If you're actually Italian I recommend not going here. Seriously. If you're not Italian, or you're like...15% Italian and grew up in the midwest, bon appetite. read more

The food was exceptional in terms of flavor and quality. We got the mozzarella sticks and I had lasagna, and both were among the best I've had. The atmosphere was wonderful (great for a date or celebration), and our waitress was wonderful as well. I will be back. Next time I might walk to burn off some of those calories! read more

This time Audrey recommended the lobster ravioli. Soooo good. Went great with the house Chianti. She started me off with a perfect Hendricks dry dirty martini but outdid herself after dinner with an espresso martini. Adriana was working hard as usual but still had time to say hi and remembered me. I can't imagine a better dining experience in South Bend. C' mon out. read more

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

Carmela's is our favorite Italian restaurant in the area. You cannot find a friendlier staff around. The Macri family are wonderful people that run a great restaurant. We hosted surprise 50th anniversary party for my parents. Adriana was exceptional with planning the event, the servers were very efficient, hustled, and made the evening memorable. The food is outstanding. My personal favorite is the smoked mozzarella ravioli. It is worth the visit alone for the ravioli. Gamberi carbonara is another of my favorites. Great ambiance, easy parking. There is also a nice little Italian market to pick up some goodies. read more

We went there, with a group of 11, after a ND football game, without a reservation! (Yeah...we were "those people") Audrey, and the other staff, at the host stand could not have been more accommodating and friendly. They rearranged some tables in the deli area, which was a closed section and within 20 minutes we were seated. Keep in mind the other side of the restaurant was 80% full, with reservations flooding in. To make matters a little more difficult, not all of our party was there. Our server, Amanda, didn't seem bothered by the staggered arrival. I could tell she was a well-seasoned server. The food came out with a few hiccups, (Marinara sauces, instead of bolognese) but they were fixed immediately and without hesitation. The food was very good. The bread came out warm and fresh, while the salad was crisp and delicious. For our meals, I ordered the seafood pasta, spicy, and my fiance had the lasagna, with bolognese. The others in our group had children and were pleased at the options for the kids meals. None of us saved room for dessert, but I wish I had! The dessert selection looked incredible! Thank you again for setting up a table for us, and going out of your way, in order for us to dine with you. If and when we are in South Bend again, we will definitely be dining at Carmela's. I promise to make a reservation next time. :) read more

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After reviewing the place, I thought we found an authentic Italian place in an area. Overall the food was decent. However, my sister and I were disappointed in their overcooked penne pasta! If you are in the area, try some other things, but not the penne pasta. read more

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Always excellent. The lobster ravioli was delectable. Server was personable and helpful

Made a reservation for me and my friends to celebrate a occasion. We were well behaved, elegant, and professional. We waited 25 minutes with out being served even water. Unacceptable. read more

When I saw Carmela's blew me away... the service and the food were absolutely top notch. I started with a glass of Chianti, stuffed mushrooms as an app, and the gnocchi with vodka sauce and meatballs. I was blown away with how much flavor everything had and the texture of the gnocchi was unlike anything I've had before. I'll definitely be returning! read more

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

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Fabulous food and atmosphere! I highly recommend going here!!! You will throughly enjoy yourself. It's a little pricy but well worth it.

This place is absolutely divine! The manicotti was perfection and the tiramisu was light, decadent, and I can't wait to return. read more

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

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We found this little gem while visiting the area. Started with wedding soup . . . so delicious! I had the gnocchi with sausage, yummy couldn't eat it all though. The waitress was awesome, food delicious and service wonderful. read more

Carmela's at Macri's - Italian wedding soup. . . yum! - Italian Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

Excellent wine, food, service & social distancing practices! This restaurant clearly cares about their staff and patrons. They go above and beyond seating people in a comfortable distance from each other. The way the restaurant is set up naturally makes it very private and romantic as well. They have excellent wine choices (I recommend the Quilt Cab from Napa) and their food is A+!! Lots of flavor and perfect portion sizes! We will be back for sure! With love from Michigan! read more

We were only in town for a week but ended up eating here twice and visiting their take out restaurant the last day before we left. Everyone enjoyed their meal, I had the Lasagne and the Arancini both times they were so good. I accidentally made my reservation for the wrong night and the night I wanted was completely booked but they managed to squeeze in our party of six and gave us their best waitress, Thank you! You can't beat the service here or the food! Next time I'm in town I will be back! Great Italian wines too. read more

Love this little gem in DTSB. Great food, drinks and service. One of our favorite spots!

Super Friendly service and Delicious food! What more could you ask for? Thank you for a delightful evening!

Dinner during move in week at ND. We ordered and shared 5 plates of pasta, steak and fish. Perch. Linguini with clams in white sauce. Filet, Veal. All were good, no duds. While many restaurants in South Bend have menu items that seem out of place, offerings that seem far off from their main cuisine, everything on the menu belonged there. Absolutely would go back. read more

Food is excellent, this is a little hidden gem in South Bend. I'm surprise it's not busier than they are. The authentic Italian food is amazing. I love the Arancini. Check it out, it's worth your time. read more

Great food, great atmosphere and great service. We had a spectacular meal during the Christmas season, and thoroughly enjoyed the time.

The ambience was cute. Didn't taste like authentic Italian. It was just a meal... don't think I'd go back if i want in the area again.

Amazing awesome! Delightful family owned and run restaurant! Authentic Italian. Great food, wonderful strive! Audrey was amazing! Helpful, efficient, charming! Veal dish...I voltini! Was exceptional! Unique, great sauce. Chicken scallopini was excellent! Veal Piccata the best! Capellini pasta perfectly cooked! Calzone was perfect! Would come back here every day, any day! read more

Make doing business with them too difficult, such as 3% if don't pay cash, time limit on visit, the way they require checks be split. Not worth it. UPDATE: the manager messaged me, and based on her concern to address my issues, I will definitely give this restaurant a second try. I appreciate management that truly wants to listen and resolve issues. read more

Beautiful atmosphere, amazing food, great staff, good prices. Highly recommend for romantic date to a family dinner!

Amazing! I went to Carmela's for both valentines day dinner and again with friends; both times were good experiences. I am a very picky eater and there was no pasta dish on the menu that really suited my interests so I asked to create my own and they were willing to do so and even complemented me on my choices! The service has always been friendly and fast. The restaurant itself is also adorable and has great location (in the heart of downtown south bend). read more

What a great place my wife and I happened to walk into. Reservations were recommended but we only had to wait about a half hour. We are not from the area but we felt at home there. Our server Andrea was so nice and walked us through the menu with patients Will definitely go back when we're in the area read more

Our first time here. Angela was our server and she was excellent. Our food arrived quickly and both our dishes were very tasty. Go to their website to get current menu pricing. read more

Our hostess/bartender/waitress tonight was Audrey. She was fantastic! Recommended the special tonight (sea bass) and it was spot on. She knew the menu inside and out and provided all around great service. We'll be back! read more

A great find on our first evening in South Bend. Carmela's had tasty traditional Italian offerings at very reasonable prices. But what set this restaurant apart was the gracious staff, from the greeting when walking in to the "Thanks for coming in" upon leaving. Anna our server was great, she was cheerful while giving recommendations from the menu and took great care of our table. I would definitely come to Carmela's again. read more

Liked this Italian restaurant a lot. Came right at opening at 5 pm on a Wednesday evening so it was pretty quiet, but it got a bit more crowded as time went on...since it is in South Bend and near Notre Dame we are sure it fills up on weekends and especially football weekends. Very nice ambiance...the main dining room has an Italian flair and is wide open with nicely spaced tables, so it can be more romantic rather than up for grabs. Foodwise: after sharing two appetizers of Caprese Salad (4-star wonderful with nice slices of tomato and cheese with a great balsamic drizzle) and Mozzarella Sticks (5-stars and this was hand-breaded and cooked just right...the cheese just starting to melt), one in our party had the Ricotta Cheese Ravioli (3-star nice and good), another had the Fettuccine Alfredo (3-star nice and creamy, although a bit small serving), and the last had another appetizer for his entree with the Arancini (4+ stars for this...creamy cheese on the inside with a bit of soppresata at the bottom of the cheese balls). Dessert consisted of the chocolate/vanilla Bomba (5-stars and all said that's what they'd get next time), the tiramisu (3+ stars and nice and delicate), and the toasted almond trifle (3+ stars nice and delicate but a bit strong on the almond). They had a very nice selection of wines and a large grouping of Italian wines...most by the bottle or glass...and it won't require your first born son to pay for...very reasonable prices. The waitstaff (Tim) was up for the dinner and was very attentive. Only little complaint was that the kitchen up-charged the Arancini appetizer a dollar or so because one diner had it for his entree...just seemed like a bit of a cheap move in an otherwise classy place...wasn't required. All around - a nice dinner...recommended. read more

It feels like home here, but with better food! Always welcoming, always delicious. Don't pass this place up.

Visited last evening and had a delightful meal. Bruschetta was very good as usual, we split the Caesar salad and shrimp scampi. Plenty of food for the two of us. Nicely divided into two portions but would have been nice to know there was a fee for the splitting but no matter. Diana was our server and was exceptional. Very nice evening, we will be back. read more

Prepare for stealth charges on your bill and then managerial excuses for reasons why they exist. Cost of doing business shouldn't be passed to customers at the end of a meal and if made clear up front many would choose otherwise! Poor choices downgrade quality of food experiences and assurance is now guaranteed I'll never return! read more

Enormous portions and overcooked pasta. Service used to be better. Nice atmosphere and decor.

I had veal in a mushroom cream sauce. Sublime. Service was great. Food ( including bread) excellent. Room was clean. I'll be back. Oh. Italian Wedding soup was served room temp. Not hot. I could have sent it back, but our sever was working hard and I didn't want to be a PIA. Note to kitchen: Send out HOT soup! Still 5 Star. read more

My family group of 8 ordered several different dinners, and some with fine wine. The seating arrangement, prompt courteous service and reasonable prices were much appreciated...and totally delicious. read more

Food was great . Had the best Cesar salad I've ever had. Enjoyed a nice bottle of wine even had tiramisu. The chicken involtini was incredible and the chicken Marsala. This was the best Italian food I've had since moving. Can't wait to try more italian dishes. read more

We had two salads that were wilted. The house dressing was sweet. My BF had the chicken Parmesan and I had the stuffed chicken with ricotta and spinach. The meals were mediocre. Nothing to write home about. I would come back if there was nothing else open. The atmosphere was outdated yet clean. The bathrooms were also clean. read more

Good place for Italian food at South Bend. Pretty pricey for the area but it's a great vibe and ambience. Service was also really good. The bruschetta and mozzarella cheese sticks are a must try here. read more

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Dinner was at Carmela's tonight and I couldn't have been more excited. I had been wanting to visit for some time now and brought my family along. The interior of Carmela's is warm and decorated to give you a "dining al fresco" vibe. The menu is relatively small but offers enough options to warrant multiple visits to try new dishes. We started with the calamari fritti and the mozzarella fritta, both of which were good. The calamari was heaping on the plate but there was only four mozzarella sticks in the order. Would like to have two more so that we didn't have to cut them in half to share. Our house and Ceasar salads were next, as was our Italian wedding soup and fresh bread. We actually had to stop eating the bread otherwise we wouldn't have been able to finish our main course! The bread was warm and the olive oil and pepper dip was flavorful. Our mains consisted of the pollo picata, chicken fettuccine alfredo, shrimp fettuccine alfredo, pasta romana and the salmon della sila. Each dish was prepared well and full of flavor, but the salmon and my pasta romana really stood out! Carmela's is a great spot for both a dressed down casual diner as well as formal experience. Well done! read more

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In reading these reviews I feel as though we were at a different restaurant. I grew up in Boston and often ate in the North End where authentic Italian food is served. The food we ate last night doesn't compare. The spinach salad tasted like it came out of a bag from Aldi's. It was covered in carrots. Carrots do not go on spinach salad. Low quality everything. Calamari had zero taste and was covered in something. Why cover calamari unless it had no flavor? Was up all night sick to my stomach. We have been on the road for ten days to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and DC. We have eaten every meal out and have had great meals everywhere but here. It ranks last by far. Truly don't get the reviews. :( read more