Caruso's

A throwback to the old school dining scene but very welcoming staff and delicious Although slightly heavy and rich menu. The veal chop was great. the prices were very high too when you get such a small, breadcrumb filled crab cake. The items and presentations where very dated. Still will go back for the intimacy of the room and attentiveness of the staff.

Hidden Gem? Gold Mine? A Sacred Secret? Whatever you wanna call this place, it is just heavenly. Absolutely a first class experience & the best food I’ve ever had in the Lake Norman area, hands down. The sea bass was prepared so perfectly. The bread & homemade sauce is the chef’s kiss. The affogato has me speechless! Gary is such a delight!

Very elegant and beautiful restaurant. You don’t expect it as it is in a strip mall. Our waiter was awesome. Unfortunately, we don’t remember his name but he was an older gentleman with charm and wisdom. Eggplant Parmesan was so delicious as well as the veal chop. Wine was excellent as well. Atmosphere was quaint and romantic. Highly recommend.

We found this Italian restaurant gem by accident….glad we did….food was Divine….our Server Lance was outstanding.._knowledgeable and personable….we enjoyed his provided service and recommendations. One thing I would suggest is that with all the great “Specials” that Lance impressively verbally dictated to us, and with all their great Ingredients, you should have that printed on a piece of menu paper as well, for the customer to analyze and decide. It’s very hard to comprehend all the Special exotic dishes and their components when they are being told to you verbally in a fast abundant manner. We may have went with one of them, but decided the easier route was off the printed menu. A man at the table next to us stated the same thing to us. This means I guess you would have to make newly printed sheets each week, but it would be very welcoming. We only took a photo of our delicious entrees and dessert….the specialty apps and salads were great as well….we will be back!

A lovely Christmas Eve dinner. Al was our waiter and he was an absolute pleasure. Hope to see him in Asheville sometime. The food was off the charts even if the “limited menu” wasn’t actually that limited. The pasta was homemade, and the bolognese was among some of the best I have ever had. All the specials had so much flavor and the portions were just perfect. We finished with dessert and that blew it away as well. Who knew such a fantastic resturant was tucked in this little complex. Can’t wait to go back. Merry Christmas!

Fantastic food! The interior was so nice. This was the perfect spot for a long overdue date night for my wife and I. The specials are amazing, and the mainstays on the menu DON'T DISAPPOINT! It's so difficult to find really good upscale Italian style anlt a reasonable price, especially in this area, but Caruso's exceeds expectations. 10/10 will be dining here again.

Oh my Goodness... We can't believe we've been living in Mooresville and not knowing about this place!! It's our new favorite place... italien at its best. Fresh, tasty, and exceptional customer service. 10/10... You need to live this experience!! Worth the drive if you're not from the area. We went again. Consistency in the overall experience, quality of food, and service. The Server was super nice and helped choose a good bottle of wine. We love the coziness of the place. We added desserts this time, delicious!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An absolute gem! Hands down the best authentic Italian food in North Carolina. The atmosphere is elegant, the service is top-notch, and the pasta is cooked to perfection. It feels like a trip to Italy without the flight. Highly recommend the specials and their amazing wine list. A must-visit!

We have been coming to carusos for over 10 years. We love it so much! The staff is amazing. We try to request Omar as our waiter. He is so nice, and truly cares about our experience at the restaurant. He goes above and beyond every time. He's the best! The ambiance of the restaurant is really nice too. It's dimly lit and sets a perfect Italian vibe. The food is incredible. We ordered the calamari to start. The sauce is a little spicy but delicious. They have gluten free pasta which is great for my mom's wheat allergy. We were in the mood for veal parm and even though it's not on the menu, they offered to make us a plate. Truly amazing! The osco busco was fantastic. The cheesecake dessert was 10/10. We will continue to come back!!

Food, service and ambiance were excellent. One of the best meals in Mooresville I've had since I moved here about a year ago.

My family has been coming here for a couple years now and it never disappoints. They will do any modifications without a problem. They do a vodka sauce with seafood but I asked for it to be chicken instead. The sauce still had a seafood-y flavor but it was almost like a lobster bisque sauce. I couldn't stop eating it. Their cheesecake is also to die for. Incredibly light and airy. The waiters treat us like family, which makes the experience so much better. I would recommend this place a thousand times over!

This is the hidden gem in Mooresville. Food and service were awesome. The specials seem to be the way to go. Cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. If you have not been, put it on your list to go to.

I have no idea why this was my first time here ... it was excellent. The food ,the service and the atmosphere were all wonderful. Lisa our waitress made the experience perfect. The menu is unique and heavy on seafood, but plenty of options and specials.

Surprisingly elegant restaurant in a strip mall! Nice selection of pastas, seafood and meat entrees. We shared a nicely grilled octopus, one had a very nice piece of sea bass. Two of us had pasta, good but small portions for the price. Wine choices very expensive for bottle. Good service

We have been Caruso's fans for years. This review may sound like many others but I have not reviewed Caruso's in a very long time... It was my belated birthday dinner with my family. The evening was perfect and our server Omar made our experience even better. Out of the five of us three ordered to Lobster Risotto which was delicious, one of my sons ordered the Veal Chop and I ordered the Bronzino. The team at Caruso delivered an excellent tasty and well prepared meal experience yet again. Great ambiance for a romantic dinner or a dinner with friends and family... A must try in Mooresville...

Best upscale Italian restaurant experience in the greater LKN area. Terrific traditional dishes, excellent service, very comfortable dining room, good wine list, and appropriate pricing.

This is by far the best restaurant in the Mooresville are by far. The atmosphere is great, the staff is unbelievable and take care of you. Our waitress Lisa was exceptional and accommodating. The chef here is on their game and the food was simply amazing. I cannot praise this place enough and while it was our first time there it won't be our last time.

Hidden Gem outside of Charlotte (MUST make reservation) I have been coming here for a few years and absolutely love this place it feels like family from the moment you walk in and the end when you are full off of the mascarpone cheesecake. When you first arrive to the location you get a little skeptical about a fancy restaurant in a shopping center but once you walk in the atmosphere is definitely high. I have tried a quiet bit off of the menu and each item has been better than the next. My go to is always the chef specials are the seafood pastas.

My wife and I had date night on a Saturday and decided to go to an Italian restaurant. Sadly, we did not come to Carusos. The restaurant we did go to was not terribly good. So, we decided not to stick around for dessert. That said, my wife had her heart set on some tiramisu and coffee. So that brought us to Carusos with no reservation on their busiest night of the week. I explained the situation to the hostess, and she said that she could seat us if we could be in and out in 45 minutes. Bet! The food was fantastic, the service was excellent, the decor definitely has that date night feel, everything was wonderful. This is now our go to Italian spot and thanks so much to Carusos staff for saving date night!

This was a cute an unexpected surprise in the area. It succeeded on food and service but price was a bit high for something in a strip mall. The wait was a bot long especially since we had a reservation bit the waiters were nice and professional. All the food was excellent good size portions and very tasty. Best dish at our table was the pasta osso bucco the chilean sea bass was also pretty good but the scaloppini was a bit tough.

It has been awhile since we have gone to Caruso's but let me tell you it is still great. We decided to start with the burrata. The tomato was perfectly ripe and the cheese very tender and creamy. We then ordered the figs marinated in Grand Marnier with whipped ricotta. They were so flavorful, tender, and savory not too sweet. I asked for them to add some prosciutto which commented it perfectly. I always appreciate a restaurant open to customer desires! We then had the veal chop special with sausage and peppers. Again very tender and cooked perfectly. We ended with affogato. One of my favorite deserts and Caruso's always nails it.

Hubby and I sat at the bar, and had an excellent meal and service! The bartender was friendly and helpful, and our food arrived hot and delicious. Even though it was a busy Saturday night, it was never noisy, and we felt like we had a private, secluded spot at the bar. We will definitely go back!

Had my birthday dinner at Caruso's on a Saturday night. Husband made reservations a month in advance but was not able to get the time he asked for. We knew the restaurant must be amazing! It is very unassuming on the outside but inside was gorgeous. It had a European style ambiance and a beautiful waiting area. The dining area was very elegant and fancy, with beautiful decor. We were seated on time, and were greeted by Kelvin. He took our drink orders and gave us some time to look over the menu. It was our first time here, so Kelvin explained a bit of the entrees and talked about the specials. Our wine arrived and we decided on dinner entrees. We had some amazing choices for dinner! We ordered house salad, Cesar's salads and a Fresca salad. While delicious, portions were a little small. I think $10-12 for salad is a bit high for the size. Also, there was almost no dressing on the Cesar salads. We had to ask our server for dressing which definitely made a difference once it was added to the salads. A little disappointing, but resolved. The entrees we tried were delicious. We ordered the Pappardelle Osso Buco, Scalloppini Arrabbia, and two Pollo Involtini. For dessert, I tried the cannoli. Kelvin brought it out in a beautiful presentation with a candle for my birthday! The cannoli was outstanding. Delicious filling and crunchy shell. It was great! This is a great place for a date night, special occasion, or even a holiday. The prices do reflect that, but we were celebrating my birthday, so Caruso's was a special treat. Great staff, friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. Caruso's is an authentic Italian restaurant with an amazing menu in a strip mall next to Publix, but you will be wowed once you enter!!

I love Italian food and will drive pretty much anywhere to try a high rated recommendation. It's a bit of a drive depending on the time of day and 77 traffic is always an issue so timing is everything. I called in my order of Pappardelle alla Vodka(fettuccini, shrimp, scallops and vodka sauce) and the portion was a decent size and overall it was good not great so not sure I would take the drive again with so many options closer.

The food and service are always outstanding. Have been going here for years. Always a great experience.

Food a top notch, service is excellent, and the restaurant is high end on all fronts. Definitely the best Italian Restaurant in the Lake Norman Area. Make reservations early because this place is popular and busy for all the right reasons.

This place is so deceiving from the outside. The inside is very beautifully kept and clean. The ambiance is very relaxed yet upscale compared to most other places. As a parent of 4 young kids on a date night we really appreciated the young child free atmosphere. Everyone was friendly and professional. Our waitress Lisa was attentive and knowledgeable. All of the food, starting with the bread and house made tomato dip was amazing. Getting good service AND good food in one place is hard, but Caruso's did everything perfectly. I honestly cannot think of one bad thing to say about this place; we will return! Sorry to say I did not take a photo of my meal but the dessert was also delicious.

So sad to see our favorite Italian restaurant in the area loose their attention to detail. From the start it was obvious our server was not sure how the service of a dinner should flow. Not only did our server forget many things we asked for but others helping asked if we needed anything (more bread) and never returned. The food was mostly good, but a dish I have ordered a few times before came out with very little protein and mostly pasta, a stark contrast from why we keep coming back... we will be finding a new celebration dining place for future events.

without a doubt THIS RESTAURANT IS THE BEST!! Welcomed at the door you're transported into another world! soft, beautifully lit, the art...our servers Lisa & Omar are always the most professional, knowledgeable and fun- all of our cocktails were perfection (seriously one of the best martinis I've ever had!) but THE FOOOOD.....I wish I could give more stars! Beyond excellent and the presentation was superb! We've come here for years on special occasions and last night was no exception- and I can honestly say it just gets better and better. Thank you Chef Caruso!! Quindi molto buono!! My 65th birthday will go down in the books as one of the best!

There is no doubt some of the food is excellent. The atmosphere is that of a funeral parlor. Half the servers should find a new career. Gross old dirty or worn chargers should be disposed of. Spotted glasses and silverware. You can hear the chef yelling in the kitchen. Not a wonder the servers are rattled. Not a pleasant experience. Get a hostess to answer the phone and greet guests. The cheese cake is to die for. Get take out.

Amazing authentic Italian. Very hard to find in this area. Excellent food, dessert, wine, staff, and atmosphere. You can go early or come in for a late dinner. We always get whatever the chef special is for the evening.

Best fine dining in Mooresville and surrounding areas. Make your reservations well in advance and be prepared for a long and enjoyable dinner. Server (Mike) was very helpful and truly had a passion for the food and helping us get the most of our visit. The bread to begin was excellent, especially with the tomato based dipping sauce. Crab cake special for an appetizer. Best crab cake Ive ever had. I often shy away from crab cakes since Im often let down but Im so glad I didnt here. Just excellent. Seafood pasta (fisherman linguini). Best Ive had. Fresh. Well balanced spicy sauce. Plenty of seafood. My search for a cioppino style dish in the area is finally over. 10/10 will go again. My wife got a chicken marsala type special. It was good but she had some minor complaints with the chicken, few bites were a bit chewy. Overall not bad though. Note it is fairly pricey which is to be expected for this level of food. Easily spend $80-$100 per person depending on how many drinks you get.

Excellent meal and service. Very personal and cozy atmosphere. Great flavors. The chef is talented with great flavor complements

Love the ambiance. Food was delicious. Perfect place for birthday celebration. We will be back!

THE best Italian in the Charlotte area! Amazing authentic Italian food. Great service and wonderful ambiance! Highly recommend!!

If I could give Caruso's more than a 5 I would. The food is fantastic the atmosphere is intimate, and the staff are friendly and helpful. Reservations on a weekday night are recommended it that tells you anything about this Gem. We celebrated our 23 Anniversary here with no regrets for the food or the Love of my Life.. You will truly be impressed.

Great food - authentic Italian cuisine. Service is also very good. It's a bit pricey but works it!!

It's one of the best most consistent Reasturant's I have ever been to. The staff is absolutely amazing. Drinks and bartenders are spot on. Can't recommend them enough.

Best restaurant in LKN. Don't go if you are in a hurry, this is a traditional restaurant where you sit and truly enjoy a meal with your family and friends. The food is outstanding.

I've been to Italy plus spent years on the East Coast and this food is amazing. Four of us had a flawless meal with impeccable service. The crab cake was one of the best I've ever had. The Chilean sea bass was to die for. Specialty cocktails were beautiful and flavorful. Service was incredible and top notch, yet not stuffy and pompous. An incredible meal for all four of us, we will be back, Every single bite from a variety of dishes was to die for.

Small and very unassuming store front. I quite honestly avoided it because it is in a strip mall. Hand down, the best Italian food I've had, other than my Nona's. It's classic and traditional but in no way boring. Just straight up delicious. Their sea bass was amazing! Cocktails are on point and amazing service. Not kid friendly, great for date night.

The bar tender is informational and fun. Great drinks. I almost passed this place up because it is in a strip mall. I'm so glad I didn't. Peeked in the door and never looked back. The food was amazing. The best Italian I've found in the area. Just happen to hit on a day they were serving lasagna. I ordered it because the nice man sitting next to me said it was not to be missed. He was right! Great experience all around!

Not to berate the culinary dignity of Mooresville, North Carolina, but as far as I could find Caruso's is the only real good bet in town for a decent meal. Though located in a shopping mall, wherein one wouldn't expect much, Caruso's offer a good setting with a more than pleasant upscale décor as well as upscale professional service. They had specials on the night I was present from which I ordered but in reviewing their menu, Caruso's has some other excellent offerings with all of them in keeping with what are considered real Italian. Like you aren't going to find chicken mixed in with a pasta dish or any other such in attempt at "Italian/American Compromise." The pasta part of my dishes were perfect in al dente texture, the sauces were fresh, alive and the ingredients of each well married together. The only drawback I had was that in being a party of one, I seemed to have lost the attention of the staff. It may just be my petulance showing, but I don't like being overlooked or ignored when dinning.

Food is good, not great. Definitely in the top three Italian restaurants in the Lake Norman area. Service was good but getting a table is tricky at times.

Excellent food and service. Reservations are thought to get, but worth it Highly recommended

Food was good had stuffed chicken wife had a special which was not so good a puff pastry with chicken in it. Agreed it was a bit salty I would give it 3.5 order penne Alfredo for my 8 year old asked for a kids portion they charged me 24.00. So pricing was a bit high for a Mooresville restaurant.

Absolutely one of the best dinners I have ever had! E are visiting from Syracuse and we're told to check this place out! I can't say enough good about it! From the minute we walked in the door. Our server Lisa was spot on in her recommendations for dinner! I had the polenta crusted sea bass that was with every calorie! It was the best dinner ever! Thank you Pasquale for cooking this amazing dinner and Lisa for taking great care of us! Pam and Jim Kraus, East Syracuse, NY

I almost don't want to write about this place and just keep it to ourselves. One of the best meals we've eaten since moving here was at Caruso's. Hands down. The chef and staff were top notch. Make sure you have a reservation. We lucked out and got a table without a reservation but even on a Monday night they were pretty packed. I have definitely been craving their octopus and will be going back next chance we get.

Perfection always! Best seafood in Mooresville- scallops, shrimp, different fish- all done nicely!

Very nice restaurant but be prepared to wait, even with reservations Over the years we've dined her several times, all of which were good experiences and even booked the restaurant for an office Christmas Party a couple of years ago. Called for reservations today for 6 pm and got a call back saying they could not accomodate us at 6 pm but would 6:30 pm work and we were limited to an hour and one half seating. Sounds they are doing what a number or restaurants do and break out the evening to hour and half blocks and do seatings in flights. In this case, sounds like 5pm when they open, 6:30, 8pm etc Arrived at 6:20pm and were told our table would be ready in 10 minutes. No problem because our reservation was not till 6:30 any way. 6:30 came and when, as did 6:40 and finally a little after 6:45, we were finally seated. Seated was the operative word because except for someone who came by and filled our water glasses, we did not see our server for another 10 minutes. Finally when we did make contact, everything went smoothly. He took our drink orders and explained the specials of the day, all of which sounded excellent and they had specials not only in the entree section but in each of the other sections including appetizers, salad, pastas and deserts. We had reviewed the menu pretty well before we arrived and already had decided on what we wanted. I started with a Caprese Salad and both of had Vitello Trifolato which is Veal Scallopini which is Veal Scallopini sauted in a white garlic sauce with three different types of mushrooms. Oddly enough, one of the mushrooms is shiitake which is definitely not an variety native to Italy. Came with Haricot Vert and a small dollop of mashed potatoes. The Caprese is not what I expected. Rather a tomato sliced thinly as with the Mozzarella and a number of them on the plate drizzled with Balsamic, these were two relatively thick slices of tomato with a a thick slice of Buffo Mozzarella on top of each The Balsamic was a smear off to the side and not on the medallions so you had to cut the medallion and drag it through the Balsamic. Not he most efficient way although it did make the plating attractive The Veal was perfect with great taste and texture. I only wish that there were other sides available because I am not a fan of green beans, regardless of how the prepared. All in all, after we got past a rocky start, the evening ended well. They do need to work on their reservation system because I observed a number of other patrons with exactly the same problems.

Caruso's is the epitome of one of those hidden gems. Located in a nondescript strip mall in Mooresville lies a chef who makes delicious Italian food out of the freshest ingredients and has a front of the house staff that is as good and as well trained as most any in Charlotte. I discovered Caruso's on Yelp (BIG smiles for the Yelpers!) and after my wife and I tried it once, we now consider it one of our favorite go-to's in the LKN area for sure, maybe in Charlotte proper and have been many times. No matter what we've ordered, the food, no matter the course, just feels and tastes so nuanced and refined. We've tried to work our way through the menu but with some difficulty because there are always a number of daily specials to tempt us away. One of the on-menu items my wife's gotten more than once is the Fettucine Alla Bolognese and it is so rich and succulent. On the last visit we also tried the Crespelle Liguria which is a crepe stuffed with lobster and crab meat in a brandy sauce. Outstanding!

Have always had excellent service and great food! It gets a little noisy during busy times but a great place for dinner.

From the very moment we called to reserve our table the experience was 10/10. We felt like celebrities or family. The appetizer, the main course, the wine, the dessert the service... all an amazing experience. This will be our new favorite 5 star escape. THANK YOU Sylvia (greeter) Lisa (our Server) Thank you for a wonderful experience.

This is the second best Italian Restaurant in America. Only a predecessor to the great Farina's in Kansas City Missouri.

I am such a fan of Caruso's. The first time we went we got caught out. As everyone says, it's in a strip mall by Publix, Orangetheory Fitness, La Patisserie so we walked in expecting to find red and white checked tableclothes and burned down candles in Chianti bottles. We instead found a gracious, quiet, upscale restaurant. Apparently we were lucky because we walked in without reservations and managed to get a table, even in our jeans and t-shirts. And we had a great meal. After that, we planned in advance, making reservations and dressing appropriately. We held my mother's 75th birthday celebration here and something magical happened that night. We had a server (Latin guy from NY) who was outstanding. I think every single person working that evening came over to wish my mother a happy birthday. (Not hard to find us since we had a giant 7 and 5 balloon hanging over her head. The entire restaurant started laughing when she walked over to the table not realizing and then saw her reaction. Someone then moved them to say 57 instead). They made my mother feel important that night and made the night very special for her. And all of us can't wait to return for another outing together. For the 8 of us, we split the Calamari Fritti (fried calamari rings with yummy spicy marinara sauce $14), Funghi Repieni (2 mushrooms stuffed with lobster and crabmeat in a brandy sauce $14) and an appetizer special. Each was delicious. The Zuppa Di Pesce alla Napolitana (combination of sea scallops, shrimp, mussels, half lobster tail and prawn in a delicate light spicy marinara sauce over linguini pasta $34) is a family favorite. For those with shellfish allergies, they are kind enough to swap out the lobster for more sea scallops. The Rack of Lamb (NZ baby rack of lamb served with Balsamic pesto mint sauce $34) was perfectly cooked and had a generous 8 chops. I find that we usually choose one of the specials of the evening (recently I got flounder topped with crabmeat served with mashed potatoes and spiralized zucchini and squash $28) so it doesn't help for me to describe them to you as it's all off menu. On a more recent visit our server related, I believe, 9 specials to us, describing each one from memory and completely, right down to the spices on them. Everyone who works here is on point and great at what they do. All in all, dress nicely, make a reservation, then sit back and relax because you're going to have a great meal with great service. One of my two favorite, solid, never let me down restaurants in Lake Norman.

After a very disappointing experience at another Italian restaurant, stumbling onto Caruso's was a treat. Hands down, this has to be one of the best Italian restaurants outside of Charlotte. Don't be fooled by the unassuming, even depressing, facade. Once you enter, you're immediately pulled into a world of beauty, with stunning art work dotting the walls, most of which have been painted by the owner/chef, Caruso himself. This is a man of many, many talents. It's hard to say whether his artistic abilities outshine his culinary skills, so let's just call it a draw. We were mesmerized by both the subtle ways in which he dresses his pastas, which are cooked perfectly al dente. My sauce, which contained a touch of mimosa, was sublime! I wish they would bottle it. I would buy a truck load. And I think I'll use the aforementioned truck to help myself to several of his gorgeous paintings! But don't tell anybody...

I wish they had more gluten free options but my husband loves the menu. They also don't allow children which is amazing (no offense!). The ambiance is gorgeous Italian.