We were impressed at how well the new restaurant ran for only being open 2 nights. Staff well trained, friendly and no chaos! Like any old building with tall ceilings and exposed brick the room was too loud to talk across the table. Hopefully they cure that with tapestry. We had meatballs and lasagna. Let me say the entire menu is way over priced in my opinion. I eat out 6-7 nights a week. 2 medium sized meatballs $16. Sauce/gravy was tasty. Asked for bread to mop up sauce. Three charred pieces of focaccia $6. The meatballs fell apart, nice flavor I prefer more firm. The 100 layer lasagna was $29. Very large piece. Not well executed. All noodles not much sauce, cheese or meat.We felt like we were eating moist noodles. The least expensive glass of red wine was a 6 ounce poor for $15. With tax tip $105.00. We feel there are better options. read more

Carmelo's ‍ Carmelo's in Covington is just incredible. I had heard great things, but confess I looked at the menu and had NO idea what I was in for when I entered the door. The service was impeccable. The cocktails were perfect and really creative. The food... was... SO much more than I imagined. So often Italian restaurants are merely comfort food with little to challenge the palate and deemed good. Go order anything. I believe Chef Mitch will never disappoint you. He is creative with solid respect to the Italian heritage he represents so well. While I have heard all about the lasagna and fettuccine Alfredo here on Chowdown, we opted for maybe more adventuresome choices: cauliflower app. Perfectly delicate breading on still firm cauliflower with beautiful spices and a luxurious lemon aioli. Eggplant parm. Remember F & N Steakhouse? Reliable source says the eggplant prep is a nod to their iconic dish and the rest of Carmelo's dish is a tastefully gooey beautiful mess of hand-pulled mozzarella and "red gravy" that is totally decadent. Decadent, you say? Enter the Oxtail/Osso Bucco dish that is pure comfort--- I couldn't stop hugging it. (True.). The star of our table was the shrimp ragu. What?! We're gonna combine delicate shrimp with robust tomato sauce gravy? Yep. Believe it. Enter fireworks show. Oh, and BTW, Chef Mitch makes an absolutely evil tiramisu. Thank you, Tempest, for being a charming and knowledgeable guide. We miss you already, and will see you again soon-- hey, save us a spot, won'tcha?! -- Tracy read more

The positives-- service was great! The atmosphere was great! Ordered the mozzarella shareable which was great! The negatives-- Caesar salad was swimming in a heavy dressing with way too much Parmesan cheese. It was so smothered that after several bites you were asking yourself-- how am I going to finish this? Ordered 2 pasta dishes-- the spaghetti with a meatball and linguini with Alfredo. The pasta was so overcooked that it was mush. Everyone knows that pasta should be al dente. It was fresh pasta, but overcooked to the point that I didn't need any teeth to eat it. No bite to this pasta! A big No-No for any Italian pasta. I was very disappointed after hearing good reviews. No chance I would go back. read more

We try to frequent the higher end Italian restaurants in the Cincinnati area, and this place is our favorite. The food, service, and atmosphere are all top notch. Although we really like Sotto, Nada, and Pepp & Dolores, Carmelo's is better than all of them in our opinion. Highly recommend checking this place out sooner rather than later! read more

Highly recommend Carmelo's! We got the cauliflower per recommendation and the meatballs as well as the oxtail ragu and mushroom Marsala and each dish was phenomenal. Our server, Kristin, was extremely knowledgeable and gave exceptional recommendations. Will 100% be back! read more

Service was slow, limited menu, food mediocre, wine list overpriced. First and last visit to this restaurant!

Everyone should try this new Italian spot in Covington. The whole experience was fantastic. The meatballs and potatoes were perfect and the polenta was incredible, like nothing I've ever tasted. Then came the main courses - a big portion of lasagna I didn't think I could finish but couldn't stop once I started, and oxtail ragu which was unique and delicious. For dessert, the gelato was light and very tasty. The cocktails were great and the service was top notch even though they were packed on a Saturday night. We will definitely be back. read more

We went with a group of 6. We got the mozzarella and potatoes for appetizers and oh my goodness were they amazing. I could've gotten 5 more orders and just ate that for my dinner. :) At the table we got Caesar salad, garlic soup, lasagna, Marsala, and oxtail. It was all outstanding. The owner and chef stopped by and checked on us as well which was a nice added touch. We are already looking forward to coming back. read more

The mozzarella with focaccia and the potatoes as appetizers to start were both so good. We got the Alfredo, which is not traditional Alfredo but still delicious. The spaghetti and meatball with their red sauce was so good. The Oxtail Ragu was good just needed some spice, likely just personal preference though. Portions are huge. Ambiance and service were great and so were the espresso martinis! read more

Carmelo's Restaurant - Espresso Martini and Spritz - Italian Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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Dodd was amazing! One of the best Italian meals I've ever had. Great portion sizes and such a cute atmosphere. Service was top notch. read more

Carmelo's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

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Yum! Highly recommend and will come back for more helpings of deliciousness! Thank you!

We don't have a reservation, but were able to get a small table in the bar quickly on a Tuesday. No complaints about the noise or temperature - very comfortable. The server was helpful. We both had the garlic soup (which is a potato leek base) and Caesar salad. Both yummy and would recommend. People on dates might prefer another soup choice. The menu looked good, and it was difficult to decide. Guess a return trip is warranted. read more

I've been dying to try this place since it opened. My wife and I came here on a Saturday night and we were seated right away. The service was excellent, very nice bartender. The place has a great atmosphere, really cool Godfather vibe to me. We tried the meatballs and mozzarella appetizers. Both were fantastic! We ordered lasagna and oxtail ragu for entrees. Beware, the lasagna is delicious and a HUGE serving! We enjoyed it so much, we went with our in-laws the next day and everyone loved it. Chef Mitchell has knocked it out of the park with this place. The next day we tried the calimari as well, it's the best I have ever had. Absolutely as tender as you will find for calimari! We will be back many times more! read more

Happened upon this place on opening day (Reds) and were able to grab a table for four because the host was aware enough to combine a couple two tops. That was the theme through the night - wonderful accommodation. Service was impeccable, food was amazing, drinks were unique and tasty - and the atmosphere, top notch. Unlike many new places, the lighting was perfect, noise level was bearable, actually quite good. We hadn't seen Mitch since moving out of the Wooden Cask with his most excellent bbq. To welcome us, he brought complimentary and delicious garlic soup to us.....each dish we had was more tasty than the last. HIGHLY recommend this place! read more

Love this place! It's wonderful to have a place like this in the Cov! Food and service fantastic!

Went here in January and it was absolutely delicious! I got the simple green salad as an appetizer and the oxtail Ragu as my main course. I was skeptical because I had never had oxtail but it was so good I'm going back only a month later! read more

The restaurant is beautiful and the food was absolutely amazing. There isn't one thing that we had that wasn't good. Service was great. Try it all!! read more

I really wanted to love this place but it was just a "meh" experience. We started with the mozzarella which was great, followed by the Caesar which was also good. We got the Oxtail ragu which was okay, my friend however found a piece of bone in her serving. We also split the Tomahawk pork chop which unfortunately was really soggy. However the spicy vodka sauce did have good flavor. We waited a reallllllly long time between courses. We were seated at 7:30 but didn't receive our main entrees until 9:15ish. Staff was leaving for the evening by the time we got our main course which ultimately made us feel a little rushed to eat at the end. The interior was very cool, but we were sat in the second room and the person on the booth side had the sun shining right in their face from the door to outside not having a shade. My friend had been there before and said her prior experience was much better. I would definitely be willing to try it again despite my first experience. read more

Came here for the first time. Our server Tempest was lovely, attentive and made great recommendations all around, we loved all the things she suggested. Tried the cauliflower which was a surprise star, super crispy, cooked perfectly. Also the mozzarella which was great, but the focaccia it came with was the real star of the show. Definitely recommend trying the garlic soup, a perfect cold weather starter. For entrees we had lasagna and Oxtail Ragu. The oxtail was for sure the favorite, very decadent and a great flavor profile. Definitely going back to try all the things we had to pass on this time (the tiramisu looked amazing but we had already over ordered)! The vibes were so cute and cozy, there is much more space inside than I expected and it wasn't too noisy to have a convo. read more

The place is beautiful. Crowded but comfortable. Chicken Entree was the best meal I have ever tasted. Completely blew my mind. Get the Chicken entree. It will leave you speechless. read more

Authentic Italian food. Spaghetti and meatballs were great. Mozzarella appetizer tasted very fresh. The service was great. Lots of space inside the restaurant. Was a great spot for a date night. read more

Fantastic food and service! Highly recommend the mozzarella and focaccia appetizer, the 101 layer lasagna and the lamb sausage with pepporanotta and panzanella. The server was very attentive to all our needs and requests. The ambiance of the restaurant contributed to the excellent dining experience. read more

This place is perfect! Food, Service, Atmosphere 10/10. Meatballs, Seabass, Mozz were the best! The red sauce is the star! Go there soon & often! read more

Arrived and was told they didn't have my reservation. Was given a 2 top on the bar area. Food is just "ok". I can grill a sea bass that tastes just as good and my friend said her spaghetti and meatballs is better at home. Bar area got loud and busy. Despite there being several empty tables in another dining room. There are too many other good Italian restaurants in No. Ky. read more

Dinner at Carmelo's was a mixed bag and started with a miscue. We'd called days before for a reservation at 5:30, spoke to a woman who did not actually MAKE the reservation so when we presented ourselves to the host he acted like we'd made up a story. We chalked this blip up to being newly opened. He deigned to seat us in the bar area really acting like he was doing us a supreme favor. The food ranged from really good to average (the cauliflower and the kale appetizers very good) the meatballs and spaghetti average and my companion had the lamb sausage which she enjoyed but I missed having a bread service with my meal. The bar makes an excellent Manhattan but I thought the wine by the glass portion was skimpy. Overall service was good. The kicker was when we left and walked outside we could see several open tables in the dining room. Why we weren't seated comfortably there remains a mystery. read more

Fabulous atmosphere, fabulous food, fabulous service. Can't wait to go back! The pulled mozzarella was delicious with amazing bread and the sausage stuffed chicken was to die for. read more

I would give Carmelo's 10 stars if I could! Everything was perfect - the ambiance, the service, cocktails, and especially the food. My group chose an array of dishes and shared them, and I can confidently say that you can't go wrong with whatever you order. Highlights were the oxtail ragu, polenta, garlic soup, alfredo, and house-made Frangelico. Carmelo's is exactly what Covington needed and I will absolutely be a repeat guest! read more

We really enjoyed Carmelo's. Our server, Deshaun, went above and beyond to make our visit a great occasion. Starters were spot on - our table of 8 shared the cauliflower, meatballs, mozzarella (you'll want to order extra bread, which was delicious), and the potatoes. The meatballs were a narrow favorite over the cauliflower and mozzarella. One person ordered the garlic soup which, as noted in other reviews, is REALLY garlicly. The oxtail for dinner was quite ample (the meat was sort of hidden under the pasta) and flavorful. There's an extensive wine list with a number of bottles of red affordably priced (e.g. $50-$60 range). The only slight negative on the night was the noise - our reservation was for 6:30 on a Saturday and the music was turned up to a level that made it very difficult to converse. It was turned down somewhat on our request (another person had requested it to be turned down as well), which improved the situation. If you're going to dinner to have a conversation (particularly a business dinner), the sound and acoustics (all solid surfaces) might make it challenging. Considering that they've been open less than 2 months, Carmelo's is doing really good things...excited to enjoy this place in the future as it continues to refine and improve! read more