Carmelo's Ristorante Italiano

Food was amazing, and the cannelloni is the absolute winner. Drool worthy. Super attentive and friendly service.

Great Food, Great Value for Amazing Italian Food, We have been going here for 30 years and they do such a great job and it is one of our most favorite Italian Restaurants in the City. Enjoy

We came here for my wife's birthday. She's pretty picky when it comes to pizza. We ordered 2 pizzas, the meatball, and a key lime pie. We loved the pizzas.

For the pizzas:
The sauce, crust and the cheese all really good. Really good flavors all around.

The meatball was phenomenal.
Tender, packed with flavor, great texture.

Overall, it was a great dining experience.

This was well-worth the 45 minute drive.

Will come back in the future to try out some of the delicious looking pastas I saw the other tables ordered.

Nice atmosphere, great spaghetti bologneise. My husband had a seafood dish and that was yummy too. His seafood was done just perfect.

Just a great experience, from the service to the wine to the food. You should try this place.

We had a great dinner here! Lovely service and excellent food. The prawns and scallops were cooked to perfection and the salmon was excellent. They have the best pizza in West Van too! Thanks for a great evening!

We went there on a week night and they were relatively busy. We were greeted with 4 different servers at our table and none came back to take our order. It was not a pleasant experience especially since we went there with a small kid who couldn’t wait that long in the highchair.

The Fettucine Funghi was outstanding! Great ambience too - perfect for a low key or romantic evening. Totally worth the price.

Food is amazing but service is even better! The people at Carmelo’s are so warm and kind. Would return just for that!

We adored the fungi fettuccine. The sauce and wild mushrooms were perfect. The scallops and shrimps in the seafood linguini were of top quality.

The key lime pie was too sweet and not tart but that’s just my personal preference!

Absolute best Italian food I've ever had. The restaurant was full and I hadn't made a reservation, but they still found a table for me and didn't mind that I was a little under dressed (freshly off the ski slopes). Highly recommend, but make sure you call first unlike me!

Came during Christmas time, full house. Everything came out on time. Reviews describing the food as "amazing" or "incredible" are well deserved but not very informative. What you're getting here is fine ingredients in every menu item. The dough in the pizza is high quality, the sauce is high quality, the pasta is high quality, the prawns & scallops IN your pasta are high quality. Think of the last time you had prawns & scallops; these are better than what you had. The desserts are high quality and portioned for two people. This place is surprisingly great value for what you pay. Compare it to somewhere like Black & Blue where you pay even higher prices but for Cactus Club quality food, and Carmelos is a no brainer every single time. Only recommendation to management would be to do some more regular dusting of the decor, there were a couple cobwebs. Doesn't bother me, but some customers might mind.

I had the seafood pasta with tomato sauce, tasty, but too spicy with peppers and half portion except there is no half portion.
Use a bigger bowl and put in more noodles. Problem solved.
We ordered J Lohr wine but server dripped it all over table and was not into serving that night. I ended up eating half my wife's pizza. So not a great experience. 2 stars for tasty food. Please make this restaurant great again, it is not that hard!

Really great Italian food! Pretty reasonable prices considering the quality.

I think the mushroom risotto was some of the best I've had, and I've had risotto at a few nice restaurants and make it myself occasionally. Really top notch, do not sleep on it.

Pretty good spot.

The mixed bread is great, we also got some garlic infused focaccia bread included in that.

You can customize your dish which is nice. The fettuccine was great, spaghetti bolognese also looked really amazing.

We’re definitely going to come back and try more!

A refreshingly authentic Italian eatery in our neighbourhood. Love this place - unpretentious and a great atmosphere with superb quality food.

This is our third time visiting Carmelo’s in West Vancouver. Make sure to book a reservation if you want to eat here as the restaurant fills up fast.

Our reso was for their first seating at 5pm, we were the first to enter the restaurant on this evening. You are always greeted with a warm smile and comfortable greetings from their staff. Andrea has been our waitress previously and I cannot thank her enough for the time and care she takes with us. Her contagious smile and bubbly personality really elevate our dinning experience and make us feel like we are part of the family. So Andrea, I hope you read this and know you are one of the best!

Onto the food. To start my partner ordered the fungi risotto and I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. Every time we visit and my partner orders the risotto she expresses that it was better than the last, as we proceed to wipe the bowl clean with the fresh focaccia. The spaghetti and meatballs are delicious and full of flavour. The meatballs are cooked to perfection. The meal was nothing short of excellent.

For and entree we decided to split the scallops and shrimp in a lemon butter sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly, seasoned well, and the acidity of lemon compliments the rich seafood well. The dish is served with steamed carrots, broccoli, squash and brown butter sage mashed potatoes. The execution of the food is 10/10 every time we have visited.

As we sat there after the meal, we didn’t feel rushed to leave. Just another note of recognition to the comfortable atmosphere the restaurant and their staff.

I’ll leave it on this last comment; before we had even stood up and left the restaurant we had already made a plan with one another to return again soon.

Thank you again to the cooks and front of house staff who made our night. See you soon.

Pasta flavour was quite good although quite mild. The real star is the fresh seafood. Key lime pie was also amazing

Solid menu, faithful Italian fine food execution, attentive service … all the elements of a fine dinner out with friends.

We went there to have a dinner for three. Got a pizza and lasagna to share with a mushroom soup! The soup was AMAZING! Could not ask for anything better. The pizza and lasagna though were decent but not made me Wow! Afterward when being asked for a dessert, the eggnog dessert with ice cream sounded delicious. So we tried it! And you cannot believe how it was melting in the mouth! Definitely worth having it after dinner!

Had an amazing dinner, servers were amazing as well. Great quality food for very reasonable price point. I would recommend to any one who likes Italian eatery. I will 100% come again as I have allot of items I would very much like to tryout. Mouth still watering thinking of the food.

Wow the whole experience was wonderful. Amazing food, staff is smiling and working hard. Typical Italian family restaurant who delivers on food, wine and service! Thanks!

Better later than never. So finally here's my review: This restaurant in the heart of Ambleside pulsates coziness through its intimate space complimented by the choice of low light level. We visited the gustatorial jewel on a well patronized Valentine's evening. Upon entering we were given a warm welcome and led without any waiting time to our reserved table. As mentioned the place was seated already to full capacity and reflected the popularity. Everything in this restaurant was smoothly running from the professionally relaxed waitress to recommendations over to perfectly tasting dishes. Great place to spend your Valentine's date or for any other occasion craving delicious Italian meals.

Hostess was dismissive and not very attentive. Pasta dish was oily and pizza was undercooked and bland. Overall disappointing and over priced

Very tasty dishes, a bit tight in space but it gives you the local gem feel! Friendly staff as well!

Overpriced for what it is. Oily pasta. Undercooked - not al dente. Dark interior. Tasted fine overall.

Cozy and welcoming atmosphere, the staff remembers your name after one visit. Best Italian cuisine you can find in northshore. Sometimes hard to find a table.

Pastas were quite good, authentic Italian taste, full of spices, a little bit too much olive oil inside.

I'm tempted to say the carbonara was forgettable but it was so bland I'll remember it for ages. So little sauce it was like eating pasta on its own, over cooked bacon that was dried out and had no taste. The waitress didn't question why my plate was barely touched when she cleared the table.

April 25 2022
Love this restaurant! Love the food and the wait staff! We drive from UBC for special occasions.
The only problem is that I tried to book a birthday dinner reservation and there voice mail was disabled so I couldn’t make the reservation. Time for a back up plan! Perhaps post 2 numbers invade one is not working!
Please enable your voice mail so I can make my reservation! Thanks Sue

Great, lively staff and vibe. Strong classic Italian menu w/ excellent specials and reliable favorites. Owner, Peter always bends over backwards to accommodate. They get quite busy and dinner rush and don’t stay open very late. Great brunches! Make a reso!

Great food and love the family operated restaurant. Service is slower but personable sorry for got to take pictures

SO cozy and delicious! Definitely one of the most iconic West Vancouver restaurants that our family has been to come to for years.

If i could give 0 Stars i would. All they care about is their take out customers.waited 2 hours, no appetizer, no desert. Just a pizza and some pasta that both where so bad we left without eating it. Never again

We had a lovely meal here. The service was so spot on.the way service should be.watching to see when we were done being attentive without hovering. I own a restaurant and appreciate well made food and good professional service. Thanks!

Overall experience was good. We went for our anniversary dinner, walked in and were seated right away. Very busy, and a bit hard to get the attention of our waitress as it was our first time. Found her to be a bit abrupt with us, but could be because it was busy. Ordered the special chicken parm and the salmon. Salmon was excellent, parm I wouldn't order again. Ended with tirimasu which was the best part. May try again to see if next experience is better

The food was tasty and had quality ingredients. The portions were smaller than a chain restaurant but was enough to satisfy. We were glad we ordered an appetizer as we had been out so day and were hungry. The server was friendly but we felt pushed out at the end. We were with friends and wanted to visit. We had only been there about 90 minutes and would've been out by the 2 hours. We would've ordered another bottle of wine but the bill came and she joked that we had another 3 minutes. That really upset our friend that lives in the area, so we left.

Made reservations Saturday for dinner as it showed great reviews. Was looking forward to a nice dinner with my daughter and love Italian cuisine. Saturday was a very hot day, another heat wave, the skies were extremely smokey from the wildfires. When we arrived at the restaurant we were given the choice of a table in the corner near the kitchen. The doors/windows to the restaurant were open and it was unbearably hot inside. I could not believe that staff were having to work under these conditions. The doors and windows should have been closed and the air conditioning turned on.

There was another table in another corner of the restaurant, so I checked it out to see if it was any cooler, thinking perhaps it was hot because we were shown a table near the kitchen. It was just as unbearably hot. I could not understand how anyone eating there was truly enjoying themselves.

We decided to leave. When we said we were leaving we were offered a table outside.there was only one table outside a window that was open with 4 people sitting inside at a table.a little too close for comfort and I am sure the people inside would not have appreciated it one bit. As well, why would we want to sit outside when it was so smokey.

We wound up eating at another restaurant (Italian as well) in the area, just down the street. The food and service was excellent, and it was very comfortable temperature and smoke wise. We won't be returning to Carmelo's.

Another interesting observation, considering we are still in the middle of a pandemic, the restaurant was packed with strangers sitting too close together. Not impressed and won't be recommending to anyone.

Love this place and food. My husband comes here since childhood, used to be their family favourite restaurant. Food is yummy, friendly servers.

The food was good, the service was excellent, the prices weren’t bad. Overall it’s a very good place!

Had an incredible dinner and experience! Sorry to the staff who were very hospitable but stayed probably later than they’d have preferred as we shut the place down. It was a very memorable meal for my 12-year-old! Incredible food, great value!

The appetizers were amazing, but the pasta felt rather disappointing - the flavour was a bit bland and lacked sauces.

Pasta, Pizza, BadDog bread, sparkling lemonade, cranberry juice and the service, all was fairly good. My only issue was with the multiple "flies" hovering around our food the entire time. It was a bit annoying and that's why one star less.

The food, staff, atmosphere, and sauce are all fantastic! This hidden gem is a must-visit if you're in West Vancouver for dinner.

Okay food. Ordered fish featured dish. It was dull and tasteless I had to ask for salt to make it work.

AMAZING!
This place never ceases to deliver delicious food time and time again. The service is always timely and friendly. You can tell they really care about the food they present. Atmosphere is cozy yet still high class. Only downside is I don't live closer. Can't wait for my next visit!

One of very few true Italian restaurants I have been to on the West Coast. I'm not an expert but I think I recognize North American style of Italian cuisine from real Italian as I'm from Europe and love pasta.

Nice place, great service, amazing olive oil. I had thin crust quattro formagi pizza which was a great starter.
As main course I had Linguini Di Mare. Fresh prawns and scallops with tasty tomato sauce. Loved it.

I have been cooking pasta at home at least once a week for many years but I wish I could make it as good as it was here.

Phenomenal. Pasta night Monday’s are sensational and exceptional value.
Highly recommend.

First to Carmel's and I have to say the dinner was awesome had the have chicken and the flavors were very very good and very friendly staff.

A little gem in Ambleside! A true traditional italian restaurant, with updated ambiance, excellent service. The food is excellent. Its so excellent, that you need to make a reservation for popular dinner hours, or else you dont get a seat. Highly recommend it.

Great service, very pleasant atmosphere and absolutely amazing food. Well worth the drive from Pitt Meadows to visit for the first time. Will definitely recommend to my friends and family to come and try this place out!

6/5 stars. Walked in looking a mess fresh off the mountain and was greeted the same as people who came in dressed for a lovely dinner. The owner is personable and funny, and we received some of the best service I have ever experienced from our waitress, Jackie.
I complimented the oven and the owner enthusiastically invited me into the kitchen to get a closer look!
Oh, and the food! We got a sundried tomato and tiger prawn pasta, and they did *not* skimp on the shrimp. Wonderfully garlic-y and bursting with flavour.
Also ordered a braised lamb shank with roasted veggies, and it was melt in your mouth delicious.
I have nothing but positive things to say about this place, from the moment I walked in. Will absolutely dine here again.

The service is impeccable and the food is so delicious! Truly felt welcomed and a very nice restaurant for fine dining. Highly recommend.

Always tastey and great service. There is a comfotness to this restaurant that keeps me always coming back.

Been wanting to try out this little spot for a while and finally did it! And glad we did. Everything was great and enjoyable. Hands on owners and quality very fresh and tasty. Not all commercial like other Italian spots around. We will be back. And Monday night pasta $12 special. Yum

We have been dining here for 40 years and every visit has been a pleasure. Service is friendly and prompt, the food is always very good and a good value as well. A variety of daily specials compliment the traditional Italian dishes on the menu. Keep up the good work Carmelo's!

I love the vibe in the restaurant. The food was classic and servers are thoughtful. I’d rather recommend pasta than pizza.

Excellent Italian family restaurant in west vancouver. Service staff were quick, knowledgeable and friendly. Pasta dishes were very good. Nice desserts too!

The pasta, pizza and the soup i had were all very tasty.the portion of the pasta was, however, very small that if you're a big eater you may end up needing 2 orders tonhave a full meal.the garlic bread was really good ad well

A great find! Very welcoming staff, the restaurant was busy which was a good first impression, the owner and staff we're so hospitable it had felt as if you'd known them for years. Food was delicious, my husband had the steak on special he loved it I had the mushroom risotto with chicken it was full of flavor and chicken was perfectly cooked complimented with the house white wine. A lovely evening and we will definitely be back.

Great!
i had the linguie w sundried toms, goat chz and argula! 10/10
the crab cakes were 5/10
the servive was 10/10
the meal balls and spaghetti was 10/10
!

This was my first time at Carmelo’s, with a party of ten celebrating my sisters birthday. The first thing that struck me was a very musty and unpleasant smell as I entered the restaurant. The menu was not imaginative, and I kept re reading it trying to find a dish that inspired me. I eventually settled for a special that evening, the beef short rib. But before we get to that, let me say that the service was acceptable, and the variety of appetizers we ordered were above average. We ordered a number of different mains, but three of us ordered the short rib. Sadly, the meat was dry, over cooked, and did not melt in your mouth, while the sauce was burnt. Another member of the party had the squid special, and unfortunately the squid was not of high quality and quite chewy. The remainder of the guests enjoyed their pasta/veal dishes. All in all, Carmelo’s is not a fine dining experience, and is nothing to write home about.

I found the food to be absolutely delicious, however I was not happy with how we were treated. When we arrived we were informed that they would need the table back in an hour and a half, which was fine except for the fact our server didn't let us forget it. We had been seated less than ten minutes by the time she had come around to ask us if we were ready-for the third time. When we had our food, it felt like we couldn't stop to talk because she kept coming over to ask if we were done. The real kicker was right after we paid she smiled at all of us and said "bye bye" before walking off. We left not even an hour after we arrived, so I guess you could say the service was fast.

Food was fresh and delicious, and the staff was very helpful and attentive. Will definitely return!

I love this restaurant! Delicious food, good and welcoming service, it is so quiet and cozy, plus I always get my food so quickly. 5 starts for everything

I could have made better food at home. Really don't know what all the hype is about but i've had better pasta at tap and barrel. Feels like the chef here lost their passion for food. Definitely not worth the extravagant price.staff was friendly tho.

Very good pastas, great service, pizzas leave a little to be desired on the flavor chart. Reasonable prices, all in a comfortable cozy environment.

Food is decent, atmosphere is nice too. The only partially negative point is the fact that the tables are placed close to each other