955 Riverdale Street (Riverdale Shops, Route 5)
West Springfield, MA 01089
413-733-3960
www.carrabbas.com

Other Internet sources rate this place as average

FunInNewEngland Rating: (0 votes)
Cuisine Type: Italian
Days & Hours:
      Mon–Thur 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
      Fri 4:00 pm – 11:00 pm
      Sat 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
      Sun 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Former Names: Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant
Neighborhood: Commercial
Parking: Private lot (Free)
GPS Coordinates: 42.12995, -72.62572
Amenities: Full liquor license, Bar/Lounge

Italian style casual dining chain with a open kitchen that emphasizes grilled entrees. Most dinner entrees include soup or salad and one side.
Last updated 2019-10-15

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West Springfield Carrabba's Italian Grill

West Springfield Carrabba's Italian Grill

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Reviews

Rating: 4 2011-11-17 Website Administrator
I ordered the Chicken Trio (Rosa Maria, Bryan, Marsala) with side salad & cavatappi pasta; and shared the Calamari with marinara sauce.

I only ate here once before, a few years ago. Carrabba's is a slightly upscale casual family Italian chain similar to Olive Garden and Bertucci's. In West Springfield it is located in a shopping plaza with plenty of parking. The interior is spacious and open with the back kitchen in full view of the diners. We were seated in a large booth near the kitchen. It is a little strange to see and hear the kitchen staff cooking and at times speaking Spanish. The restaurant is filled with a combination of tables and booths.

The menu has a good variety of entrées, appetizers, and wines. The free Italian bread was very fresh and tasty, along with the olive oil and herbs. I split a fried calamari appetizer with my friends. None of us liked it. It was mostly breading and little squid. The breading tasted a lot like KFC's crispy chicken and was soaked in tons of oil. My friend also ordered a fried zucchini appetizer. That was better, but still oily. The zucchini was cut in thin strips like french fries. The Italian side salad was ok, but I think next time I'll skip the salad and get the mixed grilled vegetables instead. My friend also ordered a soup, which could have been good, but was way too salty he said.

On to my main course, the chicken trio is an excellent way to try three of Carrabba's specialties. The Pollo Rosa Maria with fontina, prosciutto, and mushrooms was excellent. The Chicken Bryan was very good, though some people find the goat cheese too strong. The Chicken Marsala was very good also. I got a side of the cavatappi pasta with regular tomato sauce (instead of the spicy amatriciana). My friend got the same entrée as me and was basically happy with it.

Our service was very good. The booth tables are very long, which is good. The seats are not as comfortable as they could be. All in all I rate Carrabba's above average. I'm willing to go back, but I will avoid the calamari next time.

Update: 2011-11-17 New Rating: 4
November 17, 2011 ordered: Chicken Trio (Rosa Maria, Bryan, Marsala) with Sicilian Chicken Soup & Cavatappi Amatriciana pasta; Insalata Fiorucci (salad)

I was in the mood for chicken tonight. I was hoping to get the roasted vegetables, but they discontinued that menu item because it's seasonal. The free bread was excellent: soft and warm. The side salad here wasn't very good last time, so I opted for the big expensive Insalata Fiorucci because I love eggplant and artichokes. The salad consisted of marinated eggplant, artichokes, and red peppers over a bed of greens. They put the Italian dressing on it before they serve it to you. It was very good except that the eggplant and dressing was too salty. The soup was not supposed to be spicy, but it was. And it was extremely salty. Had the soup not been so salty and spicy, it would've been very good. I could only eat a few spoonfuls. The main course, the chicken trio was excellent as usual, although a bit salty. The pasta was not quite cooked enough, not al dente. The waitress was polite, friendly and efficient. My summary is: The food is very good, but I hope they use less salt next time. Rating this time 3.5

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