I have known this family for forty years and been eating here all of that. An Italian Family treating customers like Family and serving food only Italians serve, with service and pricing to enjoy. Nice open building, varied seating, always active, never too loud, wonderful views, friends meeting friends, what more might one ask for. We have never, not a single time, left this place less than glad that we came. If you have a particular preference as to how the food is done tell them, otherwise the menu is fairly accurate to the serving. Decades ago anon stop salad that was unique, miss that and the garlic bread years ago was a slightly different style and had more butter/garlic overtone, nothing lasts forever. Some say the Lasagna is overly meaty, will try that again soon; should that prove true I will ask for more marinara and I will bet anything it comes and that all ends well. These are Italians, all is well that ends well. Paul & Deborah came here, live here and stay here because of these fine local, family treasures.
John G.
We will not know how bad this restaurant is. The incompetent management was not intelligent enough to look at their own website reservations. We made a reservation for feb 14 well in advance and they did not honor this reservation so we ate elsewhere.
Phil L.
Have been enjoying Carmelo's for a long time. Service and the food have been above average for a Wausau restaurant. It is understood that many restaurants are hiring servers to fill slots and service may not always be up to par these days. Saw it first hand tonight which was very disappointing having invited first time guests. Our server was pretty rough and lack that hospitality warmth. We were only a 4 top and the server had us passing the entrees to each other. The entrees that were placed hit the table hard and was not even directly in front of the guest. I was attempting to chuckle it off but my first time guests saw that the server was not as good as they have had at other restaurants. Refills on the bread was not offered. Had to ask several times for drink refills. At one point the bartender was blamed even though it was not an alcohol beverage. I feel that my guests will not be back and when return I will ask for a different server so we can have a much nicer evening. The food was as good as ever. It is just to bad the evening was not up to Carmelo's standards.
John J
Had a very pleasant dinner with friends. Very good spaghetti served with excellent lightly toasted garlic bread. Didn't do wine or drinks but enjoyed the environment and friendly staff folks. Prices very reasonable.
Teah K.
We were pretty pleased with this meal, though it definitely could have been better. We picked up two chicken and artichoke soups, a lasagna and chicken Alfredo, with some garlic bread. The soup was undoubtedly our favorite, the bread was good but basic. The lasagna was more like a beef meatloaf with one lasagna noodle betwixt a mound of ricotta cheese and sauce. It tasted okay. The Alfredo was in the same "okay" boat- bland sauce (ordered extra sauce to avoid any Saharan mouth feels) but I understand why they'd make it as such. A little Parmesan on top would have helped. Chicken didn't have much flavor, seemed like one of those pre-made breasts with the dyed grill marks on it. It did satisfy a craving, though I feel like the prices are a bit high for what it is.
Dion R
Up front this place looks like an average bar. But when you’re moved to the back for dining, it has an entirely different atmosphere. The back bar is nice and the dining area is spacious enough where you’re not on top of another table. I had the fish fry which was amazing with the roasted potatoes.
havekeyswilltravel
We've been to many Italian restaurants over the years, and this is the best lasagna I've ever had. "Meaty" is just the beginning, the sauce tasted like it had been well seasoned and cooked for 8 hours. It may just be a little local place attached to a golf course, with dated decor, but I would jump at the chance to drive 3 hours one way, just to have another slab of this lasagna. Outstanding!
THutt
It’s an Italian restaurant stuck in the 80’s. The service was pretty good. The wine list is all house and the food was just ok. I had the meat and cheese plate, which was deli style and for entree clams with linguini. I had to add a ton of black pepper and cheese to give it some flavor. The clientele seemed very loyal and ok with it being stuck in the 80’s. Don’t think I will revisit.
Joseph Thimm
I had higher hopes for this place. I’m not picky at all but it didn’t live up to any sort of hype. Wife and I both ordered different kinds of pasta and both came out with next to no sauce. Just noodles.... very confusing. In-laws got steaks that were “ok”. Definitely disappointed with the visit.
Holsch
My family celebrated Mother's Day with my 92 year old parents here on Saturday evening. 3 of us in the group had the special of seafood ravioli. It was fantastic. I would high recommend it. The entire staff was very attentive to what was happening around them. Kudos to Peggy & her staff on 5/8 for making our evening wonderful.
I have known this family for forty years and been eating here all of that. An Italian Family treating customers like Family and serving food only Italians serve, with service and pricing to enjoy. Nice open building, varied seating, always active, never too loud, wonderful views, friends meeting friends, what more might one ask for. We have never, not a single time, left this place less than glad that we came. If you have a particular preference as to how the food is done tell them, otherwise the menu is fairly accurate to the serving. Decades ago anon stop salad that was unique, miss that and the garlic bread years ago was a slightly different style and had more butter/garlic overtone, nothing lasts forever. Some say the Lasagna is overly meaty, will try that again soon; should that prove true I will ask for more marinara and I will bet anything it comes and that all ends well. These are Italians, all is well that ends well. Paul & Deborah came here, live here and stay here because of these fine local, family treasures.
We will not know how bad this restaurant is. The incompetent management was not intelligent enough to look at their own website reservations. We made a reservation for feb 14 well in advance and they did not honor this reservation so we ate elsewhere.
Have been enjoying Carmelo's for a long time. Service and the food have been above average for a Wausau restaurant. It is understood that many restaurants are hiring servers to fill slots and service may not always be up to par these days. Saw it first hand tonight which was very disappointing having invited first time guests. Our server was pretty rough and lack that hospitality warmth. We were only a 4 top and the server had us passing the entrees to each other. The entrees that were placed hit the table hard and was not even directly in front of the guest. I was attempting to chuckle it off but my first time guests saw that the server was not as good as they have had at other restaurants. Refills on the bread was not offered. Had to ask several times for drink refills. At one point the bartender was blamed even though it was not an alcohol beverage. I feel that my guests will not be back and when return I will ask for a different server so we can have a much nicer evening. The food was as good as ever. It is just to bad the evening was not up to Carmelo's standards.
Had a very pleasant dinner with friends. Very good spaghetti served with excellent lightly toasted garlic bread. Didn't do wine or drinks but enjoyed the environment and friendly staff folks. Prices very reasonable.
We were pretty pleased with this meal, though it definitely could have been better. We picked up two chicken and artichoke soups, a lasagna and chicken Alfredo, with some garlic bread. The soup was undoubtedly our favorite, the bread was good but basic. The lasagna was more like a beef meatloaf with one lasagna noodle betwixt a mound of ricotta cheese and sauce. It tasted okay. The Alfredo was in the same "okay" boat- bland sauce (ordered extra sauce to avoid any Saharan mouth feels) but I understand why they'd make it as such. A little Parmesan on top would have helped. Chicken didn't have much flavor, seemed like one of those pre-made breasts with the dyed grill marks on it. It did satisfy a craving, though I feel like the prices are a bit high for what it is.
Up front this place looks like an average bar. But when you’re moved to the back for dining, it has an entirely different atmosphere. The back bar is nice and the dining area is spacious enough where you’re not on top of another table. I had the fish fry which was amazing with the roasted potatoes.
We've been to many Italian restaurants over the years, and this is the best lasagna I've ever had. "Meaty" is just the beginning, the sauce tasted like it had been well seasoned and cooked for 8 hours. It may just be a little local place attached to a golf course, with dated decor, but I would jump at the chance to drive 3 hours one way, just to have another slab of this lasagna. Outstanding!
It’s an Italian restaurant stuck in the 80’s. The service was pretty good. The wine list is all house and the food was just ok. I had the meat and cheese plate, which was deli style and for entree clams with linguini. I had to add a ton of black pepper and cheese to give it some flavor. The clientele seemed very loyal and ok with it being stuck in the 80’s. Don’t think I will revisit.
I had higher hopes for this place. I’m not picky at all but it didn’t live up to any sort of hype. Wife and I both ordered different kinds of pasta and both came out with next to no sauce. Just noodles.... very confusing. In-laws got steaks that were “ok”. Definitely disappointed with the visit.
My family celebrated Mother's Day with my 92 year old parents here on Saturday evening. 3 of us in the group had the special of seafood ravioli. It was fantastic. I would high recommend it. The entire staff was very attentive to what was happening around them. Kudos to Peggy & her staff on 5/8 for making our evening wonderful.
Restaurantji Recommends
Very friendly and helpful staff, excellent food as always
Most outstanding haddock on Wednesdays. Great service and sunset view..
Terrible food and barely any choices on the middle stay away from there. Took forever to.
The food was great and the igloo was awesome! So glad we reserved it!
Have done curbside pickup and igloo dining during pandemic. Well done , fabulous food and service!