All 7 of us loved our food. atmosphere was warm and very friendly. service was great. loved our whole experience and highly recommend!!

Service and ambiance is always top notch. Last night we stopped in for Friday night fish fry. It has always been my favorite. I don't know what they are using for fish now, but the piece I had was just awful. It was a triangular shape which appeared to have been deep fried to oblivion. No taste and over cooked. Last but not least, the gold rush potatoes were lukewarm. I will go back but would like to see them go back to their original fish. read more

Carmelo's is super duper wonderful. Great service. Ambiance is spectacular. Food is superb

If I could give them zero stars, I would. I made my Valentines dinner Igloo reservation on their website in November. NOVEMBER. I called the Thursday before the reservation to reduce from 6 to 4, as another couple had dropped out. The person that answered the phone told me my reservation was for dining room, as they don't offer 5PM igloo reservations. I told them I followed the directions on the website. They were rude, they essentially called me a liar when I told them the website has 5PM as an option. They should have apologized for the error and done some research to see how this issue occurred before calling a customer a liar and being very rude. Online reservations are for Igloo only. You have to call the restaurant for a dining room reservation. As you can see from the photo, they offer a 5PM on the website. Unacceptable service and customer treatment. Won't ever step foot in this place again and I suggest you avoid them as well. No customer deserves to be treated the way we were on the phone. read more

Carmelo's Italian Restaurant - Shows 5 pm as an option - Italian Near Me - Wausau, Wisconsin

Food was delicious, many options that we want to come back and try. Many delicious drinks to try and you could because there want much for alcohol in them. Service was good, atmosphere was excellent. It happened to be new years eve, which is my husband's birthday but they didnt know that. They sat us by the window and there was a fireworks display at Rib Mountain. read more

Stopped up for a dinner. Our dinner was fabulous. Veal cutlets for myself, chicken Alfredo for my wife, cheese ravioli for our little one, linguine with clam sauce. All excellent. Service was terrific. Kudos to all of the staff read more

Worst food we had in a long time. service was terrible. Will never go back. One and done. Save your money and go somewhere else. Also got sick from my over fishy tasting pasta dish with shrimp and scallops. Not good. read more

We took a part of fourteen in for a birthday celebration. We went on a Friday because we wanted fish fry. The staff was awesome. We happily waited and enjoyed a brandy old fashion in the bar. Once at the table our server, Cierra, kicked in the great service. She was patient with us and then delivered the meal flawlessly. The fish and gold rush were awesome. My only regret is that we can't get there more often. But, every time I get to Wausau, this will be on the itinerary. Thank you chefs, cooks, servers, bartenders, and the rest of the staff!! read more

We love this place. The food has been wonderful, service is quick, when we place reservations the table is always ready.

It's hard to find good Italian in Wausau... Unless you are familiar with Carmelo's. It is a must stop destination if one is looking for a filling and delicious dinner. I had the 6 oz tenderloin with shrimp scampi and fettuccine alfredo, beginning with a salad. All tables receive unlimited garlic bread. The tenderloin was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. For those who care for Gorgonzola, there is a plentiful portion next to the steak for your application. The shrimp scampi was very traditional and perfectly prepared. The fettuccine Alfredo was quite possibly the best I've ever had. I left the restaurant so full that I couldn't stand up straight. A jewel in Wausau. read more

Carmelo's Italian Restaurant - 6 oz tenderloin and shrimp scampi. - Italian Near Me - Wausau, Wisconsin

We were pretty pleased with this meal, though it definitely could have been better. We picked up two chicken and artichoke soups, a lasagna and chicken Alfredo, with some garlic bread. The soup was undoubtedly our favorite, the bread was good but basic. The lasagna was more like a beef meatloaf with one lasagna noodle betwixt a mound of ricotta cheese and sauce. It tasted okay. The Alfredo was in the same "okay" boat- bland sauce (ordered extra sauce to avoid any Saharan mouth feels) but I understand why they'd make it as such. A little Parmesan on top would have helped. Chicken didn't have much flavor, seemed like one of those pre-made breasts with the dyed grill marks on it. It did satisfy a craving, though I feel like the prices are a bit high for what it is. read more

Carmelo's Italian Restaurant - Chicken artichoke soup, lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, and garlic bread. - Italian Near Me - Wausau, Wisconsin

I have known this family for forty years and been eating here all of that. An Italian Family treating customers like Family and serving food only Italians serve, with service and pricing to enjoy. Nice open building, varied seating, always active, never too loud, wonderful views, friends meeting friends, what more might one ask for. We have never, not a single time, left this place less than glad that we came. If you have a particular preference as to how the food is done tell them, otherwise the menu is fairly accurate to the serving. Decades ago anon stop salad that was unique, miss that and the garlic bread years ago was a slightly different style and had more butter/garlic overtone, nothing lasts forever. Some say the Lasagna is overly meaty, will try that again soon; should that prove true I will ask for more marinara and I will bet anything it comes and that all ends well. These are Italians, all is well that ends well. Paul & Deborah came here, live here and stay here because of these fine local, family treasures. read more

The seating hostess...who later I found out was one of the owners...was the rudest most condescending person in business that I have ever met! Will never go back there! read more

We will not know how bad this restaurant is. The incompetent management was not intelligent enough to look at their own website reservations. We made a reservation for feb 14 well in advance and they did not honor this reservation so we ate elsewhere. read more

Have been enjoying Carmelo's for a long time. Service and the food have been above average for a Wausau restaurant. It is understood that many restaurants are hiring servers to fill slots and service may not always be up to par these days. Saw it first hand tonight which was very disappointing having invited first time guests. Our server was pretty rough and lack that hospitality warmth. We were only a 4 top and the server had us passing the entrees to each other. The entrees that were placed hit the table hard and was not even directly in front of the guest. I was attempting to chuckle it off but my first time guests saw that the server was not as good as they have had at other restaurants. Refills on the bread was not offered. Had to ask several times for drink refills. At one point the bartender was blamed even though it was not an alcohol beverage. I feel that my guests will not be back and when return I will ask for a different server so we can have a much nicer evening. The food was as good as ever. It is just to bad the evening was not up to Carmelo's standards. read more

The two stars are based on the tenderloins we ordered. I'd never order steak here again. The cuts may have been decent but the preparation was very bad. The two six oz tenderloins we're both ordered to be cooked medium. When brought to our table one was very rare and one was overdone, well done. Neither was how we ordered them. Both 6 oz and one was about 3" tall, the other was about 1.5" tall. Obviously they just grilled them for a set time, the very thick one was rare and the very thin steak was well done. We both wanted them done medium. The service was very very good, no issues with servers at all. The lack of quality in cooking is glaring here. Steer away from the steak for sure. read more

We have been coming to Carmelo's every year for our annual Christmas gathering. They happily accommodate our large group The severs are attentive. The signature seasonal cocktails are always a hit. There is an extensive wine, cocktail and beer list. The food is classic Italian. The Italian sampler is a hit and a great haddock fish fry on Fridays. Don't forget the view looking out onto the Granite Peak ski hill. Did I mention the old school ice cream drinks...brandy alexander anyone? read more

If you enjoy 'Italian' food straight out of a 1950s Betty Crocker cookbook, you might enjoy this place. If you are diabetic, be sure to bring extra insulin: the marinara is cloyingly sweet. The salads, soups, deserts.. even the meatballs.. are bland church-basement spaghetti dinner standards. Salt, Black Pepper, Durkee Italian Seasoning, and greasy fried ground beef constitutes the primary flavor profile and mouth feel of the lasagna.. Stick to the Friday fish fry, everybody in town raves about it. read more

I have traveled to Wausau once a year for the past 3 years to ski and get away from my studies. The first time there, I had three different people tell me to go here for fish fry. Seeing as how I asked these people at different places and yet the answer was the same, I figured I had to go. Carmelo's is right on the golf course at the base of the ski hill. It's the sort of place you would expect in Northern Wisconsin if you've ever been there. It's a classy place in it own way, and was likely downright fancy back in the 60's, 70's and 80's. The decor and presentation may be a little dated, but it's sincere and I like that. But never mind the decor...they were right; this is the best in town. It's not your typical fish-fry either. Instead of battered and deep fried walleye or cod, here you get a good portion of pan-fried haddock. Rather than french fries you get a choice of fettuccine alfredo (strange, eh?), a baked potato, the gold rush potatoes or one other option I cannot recall...I believe another pasta with a red sauce or marinara. Slaw is included; a salad is extra. The salad itself was a mediocre garden salad of iceberg, a little red onion, a couple of tomato wedges and couple sparse shreds of carrot and red cabbage or radicchio. I'm fairly sure they're making salad dressings from scratch. My thousand island was well above average and my brother, shocked, proclaimed the blue cheese dressing the best he ever had. The haddock was lightly breaded and cooked perfectly, served very hot. The slaw is lightly dressed and flavorful; very good. Gold Rush potatoes are a sort of casserole with some cheese and cream in them, topped with corn flakes and then baked. Very good. The fettuccine alfredo was declared bland, but the noodles were properly al dente. For dessert we shared some spumoni and it was great; boldly flavored and with a fair amount of fruit and nuts embedded within. Here it is cherry, pistachio and chocolate. Very good and a good sized portion. And I almost forgot -- the garlic bread! It is dropped off at the beginning of the meal and constantly refilled without asking. It's toasted well, not too heavy, not too light...excellent! They've a solid bar that makes a mean bloody Mary from scratch, mixing each one on the spot. Their Brandy Old-Fashioned (sour) rank up there in top tier of quality as well. If you're in town on a Friday, go and go early -- the wait for a table builds quickly. You won't regret it! read more

My husband and I went to this Italian restaurant located on the golf course at Rib Mountain in Wausau. I give this place a five star because the food was excellent, the service was great and the portions pleasingly generous. Immediately our waitress took our drink order and said she would give us a minute with the menu while she put in some Italian bread. A few minutes later she came out with a huge basket of toasted garlic Italian bread. Then came the salads with the house Italian dressing ... again, awesome. I ordered their specialty dish (Seafood Carmelo) and my husband got the steak and scampi. I won't go into everything about these meals but just to say that the food was prepared perfectly and had clearly been created with imagination and real cooking skill. The view overlooking the golf course was also a pleasant surprise and I appreciated the fact that the hostess sat the tables with the best view first so no one was unnecessarily stuck in the back of the restaurant. I would highly recommend this place and next time I am in Wausau, this will be a required stop. read more

Nice place. Good for a night with people. Two bars but you can't eat there which us road warriors like. Nice that they have half portions of some dishes. I had the veal ravioli which had a bit of spinach in it. A bit chewy but good. A good serving of marinara sauce that was ok. The garlic bread was good. No evoo or basaltic was offered which most Italian places do. The server was top notch. read more

Fish fry was very good with large portions. Try not to fill up too much on the bread! Drinks are very good and service was exceptional, I would definitely recommend checking it out! read more

This is one of the worse restaurants I been to in years. The only reason I am giving it two stars is the bar area seemed fun and the bar service was good. However, once we were seated, it was all downhill. We went on a friday so I could experience a really good 'fish fry' A classic friday meal in this part of the woods. What we got was frozen fish that had been microwaved (although they call it pan fried) with a side of some potatoes that had also been frozen and reheated. I've read reviews on the amount of bread they give you, but this is also just toasted garlic bread that came frozen as well. I didn't see much coming out of the kitchen that started 'fresh'. Service was dismal with the sole purpose of getting us sat, taking our order as quick as possible and bringing the check back. I could say our food come out fast but when it is either already sitting under heat lamps or just needs to be popped in the microwave for a quick re-heat, it was about what I would expect. I felt sick the rest of the night. Would avoid this place as all cost. read more

We went to Carmelo's to celebrate an anniversary. We were a party of 8. We had never been here before. But the other 6 of us were regulars. The bartender knew them by name. We sat in the middle of our friends at the bar. She completely ignored us and when I finally got her attention she seemed irritated that I would ask. We got to our table and ordered. I ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara. My wife ordered the Chicken Ravioli. She said it was okay. Not great. Not awful. There were like three ravioli's. My Carbonara, however, was a big bowl full of dry, gritty pasta. There was little to no sauce of any kind. It was supposed to be in a butter / cheese sauce. There was some Parmesan on the pasta and little bits of bacon (real? artificial? hard to say). It was dry to eat and 100% carbs. Had I been training for a marathon this would have been perfect. As it was, however, I couldn't eat much of it. I took the rest home and made my own sauce for it and it was better. I would not choose to eat here again. There are so many restaurants that are so much better. Even Olive Garden has better Italian than this place. Pass this one by. read more

I went to Carmelo's the other night with my family for dinner... I'm on the fence with this place. The Pro's * Has a great view of rib mountain * The bread ( They give you tons of garlic bread) * The service was fantastic * Portion sizes were good! The Con's * Food was slightly bland * A bit over priced for the quality of the food * both my meat balls and sausage were dry! * Did I say bland! Over all I wasn't impressed, It wasn't bad but It wasn't great. I have severe guilt over my mother paying 80.00 for 4 people to eat there. I won't be running back there anytime soon. read more

Recommended by a local. i ate at Carmelo's on 7/21 and the Spaghetti Carbonara was distinctly Superior, the bread basket was fresh and hot and service by Cierra was top notch! I'd travel the two hours I had to go there again!! I've eaten Carbonara, one of my favorites, in Venice, Rome, and first time in Moorhead MN .(I'm a retired college theatre professor) made by my colleague Denny Boyd. Only Denny's was good or better. read more

Driving today fom Madeline Island, we stopped in Wausau for the night, checked into our hotel and decided Italian fine dining called out to us. Carmelo's was close and we were blown away from Jane's welcome placing us at the window to the excellent service to the food. The special was linguini with shrimp, artichokes, mushrooms in olive oil garlic and Parmesan. Sublime..... K read more

Been coming to Carmies for years. Best fish served on Wednesday and Fridays. Fun atmosphere. Great family business with great family service. Great drinks/bar and food. Don't miss it. read more

Sort of a classic Wisconsin Italian supper club experience. Items made from scratch, a respectable beer selection, seasonal outdoor seating. Friendly wait staff. Perfectly ok to bring kids here but I wouldn't consider it a "kid venue" like I might a burger joint, etc. read more

We had a fantastic meal at Carmelo's last night! We started with a bottle of Pino Grigio and the garlic bread. Both were great! Wine was cold and crisp and the garlic bread was hot. Our server was friendly and gave us time to decide what we wanted. We didn't feel rushed at all. I had the pasta primavera with shrimp. It was an attractive presentation and was very good. There is fresh pepper at the table that I used with it. My husband had the 10 oz filet and shrimp scampi with the gold rush potatoes. It was served with Gorgonzola cheese that added some great flavor. The steak was cooked just how he ordered it- medium. Both meals came with salads. I usually don't like iceberg lettuce but this salad was one of the better ones I have had. The blue cheese dressing was great! After dinner we went to the bar for drinks. I had a great Old Fashioned and he had a Grand Marnier. We had a really wonderful experience and I will definitely go back! read more

I ordered the 6 oz. Filet. Shape wise, it looked like a blue crab with stubby tentacles and chewing it was like an Olympic event...hard fought. My husband ordered the "Clam Linguine 'a la swimming' in water." The "canned" clams diced as they were over the top of the pasta looked like chopped mushrooms atop a salad. We sent back the "blue crab filet" and received in turn a low grade, tough sirloin (hey at least it was r-o-u-n-d). Our server argued that it was filet mignon and not sirloin, but I'm a 57 year old steak lover...you can't pull that cow over my eyes. As to the Clam Linguini 'a la swimming in water', we were told that "everyone has their own tastes." The shrimp scampi I added to my steak was served over a full cup-load bed of onions...all tiny little four of them. Nasty. And the "great garlic bread" cited in other reviews, is nothing more than a bit of garlic salt and butter on one side. The other side is just dry and hard. In the end, we refused to pay for both meals, and to be honest, the restaurant was ultimately accommodating. They charged us only for our bar tab. However, since we had eaten our salad (where's the lettuce????) and soup, we felt badly and added $20.00 to the tab. $5.00 for the salad (where's the lettuce???), $5.00 for the soup, $5.00 for the 4 tiny shrimp, and $5.00 for the garlic bread that came with the meal (we ate 3 pieces), and $12.00 for the tip based on what the meal we couldn't eat would have cost us. That's us. We feel terrible not paying even when we don't eat. In the end, $53.00 later, we're back at our hotel....and hungry. And they did that intentionally. Who serves a crappy looking, fake filet mignon like that? Who serves linguini in water like that and with CANNED clams? They did it on purpose. They don't care. Don't go. read more

Excellent meal - sautéed scallops. The service was great and the friendly staff from Wausau made it a great dining experience.

The food at carmellos is simply put OK. Went there for the fish fry and it was what I consider to be nothing special. The RANCH dressing they have however is out of this world. The same can be said about their garlic bread. I could make a meal out of just that. Other than the food, the service was good. I was surprised to see how many people they jam into that place on a Friday. People were waiting for hours to eat there. Maybe I'm missing something. read more

Should have gone somewhere else. After an hour wait, and all the raving reviews, I expected more from the food. It was only average, including the Friday fish. Bartenders were good, server was good. Just expected more from the food. read more

Fine, home made Italian food in the northwoods is hard to find! Our 2nd time here in 6 years. Loved it still. Manicotti was to die for, excellent 6 oz. Filet with shrimp scampi so yummy. Amazing soup starter. Patty our server, was the best as far as the food recs. Thank you we will be back!! read more

Not great, not terrible. Just went for the fish fry. The place was pretty crowded, with a 1.5 hour wait. The bar had open tables but we had to clean them off ourselves. The food selections are nothing special, but I was there for the fish anyway. Be aware that this is not "traditional" Wisconsin fish fry (no beer batter); it has a crumb batter and seems to be pan-fried. The service was good and our waiter brought everything correctly even though I changed my mind on my order. I'm a fan of the garlic bread. The gold rush potatoes are delicious and remind me of grandma's hot dishes. The coleslaw was probably the worst I ever had; it tasted like raw shredded cabbage in a paper cup, with little seasoning or sauce. Overall, the place is okay if you're close by, but I wouldn't make a trip for it. read more

Love their Baked Fish and Goldrush potatoes. Called to get 2 Baked Fish for Take Out, since it says Take Out - Yes here on Yelp. Will not stop me from still going there in the future. They must want the Bar business as the wait is always at least an hour. Kind of bummed read more

Great food would recommend this place. I gave four stars because it is I need for a remodel. The food is top quality and never disappoints

Wonderful food with an even better view. If you're looking for Italian food in central Wisconsin, this is your spot.

First visit to Wausau and decided to try this restaurant given all the reviews. We we not impressed w/ the food at all. Food was average at best and is not what I would rate as top notch italian food. Our party had a mix of food from the fish fry to three different italian dishes. Staff was friendly, wait was a little long given it was prime dinner time. Probably would not return. read more