Carelli's Ristorante Italiano

JT, the bartender, was really nice. I got good service even though I’m a younger guy and I was in a college town. This place made me feel respected. Came here after a long hike. It was just the fuel I needed to get my body feeling right after pushing it on a big hike.

I went here in our wedding anniversary. It was appropriate place with high quality service and reasonable price. Before a meal bread is well toasted by garlic on top. Special plates that tempting us was beef tataki. Don't miss the Italian desert also.

Ange was amazing, so professional and such a lovely server. The food was absolutely delicious, every plate hand crafted 🔥😋🤤

The service was excellent. Our server (Angi) was extremely polite, friendly, and accommodating. The food arrived at a perfect temperature and was cooked well. We got the chicken parm, fried mozzarella, and chocolate cake. Everything tasted excellent! The outside seating was very comfortable and had a nice view. Would highly recommend!

This was hands down one of the most incredible Italian meals I’ve ever had anywhere. It’s a hidden gem in Boulder and well worth the money and time. Everything is seasoned so deliciously and the service is impeccable. The vibe is warm, inviting, comfortable and encourages you to relax and stay a while. The garlic bread is the best I’ve ever had, the drinks are great and the food is so amazing you’ll be back for more!

Nick was our server. An amazing guy. Humorous young lad. We got the fettuccine Alfredo and the tortellini, bottle of wine and a homemade crêpe. The fettuccine was so buttery and so thick. Really an amazing entrée. It’s the most amazing fettuccine Alfredo, that I’ve ever had in my life.

We were celebrating our engagement and staff went above and beyond to CO granulated us! We sat next to the toasty fireplace inside which was nice. All our food came out quickly and was hot! The Tortelini and Bolegnese were great. Our Canoli and Crem Bru Le were all excellent. We will be coming back!

As a single diner with no reservation, I was directed to sit at the bar, which was fine. The bartender who served me provided impeccable service. The Mushroom pasta was great, I all of it, and it came with bread and butter. There is a reasonably-priced Happy Hour drink menu, from which I got a got a glass of wine. The bartender presented me with the dessert tray, all of which had heavy, calorie-dense offerings, so I opted to go with Raspberry Sorbet, which was perfect to end the meal. I would definitely return.

Our first time here and it was fabulous! Food was perfectly prepared, and delicious. Highly recommend.

I'm Italian born so it's not possible for me to give an American Italian restaurant 5 stars. Having said that, Carrellis is awesome. Good food, excellent service, lovely atmosphere! I love the for poor pit outside. Definitely recommend!

The BEST restaurant in Boulder! Friendliest staff, best food, amazing ambience! JT, Cindy, Angie are our favorites. All professional yet treat us like friends! Although it’s not listed on the menu, half portions of most entrees is available at a discounted price.

Good Italian food. The service was excellent. They paid attention to every guest, even though we had a large party. The servers accommodated food allergies and special requests. Kids loved it. The design is a bit lacking but good enough for this price range and the age of this restaurant. I may come back here when in Boulder again. I will probably order something else next time and try other dishes since they have so many options. The chocolate mousse was very good and I will definitely order it again.

We just went for my mom and my birthday this evening and it was amazing! The food was on point, the service was the highlight (thank you Nick!) And they were super accommodating with my four-year-old. What a fabulous dining experience for my birthday with my family! The seafood risotto was SO GOOD! Get that if you love seafood! Really a consistent and delicious place for a nice meal. They brought us an amazing cake for our birthday and we couldn’t help but get more dessert— all of it was stellar.

We were coming back from the mountains and found Carelli's. Pizza classico was excellent. Home made pizza dough, San Marzano tomato sauce. Everything was fresh. Chicken Parm was also delicious. Good wine choices.

Very good Italian restaurant. Nice size portions that taste authentic. Shannon our server was friendly and efficent. The lighting inside is perfect as well as the decor. 5 stars all around!!

Our favorite Italian restaurant in Colorado. My husband and I would go here every week when we lived closer up north. The food, service and atmosphere is always perfect. We have since moved to Parker and don’t get to go very often now. Have not found another Italian restaurant anywhere close to as good near where we live now. Everyone we have taken here absolutely loved it! Definitely recommend

I've been going to Carelli's for years. They have the best chicken saltimbocca I've ever had. The staff is professional and attentive, and the owner is very kind. They provide a great atmosphere, whether it's date night, a special occasion or just a night out. Best Italian in Boulder!

Pretty good food although tough to compete in a major market. Cleanliness could be better, too. Great garlic bread and mixed drinks.

I used to love this place, we’ve had every dish in the menu in the past couple years, unfortunately the dishes can be very inconsistent sometimes. Prices aren’t terribly overpriced, but are noticeable when the food is disappointing at times. I think they’ve gotten a new Chef as of the last year, or maybe have the teens running the kitchen because food doesn’t come out the same. The plating is different, the pesto has a bunch of oil, the pasta sometimes isn’t freshly made day-of, chicken is always overcooked or undercooked, and it’s noticeable. Although I love the atmosphere, the servers are professional, table clothes are clean, and the ambiance of lighting is perfect, the food isn’t the star of the show anymore. I do recommend the desserts and drinks though!!! Unfortunately I had to write this review as it used to be our top choice for an elegant Italian dinner.

I love the caprese salad and eggplant lasagna. The Caesar salad is very mid. Lasagna is good too. Friendly waitress Nice athmosphere Good location

Italians, the comatose kings. They didn’t disappoint on this one.. Caprese did not have skimpy mots cuts, they were fat. The garlic bread was dec.. The sirloin pasta could’ve done without long cut bells peps but the steak was amazing, melts in the mouth. The gluten free zaaaaaaaa was good. Server was nice but seemed to be in a bad mood and forgot we ordered pesto sauce on the pizza. Hostesses also forgot to assign us a server so I had to go ask for one. Overall, 4.3 stars/5.

I'm usually a huge fan of this place, but last time was not great. They didn't have a table ready for us for quite a while after the reservation time, and not the table we requested. The drinks took forever, as did the bread. Also, one of my drinks came out missing a crucial ingredient. I felt bad about complaining, but come on! This place is not cheap.

Large dishes but little food, almost have to really look for the food inside the dish. The lasagna had way too much Ricotta cheese, the Alfredo sauce was watery & peppery. The waitress rarely checked on us. 1 of us never received our salad, food came & so gave up. The interior was very cold & that should be fixed - made it very uncomfortable. Would try again.

Hostess was incredibly distracted upon our arrival, she kept telling me to "hold on a moment" while trying to check in for our dinner reservations. Overall, very unorganized. Once seated, took quite a while for a server to reach our table, but after that service was good. Calamari could use a bit more flavor, otherwise food was decent.

My husband and I visited The Carellis for dinner recently. The carbonara was delicious, and the service was good. However, we both got food poisoning afterward. The restaurant has a beautiful ambiance, but the food safety needs improvement

Amazing food (as always); a bit disappointing experience tonight. 20 yrs of dining here; my go-to Italian in Boulder. But the owner, sitting at the bar tonight, couldn’t spare the 2 mins to stop by our table of 11 and say hi, and contribute to the celebration of our graduating CU senior. No reason to not come back; just takes the place down a notch. Dessert was great (empty plate!!) and solid wine special (2 bottles down the hatch!) Love Carellis!

This had become a go-to spot because the food is delicious and the prices are reasonable. However, the service has never been great. There've been times it's been okay. Other times servers have forgotten our drinks, brough bread out at the same time as entrees, forgotten our soups. The creme brulee was almost cold our most recent visit. Out of six visits, we've only been offered the crepe menu once. The food keeps us coming back. The service is never outstanding, it's average at best and things are forgotten at worst. If there's someone in your party who will complain about the service the whole time, they will ruin the night for you. If your party can move on, the food is worth it.

The restaurant felt cozy and well-decorated at first, but we were seated in a separate area that had a totally different vibe. The booths were covered in TONS of unnecessary pillows! We ended up piling them off to the side, which felt gross and awkward. I ordered the gluten-free chicken marsala, which lacked flavor, and my boyfriend’s chicken alfredo was just “decent.” The large menu might be part of the problem. There were too many options and not enough focus on quality. The gluten-free focaccia bread was the best part of our meal. Overall, they should simplify the menu and refresh the decor for a better dining experience.

Food was great! Atmosphere was nice. Great for a date. Love the large booths. Service was not good! Had to ask for refills of drinks. Had to get up to get our waitress for desert order. Waited 15 minutes to get our drink order. All while we could see her standing around. Very disappointed in the service.

The place was good, cozy. Lot of options in menu. But taste is below average for a fine dine. I mean of all the Italian fine dine places I have been (around the country) the food of this place was worse. We won't be coming back again for sure. We were a group of 14 people. We were served by Cindy, and she was slow, and confused the whole time. We sat for like 30 mins before we ordered beverages. Then the straws for water never came (we asked). The dinner order had to be repeated. Mind you they charge extra for per shrimp you order (I understand protein charges are extra everywhere, but it was per piece of meat you ask for here). When it came to billing , it was all wrong. I got someone else's orders all put in mine, confidently pointed out that I ordered them all (imagine ordering 4 appetizers and then entré all for myself). Overall it was a below average experience for all of us. Didn't expect that from a fine dine place. Well there's a first time for everything, right?

I am a firm believer that service can make or break your dining experience and worse yet.. make or break you BUSINESS! The service was not the best and well.. the food was eghh.. I wasn’t impressed.. the pics look much better than the food actually was. By the end of my chicken parm I felt like I had eaten a frozen reheated meal.

I don’t know if we keep trying the wrong things… but we’ve been here twice and each time one of us hated our dish. The first time I got the parmesan chicken, it was fairly bland and just not what you’d expect for $20. The second time we were craving italian and apparently Boulder has Carelli’s and Noodles & Company for options regarding italian. We decided to give it another go, but let me just say, stay far far away from the gnocchi. We love gnocchi and this was the weirdest version we’ve ever had. They were hard, not crispy, just hardened on the outside and they were served in broth? Truly strange, and by no means good. We were so close to sending it back because of how bad it was. We got the calamari both times, and the calamari was consistent and probably the saving grace to our meals. The service is decent too, but on a busy night you can feel forgotten about. The ambiance is also nice, but the food is very hit or miss. We’ll probably not be returning for awhile and will drive the extra 20 minutes to go to Olive Garden if we want italian.

Ordered one thing at 7:40pm for pickup. They told me itd take 15-20 minutes. It Took 40 minutes and apparently forgot half of the meal, I’m not really sure. Paid $26 for it too. 2 stars only because the minimal food that i got was very delicious.

Last week, my girlfriend and I went to Pizzeria Alberico and spent $170 on an absolutely exceptional meal — two drinks, appetizers, entrees, a dessert — in short, the full works. This week, feeling the call of Italian food again, we decided to try Carelli's. We spent $130 on a meal of which we hardly enjoyed a bite and which we felt we could have made at home for one eighth the price and three times the quality. The adjectives that first come to mind to describe the atmosphere are dim and stuffy. Halfway through the meal, I found myself wishing I was out in the parking lot where I would be more comfortable. On the other hand, a snug community feeling is promoted by the sense that you are breathing the same moist air recently exhaled by your fellow diners. After growing up in Boulder and being peripherally aware of Carelli's for years, I finally understand why I found myself trying it only now. I get the sense that the restaurant is held afloat by parents of CU students taking their children out for a sit-down meal in convenient walking distance of Will Vill. I echo user S Lyn's recent review that expressed surprise at the overwhelmingly positive reviews of this restaurant. Better than Olive Garden? Possibly. But also twice the price. The one saving grace was a polite and pleasant waiter who I wish could have taken home the entirety of our $20 tip. Boulder has such an abundance of good food and excellent restaurants. There is no reason to spend an evening or your paycheck at Carelli's.

I chose this place to celebrate my birthday, and I have to say the aesthetic was absolutely romantic and upscale--perfect for a special occasion. The service was fantastic as well. Even though they were fully booked, the staff went above and beyond to accommodate us by rearranging things to get us a table, which I truly appreciated. Unfortunately, the food was not up to par. My husband and I were both disappointed with our meals. The dishes lacked flavor and were, quite frankly, bland. It just wasn't our cup of tea, especially given the high expectations set by the ambiance and service. If you're looking for a beautiful, romantic setting with excellent service, this spot is worth considering. However, if food is the highlight of your dining experience, it might not meet your expectations.

Ate here the other night and a little disappointed. Ordered a salad, didn't think we would get bagged lettuce with so so dressing. Got a salad at Jet's pizza that was twice and good, bigger, half the price and fresh tasting. Had the chicken marsala, I would give it a 5 out of 10. Won't be going back.

Table was dirty. Hostess came back to wipe and only did half the table? Drinks weak, salad no dressing, pizza over cheesed and soft. After all that I was still excited for my Alfredo, 35 mins after the pizza came and hour after ordering still no Alfredo. RESTURANT NOT PACKED Thanks for the great 4 year anniversary dinner lol.

Would have loved to give this feedback to the restaurant manager, but they don't have an email address. The food was incredibly bland (salad was undressed) or just bad (meatballs were some of the worst I've had). Could be they are catering to the over 70 crowd and taste doesn't matter. Disappointing meal.

We have liked this restaurant for years but when our English family was in town, they refused to serve them alcohol because they didn’t have American ID’s. Even the 50 something people in our party were denied a glass of wine. We were told the management made the rules. The server was amazing but we will not return because of the management’s rules.

Haven’t been here for years, now I remember why. Nothing enjoyable about the experience. The service was awful and it wasn’t because the restaurant was busy. Ordered a salad with our meal and never got it. Had manicotti for the main course and it was so full of cheese it literally got caught in your throat. The sauce was so bitter you could hardly eat it. House wine wasn’t even tasty. What a disappointment.