Carmela's Bistro & Wine Bar

This is my second time attempting to go here and I'm glad it worked out! The first time I arrived after the lunchtime closing.

We were greeted by a less than welcoming server, but fortunately, she wasn't ours and was just in a toot to get off her shift. It's unfortunate that staff like this don't understand they're a business' brand ambassador. We own small businesses and aren't going to knock the business for her rudeness.

Our server, Emmy, was beyond wonderful and sweet and accommodating! The wine list was very nice (we're in the wine business and know a good list!) with a great array of choices!

My husband got the tasting and it was served in a fun frame with the glasses nestled on it that drew attention from other tables. Excellent show of product!

I enjoyed a nice French Rosé, a giant and delish "side" beet salad, and a ham/gruyere croissant. A little taste of France in the heartland!

He had the burger & truffle fries and liked it. The fries were a bit stronger truffle flavored than he prefers, but not too overwhelming.

Even though it was closing time , Em still brought the dessert menu and talked us into a decadent chocolate deal in a wine glass. Plenty to take home even!

It's a great place. Definitely check it out if you like wine. One strike for the cranky welcome. One strike for a faint scent of "Fabuloso." (I'm extremely sensitive to this cleaning agent and it shouldn't be used at a wine bar. My suggestion!)

But I'm still going with 5 stars for overall coolness!

LOBSTER BISQUE LITE.

Kathy and I loved the atmosphere. It is one of those places where you should take the woman you love...Maybe take a ring In your pocket. Well done.

The food was excellent but not outstanding. For example the lobster bisque was not very lobster-y; neither were the crab cakes very crabby. The atmosphere made up for it...seriously. The portions were large, especially for this kind of flu-fru place.

Our server was excellent; one of the best. She knew the menu and was very attentive. I wish I could remember her name.

We enjoyed it and will return.

I've been to Carmela's before and enjoyed it, but tonight, not so much.
The biggest issue was the service. The server tried to take our drink and food order at the same time. We said we wanted to enjoy our drinks for a bit, she asked again when she brought our drinks and again just a few minutes after that. We each ordered a salad and an entree and both were brought at the same time. For the price we ate paying we should not have been rushed like this.
We both enjoyed our salads. My husband had the blue cheesee and greens and I had the kale with brussel sprouts. Both were tasty. For entree I had the scallops, they were cooked perfectly but the accompanying risotto was quite cold. My husband had the lobster pizza, which the menu said had shrimp and lobster (from Maine the server said). Whatever seafood was on the pizza was cut extremely small there was not a prominent seafood flavor.
We did have a fabulous chocolate mouse cake--that was delicious.
I really hoped the manager would come by, I would have liked to tell him to talk to the server about not rushing people. Unfortunately, we didn't see any management person.
I will probably give Carmela's another try, but my husband won't be coming with me. Too bad because we love the independently owned home town restaurants.

Carmela's is not a big place. It's got a small bar and two separate dining rooms, but it's comfortable and has a slightly upscale interior. It's a bistro and wine bar and you can tell that in its appearance as the very nicely display their wine along the wall of their main dining room.

Our server, Marcus, was prompt, pleasant, educated, and attentive. He's a pro. We began by ordering a 2018 Girard Cab at a nice price-point of $50. One suggestion for Carmela's is that they upgrade their glassware, especially for wine. This would provide a better experience on bottles $50 and up.

They have an excellent and unique appetizer list but we chose to start our meal with a Grilled Caesar Salad Wedge. It was attractive, tasty, and the half size was just right for the two of us to split.

For entrees we chose their "Awesome" Chicken Fried Steak - a tempura battered and fried slice of prime rib. It was served with mashed potatoes and green beans. The beans were undercooked, tough, and too chewy, but the mashed potatoes were done to absolute perfection with just the right consistency and marvelous flavor. Believe it or not, they were the star on both of our plates! The Chicken Fried Steak was perfectly battered, not greasy, and had excellent flavor. A few bites were a bit gristly, but for the most part it was excellent. The gravy that topped the steak and potatoes was superior!

Our other entree was a beautiful, thick, and expertly sautéed piece of Chilean Sea Bass. Tender, flaky, and appropriately seasoned.

Overall, I'll award four stars as their are improvements that Carmela's can make, but here me clearly, this place has serious eats and should not be missed when dining in Lincoln!

This place has had their ups and downs but they continue to impress me with great food and wine to go with it.
We just went there with a group and everyone came away pleased. That doesn't happen!
I highly recommend this place to anyone but especially for a date night or small gathering of friends.

The food was disappointing. The atmosphere and service was good. We had the scallops and I would not recommend

Let's start with the good. Carmela's has ample parking, and a lovely atmosphere and an great system for reservations.

Went there early on a Friday, with a 5:30 reservation as we had an activity at 7:00. We were immediately seated, and our server came by to get our drink orders and soon came back for our meal orders. We chatted and enjoyed our time and kind of forgot the time. At 6:40 one of our party went to our server who was now bartending and asked about our food. A table of regulars near us was seated, served, paid and left before we saw our food.

The server grew snippy telling us that we came at a busy time. Oddly, the restaurant was less than half full when we arrived. We got our lukewarm food, had to inhale it and run. The food was mediocre, and the service left much to be desired. I am greatly disappointed.

Some food good but its not a steak house. The lobster bisk was perfect and my wife's salmon could not have been better BUT I was hungry for steak so ordered the $40 ribeye. Medium. It was I thin well cooked piece of meal. It could have passed for beef jerky. I will go back to Carmela's but will not order steak.

Always a predictably delicious and lovely meal with great service. Their date night deal is hard to beat, and we always leave so pleased with our meal and the experience.

In a town light on fine dining opportunities, Carmela's is a good option for people willing to spend extra to get a special meal.

Our family recently did carryout from Carmela's, and had a really good experience. Dishes we loved included the Walleye Picatta, the Poblano Salmon, the Carbonara, and the South of the Border Stuffed Poblano. We didn't dip our toes into the pizza menu, but hope to in the future. Ordering online was smooth, as was the pick up.

We also enjoyed dining in at Carmela's, back before the pandemic. Looking forward to returning in 2021.