Carmen's Cafe - Kansas City

I'm shocked by how disappointing the food was during our visit. My husband and I ordered crab cakes, garlic cheese bread, chicken spiedini julian, and chicken parmesan, but everything was bland and tasted off in various ways. The cheese on the bread and parm had melted into a rubbery layer. The alfredo sauce for the chicken spiedini tasted like nothing more than warm, thick whipping cream. To soften the blow of the terrible meal, they gave us an entire loaf of bread, which felt like an apology for the poor quality of the dishes. The chicken in the spiedini was acceptable, but I ended up scraping off the sauce because I couldn’t handle the taste. I could barely manage more than two bites of the crab cake, and I only took the second bite out of sheer disbelief at how unappetizing it was. I know we're not by the coast, but still! I ate what I could, and I’m giving one star solely for my husband—he really enjoyed the loaf of bread we received!

We made a reservation for 6:45 and were confirmed. We got there on time but there was no hostess at the door so we waited. About 10 minutes later another party came in for 4 with just 2 of them there, the hostess showed up and sat them first. Not a huge deal, perhaps they were still getting a table ready for our party of 2 but it would of been nice to know that instead of being ignored Got to the table and it's a nice ambiance for a romantic night out but the bread was just plain white bread that you can get anywhere and didn't taste fresh at all, no special spread for the bread- just butter. Then the salad was alright, nothing amazing. The red sauce with the meatball appetizer was especially sweet, but edible. The main courses were very bland for both of us- the alfredo tasted like it came from a jar and the chicken I added to my fettuccine was a very odd texture (so soft and flakey which is not how I expect chicken to taste at all, more like tuna texture without the tuna flavor). For the price we spent, I was expecting a lot more impressive, flavorful food. I would not come back here again.

We booked a space upstairs for my son's rehearsal dinner, and it was a fantastic experience. The service was outstanding, and the food was absolutely delicious—definitely the best we've had! I would give it a million stars if I could! Thank you, Carmen's, for making our evening so special!

We celebrated our anniversary at Carmen’s, and I have to say it was a fantastic experience. We had a reservation and were seated ahead of our scheduled time. Our server, Ray, was incredibly friendly and attentive throughout the meal. He recommended the pistachio torte, which was absolutely amazing! Ray truly enhanced our dining experience and deserves high praise! The food and ambiance were wonderful, and I would recommend it a perfect 10 out of 10!

The service, however, was a bit hit-or-miss. We arrived over an hour before closing, but it felt like the waitress was already winding down after a long day serving guests at the Brookside art fair. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt this time. We had planned to order dessert, but the server brought us our checks without us even asking, so we ended up heading to Red Door Grill for dessert instead. With better service, this visit would have easily been a five-star experience.