Photograph by Jeremy Kramer
While Carmelo’s is relatively new, you won’t be able to shake the sensation that you already know the place. Simple wood tables, warm red paint, and an eclectic mix of Italian music are underscored by friendly, welcoming service. You can’t be a stranger when everything feels so familiar—and that’s by design. Owners Billy Grise and Mitch Arens created the seven-month-old restaurant to honor family, history, and great comfort food.
The neighborhood has as much to offer the eatery as it has to offer the city. A great part of the food’s charm and quality stems from the local vendors from whom Grise and Arens source so many ingredients. The wine comes from Italy, but the gelato from Golden Gelato on Pike Street. The focaccia is by Family Thyme Kitchen, the coffee comes by way of Carabello’s in Newport, and the oxtail osso buco is crafted with meat from Berry Beef Farms in Kentucky’s Henry County.
Carmelo’s aims to bring people together over food, starting with its appetizer menu, or the “Shareables” section. Suffice it to say the dishes are sized accordingly. It’s a good idea to bring friends so you can tackle more than one. The shining lead is the mozzarella, a sophisticated answer to the soul’s eternal craving for cheese. It arrives in a bowl of seasoned olive oil alongside strips of grilled focaccia ready to support the main attraction. The bread is just chewy enough to do the mozz justice, giving you time to stop and savor each bite. Another unexpected knockout shareable was the cauliflower. The flash-fried vegetable is perfectly crisp outside yet somehow creamy inside, its sauce (anchovy, garlic, parsley, parmesan, lemon-garlic mayo, and almonds) building on the texture. A little cheesy and very savory, it’s complex and incredibly satisfying.
Photograph by Jeremy Kramer
Every great Italian eatery needs the classic entrées, and Carmelo’s 101-Layer Lasagna serves a fresh take on a masterpiece. It contains, as claimed, 101 layers including pasta, cheese, and sauce. Because all the pasta at the restaurant is made in-house, the chefs control the thickness, making the tight stack possible. Served with layers running vertically, the meal weighs in at a full pound, and it’s also vegetarian; devoted carnivores may not even notice. The meatball shareable is the solution for diners craving a protein with their pasta. The appetizer consists of two enormous veal, pork, and beef meatballs that crumble with a little elbow grease into the perfect addendum for the lasagna.
While Carmelo’s lacks vegan-friendly fare, some of its most popular dishes are vegetarian. They charm plenty of omnivores into skipping the beef, too. The mushroom marsala is prime comfort food. Casarecce supports an umami-forward sauce based on an intense, house-made mushroom stock. Tender cremini, shitake, and oyster mushrooms maintain the same consistency as the pasta, and the shredded kale practically melts into the cheese. It’s well seasoned, with toasty breadcrumbs adding a delicate, crunchy contrast, and the full-bodied flavors give it incredible depth. You won’t have room for seconds, but you’ll want them.
Photograph by Jeremy Kramer
When your soul calls for something savory, the oxtail ragu answers. The osso buco ragu is closer to a rich gravy than a sauce, incorporating subtle tomato and robust seasoning with the dish’s shredded meat and Parmesan. Imagine the love child of pulled pork and a good steak—that’s the oxtail. The effect is almost like a stew that wanted to be a pasta sauce when it grew up, and the macaroni rigati supports its ambition.
You’d be forgiven for assuming Carmelo’s offers takeout if you glanced at the entrance in passing. Many guests leave with large paper bags full of tomorrow’s dinner. Portions are large, and the staff is ready to stow your leftovers the minute you raise the white flag. Remember, there’s no shame in surrender. If you aim for finishing your entire meal, you’ll never make it to dessert, and the end is as magical as the opening.
Tiramisu crowns the dessert menu, a decadent treat perfected over generations. Grise worked on the recipe with his grandfather, and the timeless devotion shows through in the house-made ladyfingers, rich cream, and Italian amaro coffee soak. It’s as rejuvenating as an after-dinner coffee and has an excellent bittersweet finish.
Photograph by Jeremy Kramer
Speaking of after-dinner coffee, Carmelo’s servers shared a secret with us. Although not strictly on the menu, they’re happy to make an affogato. It’s a perfect excuse to have a sneaky second dessert, and it’s a lighter alternative for anyone who challenged the lasagna. Naturally, it complements the tiramisu.
One of the subtlest hints to Carmelo’s humor and history hides in the dessert menu. The Espresso Martini boasts a special, house-made hazelnut liqueur (made with New Make rye whiskey from New Riff Distillery), and it’s a delicious inside joke. Carmelo Caserta, Billy Grise’s great-grandfather and the restaurant’s namesake, originally worked on his family’s hazelnut farm in Sicily. Caserta came to America after he became fed up with the business, so Billy Grise and the little restaurant in Covington are only with us thanks to the humble nut. The tale is the final garnish to enjoy with the end of your meal.
Carmelo’s, 434 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 287-4700
Hours: Dinner Tues–Thurs 4–9 p.m., Fri & Sat 4–10 p.m., and Sun 4–9 p.m.
Prices: $7 (Tuscan kale shareable starter)–$42 (striped bass)
Credit Cards: All major
The Takeaway: No one leaves this friendly Italian American joint hungry.
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