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Cafe Carlo
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Has TV:
- No
4 reviews for Cafe Carlo
4 reviews in English
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Review from Nandan F.
Ottawa, ON
10/5/2010
Cosy place. Excellent service. Good ambiance. They have an interesting menu and a good wine selection. The food was freshly made. I had the chef special pasta and my collegue had the sea-food pasta. I absolulely loved mine! I am craving some more as I write this. Worth a visit and many more.
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Review from DineoutGal A.
Winnipeg, MB
10/3/2011
This place has the oddest menu. Its concept is "seasonally influenced California-Italian cuisine" but it's really fusion food. The schizophrenic menu is like something Joey's would offer fish tacos, curried chicken salad, pastas that have black bean sauce, curry as well as traditional sauces and a small number of mains like beef tenderloin and pickerel. Starters average $15 which is quite steep for pretty standard offerings like shrimp and bruschetta. Pastas average $23 and the 4 mains available are $30-$35 - they all come with bread and a salad. Compared to similar style restaurants in the city, it is a bit pricier and I don't think the food quality is there to justify it. Whereas a place that's similar, Bombolinis has a slightly lower price point.
I've dined here a number of times over the years and all I say is the ambiance is really warm and casual. Service is really attentive but the food hasn't changed at all and tends to be on the heavier side. Every item seems to be a cream or butter sauce. I asked the server to choose the "lightest" dish for me and he could only point to one dish - the "vong" ($21), linguine with clams in white wine-garlic sauce. If you want to eat lighter, I'd suggest going with a couple of appetizers instead.
Fish tacos ($15) - mini tacos filled with crispy tilapia, tomato, romaine & chipotle mayo. Nothing amazing and a little steep for tilapia tacos. All I could taste were the chipotle mayo. Crispy prawns ($15) - panko encrusted prawns served with ginger sauce, mango chutney and house made naan. The prawns were good especially with the chutney but the naan is kinda sad, tasted like bad dried out pita chips.
Bruschetta ($15) - a pretty substantial serving with basil pesto, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spicy eggplant, goat cheese & mozzarella on toasted french bread. This was probably the best item on the menu.
The ravioli ($23) gives you about 8 generous sized raviolis filled with butternut squash & ricotta ravioli in brown butter sauce and asparagus gunge. I felt very guilty after eating this because it was a heavy dish but it was very flavouful. Good dish but you gotta run a few miles the next day to burn off the calories. LOL.
Lovely place but I don't think I would come running back unless they updated their menu to offer more lighter options. But it's been in business for a long time so obviously this place works for a lot of people who love cream and butter sauces! -
Review from George B.
Winnipeg, MB
5/17/2010
Cozy and comfortable, good service and yummy food highlight this slightly schizophrenic cafe. Mexican standards like Quesadillas (excellent) and French dishes like Creme Brulee make the menu have duality. The elegant long stem wine glasses and the classical music playing over the air make me wonder how to classify this restaurant, but I certainly will come back and try!
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Review from Carla B.
8/20/2008
One of the more sophisticated venues in town. The food is always excellent, the service polished and professional. All the food is made from scratch and the menu continues to be innovative.
