Carlo's in Dumfries & Galloway

One of our favourite places to eat in Castle Douglas, if not our outright one. Proper authentic Italian food of really high quality, and they know how to entertain our 4 year old every time he's in. The fact they remember him is even better. Cannot recommend more highly.

We had the pleasure of dining at Carlos and can honestly say that this is one of the best restaurants that we have ever visited. Carlo and his team are passionate about their menu, customer service and offer a truly exceptional dining experience. The staff here have been part of Carlo’s “family” for fifteen years and are so warm and welcoming that we felt a part of the family also. So much so that we will be driving up from Lancashire next month just to have dinner here again.

After a very soggy walk we chanced our luck at Carlos and we got the last table. We couldn't have been more grateful to the staff for fitting us in as there aren't many places to eat in Castle Douglas if you haven't booked before hand. The staff were all so friendly, warm and welcoming. The food was brilliant, full of flavour, great portion sizes and the focaccia was amazing. Would highly recommend!

Food is amazing. Service is great. Staff are really friendly. Prices are really reasonable. My wife and I both had steaks. Best steaks we've ever had. Cooked to perfection. It gets busy, so book in advance. Next time we're in Scotland, we will be back.

Absolutely lovely food, a good atmosphere with friendly attentive staff.

Carlo’s is a lovely wee restaurant with friendly, welcoming staff. There is only one word to describe the food, and that is “magnifico”. I challenge you to find better anywhere else - whether it is seafood, steak, chicken, pizza or homemade breads. Carlo is a fabulous chef whose food speaks for itself.

Fantastic little Italian restaurant. Great food and very friendly service. Couldn’t have asked for more - thank you!!

Stayed in Castle Douglas and managed to get a table by phoning as soon as they opened - you need to book - there are only 12 tables! So glad we were able to get in! Staff were so friendly and made some great recommendations. The menu isn't particularly big but there were plenty of specials to choose from. We were served some complementary bread and spreads while we waited for our starters. I had a simple mozzarella, tomato and basil salad and this was delicious. Such a simple dish that so many restaurants just can't do. This was spot on. My partner had the Queen Scallops from the specials and these were also delicious. We also shared a very tasty garlic bread. Mains were Smoked Haddock and Pea risotto and pork medallions in a cream and tomato sauce. Both mains were from the specials and both were delicious. I chose saute potatoes and a portion of veg with mine. Such a delicious meal needed desserts so we had tiramisu and citrus possett. Both were delicious!! Would definitely recommend and will definitely return.

What an amazing place! The food was fresh and delicious with generous portion sizes. The staff were really friendly, helpful and welcoming. The restaurant itself is cozy and clean and the candles provided a great, cosy atmosphere for an evening meal. The menu provided a lot of options; I highly recommend the lasagne and profiteroles. Came out feeling full and happy and I would definitely return.

As always, food and service, were excellent. Staff friendly and welcoming. Food up to the high standard we have had for many years.

Great place to eat super friendly and very helpful even if you don't speak English that well. The food was excellent

Such great hospitality - food was also fantastic. So good we went two nights in a row and would go again if back up here.

Amazing stuff and great food. Carlo and his stuff are top-notch. The mixed antipasti was of such variety and quality. The ribeye steak cooked by Mark the chef was simply great. Surely we will go back if again in the area.

Carlo and his team serve up tasty and beautifully presented food sourced locally. Loved the antipasto dishes and the pasta and meats were served quickly and hot. The food and service was so good we went there two nights in a row👌

Amazing food and service from Carlo and his team, highly recommend this fantastic restaurant.

Although there is a great menu on their website, it is the daily specials that really make this place. There were fresh prawns, lemon sole as well as additional pasta dishes. The staff are genuinely friendly and accommodating and there is a happy family feel to this place. Also do great value wine by the carafe. Recommend.

We had an excellent meal here. Staff were very attentive and friendly. The specials included wonderful scallops and the steaks were very good. There is a good wine selection. Carlo is the chef and delivers high quality food

Wee gem of a restaurant. Food gloriously tasty and fresh and the staff were a delight. Luckily got a last min booking on sat night. The foccacia, garlic prawns, fish goujons, fillet beef tagliatelle and prawn ravioli were all superb topped off with an ice cream with cherries. Will absolutely be back again and again. Thanks for a lovely evening and to the lovely waitress who made my watermelon J20 into a pretend cocktail :)

Fantastic food & portions, staff are ace too.

Came here the first time and had dinner with friends. Such a lively place. Food is nice , especially the starter. Garlic bread is so soft , focaccia is yummy , salmon sauce is the best !

Excellent as always, thank you Carlo, Heather and staff!

The service was great. Staff were more than welcoming and helpful although space is very tight as its quite small. Brought out a bread platter and homemade butter for our table, which was good. Sauce on the penne con polo Pisellie was amazing, but pasta never even reached aldente, and Arrabbiata wasn't spicy like normal. Foccacia wasn't like any foccacia I've ever had before. Tasted good but was very much more of a thin garlic flat bread.

One of the hidden gems in the borders, from outside unassuming but once inside transported to your happy place. Check out the specials menu, lobster fresh from Solway Firth this morning. Lovely mix of herbs and spices all cooked fresh. Chef even popped out for feedback and ensure everything okay. Definately going back. Apologies food pics already started just too appetising to wait for pictures!!

Nice little Italian restaurant. It is interesting that there was no pizzza on the menu. The Lasagne and the Capri salad were quite good. We were able to order a pizza on request and the staff was so kind to cook us one. The breads came with tasty butter variations.

Booked a table (which I'd recommend) here while staying nearby and what a find. From the outside, Carlos doesn't look like much but once inside, it's cosy and has a vibrant atmosphere. The food is excellent and very reasonably priced. Staff are friendly and I'd definitely recommend if you're staying in the area of Castle Douglas.

Place was busy (Saturday night). Food was average. The lady serving us came across as though she wished she wasn't serving us. When one of our group asked how big the pizzas were, she replied "Like a normal pizza".

Amazing place....the food was outstanding, plentiful and fresh, they were happy to do anything you needed, and nothing was any trouble.....the owner and staff were ultra friendly and chatted with us and gave us a lot of time and attention.

Went in late on a Friday night after travelling from Scotland, lovely welcome, lovely food and brilliant service.

Lovely food, very friendly helpful staff and a laid back atmosphere.

A little old fashioned in terms of decor but the food was fresh and tasty and the service was very friendly. A great place for a small rural town to have.

Popped in without a booking and were delighted to get a table. Enjoyed an absolutely excellent dinner of seafood dishes from the day's specials menu - all incredibly fresh and tasty. Friendly service too!

Been coming here for years, always superb food and super accommodating staff, highly recommend!!

Food was amazing and had a great atmosphere. Will be back

It`s a very beautiful place, I`m going to this establishment today. It`s just beautiful there!

Excellent dinner. Staff are very polite and accommodating. Would happily go again.

Good food and friendly service. Only criticism.....food served in too much of a rush between courses.

Fantastic place with great food and great service.

We visited this restaurant last Thursday evening as we were on holiday there. The waitresses were very friendly & welcoming. We had a starter, main course & dessert. All the food was very nice. Was worth the money we paid. Inside the restaurant itself was very nice & clean. Will visit again in the near future. 😊👍

Three of us had a most enjoyable evening at Carlo's. The delicious antipasto for two would probably do for four! Lovely pasta, chicken and desserts. Staff and service were great. The only down side is that access is not easy, there are three large steps to get in the front door. This won't put us off from coming back again for another lovely meal. Thank you to everyone at Carlo's.

Had a fabulous family meal here (3 generations) on Fri evening. Food was fantastic, cooked to order, and staff were all so friendly and helpful. Would thoroughly recommend.

Absolutely fantastic food and service first class. Food was served really promptly but didn't feel at all rushed. Would highly recommend.

Cute little place with friendly and hard working staff. Great service Great food.

Fresh, excellent quality food. Great service , really nice vibe.

Great little Italian restaurant serving good food - what more could you ask for 🤷‍♂️ Had the homemade tiramisu for dessert and it was the best I've had in a very long time

Such amazing staff, awesome food, and an excellent family friendly environment. Would gladly go back, thank you Heather and team x

First time that I've been for a while. Had a lovely meal and great service. Thank you for a great night out!!

Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was excellent but rather too much for myself and husband but we were told later that smaller portions were available or 'doggy' bags provided to take surplus food back home.

The restaurant is beautiful and stylish, very nice service and I am grateful with all my heart for the help that I received, my car broke down and I waited for the other driver Thank you very much again for the opportunity to wait for the driver

Small and friendly restaurant. Food was exceptional. Staff even better. My partner took her leftovers away in a doggy bag. Excellent value for money

Food was great, staff were so kind and helpful. Loved it. One thing was I felt there wasn't much table room. But friendly place would go back.

Lovely food, great staff, Sarah and Louise, first class waiting staff you are the best x

Booking absolutely essential, food excellent, staff very friendly. Definitely recommend.

This is a superb restaurant. I feel so priveledged to have had dinner there. Fabulous food, warm welcome and great service. Can highly recommend. X

Wonderful food and service. Best Italian I've had in this country.

As a chef myself I really find eating steak in restaurants difficult.... however Carlo's chef cooked my steak perfectly the attention to detail was lovely and refreshing! my prawns were huge, punching full of flavour! And my tiramasu was the best ive ever tasted!! the staff were lovely very friendly and attentive. can't wait to come back!! its a five star from me The Hungry Biker #TheHungryBikerFoodBlog #highlyrecomemded #hiddengems

Very good food,staff and service nice .

Beautifully cooked steaks, quick friendly service. Good atmosphere

Wow what lovely Italian restaurant serving real Italian food people welcoming you need to book

Good food, friendly staff and great service

On a 4 night break in Rockcliffe, we booked a table for 4 on our last night. Wow. What a find. Superb food, lovely staff. Without doubt one of the nicest steaks we have had out. Desserts are to die for. I even got a birthday sparkler in my pana cotta. A lovely touch. Highly recommended.

Food tastes like it is homemade which in my opinion is the best compliment you can pay to an Italian restaurant. Excellent.

Lovely meal at Carlos this evening. Our first meal out since last Autumn

Very delicious food, tastiest meal I've had in a very long time

Recommended to us by the site where we are staying and by reviews on this page we were very disappointed to visit Carlo's on Wednesday 28 April 2021 to discover it no longer looks like its profile photo and just had a handwritten phone number in the glass case outside. Its website says it's open Thursdays - Saturdays from 5.30pm but its Facebook page suggests it's only open at weekends, though that isn't clear. Locals seem to know and are enthusiastic about take-away food and weekend dining, I think.

Fantastic food; lovely, friendly professional staff met me at door when collecting takeaway. Highly recommend.

Amazing food brilliant service everytime could never fault them

Fresh well cooked Italianfood .excellent choice if you have an allergy to gluten. Friendly helpful staff . Possibly ease back on the garlic .especially with the excellent fresh lemon sole dish

Very hardworking friendly ladies served us classic Italian dishes. Kids had kid sized spag bol and calamari. Me and grandad had excellent seafood spaghetti, inc lobster, scallops, prawns, mussels. Hubby had mushrooms and pizza with whatever topping he wanted! Everyone happy, will return.

Excellent food at all times we have visited.Especially Carlos special fish dishes.We enjoyed a takeaway recently and will be definitely having another.Too bad during lockdown no fish dishes available.

Can't go wrong at Carlo's. Always reliable and lovely folk.

Small and cosy. Excellent food. And wine. Reasonable prices. Attentive service. Nothing to fault it 😁

My wife and I came here for a couple dinner. And although it was busy with Xmas parties, the staff were pleasant and attentive. For starters we had bruschetta and mezzo platter. The bruschetta was tasty and the mixed meat platter had assorted meats and a small side of olives and sundried tomatoes. The main courses were a special of ricotta and spinach tortellini which was well cooked and flavoursome. The arrabiatta was REALLY spicy, to the point of only tasting the heat. I get that arrabiatta has a kick but this really had a KICK.To finish we had irish coffee and cappuccino. The cappuccino was grand and the Irish coffee had a good taste of whiskey though I found the dream on top overstepped.A pleasant night overall.

Great family-run restaurant with a greta menu and superb home cooked Italian food with specials to die for. BUdget to fit all tastes and friendly staff will recommend the best dishes of the day.

Food was great and friendly quick service

GREAT FOOD. For our last night of our holiday from Cornwall we stopped of at Carlos we had a really good evening and the food was amazing. The owners and staff went out of there way to ensure you have a good evening, brought some crafty bots so the children were entertained while you wait for your dinner. If your in or near to Castle Douglas make this place a definite visit you won't regret it. Absolutely amazing.

Great place. Food was excellent and friendly staff made the quick service memoriable

Had a great night, kids loved the food as much as the adults.

Very nice meal, typical Italian menu, nicely cooked, friendly service

Delicious food served by very attentive friendly staff,good portion sizes ! complimentary breads and spreads to start , very tasty and lovely touch, true Italian feel and drinks are not over priced as they usually are in Italian eating places . Would certainly recommend and would certainly return!

Good food and excellent service.

Really great little restaurant, food really tasty, massive portions and very helpful, friendly staff. Would certainly visit again when in the area.

Delightful Italian restaurant, lovely, well prepared and presented food served by lovely friendly staff.

Party of five, staff welcoming. Decor is tired, so tired. Menu was found to be rather limited and our vegan had trouble in finding something. The rest of the party were more easily suited but the food was downright average across the board with our poor vegan being served some concoction that involved sprout! In July!The one sweet was just a mess with cocoa powder thrown on from afar.Reading the reviews I can only surmise that the chef was having a day off and the kitchen cat was in charge

Would not rush back food was okay but nothing to wright home about and not worth the rather high price tag.

We are on Holiday and saw some fab reviews about the local Italian restaurant Carlos. Only staying 5 days and it’s been closed for three of them. On the last day here we were all set to go and eat there that evening. I rang to check they could doMy son a pizza, not in the menu but a previous review said they would accommodate. When I rang they said they were too busy to cook Pizzas! Very disappointed at lackIf helpfulness and quite surprised at an Italian restaurant not doing pizzas! SoIt may be lovely food but don’t rely on a pizza if that’s what youFancy!

We enjoyed four different mains dishes here, and don't order a starter as a wooden board of four different breads and three spreads come complimentary!!! Delicious. Check opening times first! Closed Monday & Tuesday. Do reserve a table!

Amazing food. Amazing service, amazing quality as always..

My husband and I always visit Carlo’s for a celebration meal and have never been disappointed with the venue, service or meal. The steak dishes are consistently very good and the pollo alla noci was very tasty. Excellent house wine completes another great meal.

Food was good but prices are quite steep and you pay extra for side orders (chips, potatoes and veg)

Great place to Dinne at, will go again soon, I hope. G P.

Carlo's was amazing. We found this gem on the last night of our holiday but will visit lots when we return. Everything was top notch including the price.

Have been quite a few times to this terrific restaurant never a disappointment. Good varied menu and a specials menu. Carlo keeps what are obviously popular dishes on most of the time which is great. I love the Polo Parmigiana which I order quite often. Worth trying if you go to Carlos. Good and friendly staff who know all about the various dishes and work very efficiently.

Great food and service was excellent

Food and hospitality excellent ad always, thank you

Great little traditional Italian restaurant. Good service by pleasant and attentive staff.well cooked and quality meal.

Friendly staff, the best Calamari in the world and well what more could you ask for! The menu is varied and the food freshly prepared and delicious.

5 of us had dinner here, you do need to book as it is very busy. A good menu with something for everyone including the vegetarians. A warm welcome, friendly staff and although they were busy the service was good.

All I can say is WOW. The food is absolutely delicious and the staff are lovely and welcoming. The chef Carlo is obviously a perfectionist, perfecting and blending delicious flavours together. A little piece of heaven. Heather the owner was an absolute delight and a fantastic host. Thank you, I loved every morsel.

Just passing through and popped in unannounced, fully booked but fitted us in ,service was swift meal was stunning ,staff were friendly, highly commended.

Fabulous food in a relaxed setting. Wonderful evening and our thanks to chief and pleasant staff