Little Napoli
| Address: | Dolores St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA |
| Phone: | +1 831-626-6335 |
| Site: | chefpepe.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
MI
Michael G
When visiting the Carmel area for the first time this summer, we were trying to figure out where to go for dinner. We came upon this place, and yes - I am a fan of Little Napoli and I would return, but it was not INCREDIBLE, especially for what you would expect for these prices (I know - we are in an expensive area, but still, I expected INCREDIBLE). When consulting with online review sites to see whether or not to try Little Napoli, I noticed that garlic bread, one of my all-time favorite foods, was one of the most talked about things in the reviews, that pretty much made the decision for me to try this place. I must say though, that I was kind of disappointed with the garlic bread because I have definitely had better at other places. But, no garlic bread is bad enough not to, including this garlic bread, which was wolfed down shortly after receiving. It was flavorful, but not to memorable. Maybe it was the bread used that was off for me. Anyway, the chicken parmesan I had for my main meal was 100% good and tasty, but like I said, for the price, I expected to be blown away like, "Wow! This is one of the best chicken parmesans Ive ever had!" but I unfortunately didnt experience that. The staff by the way were great. At no time did I have any issues with them so I give the waiters, waitresses, hostesses and everyone else 5 stars! Lastly, we got to the dessert. Were the desserts good? Yes! Were they the best Id had ever had? No :( One of the desserts we got (yes we got multiple desserts - dont judge me!) was the cannoli which I can was indeed unique and interesting was that the cream inside was chocolaty - yum! Now, I dont want you to think that Im being too negative of unfair with my review, but I guess there was just something missing or nothing stuck out as being over the top memorable and delicious, but thats okay and remember, this place is a solid four stars and I encourage you to go and try it for yourself - and treat yourself to the garlic bread to see what you think!
ED
Edythe Bowers
My husband and I stopped here for dinner recently. They were very busy. The hostess told us she could seat us at 8:30 and it was about 7. I asked if there was seating available for us outside because I heard her say there was to the couple in front of us. She said yes and seated us outside only after I asked. We waited at least 20 minutes before anyone came to our table. During those 20 minutes, other servers walked right past our table and didnt say a word to us. It was really strange...not a single person welcoming us or bringing us glasses for the bottled water already on the table. I actually made eye contact with a few servers, but they looked right past me. When our waitress did come she could tell we were not happy. She did bring us delicious garlic bread on the house because we had to wait so long, which we appreciated. Our meals were simply wonderful. I had the salmon and my husband the lasagna. Our waitress came by during the meal 1 or 2 times to check on us. But, then we didnt see her again. I had to ask another waitress to please have our waitress bring us our tab. Instead, the hostess came outside and took care of it. She had the personality of a rock. But, we would certainly give this restaurant a second chance because the food was amazing.
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Denis Yurkin
poor customer service -- and not listening to feedback they asked for. Was looking for pasta I can comfortably eat without ordering wine, as I needed to drive after dinner. === But waiter advice resulted in worst choice possible--extremely salty dish, despite my explicit upfront question whether its fine with just water, and whether not salty at all. The only advice was "some people likes it, and some dont", without any reasoning--or effort to ask on the kitchen. === After having a bad dinner, I wrote "$0" tip in a cheque. In a feedback form that was provided with a cheque, I wrote that Im ready to comment if someone emails me for details. === Whats immediately followed was waiter agressively asking, literally, "What does _that_ mean? Did you like the _service_?" Together with my wife, we made every effort to explain what I disliked, that we had a poor overall experience, and how they could change the dish to make it more satisfying for an average visitor--but clearly the waiter wasnt listening, as long as we didnt change her tips. === Obviously, noone ever followed up by email asking for comments. Our waiters name is Erika.
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Tyler Harding
One of many Italian-oriented eateries in Carmel. Our experience didnt start too well - First off, there are too many entrances and only one wait station. Once you enter, the servers and the wait staff are rough around the edges to say the least (i.e. we were given lunch menus at 8pm...). Additionally, the tables are crammed next to each other. Besides that, it has a nice overall ambiance, with a beautiful interior and intimate lighting. As for the food, the "famous" garlic bread aint that great... Skip it. The menu is priced fairly, by Carmel standards. The time between appetizers and entrees took a while, granted it was a busy night. The tricolor cannelloni was mostly good (great pesto sauce on one of the thirds). The cioppino was very good, but was just a tad watery. Lasagna good and simple, and the calamari we had was excellent. Overall, i would say Little Napoli is middle of the road, but does warrant a visit.
JO
Johann Naylor
Heres the quick and dirty: Mussels were (old and) a little fishy, waiter couldnt tell me were the lobster came from, veal was very good, lamb was excellent. We had sparkling water and it wasnt kept topped up (wasnt particularly busy on a Wednesday night, 5 other groups total, 2 others at the end). Wine list had a good sampling of things youd want to have with a Napolese dinner. Great meal options, wasnt a big fan of the starting bread. Id probably go back, but keep it exclusively to the turf and steer far clear of the surf. It wasnt bad fish, but it wasnt what I would personally call fresh.
MI
Mihir Meghani
This is a nice little Italian restaurant in the heart of Carmel. It has nice decorations. The service was outstanding. Cristina & other staff were extremely helpful in identifying what was vegetarian - the bread was made with egg, but their mozzarella was animal rennet free. We were underwhelmed by the food. Both napoletana pizzas were ok - cooked too well, & again fortifying Una Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco as the best napoletana pizza. But the service, ambience & concern for our dietary concerns more than made up for the food. Next time, we may come back here.
RO
Roberto Collecchi
Memore di precedenti esperienze, cerco sempre di evitare pizzerie e ristoranti con nomi evocativi della cucina italiana. In questo caso mi sono dovuto ricredere.Pizza molto buona, locale elegante ma non pretenzioso. Espresso buono I prezzi sono un po troppo elevati.
MA
Mary-Catherine Martinez
Very nice and cozy restaurant. Friendly staff. The dish featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, Cioppino Rosso, did not live up to expectations. However, the truffled gnocchi, house-made spicy sausage, and seafood risotto capri were very much delicious and the portions were generous. I do believe that food of this quality/flavor can be found for less money, however Carmel is flat out expensive, so the prices here are expected and not out of the norm. So, for us this is a restaurant for a special occasion.
