Carino's Italian, Joplin

One of the worst experiences had eating in the town of Joplin, Mo. or anywhere as far as that goes!! Waitress seemed nice at first, however, did not know her job. Brings out appetizers in a drop and run method and leaves no plates. . . had to grab from table next to us. After being there 45 min. she comes out to let us know that they have no lasagna!!! I change order and a few moments later a different young lady comes out to tell us that they have lasagna and it will be out in a little while. I specifically ask if girlfriends meal is gonna be cold, since it has been such a wait, and was assured it will not be. Meal arrives and guess what. . . girlfriends is cold and its not supposed to be!! Mine is not good! Waitress ask how everything is and I'm speechless due to everything that has transpired. . . girlfriend finally tells her to just leave since she's just staring at me. Does she go find a manager or anything logical. . . no! We are ignored to the point where I finally have to yell at another waiter to go get us a ticket so we can leave. $50 bucks and an hour and 10 minuits later for what. . . . . Salad,sweet tea, bread, so so appetizer, lousy excuse of a dinner! This happened on 01/27/2012 630 pm to 740 pm. Needless to say myself and my beautiful doctor I date are not going back and will make sure we tell everyone to steer clear. Normally I would not go to the trouble of writing a review on anything, however, if this saves just one couple from the same experiece then it was worth my time.

Enjoyed the atmosphere and the food was tasty. Enjoyable time!

RAW MEATBALLS, (the manager said they were made with pork and were supposed to be red in the middle) day old cold, flavorless lasagna. We were the first customers in there so it wasn't because they were busy. We won't be going back.

Great food and Wonderful Staff!! Try the Italian nachos! YUM!!!

My favorite Italian Restaurant! I could just eat the bread but the dishes are wonderful too! Never had a bad meal here!!

Last night, I stepped out with my honey and baby for a 12th anniversary dinner. After reading other reviews of Carino's, I expected excellent food and mediocre service at best, with a bit of wait time. So I called an hour ahead of time for seating and was told I'd have no problem getting a table. When we arrived around 6 pm, we were taken straight to a table and were greeted by a very energetic, friendly young waitress and an eager to please waiter in training. My husband ordered the Italian nachos (at our waitress' recommendation) for us to share, and the flat iron steak with house salad and sweet tea. I had the rosemary lemon chicken with Caesar salad and a vanilla Italian soda with cream. We asked for our olives and jalapenos on the side of our nachos and my hubby had extra dressing with his salad and A1 with his steak. All was provided quickly, and with a smile. They congratulated us on our anniversary, asked several times if everything was good and if we needed anything further, and only once left our glasses unfilled for more than a couple minutes. The food had fantastic depth of flavor, rich and better than I could have imagined. My only complaint was that the green beans were heavy on garlic, and for me to say that is saying alot, loving garlic as I do. Everything else was finely cooked and top quality, in my opinion, and just as hot or cold as it should be. I did take the time to examine the atmosphere and decor, and was pleased with what I saw. All around each room I found original artwork, photography from bygone days, beautifully painted collector plates, stone and wood walls and tiled floors. The music was a mix of classic and contemporary Italian, some instrumental, some vocal. If not for the steady flow through of casually dressed Americans chatting and chomping, I could have imagined myself in a restaurant on some corner in Italy. Give this place a shot if you're seeking pefect Italian food, a romantic place for dinner, a step out of Joplin culture or a place to call your regular spot. The price was what we'd expect to pay for a special occasion dinner, but a single or higher income couple or family would be able to dine here regularly. Let me know if you have questions, and enjoy!

THE SERVICE AND FOOD WERE THE WORST I HAVE EVER HAD. MY SALAD WAS WILTED AND HAD RUST ON IT AND THE SOUP WAS TEPID, NOT HOT. OUR SERVER DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT BALSAMIC VINEGAR WAS AND THE KITCHEN TRIED TO CHARGE ME FOR SOMTHING I NEVER GOT. I WILL NEVER RETURN TO THAT STORE OR ANY OTHER JOHNNY CARINOS EVER.

The food is AMAZING!!! Last two times we went there no one would seat us, really pissed me off. The pepperoni bread is delicious, I love the chicken parmasean as well. Great wine selection as well. Waitresses were okay but not great about the refills.