Carrabba's Italian Grill — Restaurant in Chandler

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...

My review is quite lengthy, so please bare with me. Upon arrival to this location I explained to Elizabeth, the nice lady who seated us (who l later realize was head, I believe, in the kitchen), that we drove from San Diego, California to visit family, and that this Carrabbas is the closest location to us. I also explained we are a military family and move frequently, and that Carrabbas is my all time favorite restaurant and I was so ecstatic to visit. Beyond ecstatic. The last restaurant we visited was in Virginia and I never thought I would eat there any time soon.

Elizabeth, who was extremely kind and pleasant, offered her welcome, and her hopes that we enjoyed our experience. And that we did. We ordered three courses; my husband, myself, and our two young sons. The timing between each courses was perfect. Just enough time to enjoy and not feel rushed to eat the next thing that arrived at the table. Every meal was cooked to perfection and we could tell that a real effort was placed in its preparation. Even the temperature was perfection!

Giselle, the Assistant Manager, checked on us frequently, but not too much, and was very pleasant with a very beautiful smile and demeanor. We appreciated that. Though this is a chain restaurant, my entire family felt as it was a single family owned Italian restaurant that you must visit when you are nearby for a notable dining experience.

Elizabeth treated our family to appetizer and dessert; which was very lovely of her. I think having her made our dining experience most enjoyable from the start. I don't recall our server's name but she was fabulous as well. And I must say, I had a cappuccino for my dessert, and my husband an espresso, and typically after a big meal I'm exhausted and sleepy... but, it had just enough kick (but not too strong) to where I felt like a million bucks when I finished. :-) My kids raved over their meals and my husband left happily full.

I just wanted to express how great our experience was, and they deserve the recognition. Thank you very much. Whenever we return to Arizona we will be...

We had Restaurant Review week where our apartment complex caters from one restaurant each month for the residents to try out and review their food. On Feb 2, we had Carrabba's with one server putting food on plates for the residents as we lined up to receive. Came my turn I asked if there were meat in the pasta? The server said no then proceeded to ask if it was ok to have a ceaser as though implying that potentially it wasn't. I only asked about the meat in the pasta.

I didn't expect an attitude coming from the server but she began to immediately imply that I shouldn't be getting a portion to try out. This is "Restaurant Review" week and if you want to promote the food at your restaurant, that includes the service when you come on site for the catering. It should also be ok for guests to ask about the food in case they have food sensitivities and allergies that which I have but was made to feel badly for asking. Horrible service. I had to begin explaining myself about food sensitivities and allergies just because I asked if there was meat in the pasta. That's ridiculous having to give an explanation in front of everyone that was waiting in line just because you ASKED one question about the food that was being SAMPLED.

Because of that horrid experience I received by the server (this was at Liv Ahwatukee), can't say that I'd want to eat here. There are plenty of other excellent Italian restaurants to go around then those where you get attitude from a server just because you asked about a dish because you may have food sensitivities and allergies. The pasta was soggy, bland, the ceasar was good but I hesitated to ask for more salad when I was up there because the server had made such a big deal about my asking about the meat in the pasta.

I want everyone to know about the horrible service received by that server from Carrabba's so they know that if they have food sensitivities that they should...