Carrabba's Italian Grill

Kevin was a great waiter! Food was good & gluten free options were clearly marked

Our Saturday night date night at Carrabba's Italian Grill was a complete disaster, leaving us frustrated and disappointed. We found this restaurant through Find Me Gluten Free, as my girlfriend has celiac disease so finding safe and reliable options to eat can be a challenge. We called at 1:30pm to make a reservation for 7pm, hoping to secure a table for our special evening. We were told we would be added to the waitlist and receive a call when our table was ready. However, no call ever came. We waited patiently until 8:30pm, frustrated and confused. Finally, we decided to call the restaurant ourselves, only to discover that we had never been added to the waitlist in the first place. The restaurant was nearly empty, making the situation even more baffling. When we spoke to the manager, hoping for a simple apology for the inconvenience, we were met with a defensive attitude instead. She insisted that not adding us to the list was their policy, refusing to even acknowledge our frustration. Despite this initial disappointment, we decided to proceed with our dinner, as we didn't want to ruin our date night. This, unfortunately, was another mistake. Carrabba's markets itself as a fine dining experience, but the reality is far from it. The food was both overpriced and underwhelming. My girlfriend had to spit out several pieces of chicken due to its rubbery texture and extreme overcooking. As for my Linguine Pescatore, it left me feeling ill later in the night. To add insult to injury, the restaurant's bathrooms were in an appalling condition, far below the hygiene standards one would expect from a place claiming to be fine dining. Furthermore, the blatant price gouging on their wine list was unacceptable. Bottles that cost $12 were being sold for a staggering $40, a blatant attempt to exploit customers. The one positive note I will leave is that our waitress was fantastic, attentive and knowledgeable about celiac disease and was able to speak confidently about their cross contamination practices. She immediately got the manager when she saw the plate of pieces of chicken completely uneaten at the end. Her meal was ultimately comped and taken care of, although at this point the monetary compensation could never replace the ruined experience. Overall, our experience at Carrabba's was a complete and utter disappointment. From the initial reservation issue to the poor food quality, hygiene concerns, and exorbitant prices, there was nothing positive about this evening. We would strongly advise anyone considering Carrabba's for their next date night to look elsewhere. There are far better options available that offer a genuine fine dining experience without the inflated prices (our meal was slightly over $100, far above the price point the quality and presentation of food reflected) and initial poor service from the manager we encountered.