Carmine's Ristorante & Pizzeria

I have enjoyed Italian restaurants in Cary (eg, Biaggi's, Vespa, Bella Napoli), and Casalinga in Raleigh. This was by far the best Italian meal for the price of any I have tried in the Triangle.! The atmosphere was clean and modern. I expected more of a modern day pizzeria meal, but felt the meal quality far exceeded my expectations. The ingredients were fresh, the cheeses, the tomatoes, the pasta was well prepared. The owners were warm and hospitable. My only suggestion is more warmth on entry. You won't be disappointed and once the word gets out, this place will be packing them in!

Pros: Food was wonderful!

Cons: Waiter was slow to get to table but great once arriving

Posted 03/26/09

We were impressed by our first visit to Carmine's and I mistakenly raved about it to many people--including my boss. After receiving two shockingly negative reports back about it in a row, we went a third time and experienced what my boss and another friend had. The service was shockingly horrible. As another person on here reports--food is delivered to other tables but wasn't to ours. We were there for lunch and it took over 50 minutes to receive our food. Once it arrived, it was cold and not at ALL like it had been the first two times we had tried Carmine's. My dish was so so so salty it was inedible. The waitress NEVER came to check on us (clearly because she knew the food she delivered up to us was substandard), never once got a refill on any of our drinks (after it took 33 minutes just to receive our drinks in the first place), another 18 minutes for the bill to arrive after we asked for it....and then it was WRONG! The manager (??? I use this loosely--the guy who rings the bills) came over to acknowledge that it was taking long and yet he didn't check with the waitress, check with the kitchen or do anything about it. Even more disturbing is that when I contacted Carmine's about our experience, they simply did not care! . . . a $50 lunch and it was horrendous. Yes, we had two good experiences before, but between the feedback coming back to me from those I recommended the place to, and our last experience, I would seriously recommend you dine ANYWHERE BUT CARMINE'S Trust me, you'll be thankful you did.

Pros: Easy to get a table

Cons: HORRIBLE service, Inconsistent quality

Posted 03/24/09

My husband and I have been to Carmine's several times because of the homemade Italian sauce. I know GOOD SAUCE because I make my own. The key to Italian cooking is "THE SAUCE". The pasta, seafood dishes are superb. The thin crust pizza was also very good and they deliver which is an extra plus.
The service is very good, and the waiters are always looking to help you.
My husband and I recommend Carmine's Restaurant, it's the BEST ITALIAN FOOD IN TOWN.
by Mary and Buddy Giordano - Chapel Hill

Pros: The atmosphere and the music the was very delightful.

Cons: none

Posted 03/19/09

The staff and chef at Carmine's made you feel like you were having dinner with your best friends! If the Chef recommeds a special dish...make sure you order what he says! The Pork Chops with the cranberry and balsamic sauce was the best meal I have had in the area in years! I would recommend everyone add this restaurant to their list!

Pros: Warm, friendly and best of all great food

Cons: There are no cons!

Posted 03/17/09

So I drop in for a late lunch and can't pass up the ZUPPA DI PESCE..what a mountain of Mussels, Clams . Calamari and Shrimp in a really nicely spiced sauce over pasta. The seafood was rhe star of the show here.As a relocated New Englander I've missed the North End of Boston's great Italian food, especially pasta and seafood combos. Now its here.

Pros: Best Pasta & Seafood

Posted 03/17/09

Our experience was the best we've had in a restaurant in a long,long time. The decor is awesome - I love the colors of the walls and molding blended with the wood. It felt very cozy. The service was fantastic - our waiter was very attentive without it being too much. The food was great - some of the best mozzarella sticks, not over cooked, nice spice, good sauce to complement. The bread was wonderful, a bit of crunch without being dry. The ziti was lovely, really flavorful sauce with the right amount of cheese - very fresh tasting. The linguine with clam sauce was the best my roommate- a professional cook for 43 years - had ever had. The cannolis were so yummy. I had not had any that were so good since I was a kid in NY from an Italian bakery. The prices are extremely reasonable. My goal is to be a weekly customer.

Pros: service, food, atmosphere, value - all excellent

Cons: none

Posted 03/09/09

This was one of my worst dining experiences. We had to wait an hour and a half for our food and it wasn't even worth it when it came. The pasta was overcooked and not even drained properly. It was soggy pasta and when I pushed some aside, water streamed across the plate. The worst part was the taste. I had been under the impression that the sauce was very flavorful. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It was completely tasteless. I hate chunks of tomatoes in my pasta sauce and I was eating these just to get any flavor! Extremely poor service and tasteless food means I will not be going back to this place at all.

Pros: Not busy

Cons: Poor service, tasteless food, hard to find

Posted 03/04/09

The owner/manager of Carmine's is spot on with his sense of what his customers want. The menu includes a variety of great food, the restaurant uses environmentally conscious materials, and staff provide excellent customer service. Wonderful place to eat!!! It's amazing how they have filled the void in chapel hill a restaurant that has reasonable prices/ a great atmospher and you can get a pizza that is the cheepest in town if you want to take it home. I also used there delivery service and it was quick and the pizza showed up on time.

Pros: Good food/Delivery and take out specials

Cons: Hard to find unless you know about it

Posted 02/26/09

Carmine's perfects traditional Italian cuisine with a touch of Chapel Hill homestyle. Complementing the astounding, yet affordable, wine list is a fanfare of fresh and unique dishes, including a homemade eggplant rollatini and made-to-order gnocchi. If you are looking for your basic Italian fare, such as a homemade marinara sauce over house-rolled manicotti, or if you are in the mood for a more in-depth cuisine, such as a 28 days aged ribeye or sashimi grade tuna steak, Carmine's is the place. And the pizza, to die for!
Love the atmosphere, service is a little slow, but it's worth the wait!
The entire Eastgate Shopping Center in Chapel Hill has been remodeled, and Carmine's is just proof that the changes are for the better!

Pros: Homemade Cuisine, Family-Friendly and Casual Atmosphere

Posted 02/26/09

Since I have a wheat allergy, I need menu choices that are gluten-free. Thankfully, the wait staff and chef were very attentive and helpful to me and I ate quite well! Their food is fresh, tasty and reasonably priced and the atmosphere is friendly. Carmine's is a new favorite local restaurant for me and my family

Pros: Gluten Free

Cons: None

Posted 02/25/09

Carmine's Ristorante and Pizzeria is located at 1800 E. Franklin Street in Eastgate Plaza to the right of Stein Mart. I saw on their website that they can accommodate gluten free diets, so I went to check it out. It says to ask about vegetarian and vegan diets as well. I decided to go to Carmine's at lunch today because I knew they'd be less busy and I wanted to make sure they'd have all the time I needed to talk about gluten free options.

The waiter was very informative and told me that I was able to choose from gluten free ziti and spaghetti. If you ask, the waiter can also advise you on what chicken dishes to order. I was told that several of the dishes are dusted with flour before they're cooked, but that I could request no flour. I was told that Redbridge beer is also available. I decided to order the baked ziti without meat sauce and a glass of water. I was impressed that bread wasn't mentioned and that the waiter didn't bring any wheat bread to our table. Usually, in a restaurant if I ask for gluten free they'll still bring a basket of bread. The waiter apologized that my order took a little longer, but I didn't mind because I know it was because my meal needed more attention. I was just glad that gluten free pasta was an option!
Two gluten free entrees and two glasses of water was only $30 including tip!

Pros: They have a true Gluten free menu and staff that understands our needs

Cons: Could not find any

Posted 02/25/09

I tried this restaurant for the first time for a take out lunch. The food was fabulous. I had the vegetable lasagna and ordered my boyfriend a pasta dish recommended by the manager. I can't remember what it was called, but it had mushrooms, spinach and sun dried tomato sauce. Both dishes were delicious and so flavorful. The portions and price were appropriate too. My boyfriend is Italian and very picky and he liked it. We will definitely eat there again.

Pros: Great food!

Cons: Hard to find

Posted 02/25/09

This review is from my experience in January. Some of the details are not perfect but the general idea is 100% accurate. I was hoping to put this review up immediately but there was no entry on Citysearch at the time. Some friends of mine came over and I suggested we try Carmine's as it got a pretty good review in the N&O. We went on a Friday night and had to wait a minute or two for a table. Our bubbly waitress took our orders and gave us our salads relatively quickly. After awhile of waiting, a friend asked where his beer was as the waitress obviously forgot about it. We were waiting and waiting for food. A manager clearly saw that we were checking out the kitchen and came over to apologize about the wait. He said he was "chopping some heads" in the kitchen because of the slow night (even though other tables got their food relatively quickly) and told us we could get appetizers or dessert on the house. (How could they deliver appetizers quickly but not the main meal?) So we were waiting more and more but still no food. The manager and other employees came over to apologize every so often. During none of this, were we yelling (and he seemed surprised that we weren't). He then told us the whole meal was on the house. Finally the food came (more than an hour after ordering). And it wasn't good at all. Mine was okay, and that was the best. The rest of the group said their food had little taste. He gave us two free desserts (for the four of us). But we will never go back again. Ever.

Pros: Understanding manager

Cons: Bad food, even worse service

Posted 02/24/09

I went to Carmine's for the first time last week and everything was superb. The staff was friendly and prompt with everything my husband and I ordered - we were even greeted by the owner! The ambiance is inviting, casual, but classy. It was not noisy so I was able to have a romantic dinner with my husband. The bruchetta we ordered as an appetizer was the freshest I have had at any other restaurant. For dinner, I had a Stromboli and my husband ordered the Penne a la Vodka. My Stromboli came out crisp and tasteful - their red sauce had a great mix of flavors. We were so full from their portions, we did not have desert but it seemed classic Italian with Cheesecake, Cannoli, and Tiramisu. Overall we will most definitely come here again because with their close to NY Style-as- you-can-get-in-the-south pizza crust and rich flavored sauces, it is definitely worth the trip.

Pros: Fresh tasting Italian-style food, ambiance, service. Prices good for the portions they serve.

Cons: Parking wasn't bad, but I could see it being a problem during shopping hours.

Posted 02/21/09