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Next door to Little Napoli, our wine bar offers a broad…
Mon-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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It's hard to have a bad meal when you are in a good mood. And, it's hard to be in anything other than a good mood when you are in Carmel, especially in October.
We've eaten at Little Napoli on several occasions over the years. Each experience has been a little different, but all have been excellent. During our visit last year, we saw Clint Eastwood and his wife eating across the room (not a bad endorsement!). This year, we chose Little Napoli as the site of a friend's birthday celebration. Besides the excellent food, Little Napoli has 2 private rooms upstairs, both with balconies opening to Dolores street below. The larger room seats about 10 and the larger rooms easily seats 20 and has it's own private bar and patio.
The food never disappoints. I can't seem to order anything other then their specialty, "Tricolore" Cannelloni, topped with three different sauces! It looks like the Italian flag....only edible! Incidentally, the pizzas make a great appetizer!
Next time you find yourself in Carmel, go to Little Napoli....you won't be sorry!
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I cannot find anything wrong with this place. Absolutely had a great time.
The pizza and Salmon Piccata were basically perfect. Enjoyed 3 different bottles of wine as well.
Calamari was awesome too!!!
My family took my mom here for her birthday over the weekend because it came highly recommended by a friend of ours who is local. We made a reservation for 6 over the phone the night before with ease. No credit card number required or anything like that, some other restaurants are starting to do weird stuff like that with any group larger than 4. Anyway, it was pretty crowded that night so I was glad I made the rezzie in advance.
This is definitely not a fancy shmancy place it is more of a fun and casual dining experience. The waiters all had Italian soccer jerseys on. Ours was cracking jokes left and right and was making funny faces at me a lot. It was a good time!
The food was overall pretty good. Of the 6 people with us 5 seemed to be raving about their food. My mom didn't finish her "JFK" which is the name of the dish and my husband took over for her and told me it was not that good. But, 5 out of 6 ain't bad! The bread was yummy, the calamari was decent, and the overall experience was swell. The prices were very reasonable (especially by Carmel standards) so I would recommend for sure!
This is an old-school American-Italian place that serves up generic crowd-pleasers like garlic bread with tomato dipping sauce and chicken pamagianno with noodles alfredo.
If you have any interest in "authentic" or modern Italian food, go elsewhere.
The crowd's average age was about 60, which is what one would expect given the totally 'play-it-safe' menu.
The only inedible thing we had was a side-dish of mushrooms, which were sauteed in oil that tasted a bit rancid, and which had no other seasoning (a bit of white wine would have been nice). Everything else was perfectly edible if uninspiring.
The tartufo for dessert consisted of chocolate ice cream surrounding vanilla. There was no center of nuts and cherries as is traditional. Again, nothing inedible but also not inspiring in any way.
Service was friendly, the place is pleasant, but there's really no reason to go here.
Hello Richard Pepe,
Your restaurant's service sucks. We visited your establishment on a Saturday night and while much of the town had a crowd waiting outside, your establishment seemed like a place where we could get a table. Well, at least we thought we could judging from the empty tables.
Instead we end up waiting at the hostess station, while the hostess punched buttons. We said hello a couple times and she did not even bother to look at us.
We dined across the street, where we had an excellent Italian dinner and good service.
4.5 stars
Once again, Yelp never lets me down! There are a lot of these little bistros and cafes in Carmel and it would be hard to go into the wrong one. You know this one is right because people waiting are spilling over into the street. Luckily, we called and made a last minute reservation. Our table was waiting for us! Nico, the server, was very good an the food was even better! My artichoke was outstanding! This is a keeper. I'm only subtracting 1/2 star because the music was a bit loud with the crowd. It was really hard to hear our table.
People thought this was:
The first time for lunch was good. Several months later for lunch, had the same dish, and was totally different. Tasted like leftovers. The garlic bread was not the same either., it had tomato sauce on it and it was red. Very chewy. Not fresh. I was excited after the first time. The second time., totally different. Dissapointed.
Little Napoli did not disappoint. The atmosphere was fun and vibrant, the music was great!! The garlic bread was delicious, the special heirloom tomato salad was one of the best I have ever had. The tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce was filled with beef and pork that had been slow cooked all day. Delicious!!
Our waiter was so nice, and the lemoncello that came with desert was a wonderful surprise. Loved it and would go back any time. Classic Italian food done in the best way.
Absolutely delicious! We went there for dinner early on in the vacation and I really considered trying to go back a second time. We ordered the penne with vodka sauce and the gnocchi with bolognese sauce. Both were very tasty. The house wine was excellent. Actually, the main reason I wanted to go back was the veal ravioli (the next table over ordered several plates of it), which looked totally scrumptious. Kudos Pepe!
Little Napoli, ti amo. I had been walking all over Carmel in the late afternoon with Mom and JJ, trying to find a decent restaurant that was open (it was between lunch and dinner service at most places). It was already 3:30, and I still needed to drive back to LA that night. We had been to about 4 or 5 different restaurants which turned out to be closed. Then, low and behold, I look down the street and see the familiar blue and yellow awning with an Italian flag hung over the door. Bingoooooooo!
Now I hadn't been here since I was in high school and my palate was not nearly as critical then as it is now, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I went in tired, not hungry (I had just had a brownie and milk not knowing we were eating late lunch/early dinner so soon), and a little grumpy. Walking into Little Napoli was a comforting experience. Fireplace, old decor, a very homey feel. The service wasn't great, but the waitress was super nice and explained that both the hostess and busboy were sick that day. She was attentive, knowledgeable, and made sure to get our order in before the lunch prices were changed to dinner prices. I really love moules frites, which they had on the menu, but I can get that at Soleil in westwood for all you can eat cheaper, so I decided to forego that option. Went with a half order of veal osso buco ravioli in a porcini reduction cream sauce and a side caesar salad. The ravioli were exceptional, such comforting food. I finished all of the ravioli even though I was full when I came in, it was that good. This meal perked me, made me happy, and fueled me for a 5 hour drive back to LA. It doesn't get much better than that.
Buon appetito!
Dont be turned off by the 3 stars, this place is A-OK. 3.5 stars even. I just wasnt really impressed with the Calamari (wine and Calamari is all we had) for being so close to the ocean. However, the service was really good and they have EVOO and Basalmic vinegar on the table along with fresh cracked pepper for the bread. Theres a fireplace and it has that nice Italian feel inside. I was kinda turned off by the wine pourer girl in their tasting room, she was snooty. In the restaurant, they definately do not skimp you on wine when you order it though. So my final thought - I would come back and eat a complete meal Ive got faith that this is a good place. Im pretty sure the star rating will go up. So I'd suggest you give it a shot.
People thought this was:
WOW!!!!!!!!
My wife went there this weekend. Firstly I would like to give a a major shot out to Rick and Jenny. This was some of the best service I have ever received in all of the restaurants I have ever been to in Carmel.
So we started out our evening next door at the Wine Bar, talk about AMAZING WINE,,i had the orveta and my wife had the silverstine. They had a live musician there....he was fabolous.
So check this out...the service people at Little Nopali knew we were sitting there, and said our table was ready...we didn't even tell them we were next door! Talk about GRADE A service. They have a sister wine bar that are affiliated with. If you have some time before dinner..go there first..its a nice way to start the night.
The DISHES were YUM BIG TIME! We started our Adventure with the Garlic Bread which is an ABOLUTE MUST!!!!!!! And something called the Garlic Bulb...that in itself was fun...a WHOLE GARLIC with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Black Olives, Feta Cheese, and Toasted Bread. To make things even better they leave Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil on the table.
We then Moved onto OUR MAIN DISH!!!! I had some seafood pasta, which is off the HOOK! my wife had some Bolegnese pasta..which was amazing too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally, we ended up with this amazing Tiramisu...some of the best I have EVER EATEN!
SERVICE,FOOD, AMBIANCE, QUALITY...are all common themes when you go here...couldn't have asked for a better night..
One more thing...the manager gave us...Lemoncello..as a courtesy b/c he was super nice. His name was Rick. The Lemoncella, gave me a nice BUZZ.
Thank You Little Noopali for everything! We will definetly be back!
Raj and Roopali
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Wife and I were in the area and decide to come to Little Napoli for our Anniversary. Located in downtown Carmel , Little Napoli can be hard to spot unless you're walking on the sidewalk. We had made an appointment for 7:30 dining and arrived about a couple of minutes. Seemed like they were very busy and the hostess distracted. Must have waited for about 5 minutes before the hostess asked about us and found our reservation.
We waited for probably another 10 minutes before we were seated. I was a bit annoyed that they sat us at the table right next to the entry way. Usually the spots around the door are for walk ins, not people with a reservation. Once we got there, it was time for the waiting game again. Probably another 15 minutes before the waiter came. I looked around and it had what you would expect from an Italian Café kind of place. Tanish walls, with scenes of Italy and bottles of wines around. The seating is tight and the Little Napoli can get very loud.
We had more than enough time to look over the menu. The menu is your high end Italian menu. They have a lot of your classic Italian dishes from bruschetta, Calamari, Pizza, Pasta, Clams, Veal, Chicken Piccata, Lasagna, Pizza, and Cannelloni to name a few dishes. Prices here are on the high side, you're looking around $6 - $11 for Salads and Appetizers and around $15 - $30 for Pizza, Entrees, etc. They also have several vegetarian options here too. Wine here is a bit high too, you're looking at $8 - $15 for glasses and bottles start at $35.
When our waiter showed up we put in an order because we were starving. We didn't get bread at this point either. My wife ordered a basic salad and a spaghetti dish with cherry tomatoes. I ordered the Grilled Artichoke, Crab Bisque, and the Osso Bucco Raviolis. We also put in our order for wine too.
When our waiter came back with our wine, he also brought our bread too. We chatted for a while and got our salad and grilled artichoke. The salad was a decent size, fresh and with an excellent feta. The grilled artichoke was outstanding. It tasted like it was marinated with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and came fresh of the wood grill. You can taste the wood fire to it which accented it nicely. The aioli that came with it was excellent and I was dipping the artichoke into it like crazy.
As I was finishing up these, I got the crab bisque. It was a heavy crème bisque that had a very rich seafood taste to it. I'm guessing they boiled the crab shell in with it to get that taste. The crab eat was good. While plentiful, it was small pieces of crabmeat. Almost every bite had a little bit of the shredded crabmeat in it.
As I finish my soup, we got our pasta. Good size portions each of them. I got 6 generous size raviolis filled with Osso Bucco (Veal Shank). It was very tender and they had a nice rich cream sauce that had some of the Osso Bucco flavoring that complimented it well. Overall a well executed meal and with the glass of Chianti that I had, it cut through the richness extremely well. My wife's pasta was cooked perfectly and tasted fresh. While I did like their sauce and the flavoring, it was a bit watery for my taste. I prefer a thicker sauce over the thinner sauce.
We decided to order desert and my wife got the Tartufo and I got the Canolli. We got our desert and like our meal excellent. The tartufo is basically chocolate gelato wrapped in a hazelnut powder. If you're a chocolate fan this is a must and the combination provides a combination between soft and hard crunch. The canolli was excellent. It's the first black and white canolli that I had then crème was fresh and unlike most places so was the shell. Had a nice crispness to it and wasn't soft.
We got the bill and came out to be about $130 including tip. Overall the food was probably some of the best Italian food I've had in the states. The service here was definitely lacking. I would come back only because the food was that good. If the service was better, this would get a rare 5 star rating from me. But I guess with food this good, you can get away with poor service and in the end Little Napoli gets a 4 Star rating. Would definitely recommend and would advise that you also get a reservation instead of doing a walk in.
If Little Napoli is indeed considered a $$ restaurant, I shudder to think what the other restaurants in Carmel cost.
Yes, this place is cute. Yes it takes reservations. And the food is tasty. Holy moly is it tasty! My dining companion and I decided to go halvsies on everything--ordered the grilled artichoke, the gorgonzola salad, and the veal ravioli with porcini cream reduction and cremini (maybe?) mushrooms that was so good, we took the rest of the contents of the bread basket and used it to sop up the sauce. We polished that off with tiramisu. Everything was perfect, from the food to the portion sizes.
However, if we hadn't shared, we would be hard pressed to find ANYTHING within the $$ category. What kind of ballers review here anyway? All of the entrees were at least $20. Forget wine.
Ultimately, tasty food, but a tad pricey.
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Dined with a group of friends here last week. I had the Cannelloni which was good, but not great. It was one large shell, like a giant burrito! The shell was a bit too al dente for my taste. One friend ordered the veal osso bucco ravioli and I tried it, truly divine. This is a popular place, quite crowded and loud. If your in the mood for fun and laughter with diners close by, this is your place. If you like more quiet, I suggest calling to find out what times are less busy. I would like to return again and have the ravioli and Limoncello I've read about.
I wavered between all the choices for Italian in Carmel to carbo load. Luckily, Little Napoli didn't disappoint.
Reservations are a must. On this particular night, the quoted wait time without a reservation was three hours. The space is not particularly huge, but they pack a lot of tables in, which makes for cramped seating. Still, it's a popular place for families and groups to casually dine.
The entrees were outstanding. I couldn't get enough of the bread, and was satisfied with my tagliatelle and marinara; simple, yet tasty, the homemade element was obvious--a good thing, when you're used to eating pasta that comes from store shelves. Others ordered seafood: smoked salmon, Manila clams, Chilean sea bass. Everything was a huge hit. It's always a task to find a restaurant where everyone leaves happy, and Little Napoli just happened to nail it.
Any complaints would be in the service. While it began as being prompt and helpful, it slacked off towards the end when it got noticeably busy, and we were waiting an awful long time to place our order for dessert. We staved off any further waits by asking for the check at the same time.
Despite that minor hiccup, I would gladly return, and wholly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a quaint, authentic dining spot in downtown Carmel.
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I have been a resident of the Monterey Peninsula for some time now. I am very knowledgeable about Italian food, wine, and culture, and even did a living stay in Italy for two years some time ago. I must say as far it Italian American cuisine goes, there is no place better in the area than Little Napoli. For the price, Little Napoli's food is tastier and more satisfying than 85% of restaurants in Italy itself. I have a real problem with Italian restaurants being owned by non-Italians. Little Napoli's owner, is known as "Mr. Italy." He knows what makes good Italian food, and never compromises on quality. Little Napoli serves the definition of Italian soul food. People who complain about the prices obviously do not take the time to recognize the inherent quality that comes with every meal at Little Napoli. For example, the olive oil and vinegar places conveniently on every table is very high quality stuff: Tuscan olive oil golden in color and Balsamic vinegar from Modena, not your average Bertolli and Safeway red wine vinegar. The cheese, also placed conveniently on every table, is imported Parmigiano Reggiano, which is not cheap stuff. The bottomless baskets of bread offered free of charge is some of the best bread i've ever seen offered at a restaurant. I have made the mistake of getting full off of bread oil and vinegar even before the appetizers are served! The wine glasses are also very high quality, which is something that most casual italian food diners won't take the time to notice. If you order a nice glass of wine Little Napoli makes sure you drink it in the classiest way possible.
Little Napoli has been around for over 20 years and has seen many other Italian restaurants come and go around it. It has lasted so long because of its emphasis on quality food and service. And one more thing, for any of the reviewers who complained about something not being on the menu: have you ever heard of Little Napoli's "secret menu?" If you don't see something on the menu that used to be there, or think you can come up with something tasty by combining ingredients from other dishes, go ahead and order up. They can make pretty much anything back there. I once ordered spaghetti arrabiatta with fried calamari and they made it for me. I also ordered spaghetti aglio olio (just garlic and oil) with prawns and mushrooms, and they made it for me. If you're only going to eat at Little Napoli once, the three best things on the menu are the Penne alla Vodka, the Al Forno (their version of baked ziti), and the Eggplant parm. They recently started offering steaks and also the lamb chops with the cous cous are unbelievable.
You really can't go wrong with any of the food here. Try the crab bisque which is incredible, the meatballs are the best meatballs on the west coast, and for seafood lovers out there the Il Pescatore will blow you away. If you're looking for cheap food, stay out of Carmel because you really won't find it. The prices have gone up over the years because they would rather raise the price than sacrifice the quality of the ingredients used. Little Napoli is worth every penny.
I just read that Rich Pepe of Little Napoli will be opening up a wine tasting shop next door to the restaurant. YAY!!!! I am so excited. I love anything and everything that has to do with wine. I'm so into their 2006 Pepe "Vesuvio" right now... It's so hot right now.
It "has" to be a "tasting" style meaning only 2oz of wine can be poured at a time due to Carmel's strict regulation, only 3 "drinking establishments" allowed. This place will be called VinoNappoli. Can't wait!
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Solid Italian food and even better wine! I'm so stoked on their 2006 Pepe's Vesuvio Red Blend Wine.… Read more »
Great food!
There are several items on the menu that I have tried and all are fabulous. I especially love the salmon risotto. The best tables are in the back that face a courtyard.
This place is often very busy so reservations during busy weekend are highly recommended. Service is prompt and friendly.
Rating: 2.5*
Would return: Unlikely -- perhaps our expectations were high due to the long wait, but between so-so dishes, the unpredictable with-reservation wait, cold wind, high prices for the quality, we'd go elsewhere next time.
What we ordered ($65 post-tax/tip):
-- Garlic bread: charged for this though the last thing our waitress asked was "normal or garlic" bread. Everyone around us had a few pieces of garlic bread so we thought it was a standard free bread choice. But it ended up being a large plate of 8 pieces of not very garlicky or good bread.
-- Caprese salad: neither moz nor tomatoes were flavorful; shallots and capers added a nice bang; had to add olive oil & salt to taste.
-- Lasagna: decent, very meaty -- but dry-tasting meat like turkey.
-- Rosso di Bianco (papardelle w/ alfredo & fresh tomatoes) -- more watery than creamy which I didn't mind. Tomatoes added a nice flavor to cut into the alfredo.
What went well:
-- Ambiance: packed restaurant
-- Papardelle
-- Friendly staff
What could be improved:
-- Crowd management: we arrived at 8:15pm for 8:30pm reservation to a crowded vestibule. Were told we'd be seated in about 5ish minutes. Finally got a table around 8:50pm.
-- Climate control: outer door did not close by itself, so it perpetually stayed open w/ the crowds despite the cold temperatures outside. We shut the door while we were waiting about 5x and even had to do it after we were seated.
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After two almost perfect meals in Carmel, we were on a roll. After trying to make reservations at Passionfish where were turned down rather rudely because we had a baby we turned to Little Napoli. This was another recommendation and it didn't disappoint. Unfortunately we ran into a few kinks and ended up not getting to finish our dinners so this is only a partial review.
I had called to make reservations ahead of time, but when we arrived they had us down for 7pm when it was supposed to be 8. They were quite apologetic, and worked to get us in, but it was extremely crowded and it took quite a while to get a table. That wouldn't have been an issue, except our daughter gets fussy about 9pm and we were only into our appetizers at that point.
We started with Pan Roasted Mussels and Grilled Artichoke Marilena and some Pepe Vesuvio wine. The appetizers were great, the artichoke had a cool sauce, a little tiny spice to it and the artichoke was wonderful which isn't surprising as they're grown nearby. The mussels were just right, small and fresh which I always like better than the larger ones. At this point though, my daughter uncharacteristically wouldn't stop crying so we gave up and and headed out instead of annoying the rest of the diners. I really wish we could have tried the entrees and dessert, I'm guessing they were quite good but we won't know until the next time if we ever return to Carmel.
I'd say the appetizers were 5 star quality, but the mistake on our reservation cost us our meal so I have to dock a star even though they did their best to help. Honestly, I generally would have docked 2 or 3 stars, but the host was truly nice and apologetic and they did their best to find us a table that would be easy for us. I have to say that overall, the service in Carmel has been as good as anywhere I've eaten. Really nice, genuinely friendly and courteous hosts and staffs.
The decor here is really cute, feels like a true italian bistro and it looks like they're opening a wine bar next door. Only drawback, other than the absolutely crazy crowds was the lack of separate men's and women's restrooms. The wait for the bathroom was almost as long as the wait for a table. All in all, I'm a little sad. Kindof like having that massage without the happy ending.
Food - A-
Ambience - A
Service - A
Value - A
One of the biggest drawbacks of Carmel is finding good food at a decent price. Fortunately, Little Napoli is very solid choice for dinner.
Traditional Italian menu. Everything from pizza to pasta to some meat dishes. My date had a salad. I had the prosciutto and melon. We split a pizza. Very fresh. Very tasty. The wine list isn't the biggest or the best, but I had a glass of house wine. Thought the price was steep at $10 per -- but the quality of the wine more than made up for it. The service was quite good. Our server was attentive and stopped by often. Speaking of the menu -- I have no idea why there is a photo of 4 women riding a scooter to the beach on the cover of it. Kind of a hamfisted attempt at something. Beats a picture of a Grand Slam breakfast, I guess.
While the atmosphere is nice -- there isn't much of a waiting area -- so you either have to loiter in a tiny area right by the front door -- or hang outside. Really too bad they don't have a big bar to hang out in. Who knows, maybe you can hang out in their wine shop next door once it opens. And please don't bitch about the cold, OK? It's Carmel. If you're cold, learn how to dress for it.
The other drawback is the place just feels crowded. There just isn't enough room. We also got seated in a corner of the place -- with a view of an alley where plastic tubs of unwashed dishes were stacked.
That said, this cat gives this joint 4 stars -- because it's a solid place to eat -- and is so much better than any other place we've eaten at in Carmel -- even ones that cost a great deal more. Try it out. Just arrive right at the time of your reservation and stress that you want a good table -- and you'll be very happy with your choice.
Very nice place. We ordered a Napolitan pizza and a classic pepperoni. Both were great and my son's pasta was super as well. The price was fair for the quality of the food we were served and the Tiramisu and Capuccino were both very nice as well. When in Carmel, I'll definitely consider going back to Little Napoli.
I judge a good Italian restaurant is by it's good ol' meat ball and marinara spaghetti.
And mm, mm, mmmm ... this place is good! The marinara sauce is full, fresh, tomato-y, and chunky. The meatballs are flavorful and meaty. And the whole thing tastes even better the next day.
They don't shy on portions. From appetizers to drinks, they are generous! We ordered a glass of wine, and I almost told him to stop because our server just kept pouring... "glugluglugluglug!"
They also make a mean 3-sauce baked cannaloni.
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I had the most wonderful birthday dinner with my sister and husband on Saturday night. The food, ambiance, and service were top rate. It had already got rave reviews by my sister, and was reconfirmed when we went there.
Food - Delicious! We shared the Garlic Bread, shrimp salad and special salad (eggplant, mozzarella, and red peppers); and steamed clams. No complaints on any of it - all the dishes tasted fresh and delicious. For our entrees - my husband had the lasagna, and my sister and I shared a seafood pasta dish -- we were all so satisified with our food - kept going on and on of how delicious everything was.
Ambience - Cozy! We sat in the back room by the wine cellar. It didn't feel too noisy - we were able to talk comfortably without shouting. The place is buzzy with people and has a very homey atmosphere.
Service - Excellent excellent excellent! Our waiter Marco was top notch, as well as the manager Rick Dresser (aka Vince Vaughn). They show great pride in the service they provide their customers - always have a smile on their face, taking the time to greet their customers, and making sure your food and drink are served expediently.
If you are in Carmel, and in the mood for some good Italian food and great service, this is the place for you. Highly recommend.
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Great Italian food!! I love this place
Carmel has so many restaurants to choose from, it can be overwhelming to pick the right one if you're a first time visitor. With that, I can say that Little Napoli Bistro Italiano would literally be the last place on the planet I would give my hard earned buck to! We had a 45 minute wait which I didn't mind, but once seated we were seated unfortunately close to the door which was wide open at 9:30pm. It might have been 60 degreees out and we felt a cold breeze the whole time, surely it was helpful to the people in the back of the restaurant, but not the front. I ordered Gnocci with Bolagnese Sauce and my lady ordered a salad and a bean soup.
The waiter brought her salad and my Gnocci. Unfortunately I recieved the wrong order. I got a Gnocci with Gorganzola. Nice, stinky feet cheese...anyhowI let him know it was the wrong plate. My order was fixed and it was a hearty serving, but very flat/bland and tasteless. As my lady finished her salad, she sat while I ate. I asked her several times if she wanted me to flag the waiter (who not once came back to our table to see how our meal was, and I noticed him hit other tables at least twice) to get her soup. He finally came when both our plates were clear. I told him to just scratch the soup from the bill. Embarrased and awkward he apologized for not bringing it out. This takes me to the movie "Reservoir Dogs" Mr. Pink said it best. I tip for excellent service, and if the waitperson forgets about us, then why should I leave a tip? OUr waiter got .33 cents and only because I didn't have exact change and didn't want to sit there for another second, feeling like my presence wasn't needed. It's a Bad economy now... Kick up the service and people will open their wallets. LOUSY experience overall...
People thought this was:
Love this place. Get the spaghetti and meatballs. Lidia B. would be proud - good consistency, not a big block of meat, really tender and somehow, light.
Eggplant parmesan is terrific, the marinara is outstanding....service is great! Thank you Nico!
The Pepe house Vesuvio is well priced by the glass; and at $20/bottle to go (2 for 1), is a steal.
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Way over-rated. I should have known better when I saw the cheezy over-the-top italian decor, including the required poster of the italian world cup team, and Frank Sinatra background music.
I ordered one plate of Pomodoro Fresca (plain spaghetti with cherry tomato sauce) and one plate of Lasagna Raffaella. The spaghetti were over cooked (too soft) and the sauce was too sweet. The ricotta in the Lasagna was dried up and very curdled; a sign that it had been cooked and sitting for a while. There was also too much cheeze on top (a sign that the food is targetted for novices).
If your a tourist from Elvis Country, you'll probably like it. If you're from the East Coast like me, you'll be disappointed. I gave them 2 points because I must admit, the bread was excellent.
Over the last few years, I've eaten at Little Napoli many times, for lunch and for dinner. It's always been a good experience. The food is good, the restaurant setting is nice, price points seem to match food and ambience - until last week.
They've recently made menu changes that have upset the apple cart. Specifically, they've upped menu prices and took off several lower price-point pasta and other appetizer and entrée items. For example, they use to make a simple pasta entree that consisted of olive oil, chili flakes, garlic, and fresh basil. I liked the dish because it was simple and cooked perfectly, al dente style, and was always satisfying. It's gone now as is the Mediterranean Salad with grilled prawns, which at $9.95, was a good deal.
These are tough economic times. Tutto Mondo, another good Italian restaurant down the street on Dolores, went out of business. Perhaps Café Napoli feels pressure to raise its over all check average to counter guest count declines in order to stay in business. I can't fault them for this. But, with the combination of new higher, menu prices, less choice in the menu, and the focus on driving check averages up, the restaurant has lost a lot of its appeal.
It doesn't feel like it's for locals any more.
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I'm ready to try other restaurants next time I'm in Carmel. I've been going here for 5+ years and have always had a great experience with the food and service. This place is certainly not what it used to be.
Our waiter was very friendly and chatty but didn't offer us bread. In fact, I had to ask for it twice. The food was good enough to come back but I'm not sure if I will. The menu seemed different and they definitely raised their prices. I was not happy to see the old menus replaced by folding paper, and the old pepper grinders and olive oil / vinegar bottles replaced. The charm of a little Italian bistro is gone.
This place will no longer be my must stop place in Carmel. Very disappointed with the changes.
People thought this was:
Great little place in Carmel. Definitely decent price with good food. The prosciutto with honeydew was quite tasty. The crab bisque is yummy of course, the pappardelle with the spicy sauce is actually spicy, unlike some other restaurants. Not the best pappardelle, since I've been spoiled with the handmade ones in Berkeley, but still enjoyable for sure. The ravioli was very tasteful. Enjoyable meal without breaking the checkbook, so definitely would go back if I'm in the area!
Good, but nothing special food.
TERRIBLE service! The waitress was so horrible.
To expensive for what you get.
People thought this was:
Highly Recommended.
I had the spaghetti & meatballs, boyfriend had the lasagna.
Amazing!!!! We took one bite, looked up and both said " WOW". The best marinara sauce. Succulent, big tomatoes, awesome!
Meatballs were perfect!!
Lasagna melted in your mouth. Perfectly thin noodles with amazing layers of juice and cheese.
we ordered taramisu and lemonchello desert. Excellent!!
Price isn't about 20 per plate. Not the biggest portions, but seems like the taste was soo deep each bite filled your senses with pleasure.
Dear friends recommended Little Napoli for my birthday dinner last year - we went and loved it! Food was outstanding (lasagne was huge and yummy; the caesar salad was divine; the tiramisu was creamy and light). Service was great! We were given a mini bottle of chianti and the dessert for my birthday - wow! We returned about six months later for my sister's birthday and the entire group (about 10 of use) enjoyed our meals tremendously. We are returning this weekend to Carmel for the day and will eat at Little Napoli for sure!
We went to Little Napoli for dinner on our wedding anniversary. We took advantage of the Yelp VIP discount (and no corkage) and brought a bottle of very very nice champagne.
When I called earlier in the week for reservations, I specifically asked about the availability of the Veal Osso Buco (my favorite dish). I was assured that it was available/on the menu along with an Osso Buco ravioli. I told the person taking the reservation that it was our anniversary celebration.
When we got to the restaurant, we were surprised how small it was. The tables are very close together, and there aren't very many of them. We weren't greeted warmly...the manager was pre-occupied with something else, told us he'd be with us in a minute and continued doing something at the desk. He finally looked up, acknowledged our reservation and seated us.
Much to my surprise, the Veal Osso Buco was NOT on the menu. Lamb Osso Buco was (I hate lamb). I asked the waitress about it, and she just said that they didn't have it. I asked to speak to the manager. He came over a few minutes later. I explained the situation to him, and he said that he had sold out of it several days before. I explained that when I called I specifically asked for the dish; he said that he gets "so much" every week...sometimes it sells, sometimes it doesn't. He shrugged his shoulders and apologized but did not address the request during my call nor the lack of availability. Points off for that.
It was a happy occasion, so I let it go. I had some awesome gnocchi and hubby had the Sinatra penne dish. We had a calamari appetizer as well as three desserts (we ordered two, they brought the wrong dessert out and just let us keep it). We also had a 2nd bottle of wine...hey it was a celebration! With tax and tip, we got out of there for $100...how did that happen?
Service was fairly good. What I thought was a negative--close tables--turned out to be a positive because of our attitude...we started chatting up our neighbors and ended up having a great time.
I thought this restaurant was a great value, had good food, and despite minor glitches in service, we had a great time. I'd go back again to try the vodka sauce everyone raves about. However, the gnocchi is handmade at the restaurant...need I say more?
This is the best Italian restaurant I've been to in California. I saw that they had osso bucco with porcini cream sauce and since I'm a vegetarian, I requested cheese ravioli wth porcini cream sauce instead - which was not on the menu.
I've had this dish plenty of times before and WOWWWWWWW i've never experienced it like this. The ravioli, the sauce, the mushrooms, the garlic bread, EVERYTHING was so amazing.
I can't wait to go back!
People thought this was:
If you consider this great, authentic Italian, then you haven't experienced true Italian.
The service was left a lot to be desired. Had an 8:30 reservation, didn't get seated until 8:50. They did make up for it with conplimentary champagne. Once seated, we waited almost 10 minutes until our server came over to say that she also has a really large party and is running behind. That became the tone for the night.
Service aside, the food was mediocre. Started with garlic cheese bread - it was burnt and flavorless. The marinara provided for dipping resembled Prego. The crab bisque was delightful and so was the clam appetizer. For entrees, we had the cioppino and gorgonzola sage gnocchi. I didn't try the cioppino, but it looked (and smelled) fresh. The gnocchi had good flavor but were clearly not homemade - big disappointment.
Oh, and they were out of the wine we ordered. After the server explained that the restaurant is terrible about keeping wine in stock (great PR plug), she presented a bottle of their most expensive white as a substitute - at full price. Um, no thank you...there were 4 other (cheaper) options.
We were here to celebrate a birthday. We made the best of it, but I did not feel the experience merited the $130 bill.
I came here for my birthday in march 08 and absolutely loved it. Our waitress was the cutest and sweetest ever.
The food is good and I would give the chocolate tartuffo dessert a try it's so yummy!
The only downside is probably the size, it's pretty compact but it's great for a romantic dinner because you're definitely close to each other.
People thought this was:
This place is BUSY. If you don't have a reservation expect to wait 1 1/2 - 3hrs for a table. Like other reviewers stated there isn't really a lobby/bar to wait in so leave your number and go walk downtown or visit their wine bar right next door.
After our wait we were seated in a nice table in the back near a window. The breeze was a good thing because cozy is an understatement for the interior. I was famished since we had lunch over 8 hours ago so I wanted something heartier than the regular appetizers on the list. I ordered a side of their special meatballs and sauce. This this came out looking shortly along with the bread and the wine. Great combo. :) The meatballs were in a pool of rich, and chunky tomato sauce, mmm, and when you sliced into they puffed steam, fresh!
My dining partner had ordered a gnocchi in marinara and a side of asparagus. The gnocchi came out looking delicious. I tasted one and thought it was bland but what I kind of expected it since it was just potatoes. My meal was the New Zealand lamb shank. This was a savory dish that was literally fall off the bone good. The meat was very flavorful and came off with a tug of the fork. The shank shared the dish with an equally delicious risotto which was memorable with it's creamy sauce and vegetable chunks.
The primary reason why this was not a 5 star review was dessert. This place is BUSY and looking at the quality of food I understand and accept the 2hr wait for a table. However we were at a loss why it took so long for the kitchen to prepare two scoops of sorbet and a few pieces of biscotti. Neither item required major preparation and yet we waited over 15 minutes for these items to arrive. The staff was nice about apologizing for the wait but including the time spent waiting for the dessert menu 10 minutes this course would have been better of skipped.
Carmel, CA
Category: French
Carmel, CA
Category: Italian
Carmel, CA
Category: Italian
Carmel, CA
Category: Chinese
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Category: Restaurants
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