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Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater DistrictTimes Square-42nd St (1, 2, 3, S, 7, N, Q, R, W, A, C, E)
42nd St-5th Ave-6th Ave (7, B, D, F, V)
Mon. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Tue. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Wed. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Thu-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sunday thru Thursday 10% off for Yelpers (cash only). Lunch specials all week for only $12.50, come join us and see what the Yelp is about
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Italian food served family style is a dangerous thing. You're just guaranteed to overeat, especially at Carmine's where the portions are gargantuan. It takes me literally days to get over this meal (and weeks to lose the weight ), but if you're going to have that one massive Italian meal, then come to Carmine's.
Even a picky eater like myself finds things to over indulge in here. I don't really think you can go wrong with anything you order but I especially enjoy their penne alla vodka & chicken marsala. The most important thing is to leave room for dessert, even if you don't have room, order it anyway because it's that good.
Everyone always talks about the titanic dessert because it's so enormous (chocolate torte with five jumbo scoops of ice cream, fruit, cookies, nuts, the works), but it quickly becomes a mess and not that fun to share. I recommend the tiramisu, it is one of the best I've ever had and I order tiramisu every time I see it on a menu.
Conclusion: eating this meal is very bad for you, but you're going to really enjoy it, and then really hate yourself later.
Please don't believe the hype (or the average Yelp score). This place is a tourist trap (located in a tourist infested area of New York).
The wait is long. Very long. Luckily, there is a bar with a very limited selection overpriced beer to help with the wait. Maybe the wait would have been better if I had some Guinness or Fat Tire. I hate it when my choices are Bud, Bud Light, Stella Artois (Budweiser of Europe), and other brands from "Assheiser Bush."
(I am aware it's Anheuser Busch, but I changed their name since their beer tastes like dirty, well, you get the idea.)
As for the food itself, Carmine's is decent Italian joint with super huge servings to hide the fact their food isn't that special. I think their motto is definitely "quantity over quality."
Sure, that mentality works when you are 19 and you love to overly indulge in food, booze, and girls - no matter how crappy the food, skunky the beer, and skanky the girl. But for a more refined taste (a.k.a as Archie G. syndrome), this place just isn't cutting it.
Now, Carmine's certainly isn't terrible. It's not the Olive Garden. It's a notch above Bucca di Beppo. In fact, if the Olive Garden and Bucca di Beppo had an overachieving child, it would be Carmine's. If it had a mildy retarded child, it would be Maggiano's. But I digress.
Let's break down the meal:
Italian Salad: 3 stars. This plate was about 2 feet high and it had plenty of flavor. But then again, this is usually a "free" starter salad everywhere else. But at Carmine's, you pay big money for a huge plate of salad that would better be served at a catered wedding. Honestly, a lot of it was leftover when the appetizers came.
Calimari: 3 stars. A mound of calimari about a foot high. It is lightly seasoned and sauce is okay.
Stuffed Mushrooms: 5 stars. Highlight of the meal! About 8 humongous stuffed mushrooms arrive on a plate. I was surprised to taste some red pepper inside. Nice touch. Also, it was nice to taste real mushrooms in NY (as cheaper establishments like to use canned mushrooms).
Chicken Scallopini (in lemon & butter): 2 stars. This was tasty, but it was cheap Costco chicken drenched in lemon and butter. I could have done that (and I could have done it better). I would have preferred less Costco chicken in exchange for chicken breasts of higher quality.
Spaghetti Carbonara: 2 stars. This is a creamy spaghetti with bacon. The whole dish tasted like bacon. Even the noodles. Did this dish make me salivate for more? No. Did it make me think I was going to have a heart attack? Yes.
Overall, this was a 3-star meal. It wasn't terrible. But it wasn't exceptional either. I was there with two other people (dad and uncle) and we had tons of leftovers, which I gave to a homeless guy. That was pretty much my good deed for the day.
But in the end, I would have preferred less food in exchange for better taste and quality.
Quick tips:
1) Come with a large group of about 4 or more. Any less and you are wasting time, money, and food.
2) Visit their restroom before you leave, which has complimentary mouthwash. You will need it. Trust and believe. You will need it.
3) Take a complimentary Carmine's book of matches. Or two. Or five. You will need them. My dad and uncle went through a whole book of matches after we got back from Carmine's (and I was done with the restroom).
If I wasn't family (and I didn't take all those matches), I think they would have killed me for blowing up the restroom in a tiny New York hotel room. Even the neighbors were complaining about the smell of bacon, garlic, and Budweiser.
Cheers!
Good gravy. I don't know how people can take eat a lunch here and go back to work afterwards. I definitely had a full on food coma after eating here. Four of us shared the hot antipasti and just that one dish alone took up the whole table and it was enough for a meal in itself. After that, we had linguini and clams and chicken parm. Just three dishes and we were done. I was ready to take a really long nap after my last piece of chicken.
This is a really good place to go with kids if you're in Times Square. It's loud enough so your screaming baby won't disturb the tables around you. Plus, our waiter was really nice and helpful when it came to ordering. This place is more about quantity than quality but I still thought everything was decent and it's definitely worth the money.
I'm gonna say Carmine's is "very good". Not excellent. & certainly not exceptional.
It's a solid place to bring a group of buddies who like to eat alot. The portions are huge. One man cannot possibly do it alone.
What I do appreciate about Carmine's is that they are consistent and they keep it simple. Sometimes (doing) less is more. And that is the base for great italian cooking. Simple. Fresh. & lots of it.
Excellent service , food and experience. As a waiter at a country club I always critique my experiences while out at other resturants. This was an excellent experience ! The food was really good. The waiters were great.
There is only one problem with eating here ... All of my fav. Italian spots now suck.
This place is life freaking changing. More food then a human should be allowed to eat. Yelp did not let me down on this one.
I am close to tears and speechlessness because of this place.
If you are in NYC (times square) for any reason - go. That's it. Just go.
Go for a group dinner. We were 10 of us last night, but still could not finish the whole thing.
Cesar Salad:
Mixed Green Salad:
Both salad were seasoned well. I tasted savory flavor of olive which
made the salads a little more flavorful than other place's.
Marinara:
Simple tomato sauce but very tasty.
Oil & Garlic:
Good but not amazing. I've had better one.
Ravioli with Chese:
Easy to share: )
Italian Cheese Cake:
Soft and creamy. Yum.
Tiramisu:
Carmine's might be the orthodox recipe?
Boys said it's too sweet but girls loved it!
I came in at 8pm and out at around 10:30pm, so
the street was crowded with those musical people.
You should make a reservation at least 2 days in advance of your visit.
BAHHH .. TOURIST TRAP !! - Butttt ... its wonderful for large groups. Much like Tony's, but in a more accessible location in Times Square. A perfect target for those tourist who don't know what to do once they get out of Midtown. :)
The food is simply "okay". And thats it. It's family-style AKA made in bulk so you can't expect much for taste. But its a pretty good deal when your with a large group of people who don't want the typical nyc Italian restaurant price tag.
I just came back from a vacation in the Bahamas where conveniently a Carmine's is located! Okay so it opened around two years ago.. big deal. They finally added it to the meal plan at Atlantis so we got to dine there this year. We had a party of 12 and with reservations we were seated in under 10 minutes (granted we came in at around 6:30/7). Had a huge round table and with the meal plan we could EACH order an appetizer, meal and dessert which is crazy if you've ever dined at carmine's. So we decided to order a couple of appetizers and a couple of meals to share with two salads.
Let it be known that two salads are more then enough for 12 people, one caesar and one house which were both excellent by the way. Fried zucchini (which was an amazing dish!), meatballs, chicken marsala, shrimp scampi, lasagna, eggplant parm, steak, salmon, ravioli and various other dishes I can even remember. All I know is the food was ridiculous and amazing. The layout is very much the same of NYC but newer and you can sit outside on the deck and watch the yachts if you choose. Though carmine's seemed to have a problem with their servers dropping dishes (no food on them thank god) but I did end up with a couple of shards in my plate at one point and underneath my feet which didn't make me so happy.
Otherwise Carmine's is as good in the Bahamas as it is in NYC!
I like Carmine's a lot. I really do. It's a great place to go to before a show or if you've had a… Read more »
We had dinner at Carmine's one night and the wait was ridiculous. I told myself.. this better be good! So fortunately the food was pretty good but what surprised me were the servings -- they were HUGE! Good thing our waitress tipped us in advance so we ordered just enough for four peeps.
This place was fun and lively, but do expect to wait a bit to be seated.
One thing that bothered me a lot though were the menus. Menus on the wall? Really? I was squinting so hard trying to read the menu 15 feet from where I was seated.
Good for family style Italian. Great for groups and when you want large portions. The clams and spagetti with white sauce is one of my favorites.
Ok, the Manhattan food snobs might call this a tourist trap, but there is no denying that this place puts out consistent, quality food night in and night out. I've not met a New Yorker that would turn down a dinner at Carmines. Great for larger groups e.g. 10 or more.
Carmine's is really suited for large groups as all of their dishes are family style. But if there are two of you sit at the bar, get an appetizer or hot antipasto platter, a couple of cosmos and you are good to go, a great pre-show meal and a great place to chat up the other folks at the bar. Their cosmos THE best.
Best Italian food.
Not just here, but anywhere.
I count Italy.
Group events? This one's a no brainer--accommodating staff without the menu headaches. It's family style with each dish big enough for at least 5 hungry appetites to finish.
for our bday gathering of 14pp: Along with our 4 appetizer dishes, we had 2 angel hair and 2 penne alla vodka, 2 veal, cutlet parm, meatball (huge) and the end results after stuffing our face was 3 left over pasta dishes. Drinks and a couple of beers make it even more delightful =P
And we had the titanic to finish =D It was a perfect night and a great way to spend your 30th with a big group of friends!! Birthday boy was definitely impressed and thought it was the best birthday set up ever~
Portions are huge I suggest sharing
But the food is great
Bloody Mary is ok had better
Would go back for sure
But my waitress Emily was to busy on her iPhone to pay attention to our table but hey cant have it all
I wish more places did family style. Went here for a friends birthday party and all I can say about the management is god bless them for their patience. We were there with one of my batshit insane friend was celebrating her 30th birthday and to say the least we were 'that table' in the restaurant. Food was very very good with even better service. They kept everyone happy and did a pretty good job with a wilder crowd. Portions were huge and the food cost was reasonable. The drinks were a little pricey for what they were.
Bottom Line: Perfect place to take a visiting family or a date. Presentation and professionalism was very good. Fun time and good atmosphere (especially for Times Square).
Pros: Cons:
* Large Portions - Don't go alone * Cliche Italian Food
* Price is normal for area * Hard to find parking
* STUFFED CLAMS! * Occasional Waiting list
* Great for picking up Tourists!
Summary:
Overall Good Food, Great atmosphere, Solid bar, and conveniently located if your a pedestrian.
VERDICT- 4/5 meatballs
Tourist trap, yes. Some of the best chicken wings I have ever had? Totally. Worth the 2+ hour wait.
The place for a large/loud group - especially if some or all of the group is composed of visitors. The service is great and the food is pretty good for the theatre district.
Make reservations!
I agree with the previous poster who said this place was a tourist place. I ate here on my first night in New York and we were less than impressed. I will say that the food was delicious. It was just me and my boyfriend so it was too much food for us. The service was TERRIBLE. Our waitress left for 10 minute stretches at a time. The waitress of the next section over did the majority of our serving.
The table next to us was about to go to a show and they couldn't finish their Tiramisu so they gave it to us because there was almost half of the family-sized portion left. Our waitress was totally pissed and told us we were violating health codes. I'm sure we were. I also can see that she might think we would tip her less, but I was intending to compensate had she been half-way decent. Our drinks were empty the entire time. I had to get up and ask someone for the check. I had to get up and ask another person for a box. My boyfriend and I were actually done eating when she stopped by our table and said, "Oh! You got your food!". Uh, yeah. No thanks to you.
I was expecting a wait, so the 25 minute wait didn't bother me at all.
There are way better Italian restaurants in the city than this. Just sayin'
GREAT FOOD!! The service was pretty good considering how busy they were. You NEED to make reservations!! It is family serving style so it is A LOT of food and easy to over order but everything is wonderful!!
Restaurants like these are the reason for Americans' chronic obesity. "Family size" portions should be renamed "army sized" due to the vast heapings of calamari and chicken parm that come out of the kitchen. The food is decent if you don't know any better - the butter and garlic sure make it taste good.
Served in such quantities, it's not the quality of the food but rather the location and history of the place that make it worth going to.
Definitely a tourist spot...
Take that away and you have a really nice spot. We had a big party and tried ALOT of stuff. My favs were the shrimp parmigan, porterhouse contadina, ceasar salad, and the the chicken fricasse.
These dishes had tons of flavor and ad were enjoyable to eat.
Visited NY with some family. LOVE this place! The atmosphere was nice and classy. The family style was great. I'm in love with the kalamari. It was probably the best kalamari I have tried. The lasagna melted in my mouth. We ordered about 3 appetizers and 2 main courses and dessert of course. All satisfied my taste buds! The service was wonderful.. she happened to be a Californian native so she definitely took care of us.
When I go back to NY, I will definitely pay Carmine's another visit.
I had my wife's 30th surprise party here and was nervous about how it would all go down. All in the staff were super helpful and took care of me. The food kept coming and was amazing. No one really had room for dessert but we all managed to make it fit. The only downfall was the moron at the front. It was a surprise party so I walk up to the hostess who got it and asked a waiter to bring us to our table. The exchange went something like this:
Hostess: "Will you take the "Duffman" party of two to table 302?"
DumbassWaiter: "That must be a mistake."
Hostess: "Please take the Thomas PARTY OF TWO to table 302."
DumbassWaiter: "But table 302 is HUUUUUUGE????"
Hostess: "Just take them!"
DumbassWaiter: "You guys must be meeting some huge group."
So basically she knew prior to us getting to the table but other than that they were a fiver.
After spending a day sightseeing Times Square my group and I decided to stop at Carmine's for a pre-broadway show dinner! Staff was very friendly and explained in detail that Carmine's is great for large groups!! The serving plates are family sized portions, which are made to be shared with a large group. She recommended the Four Pasta Plate. This plate was so filling and very delicious! I highly recommend this location and cannot wait to return to New York for a Times Square evening, plus a great dinner at Carmines.
The location was very busy, however the hostess and waitstaff were very attentive to our need to get to a Broadway show in a timely manner!! Thank you Carmine's !!
Being that we were staying near Broadway, we made our way to this restaurant, and had to wait a very long time for a table, but it was worth it. We were visiting with my boyfriend's parents who speak only Spanish, so normally he has to translate when we go out to dinner.
Our waiter began to explain the restaurant/menu to us, and noticed my boyfriend was translating for his parents. Without hesitation our waiter began to speak Spanish - which of course delighted them. Despite being (as they would call) "gringo," our waiter did an excellent job explaining the menu to them.
Yes the portion are ginormous, but everything we had was excellent. All around a great place for a tourist to check out and pig out.
Classic.
Excellent food! Family style and a fun atmosphere. One of the handful of Italian meals I had in NY. I'm sure there are better there that are even less "commercial" and more "homey" but, hey, it wasn't Buca di Beppo (which I actually do enjoy also).
The portions are huge but people seem to equate that with quality and the food is missing that. The atmosphere is loud and our server was just overbearing at best. The bread was the best part of the meal and when our $30 lasagna plate came out I was underwhelmed. That is a ton of lasagna to be underwhelmed by.
On another embarrassing note, I walked into the bathroom and apparently was not quite paying much attention. After taking care of business I walked over to the sink, turned the water on, and motioned to my left for some soap. A soap like dispenser is sitting there but it's not soap! That would be full of mouthwash that I just smeared over my hands. The soap is in front of the sink up on the wall. *shrugs* I only tell you about my embarrassment in hopes to prevent your own, haha.
This is a place I would consider coming back to with a larger group but let me tell you, better Italian food can be found in New York with minimal effort.
though i am not excited eating at carmines, their food is good. it is always crowded. i am not going to post a long comment. this is the place to eat if you are touring NYC. locals have their own favorite italian restaurants. i am finding more authentic food in the outer boroughs and i totally agree with Anthony Bourdain!
Great food and service. Tourist location but worth it.
Went here before seeing a Broadway show, and I'll tell you that the food coma I got from this place during the show almost made me KO. The food here is exceptionally delicious and served in the most generous of portions. Everyone I was with enjoyed the family style platters that were easy to share, the quick and friendly service, and the quaint atmosphere.
The rigatoni and parmigiana were BOMB. They weren't too dry over overly saturated with marinara sauce. Even their basket of variety bread was good. This place easily beats out Buca di Beppo over here, which means it's pretty darn good. If I ever go back to New York, I'll be going out of my way to go here again.
I think this will be my first 5 star review. Seriously that is how good this place is! Like for shizz guys the food is so good my mouth is salivating just thinking about it. The portions are HUMUNGO and the people are super nice. Oh and if you order an alcoholic beverage, be ready to be feeling pretty good cause they are huge as well. Worth every penny spent in my opinion. The staff is so nice too, if you're visiting, they are more than happy to tell you the spots to go or shows to see or even their life stories!
I think anyone who is visiting New York must go, I cannot stress this enough it was just so yummy!
This restaurant is a little pricey, but the food is excellent and the portions are very big. Atmosphere is very nice also.
This place does nothing wrong. The only reason I cannot give it five stars is that last night I ate at Tony's di Napoli nearby and ordered a practically identical meal... and the food was better (except for the bread at Carmines which was more variable and delicious)... and the price was better at Tony's.
The server here was friendly but overbearing. Nice guy, just a little over the top with his comments and "in your face" mannerisms... to the point where it felt like a forced act.
The ambiance in this place is great and the portions were a good size. I hate to be tooting this Tony's horn over and over but seriously, I left that place talking about the food, taking the leftovers home and anxious to hype them up on yelp. Carmines didnt do that for me but it is still a good spot to spend a couple hours with people you like to visit laugh and swap tales with.
Cin cin, Salute!
This place is good if you've got a lot of people to feed. We order it at work sometimes. I think the pasta's are good. I like the chicken parm. I think they have good appetizer foods as well. I've never eaten at the actually restaurant, but the quality of delivery is pretty good.
I would say that for this place you get pretty good quantity for what you paid for. We had the fried calamari and the days special with a couple of other dishes i forgot. For a big guy like me i was full pretty quick, it was loud but it is a nice place to go with ur friends for a birthday. It's family style so there is no individual chick parm so pick what you want to eat wisely. The chef added a lot of salt on our dishes which was a bit of a turn off, i had to drink a lot of water in the little 4 oz glasses we had to wash down the salt.
Gargantuous portions to feed your family. When they say family size - they're not kidding! It's crazy loud in this place which I find great for family gatherings with kids so your kids don't become outliers in the dining room. Reservations a must!
Prices here in NYC for Carmine's is a heck cheaper than in Atlantis, Bahamas. Food is delicious - favorites are penne vodka, pasta with garden vegetables and tiramisu.
Just for Yelpers!
Neighborhood: Theater District
Lunch or Dinner & a movie $28
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Italian
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