Carelli's
Carelli's things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Plan your stay
Posts
Carelli's is a must visit in Boulder for a relaxing dinner alone at the bar, a date-night, or dinner with the family and friends. A few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, you'll have to drive or take public transport. With that said, the restaurant has lots of available parking and plenty of authentic Italian atmosphere that makes up for not being exactly downtown Boulder. The owner comes from a traditional Italian family so although some of the recipes have been tweaked to suit an American palate, there are plenty of authentic Italian options. I lived and traveled in Europe for several years so coming back to Carellis gives me a little sense of nostalgia for the Italian atmosphere and wonderful food. The garlic bread is something made for us Americans, it's made-to-order and oooh so fresh and tasty. Say goodbye to the low-salt, plain bread that is ubiquitous to an authentic Italian dinner table in Italy—this is one of the adaptations that Carelli's does absolutely right... What can I say, I love garlic bread. I've had just about everything on the menu and can say that seeing the owner and head-chief slaving away in the kitchen most nights makes me understand why Carelli's is one of (if not the most) popular restaurants in Boulder. Pros: Atmosphere lighting Noise level Service (top notch!) Parking Fire tables (inside and out!) Cons: Not in downtown Boulder so I can't just take a walk on Pearl Street after dinner (not a huge deal I suppose). It can get busy most nights so a reservation is a good idea or 20-30min wait without a reservation works too. No Pico De Pepe on the menu.. come on, Carelli's.. get it together and make my favorite Italian dish! ;)
Gabe LeeGabe Lee
60
This place was amazing. When we arrived we were told there was a long wait. We waited an hour and it was SO worth it!!! Being our anniversary night we were anticipating something sepcial. When we sat at our table they included pillows. Several of them. This was so welcoming. Also I'm not a usual fan of lemon water but this lemon water was so refreshing! Cindy our server was absolutely amazing and gave us several detailed suggestions of her favorite dishes. With this being our first time in we were torn between all of the options which included many vegetarian options as well. We went with the cheese plate and were surprised to pair truffle cheese with grapes and fresh and warmly toasted raisin bread. We got the kale soup which was super flavorful. And the minestrone was vegetarian as well. Entrees: we ordered salmon margherita with fresh pasta the salmon was perfectly cooked moist and full of texture and flavor. All though this was fantastic we also ordered tri colored tortillini and added 4 scallops.the scallops complimented this pesto pasta in every perfect way. I would highly reccomend this pairing with the scallops. We paired our entrees with a white riesling that was very light and, sweet and fruity Desert: we tried the banana rum crepe and paired it with amaretto this was served very fancy and was a filling desert to finish the date night.
KarleyKarley
20
I don’t know if we keep trying the wrong things… but we’ve been here twice and each time one of us hated our dish. The first time I got the parmesan chicken, it was fairly bland and just not what you’d expect for $20. The second time we were craving italian and apparently Boulder has Carelli’s and Noodles & Company for options regarding italian. We decided to give it another go, but let me just say, stay far far away from the gnocchi. We love gnocchi and this was the weirdest version we’ve ever had. They were hard, not crispy, just hardened on the outside and they were served in broth? Truly strange, and by no means good. We were so close to sending it back because of how bad it was. We got the calamari both times, and the calamari was consistent and probably the saving grace to our meals. The service is decent too, but on a busy night you can feel forgotten about. The ambiance is also nice, but the food is very hit or miss. We’ll probably not be returning for awhile and will drive the extra 20 minutes to go to Olive Garden if we want italian.
M AM A
30
The place was good, cozy. Lot of options in menu. But taste is below average for a fine dine. I mean of all the Italian fine dine places I have been (around the country) the food of this place was worse. We won't be coming back again for sure. We were a group of 14 people. We were served by Cindy, and she was slow, and confused the whole time. We sat for like 30 mins before we ordered beverages. Then the straws for water never came (we asked). The dinner order had to be repeated. Mind you they charge extra for per shrimp you order (I understand protein charges are extra everywhere, but it was per piece of meat you ask for here). When it came to billing , it was all wrong. I got someone else's orders all put in mine, confidently pointed out that I ordered them all (imagine ordering 4 appetizers and then entré all for myself). Overall it was a below average experience for all of us. Didn't expect that from a fine dine place. Well there's a first time for everything, right?
Kangkana DasKangkana Das
10
Nearby Attractions Of Carelli's
CU Events Center
Fiske Planetarium
Tea Mate
Miori Luxury Head Spa
The Boulder Broker Inn
Aqua and Aloe Esthetics

CU Events Center
4.4
(361)Click for details

Fiske Planetarium
4.6
(130)Click for details

Tea Mate
4.6
(59)Click for details

Miori Luxury Head Spa
5.0
(34)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Carelli's
Dark Horse
Phở Kitchen Bar & Grill
Cafe Mexicali
Cosmo's Pizza
Doug's Diner | Boulder
The Taj - Indian Cuisine
May Wah Restaurant
Moe's Original BBQ - Boulder
Brewing Market Coffee
Boulder Swim Club

Dark Horse
4.5
(1.9K)Click for details

Phở Kitchen Bar & Grill
4.7
(627)Click for details

Cafe Mexicali
4.3
(635)Click for details

Cosmo's Pizza
4.4
(664)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
645 30th St, Boulder, CO 80303
Map
Phone
(303) 938-9300
Call
Website
carellis.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.3
(605 reviews)$$
Ratings & Description
Description
Old-school Italian eats (plus gluten-free menu) with an outdoor patio & 360-degree fireplace.
attractions: CU Events Center, Fiske Planetarium, Tea Mate, Miori Luxury Head Spa, The Boulder Broker Inn, Aqua and Aloe Esthetics, restaurants: Dark Horse, Phở Kitchen Bar & Grill, Cafe Mexicali, Cosmo's Pizza, Doug's Diner | Boulder, The Taj - Indian Cuisine, May Wah Restaurant, Moe's Original BBQ - Boulder, Brewing Market Coffee, Boulder Swim Club
