If you like real Italian food you will likely be disappointed. The sad thing is there really isn't a place in Cullman for the good stuff. Stick with the pizza and the salads here. The Italian dishes are only a smidge better than a frozen Stouffer's. It's like when you are a kid and beg your parents for a restaurant meal but they tell you they can make it just as good at home, LOL! I can actually cook a better meal at home and have it done 30-minutes faster than the wait you'll have here. The portions are on the larger side, so anyone more concerned with quantity over quality will be pleased. Many locals love it, but the key here is locals, so if you're well traveled and just passing through I'd suggest getting your Italian fix outside of Cullman. read more

This restaurant is excellent I had the best experience coming to this restaurant with my family it's an experience I will remember forever I come here every summer and it is great as always every time I hope when your in town you will come and have a great experience here too! read more

With 2 restaurants with the exact same recipes I still enjoy bringing clients for a small town owned restaurant for a treat.

Traveling south and found out it was national pizza day, so looked for an Italian restaurant near us and found this place. The restaurant has a rustic/eclectic vibe. Really cute place! Our server was very friendly and gave us great recommendations. We ordered salads, chili, meatballs and a thin crust pizza. Both of us enjoyed everything we ordered. It's totally worth the extra few minutes off the interstate! read more

OMG.... The blackberry cheesecake cobbler is a SIN! So good you will not be sorry you ate the calories! Splurge Day Only!! Great service and friendly too read more

Carlton's Italian Restaurant & Catering - Does that need a review? I think not! - Italian Near Me - Cullman, Alabama

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Beautiful Atmosphere, tremendous authentic Italian Cuisine and wonderful service! A must try if your in Cullman! read more

My friend comes from Hoover to visit. This is where he wants to go, of all the places in Cullman. My friend from work also loves it. I've only had one item, the pepperoni pizza. But why change something if you love it! I always go there when I want to eat a pizza and treat myself read more

Drove up from Gardendale just to try this place out. A group of our friends went with us. Around 6:40 PM on a Saturday evening, we waited about 15 minutes for a table. We immediately ordered some garlic bread and picked out different items from the menu. Lasagna, baked spaghetti with meatballs, all the meats pizza, Memphis BBQ pizza, white pizza, and Caesar salad. The lasagna was my favorite but I was concerned about reviews that said the sauce was too salty. There were no problems with another being salty. The pizzas were a big hit with all. The Caesar salad was really good. The Memphis BBQ pizza had chunks of chicken breast, smoked bacon, BBQ sauce, and pineapple. Really good and different. The white pizza was rich with cheese sauce. We finished it all off with pecan praline cannelloni. We really enjoyed the great service and we will be back. I asked the table what were the favorites and the response was mostly pizza. The lasagna was one of the best I have had and you could tell it was assembled after I ordered. I'm glad I ordered the extra large ($10.99). How can you beat that price? Salads are extra. I do wish they had Coke products as I prefer a Diet Coke with my Italian food. Great meal and great service. Only problem I have is the carb overload. It was worth it. Hopefully my doctor will not read this. read more

Nice people, good service. However, the menu offerings are not Italian, nor taste of Italy. The ravioli were extra large, and baked in a greasy sauce loaded with cheese. Sorry. Nothing was appetizing. read more

We were seated and got our drinks pretty quickly despite them being very busy. Biggest con is it took approx 35 min to get our food but it was busy 6pm Friday evening. 4/4 kids and 2/2 adults loved their meals and want to come back. No complaints. read more

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I make many visits to Cullman and I really wanted to try Carlton's Italian Restaurant. Well I tried it last night and I cannot tell you how disappointed I was I am sorry to say. It started with the hostess offering a corner booth that only faced the wall, after insisting she agreed to give me a table in the middle of the room. The water was good and the wine was ok. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs, thank God I ordered a small portion of pasta, it was way overdone, I could of used it for wall paper glue. The meatballs were obviously not homemade, they were right out of the freezer bag. The red sauce was passable, unfortunately the green peppers that were in it were a little overwhelming. The garlic bread was good, unfortunately it arrived as I was finishing my salad. Yes, I am a northerner and I am spoiled by many really good Italian restaurants. I should offer to bring the owners up north for a few experiences of a good Italian restaurant. I will try Carlton's the next time I am in Cullman, maybe my second experience will be better. People at the next table were really enjoying their pizza! read more

I have called and gone by this place many times during the COVID 19 shutdown, everytime they were closing or closed. They close at 8 pm now. I wish that I would have found them closed again tonight, but I didn't! I ordered the Chicken Parm and I ordered an extra large Lasagna, with 2 side salads, it came to about $38.( I would have paid $100 if it was worth it.) It was terrible, the Chicken tasted like it was freezer burned, the Lasagna tasted worse than a frozen TV dinner! I was horrified, they used to be a great place! Definitely one of my favorites, over just about any Italian in the North Alabama area! If they ever get Cullman's Favorite from the Cullman Times again either every single restaurant in or near Cullman closed or somebody did some magic! Too bad, it was such a cute place! read more

The service is always slow, very slow, I ordered a 16" pizza they told me 35 min, so I waited to leave my house, got there 30 min later, paid for it. Place was not too crowded, they were letting people stand way too close during this pandemic. Anyhow I waited outside, 60 min later I went in to see if I was close, they said it was in the oven. I did not want to wait any longer. I asked fir my card to get credited back , girl had to ask a manager, she came back told me she could only give me cash... ok I took it. Why did a manager not come out and try to fix this??? Tell me it would only be 20 min, sorry fir my wait???? Nothing. My family have been patronizing this place for the 20 years we have lived here. I'm done..... I did talk 3 groups out of eating there on my way back , to my car. read more

I stopped here for lunch today. Friends had recommended I give it a try. There was quite a number of people there but I had no wait and my order was taken just after being seated... I ordered the medium size Lasagna and a salad. The lasagna was great. It was served hot with a small loaf of the best buttery bread to top it off. The salad was fresh mixed greens with all the fixings! The menu had a lot to choose from and all other patrons seemed to be enjoying their lunch... The Resturant sported a great atmosphere well decorated and inviting with exceptional service to boot! A very good first experience! I'll definitely return here with friends. Keep up the good work Carlton's! read more

Coming from New Jersey, i.e. the east coast, having experienced a variety of GOOD, flavorful and authentic pizza, I was expecting a restaurant identified as "Italian" to have GOOD pizza. The pizza was not at all good nor what I had expected. After eating the pizza, I asked the waitress about their pizza. The waitress told me that they put the prepared pizza on a pan or cookie sheet to initially cook it. They then take the cook pizza off of the pan and put it on the hot oven shelf. The pizza takes like homemade pizza that someone puts on one of those round metal pans with holes in it to heat a store bought or possibly frozen pizza pie. The dough is chewy, somewhat tough but definitely it does not have a crisp bottom like a pizza from a brick oven. I have not gone back for any other entree as I fear that it might be more like the quality of the pizza. read more

I absolutely love this place!!! Great food and atmosphere would highly recommend this place to everyone who is looking for a good local Italian restaurant!! I have had from there Tuscan Pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, and the spinach artichoke dip. My favorite is the Tuscan Pasta! read more

Always good. Had pizza and bruschetta both were excellent. Had marinara sauce on the side for dipping no go boxes needed.

Had an early dinner here last night. Absolutely delicious food and wonderful service. We'll be back soon!

Salt, salt and more salt. What this restaurant needs is more fresh garlic and less garlic salt. Even the garlic bread was slathered in margarine and garlic salt instead of real butter and crushed FRESH garlic. This meal was a real disappointment and so salty it was inedible. read more

Went to Carlyon's with a total of 5 guests. The waitress showed up with her nose sticking out of her mask which is actually doing nothing for our elderly family members in protecting them. Then when the food arrived the spaghetti was terrible. The noodles were not spaghetti noodles but in fact was angle hair pasta. They were overcooked and mushy with absolutely no texture. The meat sauce was maybe 2 teaspoons of a mushy overcooked nasty sauce. The breadsticks that came with the pasta were so hard you could have hammered a nail in wood with them. You couldn't even break them! Then comes our pizza after about a 50 minute wait for it. The bottom of the pizza was completely raw! We ordered a pizza with onions, olives, bell peppers, ham, pepperoni, and jalapeños. We received a pizza with no jalapeños and they added mushrooms and sausage. When we brought this up to the waitress instead of making it right and as ordered she brought us a bowl of jalapeños. WTF? We spent $116 on the WORST meal we have ever had. read more

I have not only worked here but have eaten here as well. The entire crew is incredible and the management is the best. The food is amazing and hope I have oppurtunities to visit again. read more

Nice quaint quiet place. Friendly service and competence service. Food is good overall. the marinara sauce is good. However, the lasagna and baked spaghetti is relatively uneventful. Will have to try the pizza. Overall a good little place. read more

While traveling and on a time limit, found Carlton's to be very friendly, efficient and serving very good food. Nice find during the Covid era. Everyone working and patrons used masks and social distanced. Indoor and outdoor seating available as well as indoor and carryout service. read more

It was cool the day we went and yet the inside was colder than sitting outside. I tried to order soup but was told it was seasonal and they wouldn't be serving any until maybe November (why is it even on the menu). I ended up ordering a plate of chicken salad, if you are looking for flavor don't order this. Sadly we waited about 30 minutes for this and I still had to ask for the crackers that were supposed to be served with it. Service wasn't up to par either, who needs utensils right?? read more

This place wasn't awful but not all it's talked up to be, The food doesn't taste like Italian food, Olive Garden taste more authentic witch wouldn't be a problem if they didn't claim to be an Italian restaurant. The server I had didn't use a notepad witch caused her to get my order wrong. The food was okay but overall I'm unimpressed and feel like I could make something better at home for less money. read more

Ok so it honestly pains me to have to write this review, but... We along with my family have been coming here for over a decade and have always had a good service and good food. With that being said tonight was the ABSOLUTE worst service we have EVER received EVER at any restaurant we have EVER been to. We had a party of eight and waited almost an hour to get a table, which was expected on a Friday night with a large party. Then It took our food over an hour to get to our table, when we asked politely how much longer it was going to be our original waitress told us well ya know it's a friday night and walked away. We were taken a back. So when she came back to the table we asked to speak to the manager. After waiting 15mins another server came to our table and said our managers are on the beach right now and she was in charge because "she was the oldest and had been at Carltons for nine years, and that we would be disappointed to speak to the manager tonight." (This unknown named server was an older lady with blonde hair and glases.) We said ok lol..... well here's what the problem is. She then proceeded to get an attitude with us and said "Oh let me guess, you guys are liberals!" We were like, WTF did she just say to us!!? We said are you serious?! She then slammed the check down on the table and said here is this what you wanted, a free meal!! At this point we were all so blown away by what was happening and asked for her name. She then told us that she doesn't have to tell us and walked away. read more

Great atmosphere! The lasagna is so good! Get there early to eat because the sitting feels up quick.

I had the baked spaghetti with meatballs. I don't typically order spaghetti at restaurants. Glad I did. It's one of the best spaghetti dinners I've ever had at a restaurant. No words to describe how good the garlic bread was. read more

This is my favorite restaurant for spaghetti and meatballs. Staff is very friendly. I have a service dog and there's never an issue.

I haven't had really good Italian since I moved away from New Orleans in 2005. I did have a great Italian meal here and can't wait to work in that area again so that I can go back and try some of their other items. I went for lunch and had their spaghetti and meatballs. It's funny how many people can mess this dish up! Carlton's made an incredible red sauce and great meatballs. It was all wonderful! read more

Love this restaurant. The pizza is delicious and handmade. Happy to support these local owners when I visit home.

Absolutely wonderful. The very best meal I have had. Wonderful employees as well as magnificent food with a splendid scenery.

Frequently, my family drives to Rosemary Beach, Florida from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Cullman is often our midway point. Any time we've lodged in Cullman, Carlton's has been our go-to restaurant. Great Italian food, especially pizza, served in a cool space. Family-friendly, too. Carlton's a real gem! read more

Haven't actually eaten there because after my husband and I drove about 45 minutes from Smith Lake to one of the few Cullman restaurants actually open on Monday night we were turned away at the door at 830 pm.... everything online and in their Facebook page says they are open until 9pm including the sign on the door. They did have 3 tables of people eating but we were told "they closed early tonight". This is an unacceptable way to run a business. So we went to Grumpys Italian Grill and had an excellent dinner. Thanks Grumpy's!! read more

If you're looking for authentic Italian, keep going. BUT if you like quality American Italian cuisine, you'll be very happy. The portions are generous and the prices are fair. The restaurant is beautiful and clean. The baked spaghetti with garlic bread is my favorite. (The bread is VERY garlicky, I like that). The service has been slow and underwhelming every time I've visited, so I get my food to go now. read more

Traveled here on business and wanted something local. Great atmosphere great food. Preferred the spinach and shrimp penne which was delicious. The bread sticks that come with dinner were great too. Other posts talk about the slow service, but our food was out very quick. Highly recommended. read more

The food is great and that's why I keep coming back. The service is good but unbelievably slow. I get an hour for lunch and i work a 5 min drive away, I either have to call in my order 30 mins prior or eat elsewhere. Also, the portions are a bit small and the menu seems somewhat limited to be Italian. But like I said the food is great and they are really nice and that's why they get 4 instead of three read more

I haven't eaten here, but they drive like morons. Their enormous SUV doesn't need to yield to traffic evidently and they've never heard of turn signals. I'd avoid this place out of spite. read more

The food was good and nicely priced, but the service was SLOOOOOOOOW. It's one thing that the main dishes take time since they are prepared from scratch, but you shouldn't need 15 minutes to get a salad. read more

I gave it a 4 because the food was delicious (as always). I've been eating here for years and always have great food. Sure the food takes a while to come out, but quality takes time. I didn't leave a 5 star because my service hasn't been great the last few times. My server last night was a younger girl who argued with me about my order. Then, I heard her talking about me to the table next to mine. And finally the last straw was her filling up every other table's drinks, looking at my empty glass, then walking on and not refilling my water. She finally refilled it AFTER my meal was over and she'd already taken my dishes away...I won't say any names. But if the owners read this her name started with an S. Sorry to not leave. 5 star. The food was amazing. read more