Carlucci's Italian Grill — Restaurant in West Windsor

My family and friends used to love Carlucci's. I did a fair amount of community service in middle school and high school, and they were always kind and generous with their donations to the charity events that I worked. However, last night changed this for us.

A family friend had made a reservation for 14 of us, and the plan was to surprise my aunt for her 50th birthday. She spoke directly to the manager and asked if it was okay to bring cake and balloons (because of Covid-19) and was told that it would be fine.

Within the past week, she even called again to confirm that our reservation was still there. Then we arrived early last night, BEFORE our reservation, only to find out that they gave away our table and nothing else was available. The manager (same person who helped us make the reservation) claimed that there was always a rush on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and he was stressed.

This is understandable, but the whole point of us making a reservation was to make sure we had a table regardless. When we brought this up, the manager was not only unapologetic, but also incredibly rude to us. If there hadn't been a restaurant next door, the entire surprise party would have been ruined. We know that times are stressful right now, but this was NOT the way to handle the situation, and you've officially lost the business of 4...

Now that's Italian 🤌

It's been a hot minute since I’ve had Italian food this good. From the second we sat down, they just kept bringing bread. Like, nonstop. Finished a basket? Here comes another. Finished that one? They hit me with a whole loaf of garlic bread and said, “Do you like?” and I said, “Yes. Yes, I like.”

I got the penne in a blush sauce (not vodka, but close enough) with a side of meatballs. The meatballs were decent, but the pasta? Unreal. Creamy, cheesy, rich—just perfect. Heavy enough that you know you’re eating real Italian, but not so heavy that you regret your life choices. Bring Lactaid if you need it, though. They’re not shy with the cheese.

Lauren got the veal marsala (gluten-free), and while she thought it was a little mild, she still liked it and wants to go back to try something else.

The place itself is super comfortable—classic Italian vibes, warm lighting, nice crowd. Mostly couples and families, not too loud, not too quiet. Service was spot on. Friendly, fast, and they actually pay attention.

Oh, and they gave me a garlic bread loaf on the house that was borderline addictive. Crispy on the outside, soft inside, dripping with garlicky butter.

BYOB, so bring a bottle and make a night of it.

Bottom line: amazing food, excellent service, cozy atmosphere. I left stuffed, happy, and already planning...

We just got back from Carluccis Grille - we had an AMAZING experience! We were.a group of 14 people celebrating our son's Princeton University graduation, and we were having trouble finding a place that could seat us privately and not rush us out. We had never heard of this restaurant, but my husband found it online, and the reviews looked good. Truly - we can't say enough about how great this way. First of all the servers we SO friendly. We think one was names Dario - not sure of the other's name, but really top notch service. Second, we ordered the banquet menu, and they went above and beyond. There was SO much food - the appetizers kept coming out and they were delicious. Then the entrees were served, and even though we were all stuffed, we somehow managed to gobble everything down because the food was TERRIFIC! A few people made slight changes to the banquet menu (one gluten free, two people wanted their food over pasta instead of spinach)_ - no extra charge. They seated in the enclosed patio, and they basically gave us the whole patio - they made a conscious effort to keep us to ourselves. The entire evening was PERFECT. We brought our own cake (plus they served cannolis) and they cut it for us. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT. They helped made our...