Carmelo's Restaurant — Restaurant in Covington

We had been looking forward to our reservation at Carmelo’s in Covington, Kentucky for the past month. We were celebrating my birthday with a party of four on a Saturday evening in July. Our 6:45 p.m. reservation was perfectly timed—the restaurant was bustling but not overly loud, and the ambiance was definitely a highlight of the night.

We began with the mozzarella and focaccia and the cauliflower. The cauliflower was flavorful and well-executed, but a heads-up: if you’re not a fan of calamari, you might want to skip it. While there’s no seafood in the dish, the seasoning and profile are very reminiscent of a traditional Italian fried calamari plate. The mozzarella, while fresh, felt a bit one-note. I was hoping for something more complex or complementary to elevate it.

Next up was the Caesar salad, which got mixed reviews at our table. Some felt the parmesan was overwhelming, while others found the citrus notes a bit too sharp. Personally, I enjoyed it, but it’s clearly not a one-size-fits-all dish.

Entrées were well presented and ranged across the menu: • Redfish with a side of kale – this was the lightest dish in theory, but the redfish came with a generous amount of butter, which made it feel heavier than expected. The butter was noted on the menu. • Lasagna – layered and rich, though the sauce leaned more toward an arrabbiata-style with a noticeable hint of spice. This wasn’t something we typically expect in a traditional lasagna, and it caught a few of us off guard. • Oxtail ragù – hearty and satisfying. • Eggplant Parmesan with a side of meatballs – my choice. The eggplant itself was rather bland and relied heavily on the tomato sauce to deliver the flavor. Personally, I would’ve preferred it the other way around—with the eggplant being the star and the sauce offering support.

A consistent theme was the generous use of cheese—which is great if you’re into it, but maybe not the best pick for those who aren’t. The redfish was the clear exception, though again, very buttery.

Service was excellent, attentive without being overbearing. And the ambiance? Spot on. Stylish and perfect for a special night out.

That said, nothing truly wowed us when it came to the food. It was good—solidly executed—but not especially memorable, especially considering the price point. Our bill came in just over $200 for four people, which felt fair for the experience, but it’s worth noting that we’ve had more flavorful Italian meals elsewhere for less.

Would I recommend Carmeló’s? Yes, especially for the ambiance and service. But if you’re going strictly for standout Italian cuisine, you might want to...

Carmelo’s earns its own top-five place in Cincinnati’s great Italian dining lineup with an upscale take on a classic, homey Italian restaurant. With big portions and lots of comfort food type dishes like lasagna and polenta, you’ll definitely go away full and happy. Each dish offers truly unique takes on the classics. We got the cauliflower, polenta, garlic soup, lasagna, oxtail ragu, and tiramisu, and all were very good and generously portioned. The cauliflower was the highlight for me—excellent balance of flavors and textures between a creamy, tangy sauce and lots of crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside bits. My wife didn’t love the tiramisu, but I think that was partly a matter of taste. We agreed more cream relative to lady fingers would have been better; it’s on the bitter side of tiramisus I’ve had. I love their amari list, however, and so the somewhat bitter dessert paired well with a sweet digestive. My only other food critique is that, contra other reviewers who reported pastas as too salty, I think the oxtail ragu could have used a little more salt. That’s partly a matter of taste, as I like things on the salty side. Lastly, I agree with other reviewers that it was too noisy in the dining room, so that’s the only point I’m knocking them for in “atmosphere.” Overall, a great experience. I think that even if you were looking for a date night on a budget two people could easily share just three dishes here, be full, and get out for under $100. I’d hate to try to pick just three of their...

I decided to try this restaurant because of all the hype, and we chose it for our anniversary date. The staff was wonderful—friendly, knowledgeable, and very attentive. The restaurant had a very intimate feel, which I really appreciated. Unfortunately, we were seated near a loud table, which was a bit frustrating for someone soft-spoken like me, especially since the rest of the restaurant felt much more peaceful and there was a lot of empty tables.

As for the food, I was excited to try the pasta. I ordered the lasagna, and while it was good, I was a bit disappointed to find that it didn’t have any meat—maybe I misread the menu. The flavors were nice at first, but after a while, it felt a bit repetitive. My fiancé ordered the oxtail pasta, and we ended up swapping dishes, which worked out well because I really enjoyed it! We also had the meatballs as an appetizer, which were delicious.

For dessert, I tried the tiramisu, which had great reviews, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. The portion was generous, but the flavor was much more bitter than I expected. I’ve had many tiramisus before, and none tasted quite like this. I did take it home and ate it little by little—it wasn’t bad, just not my preference.

One thing I really appreciated was that the owner personally made rounds to check in on guests, which was a nice touch. Overall, while this visit wasn’t perfect for me, I’d be open to giving it another shot and trying a different...