Carmela's Restaurant — Restaurant in South Bend

• UPDATE** I want to thank the proprietor for reaching out to me and explaining their policies. While I do not agree with all of the policies, I’m grateful they took the time to respond and offer a chance to work through things. This changes my review to a degree.

We almost never go out to eat, but when we do, Carmela’s has long been a favorite restaurant of ours. That said I’m not clear we will be back.

It’s fine to charge appropriately for the quality of food and service, and the food and service did not disappoint, that said….they have made some changes that are largely financial in nature that I find disappointing and off putting.

1. $20 per person charge if you cancel reservations without appropriate notice. And they take your credit card before they let you reserve now. Not clear they will charge you, but they could. That’s not usual and customary in this neck of the woods and it’s off putting.

2. No more small side salads included with dinner. Gone. Want a salad? Pay $3 dollars each. It’s not a mint, but it’s enough to boost the cost of the meal significantly.

3. Want pasta with your chicken Marsala? (Usually mashed potatoes or pasta come standard at OTHER Italian restaurants that Iv’e dined at) NOPE. Not here. Pay $5 more for pasta. That’s excessive for a few noodles.

4. I was t happy that I found a hair in my meal that wasn’t mine, but the server didn’t even offer to comp the entree for us.

5. This policy was unclear and I’m TRULY GLAD I read the fine print, but I’m still not sure that clarifies this for me. If one accidentally takes the merchant copy and leave the customer copy, they CHARGE YOU a 20% fee on top of your bill and tip! I Have NEVER HEARD of such a thing! What if a customer writes the tip on the Customer a copy and takes the merchant copy? Would you charge 20 % too? Because that was not made clear. It just says if you take the merchant copy you get a charge. There should be some clarity made there.

6. I’m a small business owner, and I know times are hard, but to push off merchant service fees for using a credit card is ridiculous. That’s the cost of doing business. It’s not classy to push those fees off on your customers.

So, to be clear, great food, great server, bad policies. The bad policies alone are enough to stop me from coming back. It’s...

The decor initially gave us the feeling of being in an outdoor Italian café. The grapevines 🍇 were a nice touch.

Our server was cordial. We ordered two Saint George Martinis🍸. Presentation was great; flavor was ok (mostly water). Then came the salad 🥗: it would have been much better had the basil 🌿 not completely overpowered the other flavors. The bread 🍞 also would have been better had it been served warm, with butter, and not-so-watered-down olive oil 🫒 (it tasted like someone had intentionally diluted it with water).

I ordered the veal Marsala. Our server brought me chicken Marsala 🐔 , and when I told her I had ordered veal Marsala, she showed us her notepad and said "I wrote down chicken for both of you. See? So that's what I brought out." I went ahead and ate the chicken Marsala 🐔, and it was actually very good. The pasta 🍝 was perfectly al dente -- definitely the best part of the meal. The vegetables 🥕🫛 were also very good: perfectly crisp with just the right amount of butter 🧈. I also ordered a side of Alfredo sauce, which came out very bitter and soupy.

My husband ordered the chicken piccata 🐔. He loved the vegetables 🥕🫛 and the pasta 🍝, but he didn't like the chicken at all (he said it didn't even taste like chicken). Since he only took two bites of it, we hoped our server would offer to bring him a different cut of chicken or to take it off the check. However, she did not offer to do so, and we decided not to ask her to. Nor did she offer to bring me the veal Marsala which I had ordered; again, I decided not to ask her to.

She also told us that Carmela's does not offer veterans' discounts which most restaurants in the area offer. So instead of ordering coffee ☕ and dessert 🍰, we left and had coffee, tea, and a wonderful dessert at a different restaurant.

The prices here are high. However, we are always happy to pay them when the quality of the food and service matches up. This time, they clearly did not. Having read so many 5-star reviews of this restaurant -- both before and after dining here -- we can't help but wonder if they simply didn't...

I'm not one to write reviews about places or restaurants because I never get around to doing them, nor do I get on Facebook enough anyway to review something; however, Carmela's is the ultimate exception. I couldn't let myself go one more day without praising how incredible this restaurant truly is. Back in February, I wanted to go somewhere special to celebrate my 5-year anniversary with the love of my life, so I decided to reserve a spot at Carmela's after seeing pictures of its beautiful interior and reading all the great reviews about their food. I didn't ever imagine that one quaint, elegant restaurant would be the highlight of the entire day. Upon entering the restaurant, I was blown away by the atmosphere and its aesthetic. It looks like a place that you would see right out of Italy - painted ceilings of the sky, arched entryways, canopies of leaves dangling above all the seating areas... just gorgeous! It's honestly the most beautiful place in town. The food was delicious for having such quick service! Even the water was fantastic! 😂 Most importantly, our server Lee Anne helped to make our experience so magical. Since my boyfriend and I had dressed up for the occasion, she showered us with compliments and also told me that I looked like a "movie star." She checked up on us very often and sometimes would just come back to compliment us even more. At the end of the night, she offered to take pictures of us and helped us find the perfect setup for our mini photo shoot. Lee Anne went totally above and beyond to ensure that we had the best time, which we did because of her. I cannot appreciate her enough for what she did. If she's still working there, I would hope that you all give her the praise that she very well deserves. My boyfriend and I have already agreed to go back just to have her as our server again. I would recommend this place to anyone, and I would highly suggest to ask for Lee Anne!! My...