Covid dining, great success. Outdoor tables spread very far apart. Its nice dining in the street honestly, I almost prefer it. The servers were all very informative and helpful and everything was timed perfectly. The food was delicious and the three of us ordered enough for 6 people, we feasted like kings. I have some personal rules during Covid dining. Always tip well over 25%, always ask the server if they would like us to wear our masks when they come to take our order (it should be their choice since they are the ones putting themselves out there having to work during this time), and always be a little forgiving if there are any mistakes since restaurants are doing their best during this weird time. Dining out is different now but It did not feel that way on Saturday night, everything was great. The owner even came by to talk to us and made sure we had everything we needed. Definitely recommend this place. read more

Sooooo good! Hubby and I were so excited to try Carmine's On Penn and we invited my sister in-law and brother in-law to join us. It reminded me of a resturant you would find in Little Italy in NYC. It was a nice evening, so the window's were open and not too crowded yet. I loved the vibe of Carmine's - lots of conversations and laughter. Everyone seemed to be have a great time. The staff were buzzing around taking care of everyone. I felt like I was on vacation! I love that everything is served family style. Hubby and I like to try a little bit of everything when we check out a new place, so this was right up our alley. The in-laws were on board too, so instead of ordering dishes for 4 people, we ordered them each for 2 people. It worked out fantastic! Everyone else had wine with dinner, but I had the Patio Punch cocktail. It was great, not too sweet, with a little bit of fizz from the Prosecco. As for food, we started off with the Anitpasti Misti appetizer. Great selection of meats and cheeses. The home made mozzerella was so soft and creamy. A couple of fried olives came with the plate, which I never knew existed, but became a huge fan of. I loved the lemon focaccia bread that was served with the plate although not everyone at the table liked it. Oh, the galic dinner rolls that they serve are to die for! We ordered the House Salad and Pear Salad. Both were pretty tasty and heavily dressed. That was probably my least favorite part of the meal, but I still ate it! LOL! Next time we may ask them to go light on the dressing. For entrees, we ordered the Meatballs with Vodka Sauce and Veal Parm. I'm a huge fan of Vodka sauce and Carmine's was absolutely delish! Very rich and creamy and the meatballs were nicely seasoned. The veal was really tender, but the vodka sauce was my fave. We finished with the Cheescake w/Carmel Sauce and the Banana Split. Heaven! Seriously, my mouth is watering now just thinking about it! We had a wonderful time at Carmine's. Amazing dishes made with high quality ingredients. We will definately be back! Cheers! read more

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I've eaten here a few times and the food and service have always been good. If you go on a weekend night be sure to make a reservation, during the week there's usually quick seating for walk ins. The wine selection is great and the menu is simple but delicious. The pear salad is awesome and the garlic knots melt in your mouth. The marina sauce is very good, not sweet or too acidic. The pastas are fresh and the portions sizes are generous...even for two. Everything is served family style. It's a great place for a group or romantic date. read more

I have been wanting to eat here for years and so glad that I finally did! We enjoyed a great bottle of wine and a delicious meal! The bread served to the table is absolutely amazing. I could have eaten the entire bread basket by myself! Everything is served family style so I was glad that I was with a group of five so that I could try a lot of food. We had the Portabella mushrooms for an appetizer and those were very good. The house salad is great if you like Gorgonzola cheese. We had the seasonal gnocchi and the bolognese and it was all delicious. The only thing that I wouldn't order again is the bolognese. It was good, just nothing that I would go back for. But everything else was incredible! The five of us left very full, with some leftovers. I definitely suggest making a reservation if you're going to go on a weekend night. read more

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Great family style Italian in a nice neighborhood setting . Plan on sharing as they don't make plates for one which is part of the experience read more

UPDATE! So it turns out that we just ordered poorly the first time we went to Carmine's on Penn. During our 2nd visit, my wife and I paid more attention to the suggestions of our waitress. It made a huge difference in our experience! We loaded up with the complimentary garlic knots, bruschetta appetizer, baked ziti bolognese and cannolis for dessert. All incredibly delicious and highly recommended. Their staff is well informed of everything on their menu and how certain items pair well together. We left feeling extremely full and with leftovers for days! We will definitely be back soon. read more

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We heard Carmines was good but man... this place was GREAT! We celebrated my birthday here and the food and service were top notch! From the bread to the wine- I wouldn't change a thing! Highly recommend. read more

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I've been eating at this restaurant for 20 years and have never left a review. I've dined here at least 50 times and 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years. It's been through a couple of different owners in that time, and it seems to still be going strong. And I'm not sure why? I will say the service was excellent, all around great service. The food, unfortunately, not so much. For a group of 4, we ordered the Chicken Frescha, Lemon Shrimp,and Spaghetti Bologonese. The chicken was mushy under an obnoxious amount of arugula salad and tasted bitter, the lemon shrimp was very overcooked and had an overwhelming saucy lemon zest taste, last and least the Bologonese was very acidic and bland. For dessert, we ordered the cookie ice cream sandwich and NY Cheese Cake. The cookie sandwich was ridiculously large, each cookie was probably 10oz, and as hard as concrete, actually hurt trying to bite through it, and tasted like it was 2 months old, the Gelato or ice cream inside tasted freezer burned. We were actually pretty annoyed that the server didn't mention that the ice cream cookie was large enough to feed 6 people, much less one 11 year old child. The cheesecake also tasted and appeared refrigerator burned, smothered in a jammy tasting strawberry preserve. And to top it off, they now add a 22% service charge to all checks without much explaination as to whom and how they distribute the $$ collected. Safe to say that after 20 years of visiting this restaurant I will not be back. read more

Down the tubes - Used to be a go to Italian in Denver. Food and service - seriously deteriorated. Fruitti de Mare - Marinara pretty bad, sauce tasted like bad jar product. Waiter lies about substituting king crab for scallops. "Yeah, it all gets shredded in there so you can't see it"? Run over to Barolo on Sixth Ave. they still have it. read more

I used to LOVE carmines. I've come here for my birthday, graduations, etc. but it's definitely gone downhill. The service was horrible (took 30 minutes to get a drink) and our food came out luke warm. They also charge a ridiculous "service charge" that doesn't count as a tip. I will not be coming back here when there's so many other great Italian places in Denver. Disappointing. read more

My sister and I had the pleasure of visiting Carmine's last night. I had never even heard of this Denver icon (a shame, really) before we visited. We were lucky to get a table on a Saturday night (though truth behold most people in the area were visiting American Grind, next on my list.) Since we both didn't feel like drinking any alcohol, we both ordered Italian sodas because apparently we are five years old, but can I just say, they were WONDERFUL. Italian sodas take skill, and these were some of the best we have had, in both strawberry and vanilla. Next up, we shared a delicious Caesar salad and, I kid you not, the best table side bread I've ever had. It's soft, gooey and delicious, perfect with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and ultimately worth dying for. (A tip: save some for your meal. It's harder than it sounds.) I will be returning to this restaurant for the bread alone. We decided to share the Chicken Parmesan and the Vodka Pasta with meatballs. The Vodka pasta sauce was delicious: spicy without being overwhelming, thick and creamy and generously shared. The meatballs were the only things that left us desiring more: they were a bit tasteless and somewhat dry, but that didn't stop us from eating them. The Chicken Parm was very good and quite huge: the chicken breasts had been pounded down until they were roughly the size of Texas, smothered in thick cheese and toasted until they were perfectly crisp. They did not come with pasta, so for a true American Italian dish, order the pasta on the side. We were stuffed, and so dessert was out of the question, but I would like to return one day and chill on the bread so we can get dessert. Or maybe not. read more

Family style itilian that is done very well. The seasonal ravioli with the white wine cream sauce was amazing. A great place to have a family enjoy a wonderful evening. read more

Excellent excellent excellent in quality of food, service & ambiance. I thought I was in Little Italy in New York.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money for nothing special. I came here with a large party for a rehearsal dinner for a wedding and was told it was absolutely fabulous. They provided us with an entire side of the patio. The patio is at an angle, so sitting there is a little bit awkward. You either feel like you're falling into the table or like you're falling backwards. They have the tables leveled, though. We had probably 18 people in our party and they only gave us one waiter. Getting drink refills was a challenge to say the least. It took well over 2 hours to have dinner. The drinks were really good, their bartender is very good. I tried two different cocktails and both were delicious. Several other people in the party followed suit and all enjoyed their cocktails, too. Good feelings end there. The food was not nearly as good. They serve food in a "family style" which means you get heaping piles of food you're supposed to pass around and take servings of and share with everyone. That's all fine and dandy in theory and probably works pretty well for small parties of 2-6. However, when you have a huge party of people and they're eating on someone else's dime, they take gigantic portions and end up not sharing the food with others - of course, it could just be that the party I was with was full of inconsiderate people (likely). The food itself was just mediocre. I'm gluten free and had to have the risotto. I'll just say I've had better risotto in Iceland. I make better risotto at home. My husband tried a couple of the other dishes and was unimpressed. For the price, the food is sub par. Honestly, I'd be A-OK if I never ate here again. The food is mediocre, very expensive, and honestly not worth the calories. read more

Bruschetta to start. Gnocchi and Vodka Ravioli this night of this written review. We always have a great time at Carmine's. Seating can be difficult, but once you sit down, you are well taken care of. Reservations are highly recommended for any evening. You might get lucky and be able to just walk in. They serve family style, shared plates, they usually serve the first plate for everyone and leave the plate on the table. I've been here many times. I have been to Carmine's with my girlfriend, my fiance and my wife; we have dined here through all of our relationship statuses. I highly recommend Carmine's if you are thinking to give it a try. read more

Food is great but overpriced. The owner takes a large cut of the 22% "service charge" that is automatically put on the bill. That's so disrespectful to the staff and customers, as it led us to leaving an additional tip to get the waitstaff up to 20%. read more

It's like going to buca di peppo mixed with Olive Garden. Limited wine list. Limited menu. Limited bar menu. It's fair at best.

Wonderful Italian spot in Cap Hill area. The menu is on a chalk board but if you have any questions, your server can assist. All dishes come family style for either 2 people or 4 people. Very large portions. We went on Valentine's Day and it was very romantic. We really enjoyed. Dessert looked amazing but we were stuffed after the bruschetta, chicken Parmesan and seafood diavlo. read more

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Fav family occasion meals for 30 years. We love the whole stick. Make your occasion special

Excellent service the chicken Parmesan, meatballs , garlic bread were outstanding.I thought the price was reasonable ! Def will be back !

Family style with excellent service! Very diverse menu. Nice atmosphere, very cozy. This place gets busy so reservations are a must for a Saturday night. The peppers and sausage was very nice with a bit of kick. The standard Pasta and meatballs was excellent. The potato gnocchi.. get it! read more

Carmine's On Penn - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Delightful evening spent on patio. Good food! Great portions for 2. For sure , get the pear salad!

Nice family restaurant with good Italian food. Really like the portions to share. ~~~~ read more

My family and I have been coming to carmines for about 8 years for every special occasion. Last night was the last time we will ever go back. Our server was extremely unprofessional. He was clearly high on some type of drug and we had to ask him multiple times for our drinks/ food. When the bartender brought our drinks over she had a terrible attitude and proceeded slammed the drink on the table and shook her head. When our pasta came out it was clear it had been sitting under a heating lamp. The pasta was dry and very disappointing. This will be our last time. read more

Their garlic knots. Buttery and moist. I guarantee you won't want to have only one. I think my bf and I had 2 baskets (about 5 each) and so worth it. Mouth watering and worth the carbs and calories so prepare your day around this. It is that serious. Ask your server for some to go. Their meals are family style. Order for 2 or 4. I have never been disappointed with any meal there. Chicken parmigana was crisp and flavorful sauce. They always have seasonal foods. The employees Will give you honest recommendations. This place has a romantic feel and my bf and i's go to date night. Parking is street parking so be ready to hope for a parking spot near the door. Make reservations! There can be long waits. read more

Carmine's On Penn - Garlic knots. - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Waitress and service were excellent. Food was good. But, in my opinion, completely overpriced. I suppose I get it, because it's family style. But I don't want to leave a restaurant feeling robbed - like wow, wish I'd have gone some place else tonight. There goes $200. While its family style, usually two people are going to want to try two things and maybe an appetizer anyway. Even with the "family style" item (ex. we ordered chicken parm entree), there was no pasta or side with it. We are talking chicken parm here, not high end speciality cuisine. I'm from NYC. I've had plenty of out of this world chicken parm and penne vodka and chicken piccata and all the good stuff. The food here was good, but way off on price. I literally would have felt better about it if there was at least a pasta with it. Idk. I have a favorite chicken parm spot in Boston that has a Monday night $15.99 special and it comes with two large breasts and a delicious side of linguini. Anyway, again, the food was good and the service was excellent. Just be prepared on price. I'd totally recommend Angelo's Taverna (see review). You again get homey Italian food - the yummy kind with large portions and fair pricing so you want to return for the food and the fairness on the wallet. read more

Finally, something worth dining for! Absolutely gorgeous dining halls with large, spectacular mirrors and Italian pillars and the tastes of aromas. We had a private party tonight and it felt wonderful having to dive in through a traditional Italian cuisine. The walls were the walls of traditional Italian culture with bold eye catching colors of reds, beiges and blues. The exterior of the restaurant cannot compete with the interior at all. The wonderful ladies were here to greet us in. There was sophisticated red wine that made me feel like I was part of the affluence club. We were sat in a private room and had literally one of everything from the menu! We started off with soft, delicate creamy bread that was covered in light powder and added on Parmesan cheese that was the most finishing touch to it. Next we experienced the tossed Caesar Salad with vinegar, creamy butter and croissants! We had black mushrooms with Pico De Gallo and more slices of bread with a dose of light chocolate with yellow peppers. The Chicken Marsala was to die for. It came with more black mushrooms and tasteful sauce. We had creamy yellow spicy chicken with spinach and avocados! My goodness! The pastas had ham, vegetables, soft marinara, and we even tried the Pasta del Diablo (Spicy pasta with clams and sauce! Ask about it!) The dessert was delicious and the dinner was tummy settling. The best part it wasn't greasy so it felt amazing to try more and more. So much food and elegant wine and liquor was just fantastic. We had a full helpful staff to assist us and serve us the dish. This restaurant is a romantic night hot spot! It can make out the best romantic restaurant for Italian food and we fell in love. Thank you, Carmine's on Penn! read more

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Came in late on a Sunday night just looking to pick up a dessert and ordered some cannoli's. Hands down the best cannolis in the state. I haven't tried the food yet but i am looking forward to going back read more

The food is absolutely delicious. We had a wonderful night and environment. The manager was very helpful, and he went above and beyond to enhance our experience. I will def be back. We got the Montana and meatballs with vodka and the house salad. Everything was delicious. read more

My in-laws invited us here for a family get together a little over a week ago. Walking in is like taking a delicious bath in garlic. It smells awesome in other words. Love the garlic. The menu is written on the wall and is family style. I think it's a great idea and enhances the family experience, except if you want to sample more than a few dishes. Fortunately it was a large group of us so we had a couple apps and four mains. The best dish for me was a spicy shrimp pasta dish. Sadly I cannot remember the exact name of this plate of delight. Oh and the garlic knots were just as good as I read they were. I had to cover the bowl with a napkin to keep myself from binging on them all. The waiter was also an incredible part of our experience. He was just casual enough to keep the nephews/niece entertained but professional enough to keep the adults satisfied. read more

Second time, again early reservation on a Friday evening, party of six where one was a (well behaved!) 4 year old and again, fantastic service. So friendly, helpful and attentive to every need including boxing up the ton of leftovers without complaint. Great cocktails (Manhattan, Bombay Saphire Martini up/dirty with blue cheese stuffed olives - awesome). Definitely check it out, maybe you'll dig their food a bit more than I do, it just doesn't ring my bell and the table while everyone was happy and enjoyed it, felt pretty much the same. No 'oohs and ahs'. Maybe I'm ordering the wrong things but we tried 4 different dishes family style so, I've had a decent selection of their food. A great place, great staff, cool neighborhood location. I attach a pic of the menu on the wall. read more

Carmine's On Penn - The only food menu you'll see is on the wall, a listing, no descriptions. The staff will happily give you lots of details on ingredients. - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Not your usual Italian food - homemade, flavorful, & yummy! We have not been to Carmine's on Penn in over 1 year, more like 2 years. I don't know why, no good excuse, zip, nada, no "la scusa." Interior - wonderful! Nice colors, comfortable seating. Words that describe the interior - Comfortable! Inviting! Relaxing! Stay a While!! You get the picture. It's not that big inside, and the restaurant fills up fast! Call ahead and make a reservation. We just happened to call at 5:00pm, and they had just opened. Luckily, we could get in at 5:30 pm. The restaurant filled up quickly after that, and many people came in and got take-out as well. Food - the menu is on the wall, and you need to ask questions, they expect you to ask questions. Is there a better way to understand what you will be eating, than by asking questions? Novel concept! Buono! We had the gnocchi - absolutely wonderful!! It melted in the mouth, could not have been fixed differently, nope! Absolutely wonderful! We also had the Veal Frescha - WOW!!!!! I highly recommend this dish. It was a Breaded Veal Scallopini topped with red onion, seasoned fresh diced tomatoes, baby arugula and Mediterranean aioli. I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch! WOW!!! We also split the caesar salad - very good. As you can tell, we ordered quite a bit of food, but like I said, it will be lunch for the next day or two - can't wait!!!! Dessert - we split the Panna Cotta - vanilla bean, and absolutely light, and so yummy! Words cannot describe this dessert! Melt in your mouth, yummy, light, don't feel guilty after eating, dessert! We plan on going back, sitting at the bar, having a drink, and splitting the Panna Cotta. WOW! Service - impeccable!!!! Parking - street, but the restaurant is located in a residential area, so it's not too hard to park. There is also valet parking out front, worth the price as well. Suggestion - the dishes are big enough for 3-4 people to split. So, order a salad, one entree, and a dessert, and everyone will go home happy, content, and "completo," or full. Carmine's on Penn is very "Delizioso! read more

I am honestly shocked that this place only has a 3.5 Star Yelp Rating. We went for a double date NYE as it was one of the only places anywhere near downtown we could find that still had reservation openings (we made the reservations a day in advance, our bad). We arrived early, had a drink at the bar (which was delicious) and then got our table a few minutes before our scheduled reservation time. Our server (I kick myself for not remembering his name) was simply fantastic. He was warm, he asked certain questions to ascertain what we might enjoy; and he gave great recommendations once he knew what we would like. He was attentive and friendly - great service. The garlic knots.... yes. We had to wait a bit for ours because they were being baked *fresh*. #worth. So good. We got the shrimp pasta dish that came with a white wine garlic sauce, our friends got the spicy seafood pasta with red sauce. We shared the tiramisu for dessert which was the actual best tiramisu I have ever tasted in my life. And the chocolate cake which I enjoyed, but less so than tiramisu (the level of chocolate was INTENSE). My friend also got the salted caramel gellato (which we all just had a bite of... that was insanely good too.) And, really, it was far less expensive than some "fancy" places that I have eaten at in Denver and I left totally stuffed and 100% satisfied. I think we paid a little over $100 total for 4 people who shared a salad, 2 entrees, a bottle of wine and 3 desserts. The fact that each entree definitely feeds at least 2 people, 3 if you're not very hungry (and/or also order a salad and garlic knots) and each entree is between $16-$25... I mean this is a really reasonable, very nice date night that is not going to break the bank. I would like to return a few more times and try more dishes before I give 5 stars, to test consistency etc. But I will definitely be back! read more

I went there yesterday for restaurant week and what a deal! For two people it's $70 and you get a large appetizer, salad or dessert, and a family sized entree. HIGHLY recommend the seasonal ravioli which was a mushroom based sauce, the ragu con funghi for entree (shredded tender veal with hand made pasta and a mushroom sauce that's divine), and get that tiramisu!!! Best tiramisu I've ever had! Service was great too. Loved our waiter. read more

Love Carmines! A Denver classic! been coming here ever since I was a little kid

Had dinner at the newly opened Carmines at McGregor Square. The food was unbelievable! Best Eggplant Parmigiana on the planet! We finished with Tiramisu for dessert and it was the best I have ever tasted. read more

Carmine's On Penn - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

We love Carmine's! The Bolognese in particular gets me going, but all their dishes are delectable. The vibe is chill and it's a great place to go with friends and family for a casual night out. Highly recommend! read more

It had a been a few years since I have been to Carmine's. Previously, this was one of the top Italian restaurants in the Denver Metro area in my opinion. That wait staff was very attentive and accommodating. Front of house service was excellent. The problem with our meal was solely with the kitchen. The food used to be very good but I think whoever is running the kitchen now is not doing a very good job. First the wait. It took over an hour after ordering before we received our salad. It should not take that long to make some dressing and put in in a bowl with some greens. The restaurant was roughly 1/4 full when we ordered so it's not like they were extremely busy. When we received the main course it was already 1.5 hours after placing our order. Their house-made Caesar had way too much garlic in it. I love garlic but the flavor was so it intense that it was too spicy to consume. Both the carbonara and the Bolognese sauces had way too much wine and salt in them. The sauces were so salty that I could feel my lips swelling from the moisture being sucked out of them. In the carbonara they burned the pancetta which turned the sauce into a unappetizing dark brown color. A dish with burned pancetta in it should not have left the kitchen, someone should have caught that. The garlic knots and the linguini and spaghetti noodles themselves were good. I could easily cook a better carbonara in my own kitchen, when I go out to a restaurant I expect something amazing. What I received was a barely edible disappointment. It's a shame, Carmine's used to be amazing but I won't be visiting it again. read more

We recently went to Carmine's to celebrate my daughter's new job there were 4 of us and we sat outside in a nice area with 2 other tables that were pretty far apart. The food was very good and we all came hungry. We ordered 4 entrées baked Ziti. Chicken Parmesan. Chicken Montana and pasta cabonara. The menu showed they had Risotto but the server said they were not making Risotto at all. To me if they have an online menu they could change it. Small nit but when I go out I usually look for something I don't make at home. But my baked Ziti was the favorite of the table. We all shared the dishes and all were very good. No pics sorry there was plenty of food but not quite food for 8. The plates were very hot to help keep the food warm which worked very well. For dessert we had the chocolate chip cookie with Gelato. They were very good we had 2 for all 4 of us and they were for 2. We even took the top cookie off to take home. Overall I would go back for another occasion. They do add 20% to the bill and I added 20.00 on top of that. Given the shorter hours they can really only turn the table once. read more

My boyfriend and I went last night simply because it is super close and we had never tried it. Put simply it was Olive Garden quality at 3 times the price. It was just mediocre and overpriced. Also note that everything is family sized so it can be challenging and expensive if you go with people that have different dietary needs or tastes. I am a vegetarian and my boyfriend is not. We now have a pig-troths worth of below average bolognese that I can't eat in the fridge. read more