Johnny Carino's — Restaurant in Oklahoma City

If I could give more than 5 stars, I totally would. It was Valentines day, so of course they were a little backed up when it came to seating. People were being so mean about a long wait on VALENTINE'S DAY. The hostess kept her composure very well. She was busting her butt between sitting people, food orders, answering phones, and handling any complaints she got. I'm so sorry I didn't grab her name, but we got there at 630 on Friday. She was so sweet. (She deserves her kudos.)

When we got sat, we were welcomed by our lovely waitress Xio. She did not come to play. She was all smiles, constantly running up and down her tables checking on everyone, refilling drinks, and took almost no time when you asked her for something. I mean, she was HUSTLING. She was an absolute delight! She did not let that busy night dull her sparkle at all. Absolutely LOVED her. I don't think I've ever had a better waitress.

Now, as far as the food, just OH MY GOD. It definitely felt like they've done a revamp, so do not judge this place based on old reviews. Even though it was Valentines, our appetizer came out so fast. When we finished that, we had our salads. Right after our salads, our entrees came out. For a Valentine's Day, that place was running like a well oiled machine. I think the front of house manager there really drove home the welcoming and productive environment. He was so sweet (at least it seemed) to his customers and staff. Anyways, back to the food. The mozzarella sticks and appetizer sampler were phenomenal. The bread was SO fresh. Even the salads were freaking tasty! And my sangria tasted like dangerous juice. It was so good. But the absolute star of the show was those freaking lobster ravioli. Just... I have no other words than OH... MY... GOD. 🤤 If I wasn't so full halfway through my plate, I would have ordered seconds. Also, the Cheesecake might be a tie with the ravioli... Almost.. Serious kudos to the chef/cooks for how well the food flowed out and tasted.

To the people who treated the hostess like trash because of a wait on Valentines day, the people that rolled their eyes, and ESPECIALLY the person next to us who shook their water glass at their waiter in the air and then complained when they didn't get it right away: you're all rude! Don't go out on holidays ever again.

To the whole staff, especially Xio, the hostess, and the kitchen, thank you for all your hard work and a wonderful...

We no longer have a Johnny Carino’s close to where we live, so we thought this would be a treat while visiting Oklahoma City, as it was the only specific thing my daughter asked for while we were in town. Boy were we wrong! We go in slightly after dinner rush with maybe 4 other tables seated in the whole place, with many tables still having dirty dishes on them. Was told it will just a moment so we can find who wants to be your server this evening. We are shown our table that has obviously just been wiped down as it is grossly wet from a rag. Ok, I can look past that. Until we waited 20+ minutes to even be acknowledged for drinks. Asked for water and a soda. That took another 10-15 minutes to be brought back with a plate of oil and we were told bread was being baked and it wasn’t ready yet. At this time we order an appetizer and meal and specifically asked for them to be brought together. Nope, that didn’t happen either. Took 30 minutes to get our appetizer and when she brought it, we asked where our meals were. Her response “oh I’m going to go put those in now”. I then asked why they were not entered together as that’s how we wanted them. Still no bread and no salad which was to accompany both meals as ordered. By the time our actual meals came out, still no bread, still no salad and we had been in this establishment for nearly 2 hours!!!!! I was way beyond more patient than I should have been, and if not for my daughter, I would have walked out a lot sooner. Immediately asked for to go boxes and our ticket and told them to keep the bread that was “baking” and the salad we never saw. Server could not understand why I asked this and sent a manager over to speak with us. After explaining the situation and walking away, I could hear the manager telling the server how fantastic she was and we were just horrible customers. Not one time did I get upset at the server or anything, and mind you in this whole almost 2 hours, we had seen our server maybe 4 times and had no refills, no bread, no salad and most importantly~ no communication!! The manager came back and said they would take off the appetizer. I told him that wouldn’t be necessary and we would pay for the food we ordered (I also still included a tip), but we needed it to go at this point because we had 2 1/2 hours to drive home. I have been to this location before and this wasn’t the first time unfortunately that it was...

Its been a long time since I last have been to a nice Italian restaurant, longer since I've been to one that has a nice, welcoming atmosphere such as Carino's. Seriously, out of all the Italian restaurants I've been to and have enjoyed, this one may be a new personal favorite. Where do I even start?

First and foremost, the staff was very friendly and helpful. From the host to the server, everyone was so nice. That's such a good and nice thing to see as well in the restaurant field. Special shout out goes to Michellle, whom made me feel the most at home. She was extra helpful since she helped decide my dinner, AND it was my first time here so her options panned out rather well.

Then the food. And guys, I will say it again. Best Ive had in many years. Ive never heard of the saying 'Reminds me of home' used properly, but here it does. They start you with a fresh loaf of bread and some seasoned oil to dip. It was nice, and a good start. Then I had the mini of Mozzarella and Marinara and some stuffed Mushrooms. Both went above and beyond what I expected, both in portion and flavor. But by golly, those two appetizers plus the bread almost had me beat. But...I wasn't done yet. Then, I had a staple of the restaurant called the Johnny Combo, which was a chicken parmesan, 16 layer Lasagna, and some spaghetti with their signature marinara sauce all served with a house salad. Everything was fresh and delicious, and it was all in very generous servings, like an Italian restaurant or home would do! I kid you not when I said that I had to take some home with me, that how much I was served. And then there was desert, which I got the Chocolate Cannoli, which a nice way to finish off the dinner. All in all, the dinner was amazing! And best part? It was just under $40 for the spread! And honestly, if you was feeding two or three, the portions would feed all of you!

Okay Cody, I hear you all asking, what's the catch? What's the draw back? And honestly...there is none! I know, unbelievable right? But its true! Every bit of it was just sublime and delicious, by and far the best restaurant I've eaten at. So if your in the mood, or on a date, or just want some good food and good company, come here.

So what are you waiting...