This is an authentic Italian restaurant that feels like I'm having Sunday dinner at my papa's home. First and foremost the customer service is stellar. The waitstaff was lovely and owner Pietro told my son and I the story of their beautiful pizza oven that came all the way from Italy and visited our table to welcome my parents and tell us about the resturant and their family. This place is owned and operated by an incredibly talented and caring family that has opened their recipes and hearts to the community. The food was perfectly executed. From the seasoned and crips calamari to the margarita pizza that was flavorful with a thin crisp crust, our appetizers were loved. And then the pasta; just perfect. It's hard to find legitimate Italian pasta and this is it. The pasta was al dente with delectable homemade sauces. We enjoyed the chicken Marsala, chicken parmesan, a la vodka pasta, and pasta Alfredo-which my kids said was better than mine! All of these dishes were perfectly seasoned, fresh, piping hot, well sauced, and just delectable. The portions are perfect leaving just enough for lunch the next day if you can keep yourself from eating the whole plate! It was easy to get a reservation for a larger party, which I appreciate! The dining room and bathrooms were accessible for my mother who uses a wheelchair and she felt extremely comfortable dining. My two younger kids also enjoyed themselves and the atmosphere was versatile; perfect for kids, dinner with the grandparents, or a date night out. All in all we are excited to come back for another fantastic meal. Thank you to the owners and family for building this gem in Milwaukee. read more

I might have deducted three stars, rather than only two, if I'd included my feelings about my entree . . . which I hated. But that would be unfair and inappropriate. I had the beef Spiedini -- something we served at the venerated east side institution, Palermo Villa, when I waited tables there, years ago. But as delectable as it looked, it was one of our dishes that I never tried! And so, I think I ordered it at Carini's with unrealistic and inaccurate expectations. Suffice it to say that, FOR MY TASTE, the meat was undercooked and too chewy. I also found the stuffing off-putting, in both taste and mushy consistency. But again, THAT'S ME. It's entirely possible that this dish was prepared perfectly. It's just not for me. Now, on to the positives: * The Mussels Macchiato (in "a garlic wine sauce, splash of Carini's marinara") were the best mussels I've had anywhere. And, if you utilize the provided bread, so as not to let any of the ample sauce go to waste, you'll find it a "sopper's delight". * Is it possible to ruin Tiramisu? I doubt it . . . but its quality certainly can vary. In this case, I'll venture that Carini's is the best by far. The unfortunate negatives (and the reasons for the two-star deduction): * What could have been, and should have been, a very pleasing, simple and straightforward spinach salad (with cucumber, fontinella cheese and kalamata olives, in a sundried tomato vinaigrette) was ruined by the fact that whomever added the dressing drowned this unfortunate little salad that never did nothing to nobody. * The coffee -- both my first cup and the refill -- were barely warm enough to count as "tepid", much less hot. Details, even those as small as this, matter in a fine dining establishment with fine dining prices. * And, speaking of fine dining establishments with fine dining prices: These, of all places, should not commit that cardinal sin: jumping on board the "me too" train, shamelessly taking on the feel and appearance of a sports bar. In short, guys, 86 the giant TVs (of which there were, I think, at least two, in the not-all-that-huge bar area. I had to choose my seat in the dining area so as not to have to see either of them.) The prices, menu and marketing of Carini's all say "class" and quality (and/or an attempt to project class and quality). TVs say "tacky". Lazy. Like almost every other tacky, lazy, fungible place one might choose to step into these days. Because a Brewers game was on, and because I noticed it (behind and above the head of the understanding young lady at a table to my left), I succumbed to the temptation to steal (pun intended) several glances. But had I been left with nothing more than people-watching and my own thoughts, I would have survived just fine. Just fine, thank you. read more

This is a quintessential Italian restaurant. The decor and feel are perfect and we didn't even realize they had wood fired pizza- so I guess we're heading back since it was a shrimp day for us all! Reservations online were really easy, and they made sure we got to our show on time. read more

See all

Stop here for authentic Italian pizza! The Margarita pizza is amazing! The service is great and the decor is very pleasing. We decided to try the dessert menu, Tiramisu was a real winner! read more

See all

Such a classic Italian restaurant! I used to go with family all the time when I was going to UWM and recently went back to reminisce and it was the same great food! Did not disappoint. It's a family-owned restaurant and it feels like way. Like eating and Italian meal with family. We always start with a pizza and Aperol Spritzes for an appetizer. The Diavola is our favorite. The flavors of the sauce mixed with the spicy meat and the perfectly cooked crust. Chef's kiss! Then we always get some sort of pasta. They never miss and feel like they were cooked right out of Nana's kitchen. The meatballs are great! We always end with tiramisu. This is the place! read more

Carini's La Conca D'Oro - Pizza and aperol spritz - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Loved the feel inside and everyone was friendly. Food was great, the bread was amazing. I got the chicken parm. The chicken portion was large and loved the fresh mozzarella on top. I would have liked a little more sauce. Will be back to try the pizzas! read more

Carini's La Conca D'Oro - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Decent local spot for southern Italian food with huge portions. We had the Veal Marsala, Fettuccine Alfredo, and the Mussels. Dishes were ok- the Veal was probably the best entree of the evening. Would probably give this place 3 1/2 stars if that was available. read more

Carini's La Conca D'Oro - Veal Marsala - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I took 10 of my family members out for a birthday here last night and loved the ambiance. I've had great pizza, and great Italian food before, so I had high expectations for this place. I am pretty adventurous with my food choices, so I got one of the more non traditional foods on the menu - the Quattro gusti (4 flavors, literally) - it was pizza that was mushrooms, prosciutto, olives and artichokes. I didn't find the combination necessarily poor, but not exceptional. The pizza was standard for the Neapolitan style in that it gooey cheesy thin crust and I thought quality was alright. My wife got the Quattro formaggi and thought the olive oil base upset her fragile stomach - so take that as it is. Other than that, the family swore by the food they had - noting favorites like any of the pasta and particularly the chicken Parmesan and spumoni for dessert. Santo, our server was exceptional with our service. Very attentive and informative when need be. read more

We came here on a whim after attempting to go to a nearby Thai restaurant that was closed. The place was packed on a Friday night but we were still seated immediately. The service, while not fast, was very friendly. The peach Cosmo was delish! Our entrees came with a bread basket, garlic olive oil and Parmesan cheese. I don't know if I've ever had too much garlic on anything - ever - but their garlic olive oil had so much raw garlic that I'll be keeping the vampires away for decades! Not my favorite, but their entrees made up for it. I had the penne alla vodka, which was creamy and perfectly al dente. My husband had the chicken Marsala with penne, which was slightly sweet and delicious. The ambiance was very homey and comfortable. I can see why they have so many positive reviews! read more

See all

Our server Madeline, was a delight from the get go! Very personable and knowledgeable and gave us many suggestions for drinks and appetizers! The blood orange martini was amazing and the housemade limoncello was divine. The olive oil with garlic was perfect for the bread and our main dishes, eggplant parm and the bolognese were straight out of Italy! Highly recommend and ask for Maddie! And cheesecake to finish for the win! read more

The experience was excellent from sit down to dessert! Our server, Madeline, was so personable and attentive and made sure our experience was top notch. She made wonderful recommendations and our drinks were never empty. Their eggplant parm was amazing and shrimp tortellini was rich but absolutely delicious. Definitely will be back soon and will ask for Madeline! read more

Puttanesca was just ordinary, no anchovies or sausage. 'Southern Italian' food should taste spicy.

We waited about 45 minutes for our pasta dishes. The restaurant is not very busy tonight but it is Sunday, and the waiter mentioned this is the last day of the week they're open. We wanted to order pizza and the waiter said they are out of pizza for the night but he didn't tell us until about 30 minutes after we were sitting. Also, we asked for no shrimp in the tortellini dish we ordered but they gave us shrimp anyway. The food tasted fine otherwise but I probably won't be coming back. read more

See all

The service was great and a few meals were tasty, but I also ordered a clam pasta that wasn't my favorite. The clams weren't cleaned properly as every bite that I took had grit in it which made it difficult to eat. That aside, the other meals were good abs the service was great! read more

The food and atmosphere is lovely. It is true Sicilian food. A very welcoming place. Great for a casual dinner. Drinks are good too. Two thumbs up. read more

The waitress was outstanding. The lasagna was a pile of flat lasagna noodles and sauce with meat poured onto pile.. I have eaten lasagna forever and it is always cut in squares with layers of sauce and meat inside and some sauce on top; apparently the son chef deviates from his dad's authentic style or cooking. My friend did not like her vegetarian dish. We did like the lemon type of pie.. Will go back as it is in neighborhood and have had better luck in past.. read more

Carini's is the place to go for traditional Italian cuisine in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Came here recently on a Saturday night to enjoy some Italian eats with my main dining companion. Our server was brand new and did a wonderful job with our table. We both ordered bourbon Manhattans, which were strong, ample, and well made (though missing a cherry). To begin our experience, bread with this amazing olive oil, herb, and garlic (tons of garlic--so good!) was brought to our table with our Manhattans. The bread was ok but the oil mixture was the true star of the show. If you like garlic, you will love this! For my entree, I ordered their eggplant pasta. I actually was trying to order their eggplant parmesan, but through a miscommunication with our server ended up with the eggplant pasta--a happy accident! The pasta was flavorful with ample diced eggplant. It was rich, flavorful, and just plain delicious. For dessert, we shared a cannoli, which was a lovely treat (highly recommend!). All in all a wonderful first experience with Carini's La Conca D'Oro. Get to it (they have curbside takeout as well!)! read more

Carini's La Conca D'Oro - Cannoli - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Dined here last night with a friend. They only had room in the patio area which was cold. We were very hungry and in the mood to try a little bit of everything. We started with a salad. The server told us the bigger portion would be too big, so the smaller would be better. It was more of a one-person portion than two. The house vinaigrette is perfect. We split a Margherita pizza, which we both loved. Can't go wrong with a nice wood fire pizza! Fresh ingredients and cooked perfectly. My friend ordered the shrimp tortellini and I got the fettuccine clams in garlic sauce. We were served bread and olive oil with the entrees. The bread was nothing special, but it doesn't matter when you have oil and cheese to douse it in. The clams in my pasta were tasty, but pretty scarce in comparison to the noodles. The garlic sauce is... garlic sauce. Pretty oily and extremely garlicky. I enjoyed my friends shrimp tortellini more than my own dish. It has a scrumptious cream sauce. We finished our meal with a nice slice of tiramisu. Yum! I prefer it to have a bit more coffee flavor, but other than that is was great. There are plenty of dishes I still want to try so I'm sure I'll be back! read more

See all

Today, I took 10 people to Carinis. We had a wonderful evening thanks to our great waitress, Hannah. She never rushed us and was very attentive. This was the first restaurant I went to in years that continued to serve the customers even though it was past closing. We never heard the kitchen is closed. This showed how they appreciated our business. The restaurant was clean and the food was good. They offered something for everyone's taste. read more

Antique decor. Great service. Good old school recipes. Sadly this high priced cafe has an arrogant chef who over salts the food when you send it back for being un appetizingly cool. Who wants to eat luke warm lasagna? Yuk. The plate comes back from the kitchen painfully hot so salty you can barely eat it but just enough to make you wonder if it's you. You say nothing. That will teach you. I should have sent it back again. BAD AFTER TASTE of arrogant chef. Too bad. Who needs that? read more

The food was amazing- the flavors were savory and the portions were huge! I had the chicken marsala and my boyfriend had a margarita pizza. The pizza crust was cooked to perfection. Our server, Lisa, deserves huge accolades!! She was attentive, funny, helpful and kind. She checked up on us regularly despite the restaurant being busy- which was so refreshing from service I havw received from other restaurants. The owner checked up on us at the end of our meal to ask how everything was, which I think is very important for a restaurant and the customer experience . The ambiance of the restaurant was clean, quant, and authentic! We will definitely be returning and asking for Lisa! read more

Carini's La Conca D'Oro - Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We had the most lovely time at Carini's! Our waitress was beyond lovely and so friendly - we felt like she became a friend by the end of our meal. Everything was made from scratch and/or imported from Italy, and we loved everything that we ordered. The pizzas are so delicious - perfect wood fired thin crusts - and the Parmigiana pizza (with eggplant) was a favorite of all of ours! The interior is relatively basic Italian-restaurant with some fun murals on the walls. It was a little on the louder side but that may be more related to the people sitting nearby us. We were very pleased with our drinks as well - the house wine was excellent and the mixed drinks were super tasty and made with an Italian hard seltzer type drink. read more

The Spiedini was very dry. Vodka sauce a nothing to write home bout. The tomato on the Caprese salad was almost white and we are in the heart of summer which I would have thought the tomato would had been amazing. Service was good. We did not have a reservation. read more

My wife and I travel often to Milwaukee and we love coming to Carrini's for great Italian food and pizza. My wife orders 1/2 rack of lamb - Her favorite by far. I especially enjoy the pasta dishes and pizza. -- Can't beat that wood fired oven from Italy. -- Great owners. Son PJ took or order and owner Peter stopped by our table to make sure my wife was happy with the lamb - See was. An added benefit of dining here is the beautiful artwork. Enhances greatly the experience. We love this place and highly recommend. read more

Carini's La Conca D'Oro - Italian Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

My visit here was great, so it's probably more of a 3.5 than a 3, but I just couldn't bring myself to give it 4 stars. For the price that I paid, the food was just mediocre at best. The ambiance and the waitress were kind, but never once did we asked to get a refill on water, which we definitely could have used. And although I am definitely one of those people who prefers less check-ins, the waitress only checked in with us when she was actually bringing something to the table. On to the food; I'm gluten free so there are gluten free options. The noodles were ok, but I've had better gluten free noodles. That was neither here nor there because I was just grateful there was an option for me. My biggest qualm was that this wasn't the most delicious Alfredo I ever tried. I ordered the chicken Alfredo and I was so disappointed. They have their own seasoned salt that I guess they make in-house? This was actually pretty good and I did top my pasta dish with it, which made me like it better. But I would not recommend this dish. Mozz sticks were very good! And I would recommend this. I do wish I would have went with the meatballs and marinara. Definitely worth the shot. My visit was not worth the money, unfortunately. Not sure if I'd return. read more

See all

An excellent Italian restaurant with classic Italian feel with a variety of dishes. I went with the stone fired pizza which was incredibly flavorful. Fantastic service made for a wonderful experience. A classic Italian feel to the read more

We trekked up to the north shore to try this Siciliano ristorante. We, being my 12-year-old son and me, the guy who lived in Italy for four years. My son is a pizza margarita aficianato. His review was simply, "this is a 9 for Milwaukee and a 6 or 7 for Italia." I also had a pizza (parmigiana e melanzana). The sauce was outstanding. The crust was near perfect as well. The cheese was not top shelf, but still tasty. We had the melanzane fritte as an appetizer. Again, the sauce was unbelievable (we even bought two jars on our way out). The ambience was a tad noisy, but that isn't the restaurant's fault. What's up with Midwestern women thinking everything everyone says at their table calls for feigned belly laughs? My ears are still ringing. Our server was kind and clearly overworked. The place was packed and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Carini's is a great place. I would give it a 5 star but I have had better pizza in two other Wisconsin places. Still, give it a try. I would go back without hesitation. read more

perhaps my favorite Italian food in Milwaukee. an authentic Italian restaurant vibe. I'm obsessed with their vodka sauce + add meatballs. their arancini & pizzas are also fantastic. cocktails are a bit hit & miss, so I normally just opt for a bottle of wine which works fantastically. went for my birthday this year & they gave a complimentary dessert -- the cannoli was delicious. read more

The food is amazing. Been there quite a few times. One of my favorite hidden gems of Milwaukees east-side.

Great food great people excellent atmosphere and the food was amazing. Every time I've been there never had a bad experience.

Nothing too special to remember here. Seated quickly. Server attentive. I had the mussels macchiato and New England clam chowder soup. I was looking for something smaller because I snacked earlier. Bruschetta was delightful! Very garlicky which I enjoyed! Mussels were just okay... I thought the sauce was too acidic for my liking. The soup wasn't anything special. Maybe could have used more salt. read more

See all

I had heard so many wonderful things about Carini's that we made the long drive across the city to check it out for ourselves. For a Saturday night they were not terribly busy although they did seem to be doing a brisk takeout business for pizza. We waited about 15 minutes for someone to bring water and take our order. We started with bruschetta; this was fine. Tomatoes aren't in season but Carini's enhances the current crop well and this was tasty. We then had salads. We felt that $10.00 each for the house salad - basically a side salad - was a bit steep. We each had a pasta dish - bolognese for me and spaghetti with meatballs for my husband. Again, for what these dishes were the price was a bit high. The pasta was fine but nothing exceptional. Overall we had an enjoyable evening out but we won't be back. read more

We're new to the area and had driven by this restaurant several times and wanted to try it. I wish I could say we liked it more. I have to say the Caesar salad was one of the best I've ever had. The bread and dipping oil was a nice touch but it was WAY too heavy on the garlic. The entrees were just okay. We were there with the family and having a good time, so we weren't really dwelling on the food. The funny thing was that the old couple next to us were eavesdropping on our table talk and the woman spoke up, apparently offended by something one of us said. At that point it was time for us to go. We were laughing as we left the table but this is apparently a place for old fogeys and we won't be going back. read more

If you are Italian, or want to feel like an Italian, you need to come to this restaurant. We were invited to join our friends for a Sunday evening here. Out fried knows the owner and a lot of the staff, or at least it seemed that way, maybe because he is Italian and fits right in. Drinks were served and recommendations from the waitress were explained. The owner/chef came out and also talked about the options nd quality of certain items. We started with rice balls and calamari for appetizers. Both delicious. A small pizza was also ordered to compliment the dimmers along with great bread and oil and balsamic dipping items. The veal Marsala I ordered was phenomenal, the lamb shank was to die for, the shrimp scampi for my wife was melt in your mouth delicious and two other entries were also great. The tiramisu for desert that we all shared was a perfect capper for a masterful meal. read more

The food and service was amazing! My husband and i really enjoyed this restaurant! The veal was delicious and cooked perfectly! The salmon and pasta was also very tasty! We met the owner Peter and his family ... very nice. This was a Milwaukee gem with authentic Italian food! read more

Put those balls in my mouth anytime! Chicky parm is on point and if we're lucky this place will around as long as your dad's tighty whiteys.

Great delicious food, very family oriented we love this place. Great customer service. The lamb was out of this world read more

See all

Would not go back here. Even if you like, no, LOVE garlic, it's too much: the main ingredient in everything is garlic. You think noodles make pasta, pasta? Carini's thinks garlic is more important than noodles. Bruschetta with an otherwise great tomato/oil? Nope, minced garlic smeared all over the toasted slices. I will be sweating garlic for literal months. The bottom of your bowl will be straight up garlic. Don't expect to get laid after going here. Especially if you live for that vampire life. Okay. All joking aside. Bruschetta was pretty good, not with the original price of $10...but happy hour pricing was ok. Wine: sucked. Tasted like Franzia for $8/glass @happy hour pricing. Salad tasted like dirt. Didn't eat it. Couldn't tell if it was the romaine that they were "allowed to start serving again" or if it was the dressing. Nope. Legit described it as dirt. Shrimp tasted worse than the NYE cocktail shrimp you get for $5 a platter. Pasta was pure garlic. I don't even think they used a sauce. Just oily garlic. Our bill for 2 people with happy hour pricing was...wait for it... EIGHTY SIX DOLLARS! $86. That is 8 tens and 6 ones. I'd rather eat at Maggianos or Olive Garden any day. Oh, and they still haven't cleaned the year+ old cobwebs from the bathroom chandelier... Update: too much garlic makes you vom...believe me was definitely the garlic (6 hrs later) read more

I've passed by a few times but this was my very first time actually making reservations and going in for dinner. Great service on just walking in and being directed to our seat. Our server was friendly gave us suggested since it was our first time here, tried their lemon drop it was delicious she made just right. The mozzarella sticks were hot and so good which made me happy, I didn't try the rice balls but were told that they were delicious. I enjoyed the pizza let me tell you it was so good I was shocked I didn't finish the entire thing, because I read some reviews said it was small. But then again I had appetizer so that could be the reason I didn't finish, and I had a few bites of the pasta also. I will be going back for sure to get food instead of pizza but overall very happy. Now onto dessert :) which makes me happy. The lava cake OH IT WAS GOOD so soft and moist the ice cream just made it even better. And their tiramisu was also yummy I only had a few bites because the lava cake was what I wanted. So delicious and the chocolate at the bottom soooo good read more

See all

The food here is decent, although my pasta has never been al dente... but the service is pretty mediocre... not that polished service is common in Milwaukee whatsoever... there is no ambiance... and you could certainly do a lot worse... I would try it to go... at least then you could hit up the amazing liquor store adjacent. read more