Cartelli's North End Pizza & Pasta — Restaurant in Dover

This place offers some of the best food on a good day, but on busy nights, it falls short. There is a complete lack of accountability and responsibility. This is a restaurant that makes mistakes and makes you, the customer, pay for them because they are busy. This raises concerns about the level of service at Cartellis. How is this fine Italian dining? Is this how repeat customers are treated? The lack of communication, rush tactics, and subpar quality paint a regrettable picture. It's a shame that such a promising establishment falls short in delivering a consistently positive experience.

I've ordered from here 6 times in the past 2 months, and 3 times they've messed up my order. So, 50% of the time, they get it right, and the best the front-of-house (FOH) staff can offer is "I'm sorry."

The first order I picked up from Cartellis ended up being the wrong pizza, which I didn't realize until I had driven home. When I called to inform them of this error, they straight up responded, "We know. We realized when that person came to pick it up. Do you want to keep that one?" I responded that I didn't like the toppings, drove back with the untouched pizza. They took it back, giving me the correct one. Cartellis knew they gave me the wrong pizza and never called to inform me, hoping I would just accept it. I ended up picking up a cold pizza with no accommodation for the error on their end. They couldn't even warm it? I was ready to write them off, but then I tasted their Caesar dressing. It is phenomenal. This dressing hits your taste buds, and there is an explosion of UMAMI! The dressing saved them.

The second time they messed up was when I ordered a chicken Caesar salad, and it was entered with no chicken. No problem, it is easily written off.

Tonight's third time shows how gross their service is on multiple levels. I ordered a pizza and two tubs of their Caesar dressing. They called me 10 minutes after ordering, but unfortunately, I missed it while driving. I returned their call in the parking lot, and they informed me that due to their low stock of Caesar dressing, they could only give me the smallest container, but I could buy as many as I like. I made this trip for the two containers of dressing and ordered a pizza to make it more worthwhile. I inquired about the status of the pizza, expressing my desire to cancel the order if possible. The response was, "THE PIZZA IS DONE." What Cartellis didn't realize is that I had just parked. After paying, I was told my pizza was getting prepped to go. I stood there and watched a pizza that looked like what I ordered go into the oven. I waited for 16 minutes for my pizza to cook. Twice, FOH staff spoke to the man at the oven with him, looking in my direction. When I got the pizza, I explained that I had a problem with the lie that had transpired. Cartellis wanted to save the sale at my expense. All I got was, "I'm sorry; we're busy, and your pizza just came out hot and fresh." I had to ask, "Are you willing to do anything for the inconvenience?" FOH went to the manager, and they deliberated for 7 minutes. The manager came to the register, visibly upset, didn't acknowledge me waiting at the wall, and when I approached the register, she defended that the "pizza was made within the 30-minute time frame quoted." She said that "this one time, they will take care of it." I had been inside Cartellis for 26 minutes before I left.

See the pictures of the pizza that they reluctantly refunded. The other pizza is also a well-done pizza on a normal day. I'd love for them to acknowledge that they either A. In good faith, rushed this pizza, and due to the rush, it turned out this way, and in turn should be remade or refunded or B. In retaliation for my displeasure, they intentionally overcooked it in spite. I got a "free pizza," but it was blackened. The pizza is burnt and acrid because it is so burnt. I would have walked out of there with a blackened pizza and paid for it with my time and money if I didn't ask for something to be done for the inconvenience. Their business...

It pains me to have to do this but after a year of excellent service and food from what was our new favorite restaurant (see original 5-star review below) I need to update due to a severe decline in food quality. We've been ordering takeout for almost a year from Cartelli's North End and have generally loved it. Their pizzas were great and the pasta dishes wonderful. Then starting with the 2024 New Year after their return from vacation everything seemed to just go down hill. Pizzas are more often than not burned even though I always order a light crust. And then the last two pasta orders we were given the wrong food. Management seemed to care about negative reviews asking those with low ratings to reach out to them to 'make it right' so I went this route first with my concerns and got no reply. Now, everyone can have a bad day and a bad meal. No one is 100% all the time. But we're a few months into 2024 and we've had more bad meals than good ones and we order at least weekly. For those ordering take out, CHECK YOUR FOOD BEFORE YOU LEAVE! We're moving on to someplace else. It was nice while it lasted.

Original review:

It's taken us a while to get there but we finally ordered a pizza from Cartelli's North End last night and it was fantastic. I shouldn't be surprised since their reviews have been almost universally great. But I'm also a pizza snob and I rarely find one that nears perfection. This one was in fact perfect. We ordered the Roasted Garlic & Pesto and it was SO good. The crust was thin, soft and flavorful, just the right amount of zesty, flavorful sauce and the cheese the perfect quantity and consistency. The flavor combination of the roasted garlic and pesto was perfectly balanced without being overpowering and the pizza was cooked to perfection. Cartelli's is a relatively small place indoors and it was packed. And even though it was a busy Friday night, our pizza was ready in 20 minutes from time of order. I'm hoping they do outdoor dining again this year with the warm weather. The smell of the food inside was mouth-watering and the dishes I could see coming out looked equally appetising. I think the most difficult thing about this place is going to be deciding what to order. We live 5 minutes up the road so this might become a serious problem with...

My daughter’s high school graduation was late Saturday and we wanted a place for friends and family to meet and celebrate the special occasion. Cartelli’s made it happen! During COVID times when most places are closing at 8 or 9 and are hurting for help, Cartelli’s hosted our event of 27 people—-giving us the best, high-touch experience—-and it all started at 9pm! The owner and his crew were so accommodating, and the service-outstanding. The food was a huge hit, it was hot, and fresh and yummy as always! We had a couple of folks with dietary restrictions and their needs were met and given special attention. Highly recommend! The food was great and the service exceptional. Can’t say enough about the enormous effort that was made to ensure everyone had a truly wonderful experience. Their staff was not only friendly, but highly attentive and skilled—-no request went unmet...really stand out service- did I mention the service?... Pizza, salad, chicken parm, garlic cheese bread and penne alla vodka. All were perfection! If you’re looking for amazing food and...