Carpaccio on a menu usually means raw meat or fish cut into very thin slices and served cold with a dressing. Italy's Treccani dictionary describes the original as thin slices of raw veal fillet or rib, briefly dressed in olive oil and lemon and seasoned with salt, white pepper and flakes of grana cheese, and notes that the name was later extended to fish such as salmon, swordfish and sea bass.[1] Because the meat or fish is not cooked, it falls under the FDA model Food Code's consumer advisory for raw items.[2]
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What to order
- Classic meat carpaccio: very thin raw slices dressed with olive oil and lemon and topped with grana cheese, or in one variant with shaved truffle.[1] Menus outside Italy often use beef and may add arugula or capers, so read the description or ask what the dressing contains.
- Fish carpaccio: thin raw slices of fish such as salmon, swordfish or sea bass.[1] Ask whether the fish was frozen first; FDA says freezing kills parasites but not all harmful germs.[3]
- Other carpaccios: Treccani notes the name has been extended to foods other than meat.[1] Some menus also use it for thinly sliced vegetables or fruit, so check the main ingredient before assuming the dish is raw beef, or that it is meat-free.
- Cheese and allergens: the classic grana finish means milk, and fish versions mean fish; both are among FDA's major food allergens.[1][4] Ask for the cheese on the side or left off if you need to.
- If you do not eat raw meat or fish: the classic dish is eaten raw, so choose a cooked starter instead or ask the staff what they suggest.[1]
31 menus
Bar Volpe- Beef Carpaccio$16
Italian
Carbone Dallas- Carpaccio Piemontese37
Italian- Carbone Las Vegas
- Carpaccio Piemontese
Italian - Carbone Miami Beach
- Carpaccio Piemontese41
Italian 
Carbone New York- Carpaccio Piemontese39
Italian American
Carmelina’s- Angus Beef Carpaccio$ 18
Italian
Crazy Rock’n Sushi Glendale- MADAI CARPACCIO
- SALMON CARPACCIO
Japanese
Crazy Rock’n Sushi West Hollywood- Salmon Carpaccio18.95
Japanese
Double Knot- OCTOPUS "CARPACCIO"$ 13
- HAMACHI CARPACCIO$ 14
Japanese
Gjelina New York- Beet Carpaccio$ 23
American
Gramercy Tavern- Beef Carpaccio$24
American
Kemuri Tatsu-ya- BLUEFIN TUNA CARPACCIO$ 19
Japanese / Barbecue
Frequently asked questions
Where does the name carpaccio come from?
Treccani traces it to the painter Vittore Carpaccio and says the dish was devised for an exhibition of his work at the Doge's Palace in Venice, which it dates to 1963.[1] The name tells you about the style of dish, thin raw slices, rather than about any particular restaurant's recipe.
Does the lemon in the dressing cook carpaccio?
No. Treccani describes the slices as only briefly macerated in oil and lemon and eaten raw.[1] As with ceviche, acid changes texture but no heat is used, so the guidance for raw meat and fish still applies.[5]
Who should avoid carpaccio?
FDA lists pregnant women, young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems among those who should avoid raw or undercooked meat and fish.[6] If you are in one of these groups, ask your clinician before ordering raw dishes, or pick a vegetable carpaccio after checking what it contains.
Related guides
Sources
- Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani. carpaccio (Vocabolario online). Accessed
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food Code 2022. Accessed
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely. Accessed
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food Allergies. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ceviche. Accessed
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. People at Risk of Foodborne Illness. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Steak tartare. Accessed