Carmine's

We ate at Carmine's on a Monday night at 6pm. The restaurant was already PACKED, mostly with large tables with multiple strollers and noisy children. The restaurant feels like a franchise/chain you'd find in suburban America...cheesey, fake charm noisy mass-produced. The portions are huge (I'd say 4 people/dish) which is their "thing" and the food is very average...It is FINE but I found both our appetizer and our pasta entree to be much too salty and they are clearly going for quantity over quality. If you're looking for an easy place for a group of 15 people, this is it. If you're looking for anything else, go elsewhere.

We visited Carmine's at 91st again with work for lunch, and I was again remembered that this must be the worst Italian restaurant I have ever visited in NYC. The pasta tastes like the cheapest supermarket pasta one can find, the sauces are uninspirational and taste like nothing. Even the crappiest touristy places in little Italy manage to serve something better to eat than this place. AVOID. Unless you like to stuff yourself with until you burst without caring how it tastes... then this is your place.

I went to Carmines one nite and I had a surprisingly fantastic meal! There were four of us, and we each split a dish. Wow, I can't explain how much I ate... not becasue I was hungary, but because it was so delicious. I can't believe how amazing the food was! I am definitely going back, maybe next time I'll have a party! Simpley Wowed by Carmines!

Classic, gotta wait 45 min but who cares, food is good, place is loud, everyone is having fun. Love it. Cant beat that with a stick. Theres also this little voice inside me that says there might be even an italian in the kitchen : )

When they say family style, they mean a really big family! There were only 4 of us and we needed 2 more people to finish off the family size entree! We had Chicken Parm and a special salad the waiter suggested. The salad would have made a great entree in itself. The Chicken in the chicken parm was tender and graced with an ample amount of cheese that was melted to perfection. We enjoyed a glass of house chianti. I liked how they served it in plain glasses instead of stemwear. Made the meal feel more homey and relaxed. Unfortunately, everyone in the restaurant was having such a good time, the noise level was deafening, but I'd still go back....and take a few extra folks with me!

This evening we had a delivery of fried calamari and of linguine with white clam sauce.We have had both dishes before, in the restaurant and at home. Tonight's order was a BIG disappointment. There was so much salt in the food that it really could only be rated as poor. Perhaps Carmines has a new chef. In any case we will probably not be ordering or going to Carmines again.

With all that I've read about Carmine's, I assumed it was a bit overrated. I couldn't have been more wrong. The atmosphere and service were delightful. The bartender was friendly and attentive during our 30 min wait. And the food knocked my socks off! Yes, the portions are large, so I gave in to my dining partner and got the lemon chicken, which I don't generally like, but it was fabulous! In fact, I can't wait to go back and get it again. Their strawberry shortcake is also unlike anything I've tasted. Highly recommend this place (and don't worry if you can't agree on a dish, I'm sure that everything is delicious).