Carmine's Midtown

05/24/2008 Posted by rabbas11

Carmines is a very good place right on the streets of New York City nice and pretty. If you want Italian food and pizza and all of that stuff go there.

Pros: It has so many that I can't even say.

Cons: None.

04/21/2008 Posted by nutn

FOOD IS VERY GOOD,FAMILY STYLE. RESERVATIONS A MUST,IT IS THE THEATRE DISTRIC AND YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT WALK INS AT CERTAIN TIMES.

Pros: VERY GOOD FOOD AND PORTIONS

Cons: WALK INS CAN BE A VERY LONG WAIT

01/26/2008 Posted by enjoy2travel

In my kids' words: Mom, this is the best food I've ever had. The portions are truly "family size", four could eat from a single order. The place is very crowded but it's easy to understand why. The waiter was not as polite as he should have been, but, hey, it's NY and he was on the go. We are Italian food fans and, believe me, this was the very best in a looonnnggg time. Don't miss it!

Pros: Food taste, portion size and prices.

Cons: Very crowded and not the most polite waiter.

01/13/2008 Posted by france26

I have gone to this restaurant on many occassions with my family and the food is aswesome. However, it can only be said that if you don't make reservations in advance you might have to wait for the titatic to arrive to get a table. Moreover, the staff is rude and pushy if you are a couple versus a group as they are so hungry for tips. If you are a couple at this 42nd street location expect to be ignored by your waiter who will be talking up a storm with larger groups. I sugguest to go uptown where the food is awesome and the service really rocks!

Pros: If your a group this is the place to be but make reservations

Cons: If your a couple stay away since your waiter will not attend you table equally.

12/22/2007 Posted by daveinator

Me and 3 others went to Carmine's the other night and had an amazing time. The food was served in huge portions. Top notch, amazing italian dishes! Probably one of my favorites outside of Little Italy of course. Carmine's is an excellent place to go for a group or family dinner. I'll definitely have to go back for more when i get another big group of people together and want some delicious italian food.

Pros: You're guaranteed to get full and enjoy an amazing italian dish.

Cons: This location can be a bit crowded... but it's still well worth the wait and they have plenty room to accommodate.

10/27/2007 Posted by dancestop

Our experience was that the service was prompt and friendly. The food was excellent. The NY taxes were more painful than the cost of the food.

Pros: The food was excellent as in tasty...and lots of it...

Cons: The restaurant was noisy but heck this is NY...!

09/08/2007 Posted by chuddee

my friend and i with the same birthday (but few mutual friends) had a joint dinner with friends at Carmine's midtown - we wanted to have enough food for everyone without any issue of overspending - excellent for that, we couldn't finish 2 appetizers+2 entrees between 8 people. no way to criticize that part in nyc. The servers were arrogant and tactless, but it was not worth being upset about when the whole theatre district is there. The only FLAW to keep in mind: surcharges for petty stuff like extra marinara are everywhere, and it's a surprise on the bill - obviously it would be unpleasant to ask about an extra charge every time someone wants sauce or bread, so that's your call.Everything, Without Question or Saying so, CHARGED for!! A friend brought a cake for us - we said we'd eat it at home and they happily insisted that we celebrate there. we said how many slices, but they sliced the whole thing, and hadn't even let us know that we'd be charged per slice. Corking fee is standard of course, but pushing a service without mentioning service charge upfront...and refusing to just bring forks or the bill- the cake she had already paid for ended up costing over $100 to eat. Crazy! Just eat their dessert or something. Note that it's 4 instead of 3 stars because at the end of the day it's hard to find a place to let loose in a big group, eat your fill, keep a reasonable cost (if you come empty handed ha), take kids, arrange accessibly from wherever everyone lives and get a late reservation or a big group just a few days before

Pros: Huge portions, affordable wine, fun party atmosphere

Cons: rude service, surcharges

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/12/2007 Posted by dieselpr

Huge portions and a carefully orchestrated Italian American feel keep the tourists comming back to this theater district hot-spot. The taste of the food leaves a lot to be desired though and you instantly realize that the Chef Boyardee people might have been here once or twice to compare recipes. It really does a good job on atmosphere and is great to bring picky family members to, as they are sure to find something they like.

Pros: Ambiance, location, portions

Cons: Marinara sauce (Chef Boyardee anyone?)

06/07/2007 Posted by nc614

We went here to celebrate my boyfriend's graduation from grad school. Apparently, their reservations are so tight, that they can't deal with part of the party being a little late. They began serving immediately the pre-fixe dinner while some people hadn't arrived. My bf's family is Hindu and even after specifying we wanted no pork or beef, both before we arrived and during, we were given stuffed mushrooms with ham/beef in it! Even after being assured nothing contained meat! When the waiter removed the plates with the mushrooms he never returned to give my bf a new plate or place settings! AND we were not apologized to nor financially compensated. They poured wine on the white tablecloth more than once when serving us wine. They spilled water. They took plates away before people were finished. And they rushed us out because "they had another reservation waiting". For all that money, you should wait until we're finished! I grew up in an Italian family in a New York Italian neighborhood and I know this place is not worth the hype. Go to an Italian neighborhood in an outer-borough or at least not in Times Square. A terrible time! Everyone at the table was astonished with the inattentive, messy and rude service! AND they have the nerve to include tip with service like that. Learn how to treat real New Yorkers, Carmine's!

Pros: decor

Cons: service, price

05/01/2007 Posted by britinnj

We were guests of friends celebrating their son's graduation, along with young children through to the elderly grandparents. What worked well was the family style platters of food that could be shared by all, with as much or little personal serving size as desired, and which also saved time with regard to menu choice for such a large gathering so that the family could get on with the celebration and enjoy having the family all together for once as their children are at various levels of school and college in different states, and the grandparents travelled far to attend also. The bar prices for the drinks were steep given the venue, and slow. The atmosphere was noisy, but just what was wanted by the son in his 20's who had chosen the venue. An excellent family based night out.

Pros: Family style meals

Cons: Slow service