Carmen's Restaurant (Reported Closed)

Recommends

capegirl3277

Joined 2 years ago

Cinco de Mayo Great Party. I've been coming to Carmen's for years, I absolutely love it. I love having Sangria and appetizers on the patio. My favorite place to come in the Summer. The new patio is incredible. I came with a few of my friends for Cinco de Mayo. Sitting out on the patio with the beautiful weather and great ocean front view. DJ, dancing, great food. I had the broiled lobster, which was excellent. I would definitely recommend coming here. Happy Hour Margaritas, great deal and are delish!

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NYCTourist1

Joined 2 years ago

Gorgeous oceanview- free happy hour tapas!. This place is amazing. It's been here since the 1950s and it's very popular. Recently I came here with some friends for their newly advertized happy hour- half price drinks and free tasty tapas. The inside room has floor to ceiling windows and new oak woodwork everywhere. Awesome ocean view. But the best was their outdoor patio, which they recently (finally) renovated. It's decorated with tropical plants and a Spanish tiled bar with artwork. It has a cozy mediterranean island-ish feel with the waves lapping against the rocks, seagulls in the distance, music playing. We sat at a table right at the edge of the sea. I had the $20 broiled lobster special- it came with a salad & broccoli, and toasted garlic bread. Two others ordered the early bird special which for 19.95 included bread, a glass of wine, Chicken Cordon Bleu (the other had the Grilled Salmon), side dishes, coffee and homemade flan. The food was delicious, the service was attentive. On summer days it get very busy, but it's worth the wait.

Doesn't Recommend

mangiafa

Joined 7 years ago

Very disappointing. I have been to Carmen's many times thru the years. I haven't been in at least 2 years and decided to try it again. I was extremely disappointed. More than the old decor and the waitress constantly asking if everything is good, the food was just not up to par. Paella Valenciana with Lobster was very bland; 4 mussels, 2 clams, 2 scallops, 2 small pieces of chicken, 15 pieces of horrible chorizo & a good amount of small shrimp. The rice was very wet and not tasty, all for $24 plus $4.95 extra for sharing. My son had the stuffed shrimp with crabmeat & it was hugely stuffed with breading more than anything. For $23 that was insane. Red Snapper filet was a very small portion for $19 and was just ok.. I guess they've run their course here or I just like really good food.

Doesn't Recommend

Janie Ho

Joined 3 years ago

Authentic Experience, If Not the Food. When you have a waterfront Spanish restaurant tucked away on private lane with its own sandy shores, it's hard to go wrong. But you can.

On this, my third or fourth overall visit last Saturday night to Carmen's, the restaurant was a bit off, but not terrible. (My first two experiences, though years ago, were better.) My friends and I wound up here after the dimly lit Spanish joint La Candela on Amboy Road was packed to the brim with people and thick greasy aromas filling the dining room.

To our delight, a short drive to Carmen's yielded bright airiness (a little too bright with house lights turned up all the way - while votive candles flickered tableside?) and available seating. The patio an bar boasting restaurant featured live Spanish guitar to boot.

We started at this fairly pricey ($20+ an entree) restaurant with a Spanish staple, seafood paella. But let's start with the soup (or salad) that comes with each meal. The shrimp bisque was so salty my lips blew up a tad. Besides the swelling, the soup was pretty good.

The paella was, in a word, huge. Every entree comes in your own cast iron pot, big enough for two ... for two meals, every day, for two weeks.

Quantity doesn't outshine quality however as the rice was hard and salty, and the ingredients - though abundant with large scallops, shrimps, sausage and chicken - was less than fresh this particular night.

Of course, a real reviewer visits a restaurant 2 or 3 times before casting judgment - in the words of ex-New York Times food critic Frank Bruni. Let's hope this visit was a miss compared to previous good nights here.

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antonio01

Joined 4 years ago

Great Early Bird Special. Hello I just wanted to tell everyone about the early bird dinner special Carmens has. In today's economy its tough to go out to dinner but for $19.95 each we got a free glass of wine and sangria an appetizer, a choice of 12 entrees which I chose the pork Chops flamenca and it was huge and so tasty I saved one for the next day and my wife had the salmon in honey mustard...very good we also were given dessert and coffee...if that is not a deal I am not sure what is....very good highly recommend the place

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benny77

Joined 4 years ago

Fabulous Party. I recently attended a 60th surprise birthday party at Carmens and had a blast. Everything from the atmosphere to the service and the incredible food was just outstanding. We started with the garlic shrimp and the pulpo wich was fresh, abundant and delicious, then we ordered the mariscada in green sauce with lobster and the filet mignon carmen style which was one of the larges pieces of meat I have ever been given I beleive it was 16 ounces which normally they give you 8 - 10 ounces in most places. It was toped with cheese, muchrooms and gravy and it was just superb, tender and I even had left overs!!! Then we had two cappucinos and the vesuvious cake sooo good cheese cake and chocolate truffle WOW is all I can say. We love dthe party and the experiance so very much I just booked my daughters engagement party there for onlt $32.95 pp which includes unlimited sangria and soda as well as many other perks....I tell you what a steal!! You should check t out!

Doesn't Recommend

PARROTALK

Joined 5 years ago

TERRACE ON THE BEACH........and then came the dawn. The problem begins with being seated in the outdoor dining area on a hot summer day. No host or hostess? So you have to "go for it" and find a shaded table since umbrellas are at a minimum. The wait staff is plentiful. The coordination of same is pitiful. Raise your hand and wave......."I'm here".

Diet Coke, Pina Colada....OK. Iced Coffee......sorry, not on the menu. Wait....you can take a cup of coffee and pour it over a glass with ice in it.....HELLO!!!! The Lobster Paella was plentiful alas a bit salty. Probably contributed by the server dripping sweat. The Red Snapper was pretty but tasteless. The Fried Calamari was underdone and chewy. A house specialty, Carmen's Salad, displayed some rather dirty shrimp and crabmeat....hmm....was that really crabmeat.?

Carmen's has gotten some rave reviews in the past. For this diner, on this day, it was a laughable disaster.

Two Stars.

One for the view.

The other for my lovely daughter who paid the bill.

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gioia100

Joined 7 years ago

Don't miss it. Yes, it's romantic! With it's views of the water and at night it's just lovely to sit and enjoy dinner. The service is great, attentive and professional. I loved the sangria! My only gripe is that the paella could be better. Otherwise, the food is tasty and abundant! Portions are large. Don't miss it. It's really a great place to dine.

Recommends

Donna_Desiano

Joined 10 years ago

Staten Island's Spanish Star. Carmens's is a family friendly restaurant,which also has the romantic ambience desired by couples. The food is fantastic, the view is picturesque, and the service is superb.

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isabelfreire

Joined 11 years ago

YUMMMY. Carmens not only had the best piece of Filet Mignon I have ever had but the seafud is terrific. And if you can afford it, try the Langostinos. Very good if you like seafood. The ocean view is gorgeous and the outside Patio is alot of fun inthe summer. My friends and I frequent Carmen's almost every Saturday night. Gom you won't be disappointed.