Carmine's - Washington DC

“I would come here for the garlic cheese bread on its own!!! And holy portions size!!! We love family style dinning and this place rocks it. Our server was amazing!!! We would come back just based on the great service. Can't say enough good about this place.”

“In DC I ate on the restaurant a few years ago and we had a great experience. The review below represents what we typically order everytime we go to Carmines. I have been to Carmine's in NYC, Washington, DC and Las Vegas and each and every time it is on point!!! I am not sure why i have never left a review but I will be fixing that today. I took photos and a copy of the receipt from Las Vegas so yall can see everything we ordered to go.. the only difference is the bread doesn't transport well with cheese i will remove the cheese next time. But other than that food was really good and so consistent. Yes its pricey and its also family style so its not for a sinlge person unless you are going to graze on it for a few days. I will tell you that marinara get extra...i forgot so you cna dip your bread it... so worth it. 10/10 definitely recommend!!”

“Carmine’s Washington DC gets 4 stars from me. Compared with the Times Square original, you can feel a slight difference, and because I’m judging it against the origin rather than just another Italian spot, it lands just below a five.[carminesnyc +2] The experience is still very good: the place keeps the Carmine’s family-style feel, the portions are generous, and the dining room is comfortable and lively. Service was okay and good overall, just not quite on the same level as the New York location, where the energy and execution feel a little sharper.[yelp +5] If I were comparing it only to other Italian restaurants, I could see giving it a five. But when the comparison is with the original Carmine’s in Times Square, the DC location is a strong 4-star experience and still a nice place to eat.”

“Good food and atmosphere, less than satisfactory service. We did a family style lunch here for Easter. The interior is nicely decorated. A few people in our party commented how slow the service was in terms of when our food arrive, in frequently be waiters checked on our table, and how one waiter forgot our drink. It seemed like they were staffed fully, but not in the right places. There were a few people standing around, but then other people doing a lot. I don’t know if I would go back, but it was a good lunch. The dessert was soooooooo good tho.”

“First time at this restaurant. I was doing a half day in the city with my kids since they had no school that day. Just before I forget, there is a big parking garage around the corner, that I didn’t know about, so I park on the street, but you can save the hassle I went through. I like to go to restaurants before or after their rush hour because I like good service. We got there around 430 (for dinner) - the service was slow and subpar, we did get a great table, overlooking the sidewalk, so that was much appreciated. Their dishes are meant to be shared. We got calamari (my kids favorite), got shrimp penned pasta and tortufi for dessert. I had to ask for bread 3 times before we got it. The bread wasn't fresh, in fact, a couple of pieces I got were hard and stale, and the bread with the red sauce on it was extremely soggy in most spots. The calamari was good, not great, just average. The pasta was overcooked. The dessert was good, but again, just average. I also order an additional dish to go so I could bring dinner to my husband, we packed our leftovers and left since there was a rush of highschoolers coming in in their beautiful prom gowns - in the rush of heading out, I forgot to ask for my husband’s dish. When I got to the car I remembered and had my kids go get it and they denied it stating I didn't pay for it - I didn’t have my receipt with me (never carry it from the table, I guess lesson learned, to prove or disprove their statement). Overall good place for big meals - not impressed with the taste or their service - I may (big maybe) come.back to.prove myself wrong and will order something different.”