DiCarlo's Food & Spirits

Phenomenal food and wonderful atmosphere. Right in the river. Service is top notch!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I just received my delivery for a shrimp poboy, the crab cake pasta and spinach and artichoke dip. I’m only not disappointed in the dip. If you are craving bread, order the poboy as that appears all you will get. There may be ten of the smallest shrimp on a lot of thick hard bread. Couldn’t even eat it.
Again if you want a bread crust pasta, order the crab cakes. Mostly a thick hard casing around some crab. The inside flavor is nice but gets lost in the crust. The noodles are oily and flavorless and come with a very small portion.

Food: 1

Great afternoon hangout. Live music from Bobby D! Love the atmosphere. I recommend the steaks.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered the stuffed ravioli dish. The ravioli was tough and the dish was lukewarm; I ate two out of hunger and refused a to-go box. Husband’s stuffed potato was terrible and the sauce had a crust on top and the shrimp looked like the frozen breaded kind. He asked for a piece of French bread to go with the crabmeat au gratin he also ordered and they brought him a cold dinner roll and said that was all they had. The top shelf margarita was mostly margarita mix and served in a plastic cup and the blueberry lemondrop martini was more blueberry than vodka. The fried pickles were hot and good but that was the only bright spot. We paid and left. We won’t be back for a good, long time. That’s sad, because we used to enjoy eating there after they first opened.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 3

Brunch was delicious 😍

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had a group of 11 ladies that met at DiCarlo's for lunch. There was a wide variety of appetizers that were shared among the group that everyone enjoyed. The lunch choices were fantastic. Our waitress, Kaylee, was very attentive. The food items were served, just as ordered, with a smile to boot! We will return. Ask for Kaylee if you eat there.

I ordered takeout twice recently. The chicken sandwich is big, but it didn't have any sauce or condiments. Both times, the crawfish beignets didn't come with the sauce that's supposed to go with them. The mozzarella sticks were good, but the marinara sauce tasted like it had a sack of sugar mixed into it. It was overwhelmingly sweet. Some of the menu items are really good quality, but there are way too many issues. The food here is too expensive for that.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 2

Band was horrible, food was not good. Hamburger steak was not good very small for $18.50. grilled veggies were not good. Salad was very small nothing in it. Husband got a steak tender but no favor. Fried pickles were very good. Alot of money for food that was not good. Great atmosphere. Love most band & sitting on water is wonderful. Appetizers are better than regular food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 4

I lived in the French Settlement/Maurepas area for 17 years and have frequented DiCarlo’s many times for many different events. Church events, family dinners, etc. On many of those occasions, the food has been very good, and the atmosphere off the Diversion Canal has been exceptional. It is a well-respected spot-it’s even a starting point in our Catholic community’s annual Reverence on the River, our Eucharistic Procession by boat. So when I recommended it to my husband, who had never been to DiCarlo’s with me, I had thought I had picked a good place for after-Mass dinner. Usually it has been filled with good conversation, friendly servers, and good food.

This evening, DiCarlo’s was none of those things.

We walked in, in our Sunday attire, to a band playing absolutely too loud, with frequent feedback and sound engineering problem, for about three tables of people. The crowd was mostly older, and not at all lively-unusual for our older crowds who love to chat and have a good time. We had to search for a host to serve us. The staff explained they closed the main area after a certain time (I could NOT hear what time), and so only the back porch was available. This was news to me. Perhaps that was a change under the new management.

A big issue of the evening was that we could not hear ANYTHING-not the server who came to bring our drinks, not any conversation around us, and I could not hear my husband directly in front of me. We spoke through TEXT the entire dinner THROUGH necessity. I have no problem with music during dinner, especially if it adds to the atmosphere. After all, for Louisianans, food and music are our bread and butter. But when it causes clear communication issues between ourselves and the server, it is a major problem. I felt EXTREMELY uncomfortable, but decided to power through it for the food.

The dinner menu has undergone significant changes. It has shrunk from a large menu with many choices to about two pages of basic Cajun food and a couple of Italian dishes. Which in itself is not a bad thing-focusing on a few specialties instead of an overloaded menu is something a lot of restaurants do well. DiCarlo’s currently does not seem to be one of those locations, at least for dinner.

We waited 10 minutes for basic non-alcoholic drinks and did not get them, so we gave up and ordered cocktails when we got the drinks menu. The Asian Shrimp was okay. The Chocolate Martini was fine. The crab cakes were dry and over fried. The onion strings were decent, but no Rocky and Carlo’s. For the $87 dollars we spent, the portion sizes were generally quite small and not at all worth that tag.

The atmosphere continued to be difficult for the entire evening. I was overstimulated and unable to relax. The servers spent most of the time talking to each other and seemed generally uninterested in the restaurant, though our server seemed to do his best to be friendly. I could not get his name-again, too loud. In hindsight, I should have walked out. But I wanted to take a chance on a local restaurant which I have frequented through many changes through the years, and to introduce my husband to more local restaurants I have loved over the years. After this experience, I do not believe DiCarlo’s will continue to be one of those places.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review. I hope the new ownership will take the time to consider what DiCarlo’s has meant to our community, and how painful it is that it has seemingly suffered such a decline. We want the best for our local, family-owned restaurants, and to let people know that Southern Livingston Parish is a worthwhile investment. That process needs to include our eateries, which are at the heart of Livingston Parish life.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 2

Great spot on the water! Best views around to enjoy dinner and drinks and brunch on Sundays! All apps, burgers, wraps, and platters are amazing!! Great brunch selection on Sundays too! Friendly staff and great owners! They work hard to keep their customers happy! Good band lineup on weekends so the perfect spot to hangout with friends and family!!

June 14 @7:40pm very disappointed with the food, service, and atmosphere. We walked into the restaurant and it was completely empty. No one greeted us. Place seemed closed. As the hosted emerged and said the band just stop playing. It’s was 7:10pm. You mean to tell me everyone left the restaurant in 10min? I highly doubt anyone was there. Not sure where is the entrance. Took 20 minutes to get what was called Asian shrimp appetizer. We over heard one server say “we had to water down the drinks so we can make them last the night” and she said I was able to find some bread to make type of garlic bread. The appetizer was just fried shrimp with some Asian pepper jelly sauce you can buy at the grocery store. Server did not check on us, offered no recommendations. All the staff was gathered by a table chitchatting and not attentive to customers. Owner seemed like he was more attentive to friends or acquaintances, and not paying attention to what’s going on in the restaurant. I have worked in the service industry and even with bad service we would at least leave a 10% tip. Instead we walked out found our server fraternizing with other servers and just paid for our water down tea, coke, and fry shrimp thing We are definitely not returning to this restaurant. Huge disappointment!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

June 14, 2025 @7:40pm very disappointed with the food, service, and atmosphere. We walked into the restaurant and it was completely empty. No one greeted us. Took 20 minutes to get what was called Asian shrimp appetizer. The appetizer was just fried shrimp with some Asian pepper jelly sauce you can buy at the grocery store. Server did not check on us, offered no recommendations. All the staff was gathered by a table chitchatting and not attentive to customers. Owner seemed like he was more attentive to friends or acquaintances, and not paying attention to what’s going on in the restaurant. We are definitely not returning to this restaurant. Huge disappointment!

June 14, 2025 @7:40pm very disappointed with the food, service, and atmosphere. We walked into the restaurant and it was completely empty. No one greeted us. Took 20 minutes to get what was called Asian shrimp appetizer. The appetizer was just fried shrimp with some Asian pepper jelly sauce you can buy at the grocery store. Server did not check on us, offered no recommendations. All the staff was gathered by a table chitchatting and not attentive to customers. Owner seemed like he was more attentive to friends or acquaintances, and not paying attention to what’s going on in the restaurant. We are definitely not returning to this restaurant. Huge disappointment!

Our first visit to DiCarlo's was, unfortunately, a significant disappointment. First impressions matter, and the entrance was confusing. We couldn't find any clear signage on the building to confirm the entrance for the restaurant. The only clear entrance sign was on the patio which had no stairs for direct entrance from the parking lot. Once inside, the confusion continued. We stood for a moment, looking for a sign that would tell us whether to seat ourselves or wait to be seated, but there was nothing. After a moment of awkward hesitation, we decided to just sit down at an empty table. And then we waited. And waited. For seven minutes, not a single staff member acknowledged us, despite several walking past and one even lingering to socialize at a nearby table that seemed to be friends or family. It was incredibly frustrating to be so obviously ignored. We ended up leaving, as it was clear our business wasn't valued. We won't be returning.

Nice place with great food and drinks. Great view of the Diversion Canal

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5