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Carrabba's Italian Grill

231 Kernstown Commons Blvd

Winchester, VA


(540) 868-7665Explore Local Discounts

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Carrabba's Italian Grill
QR Code for Carrabba's Italian Grill Menu | WincFood | Winchester, VA

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Monday, February 6, 2017

On Sunday, February 5, 2017, my daughter and I had lunch at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, at 231 Kernstown Commons Boulevard, in the Kernstown Shopping Center off Route 11, the Valley Pike, just south of Route 37 and I-81 Exit 310.

Hours are Monday-Thursday, 4:00 PM-10:00 PM; Friday and Saturday, 11:00 AM-11:00 PM; Sunday, 11:00 AM-10:00 PM. The phone number is 540-868-7665. The national Web page for Carrabba’s is www.carrabbas.com, and carryout is available.

Handicapped parking is on the left side of the building, and the entrance near the left front has a small vestibule. A covered front porch has benches on the left side and tables to your right.

Carrabba’s is a fairly large restaurant. Just inside is a receptionist’s station. One thing I noticed as soon as we entered was the strong smell of onions and garlic, but it soon was less noticeable.

The bar area is along the left wall, with a chest-high divider separating it from the main dining space. It has high-rise tables and chairs in addition to high-rise seats at the bar, and several TV screens. The main dining area has booths along the bar divider and the front and left walls, with tables elsewhere.

The kitchen in the rear has two sections. The one in the left is a closed room, but the right section is L-shaped and extends partly along the right wall. It is bounded by a glass-topped divider that lets you watch some of the food preparation. High-rise tables and chairs are against the divider for those who want the closest possible view.

The floor is dark imitation hardwood; the ceiling is light acoustic material. Lighting in the dining section is primarily bulbs recessed in the ceiling; hanging shaded lights are in the bar area. Background noise is noticeable, and includes sounds from the kitchen. Music is audible enough to be almost intrusive.

We elected to be seated in a booth, and Ashley, our server, took our orders for iced tea. She gave us a basket of warm Italian bread, along with a plate of olive oil with herbs, since this was a proper Italian restaurant and doesn’t serve butter.

The larger of two menus included Appetizers, Wood-Fired Pizza, Soups and Salads, Pasta, Chicken, Pork & Veal, Steaks & Chops, Seafood, Combinations, Wine, Italian Sangria & Cocktails, Craft & Bottled Beers, and Beverages.

Several dishes usually offered as staples in other Italian restaurants, such as chicken, eggplant, or veal Parmigiana were missing.

The smaller menu apparently had limited-time offerings: Chicken Parmesan Lasagna, a new dish, along with some other items and specials such as Amore Monday, Tasting Tuesday, Pizza & Wine Wednesday, and Signature Selections. A 50% reduction, up to $20.00, applies to every fourth visit.

My daughter decided on the Chicken Parmesan Lasagna as soon as she saw it listed on the smaller menu. I ordered Chicken Marsala, topped with mushrooms and a brown Marsala wine sauce, with grilled asparagus. I opted for Lentil Sausage Soup instead of a salad, and found it to be the best lentil soup I had ever tasted. We divided a pair of Mini Cannoli for dessert.

The food was very good, but a bit pricey. I was troubled by the price of $2.99 for a glass of unsweetened iced tea, and will have water the next time. Carrabba’s is definitely a keeper in my book for occasional splurging.

I first reviewed Carrabba's on July 6, 2012, after it had been open for six months. The menu has changed only slightly since then, and its servers are no longer exclusively male.

— Perry Crabill

Friday, February 5, 2016

We have had great service and delicious food every time we have been there. Will go back again and recommend to anyone for a nice Italian dinner. — Anonymous Reviewer

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

A total difference since they have new management in past year or so. Have not had a bad meal, as a matter of fact everything has been delicious! Great service and will go back again. — Anonymous Reviewer

Thursday, August 8, 2013

On Friday, July 6, 2012 I had dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill, a chain restaurant that opened off Route 11 south of Winchester earlier this year. It's at 231 Kernstown Commons Boulevard, in the growing Kernstown Shopping Center just south of Route 37. Carrabba's doesn't open until 4:00 PM on weekdays, although it does open at noon on Saturday and Sunday. It was one of the chain restaurants included in the article "Restaurant Roulette" in the August 2012 issue of Consumer Reports. It was rated fourth in the list of eleven Italian restaurants; Olive Garden, the other local chain included, rated seventh. The dinner menu listed Antipasti, Zuppe and Insalate, Wood-Fired Pizza, Panini, Signature Pasta, Stuffed Pasta, Marsala, Classics and Combination, and Wood- Burning Grill. Another page listed Vino, with quite an assortment of choices; Birra, Italian, American and Imported; Beverages and Coffee, along with Dolci. I noted the absence of several dishes usually offered as staples in Italian restaurants, such as eggplant or veal parmigiana. A separate, smaller menu listed tonight's specials but I didn't bother itemizing it. Basically, it gave you a choice of three courses for a flat price of $15.00. I decided on a small order of chicken from the Marsala section of the menu. It was topped with mushrooms, prosciutto, and Lombardo Marsala wine sauce. Sides were a salad and zucchini. Being a proper Italian establishment, a small plate of olive oil with herbs was served with the bread. Carrabba's is a fairly large restaurant. The entrance is in the front on the left side. The bar area is along the left wall, with a chest-high divider separating it from the main dining space. It has high-rise tables and chairs in addition to stools at the bar. The kitchen in the rear has two sections. The one in the left is a closed room, but the right section is L-shaped and extends partly along the right wall. It is bounded by a glass-topped divider that lets you watch some of the food preparation. High-rise tables and chairs are against the divider for those who want the closest possible view of this activity. Seating for the main dining area has booths along the bar divider and the front and left walls, with tables elsewhere. One thing I noticed as soon as I entered the restaurant was the strong smell of grated cheese, but it soon wore off. The Italian salad was quite large. It consisted mainly of several kinds of lettuce with oil and vinegar dressing, and just a little bit of tomato. The entrée was served fairly promptly, and was quite good. Its julienne zucchini accompaniment had other unidentified ingredients, but it was tasty, and the mushrooms went well with the chicken. All of the servers at Carrabba's were male and one of them stopped to talk to me. He was Chester Ramey, whom I had met through attending the Hottel-Keller Reunions in Shenandoah County years ago, who considers me as a distant cousin. — Perry Crabill

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

We had a wonderful meal, met some new friends and have to say the owner treated us like gold. Max, the man behind the bar, was an excellent server and so very friendly and helpful. Thanks Max for a great experience! — Anonymous Reviewer

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Best Italian food in this area! The service is amazing, the wine selection meets any need, and the food is always hot and fresh! Regular customers from now on! — Anonymous Reviewer

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

BEST italian in the area!! My family and i go at least twice a week and have never had anything but EXCELLENT dining experiences! We recommend it to all our friends and family. If you love authentic italian there is no one even close to the value you recieve here. Friendly, prompt service and the place is always busy. You MUST try the home made sangrias as well, delicious!! It's my understanding the restaurant is under new ownership and everytime we go it is just better and better! Keep up the great work! MUST TRY — Anonymous Reviewer

Thursday, January 3, 2013

My wife and I went for drinks and dessert on New Year's Eve. We ate at the bar. The chocolate martinis were very good and served promptly, even though the two bartenders were quite busy. The desserts were both very good - large servings. We liked the food and drinks, but Carrabba's is too expensive for regular visits. — Anonymous Reviewer

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Ate at Carrabas, Winchester 3 days ago, the waitress does not smile, lacks pleasing personality; The food is so salty-pork chop, chicken, everything. Our family felt like we had our sodium load for the month. So unhealthy; Not a great place to dine family and friends- you will die quickly of hypertension!!! — Anonymous Reviewer

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Had a wonderful dinner, great atmosphere and very pleasant servers. Will go back again. — Anonymous Reviewer

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Rather disappointing. We were seated promptly, and the staff was a friendly as could be. Our waitress was top notch. As for the appetizers...the calamari was way too heavy on the breading, and so salty as to be nearly inedible. The appeal to calamari is the chewiness of the squid. This was masked almost completely by the overwhelming breading. The bruchette was a rather bland white bread (overly dry) with some uninspiring toppings of out of season tomatoes and basil. The house salad had greens which seemed to be yesterday's, read: wilted. The side order of broccoli was topped with bread crumbs and also bland. Salt please? The seafood linguini had 4 tiny anemic mussels, and some shrimp which were so overcooked that they were unpleasantly tough. Linguini was cooked down to mush, and the whole dish was bland. (what happened to the heavy-handedness with the salt shaker?) The chicken marsala has a pleasant buttery sauce, chewy mushrooms, and a very nice smoky flavor, but was dry, due to overcooking, a common pitfall for grilled chicken breast. The sweet waitress made the evening bearable. — Anonymous Reviewer

Friday, April 6, 2012

My wife and I ate here last Saturday. We called ahead and by the time we arrived only had to wait approximately ten minutes to be seated. After looking over the menu we decided on two entrees and one appetizer. After receiving our drinks, the waiter advised they were out of the appetizer we had ordered. We were offered something else for free to make up for the problem. Our entrees then arrived and had the wrong side orders with them. The food was decent for a chain restaurant. I think this establishment has been open long enough to get the bugs ironed out. Sure the wait staff and manager were polite enough, but to run out of items on one of your busiest night is inexcusable. — Anonymous Reviewer