Carlton's Italian — Restaurant in Cullman

UPDATE- 6/8/2024- My husband and I have eaten at Carlton's since we were teenagers and we have always loved it. Not anymore... They have hired a very RUDE AND ARGUMENTATIVE person to answer the phones and take to go orders! Three times in a row we have gone to pick up our to go order and every time she is talking to a waitress, shooting the breeze, and neither one of them acknowledged us or even acted like we were there. We have stood there waiting to pay at least 15 minutes or more and had to wait on them to finish their conversation before she bothered to ask if what we needed. The fourth time I went to pick up two large chef salads, and not only did I have to go through her ignoring me, so she could finish her personal conversation, but I got home only to discover that she charged me for extra dressing that I didn't ask for, but she didn't include it! Then, we sat down to eat, and the salads did not have any meat on them, just cheese and croutons! I called to tell her, and she was RUDE AND CONDESCENDING, AND CALLED ME A LIAR! She said she made the salads herself so she knew they had meat on them! Then proceeded to tell me that a large chef salad only comes with one dressing even when they charge for extra! We had just eaten in the restaurant, and ordered the exact same meal a day before so I knew that wasn't true. I asked to speak to a manager and she refused and then said she wasn't there. I asked what the manager's name is and she refused to say. At this point it was taking everything I had not to be rude! She finally tells me after I kept insisting but says she's never there! After arguing with her for over 15 minutes, she agrees to refund my money and to write in the refund book that I am to receive two large chef salads with extra dressing for free the next time we come in. I call today, 6/8/24, to order the salads. She answers the phone and repeatedly tells me that she can't find my name in the book, and asks me four times the date we ordered them. I give her the date off of the original receipt, and she still tells me she can't find it. Magically, she finds it after I ask to speak to the manager, again. I ask for no tomato on both, that's how they were originally ordered, she proceeds to tell me that isn't how they were originally ordered. I tell her that I am reading it directly from the original receipt. She proceeds to be rude, and tells me that she is trying to verify my order so that it is made correctly, after all you are getting it for free!! She is yelling at me at this point, and it was all I could do not to be yelling back or being rude! Four times we have been treated this way, in a row, by this same person! I will be calling Lucy, in case anyone else needs to know, bc we can't be alone in the way she has treated us! We will NOT be back any time soon, at least not until this is resolved! Very sad for a place that we have been loyal to since we were teenagers, and have absolutely loved! It's not worth the stress or the hatefulness!

One of the BEST places to eat Italian food!! Great service, friendly staff, nice decor, they even have an outdoor patio, on the nice,cooler days, it is excellent! The wait for the food is WELL WORTH IT!! Because it all is fresh and the hot foods are served hot, and the cold foods are served cold, nothing has been left sitting, while a separate dish is being prepared.. for those who like to watch TV while eating, they offer two big screen TVs, as well as, light music, (Magic 96.5, I believe) in the background, not overpowering, like most places. The ambiance, is nice, it offers a very cozy, home feel, with large booths, and several tables. For those who like to have spirits with their meals, they offer a wide selection of draft, craft, an artisan beers, as well as, a great wine list. The homemade desserts are some of the best!! I cannot say enough about this wonderful place! Try it...

This restaurant has so much charm and was decorated from many different forms of re-purposed items! For example, our booth table was an old door that was salvaged, the walls were decorated with an old, wood, gym floor from a school in Cullman, the pillars, doors, fixtures and ceiling were also repurposed and I found the ambiance to be an exceptionally warm and inviting! But the most important thing was the FOOD!!!!! I ordered a spinach and ricotta stuffed ravioli and my husband ordered a calzone. My meal was soooooo good!!! I would have to say it was the best food I have had in months and my husband also agreed his was fantastic as well! I was a little worried when we got there because in the front window they had a sign that said they were hiring ALL positions and I thought we were going to be waiting awhile for a waitress and for our food. To our surprise, that was absolutely not the case at all! The server was very friendly. She refilled my glass several times. We didn't have to wait a long time for our order and the food was hot when it came to our table. The dishes we ordered were prepared with a "old world" recipe taste that was so exceptionally good!! The atmosphere of the restaurant was wonderful! Also, there was an outdoor area that was very inviting but we chose to sit inside. I will include pictures of everything so you can judge for yourself if you would like to go there. I found the prices to be very reasonable. They also had a small menu of wine and beer. A tip I would like to give: we went to dinner early (around 5:15pm). By the time we were done with our exceptional meals, the restaurant was packed with customers! If you want a seat, you have to go early! I feel this restaurant is one I won't forget for a long time! Fantastic food, charming, warm atmosphere and friendly staff! What more could you ask...

We a family of 4 have had covid for 8 days and have been quarantined , we had a family member willing to pick us up something and drop it off. So we decided we wanted a nice meal instead soups and sandwiches so we decided to support a local business today! HUGE MISTAKE....it took me and my spouse calling Carlton’s for 20 mins straight before we could get them to answer the phone. Not once but twice I actually got through and they hung up on me before I could even say hello. So my spouse sends them a message through Facebook and got a reply so we called once again. Placed a very simple order of 2 large lasagna and a pepperoni pizza and 4 garlic cheese breads to the tune of $60. A bit pricey for what we ordered. The pizza was burnt, the cheese in the garlic loaves was not completely melted, and we only got 1 lasagna and the other was a spaghetti with melted cheese 🤮 the worse part it had angel hair pasta which I absolutely despise so not only did I not get what I ordered and paid I received something I hate. The pepperoni pizza was burnt and so greasy there was no way in hell I was going to eat that, I could drink a cup of gasoline and give my internal organs the same effect. They say support local business, why so they drive their Mercedes and have a nice big house and Louis Vuitton purses while the working man gets the shaft like this over what should have been a simple order! Even if they made things right and credited my card or sent me gift certificates I’d probably be hesitant to even give them a second chance at my business. For my first experience ever with Carlton’s this was an absolute...