Great service, excellent staff!! Food was good. Definitely would go back and try something else!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Caren Patterson
A Delightful Family Dinner at Carmen's CafeLooking for a cozy and delicious Italian meal in Brookside? Look no further than Carmen's Cafe! Our family of five recently enjoyed a wonderful evening there, and I can't wait to share our experience.The atmosphere at Carmen's Cafe is warm and inviting. It's the perfect spot for a relaxed family gathering. We began our meal with some of their famous Italian Butter (definitely a must-try!), bread, and house salads. The salads were a pleasant surprise – unique with artichoke hearts, red onion, and a perfectly balanced Italian dressing. The portion size was just right, with a refreshing ratio of salad to dressing.For our main courses, we opted for a variety of dishes, including chicken spiedini, veal parmesan, and tortellini. Everyone at the table was thoroughly impressed. The meat was cooked to perfection – tender, juicy, and flavorful. The same goes for the sauce, which was rich and delicious. The only minor complaint came from the teenagers, who wished the side of pasta had been a bit larger. Other than that, it was a clean plate night for all!We finished off our meal with a selection of delectable desserts, from spumoni to cheesecake to cannoli. Everything was divine!Our server, Elizabeth, deserves special recognition. She was friendly, attentive, and always there when we needed her. An additional staff member also ensured our drinks were refilled and our plates cleared promptly, making the service seamless.Overall, our dinner at Carmen's Cafe was a fantastic family outing. The food was delicious, the atmosphere charming, and the service excellent. If you're in the Brookside area, I highly recommend giving it a try! Just a heads up – I completely forgot to take pictures of our food until halfway through the meal (trust me, it was that good!), but the photos on Yelp are a great representation of what you can expect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Italian Butter
Bo Shuff
Longtime neighborhood place with fantastic italian fare. Service was on point.
Some of the best red sauce I've had. You will love it too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Carmen, Steak Oscar, Crab Cakes, Chicken Spiedini Oscar, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Large House Salad, Chicken Spiedini Julian, Cheesecake, Spumoni Ice Cream, Shrimp Scampi Lunch, Lobster Ravioli, Chicken Parmesan, Veal Parmigiano, Garlic Cheese Bread, Italian Butter, Capellini De Angel
Tim Grotegut
I wanted to express my gratitude to Carmen's for a flawless catering order. We needed to pick up our food the day prior to our event, and Ray could not have been more helpful with instructions for us to "finish cooking" our items. I am sure this was not typical for them and they really took it on stride.The food is Carmen's, so of course, it was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris B.
Prompt service and good bread, the rest was a disappointment.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Steak Oscar
Valeria Bieberly
First and last time for sure. Food is not good, the place makes me feel disgusting.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Katie W.
Fantastic food and service ! Made a reservation as the space is small and quaint. Service was dynamite and all of our dinner and wine amazing. Highly recommend!
I returned to KC to see friends and we went out for dinner at Carmen's. I had not been there is 5 years. Area restaurants were busy so I was surprised when we entered and found seats at the bar. We started with bacon-wrapped shrimp. The bacon was raw and the shrimp very tough. It was covered in a thick red sauce. I has linguini and clams. The pasta was mushy. There was one tiny clam and they had made a greasy sauce that was very salty. The other two split a chicken spedini that looked dry and almost burned. The wine we selected was good. The bartender was very good. Friendly.
alejandro rivera
Their lasagna should be called lasagna soup. It is the worst lasagna I've ever been served. Obviously microwaved, the center temp was cool. A flavorless concoction swimming in an equally flavorless pool of pasta sauce. When I told the waiter it was not good and he could take it, he apologized and asked me if I wanted a to-go box for it. I am sorry I did not think to take a picture of it. That's all I would have needed to post.Parking: Unless you are there before 5, your best option for parking is at the end of the block in the upper lot of the grocery store parking lot.Wheelchair accessibility: It would be hard for a person in a wheelchair to maneuver through the restaurant. The men's room is not handicap accessible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Brian Barnes
1st time trying on a Date night ?... Love the shrimp Carmen , Shrimp scampi!.. by far the best I've Ever tasted Hands down.... A1 a must !.. you won't be Sorry Guaranteed.
Nice chill place for food. Had the breaded medallion steak. It was delicious. I should have ordered it with a bed of linguine instead of the side of pasta and red sauce. I had a great experience. Cheers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Oscar, Garlic Cheese Bread, Italian Butter
Cindi Sue
Visited here with my sisters and MIL while out visiting them in Weston, MO. They picked this restaurant because it was in an area they wanted to bring me to so I can see this cute part of Kansas City and to see the Christmas lights. We had reservations at 5:30pm on a Wednesday and when we pulled up to the restaurant, the parking spots were filled already. Please arrive a bit early to find a parking spot if you go at this time or later. It did get more crowded as the night progressed.The front of the restaurant didn't look like much and neither did the entrance, which was a door with a curtain a few feet past the door, which opened into the bar and around the corner, the restaurant.Here's a simple review of our experience:Ambience: Intimate setting with linen napkins & tablecloths, eclectic artwork a few seasonal decorations/lights and soft music. Great vibe for gathering of friends for dinner and holiday parties.Food:Appetizers:1- Stuffed artichoke-cooked perfectly with deliciously seasoned garlicy, buttered breadcrumbs. We chose no meat on this one. I highly recommend this!2-Italian Butter: A MUST!!! One of the best garlic olive oils I've had. It was served warm with TONS of garlic. It was a hefty serving and it was enough for the four of us to eat it with the loaf of bread that was served with it. We had leftovers even after eating so much during our evening.Wine: We had a bottle of Chianti which was good, but a little on the sweet side. Be sure to taste it before buying an entire bottleEntrees:1-Eggplant Parmigana: My MIL had this and she said it was very good. The sauce was great and the eggplant was cooked crispy and perfect.2-Chicken Spiedini Julian: Two of us had this and we were not disappointed. The breaded chicken was charbroiled perfectly and the filling of artichokes and the scrumptious fettuccine Alfredo was over-the-top AMAZING! It truly was one of the best Italian dishes I've ever had. I am still dreaming about the next time I visit to order this again
Great place to eatParking: Brookside is a cluster
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
Love the chicken
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service, excellent staff!! Food was good. Definitely would go back and try something else!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
A Delightful Family Dinner at Carmen's CafeLooking for a cozy and delicious Italian meal in Brookside? Look no further than Carmen's Cafe! Our family of five recently enjoyed a wonderful evening there, and I can't wait to share our experience.The atmosphere at Carmen's Cafe is warm and inviting. It's the perfect spot for a relaxed family gathering. We began our meal with some of their famous Italian Butter (definitely a must-try!), bread, and house salads. The salads were a pleasant surprise – unique with artichoke hearts, red onion, and a perfectly balanced Italian dressing. The portion size was just right, with a refreshing ratio of salad to dressing.For our main courses, we opted for a variety of dishes, including chicken spiedini, veal parmesan, and tortellini. Everyone at the table was thoroughly impressed. The meat was cooked to perfection – tender, juicy, and flavorful. The same goes for the sauce, which was rich and delicious. The only minor complaint came from the teenagers, who wished the side of pasta had been a bit larger. Other than that, it was a clean plate night for all!We finished off our meal with a selection of delectable desserts, from spumoni to cheesecake to cannoli. Everything was divine!Our server, Elizabeth, deserves special recognition. She was friendly, attentive, and always there when we needed her. An additional staff member also ensured our drinks were refilled and our plates cleared promptly, making the service seamless.Overall, our dinner at Carmen's Cafe was a fantastic family outing. The food was delicious, the atmosphere charming, and the service excellent. If you're in the Brookside area, I highly recommend giving it a try! Just a heads up – I completely forgot to take pictures of our food until halfway through the meal (trust me, it was that good!), but the photos on Yelp are a great representation of what you can expect.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Italian Butter
Longtime neighborhood place with fantastic italian fare. Service was on point.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Spiedini Julian, Stuffed Artichoke
Some of the best red sauce I've had. You will love it too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Carmen, Steak Oscar, Crab Cakes, Chicken Spiedini Oscar, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Large House Salad, Chicken Spiedini Julian, Cheesecake, Spumoni Ice Cream, Shrimp Scampi Lunch, Lobster Ravioli, Chicken Parmesan, Veal Parmigiano, Garlic Cheese Bread, Italian Butter, Capellini De Angel
I wanted to express my gratitude to Carmen's for a flawless catering order. We needed to pick up our food the day prior to our event, and Ray could not have been more helpful with instructions for us to "finish cooking" our items. I am sure this was not typical for them and they really took it on stride.The food is Carmen's, so of course, it was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Prompt service and good bread, the rest was a disappointment.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Steak Oscar
First and last time for sure. Food is not good, the place makes me feel disgusting.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Fantastic food and service ! Made a reservation as the space is small and quaint. Service was dynamite and all of our dinner and wine amazing. Highly recommend!
Restaurantji Recommends
I returned to KC to see friends and we went out for dinner at Carmen's. I had not been there is 5 years. Area restaurants were busy so I was surprised when we entered and found seats at the bar. We started with bacon-wrapped shrimp. The bacon was raw and the shrimp very tough. It was covered in a thick red sauce. I has linguini and clams. The pasta was mushy. There was one tiny clam and they had made a greasy sauce that was very salty. The other two split a chicken spedini that looked dry and almost burned. The wine we selected was good. The bartender was very good. Friendly.
Their lasagna should be called lasagna soup. It is the worst lasagna I've ever been served. Obviously microwaved, the center temp was cool. A flavorless concoction swimming in an equally flavorless pool of pasta sauce. When I told the waiter it was not good and he could take it, he apologized and asked me if I wanted a to-go box for it. I am sorry I did not think to take a picture of it. That's all I would have needed to post.Parking: Unless you are there before 5, your best option for parking is at the end of the block in the upper lot of the grocery store parking lot.Wheelchair accessibility: It would be hard for a person in a wheelchair to maneuver through the restaurant. The men's room is not handicap accessible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
1st time trying on a Date night ?... Love the shrimp Carmen , Shrimp scampi!.. by far the best I've Ever tasted Hands down.... A1 a must !.. you won't be Sorry Guaranteed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimp Carmen, Shrimp Scampi Lunch
Nice chill place for food. Had the breaded medallion steak. It was delicious. I should have ordered it with a bed of linguine instead of the side of pasta and red sauce. I had a great experience. Cheers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Oscar, Garlic Cheese Bread, Italian Butter
Visited here with my sisters and MIL while out visiting them in Weston, MO. They picked this restaurant because it was in an area they wanted to bring me to so I can see this cute part of Kansas City and to see the Christmas lights. We had reservations at 5:30pm on a Wednesday and when we pulled up to the restaurant, the parking spots were filled already. Please arrive a bit early to find a parking spot if you go at this time or later. It did get more crowded as the night progressed.The front of the restaurant didn't look like much and neither did the entrance, which was a door with a curtain a few feet past the door, which opened into the bar and around the corner, the restaurant.Here's a simple review of our experience:Ambience: Intimate setting with linen napkins & tablecloths, eclectic artwork a few seasonal decorations/lights and soft music. Great vibe for gathering of friends for dinner and holiday parties.Food:Appetizers:1- Stuffed artichoke-cooked perfectly with deliciously seasoned garlicy, buttered breadcrumbs. We chose no meat on this one. I highly recommend this!2-Italian Butter: A MUST!!! One of the best garlic olive oils I've had. It was served warm with TONS of garlic. It was a hefty serving and it was enough for the four of us to eat it with the loaf of bread that was served with it. We had leftovers even after eating so much during our evening.Wine: We had a bottle of Chianti which was good, but a little on the sweet side. Be sure to taste it before buying an entire bottleEntrees:1-Eggplant Parmigana: My MIL had this and she said it was very good. The sauce was great and the eggplant was cooked crispy and perfect.2-Chicken Spiedini Julian: Two of us had this and we were not disappointed. The breaded chicken was charbroiled perfectly and the filling of artichokes and the scrumptious fettuccine Alfredo was over-the-top AMAZING! It truly was one of the best Italian dishes I've ever had. I am still dreaming about the next time I visit to order this again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Spiedini Julian