Carmine's - Washington DC

Shareable type menu restaurant, excellent for groups, very generous and big portions.Great service and casual ambiance ( manager was checking on tables to make sure everything is good and met expectations) The Cold antipasto by itself is a huge platter kinda a full meal by itself it has vegetables, seafood, deli, beans burrata...The mussels was amazingly deliciousRecommend for sure !

Where do I start? Well lets start with my favorite part, the ambiance. This spot is so cute for a late night dinner date. They have dimmed lighting in the dining room and an old Italian style restaurant vibe. There are plenty of tables so you are not packed in tightly next to others around you. I also liked how easy it is to make reservations. At first attempt I tried to use Open Table but to no avail. I gave the restaurant a call and they were more than happy to help. Parking can be tricky, this is a very popular area in DC. I recommend the parking garage directly across the street. They have a $16 nightly flat rate. You can always try and arrive early and you can luck up and find street parking but be careful on event days. +FOODThe food was so delicious. It is kind of hard to make a selection, this is a family style restaurant so portions are pretty big. I would say the average plate will feed 4 people easily. We opted for calamari for the appetizer and a pesto penne with chicken for the entrée. They were both made to perfection. I love the freshness of the entire meal. Everything came out fresh and hot. +SERVICEI was pretty impressed with the service, you can tell the waiters have been well trained and know the menu very well. These are well seasoned servers in my opinion. Our waitress took her time to discuss her favorites and recommend some of the specials for the day. I was also welcomed upon entering and spoken to on the way out. Oh and how can I forget the to-go food being plated for us at our table. That always adds a extra special touch. Overall I highly recommend this spot for family gatherings, special occasions or a nice fancy dinner date.

I'm not sure how this place has such great reviews. I wouldn't consider myself a food snob but this was by far the worst Italian restaurant I have ever been to. The lasagna was so bland. It had zero taste and it was so dry. There was no cheese pull when cutting and serving it...just a dry block of flat noodles, ground meat and ricotta served on my plate. It was beyond inedible. It looks appeasing at first glance but once you cut into it you realize how dry it is and there's no melted cheese holding the layers together. The strawberry shortcake was stale. The strawberries weren't even edible. They lacked color and were basically white (see photo). I'm glad I didn't pay for this meal because I would've been even more disappointed than I was. Such a letdown. The service however was great. The food quality did not align.

Our office holiday party was at Carmine's this year and it was one of the best holiday parties we've had. We had a private room to ourselves and we paid a set price for different menu options. The food was plentiful and absolutely delicious. I didn't have a favorite because all the dishes were really good to me. Garlic breadMixed Salad SalmonGrilled shrimp and olive oil Chicken Scaloppine w/ Lemon & Butter Lasagna Cheesecake The wait staff bringing the food out was extremely polite and careful as they put the platters down on the table. Our main server who was Morgan, was THE BEST EVER! He was extremely attentive and checked on us throughout the party. He was a really great, we all complimented him throughout the party. Definitely returning for a round two and to try some of times I didn't get to try! Thanks for having us!!

Great family style Italian food. The portions were hugeeeee and delicious! Drinks were great and strong. We had a reservation and they sat us exactly at our reservation time. I would definitely go back. Great for big groups!!

Held our team's holiday dinner here after visiting a while back. We ordered way too much food but we wanted a variety of flavors and sauces. Service was friendly and food came out fast. An abundance of politicos, lobbyists, families, and celebrants of all types of occasions along with a lively atmosphere and always seems pretty busy. We made reservations since we were s party of 10 and I would even do that with four.

We were having a farewell lunch for one of my coworkers and decided to send him off with some Italian food. This was a big space that had plenty of room to host my team. I got the Calamari Linguine with White Sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the portions were absolutely massive! The sauce was definitely light and a bit bland, but still good. Not the best pasta, but definitely a good value, especially for DC. Service was nice, but a bit slow.

Food: 5/5Service: 3.5/5Ambiance: 4.5/5The food here is simply incredible! We had baked clams, spaghetti w shrimp, spaghetti w meatballs, linguine w clams, salad and porterhouse. I can't break down each dish because each one was so delicious. I can tell you that there is a ton of garlic across board though, bring a mint! My favorite dish of the night was the linguine w clams. The clams were tender, the pasta al dente and it was packed with flavor. I think it's the best I've ever had.... Also, it's not easy to find an Italian restaurant that does a steak justice but the porterhouse here was phenomenal! It was juicy and soft like butter. The service could use some work and our table was pretty much interlocking with another table behind us due to how cramped the area was, but still 1000% recommend eating here!

I'm not a huge Italian food fan but she is. That said, when she said I'm treating you to Carmine's, who am I to say no..LOL! I've been a foodie since birth and Carmine's has been in DC on 7th Street for as long as I can remember, and I've never stepped foot inside.All I could think about was the "The Sopranos" while inside this NYC based Italian gem.. So I sat back and reminisced about my all time fav TV series.Note, this is a family style restaurant meant for a big azz family sharing their meal. It was just me and her and we looked crazy with the amount of food that was sat in front of us.. OMG!I ordered the 45oz Porterhouse that came with sausage and veggies and she got the Shrimp pasta. Both were outstanding and and the baked claim appetizer was just as good as our customary broiled oysters that we always get if offered. Service was impeccable even at the bar for our after dinner drinks. Shame on me for taking so long to try out Carmine's. I will be back as soon as I want a fine Italian meal, we'll just bring more people.. Lol!!!

Being a native New Yorker and frequenting the original location, this experience fell a bit shy but still giving 4 stars as its a great spot for people who haven't yet had a family style Italian dinner with typically solid food