My husband and I came to carmines for a date night on Friday night. I was able to make reservations for 6pm online the night before. This place has traditional Italian vibes and we got to sit by the window which was good for people watching. The food is good and portions were enormous. We got the bruschetta, eggplant parm, chicken Milanese, Brussels, and mile high chocolate cake. My husband also got an old fashioned. The bill ended up being fairly high but was to be expected for this type of restaurant in Gold Coast. read more

Carmine's - Mile High Cake - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came to Carmine's for lunch while on a business trip. The location was super convenient since it was located on a busy street with other restaurant/shops within walking distance to our hotel. We were seated in a cute outside area and had our orders taken right away. I ordered the beef tenderloin sandwich while some others in my party ordered the meatball sandwich pasta fagioli soup and burger. The food was good but it did not blow me away. For the price I was expecting something better than what we received. It I were to return to Chicago I would check out the other Italian restaurants in the area. read more

Carmine's - Beef Tenderloin sandwich Lunch - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Feels like authentic Italian! Their chopped salad is a staple for the table, or amazing on its own! read more

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Best calamari around--Period! My mom visits specifically for just this. It's the thickest most delicious calamari with a light, crispy and buttery breading that isn't greasy. Honesty worth going for just this, some minestrone soup and a glass of wine. Perfect meal. read more

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I have been to Carmine's for dinner many times but was so surprised by their brunch menu. Firstly their cocktails are amazing and generously portioned. I got a white sangria which came in a huge wine glass and was delicious. We started out with the fruit platter appetizer which was visually so beautiful but also so refreshing. It came with a side of lemon sorbet which was lovely on a warm summer morning. For our entrees we got the traditional and the crab cake Benedict and they were amazing! It's truly one of the better brunch spots in Chicago, especially with the ability to sit outside in the middle of the Gold Coast. The staff were friendly and welcoming, ambiance was wonderful, and it truly was a delicious brunch that I will keep coming back for! read more

Carmine's - Fresh Florida Fruit Plate - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We went to Carmine's on the first night of Chicago Restaurant Week and we chose this restaurant based on their menu online. The food was very good, but the service was super disappointing. First, we were confused because online the restaurant week menu stated that you get an appetizer, salad, pasta, entree (meat) and a dessert. In the restaurant they said that we had to pick between a pasta and an entree which was misleading & not a good deal for the price. Also, our server was fairly rude, rushed us and didn't seem to care. Like I said the food was really good but for how expensive it was, the service we had, and the misleading menu, I don't recommend! read more

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The three of us went for a special dinner. We ate outside . We did venture inside but determined that between the music and the people trying to talk over the music, it would have been too difficult. My friends had pasta that they both raved about. We shared a plate of Mussels which were fresh and meaty. I ordered the mixed grilled fish which had octopus , squid and shrimp. It sat in a clear sauce that seemed to be vinegar based with a little kick to it and interesting spices. The hostess was amazing . It was a Saturday night at 9pm and the outside was packed. Many women were dressed up. Reservations are a must. The food is great and the prices support this. read more

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Very pleasant experience! At the time we arrived, the restaurant was not too busy, so we were seated right away. It was cold outside, so we started right away with the Minestrone soup, and then I had the Chilean Seabass (loved it - very rich and flavorful) and my partner had the Pork Chop Calabrese. The portions are huuuge, I might even recommend sharing one plate. But we loved the food, we loved our server Ivan, and we loved the ambiance! Definitely coming back! read more

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We walked in to Carmine's this rainy morning, mostly looking for good coffee and were greeted by friendly staff and a nice, warm ambience so we sat down for breakfast! Being self proclaimed good coffee connoisseur's we were happy to be served nice hot cups of Lavazza! We were in the mood for some sweet and some savory options so we went with the eggplant stack and banana's foster French toast and both were great. They have a nice menu of mimosas but no fresh juice options so for that I give them a four. If I'm looking for breakfast/brunch I'm wanting fresh squeezed juice options. We love Carmine's tho and really appreciate the friendly staff and warmth of this particular location. read more

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Our group of 7 went to Carmines for dinner after a tradeshow. We didn't have a reservation and knew getting in might be difficult, but by some miracle, the manager squeezed us in. Literally, we were seated right in front of a storage area cabinet for glasses and carryout boxes. It was a little awakward at times but not as terrible as I thought it might be. Our server, Angela, arrived to take drink orders and give us the run down of specials. Angela was pretty spectacular. My only issue was after order two bottles of wine, she then mentioned that they had magnums in that wine, which would have been 2.5 bottles. It's a big oversight, in my opinion. The servings here are HUGE! Your meal could easily serve 2 or 3 people depending. It's not family style by any means, just a lot of food. Be prepared to eat. And eat we did. We started with meatballs. Delicious! For my entree, I ordered baked ziti and had to stop myself from eating it all. So good. The rest of my coworkers all raved about their dishes, too. We ordered a tiramisu for the table to share, and it was an excellent choice. Overall, we had a wonderful experience at Carmines. I think it was a great choice for a large group and offered a little something for everyone. The large, flavorful Italian dishes just can't be beat. read more

Carmine's was pretty good! I enjoyed their ribbons bolognese and a glass of the montepulciano. Service was on point and ambiance was darker in the bar area but comfortable and cozy. Good spot on Rush street. read more

I know that they are in the process of renovating but I have meant to post these for quite some time. I had the opportunity to dine outside on the patio and enjoyed a nice array of delicious foods. Currently, they are working on 4 Million on the Renovations. The drinks were perfect for a nice sunny day. The presentation was everything. The stuffed mushrooms melted in your mouth. I had never had grilled calamari with roasted veggies but they were perfectly seasoned. The food is amazing and I can't wait for them to reopen but until then please visit the Rosebud location closest to you! read more

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For some reason this is a crowd favorite with out of town visitors. They always want to go here. Never had any issues and the food is always good and the scene is intimate and nice if you get sat in the room with the bar. Outside during the summer is a vibe too. read more

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I am in town visiting my mother who lives a few blocks from the Gold Coast Triangle. We decided on Carmine's for drinks and appetizers and sat at the bar. Our server, Ralph, was very attentive and spot on with service. We never had an empty water glass the entire time we were there. We also had a few drinks. We enjoyed the stuffed mushrooms, which were in a wine/butter sauce, great for dipping the bread in. The Caprese Salad had large red tomatoes with a nice size piece of mozzarella on each piece along with a piece of basil. And the meatballs were delicious. They had a meat blend and were covered with tomato sauce. The calamari was also good. It wasn't chewy. read more

Love the food here but have to say the chops on their dish of the day was not that great for the price. Also I wish it wasn't so loud inside and hence another star taken away. Overall though the food is great. I especially LOVEE their lasagna and tiramisu was a great way to end the night!!! Oh and also the Parmesan crusted chicken yum!!!! Just get it! :) read more

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Without a doubt, Carmines is a solid Chicago staple of patio dinning charm with generous portions and top calibur waitstaff! A great place to take friends visiting the City because it will leave them wanting to come back for more! We came ravished from a busy day and left feeling overindulged with plenty "to-go"! We choose family style dishes: Veal Maršala topped with beautiful mushrooms, House made square noodles over tomato vodka sauce and mamma's massive meatballs.... yummmy in our tummies! Totally drool worthy. Its Gold Coast pricing though and everything is al la carte - you get what you pay for and in this case still worth the splurge:) We dined al fresco underneath the heated lamps which was perfect on an October night and had the sweetest waitress who had been there over 5 Years and knew everything there was to know about the menu and our requested modifications. Plus she had the most upbeat personality which made it only that much more inviting to stay and enjoy every ounce with the company I came with. read more

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My friend and I had a delicious meal at Carmine's recently. I had the Chicken Francese, and my friend had the Vodka Rigatoni. Both were excellent! Nice vibe in an intimate feeling restaurant in Chicago's Gold Coast. Service was excellent. We'll definitely be back! read more

This restaurant is never as packed as Tavern in Rush (which is slated to close) but I have no idea why? The service and food is outstanding. They offer outstanding cocktails, to die for bruschetta! Yum yum! And fabulous entrees. Indeed I think the food is as good or better! The only reason for the four stars is that it tends to be a little too pricey for some items. However, we even enjoyed talking to the management staff who took pains to explain our cocktail ingredients and was super friendly! read more

Carmine's - Sangria! Smashed cucumbers and strawberries--this was fab! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We love carmines in NYC and were excited to try! Unfortunately the service was super slow, the food was just meh, but the cake was amazing! The chicken parm was Luke warm and the vegetables didn't stand out. Also sad they didn't have the fried green beans like nyc does. It was raining so we had to sit inside and expected a fun atmosphere but didn't get that vibe at all. Chicago carmines has a long way to go to catch up to nyc! But the chocolate cake made it all worth it . read more

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Having lived in the Gold Coast at one point, I knew Carmine's was a nice spot worth checking out. Let me tell you what's up. The atmosphere is hard to deny. The interior is intimate both during the day and at night. I strongly recommend you come at night. If you're someone who enjoys some people watching, the patio area is brilliant. You get to observe folks from all sorts of backgrounds. It's just friggin' entertaining to see what's going on, especially on the lively Friday and Saturday nights. But if you need something a bit more intimate, indoors is the obvious choice. Now, arguably more important for many of us - the food... It's okay. Honestly, it's a bit overpriced for what you get. I'm not talking quantity. I'm talking quality. Some examples... Fettuccine alfredo. Fairly simple dish right? Pretty bland, lacking any depth whatsoever. You'll need to find the crushed red chili peppers, some ground black peppers, and whatever else you can to give the dish any sort of actual flavor. For $20+? Please... Square noodles. Absolutely solid. I recommend it. Tomato basil sauce is delicious. You just need to sprinkle some Parmesan and you're set. No additional seasoning required. Asparagus. Can't go wrong with an order of this. Comes with a netted bag of lemon to drizzle with. Cooked just right, not soggy. Bruschetta (special of the day). Amaaaazing. Top notch. Avocados, olives, delicious and fresh tomatoes. Drizzled with olive oil and I think some vinaigrette. The shrimp was unnecessary. Hardly any flavor. Thoughtlessly seasoned on just one side. Gelato. I don't think they know the different between gelato and wait for it... ice cream. Ordered vanilla gelato. Got vanilla ice cream with an under-ripe strawberry that was partially frozen. I had their Meiomi Pinot Noir at $15/glass. Delicious wine, seriously. But did you know you can get an entire bottle at Target for just $25? That's a huge convenience pricing if you ask me. Almost robbery. Think it through before you only order by the glass. Wrapping this up - ever have your server complain about the tip you gave? You can expect some attitude if you haven't tipped your server to his/her expectations, for essentially an hour's worth of a friendly smile and service which was basic (not bad per se, but nothing special either). You don't harass your clients because you weren't happy with your tip. When you work FOH, you're the face of the business. Not smart, fella. read more

Was in town for work and one of my coworkers suggested this place. I had the pasta squares with meat sauce. It was delicious. The others ordered lasagne, steak and sea bass. We also had a fried calamari appetizer. The dipping sauce had plenty of horseradish. It was so good. I tasted everything and it was all phenomenal. The service was also great! Bring a big appetite. Portions are huge. I recommend sharing an entree read more

Carmine's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have to say - I really do love Carmine's and everything about it. This neighborhood spot is big and bustling and is ran old school style. A huge street front presence, Carmine's looks fantastic as you approach and offers the best people watching in town. Rush Street is always jumping, no matter the day of the week. Service is always impeccable from the host desk to service to management. The reservation process is easy. When I arrive the hosts always greet me immediately and seat me quickly. My servers have always been on top of their game offering attentive service even during the most busy evenings. Then there are the Managers. They know how to run a big ship and still make each customer feel appreciated. The cuisine is interesting and memorable. Homemade pasta that melts in your mouth, sauces to dream about and decadent desserts that leave you with a smile. Satisfaction is always the end result. read more

Carmine's - Sauvignon Blanc & Lemon Sorbet! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I really love Carmine's .., they were so accommodating to change my reservation a few times yesterday to celebrate our daughters 10th bday. When we finally arrived we were quickly escorted to the garden dining area which is special ... seated near a group of youngsters, 20 minutes into the evening my husband turned to the bunch of young people and said please be mindful we have kids at our table . He also complained to our waitress and she warned them as well .... apparently they were talking very sleazy and derogatory sex talk at which point my husband was furious and requested to move to another table and the hostess was unable to accommodate . The family had a very unpleasant time despite the food being top notch . The atmosphere was so terse that we didn't order dessert either but the waitress was trying her best and brought the bday gal cannoli with a candle . I don't think our family will be going back to Carmines our favorite Chicago Italian restaurant . So sad about the bitter experience !! read more

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We live right next door and have never been, so we took advantage of the long and made a reservation for 5 pm on a Sunday. We were sat immediately on the patio (our preference) and had water within seconds. I ordered a martini, very dirty and the martini came not dirty at all. No big deal, our waiter brought me a shot of olive juice. We started with salads, the Cesar was delicious and the house salad was just okay. Not much to it. My pasta (penne al vodka) was tasty, but kinda like the salad, not much to it. Overall, the place is okay for the ambiance but the food is just meh. Didn't blow me away, but it also wasn't "bad" per se. read more

Carmine's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Calamari and Cocktails were so-so but we really enjoyed the Chicken Vesuvio and Baked Cavatelli. Both portions were more than enough for 2-3 people. We left full and happy! read more

Carmine's - Chicken Vesuvio & Baked Cavatelli - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was the dinner destination of our girls weekend downtown and we were so happy with our experience! We were thrilled to sit outside in such beautiful weather and the people watching was fun too Our food was fantastic! I enjoyed the Tortellini Carbonara which was so creamy and rich, highly recommend! My friends had the Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Piccata, and the Penne Pasta with garlic and broccolini which were all wonderful. We shared the calamari for an appetizer which was good, but not the most amazing i've ever had. Portion sizes were enormous so if you are coming with a smaller group I would recommend sharing! Aside from our food, the cocktails were great and I thoroughly enjoyed my Aperol Spritz! The service for the most part was excellent. We got seated right away and our waiter couldn't have been more sweet. Things did take a bit of time coming out and we did wait for our check for a long while. However, being that it was the first weekend Chicago was open 100% capacity, I'm sure the kitchen was absolutely slammed and doing their best to accommodate everyone. Overall, great experience at Carmines and we will be back! read more

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It's been 7 hours and 15 days since you took your grub away! I go out every night and sleep all day since you took your grub away... I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant. But nothing I said nothing can take away my booze! Thankfully, Carmines has the cure for love, loss, and lasagna! The food portions are large enough to share with your BAE. If you were recently dumped, the portions are large enough to take half home to eat in front of the tv. The Chicken Parm is almost as good as Rosebud, but just as HUUUGE. So, if you have an itch to hit the Triangle, this is one spot you should not pass up. Keep room for a doggy bag or just get really really huuuge. read more

We had an absolutely lovely dinner here. The service was top notch. The food was delicious everything was perfect. The drinks (old fashioned and extra dirty martini) were well made, really good wine list, the pasta was perfectly al dente, AND the seafood was fresh. I'm a super picky native south Florida seafood snob and they did not disappoint! It can get a bit loud - a happy loud with good conversation, laughing, and good food, kind of loud. I love places that make me feel like I'm over at a friends for dinner! read more

This is for the kitchen: I was pleasantly surprised. I don't remember the last time I was in Carmine's. I did however make a bold move and ordered it for delivery last night. It's very rare that I order steak as it is, let alone for delivery. Usually doesn't travel well. We had steamed lobster with drawn butter, wagyu flank steak with brandy peppercorn, lamb chop lollipops, a meatball for my dog, and the lobster bisque. Like I said, I rarely order steak. I love it, but only when it's done right. My boyfriend eats steak weekly and was feeling lamb instead (usually the other way around for us). I took a gamble and this was the first time I did not have to season it, it was prepared perfectly, still hot when I got it, and I was shocked I could eat my entire meal in one sitting. THIS IS STEAK. It is hard to impress me when it comes to steak. I also love my food ridiculously temperature hot at all times. I also had never ordered the brandy peppercorn sauce before and I wish they sold it by the bottle... that good. The asparagus that came with it had the perfect crunch. I wish I knew it came with fries instead of a different potato, like mashed. In the restaurant I would've happily welcomed them and eaten the fries first. I would've loved it, could've done without it for delivery, but they didn't go to waste! It's not because they weren't prepared well or right, I just love hot food and fries never travel well. Just a personal preference. Lobster is always my go to. I devoured that baby. Fought off my boyfriend for it. I wouldn't share. He wouldn't share his lobster bisque. Clearly we loved everything with lobster. Been difficult to find lobster lately too on menus amd that also travels well. Lamb chop lollipops were fantastic. I usually get 2 orders of those, I had a bite, but I was full from my steak, so my boyfriend ate those amd were practically inhaled. My dog absolutely loved her meatball. She started crying when she ate it all, she wanted more. Hats off to the kitchen! I will never doubt ordering delivery from you. Can't wait to try your food at the restaurant. It's hard to impress me with steak, consider me impressed and craving more. read more

Cute Italian style side walk seating on a beautiful fall day in the city sold us for dinner The food was good and large enough for sharing The only thing I'd complain about has nothing to do with the restaurant- side walk construction read more

Staple Italian food on Rush street with great atmosphere and good people watching. The food is rich and always tasty except the chopped salad. I want to like it because I love all the veggies but it's just so bland! All the portions are huge so everything is definitely shareable including the salads. I ordered the eggplant stack salad as my entree and it was still too much food. Definitely check it out! read more

Carmine's - Eggplant Stack (it's like a double decker sandwich, huge!) - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Was the food great? Yes. But let's get to the important stuff: the service. We had Jay, he was so sweet, attentive and overall an amazing server. I would come back simply for Jay. read more

If I could give this restaurant negative stars, I would. By far the worst dining experience that I've ever had the misfortune of enduring. This restaurant was recommended by three friends, so my family and I had high hopes going in. We had the worst waitress that any of us had ever had. She forgot orders, would disappear for long lengths of time, and was very unprofessional. When we asked for napkins and utensils, she simply responded with "every restaurant can't be perfect". The espresso martinis were very sweet, half filled and extremely average. The Mediterranean salad was good but nothing to write home about. We waited over an hour from the time we ordered our entrees, to when they actually arrived. We asked our waitress and a manger multiple times where the food was. The manager explained the entrees would be out in 3 mins. Well 20 minutes later they finally arrived. For the entrees, we ordered the meat lasagna, minestrone soup, cheese raviolis and linguine and clams (gluten-free, for me). My gluten-free dish came with 2 pieces of sourdough on top of the pasta.... My brothers lasagna was dry, my moms soup was lukewarm and had no flavor, and my dads raviolis were just bad. After explaining the situation to the manager, he had no apologies. Not only did he not offer to take anything off of the $300+ bill but he wasn't sincere, offered little explanation, and was just rude. Honestly such a horrible experience. We went across the street for tacos at 9:45 to finally eat dinner. read more

Walked by here on a nice night and sat outside. the wait staff was very friendly and attentive. the food was great with large portions. Would highly recommend coming here. I had the eggplant parm and my husband had the lasagna. read more

Carmine's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Avoid this place like the "rona" until they get more servers and cooks. Twice in a row the service was non-existant. The first time the kitchen literally forgot about our order and after our server finally interveened they eventually brought out the app and one of the entrees, with the other entree to follow ten minutes later. The second time no server came to our table for 15 minutes after we were seated so we left. I get that it's really hard to find employees right now so they should know that they need to reduce the number of tables they attempt to serve. But this place is heavy on the tourist trade so they apparently don't care. Oh well. They don't care so I don't care. Buyer beware. read more

Yelp lied to me and told me the attire of this place was casual. I listened even though it said the ambience was classy. I was fooled. We walked in and immediately felt underdressed. Most people here were dressed as if they were going for a fancy night out- dresses, heels- and there I was standing in my jeans and boots. Oops! But beyond the attire mishap, I had a pretty good experience here. The food was great! Everything comes in ginormous portions! The pictures on Yelp definitely do not look as big as they actually are. For appetizers we got the fried calamari and baked clams. So delicious! Definitely cannot go wrong with either of those choices. For entrees, we decided to each try a pasta dish. Together we got the square pasta with vodka sauce, penne salsiccia and the cavatelli al forno. All were super tasty! I really liked the texture and cook of the square pasta, and its homemade! The penne came with broccolini and sausage and had a nice spicy kick to it, which was a pleasant surprise. And the cavatelli- super cheesy goodness! For dessert we ordered a tiramisu and the creme brûlée. I thought it would be a small piece of tiramisu and I was mistaken- it was this ginormous piece and I ended up not being able to finish. I've definitely had better tiramisu though- this one was a little too dense and not as airy as I would've liked. The creme brûlée was slightly better but had a stronger egg taste than I'm used to for this dessert. The waiters were all very nice and some were even funny and very personable. Overall a very good experience. I would love to come back and sit out in the patio sometime when it is warmer out! read more

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We had the absolute pleasure of having Mari as our server tonight. What a complete angel!! She was professional as it gets. Food servings are bountiful and like a giant hug!! This is our special family event spot. Thank you all!! read more

Amazing chicken and eggplant parm as well as the tortellini carbonara. DO NOT GET CANNOLI. Fake "pistachios" on the cannoli ends. By fake pistachios I mean green dyed crushed peanuts and the ricotta filling was wicked sweet. The service was phenomenal and the even split our dishes and portioned them out!!! Overall I loved our dinner and drinks. Sad ending to the night though. read more

Carmine's - "Pistachio" cannoli - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great seafood and Italian pastas . Very good craft cocktails and great service . Sat fast and food came fast and hot . Will be back !! read more

Carmine's - Outside from 140 feet up - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Okay, this one pains me to write because I really wanted to love it here because Italian is my favorite! First, we made a reservation for this place (my first time in Chicago) and when we show up, we were greeted very rudely and then sat in a rush. When I say "in a rush" I mean, we literally had someone put a piece of paper with a time written down, indicating when we needed to LEAVE on our table. On top of that, as we were being seated, before I could even take my coat off, we were asked what we wanted to drink and what food we wanted. Um, excuse me? Haha it was very strange and just came across extremely rude. So that was strange and I would honestly leave a decent review if the food knocked my socks off but it was average and the service was even worse. Im my opinion, it is overpriced and I would have rather had the tacos across the street. Sorry. Three stars cause the outdoor seating had potential, it was very pretty and tight-knit. read more

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