Carmelo's Restaurant

First timer, the food and service were equally great! I ordered the Alfredo Pasta and it did not disappoint!

Italian is my favorite food, and so when a new restaurant opened in Covington, we knew we had to try it out. The vibe is very classy and quite nice (but maybe a tad too dim).We ordered the potatoes for an appetizer and the Oxtail Ragu and Mushroom Marsala with a side of focaccia to--as our server said--soak up the remnant sauce from our pasta.The garlic confit crispy potatoes came out a bit later, accompanied by a Calabrian Chili Mayo (I LOVE Calabrian chilis). It was so good. Spicy and creamy, but calabrian chilis add a touch of sweetness and richness that made every bite exquisite.Then the pasta arrived. My wife and I are prone to splitting/sharing our dishes, but we know what we prefer, so I dove into the oxtail ragu and she took the mushroom marsala. And we both really enjoyed them. We swapped to try the other's dish, and...Found that we both liked the other person's dish better. The oxtail ragu was meaty, salty, and hearty, really good stuff. But the mushroom marsala was--and I don't say this lightly--perfectly seasoned. Tons of herbs, a flavorful creamy sauce, and tons of mushrooms. the focaccia strips were also very good.This will likely be our go-to Italian spot in the future. Not the cheapest option out there, but not breaking the bank either. A nice spot for a date night.

Overall, our experience was great with room for improvement. The space itself is beautiful with soft lighting and upscale decor. Perfect atmosphere for a special occasion or date night. The entire restaurant was busy and packed full, and we arrived without a reservation, but we were able to find seats at the bar quickly. Our bartender was fantastic throughout the night -- offered great suggestions from the menu, knowledgeable, and checked in on us at appropriate intervals. We started with the cauliflower for apps, and it was delicious. Perfectly crisp, nutty and savory, and came out blazing hot. We had the lasagna and mushroom pasta for mains. The portion sizes were generous. The lasagna, unfortunately, fell short of expectations. The sauce was good, but the noodles themselves were thick and overcooked (mushy texture), and was lacking any distinctive flavor within the layers. On the other hand, mushroom pasta was delicious -- on the verge of being cooked past al dente, but the mushrooms and cream sauce worked so well together.Finished the night with Tiramisu. Again, portion size was generous (good to share between two people). It wasn't too sweet and the texture was good, but there is a bitterness that overtook most of the dish. I can see how some people would enjoy the bitterness, but it was a bit strong for our tastes.All in all, positive experience. Worth trying if you're in the area! Recommend the cauliflower and mushroom pasta.

We came here for my birthday dinner, requested by me. I've seen lots of hype about this place so I was excited to check it out. The service was great, our server Grace was so nice and very helpful with the menu. Loved her!! We started with the Caesar salad and split garlic soup. The soup was tasty but I felt like it wasn't out of this world. I felt like it was heavy cream with garlic and croutons. Needed something more to it. The salad was delicious. Fresh greens and loads of Parmesan, just the right amount of dressing. Loved it. Following this, we had the calamari. My boyfriend loved it and said he would order again. I only ate the little peppers and olives (fried, so good!) as I don't eat calamari. For our entree we had Alfredo and added a meatball. We also had the 100 layer lasagna. I felt like both meals were heavy pasta and cheese. The meatball was so small! I was expecting an oversized meatball for the large portion of pasta, but no. The meatball was fine, not much to note. Not great not bad. The Alfredo was fine but again, not much to describe it with besides that it was a lot of pasta and cheese. The lasagna was a huge let down. There was no meat in it, barely any cheese, and the noodles were thick and bland. After 4 bites I was over it. We finished with tiramisu. Overall, I really hope this place can expand the menu as there are not many options. I would like to see more protein used in the meals. I loved the ambiance in there. Very classy, moody, and elegant. Hopefully with some tweaking this place can really soar!

This is a difficult one as I don't want to give it 4 but also a 3....First off, the location is beautiful. Had reservations and were promptly sat. Would love to come back and sit at the bar as it was lovely. Server was Mitchell I believe and he was great. Checked in and gave some good suggestions. I've known a bunch id people who have come and knew what I wanted to try. Also, not overly loud which I enjoyed. We got the meatballs and cauliflower as apps. Totally forgot to order the garlic soup which means I will go back and give it another shot. Meatballs/sauce were good but tbh, like Mamas better. Cauliflower was my favorite thing. So amazing and would order it every single time!!My friend had fettuccini and in the oxtail ragu. We both tried each others and Alfredo was not good. Not terrible but weird flavor. Ragu was pretty good but needs some more seasoning. Pasta all cooked well. Overall, like I said, I'll try it again at the bar. I think prices are fair as others said they weren't. Nicely sized portions. Drinks good as well. Just hoping a little bit more on the flavor side IMO.

5/5 recommend this cute gem in Covington! I recently visited Carmelo's for a girls night out and I'm glad I did. Everyone loved their meals and drinks. I tried the Oxtail Ragu with gluten free noodles, cauliflower and calamari. All of it was sooo good. This was some of the best cauliflower I've had and the sauce on it was a hit! My friend tried the Caesar salad which she loved as well but was disappointed that she couldn't add a protein to the salad. That would be our only recommendation if additions are made to the menu in the future. We failed to make a reservation but were quickly sat at the bar and all of the servers were super engaging and fun to talk to! We will definitely be returning!

Finally made it here and it's so good My pictures didn't turn out very well This place is phenomenal Our service was exceptional Keshaun was our server and we were friends by the end of the evening he was a friend Now the food Oxtail Ragu oh my goodness So good so tender My hubby got spaghetti and meatballs Our friends got the starter ofmozzarella and the lasagna One pound oflasagna crazy This place is wonderful

We went to celebrate my mom's 76th birthday.No surprise, It was fantastic. Morgan, our server was so attentive and competent.We of course, had the mozzarella...it was fantastic, but the focaccia helped make it!Also at the table, which we all took bites out of, was the garlic soup, which was more complex tasting, than I could imagine.The meatballs, were delectable. Apparently the oxtail ragu is a favorite. The meat melted in your mouth with a sauce that complimented it, but didn't take away from the star.The 1 lb lasagna... obviously enough for many days of leftovers.Finished up with the most amazing tiramisu and espresso martini. I was surprised by how large the restaurant is and Beautiful. The architecture of the brick and arches are breathtaking.Definitely make a reservation. You will not be disappointed.

Just loved our experience which was delicious and filling. They accommodated my vegan meal request with a pasta and vegetable dinner. The chef even sent out two different small bowls to complement my meal. The herbal mixture and red pepper sauce were not needed as my meal was very flavorful. I did try them and loved them. My boyfriend got spaghetti and a meatball dish. The dish was topped with lots of finely shredded cheese. He commented on the light red sauce as unique and he couldn't quite determine if he enjoyed it or not. Finally decided it was just different than what he's had before. We felt like the meal needed bread. We looked on the menu but it wasn't available to be ordered and none was offered. I highly recommend making it an option to order if not complimentary. Just needed it. Our server Kristen was very good and explained the menu to us. The atmosphere is lovely and it appeared to have been that way for quite sometime but in a conversation with one of the owners we knew that it was band new. Well done. Highly recommend and we will definitely return. Perhaps they will expand the menu and offer bread for order as an option. Thank you for a great meal.

Came here for the first time. Our server Tempest was lovely, attentive and made great recommendations all around, we loved all the things she suggested. Tried the cauliflower which was a surprise star, super crispy, cooked perfectly. Also the mozzarella which was great, but the focaccia it came with was the real star of the show. Definitely recommend trying the garlic soup, a perfect cold weather starter. For entrees we had lasagna and Oxtail Ragu. The oxtail was for sure the favorite, very decadent and a great flavor profile. Definitely going back to try all the things we had to pass on this time (the tiramisu looked amazing but we had already over ordered)! The vibes were so cute and cozy, there is much more space inside than I expected and it wasn't too noisy to have a convo.