casanova restaurant

this place was so adorably romantic! and thefoodwas awesome too. you want to sit outside in the courtyard if you can but the whole restaurant is adorable. i highly recommend the spinach gnocchi and the heirloom tomato salad. the twist on black forest cake for dessert was also quite nice.

you feel like you're entering a hobbit house and then you are met by crowds in many little alcoves enjoying their meals. it is clearly a tourist mecca with rushed service and a huge wine list with huge prices. thefoodcompensates for those serious shortcomings. to be fair there were 14 in our party including 6 kids, one of whom got sick from too many goldfish crackers. our single waiter did an amazing job. the oysters were ok but the mignonette was outstanding. the cannelloni were light with tasty filling and elegant sauce. the osso buco was nicely prepared but way overpriced as were all the non-pasta entrees. very goodfoodin a frantic place.

not seduced by casanova. casanova has a great wine list at not so great prices but that's the biggest positive for this restaurant.
lots of waiters running around and not achieving much, whilst looking like they are important.
thefoodis ok but certainly not memorable apart form the artisanal bread (?) with churned butter and monterey sea salt which was just bland!

this restaurant calls themselves “most romantic” restaurant in carmel, and i’d say i agree. this french farmhouse style restaurant is full of intimate little nooks and crannies, both indoors and outdoors on one of a few porches and patios. this includes the van gogh room where you can dine at the actual table vincent van gogh ate at in the final months of his life. it would be a great place to eat for a special occasion. on thefoodtour, we got to try a dish we hadn’t ordered before: gnocchi casanova, a spinach gnocchi made from a dough blend (pate a choux) not potatoes, so it was surprisingly light and fluffy, and of course, delicious.

looking for a romantic dinner venue ? look elsewhere !. if you are looking for a venue for a romantic dinner, look elsewhere..you could definitely do better than this place. the place is cramped, the waitstaff are rushed and robot-like, the music is too loud and inappropriate, the hallway traffic is relentless, the busboys and waitstaff are like busy bees and you feel as if they can't wait for you to get done so they can get the next customer shuffled in. we got waited on by someone who has a personality befitting of a night club bouncer. thefoodwas not bad. the rack of lamb was actually decent and the catch of the day (salmon) was good too. they definitely have a good wine selection. but you probably would not have an enjoyable nor memorable dinner.

casanova is a converted home made to resemble the restaurant owner’s family’s old farm-house in belgium. the restaurant both resembles and pays tribute to the great cafes throughout europe with meticulous attention to detail at every turn. both its architectural style and decor are widely imitated and have influenced numerous other restaurants and private homes in carmel and beyond. if you’ve ever traveled the european countryside, your first glance will transport you across the atlantic where quaint cottages often double as cafes and meals are slowly paced to allow for great conversation to couple with greatfoodand coffee.

tasty, but pricey and slow pace. thefoodwas great. the gnocchi was a home run and the wine options are great. the service is slow almost to the point you wonder if they forgot about you. it is not $15-25 a person as suggested. closer to $35-$50. the lamb chops and cannelloni were big hits.

greatfoodand service. expensive as wine list is extensive. try to eat in small private room as restaurant is noisy.

overpriced, sloppy, touristy - go anywhere else!. after reading positive reviews on casanova, we made reservations there for our weekend in carmel. there is no excuse to serve italianfoodthis terrible, particularly in a town like carmel with so many wonderful restaurants to chose from, and so close to san fran where you can grab a table on any street in north beach and have a fabulous meal. everything was overcooked and covered in sauce and grease and cheese. the wine list was extensive, but grossly overpriced even by restaurant standards - bottles that go for $30 in most places were $50 (and retail for $15). the atmosphere was far too touristy to be quaint or romantic. what keeps this place going is all the tourists who think olive garden = italian and expensive = classy, and keep writing good reviews. if you're a true foodie, go elsewhere.

european classic carmel cottage oozes romance & memories!. fall in love with this carmel icon, as i did many years ago. oh! the dreamy romance and charm of the ambiance will linger in your memories year-after-year. the service andfoodare excellent, too. but i just adore the way it makes you feel...pampered ;)!