We dined at Carmela's for the first time to celebrate our birthdays, which are just five days apart. It was our first visit there and our server, John, made it special for us with complimentary birthday cake! For dinner, we wanted to sample several dishes so we shared the following: house and Caesar salads, lobster ravioli, lasagna Bolognese, Carbonaro, and pollo alla parmigiana. Everything tasted delicious, and we, of course, had lots of leftovers which reheated nicely at home. We're looking forward to a return visit to Carmela's soon! read more

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Went here on a Friday night with a large party. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious. I ordered a Cesar salad with dressing on the side (option to add anchovies) and chicken Parmesan. The serving sizes were also generous. Parking is tough but there is a lot across the street that can be used in the evenings. read more

Stopped by Carmela's at Macri's for dessert after a Notre Dame game and wow--we were blown away by all the delicious treats. From the cannolis to the cheesecake to the kolachkes (those buttery filled cookies)--everything was incredible. This is one of those places where I honestly recommend trying everything (no regrets here, lol). The environment is warm and welcoming, with super friendly staff that make you feel right at home. It's also in a great location in the city--easy to get to and perfect for a post-game treat or casual stop. They've even got a fun little section with Italian grocery staples, so you can grab a few things to take home. We'll definitely be back next time we're in South Bend! read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Dessert case - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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Reservations required on graduation weekend. Very busy, but service was quick. They are almost too quick to clear plates away. Small parking lot plus street parking. Calamari was excellent. Perfectly cooked and served with giardiniera peppers. We got 2 orders for 10 people and finished it quickly. Entrees were good. Typical Italian food like chicken parm, shrimp scampi, chicken marsala. Veal parm was noticeably smaller portion than chicken parm. read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Pollo alla Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

Service was perfect, food was delicious. A lovely dining experience! We had the baked tortellini with vodka sauce, the carbonara with shrimp and the chicken piccata. The pasta was fresh and all of the dishes tasted incredibly fresh. We were treated to a piece of cake as we were celebrating our anniversary and it was moist delicious! Our server Kaylee was lovely. Attentive but not overbearing. I highly recommend! Already looking forward to the next time we are in South Bend so we can have dinner at Carmela's again! read more

My friend and I came here on 02/13 to celebrate Valentine's Day with dinner a day early. I won't lie, the food was absolutely amazing. However, the aftermath was not. It's 3 am, my girlfriend has been stuck in the restroom with what I can only assume is food poisoning for a few hours now. She's vomiting, has a fever, chills, and so forth and so on. This food somehow has made her so sick that we get to spend actual Valentine's Day trying to get her to feel better. read more

very sweet interior. chocolate bomba and gnocchi were repeat order material. stuffed mushrooms didn't taste as fresh. mozzarella sticks were also meh read more

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A group of us went here for dinner tonight. The server was very good tonight. We started with the mushroom appetizer and it was excellent - you get four of them for $13. I ordered the chicken Parmesan and the breading on the chicken was so good. The pasta that came with it was good - some were very hot and others were cold. My other half ordered manicotti and the portion was only two pieces it seemed very small compared to the other meals. The best part was the dessert - we had the chocolate bomba which had chocolate and vanilla gelato in a dark chocolate shell with a cherry and almonds / it was excellent. I would recommend this place - it seemed pricy our meal was almost $85 They do charge a 3% fee if you use a credit card read more

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The food is wonderfully prepared and presented. The bruschetta is the best anywhere, and the dessert bomb is outstanding. It's a delightful atmosphere with a competent, thoughtful wait staff. read more

The Special Menu last evening was amazing! The black ink pasta with seafood was incredible... The wine special was perfect for this meal. Best Authentic Italian Food in the South Bend Area. The Vanilla Gelato with Sambuca and a double expresso topped with pistachio completed my meal perfectly. read more

Food was very good, lively place, friendly service. We got the park and the homemade lasagna. The sauces were the best part. The pasta could have been better - perhaps better noodles would help! Overall had a great time with my Dad here and would try it again. read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Pollo alla Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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I've eaten here a couple of times and gotten a couple different things off the menu, and it is always delicious. I love their mozzarella sticks and bruschetta appetizers. You can't go wrong with any entree, but my favorites are the chicken piccata and the chicken Marsala. The interior is also gorgeous- the painted ceilings remind me of Caesar's Palace in Vegas, haha. I also have yet to try their bakery but it's on my list! read more

I have to say I don't usually get veal parm but I got it here and wow I am happy with that choice for sure! It was cooked really well and it came with some pasta and overall delicious!! If you get a espresso martini make sure if you don't like chocolate to have them not add it in there, apparently they do it for the look and done ask you but I hate chocolate so I had to ask for another one. It wasn't very busy when we came in but somehow the waitress took a little bit of time to come back around everytime ‍ read more

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Great service; good selection. The portions are big...so be forwarned. Nice price point too. Its not really fancy...and that's a good thing. read more

I was in South Bend for work and was suggested this place by a coworker and I was not disappointed. This place is located about a 7-minute walk from the heart of downtown South Bend, right across the river. I went on a Wednesday night and was able to sit down at the bar immediately. However, it did end up getting busy, I would suggest reservations if at all possible. The bartender was super nice and friendly. She provided great service and awesome suggestions. The inside is decorated very cute and almost makes you feel like you are in Italy - KUDOS! I opted for a House Salad and the Chicken Marsala. The house salad was great, and the entree came with bread as well. The Chicken Marsala was honestly the best I have ever had! The sauce was on point and the onions and mushrooms were abundant. The chicken was cooked to perfection and was juicy and tender. The only thing wrong was that I didn't order more! I will absolutely be going back next time I am in South Bend and would highly suggest this place to anyone in town! read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Pollo Marsala - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

Our experience at Carmela's was awesome!! The food was fantastic and the service was even better. Our server, Ryleigh, was top notch...kind, knowledgeable, funny, and one of the best servers we've experienced in a long time!! She quickly navigated GF options for me and ensured they were prepared with the utmost caution. While not a native to the South Bend area, should I find myself in the area again, this will be my go-to restaurant. If you're in the area, stop by, you won't regret it...and ask for Ryleigh she's amazing!! P.S. the ambiance was also stellar! read more

Where do we go from here.... Probably not back, at least for a while. Please don't hurt me... no more. Yeah, I have that song in my head. We went for date night, really wanting some good pasta, but what we got was a pretty poor attempt at Italian by what seems as a chef who doesn't care. This is our third time here. Dessert the first two. And really those were pretty good, some better than others. But dinner tonight.... For starters our salad shouldn't have been served, looked like two day old lettuce. The bread, though fresh, really didn't have much taste. Unfortunately that just made me more critical. I ordered the carbonara, and my wife got the fettuccine, her baseline for an Italian restaurant hard to mess up, right? Nope. The carbonara, they wouldn't let me order without peas (said it was pre made... what? Should not be pré-made, that should have been my clue). But the peas were not fresh, and the dish was just ok. The shrimp tails weren't shelled. The fettuccine tasted like a weak milk sauce from powder. And unfortunately the pastry counter closed at 6 so only a few desserts. After that dinner we passed. Highlights were the Prosecco and the decor of the place, though simple it was clean and inviting. Service 3-4 Décore 3-4 Food 1 read more

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mostly the food was pretty good (especially the gnocchi) but some of the other food tasted kinda like microwaved frozen food (mostly the mozzarella sticks). service was nice, restaurant was really nice inside. read more

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South Bends Italian superstore! We had a wonderful celebration meal at Carmela's. Passing it over the years on the road and never getting a table. I made a reservation and the service meal and ambiance was in point. Eggplant Parmesan for me and my family loved the calamari. read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

This place has a great ambiance, it's really cute for a date night and the staff is awesome. However I'm sad to say what I had, the penne alla vodka, was very bland. It was extremely disappointing, and because I was there for work I just ate enough that I wouldn't be starving and then told the server I was finished. I decided to try dessert because, I needed something better, and they had an almond version of a tiramisu that I thought sounded incredible. Instead of espresso, the lady fingers were soaked in amaretto, and instead of being topped in cocoa powder, it was topped with an almond crunch and it was phenomenal. read more

Dinner at Carmela's at Macri's is a given, but during the holidays is a must. The decor, the pastas, the desserts, the service - all superb! : House salad : Lasagna Bolognese : Gnocchi with vodka sauce : Tiramisu + bomba read more

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The calamari was really good and the addition of the giardiniera was a nice touch. The lobster ravioli was excellent. Great flavor. And the shrimp were delightful. Service was excellent. Great ambiance at the restaurant too. Definitely a good place to go. Would come back. read more

From out of town and out had to stop by and see for myself. What a unique and fabulous place. Adriana was amazing and walked me through the menu and made several recommendations . Must have- beef raviolis, fresh salad and a pizza for the win! I'm coming back for sure and I'm getting desert on the way out! Can't miss very unique place. read more

We celebrated our anniversary last Saturday night. First time visit, we live in Michigan so we won't frequent, but it was good. Our food was good, but I wish I would have known how much I LOVED the marinara. I ordered the lobster ravioli, which was good but dang the marinara with the mozzarella sticks - chefs kiss! Speaking of mozzarella sticks they were delicious. Ordered an espresso martini and it also was good, maybe too much chocolate for me. Overall good service, good food and quick. We sat around 7:25 and had all of our food by 7:50. I also wish we would have got there when the bakery was still open, the thumbprint cookies looked real good in the case. read more

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Girls night! We celebrated our dear friends birthday here, great service and atmosphere. They have a limited vegan/vegetarian option. read more

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Carmela's is a nice Italian restaurant. The service is great, the interior is gorgeous and ambiance is just right. Naturally, I had to order the lasagna. Every lasagna has three key ingredients: the noodles, the filling, and the sauce. It's the three of these working in harmony that makes it such a great dish. Here, two of the three were exquisite, but one left me wanting. Starting with the sauce, it was fantastic. With the right amount of flavor and chunks of meat, I found myself scooping the bits that were left over after finishing the noodles. Next up, the filling was also well done. There was the right balance of cheese and other ingredients to really keep it all together. The noodles were the only thing that held this lasagna back. They simply couldn't stand up to the sauce and filling and felt a little soft. It was still quite good, but in the search for the perfect lasagna, it was just not where it needed to be. Overall, however, I still really enjoyed my dinner. read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Homemade Lasagna - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

Yes, yes, yes. Everything we ate/drank was 5 stars and I would order everything we had a second time. It was a birthday dinner so we went all out. Started off with a solid dirty martini. The oils and fresh herbs is a nice touch. For starters, the Barata and the Calamari. Drooling cause I want these again! Yes, yes, yes! Our main dishes, both pasta dishes and fantastic; carbonara for the Mr. And he said it was the best one he's had, I love love manicotti, and it did not disappoint, ate the entire dish! And for desert, espresso martini, tiramisu and this chocolate covered gelato bomba something, and this was the bomb!! read more

I was craving a nice Italian dinner after a long day of business travel. I found Carmela's on Yelp and decided to give them a try. I had shrimp scampi and Italian wedding soup and both were outstanding. I dined at the bar and the service and atmosphere was fantastic. Two thumbs up to Kat the bar tender for fantastic service and a night of laughs. read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Shrimp Scampi - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

2nd time I came here, 2nd time I was not pleased. Ordered the Veil Parmigiana and when it came out the meat smelled bad, kinda off putting like meat that's been sitting way too long in the refrigerator, Nasty. So I sent it back, well the manager came out and started telling me that they prepare the food in the morning and that it's prepared with the utmost confidence. Well, preparing food has nothing to do with if the meat is bad before you prepare it, I said. So, she sat there and argued about the food which is the worst thing you can do if you want to keep customers, and I explained everyone at the table tried a lil bit of it just to make sure I wasn't off my rocker and they couldn't palette it at all, even the waiter curled his nose up at the smell. So after arguing they brought me out chicken parm which was very good and I ate that. Manager had to explain to me that chicken parm was created the same way as the Veil but one was a chicken and the other a cow calf. like no shit..... waiter was great gave him 20% and we will not be back to this establishment because the manager has a chip on her shoulder. read more

We came here for an early dinner and the live music was just staring. The musician was really really good. We sat inside but there is a really nice patio. They had just launched the summer drinks menu. I had the lavender limoncello spritz. Not much limoncello flavor but it was very refreshing. We had the caprese salad which was super delicious. Highly recommend! We also had the veal piccata and did the extra split charge and then had two small Caesar salads. The Caesar salads were great and even though they weren't full size they were bigger than a normal side salads. The veal piccata was also good and a great portion for the two of us even split. The pasta was well cooked and buttery. Lots of capers as well. The veal was super tender and was breaded well. I was kind of sad eating the veal but it was good. We always had bread on the table that was super soft and tender. Great service all night. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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We met up with friends here during prom season without a reservation. Oops. In our defense (maybe) we were all from out of town. However, they were able to accommodate us outside on the patio. Service was great. Food was great. Drinks were great. Zero complaints, and would absolutely come again. Hopefully, we will remember reservations, and be seated in their gorgeous dining room. read more

Our first time here and we got in right before they closed. We missed the bakery but we will be trying them on our next trip to town. Service was great the food was so good and taste. We kept it simple since we got here late but we will be back to try more of the menu read more

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Great place! Great food quality! Great service! I wish the portions were slightly bigger but that may be because it's so delicious and it's never enough. Seriously, just a tad bigger (for example, $10 appetizers had 5 delicious shrimps - c'mon now). read more

We had a reservation for a party of five to celebrate my mom's birthday on a Saturday night. It was also after a Notre Dame home game, so the place was packed with football fans, but we were seated right away. Unfortunately, because of how crowded it was, there was an inexcusable gap between when we gave our drink and appetizer orders and when we ordered our entrees. That lag was made worse by the fact that our drink orders weren't filled right away, so not only were we sitting there waiting to order without our appetizers, but we didn't have water or even bread to munch on. Bread and water require almost no effort; they should appear as soon as people are seated. Once the drinks and bread came, things fell into a more amenable rhythm. It was still crowded, and our server still seemed frazzled, but she was friendly and apologetic, and the food is really good--much better than I thought it would be. They gave me the wrong sauce, but I didn't really care and wasn't about to make things awkward by having everyone else start eating while I waited, so I didn't say anything and thoroughly enjoyed the fact that I had probably picked the wrong sauce anyway. The ambiance is funny. They're going for the old Disneyland "you're inside, but we'll make you feel like you're outside" trick, but unlike Disneyland, Carmela's doesn't pull it off. At all. It feels all over the place inside, but it's also kind of fun to have random streetlights and arches and balcony railing. If you're part of the unfortunate overflow, you get stuck in Macri's next door, which is its own strange experience. Most of the people over there seemed to be on the younger side, so maybe they were given the option either to wait or to sit in a semi-dark closed deli, and they chose the latter. More power to them. The outside seating looked romantic, so if the weather is good, which it shockingly was in late October, that might be your best bet for a date. South Bend is so strange. Parts of it gentrify, but they're not the parts you would expect. I do like how so many weird parts of the city have more life now than they used to but most decidedly haven't gentrified. I don't know where I would place Carmela's in that mix, but it is nice that it and other nearby restaurants exist now. When I lived here, this Macri's location always seemed to be closed, and even though the sign never came down, the deli seemed locked down and empty. I'm glad the deli came back to life, but I don't know that associating the restaurant with the deli gives it any additional foodie cred; if anything, it's pure truth in advertising, which is good, but the entire "at" thing also feels like it's a popup, which it most decidedly isn't. I would definitely come back for dinner, just probably not after a football game. read more

Romantic restaurant. Cozy and good service. We ordered stuffed mushrooms , fride steak with penny pasta and chocolate cake. Everything tadted very good. Portions are medium but enough. Prices were reasonable. The only problem that they open in very limited hours. read more

My first time here, I took my wife to celebrate her birthday here. I loved this restaurant very much ! Here's why : - The atmosphere was amazing, it was captured from the Italian culture. And it was designed to feel that you are outside, but inside ! - Their food was super delicious, each playe comes and you'll be more satisfied ! (I liked the way they show you the menu of desserts, they don't have a menu, they bring you all the desserts on a plate and you choose whatever you like) - Their prices are really good, just right ! - The waitress was super nice and friendly, and she was patient with us too because we took a while to choose from the menu. - My only concern about the place, their limited opening times. But it's not a big deal, and that is really good for the employees so they can serve the customers happily ! Overall : I recommend coming to this place, specially for romantic dates. read more

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This is such a wonderful place to have in south bend. A generational restaurant that continues to thrive on delicious home made recipes and an atmosphere that welcomes all. They made our family feel like part of their family. Thank you. read more

Okay, I'll admit that I was already angry with this place when I went to Macri's bakery for a wedding cake tasting by appointment and was surprised and disappointed with how that went, when the owner eventually brought out 3 rudely cut slabs of cake on a tiny paper plate, BUT my husband brought home pastries from them from an event he sponsored at Notre Dame, and the cannoli was okay (not great and a greasy filling, but how bad can a cannoli really be?), so we thought we'd try the Italian restaurant attached to the bakery since its known in town to be this great thing (all I can hear is Vizzini telling Fezzik how he was supposed to be this colossus... https://youtu.be/ClzaP8HN2wc ) So...we walk to the door and its locked. Hours say 'open' so we walked around to find another door which was open and go in. It was hot outside but there was no releif inside either. I think the bakery left the ovens on... Anyway we sat and ordered fettuccine alfredo and spaghetti carbonara, both came with a salad. Let me say that I've almost never had such a poor excuse for a salad. I mean, when you start a meal with a salad, you hope it's not wilted unless it's a, "wilted" salad, but this was clearly old, or dried out, or heat wilted because it looked like the weeds I pull from my garden after they have been sitting in the sun with their roots all exposed, and thankfully it was small, garnished with exactly one grape tomato cut in half and one slice of cucumber also cut in half. Lame. I was hot and my tiny salad was too. You know how you order a dish and it's the gauge for how good a restaurant will be? That's me. Green curry at a thai place, fettuccine alfredo at an Italian restaurant and so on. Well...the fettuccine was epically dry and really only tasted like cooked milk. It was so bland and dry that even the parmesan cheese I put on top evaporated. My husband agreed that it was lacking. I don't mean to be a snob, but if you claim to be one of the best Italian restaurant in town, you may want to work on the alfredo sauce. That's a basic. Well about 2 minutes in to eating my pasta, I realized that it had the consistency of microwave reheated alfredo. You know where the oil separates from the milk product and the cheese and cream get kinda globular... yeah, that was my dish. Bland, dry, globular. I was hoping that my husband's carbonara was better than my fettuccine, but alas, it was lacking as well. Sauce prepared in advance so it wasn't customizable? How can this be? The peas that he wanted left out were so overdone that they were taking on the taste and texture of canned peas. The bacon was undercooked, and his sauce was also bland, tasting mostly of bacon and not having any balance or yolkiness. His review is posted and you can hear him tell it, but that was my take after trying his dish. Okay! Dessert! Well, we were told that the pastry shop had closed and so they only had a small selection to offer. We opted out and came home to finish our Amazing deserts from a place called Yesterdays. Go there instead. You'll be glad you did, and not just for the dessert. LATER: So, I just received a note from the business manager there (see photo of her response) and I am shocked but not surprised by her reaction. I say reaction because a response is well thought out and her note was anything but that. Had we wanted more really bad food we would have asked for another dish. If we thought we would ever be back we might have confronted the issue then and there, but there really is no chance of that, especially after the tone of the note she sent to me. And, by the way, "made to order" us not pre prepared base pored over noodles. It's ACTUALLY MADE TO ORDER. I get preparation of ingredients beforehand, but that's like, cooking bacon and having it on the side, cooking peas and having those on the side, and so on. THEN, when the order comes in that says CARBONARA (no peas), the cook adds all the ingredients to make the dish at that moment, minus the peas, and THAT is, "MADE TO ORDER." Its really pretty simple. If I were managing the restaurant, I'd have read the review, spoke with the staff to ensure that salads were served fresh every time, and discussed the possibility of what "made to order" could become in the future. Then I would have written the reviewer and asked for an opportunity to change their mind and review, not chastised them, or told them about how prideful the restaurant is. I can see you are prideful, but most people don't go to a restaurant looking for a heaping pile of steaming pride. What I wanted for my husband and myself was a tasty meal crafted with integrity and by a staff that wasn't bored from cooking food that might as well have come from a microwave dinner box. And for the record, I'm glad my review will be a featured review. I'd hate to think that I didn't help people make a better choice for where to spend their hard earned money for a meal out on the town. read more

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My buddy and I stopped in immediately after the Notre Dame game and got right in to bar seating. Friendly staff and great bartender served us. The Veal Marsala (recommended by her) was top notch. Tender veal with ample portion and the mushroom and pearl onion Marsala was delicious! Walker got the Chicken Parm and it too was spot on. Highly recommend!!! Mozz stix were also crispy and great! read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Mozz sticks. - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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The wife and I had dinner here last night and it was absolutely terrific. We had the mozzarella frittata as an appetizer-the marinara sauce was delicious and the mozzarella just melted in your mouth. The seasonal cocktails were perfect- my wife loved her apple caramel martini. The Italian wedding soup, the lobster ravioli and carbonara were all perfectly seasoned and delicious. Our server KC (spelling?) did a fantastic job and the ambience and Christmas decor was beautiful and tasteful. One of the best dining experiences I've had this year, and one of the best (if not the best) Italian meals I've had. read more

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