The absolute star of the show was the Alberta Beef Tenderloin with Wagyu Meat Sauce and Aglio Et Olio ($35). I can’t believe pasta with so few ingredients can taste that good. The noodles were served piping hot and al dente. The flavour of the oil was incredible – it must speak to the quality of the olive oil and the chef’s cooking technique. I want to compare Carino’s version to Cotto Italian Comfort Food, the next time the latter restaurant has aglio et olio on their weekly pasta feature.
My favorite ramen shop in Calgary. Broth is delicious. The only con is they sell ramen only during lunch. They could probably maximize sales if they sold it throughout the day.
Delicious food!!!! Probably my favourite pasta place in Calgary right now. Service was excellent even though they only had one server (who also had to cook) working that night.
Ordered the tasting menu (see attached) and the tonkatsu carbonara. The brie was good. The pasta was my favourite dish. It had nice flavours. The risotto was way too creamy in my opinion... it kind of tasted like risotto with cream of mushrooms. The chocolate roll was nicely presented, but taste wise was just ok. The pork in the tonkatsu was a bit dry. However, the sauce and eggs were good. The server was very nice and friendly. One of the chefs also followed us out to say thank you when we left.
I've been many times and while I sometimes miss the Carino in Bridgeland I find the location in Mission better then the original. The fries are awesome, the lamb dish and the duck dishes are my favourite dishes. Good pastas, friendly welcoming staff, excellent deserts, you can add seared foie gras to any dish. They have good sake and had a no corkage wine fee night last time I was there A+
Everytime I walk by here, its a busy place, highly recommend a reservation.
Had a great dinner here on a busy Saturday night, however felt like we were in a Felini Movie. The room was full of odd couples and blue haired folks, not the usual Mission crowd. On the TV was the music station "Romantic Dinner". One person had a birthday and the staff ran from all over to sing happy birthday, seems like they forgot to tell the staff.
The food was amazing, a great combination I give the food a full 5. . . .
Wine was reasonably priced a great value.
When we went to leave the Owner/Chef and our waiter rushed ahead of us to open the door. When we exited they bowed graciously over and over again and thanked us over and over again on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, My friend commented What if we were shy?
But do try it out, amazing food combinations, loved it, will go again.
The word is definitely getting out on how good this little restaurant is. Very friendly, good service and the food is really nice and creative.
This place looks like a little hole in the wall, but don't let that fool you. It's a Japanese Italian fusion restaurant, which sounds odd, but they make it work so well!! We got the chefs menu, which was two starters and a main, followed by dessert. The wagyu beef sauce pasta is a must!!!! It was ridiculously good. The tables are a little close together, so you don't have a ton of privacy, but sometimes that's nice too. Would definitely go back again. We got a ton of food and a bottle of wine and it was relatively cheap. The service was great too.
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Food here was amazing, I can't remember the last time I liked everything on my dish (as well as my girlfriend's dish). The restaurant itself is pretty small so we were a bit squished. We had the Tenderloin and Duck Breast. The mushroom risotto that came with the tenderloin was insane, probably the best that I've ever had. The Duck meat was also really really good.
Waitress accidentally added a dessert we didn't have to our bill when it came time to pay. We brought it to her attention and she took it off right away. We also have a severe nut allergy which we mentioned to the waitress but she forgot at the end of our meal and gave us biscuit treats that had nuts in them. Not too big of a deal since we are in a perpetual habit of asking if things have nuts in them, but a slight miss on her part after a really good meal.
I guess it's customary in this restaurant for someone to open the door for you when you leave and one of the Japanese chef's (not sure if owner) will thank you very kindly for dining there. Will definitely be back!
What stood out the most for me was their service. Probably one of the best served restaurants in Calgary. It felt like their waiter and chefs genuinely cared about your experience there. Everyone was there to greet us at the entrance and rushed to thank us and open the door as we finished our dinner.The food was exceptional; especially the Spicy Tuna Tartare. Also had the Spicy Duck Gnocchi and Pan Roasted Rack of Lamb, which was very delicious. I would recommend this place to everyone and would definitely go back again.
This restaurant is one of the best restaurants in the city. Exceptional service, amazing chefs that you watch prepare your food and delicious food that awakens your palate and makes you want to return again and again!
My most original and exciting meal of 2016 by far - maybe even in the past year. I avoided eating at their original location because the concept of Japanese-Italian fusion was causing serious cognitive dissonance. It just didn't sound right but in hindsight I couldn't have been more mistaken. Every dish we tried was an adventure and the service was friendly, warm and attentive. Duck! Duck!! Duck!!! should not be missed along with any of their broth-boiled pasta dishes. I'm looking forward to round 2.
First time here and it was for the Big Taste. The food is amazing and the service was equally as good. Everyone who works there greets you as you enter and they also thank you as you leave. Each dish was superbly executed. The flavors were exquisite and the portions were perfect. Plating was impeccable. I will definitely be coming back to try other dishes. It was a wonderful experience.
One of the newer restaurants that we have been looking forward to trying, in particular, was Carino Riserva. Having been to their original location in Bridgeland, we had pretty high expectations for what the sister restaurant would bring to the table. If you haven’t heard of them yet, well, shame on you. With hearty Japanese-Italian cuisine, an excellent wine list, and affordable prices, it’s a little bit of a hidden gem.
Excellent preparations... Foie gras and wagyu fettuccine was on point. Wine list is also very nice with a good selection of terrific Italian wines
Excellent food! I was a bit curious when I saw the "Italian-Japanese" fusion menu but it was fabulous. The appetizers (pizza and French fries) were excellent. The entrees kept up with the quality of the other food. Service was very gracious and attentive. All in all an excellent evening.
Jan 28, 2017 - we visited Carino for our final meal in Calgary as we are relocating to the Stares. The food has been consistently excellent, the staff incredibly service oriented and the experience always worth while. This small restaurant is a true gem. A must visit!
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Walked past it many times on 4th but finally decided to give it a try. They're opened until late (I believe 11 or 12?) which was great.
We started with the ahi tuna poke. It has sesame oil which I personally love so we really liked this dish. Tuna tasted fresh and no funny fishy taste that some tuna dishes leave you with.
We had the gnocchi dish with a very flavourful and cheesy tomato sauce, as well as a wagyu beef sauce pasta dish. Seems like the chef tasting menu, as well as their regular menu changes quite often as I don't see it on the menu online. Both pasta dishes were full of flavour and extremely good.
Tried the green tea parfait. It was small but if you are a fan of matcha, you would definitely enjoy this. Also tried the tiramisu which was also on the smaller side but presented beautifully and tasted great.
The restaurant itself is a bit awkward. I think the layout is a little bit weird and I think it only holds under 40 people. But I think that's also why this place works; they have an open kitchen where they cook everything right there and serve it to you right away. Everyone working there was very friendly but professional and really made you feel welcome.
Also a bit off topic but the bathrooms here are TINY! It doesn't bother me at all but I just want to give a heads up for anyone who require a more spacious bathroom (for mothers with babies, individuals in wheelchairs, etc.)
Give this place a try if you are looking for good Italian food with a twist :)
This restaurant is suuuuper tiny, so I'd highly recommend making a reservation if you're planning on eating here. The meal started off very promising. We were seated promptly and the server was very attentive. Sadly, our service pretty much ended the moment we were given our food. I understand that they were busy the night I came to eat here, but it was very clear that they had no trouble waiting on the other tables. Anyhow, the prosciutto wrapped pork was delicious! It was my favourite part of the meal. It was accompanied by a mushroom risotto, but it was extremely cheesey which made it difficult to finish. Also, the spaghetti was drowning in truffle oil making it difficult to finish as well. After waiting about 15-20 minutes after our meal for one of the servers to come clear our plates, we gave up and walked to the front counter to ask for the bill. Overall decent food, bad service. Had the service been better I might have considered trying this place again in the future.
Carino Riserva is another take on it's sister restaurant Carino, which according to our server, is more Italian focused. We enjoyed the food at Carino so we were excited to try Carino Riserva. Tucked away in the heart of the Mission, the delicious food and friendly, attentive service more than makes up for the underwhelming interior. If you make reservations in advance, we would recommend requesting the tables by the window. Please visit our blog for full details and pictures.
Outstanding Meal!
Came here on Valentine's Day and had the set menu. This was truly delicious. Everything was cooked to perfection.
Cooked Italian risotto balls - Arancini, Tuna Poke, Prawns and Tagliatelle, Scallops with a tasty pan fried rice cake and truffle oil arugula salad, and banana strawberry roll cake for dessert. The presentations were beautiful and the food was really amazingly delicious.
The staff are already hitting their stride. Though the business has only been open for a few weeks or so, they really did an amazing job of this valentines dinner. We were asked how every course was and the staff obviously are very proud of what they have created. They were genuinily interested in our praise and feedback on the meal. The courses came out with a good rhythm. We were at dinner for 2 hours and for 5 courses that was just the perfect amount of time. It was a dining event and we will definitely be back.
Carino Riserva and Carino Bistro are probably two of my favorite restaurants in the city. I've gone to Riserva more than Bistro since it opened though. I love the people - the service is always so very good. Very attentive and friendly without being overbearing. Last time I was there I was craving the Agadashi Mozzarella but it wasn't the menu and I didn't want to be "one of those people" and ask for it but truthfully it may only be available at the Bistro. If you are lucky enough to see it on the menu, have it! Calamari is excellent, light and perfectly fried. Ahi Tuna Poke - also delicious. But please be sure to try the Ricotta Gnocchi. I love it so much I feel too guilty to confess it to my (Italian) mother!
Tiramisu Roll. Beautiful presentation and deserves to be in my tummy every meal
The place is great overall! We went on a Sat and it was packed, but our servers were very attentive and we didn’t have have to wait long for anything. They do a good job with combining Italian pasta, cheese/ truffle, etc. with Japanese style sauce , meat and other ingredients for delicious and flavorful dishes.
I love the 3 ways of Lamb and the mussels. For Duck!Duck! I personally think the meat would be more tasty if it could be more done or seared crispier.
I was extremely pleased with the food, the service, the atmosphere, and the prices! Every single dish our table tried was delicious! It's hard to find duck dishes prepared well but the "Duck! Duck!!" truly blew me away and I can't wait to go back and have it again. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, everything treally tasted as good as it looks.
First time eating here and wow it was amazing! The service was top notch - both servers were very knowledgeable of the menu and wine pairings, and really helped make this an outstanding dining experience. My partner and I shared everything and wow it was fantastic! We had the caprese salad, scallops and the dinner feature of the day, which was a seafood pasta dish and amazing. We will be back!
Service was great, the waiter was very knowledgeable on the menu items and tea selection. He provided a backstory of tea which added to the experience. We ordered the bucatini with waygu beef sauce, duck duck duck, spicy tuna tartare, and the seasonal parfait. Food was good, but not overly amazing. We found our favourite was the spicy tuna tartare.
Amazing foods and staffs!! We had karaage, tsukemen and a cheesecake and everything was delicious! It's a little pricey but definitely worth it! The cheesecake was so rich and creamy I can't stop thinking about it. We'll come back again!
Service was great. One of the severs seemed very passionate about his job and explained each of the dishes.
We had the seafood special, tuna tatare, duck duck, and the japanese nutella cheesecake. The duck duck with froie gras was amazing! This dish was packed with flavour and cooked perfectly, I would highly recommend. The cheesecake was good, it was light and not too sweet. I wish we could order just the pocky that came with the cheesecake, it was so delicious. We will definitely be back to try more of their other dishes.
Great, attentive service! Atmosphere reminds me of something I’d find in Toronto or New York. Portions sizes for the pastas are a little on the smaller side BUT this is made up for by the taste and quality of the dishes. The dessert trio is a perfect way to end off the meal. Would recommend!
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