Tourist food. Top dollar for blah Italian. My lasagna had decent flavor, but the noodles were total mush. Wife's filet mignon was exactly as good as everywhere else she's had it, only it was twice the price as most of the places we typically go. Not sure why so many Yelpers rave over this place. Seemed like just an over-priced Olive Garden to us. One bright spot: our server was very good. read more

Stopped in here on Christmas Eve and left as full as could be. All the entrees and sides are really meant for two people if you order and entree or side for yourself be prepared to take food home with unless you are very hungry. The staff is also really great and attentive. read more

i feel like they must've gotten a new chef based on the mixed reviews here because every single dish i sampled here was a SOLID 4 star. i came here with my bf for a dinner/reunion with his old h.s. friends - group of 10 total, perfect for family style entrees (albeit the portions were a little on the small side) we had the calamari, bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms, and sausage and peppers appetizers. all were excellent, especially the mushrooms and sausages. we also had the chopped salad and eggplant salad (juicy beefsteak tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, pan-fried eggplant and basil drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette) which were my 2 favorite dishes of the night. we shared the brick chicken (a boneless whole chicken pressed and roasted crisp with oregano and lemon), lasagna, tortellini carbonara (ricotta-filled pasta rings simmered in parmesan cream sauce with mushrooms, prosciutto and sweet peas), and a few other pasta dishes, the names of which escape me at the moment. get the lasagna! total bill (tax + tip) $350 for 10 people read more

The food is ok, the deserts are very delicious. My son loves the coconut white cake. I like the stake with potato Vesuvio. The martinis are delicious. I also like the lamb special read more

YAWN...great location but mediocre food and service for the most part. Also Carmine's is overpriced. Short and simple - the comfort Italian foods suck - pastas, parmigianas etc. My friend did get an amazing steak topped with blu cheese though. The olive oil they give you for dipping bread in is amazing and interestingly is from Greece. The service is indifferent and needs a pulse. read more

I love Carmine's. The staff is always helpful and friendly. Although I usually do not have the time to dine in. (I carry out) The Food always holds up really well. My favorite being the Chicken Parm and calamari. Both very generous portions and just great food. The chicken always has a crisp bite, even with the marinara drizzled on top and draped with mozzarella. Absolutely delicious. The ambiance is great for a date or meeting the in-laws. They also have a great outdoor patio. read more

We had 7pm reservations, and of course, got off the red line at 7:05pm. Called the restaurant lto et them know that we were on our way. After reading the reviews I was a little worried, but we were seated immediately when we arrived. We were one party member short but our waiter was cool with us snacking on bread and drowning in wine till he arrived. Our final party member arrived, a second bottle was ordered and then came the food. Out of the 7 of us in the group, 5 of us order the unprinted specials, 1 ordered one of the printed specials, and my honey ordered the tortellini. All of us were very happy with the food, especially those of us who ordered the the unprinted specials - I got the blue cheese crusted steak. My desert was fantastic, and free for my birthday. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that they really should remove one or two tables from the floor to give people a little space. Also, all the staff seems a bit abrupt even the gal who is supposed to greet you as you come up the stairs. read more

Made a reservation for 8:30 pm and we ended up getting our seats at around 10 pm. So around 9:45, they called and said our table was ready, but when they were about to seat us the manager said there was still another party in front of us. When we finally sat down at 10, the service was ok and our waiter was very nice. The food was great and it was surprisingly fast. The food did not make up for the wait time. read more

Came here with a large group of 18 rowdy folks and the staff patiently took great care of all of us. We all shared a few orders of bruschetta, sausage and peppers, and calamari to start. Those dishes were so huge we could've probably stopped right then but almost everyone got a nice big steak to follow. I got the filet medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. They brought out one of each dessert and coffee and Baileys to the table which was icing on the gluttonous cake. The coconut cake was the clear favorite but essentially everything was awesome. I'll be bringing family and friends who visit Chicago back to this spot for sure. Come hungry! read more

Carmine's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My boyfriend and I had an impromptu date .... which turned into an entire day! We went to Chinatown and walked around and ended up back downtown where he was showing me where he worked. We were starving and I am always telling him how much I love Rosebud but haven't been there since I was 19. I've lived here for 8 years now so don't ask me why I haven't gone again. Well Rosebud was still picking up after their fire so we couldn't go there. We kept walking until low and behold we found Carmines - A Rosebud Restaurant. "Ok we HAVE to go here", I said. We ended up sitting outside, it was a perfect day. I had the Penne in Vodka Sauce and it was so unbelievable. Melt in your mouth delicious. I don't even remember what my boyfriend had (I think it was something in bolognaise sauce) because I was so busy oooohing and aaaahing over my meal. He was aaahing over his too! We were arguing over whose meal was better and never did come to an agreement. Either way I really really want to give Carmine's 5 stars and I actually did but had to take one away because our waiter was so unbelievably uninterested in helping us at all. We sat down and he came over after about 20 minutes and asked what we wanted to drink. I ordered a sprite and he had a bus boy bring it back to me. Then he came over and asked if we were ready to order. We ordered. A bus boy brought the food over. Our waiter never even came back to ask us if we needed anything or how it was. We never saw him again. The bus boy wrapped our food for us and even brought us the bill!! We gave our card to the bus boy, but guess who ran the card? Our non-existant "waiter". We gave him the minimum 15%. He came over and didn't even thank us as he took the bill. (He didn't look at it so it wasn't that he was upset over the tip.) Interesting. But I didn't care. The food was SO good. I'll go back again and all will be forgiven. read more

The service was absolutely outstanding, even on a crowded Saturday night . My wine glass was never empty and my water glass was refilled after every sip. ;) The chopped salad was really big and extremely tasty with some uncommon ingredients that included hearts of palm and chopped beets. We ordered the mile high chocolate cake and split it between the five of us. It was so huge, we still had half left. They serve Lavazza coffee which is one of my favorites. It gets a little crowded and noisy but that comes with the neighborhood. I highly recommend Carmine's. read more

My mom and I were in town for the weekend - one of those cold, wet, windy weekends where all you want to do is be inside but instead we had been walking for 30 minutes. All we wanted was some hot food. We went for lunch and expected a lunch menu but not on the weekends. We split the caesar salad and there was entirely too much of it. No possible person could even have that much for a meal. AND IT WAS AWFUL. A restaurant of that quality should never serve lettuce in that condition. I could barely eat it even though I was starving. We split the tortelini meal and it was FANTASTIC. It had prosciutto * a major plus for me * and a white sauce. Between the two of us, what was left over could have been a third meal. Entirely too much food but its so great, I'm thinking I'll go there, get take out and have that for three meals myself. Definitely worth it (I think it was like $20 or something..). However, I have waited tables and was entirely annoyed by the fact that my mom and I were trying to have a conversation but since the server was slow she kept staying at our table and listening to our conversation and adding her opinion - did she really think we care? GO AWAY! Located in the Viagra Triangle so expect lots of old men and primped women. Overall, good food, ok service but expect to drop atleast $25 per person or more. read more

Every time I eat here they treat me like family. I get something different every time and it's better then the last. Skip all the big name steak places in the area and eat at one of the best instead! read more

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Amazing food!! We were going to get individual meals and waiter Dan convinced us to get family style. It was an awesome decision and I would highly recommend going that route. Dan was an amazing waiter who was funny and 100% on point with all his choices. Thanks Dan for a great meal and experience! read more

Carmine's is completely overpriced. The waiters and servers are excellent and very attentive. If you are a true Italian eater then you might find something you enjoy and I pride my self in being one who loves Italian food, but wasn't pleased. The coconut cake is to die for which is what saves this review, I've been here before for a Mother's Day brunch which was divine, but this time not so much! I love the ambiance and the outdoor seating, but I need them to bring more items to the menu! Ok read more

This is a great down town staple. Decent Italian food, but it is really the ambiance and people watching that is what makes this place. I had great tuna sliders and we also had good pasta and drinks. read more

Carmine's - Great bar - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went for drinks with a few co-workers. Not really impressed but, decent. Overall look and feel of the restaurant seemed nice. Drinks made ok, pretty watered down. Definitely nothing compared to Gibson's!!! Would I return.... Probably if nothing else struck my fancy. Outdoor patio was good and lively.. If it wasn't for that, I would have giving this place 2 stars. read more

Last minute decision, but a great one. My wife had the linguine with white clam sauce and I had the Shrimp Fra Diavilo Both were excellent as was the service. read more

Ok, yes this is a very touristy spot. Infact, I never ate here when I actually lived in Chicago. But I was walking home and craving some Italian. The weather was nice and it is a good spot for people watching. The waiter was more than helpful, the service was prompt. The background music filled in the ambiance. the bruschetta was good. And the bread was fresh. The calamari had a nice flavor and didn't even need the dipping sauce. The tomato salad was filled with fresh tomatoes. The cavatelli al forno was a super large portion and could have easily been shared by three! But it was yummy and full of flavor. It may be a tourist spot, but many locals go because the food is good. There is a reason it has remained an institution! read more

Excellent. Have the lunch special. Also very convenient to have parking right out front. Kind staff.

I only go here sometimes because I work down the street but the servers here are d*cks! Our bread was stiff, my friends calamari was under cooked. I'd rather go to Maggiano's for the same price and better food/service! read more

Picture this - 3 girls in their yoga clothes hungry from a Vinyasa & Vino event at the Sutton stroll into Carmine's carrying their mats and completely underdressed for the atmosphere. Well, that was me and Annie T. and our other girlfriend last night. We really wanted to sit down at a 'real' restaurant but our options are limited in the Viagra Triangle without spending big dollars on big steaks. But one of us had been to Carmine's before and dined on their mussels so we figured we would split those and some other appetizers. Best. Idea. Ever. Between the mussels in white wine sauce, the chicken vesuvio, and a caesar salad we left STUFFED with leftovers. You have to be kidding me. An app, an entree, and a salad between three people? No way, you're thinking. Oh, yes way. The mussels were incredible - I was literally taking the half shells and drinking the sauce. The chicken was juicy and flavorful and the peas were a beautiful accompaniment. And the caesar salad was outstanding - fresh lettuce and a nice creamy dressing (remind me to request no anchovies next time though!). And we left paying $18/each with tip and tax. I will totally be back. Hopefully not with such a sassy server though - she wasn't really pleasant but at least we didn't see much of her. read more

Anytime I touchdown in Chicago, I CAN NOT and WILL NOT leave without eating at Carmines on Rush St. The food is exceptional, the vibe (whether indoor or dine outside) is relaxing and sexy. From my personal experience, I only eat outdoors at this restaurant, right on Rush Street, to watch the exotic cars go by and also people-watch ;). As for the menu, it's rather versatile, but my taste buds cant seem to venture off to something other than the Salmon entree.. Anytime you have Salmon and capers on one plate, I'm sold!!! Call me weird, but Im a "capers" type of chic. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a date night, family affair or just want to eat alone and enjoy good food (I'm sure your I-phone will keep you company).. lol Thanks for reading, RTC read more

For starters, the hostess approached us in an outfit that you'd see in a Miami nightclub. The ambience and people looked fine. Our waiter didn't have much hospitality. We overheard him speaking to another waiter about throwing some money into (gambling) some World Cup games. He exited the kitchen with a mouth full of food. We ordered mussels and this dish was okay. But then We ordered stuffed mushroom, that came in a gooey gravy sauce. It was slimy. The mushroom was flat, had no shape, and had cheese on top. It seemed old and frozen!! After we paid we informed the waiter that we didn't like the mushrooms and he told us, "The mushroom is stuffed" which we replied, "We have had stuffed mushrooms before and know what it is"....he never acknowledged that the stuffed mushrooms were bad. At the end he forcefully gave an awkward apology. Just SAVE your money please, this place is awful. read more

The food is out of this world. Stuffed mushrooms are amazing. Staff was courteous and professional. We did not have reservations but they accommodated us on a Friday night. read more

Service was apathetic but did their job. Food was fine but not memorable . The crowd was like a reunion for the extras in goodfellas. They seemed to be getting better service as well. read more

Carmine's - Balls - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

For part of our "traveling" dinner in Chicago this past weekend, we hit up Carmines for our salad course. The bread with the olive oil and parm cheese for dipping almost sent me into heavenly convulsions. (I love bread). I ordered the caprese salad and it was good. Typical caprese. :) Our server was very busy but we didn't feel like we waited too long for anything. We weren't there for too terribly long as we were only doing salads, but the atmosphere was great and we had a nice time. We came back later for their chocolate cake and tirimisu. YUMilicious! PS. The bartender rocked our socks off....we came in about a half hour before close and he was still friendly and didn't rush us out at all. Kept us in stitches with hilarious stories about his mother. Definitely a highlight to the end of our dinner. :) read more

I'm writing this review hoping it is read by the restaurant management; I have no intention of deterring anyone from coming here. For starters, the hosts and hostesses were very turned around. We were sent several places before we found the person to seat us outside. There was quite a delay in drink service, but they came (and were of good quality, but highly priced). My biggest complaint was that the menu was as vague as it could get. There was the name of the dish, but absolutely nothing more. My tortellini had a few ingredients that I would've steered clear of if I'd known they were in there. The staff was very very friendly, but our meals did take quite a while. However, I'm glad to report that the quality of the food made up for the previous discrepancies (although the meals were quite expensive). Anything with tomato sauce will be good, and the tortellini is fabulous. read more

This is one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever eaten at. Recently I've avoided eating at them at all because I'm normally underwhelmed but someone told us that while we were in Chicago we HAD to get Italian food and we HAD to go to Carmine's, so we did and were not disappointed. We started out with the seafood salad and the eggplant salad --- oh my gosh incredible. We could have ended the meal right there. The seafood salad was HUGE (especially for $15 ish) and the citrus dressing on it was perfect for a sunny day. The squid wasn't too chewy either like at a lot of mid-grade Italian restaurants. The eggplant salad was really different - the eggplant is breaded and layered with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and then topped with arugula, parmesan and balsamic. Perfect. Order it. For entrees (this was a huge meal for two people) we ordered the homemade noodles which we were told they are known for and the Veal Marsala. The noodles were great and tasty! I was weary of them because they sounded so plain with just sauce and basil but it was all they needed. The veal was tender and the mushrooms were plentiful. Also our waitress was excellent and super friendly! She told us about a lot of great things to do in Chicago and went above and beyond in terms of serving us. read more

After reading all of the reviews for this place I was ready for an Italian masterpiece... unfortunately that wasn't really the end result. It's not that the food was bad, it was decent... but a bit overpriced I think. I had a simple fare, spaghetti with sausage and it was completely bland until I doused it with parmesean. My wife had a risotto dish that was way too rich (i.e. mammoth portions, and way too buttery). We had tiramisu for dessert which was good, but not exceptional. The service was okay... I wasn't offered a drink refill, although the bus guys were refilling water left and right. Ambiance... way too dark, I understand low light levels in restaurants, but this was a bit much. Also the live jazz was obnoxiously loud... impossible to hear anyone but the person sitting next to you. Overall my experience here wasn't awful, but it was nowhere near the level that others reviewing here reported, and definitely not good enough for a return visit. read more

Carmine's is a good place to go for traditional (American style) Italian food. Big portions with all of your typical favorites on the menu (chicken parm, ravioli, manicotti, etc.) Food is definitely good, and it's right in the heart of Viagra triangle. Great place to take out of town parents. We took my husband's parents, and the loved it. Highly recommend going in the summer for their great patio. read more

Highly recommended. We had a wonderful lunch at Carmine's this past weekend, while visiting Chicago. As we strolled the neighborhood, we came across this wonderful area peppered with restaurants. It was a sunny day (first in a few days) and everyone was out lunching on the various patios. We picked Carmine's as it had the prettiest patio, great menu, and we got a sweet table facing the street, great for people (and dog, as it turns out) watching. Our server was Garrett, and he was terrific. Very attentive and informative, he helped make our meal great. We had the burger and the vodka pasta. While it's not noted on the menu, the pasta can be "customized" as Garrett pointed out, so I had it with spicy sausage. It was a bit heavy for lunch, and there was enough left over for an appetizer-sized portion, but nonetheless, it was excellent. The burger, complete with all the trimmings was equally as good, no complaints here. All in all, we had a really enjoyable stay at Carmine's. read more

Went here a few weekends ago and had a great overall dining experience. We made a reservation, but they were busy so we had to wait about 15 minutes. We grabbed a drink at the bar and enjoyed the live band. They had some very fresh bread that was served and I had bruschetta for an appetizer which was good. For dinner, I had a pasta that was very similar to gnocchi with a red sauce and covered with mozarella. It was very good both for the pasta itself and for the dish as a whole. read more

While I had a really nice time at dinner here last night, I am a little concerned about a few things... The boyfriend took me last night for our anniversary. We had a reservation and had to wait a little bit, but it ended up working great because we had a perfect table in a little nook upstairs. Don't sit downstairs if you want to have a romantic dinner, that's more for a loud group that wants to drink lots and lots of wine. My first concern is the service. Our server, Kimberly, while very nice was a bit odd. She couldn't remember if she had introduced herself or told us about the specials and we had to ask for a wine list. I found that strange. She also talked to us strangely about the food like "it's cool" and "it's awesome, right?" Maybe it was because we look young, but for a nice restaurant, I was surprised by the service. She was very nice and took fine care of us...just a little strange. If you are going to order an appetizer, I highly suggest the sausage and peppers, it is absolutely delicious. For dessert, I suggest the cheesecake, which was also very good and it's a huge portion. For an entree, I ordered the veal saltimbocca. It was very good. My only other concern about this restaurant has to do with my boyfriend's entree. He ordered the beef brasato and it had a huge bone in it. That's just dangerous and I wasn't sure if we should say anything. We didn't, just because we were enjoying our anniversary dinner so much, we didn't want to ruin it. But I just think it should at least be mentioned. Be careful, because you could either choke or break a tooth on something like that. Hopefully, it was just a one time mistake. Aside from the bone issue, I enjoyed the food. It's not grandma's cooking, but it's pretty good Italian eats. read more

A nice restaurant with a great patio right accross from Viagra Park. The atmosphere was pleasant especially at night. Unfortunately the same could not be said about the food. The bread and olive oil topped with grated parmasan was first rate. The calamari fritti was sliced to large for my taste and was quite oily. The chicken marsala was average and the lasagna slightly better. Better options in the area (that I've been to) is Gibsons and the Gelato place in the park (for desert of course). Definitely overrated. Exc - Patio, bread wth olive oil and parmasan Good - None Ave - Food, service Poor - None read more

This is a great place to eat outside and people watch in Chicago. The BF and I came here for lunch on the 4th of July and were not disappointed. We were walking around checking out all of the different restaurants when we walked by Carmine's, and the BF spotted something eating a shrimp po boy. Needless to say, our decision on where to eat was made. We sat in the garden area which is half inside/half outside. The booth was huge, so we were one of those weird couples that sat on the same side. The food was amazing. BF got the three miniature shrimp po boys and I got the balsamic portabella sandwich. The portions were large and delicious. Our waiter was attentive and service was great overall. My one complaint was the little gnat bugs that kept bugging us the whole time while we were eating. I'm not sure what fault this is of the restaurant but it was still a pain. The inside of the restaurant looks beautiful. I'm sure we'll be back and either sit inside or outside (just not in the garden) to escape those bugs. read more

Went here on a saturday night. The layout is a bit different than you would expect, with large trays of food being carried back and forth through the host area. Even with a reservation we were not seated for 30 minutes or so. The server was OK, not the most attentive but on a busy Saturday night that can be expected. The pasta/sauce was very good. The atmosphere is not your typical restaurant. I understand it is a saturday and very busy, but the noise level of the entire establishment is off the charts, to the point where you have difficulty communicating with those at your table. I would give 4 stars for the food, and 2 stars for the atmosphere, so gave an even 3. I would go back if invited, but would not go out of my way to plan an evening here. read more

Great old school italian! We got oysters and Frutti De Mare... service was great! Romantic setting, we went on Valentine's Day :) read more

Carmine's - So much food for your $$ - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My husband and I came in here thinking that it was an Italian-style steakhouse. Well, it is, but there aren't very many steak options to be found on the menu. In fact, despite having numerous options, it didn't really feel like I ended up with much of a choice on what I wanted. Strange. In the end, I ordered the beef brasato while my husband got the orecchiette salsiccia. The portions are big here, so either split an entree or do not get any other items. On top of your entree, there's plenty of bread. I did like my beef brasato quite a bit, and my husband's entree was also pretty good. The problem is that I was expecting something a little more unique, and instead our meal was on par with Olive Garden. It isn't terribly expensive to eat here, but it's not cheap either. Service is just so-so, but there is a nice outdoor seating area that we ate in. When I lived in Chicago and would take the bus down into the Gold Coast, I wondered what this place tastes like. Now I know. Whatever. read more

What a weird dining experience.... been here before and our server was never to be found, this time we had 3 servers and none of them knew what was going on. Went to Carmines this weekend with a table of 12. We sat down and instead of giving us time to settle they started shouting appetizer options. Someone ordered a special and kindly he rushed to put it in so she could have the last one but didn't tell the kitchen a whole table of food was coming. Before salads came out, so did her meal... which she slowly picked at while no one else had entrees. Dinner came and went and servers were pushing dessert and checks. Not amazing food, service or atmosphere. read more