Carrabba's Italian Grill

Carrabba’s Italian Grill was bustling and busy on a Friday night. The Chi Chi’s that once occupied the space is long forgotten, along with the lengthy duration when the lot stood unoccupied. 

The bright sign on the Turnpike beckons people in, and the consistent quality of the food makes locals return.

The restaurant is so popular that the entrance and bar were standing-room only.  The kids and I fought our way to the hostess stand, and we put in our party’s name. 

Carrabba's does not take reservations, but my sister had called ahead. We were given a buzzer, but were soon seated at a big round table in the bar area.

Twenty minutes later, and still no sign of my sister, I gave her a call. Despite my doubts about her punctuality, she was not running late. After checking in at the hostess stand five minutes after we did, using the same name we did, she was seated at an entirely different table in the main dining room. 

She sat alone for 15 minutes, thinking we were the tardy ones, but received a free glass of wine to make up for the mix up.

By the time my sister relocated to our table, my son’s spaghetti and meatball ($6) had arrived. I was that annoying mom who asked for them to be plated separately—dry noodles on one plate and saucy meatball on another—but the server was friendly about it.  

The single meatball was soft and flavorful, and such a hit with my son that we ordered an additional side order ($3) for him when we ordered our own food.

To start, my sister and I split the Spinach and Crab Fonduta appetizer ($11.90).  The hot, thick and creamy crock of cheese, crab and spinach was served with grilled bread on the side for scooping. 

It was yummy and, after our extended wait, we were hungry and ate most of it quickly. Good thing, too, as the remainder soon cooled and congealed into one solid piece.

Our entrees came with a salad, and my sister’s house salad had olives, celery, carrots and chopped lettuce tossed in a creamy parmesan dressing. My Italian salad consisted of olives, onions, tomatoes, celery and lettuce tossed in a light vinaigrette. 

They were both fresh and crisp, and I was happy to see that Carrabba’s followed the first rule of serving salad: ice-cold plates.  

I ordered the Mezzaluna ($13.50), which was ravioli filled with chicken, spinach and ricotta cheese tossed in a tomato cream sauce. The smooth filling didn’t taste much like chicken, but the dish was satisfactory, just not very exciting. 

Maybe for texture chopped tomatoes or peas could have been added.  Or bacon.  Bacon makes everything better.

My sister ordered the Chicken Trio ($19), which normally consists of Chicken Rosa Maria (stuffed with cheese and prosciutto and topped with mushrooms), Chicken Bryan (topped with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes), and Chicken Marsala (topped with mushrooms and wine sauce), but she talked the waiter into substituting Chicken Parmesan for the Marsala. 

Poor guy, it was a slippery slope after I convinced him to separate my son’s meatballs from his pasta.  

The Chicken Parmesan was perfectly executed—crispy on the outside and moist on the inside—and easily outshined the Rosa Maria.  The Bryan was really outstanding and the best of the three. The heat of the grilled chicken melted the large chunk of goat cheese, turning it into a sauce that married quite well with the sundried tomatoes. 

My sister chose the side of cavatappi amatraciana upon my insistence, as the classic recipe—consisting of onions, garlic, bacon, tomatoes and a splash of balsamic vinegar—is one of my all-time favorites.  

This version, however, was very lightly sauced with nary a piece of bacon to be found. Remember: bacon is good.  She should have stuck with the mashed potatoes, as on previous visits these have been creamy and pleasantly garlicky. 

For dessert, we ordered the Panacotta Bacino ($2.25), a tall shot glass filled with soft and light custard topped with sweet thick fruit puree. What a nice three-bite finish to our meal.

We also ordered the Cinnamon Apple Crostata ($7.70).  A cast iron skillet arrived with a flaky sweet pie crust covered with warm apples, caramel sauce and melting vanilla ice cream.

The dessert was baked in the wood-burning oven, which infused an interesting and appealing smoky flavor, elevating it from a predictable apple tart to a truly innovative dessert.

Innovation is something that Carrabba’s could use a little more of, but like many other upscale Italian chain restaurants, Carrabba’s does give the customer a dependable dining experience. 

The staff is always exceedingly friendly, and the menu’s traditional items come out of the kitchen tasting just as good each time.

Despite our seating glitch, we’ll brave the crowd and go back.   

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Carrabba’s receives 3 out of 5 Whisks, with the highlights being the Chicken Bryan and Cinnamon Apple Crostata. 

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Second Helping of Information:

Location – 2575 Maryland Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090

Hours – Monday to Thursday, 4–10 p.m.; Friday, 4–11 p.m.; Saturday, noon – 11 p.m.; Sunday, noon- 9:30 p.m.

Phone – 215-659-3950

Website - www.carrabbas.com

Reservations – Not available, but they have call ahead priority seating

On the Kids Menu – Kids menu is a booklet with games and pages to color, and comes with crayons; high chairs are available; changing table in the ladies room.