Worst chicken parm i've ever had. Tasted like cardboard. The only thing that was halfway decent was the bread. Also was 70 dollars, i paid cash and left without finishing our meal. Never going back. read more

We always go here when we have tickets to a show at Paper Mill Playhouse. Its very convenient to walk to and from the retreatant. Great Services,,,Great food. Highly recommend this place. read more

Went here with a Groupon after seeing so many positive reviews on Groupon. Was pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant is BYOB. -Food: -zucchini chips that came with the bread to start. They were saturated in oil. -porcini ravioli: delicious. The sauce was deliciously creamy, rich and truffley. Would recommend. -steak au poivre: good. Sauce was a bit salty by the end of the dish. Aide of mashed potatoes was regular. Spinach was blanched and unseasoned which was a good balance since the steak sauce had sufficient salt. -Service: ordered the porcini ravioli to share and was happy to see when they brought it out on two separate plates as opposed to making us uncomfortably share a center plate. We also ordered two steak au poivres, one medium rate and one well done for me. Although I shouldn't have to give a reason, in order for them to understand the importance of my steak being well-done, I explained to the waiter that I am expecting and cannot have any uncooked red meat. The first time they brought out steaks, it was quickly taken back after 5 minutes when the waiter realized he brought us the steak special instead. When they brought our steaks, mine was medium well with all slices pink and slightly bloody. I told the waiter and he took it back to get cooked further. When they brought it out again, several slices were still pink and with blood. I explained to the waiter that I could not take any chances in eating this. He understood and said they will slice it completely so that it could be cooked thoroughly. I appreciated his understanding but was a bit bothered that the kitchen took 2 tries to cook the steak thoroughly when it should be the easiest of the types to do. The food and service were good. Would return and recommend. read more

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Amazing place! Amazing food! Amazing ambiance! Amazing staff! I truly enjoyed this place and cannot wait to revisit. read more

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Had been stalking their instagram page for quite some time and finally made it here for dinner for my wife's 30th birthday. Overall good ambience combined with good food. We ordered 2 pasta, both custom made to order. We had the cacio e pepe which was creamy but tasted a bit salty, the Rigatoni Vodka with Burrata was amazing with a little bit of spice and it was so creamy, the highlight was the burrata which was so light and complimented the pasta really well! For dessert we had Tiramisu, which was made with a lot of cream cheese and less lady fingers, so we thought it was less tasteir than the one which we make at home or have had some place else. read more

Cara Mia - Cacio E Pepe - Italian Near Me - Millburn, New Jersey

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Food is excellent, service is also excellent, prices are fair. The only 2 negatives are parking (take an uber) and place is very loud.

I hadn't realized how long it had been since we last ate here. BUT, a Groupon coupon led us to try and we were quite pleased that we did. First off, our server, Zenep, was first rate. Second the food, from the Endive Salad to Barbara's Pumpkin Ravioli and my pasta Carbonara was excellent. Nice atmosphere, great food, BYOB, What's not to love. Okay, one small negative. The outside dining is imperfect due to the direction of the late afternoon/early summer evening sun. read more

*sigh* it always happens this way. The first meal is amazing and it sets the bar (and my hopes) super high... Chicken Parmesan Entrée. The chicken was pounded so thin that there was literally no chew to the chicken. It was like eating the breading without meat in between the crispy coating. The sauce was watery and bland. No pasta. Just two potato wedges, four short green beans and two slivers of a carrot. $26! No picture of it because I put it in the trash immediately. I won't give up on Cara Mia. I'll give them another try. Bummer. A real bummer. read more

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their food is DELICIOUS. great service. beautiful music. amazing ambiance. love love love. read more

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First time dining here but whenever we would pass, it's always looked crowded. The food was delicious. The hostess was so nice & friendly. She was also our waitress, LOVE! Her smile lit up the room. The decor was very chic, I love it! I had the Fettuccine with the seafood, delicious, my husband had the veal parm with linguine. Couldn't eat it all so we brought home leftovers. read more

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Was there 6 months ago and everything was great. It's really gone down hill. Service was nowhere near as good on these last couple visits. I asked where Rob was cause he always took really good care of us and they said he's been on vacation? I think they got new owners. 10/10 do not recommend. read more

Oh my god this place has the best steak and salmon I've ever had in my whole entire life. It was amazing will definitely come back. The service was impeccable and the food was honestly one of the best out here in nj definitely recommend if you were in milburn have to check this place out perfect for date night. read more

Cara Mia - Steak - Italian Near Me - Millburn, New Jersey

Came here for lunch . Parking is street or a metered parking lot across the street It was a beautiful day so I decided to sit outside I was greeted and seated right away My waitress was nice and tended to me. I was given complimentary fried zucchini and bruschetta to start .....as well as bread and butter ( which I didn't touch) . Fried zucchini and bruschetta was good to start I tried the calamari balsamico which was good. I also tried the Raviolo Porcini which was very good... could taste the truffle oil . Yum I would come back here again one day read more

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We made a 5:45 reservation at this restaurant on a Saturday night anticipating we would have plenty of time to eat and attend the 7:30 show at The Papermill. Service is generally a bit slow here, but our most recent attempt will be our last It was difficult to get our waiter's attention. When we finally placed our order, we had already been sitting at our table for 30 minutes. We did tell the server we were going to a show and had to leave quickly Unfortunately I cannot give you a review of our meal because we had to leave before it arrived. At that point we were hungry and frustrated and did not have time to dine somewhere else before the show The ambiance was noisy and crowded for so early in the evening. I don't know if others were as unhappy as we felt. It seemed that people who had arrived after us got their entrees faster than we did. read more

This little spot in Millburn really is a 5 star gem. Food was absolutely amazing!!!! My boyfriend & I started with the garlic shrimp - so flavorful & yummy! For dinner we were each in the mood for some heat. Our waiter Rob was super accommodating & had the chef make us rigatoni & shrimp in a scampi sauce with red hot cherry peppers which was so tasty! Everything was 10/10. If you're in the area definitely give this place a try & ask for Rob as your waiter! He won't disappoint!!!! read more

Cara Mia - Garlic Shrimp - Italian Near Me - Millburn, New Jersey

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Ambiance was nice and service was good. My food was ok. I got the shrimp/crab meat linguini which was very over cooked and I sadly wasn't impressed. I would be willing to give them another shot in the future due to the good service though. read more

We at dinner there on Tuesday Jan 16 2024. I ended up with food poisoning. I got sick with in 40 minutes of finishing my meal. We never made it home. I ended up in the emergency room. My test results confirmed. I had a conversation with YELP today as they took my first post down. Yelp told me to just state the facts. I also got a call from someone screaming at me. There another review from May. Women had also got food poisoning. Could have been very isolated, but i was very ill. So after 2 blood tests, and a procedure and 2 doctor visits. After 24 days i am feeling better. Now to get my bills paid. read more

went December 20 with my wife for my birthday. The service was great and the hostess. Appetizer we had the meatball, which was very good dinner I ordered the pasta special with sausage and broccoli and mushrooms. The pasta was overcooked, and it was soft and mushy. My wife ordered the special halibut which was dry and overcooked. First time we ever had a bad meal there. I mentioned it to the hostess and she took off the pasta dish off the bill. Its a go to place but have to say extremely disappointed: Top it off we got there after the theater people left so the restaurant was halfway full so the kitchen had no excuse of being extra worked or maybe they were just tired. read more

A real good case of Montezuma's revenge three hours after ingesting the meal, I believe it came from the meatballs. They were not good.

An established Italian restaurant in Millburn with a charming old-school vibe. Before we even opened the menu we were given a basket of bread, bruschetta toast, and fried zucchini chips. All were delicious and different from the standard bread and butter! It held us over while we waited for our pastas. We ordered the fettuccine Cara Mia and the linguine vongole. Of the two, I preferred the fettuccine Cara Mia. The pasta was handmade and they were very generous with the shrimp and crab meat. Portions are large here, we were pretty full by the end but still made room for tiramisu. What a delight! Possibly the highlight of the meal for me. read more

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Excellent food and service. Nice cozy ambiance. Good portions and priced reasonably. Great place for dinner especially if you are going to see a show at Paper Mill playhouse. It's about a five minute walk to the theater. read more

Very elegant seating in a beautiful restaurant. BYOB, great menu items, and delicious food. The dessert options are delightful as well

We came to Cara Mia to celebrate my Uncle's 60th birthday over the holidays with around 30 of his closest family, friends and coworkers. What better way to do so than over Italian cuisine? Additionally, the restaurant offers BYOB - which being from Ohio, is unheard of. This was a huge positive in my book! The staff arranged for us to have an entire wing of the restaurant to ourselves, but we were a bit nervous when we arrived and the room was still full of the party before. However, their team was quick to flip the space and get things ready for our celebration! Let me say that for the most part, their team at Cara Mia was quick to help with anything needed and did a wonderful job. The menu was preset due to our guest count, and except for the entrees, was more 'family-style'. While pre-set, all of the menu was still full of delicious options and worked perfectly to keep things moving quickly. Everything was tasty, and I had the Herb Crusted Salmon and it was a great balance of savory and tang. The only turn off was that the guest of honor, who practices sobriety, was given a glass of wine not once, but twice, by one of the servers and never asked once if he even wanted wine. While the BYOB makes it nice that beverages can be shared among the group, I'd still encourage that you ask a guest if they want something before you give it to them. I get that it was a total mistake and not done intentionally, for a case like this it could be a big deal. read more

Cara Mia - Herb Crusted Salmon - Italian Near Me - Millburn, New Jersey

So me and the girls got together for a girls night dinner. We made reservations for 7pm for 10 people. When I arrived I was lucky to find parking in the parking lot across the street. When I walked in the owner walked me over to our seats and we were seated under the tent across the street. In this area we had multiple servers but the lady was by far the best of them all. The place is byob and she opened my bottle when I sat. We first started with the brushetta and it was so tasty. I also tasted the zucchini chips and it wasn't my favorite. For appetizers I tasted the little neck clams and they were tasty. For dinner I got the shrimp special with linguini and that was very good. I also tasted the salmon and swordfish and they both were good. The bill came to about $340 and that was pretty good. When we were waiting for the bill to come back one of the servers told us we had to leave soon because of course we shut the place down but we didn't even have our bill back lol. The nerve haha. All in all we had a good experience and I can't forget the great band they had. I will definitely return. read more

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I'm not sure how this restaurant could possibly get four stars. Although there is no problem with the service, the food leaves a lot to be desired. I ordered an endive salad with pear, and the pear was as hard as a rock. My wife had Branzino and she couldn't eat it because it smelled fishy. The one dish that was good was the Chicken Mello. The noise in the restaurant is so loud that people are screaming at each other to be heard across their table, which makes it even louder. One dessert from the menu was strawberries in Zabaglione Cream and the chef added Marsala wine to it, which was not on the menu, and it was terrible. read more

Found Cara Mia on Groupon. Amazing food, service & ambiance. It's BYOB, and there is a liquor store right next door, so we grabbed a bottle of wine beforehand. Heated outdoor seating is limited but available. We plan to return very soon! read more

Cara Mia - Calamari Balsamico - Italian Near Me - Millburn, New Jersey

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Nice cozy spot for good Italian. In a town sort of overrun by Italian restaurants, Cara Mia probably has the best balance of sufficiently broad menu options, price point and quality. Casual but yet in a nice white tablecloth setting. Generally friendly service and great that it's a BYO spot. read more

Always good food and service My favorite dish is the mushroom ravioli. Delicious! It's a local favorite for us

I came here with a group of 10. The service was out of this world good!!! The food was so delicious! We all were blown away by the delicious flavors of not just 1 but ALL our dishes!! This restaurant is BYOB. Don't walk run to this restaurant and don't forget your bottle of wine!! You won't be disappointed. read more

Service was great , food was not which is the reason for the three stars. Zucchini chips were soggy with not alot of flavor. The Branzino , presentation was not appetizing , I couldn't figure out what the blob was on top of my fish then I realized it was a portobello. The fish was grilled and tasted a little burnt and not alot of flavor all around in the entire dish. Balsamic glaze was not a good choice. Was pretty disappointed in the entire dish. read more

This place is an absolute gem in the Millburn/Summit área if you're looking for Italian cuisine. The service, including management, go above and beyond to make sure everything is taken care of AND it's BYO so that's a double win. Parking - There's a parking lot across the street that has free parking after 6 or 7 PM I believe if you can't find any street parking. Enjoy! read more

Went for my birthday, it was just ok, nothing spectacular. The worst part was that the crème brûlée my bf got was cold & definitely prepared ahead of time as the sugar shell didn't even crack when he put his spoon in it. Def not worth the Millburn prices either read more

I wish there were places like this in northern VA. Bread and zuchini chips when we sat down, with olive oil. Waitress eventually told us specials as they opened BYO wine. House was almost full by time we got there, but at least they tried to turn up the heat as we were by the door. Their take on the calamari appetizer was wonderful. Blackened snapper tasty and not just hot spice. Branzino was filet, gentle with skin. Veal sorrentino was GREAT, and generous portion. All staff friendly and seamlessly worked their assigned tasks. Manager did his rounds checking tables, varied clientele all seemed happy. Will be back! read more

We went this Friday and it was supreme busy even at 7pm. We asked for a table for 3 and we were immediately offered a table and we sat outside under the tent since it was 70 degrees outside. They take all the covid requirements seriously and we appreciated that. They have hand sanitizer stations even across the street. The town did an awesome job allowing businesses to use extra space for business needs. Our waiter was so attentive and gave us his recommendations as well. They were so attentive to everyone there. The food....AMAZING. You can never go wrong. For dessert I recommend the limoncello cake and the affogato vanilla gelato, espresso!!! read more

Excellent, flavorful food. Loved the intimate, quaint setting and ambiance. Our server was friendly and timely.

Every time I go the food is amazing. The service was a little off due to being in the tent and across from the restaurant. It was a team of waiters which made it difficult when asking for things. The bruschetta they bring for the table is great. I truly enjoy this restaurant. read more

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I came with a group to Cara Mia for a family birthday today. I called yesterday for a reservation for 6 and was glad to get it with no problem. We were greeted and seated promptly upon arrival. The restaurant has an intimate setting with a few tables and good service. Please note that they are BYOB. We came with two bottles of sangria and they immediately put them on ice. They bring out bruschetta and zucchini and bread while you decide what to order. Our waiter read us the specials and we ordered the eggplant rollatini, meatballs, and beef carpaccio. The rollatini and meatballs were phenomenal. I wasn't a fan of the carpaccio but I wouldn't have ordered it if it wasn't for the group. Our group ordered the gnocchi, chicken Melo, chicken parm, linguine frutti de mare, fettucini cara Mia. The portions were large and the food was great. For deserts we split the ricotta cheesecake and cookie ice cream. For all the food we ordered the bill was definitely reasonable. I think the BYOB helps. It's a family run restaurant with good food and service. A must try if you're in the area looking for a good meal. read more

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Incredible food & service! Decorated so nicely for the holidays too. Highly recommend any of the veal or chicken cutlet meals, you can't go wrong. Porcini mushroom ravioli was also very tasty. read more

Food is ok I guess. Nothing special. But if you are ordering take out make sure you check the bag because they will forget items you order and then not offer to deliver it and make you wait for a refund read more

Hadn't visited in a few years and after having lunch with our family and other guests, we were reminded why it is not our go to place in our town. While we always love the complimentary bruschetta and the service is nice and attentive, they fall short with their dishes and overall presentation of such. As an example, one of the kids ordered a simple spaghetti with a nice pomodoro sauce and the pasta was drenched, I mean drenched, in sauce. Why? The beauty and simplicity of the dish was absent. It was not edible. It's ok and has a lot of potential to do so much better. read more