Reviews for Carmella's Cafe and Dessert Bar in Charleston, SC

My first impression of Carmella?s was that it was packed and small. The aesthetics were cute and the desserts display was a... little cramped. Everything looked amazing and i ended up ordering the GF French toast cake and i believe the raspberry and lemoncheesecake. I didn?t care for the GF cake but the cheesecake was AMAZING. The cashier was so sweet and told me the GF cake wasnew so i don?t think it?s a fair representation of the company. Read more

We went there expecting to be wowed. Read all the reviews and were pretty excited. Always saw a line out the door, so it has... to be amazing right? I will say it is average. We have had restaurant deserts that were far less expensive and tasted evenbetter. Without the wait to boot. Find a way to make a walk up window or put the desert part closer to the front of the store. Having a line snake through an entire building to get to the back is pretty lame. Also people would go straight to the bararea ans order a desert and get it to go. Albeit smart for that person, kind of disrespectful towards the ones waiting in linefor 30 minutes. The place is usually so crowded that the table turnover is enormous and they don't staff enough people to cleanthe tables and you end up sitting in someone else's mess. To be honest, this place was a check in the box for me. Been theredone it, probably wouldn't return. Read more

I was told that Carmella's was a MUST stop while visiting Charleston. If you're in the area you must try it! Not too sweet and... the cakes are shareable! My only regret was only getting one. Read more

Oh my gosh. Worth the wait in line (it moved quickly too) but definitely one of the best cakes I've ever had. I got the... chocolate peanut butter cake. So rich. So moist. It was enough for 2 or even 3 people but I sure tried to finish the whole thingmyself! (But couldn't). You need to go here. Trust me! Read more

My wife and i gave Carmella's Cafe and Dessert Bar a try today. Pastries are very good. Nicely decorated, with some inside... seating. The cakes are very large personal portions; maybe enough for two. So many options that it was tough to make adecision. My wife opted for a cannoli. It was a nice portion as well. Very delicious. Definitely should give them a try Read more

One word: AMAZING!! All 5 of us loved this place! The carrot cake was the best we tried. The chocolate mousse is delicious but... the torte is hard and a lacking in flavor Read more

Awesome ambience, especially the open-air feel. Hot toddy was perfect for the [slightly chilly] weather. Espresso martini lives... up to the hype. 5 star drinks, 5 star friendly and attentive bartenders/baristas, but prepare to be surprised with hidden taxesand fees. Nowhere else in Charleston did I experience a $12 drink turning into a $14.25 drink due to a county tax, state tax,hospitality tax, "liquor by drink" tax, and an "employee benefits" tax (really speaks to the bar owners' greed if they'll take aprofit while banking on the customer to subsidize low wages, but I digress). Hidden pricing implemented after the check isreceived is ALWAYS a turn-off. Do better. Edit: in response to your reply, you add $0.99 (per drink, or per tab?) to subsidizethe benefits you give to your employees, instead of including that in the price of the beverages. It smacks of greed when youdon't just gladly pay your employees' benefits from your profits and instead pass that cost onto the customer, which you shouldbe doing upfront instead of when the bill is closed out. I would gladly pay $13 per drink if $0.99 of that went to employeebenefits. Otherwise, it kinda seems like a cash grab. Read more

My hubby brought me here for dessert after our dinner date on New Years Day. I had this amazing key lime tart. OMG! I truly... could have eaten the entire thing in one setting but didn't want to be greedy. We also carried out carrot cake and a deliciousraspberry coconut I think.. All I know is I was in dessert heaven! Can't wait to go back. Oh, prices are steep but it's soworth it. Expect to pay $15 for one of these tiny treats! This place was packed! Read more