, and went out of his way to ensure we had a great meal.Atmosphere: Relaxed, low-key setting with comfortable booths and a welcoming vibe.Favorites: The classic lasagna and shrimp scampi receive praise for being flavorful and filling.Extras: Complimentary warm bread served with seasoned olive oil dipping oil. read more

Date of visit: February 23, 2025 Selections: Johnny's Meal for Two - Calamari Fritta (Small Plate) - Unlimited House Salad per Person - Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo - Grilled Chicken Bowtie Festival - Lemon Cream Cake Complimentary bread with garlic oil dip Experience: I was a bit hesitant with eating here after seeing some of the ratings left for this place, but the husband was set on this place after spotting the restaurant. We were quickly seated and definitely the place gave diners vines like Bob Big Boy's, which I didn't mind since it gave it more of a family feel. Our server was nice and made sure to check in on us while we went through the menu and during the rest of our meal. We ended up doing the Johnny's Meal for Two so we could try more items together. I was glad we had some bread and garlic oil to munch on as we waited. The dip was pretty good and unique since I'm use to the olive oil and balsamic dip mix. From our Johnny's Meal for Two, I enjoyed the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and the Calamari Fritta, even though I wish there were more squid bits than lone batter bits. The Grilled Chicken Bowtie Festival pasta tasted weird to me, but at least the Lemon Cream Cake was pretty good since it wasn't too sweet and my husband loves tart things. Overall, a good experience and glad that we ended up giving this place a shot. read more

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Service SUCKED, after being seated it took 15 minutes before we were even talked to, Alfredo sauce was like water. Never again read more

I'm really disappointed to be writing this because this used to be one of my favorite places to eat, but our recent visit to Johnny Carino's was a terrible experience from start to finish. We arrived to an almost empty restaurant (only two other tables were occupied) yet service was incredibly slow. It took about 20 minutes just to receive our waters, and unfortunately one of the glasses had debris floating in it and visible lipstick on the rim, which was extremely off-putting. Our server appeared to also be the bartender, and we rarely saw him. Our appetizers didn't arrive until about 45 minutes into the visit, and they were dropped off by someone else who didn't bring plates. We then had to wait another 10 minutes just to ask for small plates when the next item came out. We also had to request bread since it was never brought out. When it finally arrived, it was stale (hard on the outside and oddly crunchy on the inside). The food itself was disappointing as well. The calamari was paper-thin and over-fried, and the "vegetables" included were mostly fried pepper stems, which felt like scraps rather than a proper dish. After the food was delivered, we didn't see our server again until we flagged someone down for the check (nearly two hours into the meal). Meanwhile, there were multiple staff members cleaning already empty tables, and no additional guests ever came in, making the lack of service even more confusing. To make matters worse, we didn't even make it halfway home before feeling nauseated, and the rest of the evening was spent feeling sick. I'm honestly not sure what has happened here, but this experience was incredibly disappointing. Unfortunately, it's hard to imagine returning after this visit. read more

I came in during a busy time but that didn't change how amazing everything was. The hubby and I just wanted to get some drinks and apps and chill. And Johnnys didn't disappoint and it was mainly due to our Bartender Derek. He was nice and friendly, and he knew his drinks. I have to say at first I was nervous because the hubby is really picky with his whiskey. But Derek knew his liquor and hubby said Derek made the best old fashioned he'd had. Overall we had a great time with amazing drinks and conversation. Derek made our "date night" memorable. read more

Jose was the BEST waiter! He handle our party of 12 so good! He was quick with catching the orders we were throwing at him. He was so kind and patient! I hope to ALWAYS get him when I go back read more

My trainer organized a holiday get-together for all the people who attend his class. He set it up in advance and told us how much it was gonna be if we wanted to attend. He kept checking back with Carino's staff because he's gotten stiffed before--there was a snafu, but it was quickly resolved. Anyway, there were about 40-50 people in the group! Italian nachos appetizers, house salad, chicken parm, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, and Spicy Shrimp & Chicken; all very tasty! It was all buffet style. The servers brought out warm bread to dip in seasoned EVOO and balsamic vinegar, and kept our drinks filled. If we wanted an adult drink, we had to go to the bar. I had the raspberry margarita (or the margarita of the month for December), and it was so good. I had two! We had a festive time with everyone, with great service and lots of good food. Highly recommend! read more

Maricela never disappoints! She's hands-down our favorite server always recommending delicious drinks and providing the best service every time we're there. The food is consistently amazing, and the spaghetti with artichokes is my go-to if you're trying to stay on the "lean" side . Highly recommend! read more

Johnny Carino's - Jalapeño Garlic Tilapia and Classic American Burger* - Italian Near Me - Downey, California

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This place has gone to shit, it used to be a great place for Italian food, they have no control of who gets seated first, they write your name on a list and forget about you, they just sit who ever is closest to the host, and the evening manager is just as dumb as her employees read more

Carino's has become one of our go-to neighborhood spots. The food is consistently good, portions are generous, and the atmosphere is relaxed without feeling chain-restaurant generic. What really keeps us coming back is the bar service -- Raul is hands-down one of the best bartenders around. He's friendly, attentive, and just knows how to take care of people without being over the top. You can tell he genuinely enjoys what he does, and it shows in the experience. If you're looking for a reliable place to grab dinner and a drink and actually unwind, this is a solid choice. We'll definitely keep coming back. read more

Raul at the bar is our go to guy! He has our drinks coming out as we walk in the door. Always friendly and helpful! Drinks and food are great. We'll be back!! read more

Johnny Carino's - Italian Near Me - Downey, California

We used to love the food here...but we have had 4 bad service representatives in 4 months. One was a delivery meal for 6 and all we received was cheese curds and one slice of chresecake- I had ordered 2 whole lasagna. When I went in the manager apologized but it was the next day and our event was ruined. We went last night because it was my sister in laws birthday (no little scoop of ice cream or happy birthday) There were 6 of us. It took 2 hours for a simple meal. I had to get up and get bread plates myself! The waiter said we could not have bread until we ordered he was extremely rude. We have lived in Downey collectively more than 70 years and this was the worst service we have ever received. Our Italian nachos were cold...the cheese on everyone's meals was not melted...and the chicken parm was HARD (maybe over fried) Just look at the pictures of the presentation of the food. This is my first negative Yelp review- too many bad years with them. I gave them a break when they accommodated a disabled friend...but the waiter last night was plain awful. I've never in my life been told you have to order before they give you bread...mind you.. We already ordered appetizer and sat 45 minutes! read more

Johnny Carino's - Ravioli- the way it was presented - Italian Near Me - Downey, California

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The food was delicious! Our little lady "Elizabeth" was attentive, paid attention to us making sure if we were satisfied, needed anything. First time here and definitely will be back read more

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Came in close to closing time after an hr+ of driving home knowing I may full well be turned away but thankfully you have an angel named Elizabeth who works there and was able to get my order in before the kitchen closed. She really made my night. The food was perfect and even came out quicker than expected. She was even sweet enough to call me when the food was ready so I could sit in the car with a fussy kid. She helped make my night go a little easier. read more

We got there and sat at the bar, we sat there for 15-20 minutes with no service. Several servers looked at us, walked by and didn't even bother to ask if we have been helped or if they could get us anything. Horrible service or should I say no service read more

Ordered dinner for two set Calamari was very tiny amount, mainly scraps of calamari, and portion of it was green pepper deep fried. Fettuccine was decent, spaghetti was so so, lasagna meh. Services was otherwise Ok read more

Good value for decent dinner. Went for their $16 ribeye and lasagna special. Their Caesar salad was great while their Italian nachos were a bit stale. Their fresh bread was delicious with olive oil and garlic. The ribeye was a bit chewy but edible. Lasagna was salty. Service was a bit slow but they gave me a free ice cream scoop for my birthday. With a bottle of wine and 2 specials, bill comes to $91 with tip. Will visit again when they have the surf and turf special. They do have $5 pizzas and half price platters. read more

Johnny Carino's - Ribeye and lasagna special with bottomless Caesar salad. - Italian Near Me - Downey, California

My brother-in-law and I came here for dinner on Sunday, 02/01/26. Arrived at 4:15pm, and there we SEVERAL empty tables. The hostess, who seemed less than happy to be there, said it would be about 10 minutes or so. As we waited, she went back to folding the silverware in napkins. After about 10 minutes she put her silverware away, grabbed 2 menus and said she could seat us. She sat us at a table that had been empty and was already clean, so I'm not sure why we had to wait. When our waitress, Andrea C, arrived it was almost as if we were bothering her. She asked if it was our first time and we said yes. Not once did she suggest anything like most servers do. We ordered water and ice tea and that took nearly 15 minutes to get. She brought us the olive oil dip for our bread, but NEVER brought the bread. I had never ending salad with my entree, and when I was asked if I'd like a second bowl, she didn't bring until I had already started on my entree 20 minutes later. My brother-in-law's entree was brought to the table first, but I had to wait nearly 15 minutes after that for mine! And she never came to check on us for refills or ask if everything was ok until the end of the meal. She has to be the most rude servers I have ever had. The only reason I'm giving 2 Stars instead of 1 is because the food was pretty good and the lady that brought the food to the table was very pleasant and friendly. I can honestly say that even though the meal was good, we won't be back anytime soon. read more

Greeting was very friendly food was medium are server was not very friendly she could have smiled more it seemed when we ask for something she was annoyed read more

Maybe take it easy on the salt. The ambiance isn't to bad. They seems to have a nice bar. The bread definitely comes out of a box. And my waitress with the purple hair wasn't very friendly at all unfortunately. Won't be coming back. read more

I had such a great experience at Johnny Carino's. From the moment I walked in, Monica made me feel welcome and taken care of. The service was attentive without being rushed, and everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there. I will definitely be returning!! read more

Ambiance: outdated and maybe over done with the decor, but it does feel like a old school Italian place. I went for happy hour and there weren't many people at all. Service: I was just about the only person there, but the service was great! Very kind and attentive, never waited long for anything . Food: The spicy Hawaiian was delicious, favorite part of my experience there with the frozen margaritas at a close second. I also had wings, which I didn't really enjoy (no pic). Overall, I enjoyed myself and would be back. Plenty of free parking. read more

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I don't know what happened to Johnny's. Service is always good, best in the city. The food though. The sicilia fire sticks gone, the Italian nachos plain and the jalapeno alfredo...diced jalapenos with alfredo? make it spicier you know. The "fresh bread" with olive oil was the hit now not really. slowly turning into TGIF with the wings and portions. AGAIN staff best their is, food.....its okay. read more

Great vibe, super friendly bartender Derek Cruz, and awesome drinks and food. I'll be back!

I received a coupon in the mail, so I decided to go for the first time. We arrived at lunch time. There was no other customers in the restaurant at the time. We stood at the front of the restaurant for about 5 minutes before someone greeted us. We were seated, and our drink order was taken. A few minutes later our order was taken. My friend got the soup and salad, they brought that pretty quickly, however my free meal took about 30 minutes. My friend was finished by the time my mean came. The waiter apologized and said they had a lot of to go orders. He brought a scoop of vanilla ice cream to appolagize, but neither on of use eat ice cream. Its sad the service is so BAD, because the food was tasty. read more

Service is always great at the bar, we usually go Thursday and Saturday. Raul is always pleasant and on time with food and drinks. Always a great time. Thank you Raul! read more

A friend and I had drinks and appetizers at the bar. I must say that Raul, the bartender, was very courteous and kind. He was prompt in taking our order and he was prompt in making our drinks. He was attentive during our time there. Raul displayed great customer service. read more

Fantastic service from Maricela. She was very attentive to my wife and I. It has been a while since I've gone and I'm glad that she was still there. I've always had fantastic service and was happy to see her after not being in that area as often as before. Look forward to dining in again and hoping Maricela can serve us. The dining area has changed in a good way and has a fantastic ambiance. read more