CARRABBA'S ITALIAN GRILL

Direction matters as much as the letter. CARRABBA'S ITALIAN GRILL sits at a B (84/100) today, but its inspections have been getting cleaner, not messier — an improving trend a single grade can't show.

Its latest visit (December 4, 2025) logged 1 high-priority, 1 intermediate, and 5 basic violations. Diners rate it 4.4 across 2,653 reviews. By health score it's safer than 27% of Seminole County restaurants we grade. Menus here flag vegetarian, gluten-free, keto, paleo, and other dietary options.

Trend: improving · B (84/100) · safer than 27% of Seminole County restaurants we grade

Get directions Call (407) 323-7868

Restaurant details

Health grade
B (84/100)
Violations
7 total — 1 high-priority, 1 intermediate, 5 basic
Address
4675 SAINT JOHNS PARKWAY, Sanford, FL
Cuisine
Italian
Categories
Italian restaurant, American restaurant, Bar, Bar & grill, Caterer, Gluten-free restaurant
Price
$20–30
Rating
4.4 stars (2653 reviews)
Seats
234
Phone
(407) 323-7868
Website
Official website
Photo of CARRABBA'S ITALIAN GRILL
Photo: WMB 4Him

Community Rating

Reviews via Google
4.4 Community-sourced rating 2,653 reviews
Read all reviews on Google →

What diners say — our read

Sorted by date, these 23 reviews trend upward. Reviewers who mention service rate this place 4.3 on average — it is working in the restaurant’s favour.

Of the 23 rated reviews, 19 sit at four stars or better and 4 at two or below. One subject never comes up here: how clean the place looks. If you had to pick one number to represent this corpus it would be 5, the most frequently given rating (16 reviews).

The inspection lands in between as well: DBPR graded this kitchen a B (84/100), citing 1 high-priority, 1 intermediate, and 5 basic violations. DBPR last walked in on December 4, 2025. Its inspection trajectory is upward over the records we hold. On health score it sits safer than 27% of the Seminole County restaurants we grade. The citations behind that grade include clean clothes and nonfood-contact surfaces clean.

Nothing here pulls in opposite directions — an unusually clean read. The individual reviews are below, newest first, if you want the raw material.

Our own analysis of 23 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →

  • June 30, 2026

    Great food, great service!

  • June 30, 2026

    Nice atmosphere. we have not eaten here since last year. The food was delicious and cooked perfectly. our waitress wasa Shelby and she was training Lenny.they were very attentive and professional.

  • June 22, 2026

    Nice location

  • June 21, 2026

    Great atmosphere, friendly staff and food fabulous as usual. It's extremely rare I have a bad dining experience at the Sanford location!🥂🍾

  • June 21, 2026

    I met a friend for lunch at Carrabba's Italian Grill and was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the experience was. We arrived during a busy period, but we were seated fairly quickly and our server was attentive throughout the meal. I ordered the chicken parmesan, which was served hot and had great flavor, while my friend enjoyed their pasta dish just as much. What stood out most was how the staff handled special requests without any issues. It's the kind of place that makes it easy to enjoy a relaxed meal and good conversation.

  • June 19, 2026

    Shelby served my family on Mon June 15. I have been in the restaurant industry for 45 years. I know great service. She was truly spot on with everything from discribing the menu items,suggesting upsells, great pace between items and checked on us often. Shelby is a great asset to your establishment. And she was very outgoing and super friendly.

  • June 18, 2026

    Bread was a little hard. Everything else was wonderful

  • June 16, 2026

    Kayley was very nice

  • June 11, 2026

    Had a very nice dinner with my best friend love their food and berry sangria

  • June 7, 2026

    Besure to catch thier special event. Definitely worth the money

  • May 24, 2026

    We have been customers of Carrabba’s for over 25 years, but unfortunately, the lasagna at the Sanford location has changed. Our recent order arrived with almost no pasta, mostly cheese and sauce. The manager kindly replaced it and offered a discount, which we appreciated, but the second lasagna still only had one layer of pasta. This is not about compensation — it’s about consistency and quality. We hope Carrabba’s brings back the lasagna quality we have enjoyed for many years.

  • May 19, 2026

    Decent food at a good price

  • May 19, 2026

    Excellent food,and services in a delightful atmosphere with reasonable prices.

  • May 18, 2026

    ANDREW IS THE BEST HE RUNS A TIGHT SHIP WITH HIS ATTENTION TO HIS CUDTOMERS AND THEIR TIME IN HIS SPACE

  • May 15, 2026

    I ordered food to go and the staff was so nice and the food was perfect!!! Thank you so much!!

  • May 11, 2026

    We are here today celebrating Mothers Day and had a really bad experience. Never have I experienced here the kitchen being so far behind. Party of 13, call ahead for 5:00, waited 45 minutes to be seated then once seated was told kitchen was extremely backed up, was finally served our food, very disappointing, salmon meal was stone cold, other meals were not what expected. We saw many many to go orders going out while people are still waiting for the food sitting at tables. On a busy day like this, there should be NO TAKE OUT ORDERS including Door dash/Uber, we all asked To box up our meal after only taking a few bites. Unfortunately, we will not be dining here anytime soon!

  • May 10, 2026

    Food..it was ok, but it seems like they proportioned the pasta prior to my order ( because the pasta was a little set sticking to each other) and then they put the sauce on top , then the meat so I had to push the meat aside to mix the psta/sauce before proceeding eating. Not a biggie but... Noone else complained about there meals so I assume they were ok

  • May 10, 2026

    Thank you Alex and thank you Carrabbas’s for the free Mezzo Luna ❤️

  • May 8, 2026

    They save the smallest portions for takeout. I ordered the Pollo Rosa Maria. A nearly $30 entrée. I even sprang for the asparagus, which wasn’t up charge. Six small pieces of asparagus? Two small chicken breasts that couldn’t even contain the stuffing and toppings that this entrée is supposed to feature? If this was put down in front of me in the restaurant, I would’ve laughed and sent it back. But as it was takeout, I suppose the smallest portions are saved for those in their cars.

  • May 7, 2026

    The food was excellent. I ordered the lamb chops and they were seasoned and cooked to perfection. The waitress staff was on point and attentive to the needs of our party.

  • May 6, 2026

    My first time was excellent, server Anthony was informative and very helpful, asked question knew the answer to make my experience amazing. Highly recommend this location based on the food tasting homemade not processed like other restaurants. Go see Anthony here at the sanford location.

  • April 29, 2026

    We have dined at this location a few times but end up ordering take out more often than not. I don’t even know why we keep ordering. I guess we’re hopeful? We used to live next to an amazing Carrabbas location but the Sanford location is a poor excuse for Carrabbas. There is something wrong with our food every time we go. Tonight I ordered a filet (per usual) and got a sirloin that was already sliced? I don’t even understand how you cook a steak to medium well (ordered medium rare) and it’s dryer than the Sahara. My side of Alfredo was so grainy. For previous visits we have received pasta missing in whole ingredients (like Alfredo that is like water) or we have needed a steak re cook and it came out 2 more times wrong. I’ve spoken to management, been offered meals, whatever else they feel like makes it right. But it doesn’t. This location needs a serious management team that actually cares. Because the current one does not. Not the whole team anyways. Definitely not the kitchen manager. A very poor excuse for Carrabbas. And then having 5 star reviews from wine dinners try and carry your google rating is even more ridiculous. Steer clear of the Sanford Carrabbas.

  • April 27, 2026

    I used to love Carrabbas, was my favorite place to go but after my recent outing I was completely disappointed. The pasta was undercooked, the meatballs were burnt. The cheesesticks were burnt as well. The service is lacking and the booth seats are so wore out they scrape my thights when I sat. Definitely need people who knows how to cook.

Overall Score

71 / 100

  • Health inspection grade 30/40
    Grade B
  • Dietary transparency 17/20
    5 options listed
  • Community rating 18/20
    4.4★ average
  • Hidden-gem status 0/10
    Not flagged
  • Track record 6/10
    Improving, 0% clean

Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.

Opening hours

Monday
11 AM to 10 PM
Tuesday
11 AM to 10 PM
Wednesday
11 AM to 10 PM
Thursday
11 AM to 10 PM
Friday
11 AM to 11 PM
Saturday
11 AM to 11 PM
Sunday
11 AM to 9 PM

Inspection history

The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.

  1. December 4, 2025 · Complaint Full

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    1 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 5 basic

    • 13 — Clean clothes; hair restraints; jewelry; fingernails
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 29 — Plumbing installed & maintained; mop sink; backflow prevention
    • 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×3)
  2. November 5, 2025 · Routine - Food

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    2 high-priority · 3 intermediate · 10 basic

    • 02 — Consumer advisory, date-marking & labeling of ready-to-eat foods
    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 08 — Cross-contamination: raw foods separated; food protected during prep/storage
    • 10 — In-use food dispensing utensils properly stored
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 27 — Water source safe; hot and cold water under pressure
    • 29 — Plumbing installed & maintained; mop sink; backflow prevention (×2)
    • 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided (×2)
    • 35 — Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×4)

Safer options nearby

Higher-graded restaurants close to CARRABBA'S ITALIAN GRILL, by Florida DBPR grade:

This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →

Data last updated: December 4, 2025