Carmella's Cafe — Restaurant in Town of New Hartford

Recently, I've been craving good food in the Utica/New Hartford areas. The problem is, there is none. We have been to Carmella's plenty of time in the past, but we just got sick of the same stuff. (We always ordered the same stuff.) That is on us. One day, we decided to come back and try something new. And I do not regret this decision at all, I've found an all-time favorite restaurant up North here.

The staff is friendly, no doubt about that. There is this one very friendly woman, but I forgot her name. It sounds like she has a southern accent. Again, very friendly! The place itself is also clean and sanitary. This is one of those places that are able to pull off the loaded antiques on the walls.

I love the food here, but one of my biggest problems is it's a hit-or-miss situation. And some dishes are just... no. For example, if you come in to dine early and, say, order a pizza, the pizza will be delicious. The Margerita is a thin-crust pizza, and even though it's thin it's also soft. When you get it early in the day, it will be very delicious. Later near closing, it'll be a bit different, such as dried basil instead of fresh and something else goes on which drastically changes the flavor. (On a side note, the fennel seeds used in the dough really gives the pizza some good flavor!) Same with the pizza fried dough, early in the day it'll be nice and soft and chewy. Later on, it'll be served hard and crunchy, which is a no-no for me. The Chicken Francaise will either be delicious, or too oily. Then again, near closing time, that tends to happen in restaurants. The food overall is delicious, and I don't know any other good restaurant than this place. (Just make sure to change up your dish once in a while, you won't regret it!) The one food I will complain about is the LASAGNA. The sauce used for it is too acidic and is doused over the lasagna, a bunch of mozzarella on the top, and too much meat with so little ricotta. If they changed the recipe up to counteract these cons, I would love to try it again.

Would I recommend this restaurant? YES. I would recommend going here early in the day though, 6:00 P.M. latest I'd say, instead of near closing time, as the food tends to be served a little more low-quality, which is going to happen with any restaurant, but it's still a sad sight. It really is one of the better restaurants in the area though. I would also recommend staying clear from the lasagna until the recipe is changed. Everything else? Delicious. I love the pizza, the chicken francaise, and the pizza-fried dough with cinnamon sugar.

One dish I would recommend if you aren't into sauce with a bite/that's acidic, I would say the Herb Chicken Pasta with California sauce (and fresh basil, if desired) instead of the marinara. It's light and delicious! Be warned, for it does have peas and mushrooms.

Another side note: The restaurant has been in need for workers and chefs for a while now, and that is going to affect the outcome of recent experiences. It's sad to see, considering this place does so well and current times are just...

The food is delicious, the service is wonderful, and the atmosphere is relaxing. What more can you ask for?! I would recommend everybody to come here at least once with their families.

Food: If you're in New Hartford, definitely make it a plan to stop in and dine here, whether alone or with company. The food is very delicious, and every order has been cooked to perfection every time I come here. Their pizzas are especially worth ordering. My family and I typically order a margherita pizza with fried chicken and extra basil. It's the perfect food for lunch or during large gatherings. (The fried chicken is much more different than what it sounds like; it's nothing like what you'd get at Popeyes, trust me!) Interestingly, they use fennel seed in their pizza dough, and it makes the pizza taste all the better. I also recommend the chicken quesadillas. Quite an interesting take on quesadillas, but it works so well! Not only that, but their chilis are thick, mildly spicy if any, and actually taste like chili powder, not overbearing onions nor peppers! Even their desserts are fantastic. I recommend either the traditional cannoli or the apple crisp. Make sure to have Sarah make the latter for you!

Service: No complaints at all. All the waitresses are sweethearts, and all the managers are easygoing. In addition, one of the dishes I get all the time are no longer on the menu, but the managers and waitresses still let us order it! If you are here, order the Herb Chicken Pasta, but replace all sauces (alfredo and marinara) with the California sauce. Fair warning: It has peas and mushrooms.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere is mellow and relaxing with vintage portraits of advertisements, pictures, and so on. Even during a busy night, the sound levels don't become too much. I have to note that the dining experience is nice and cozy on slow, rainy days. The music can get loud at times, though.

In summary, the food is delicious, the service is fantastic, and they have much to offer. For the food you get, the prices are very fair. You can't go wrong with a large margherita pizza for $17! They also take orders up until 30 minutes before midnight. If you're ever in or near the New Hartford area, or need to get food at a late hour, give...

I've been coming here since it opened in 80s and it's always been my very fav Utica area restaurant until today. First from the time of my last dinner here a few months ago to today.. the prices are horrifying and insane. Like mouth dropping! $16-18 for basic bar apps in this area are nuts! That’s more than some steakhouses! And my fav trio dish $33 literally blew our mind. But beyond that.. the food I have eaten time and time again here over years.. and I have years of photos and videos on my phone ad compared them and can say these dishes came out wrong, overcooked, some inedible, and different plating. The Utica greens I usually find here to be one of the best in the region instead tonight were overcooked, greasy, flavorless and had hard pieces due to overcooking. The bread arrived almost burnt hard and dry as paper. And only one tiny butter for a whole usual loaf. Not at these prices! Almost insulting. The salad came with little dressing. But otherwise good as usual. The Riggies were some of worst of my lifetime the recipe was different or something but dry, flavorless and so disappointing. The lasagna ?as my replacement) was better but also bland and how nuts for these prices you don't even get grated cheese or pepper on top anymore. The lasagna was screaming for some grated cheese! And we ordered the sundae as we thought how could you screw that up and the cannoli cream was fine or okay but the waffle was INEDIBLE hard overcooked and saturated in oil so much that after an hour after leaving al three of us can't get the taste of it out of our mouths. Atmosphere is same charm as over the decades. Staff was friendly. Manager spoke to us and was nice. I waited months to return to this area for my fav restaurant and meal and I couldn't be more disappointed. I hope whatever is happening internally at the kitchen is fixed soon and things go back to same recipes, presentations and...