We spied Carmella's Cucina Italiana en route to Renault Winery back in December, and resolved to try it out as soon as possible. Three of us visited on a Saturday for an early dinner. (Open Table reservations are available!) The dining room is a tastefully decorated space, with great natural light. The menu is fulsome enough for everyone to find something they like, but not so big that it's overwhelming. Service was friendly, attentive, and professional. The chef's father was a delight to chat with, and checked on us a few times. All three of our entrees were excellent; we tried the pork chop, veal chop, and the branzino. Each chop was perfectly cooked, as was the fish. Don't forget to bring some wine, as Carmellas is BYOB. A must try! read more

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We were invited to Carmella's for a birthday celebration, and I am so happy we were! Even though it's only been open about a month, they are already killing it. The atmosphere is welcoming and cozy, with beautiful photos of the chef's grandmother greeting you at the entrance -- such a heartfelt way to highlight the family roots of this restaurant. When we were seated, there were flowers waiting at the table for the birthday girl -- such a thoughtful touch that set the tone for the evening. Our server, Brittney, greeted us right away with a warm smile and attentive service throughout the night. We started with appetizers: homemade butternut squash ravioli, Italian chopped salad, and clams. All three were fantastic, but the chopped salad was out of this world -- I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! For entrées, our group ordered a mix of veal chop, pork chop, meatballs, filet, NY strip, and chicken parmigiana. The chicken parm in particular was not your typical preparation -- the chef truly elevated it to the next level. Every dish was cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious. Carmella's is a true gem -- thoughtful details, incredible food, and genuine hospitality. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Food and service are very good. Love the BYOB. The ambiance is also very nice. I would like a bit larger menu but I guess that's the price you pay for fresh made to order meals. read more

Kyleigh was our server for dinner and did a fantastic job, She explained the specials and any ? We had. Salmon was amazing and the chicken parm was stuffed with ricotta. Please make reservations as they are suggested. read more

Carmella's Cucina - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Mays Landing, New Jersey

Food was 5 stars on every occasion, every dish, every course- couldn't have been better! Service from Debbie (Trixie) was nothing but fabulous! We can't thank you enough for the hospitality, you took care of everything we asked for and more, truly appreciate your professionalism and down to earth attitude. All the Staff was great, Thanks as well. Classy place for sure, thanks Joe and most of all Michael, you're a talented individual Sir. read more

First time eating at Carmella's was a great dining experience. Service was good. Presentation and taste were also good. We will definitely be going back! read more

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It was just ok, expensive and the salad was supposed to have cheese and meat but I couldn't find it anywhere ? Also my filet came out cold. read more

decent food. The Affogato is perhaps my favorite dessert to get just in the general area, and I always enjoyed my food off both the lunch and dinner menus. I normally come when they have the lunch menu and like their subs, and my mother always gets a pizza which she likes. read more

Apparently you need a reservation but we were able to be seated, in a very high traffic location. The servers were very friendly and the white gold interior of the restaurant was pleasing. The food was good but I have some thoughts, the caprese needed way more basil and could leave out the cherry tomatoes. The calamari didn't need so many green peppers. Our entrees were good. The deserts were good. Everything was good, but for the price, it should have been great. read more

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Delicious food. Adorable restaurant!! Reminds me of a cape may restaurant. Fancy but cozy. So pretty inside. We will be back

I eat out 300 days a year. I have no idea what a few of these other people are talking about but this is not the French Laundry where you can expect a $500 bill for two people. This is a small classy restaurant where you get a bit of charm and personal touch from the owner's family. The food quality is great and the prices are reasonable. It's byob so you can expect a dinner for two to be anywhere from $85-$135 depending on apps and entrées. In any regard it's exactly what you should expect from this type of establishment. If you want chain restaurants prices go to Applebees if you want strip mall prices eat accordingly. If you want it cooked the way you cook at home, stay home. I find some of these bias reviews to be insulting and unfair and I can tell you I have absolutely no connection to this restaurant whatsoever. I find this place to be a very nice dining experience for the money. You won't be disappointed. read more

Carmella's Cucina - Italian Near Me - Mays Landing, New Jersey

First time. Ordered chicken francais which was bland. Needed garlic and Italian spices. The owner/ chef had a take it or leave it attitude. Not friendly. Pasta and pomodoro sauce was quite good but don't see it on the menu as an entree. Waitress left much to be desired. Had to get attention to get a glass of water refilled. Overall disappointing experience read more

My husband and I had a date night last night!! Carmella's has become our favorite go to restaurant! We have gone probably 8 times with friends and we had a Christmas dinner party recently as well. The food is consistently delicious and definitely above average! We always request Christine as our server. She is on her game and engaging! The owners are so welcoming and make sure you have a superb dining experience. Joe works the room and you feel like family while there! They all remember you when you return! Michael is the chef and he is very talented. All the pasta is homemade and delicious. Carmella's will continue to be a restaurant we frequent. read more

Carmella's Cucina - Italian Near Me - Mays Landing, New Jersey

Food 5 people. Fish bazanino ,veal piccata Both were way to much butter. Ricota chicken breast too tough Veal chop looked like it was well done. Al carte was just not up to my liken. Pricey $$$. Other Italian in area beat it. 2nd best in area I will not be back.over rated Desert was the best. read more

Carmella's makes you feel like family the moment you walk in the door. The space is beautiful and welcoming. The servers were warm, friendly, and informative. The food was absolutely delicious! I ordered the chicken parm--oh my! The ricotta stuffing took me by surprise and it was phenomenal. To finish, I ordered the lasagnetta for dessert, which was the perfect sweet ending to an incredible meal. I will definitely be back. read more

Carmella's Cucina - Lasangetta - Italian Near Me - Mays Landing, New Jersey

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You can definitely tell the food is homemade and good quality. We had the calimari, also very good but did not come with enough pieces for the price read more

Wife and I had dinner there on the third day after opening. Chef Michael is on point,food was very good. Service staff was also very good. I would highly recommend trying this restaurant you won't be disappointed. Pgeb read more

Finally made it to Carmella's and will be back as much as possible - delicious!! The steak was perfectly cooked. Homemade pasta was yum! Everything was perfect, in an inviting setting with friendly efficient staff. There's something for everyone. There are dishes better than served in NYC and unique tasty pizza options ala short rib pizza with reasonable prices too. Definitely experience Carmella's asap! You'll feel like you're at an Italian Family Dinner. Enjoy!! read more

My Birthday dinner, party of 8. We wanted to try a new place and happy we did. Restaurant was beautifully decorated and our dinner party was well taken care of. Scampi risotto was excellent. Every one enjoyed the food and the pasta freshly made was delicious. Make room for the home made desserts you won't be disappointed. Had the chocolate cake and cheesecake. Didn't feel rushed and really enjoyed the meal and night overall Definitely will be revisiting to try other dishes. read more

Everything was excellent food service and especially Joe and Chef Michael thanks we came all the way from Naples fl.. delicious beautiful restaurant. read more

Food was really good! Caesar salad dressing was out of this world. Met the owners father. He was such a nice person. Restaurant was packed. Keep doing what you're doing read more

I had heard many good things about this new restaurant, & we were so sadly disappointed. We took my husband there for his birthday. We had made reservations for 6:00, got there a bit early, & waitress looked absolutely confused when we said we had reservations. We all ordered by 6:00. All items were ala carte and ranged btwn $25 & $30 for each pasta dish. We were FINALLY served at 8:20 pm. (Yep, 2 1/2 hr. wait) Not even a bread basket in btwn to sate anyone's hunger. My Pesto Penne was ok. One of us had ordered fettucini alfredo with added chicken ($ 7 extra) We thought the chicken would be sliced & incorporated into the dish. No. It was a very thin, overly dry fillet dropped on top that could not even be cut with the butter knife we had as utensils, totally inedible. Our daughter had Rigatoni with vodka sauce, but it was very red & spicy, not a true vodka sauce. But my poor husband had decided to get the Shellfish pasta. When it came, the shrimp smelled & tasted spoiled. He decided to just pull them out & not say anything, because it would have been 10:00 before they brought him a better dish. All in all, you could not PAY US to go there again. Maybe, we just went there on a bad night, but there is no excuse for using spoiled food at the prices being charged. read more

Everyone here was extremely nice, I feel very bad but to be completely honest: the food was extremely subpar to bad, either bland, too much lemon, undercooked or overcooked. When I saw the bill my jaw hit the floor, you can get exponentially better food at Morton's or Mike & Anna's Pasta House for 1/4 of the price. Sorry, won't be coming back. read more

Excellent food and service. Dessert was amazing. Can't wait for liquor license. Will definitely return.

Fabulous place! Real authentic Italian food! Cant go wrong with anything on the menu with the Chicken Parm and Branzino as standouts! Great atmosphere with Friendly attentive staff...going back this weekend! read more

Well, we really wanted to like this place. The decor is lovely, simple elegance. We checked the menu on line and were looking forward to pastas or one of the other entires. the owner/chef came out to seat us. He handed us lunch menus. They only had salads sandwiches. Pizza & wings. There was no lunch menu on line. So I asked him about it and he said at lunch it's the same as our takeout menu. I let him know we couldn't tell that from the website, He didn't seem to care, So immediately we were disappointed. The clams were tasty. The wings were fair, chopped salad was tasty. There are jalapeño in it, be warned. Chicken parm & sausage & peppers were on delicious bread but average and not much in them. A large party came in and expected the full menu as well and they we accommodated with at least pasta choices. Hope this review is read and they can do better for others. Happy to pay a premium for good food, unfortunately that was not the case here. My husband says I was too kind with this review. Best of luck to them, read more

We tried this place for the first time and really liked it! From the first thing we noticed as we came in the front door was the rolling pin door knob. The decor was very elegant. Everyone in the restaurant was very nice and the food WOW was amazing. We were a party of six and shared the Italian chopped salad which was absolutely amazing if you like a little spice. I highly recommend and I don't usually review a salad but this was worth it! We had the calamari and the ravioli stuffed with squash that was a favorite of everyone at the table! I could have eaten that myself as an entree. I had the chicken fracaise that as very good. My son had the vodka rigatoni with braised short ribs that he loved and he's an extremely picky eater but said it was great. Another entree was the fettuccini with large shrimp added. Chicken Parm, Bronzino fish with a risotto and the pesto dish. Everything was really good. They are a BYOB right now but are waiting on a liquor license. We tried the cannoli's that were good four different flavors. The Cheese cake with fresh blueberries was good but the winner was the Affogato which the waitress was wonderful and explained how to eat it. This place was epic as well as the staff! I wish I could remember the name of our waitress because she was spot on! Ambiance was really nice as well as the man that was walking around checking on the customers! I'm bad with names! We are so excited about this place that I'm already making plans to come back with friends! Well done Carmelo's! read more