We tried this restaurant for the first time last night with another couple and were really hoping for a nice Italian dinner. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing for all of us, especially given the high prices. I ordered the chicken Parmesan. The chicken was extremely thin with very heavy breading and honestly tasted like a frozen chicken patty. The red sauce lacked flavor, and the side pasta was unusual--small round noodles that reminded me of canned SpaghettiOs, with water sitting at the bottom of the bowl. We were expecting something more traditional like linguine. My husband ordered the shrimp Parmesan and had a very similar experience with heavy breading, bland sauce, and the same pasta side. My husband is a retired Marine Corps food service officer, so we do appreciate good Italian cooking, and this meal simply didn't meet expectations. Our friend ordered the veal piccata and expected it to be breaded, but it was not and the dish was quite different from what she anticipated. She also received the same pasta side. Her husband ordered the baked ziti, which he said was just okay. On a positive note, our waitress Holly was very kind and attentive. Overall, none of us left particularly impressed. With the prices being on the higher side, we were expecting a much better meal. We won't return. read more

My husband and I and two friends came for dinner last night. OMG this place is incredibly GOOD! Two clams casino and an appetizer special. The clams casinos were the BEST we have ever had. My husband had the Grouper special. My friend and I had the eggplant parm and her husband had the chicken parm. All portions were HUGE. That's something you don't see today. We are from the North where we have great Italian food, but let me say EVERYTHING we ate was better than anything we've had there. My husband never takes home anything he doesn't finish, but he did take home his dinner this time. The portion was too much to finish and too good to leave. Our server was incredible. At the end of our dinner we found out she was Carlos's wife. Both of them came to the table and we talked. They are absolutely the friendliest owners we've met. They showed us pictures of their HUMONGOUS dogs. The atmosphere was perfect with Italian music playing in the background. Not so loud you couldn't hear each other talk. The entire night from start to finish was PERFECT. I strongly recommend people from New Bern to give Casa San Carlos a try. It does take a bit to get there from New Bern, but it is well worth the drive. You WON'T be sorry!! read more

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Good Italian (Americanized) food and a little overpriced for what you get. The table bread was absolutely good. The veal picatta was mid, my wife and daughter liked theirs, the calamari was very good, the salad was just okay, etc. I know the owner is from Sicily, but you just can't get the same ingredients in the States like in Italy...so that is why it taste Americanized. I didn't expect the bill to be that high with just 3 of us on a Sunday lunch though. read more

Wonderful Mother's Day meal tonight at Casa San Carlo. Was disappointed when we arrived and were told they were only preparing a limited menu tonight, but made the best of it and ordered from what they were offering. Ordered the Meat Tortellini with pink meat sauce and unfortunately was served cheese Tortellini instead. Not really a fan of cheese Tortellini, but when Carlos came out to check on us, I told him about the mix up. Come to find out, they were out of the meat Tortellini so they substituted with the cheese. When I told him I wasn't fond of these cheese, he added me what my favorite was, had the server wrap up what I was given and told us to take it home as leftovers. He then went to work preparing my favorite (Angel hair with pink meat sauce) even though it wasn't on tonight's menu! Talk about watching out for your customers. Thank you Carlos! We are long term patrons and will continue to be! read more

OUTSTANDING! Incredible through and through. The Master Chef Carlos is a personable, beyond talented host, chef, and over all human being. The atmosphere is italian at its finest and the Food was amazing as always. We come down every year from New York to dine at this restaurant, and seeing Carlos, is always an added bonus! He and his staff never disappoint. Absolutely 10 out of 10! Grazie! read more

Always delicious. Large portions and friendly staff. Quite often, the owner visits with guests as they dine. Highly recommend.

Let's start with one server hugs guys line back of the line without helping this family of 4 with a reservation. He sat them at the bar, must be nice to know people! 30 minutes later we get drinks and still without silverware. Moms says "this is not acceptable"! We are wautubg for bread now. The party behind us in line are experiencing the same issue. Oh no they ran out of martini glasses. We are not done here. Next review coming up! read more

Casa San Carlo - Ran out of martini glasses! - Italian Near Me - Morehead City, North Carolina

The food was absolutely delicious. We had their featured appetizers. Zucchini and cauliflower bloom was just ok but the mozzarella and burrata plate was to die for. By the time our meals arrived we could only eat a couple of bites, but what we had was scrumptious and can't wait to eat it tomorrow for lunch!!! read more

Casa San Carlo - Shrimp alla San Carlo - Italian Near Me - Morehead City, North Carolina

Such great service and food! Best Italian we have ever had! The special Salmon piccata was perfect. Honestly we ordered too much food but everything was delicious. The tortellini soup, chicken parm, chicken capeiccioso, and finishing with 2 cannolis. We took the remaining home. It will not go to waste! I would recommend 100% trying this restaurant if you are in the area and craving amazing Italian food. read more

Casa San Carlo - Outside - Italian Near Me - Morehead City, North Carolina

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Food was horrible clam casino were all bread crumbs very very dry , I dont think it was a single ingle piece of red pepper clams or bacon in it, out of 5 we left 3, I was charged 36 dollar for a bowl of dry tasteless gluten free pasta with chicken you would find on a kids menu, my son's veal was covered in some strange white liquid that was thick and sticky, was supposed to be a sherry sauce, was just awful, took over 90 minutes for dinner to arrive . Do not recommend this place at al read more

Had the chicken parm and it was very good. It needed more cheese on top but I would order again and ask for more cheese. The side spaghetti had a weird texture - like canned spaghetti-os. I did not eat that at all. The cannoli was delicious- and the atmosphere was wonderful. I would go back - maybe try a different pasta. read more

I wish that I could write two separate reviews about this place because the food and service are a total mismatch. The food here is absolutely AMAZING! Best Italian I've had in a long time. Some of my favorites are the blue crab ravioli and the penne alla vodka. I'd also recommend the burrata as an appetizer. The food is all flavorful, generously portioned, and fresh. Sadly, the service here is pretty bad. I'd definitely recommend takeout instead of dining in. The wait staff seems to be scatterbrained and are doing too many tasks at once. Many of the staff are also "bartenders" but don't really seem trained on how to make cocktails. I'd stick to beer or wine if you end up dining in. A lot of the servers seem to be lacking table side manners which is unfortunate since the food is so amazing. read more

We had a great time at the restaurant, the chef took time to come chat with us. The food was amazing and hands down the best Italian restaurant here!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Amazing food, friendly staff, great atmosphere Would definitely recommend We will be back! read more

I'll start by saying we sat at the bar and the bartender was friendly and attentive. The food was hot, very tasty and fairly good size portion. My husband had shrimp parmigiana and I ordered the special which was Scallops San Carlo (scallops, shrimp, sun dried tomatoes in a Sherry cream sauce over pasta and a side salad). They do not put the prices on their specials. I did't ask because there was a similar dish on the menu that was shrimp, clams, sun dried tomatoes in the Sherry cream sauce over pasta for $26 and $5 for the side salad ($31 total). I figured the scallops would be a dollar or two more. What a huge surprise when the bill came and the dish was $59. Really!! $28 more for scallops? I could have ordered two separate dishes at that price. It certainly was not a meal worthy of that price. read more

Very sweet waitress. The food was good. The chef is a little conceited but all in all it was a good meal They were great at helping us celebrate Carolyn read more

Casa San Carlo - Carolyn's bday - Italian Near Me - Morehead City, North Carolina

One of our favorite authentic Italian places around. We drive from Swansboro when in the mood for some good pasta. I love the fettuccine alla casa, and the carbonara. The bread is fantastic with the seasonings and dipping oil. Their house salad is very good but an additional $5. Carlo is awesome, when we have kiddos with us always comes out and greets them, gives them candy or ice cream on the house and comes out to make sure everything is tasting good. The 3 stars is honestly for the waitstaff. We have started branching out and trying new places because of the service we get here. There is one waitress who we get from time to time who is amazing! Then the other two who are there often seem like they are in another realm, Pretty unsanitary, and just all over the place. Definitely not the experience you want when eating Carlos delicious food. read more

Casa San Carlo - Fettuccine alla casa with chicken - Italian Near Me - Morehead City, North Carolina

Ambiance: lovely Italian vibe with some relaxing live saxophone. Could easily dress up for a romantic dinner, or come with your family in your your dress downs. Bread: amazing, served with the classic olive oil and balsamic dip, but it's so garlicky and oily it doesn't need it! Side house salad: big pieces of lettuce and tomato. Not my favorite when you have to cut your salad. Cucumber and onion. Ordered the Italian dressing and it was meh to me, but hubby liked it. Would try the Cesar instead next time. Chicken favoloso: would 100% order this again. A rich delicious cream sauce with saltly bites of panchetta and tangy artichokes. Mushrooms and peas. Plenty of chicken!! It comes with a side of pasta and red sauce, but hot tip you can ask for the same pan sauce instead! I took half home. Shrimp Scampi: okay folks, here's where we dropped a star. The dish was pretty good, nothing really impressive. linguine noodles, tail on shrimp, with a light butter & marinara sauce. We did have to add some olive oil and Parm too it to get it to our liking. This is something we order everywhere and this one didn't really shine. They have a list of daily specials where this was included, and warning ask prices! We were shocked when we got the bill and it was $40 dollars, when comparable dishes were $20-25. If we would have known we would have def ordered something else. Service: pretty good ! Friendly staff. Overall, we will come back ! read more

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Only giving 4 stars because the food was delicious. A perfect Italian menu and expertly prepared. However, like almost every other review states, the service is terrible. Some staff were working frantically trying to cover for a very disorganized and absent minded wait staff. This is a shame because the restaurant itself is cozy, the food excellent and you can tell the owner puts his heart and soul into it. If you're looking for a stress free relaxing dinner this is not the place...this is the place where you have to ask for everything from water to silver ware to your wine you ordered. read more

I ordered the manicotti and the plate, filling in the manicotti and the sauce was room temperature. The cheese on top was melted. The center of the mixture in the manicotti was very bitter and I was unable to eat much of it because of that. The salad was small but fresh and came with what looked and tasted like bottled honey mustard dressing. My wife ordered the spaghetti and stated it was ok but hers was better. We both enjoyed the bread. The servers were friendly and attentive. Two plates with salad , tea and tip was $94.00. Way over priced. read more

Everything you can imagine of an Italian resturant. Perhaps, the best Lasagna I have ever eaten. I knew from the first bite just how amazing my meal was about to be. The chef came out an greeted,. As well as thanked every on for coming in. The decor was like from an old resturant from Italy. read more

We had a huge party celebrating my nieces 16th birthday. Service was cool and the food was good but seemed to be a little overpriced. read more

Casa San Carlo - Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Morehead City, North Carolina

I came in on a Saturday afternoon and asked the server for recommendations. She said the bartender is not working and so I asked for a seat. She recommended to me the bowl of scallops, shrimp and sun dried tomatoes. I agreed, she brought out a house salad and some bread. When the bowl came out. It wasn't the best, it definitely wasn't terrible, but after the bill came, the bowl contained 4 shrimp with the tail on, 4 scallops for $56. That was just the bowl. So the server I'm assuming recommended the most expensive item on the menu for a better tip I'm assuming. I can't imagine anywhere I would pay $56 for a bowl of pasta. Overall, my bowl of pasta and two glasses of wine was $80. I left a $20 tip. So $100 lunch for just me. I will be cautious in the future of what I purchase from this place. That is ridiculous. read more

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Ok I broke my promise and took another chance on this Italian restaurant. So, from New Bern it's close to an hour drive to the restaurant. That's ok if the food is very good. This time was better than last. Curiously, we got there at 2pm Sunday and only two other tables were occupied. Before we left the place was empty. Hmmm? My favorite was the mussels in marinara sauce as an appetizer. It did not disappoint. Mt spaghetti carbonara was good but not outstanding. They use authentic guancelli or hog jowls rather than bacon but it was very chewy and somewhat tough. In short not impressive. The portions are huge but they don't stand up the next day if you take home leftovers. My guest had cheese ravioli. It was good she said. My son ate chicken Marsala which I tried and found very good. The service was up to par but since it was deserted inside she didn't have to hustle. All in all, I should have stayed in New Bern rather than drive back and forth to Morehead City. I could have gotten the same quality at Paula's or La Casetta. I probably won't be going back for Italian food anymore. Too bad because it once was a fine restaurant. . read more

How is this place a 4.0??? We are kicking ourselves for not stopping here before as it is a fantastic gem. My wife and I are both of Italian descent and this place is 100% authentic and true to the Campania region that both my wife's family and the chef/owner hail from- marinara sauce and meatballs were just like her Nonna's! They serve a complimentary bread/toast which is a little mini baguette toasted and partially sliced and the drizzled with olive oil and roasted garlic- just wonderful. For our actual order, we started with the fried zucchini which was uniquely frenched and fried- great batter and dipped is the sauce which was delightful and enough for four. For our entrees my wife had the homemade cheese ravioli and I had a specialty veal dish with roasted artichoke, mushrooms in a hearty red sauce. Devine! By the way, with my meal I had two house glasses of Chianti (all the wines by the glass were around $6-7.00) Desert was a homemade cannoli which I had with a nice double expresso. All in, this wonderful meal was just over $100 which was a great deal- the atmosphere was very welcoming with Carlos himself tending to the shop while greeting guests and checking to make sure everything was on point. Bottom line is that this place has instantly catapulted itself to one of our must stops and we will be back- often! read more

Every time we visit, Chef Carlos and the kitchen team always impresses with their culinary skills. The portion sizes will often give you two meals of leftovers. Control is the hardest thing to do in order to make that happen. I failed miserably with my Scallops special. Every bit was worth it. My wife enjoyed Linguini with Clams, but I think it was more like Clams with Linguine. She had about 30 clams in her bowl! Our appetizer was a delicious Mediterranean style of creamy mozzarella balls, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes with pesto, and pickled artichoke stems. read more

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My boyfriend and I were staying in Beaufort and had a craving for Italian food; we were more than pleased when we found this restaurant. The food was fresh, full of flavor, and authentic to its roots. Our server was wonderful, attentive but laid-back and the chef even greeted us at our table and gave us a bottle of wine. We are there two nights in a row and will definitely be back if we ever find ourselves in the area again. Definitely don't miss this top-notch Italian food experience. A hidden gem. read more

Food is average, sauce taste like paste, anyone could have cooked better. Service is fair, waitress takes too long to come by. Ambiance is ok read more

Had a group of 10 recently to this establishment for a birthday celebration. 3 of the guests ordered the pasta special which included scallops, shrimp, pasta, sun dried tomatoes and a creamy garlic sauce. We weren't initially concerned to ask about the price, but were left astonished when our bills came. The 3 of us all opted to forego shrimp and just have scallops on our pasta. The bill came, and our charge was $80 per dish; a $21 upcharge to exclude one type of seafood. the waitress never offered up this information when we placed the orders either. Very disappointed with the handling of this for such a large party! read more

We came to celebrate our wedding anniversary and were very underwhelmed. I called weeks ahead & made a reservation under my name and informed the restaurant of the reason for our reservation. When we walked in, I let the staff know the name of our reservation. They did not look at the reservation notes and immediately sat us at a table which was the furthest away from the kitchen and the other patrons. It took us 15 minutes to get greeted by our server & to get a beverage order in. I asked for a glass of wine and we both asked for water. We were brought only 1 glass of water. I had to ask again for a glass of water. My wine never came although I asked for it twice. While we were waiting to order, we noticed a good amount of people picking up to go orders. That definitely caught my attention. For my entree, I got a seafood special which included scallops and shrimp. Our food was delicious even though the service was below standard. Our server was extremely polite but very forgetful. I believe we had a server who was fairly new and nervous so I won't hold it against them. I asked to have a box for the rest of my food since I was getting full. The server insisted that they would box my food for me (I found out later that the shells I removed from the shrimp I ate came home with me in my leftovers...). After my food was boxed up & brought back, the server *immediately* drops off the check without asking if we wanted anything else. That's a big hospitality no-no. I let them know before walking away that we were looking to order dessert. We ordered a slice of pie which was delicious but we had to wait several minutes for utensils to be dropped off before we could even try it. While we were eating our dessert, our table aggressively cleared all at once. It definitely sends the wrong message because it seemed like we were being rushed out of the restaurant- and no we weren't jerks eating there/staying there until 10 minutes before they closed. This definitely wasn't the anniversary celebration I had in mind. Side note- we aren't people who expect free stuff for our celebrations but even a simple verbal acknowledgment of our anniversary from any of the staff would have been appreciated. It just feels silly to ask the people making the reservations if they are celebrating something & then not bother to follow through or acknowledge the purpose of their reservation during their visit. Final Verdict: Yummy food with subpar service. We will not dine in for any future visits. We learned from the locals and will be doing takeout only. read more

Everything was absolutely delicious, and our waitress was so nice! Thank you for a great wine recommendation as well as recommending great dishes for the whole family! read more

The food here is the bomb!!! We love this place. Best Italian in town. This native NYer could not be more at home in here.

The best Italian food east of Raleigh! It's so worth the drive- everything was yummy and would definitely recommend the Penne Vodka. read more

Excellent food with great service. I really love this place. The food is always a 10 and super large portions. Highly recommended

First timer. Highly impressed with the staff, food, and atmosphere. The Pescatori was impressive and flavorful. Portions were great. Great service and friendly staff and owner. Will be a staple every visit to Morehead here on out. read more

As a former employee of this establishment i have seen some very poor business practice. Have watched the owner serve seafood he dropped on the floor, has served expired seafood, rotten and moldy produce, kitchen equipment broke and out of order, years worth of grease build up on everything stoves walls ceiling air vents, never pays his employees always gotta beg for your checks. My last day worked for them was july 23 and i left being owed for 113.96 hours and have not received a check since then and have gotten another job since then. also have been sexually assaulted by the owner with unwanted back scratches or made to give the owner massages while customers are in the dinning room eating there meals. brags about his 20,000.00$ rims and tires but cant pay his bills have showed up to work and have notices on the door threatening to cut the gas and water off because he didnt pay the bill had the check in the back seat of his car and forgot about it. treats the staff like shit. will give known drunks and druggies money in front of employees but wont give you your pay check instead you are forced to sue or threaten law suits to get what's rightfully yours. read more

There's so many great things to say about this locally owned restaurant. We've been trying to come here for so long and planned an entire weekend in the area just to come here. Great service, delicious authentic cuisine and Carlo loves to come say ciao to his customers! We even bought some balsamic glaze from their stock and gifted one of their own wines! We room home leftovers as their portions are large! read more

Casa San Carlo - Italian Near Me - Morehead City, North Carolina

Had a double date here yesterday for my 28th birthday. This was the third and my last time coming here. I could tell it was slightly busy but don't tell me it's gonna be awhile for wine when I see another table order drinks and see their waitress go pour the wine immediately and bring it right to them. Terrible experience thanks to our waitress Tonya. She was all over the place and acting very strange. She was talking to herself and saying crap under her breath. Had a bad experience the first time we came here and I believe she was the same person from before. I feel bad that my husband used his own money this time. I wanted to say something but didn't want to create a scene. It took 30 MINUTES just to get wine. Save your time and money and go somewhere else. read more

Casa San Carlo - Italian Near Me - Morehead City, North Carolina

Drive an hour to try based off a friend's recommendation. Great looking menu and restaurant. Too few waitresses for the amount of tables. Food was average according to all 4 adults in party. Fried mozzarella was cold, fried zucchini was the best thing out of the entire meal. Was told on a Friday night at 6 pm that they were out of manicotti after waiting nearly 40 minutes for our food. We were the 3rd party in the restaurant and I settled for spaghetti. Ordered a cocktail, waitress just forgot. Will not try this place again. Could've had better much closer. read more

When visiting friends in Morehead City several years ago, I stumbled on Casa San Carlo. We stopped in and it is an absolute favorite of mine and has become a favorite of my friends who have a family home here. The menu items are both traditional from Carlo's homeland along with regular specials. It is obvious that Carlo is passionate about sharing his delicious Italian dishes. I typically have the eggplant parmigiana or rollatini. Today I got Tortellini Bolognese which is meat filled pasta with a creamy pink meat sauce. It was also delicious just like the other meals I have had. I also had a house salad with their house made Italian dressing which has a kick of spice and red peppers. For dessert we got the Lemoncello Cake. What an amazing desert for such a filling dinner. It was light with a great lemon flavor. Most of my visits, Carlo comes out to the dining room to make sure everyone is enjoying their meals. This is not a restaurant but a destination spot when in Morehead City. The best dinner around!! read more

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