Carmine's

In Short – The dining room is comfortable, attractive and bustling. With its Gold Coast/Rush Street location and upscale supper-club setting, Carmine's sets quite a stage. The clubby, dark bar/dining area attracts a sophisticated, thirty- and forty-something crowd. In keeping with the Rosebud family dynamic, the menu is Taylor Street Italian fare, from chunky minestrone and house specialty chicken Vesuvio to satisfying zuppe di mare overflowing with perfectly cooked seafood and linguine in a tomato white-wine broth.

Editor's Tips

The Extras:: Listen to live piano or jazz music in the bar Mon-Sat from 8pm till close.
Know Before You Go:: The restaurant offers more than a dozen different cigars ($7-$21), though smoking is allowed only in the first floor bar and dining area.
Where to Sit:: Seasonal outdoor seating at the Carmine's sidewalk cafe makes for interesting Gold Coast people-watching.

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User Reviews (43)

ambiance	90.0% positive	“Great location, Great service, Memorable food.” “nice atmosphere.” “The ambiance is great, whether upstairs or down.” “Great location, great food and great service!” “The warm atmosphere and friendly staff completed the experience.” “The time spent in the bar with the live music beforehand and the food itself made up for a very subpar dining atmosphere.” “The service is always superb, the atmosphere friendly & fun!” “Food, wine, atmosphere, friendly staff - all an A+.” “It has at great downtown atmosphere.” “Every time I am back in Chicago, I love to go to Carmines for the great food and atmosphere.”
dessert	100.0% positive	“Our server was not bad, he just seeemed more concerned with getting us out quickly and upseling us on appetizers, wine, dessert, etc.”
drinks	76.66999816894531% positive	“The bar (and the entire restaurant) can be loud and busy, but has good live music.” “The cocktails were nice and strong and our appetizer was wonderful, we had the calamari.” “The brown nosing manager by the name of Glenn or something is the worst, one of those hyenas who will pretend to serve you comfortably while spitting in your drink behind your back.” “Food, wine, atmosphere, friendly staff - all an A+.” “Our server was not bad, he just seeemed more concerned with getting us out quickly and upseling us on appetizers, wine, dessert, etc.” “We were searching through the menu, and decided to order a bottle of wine.” “Our glasses were always full, the wine was great and the food was great, too.” “Great bar to wait for your table - tho usually quick to seat.” “One of the best shrimp cocktails I have ever had and I highly recommend any of the veal dishes.” “The time spent in the bar with the live music beforehand and the food itself made up for a very subpar dining atmosphere.”
food quality	86.42999649047852% positive	“The portions are HUGE, the wait staff is amazing, and the bread is simply divine.” “The food is ALWAYS amazing with HUGE portions and the service was GREAT!” “Great location, Great service, Memorable food.” “good italian food, not the best service” “Every time I am back in Chicago, I love to go to Carmines for the great food and atmosphere.” “After a long day and many miles of walking we found ourselves seeking a satisfying meal before we soaked in a few libations.” “Service was pretentious and food was barely edible.” “The food was cold and bland.” “The food is always great and offers something for everyone.” “The tomato and onion salad was really nice and there was plenty for the two of us and some for later too!” “We had the linguini with white clam sauce, which was amazing and the Torteloni Carbonara which was very rich and very good, although the peas were of a strangely crunchy consistency.” “Admitedly the wait-staff can be a bit unpredictable, the food is never less than excellent!” “Food was EXCELLENT, hubby had pork chops, I had the cavetelli arrabiata-very nice and spicy-loved it!” “Large portions of great food.” “Great food/wait staff/terrible hosts” “great quality italian food with a price tag that won't break the bank!” “Go elsewhere if you can, but if you're in the area, it's nice for a laugh and a decent meal.” “If you could see the size of my midsection, you would know that I know a little bit about good food.” “the food is fabulous and they serve huge portions.” “My date and I had dinner (we're both mid-20s) and while I enjoyed my meal ( the stuffed mushrooms are wonderful) I had no idea that the menu was the exact same as Rosebud on Rush.” “If you don't mind the above mentioned, you will have an evening of some fabulous food.” “The food is great and frankly quite reasonable for the neighborhood.” “Our glasses were always full, the wine was great and the food was great, too.” “We loved the food and had a really nice time, we will be making this a regular stop for us when staying in Chicago.” “This is an Italian restaurant but they specialize in fresh Seafood.” “One of the best shrimp cocktails I have ever had and I highly recommend any of the veal dishes.” “have eaten here twice and had a great meal both times.” “But the food was very good and I enjoyed my meal very much.” “Note to hosts-just because we aren't in our 'couture' attire at the time, doesn't mean we aren't well off and ready to spend a mint in your restaurant for good food!” “THE place for anyone who wants to experience really great Italian food!” “the food is always good and its very nice.” “ate only a few bites but had to stop because the dish (Penne Bolognese) was just disgusting.” “Excellent pasta.” “This almost overshadowed the fantastic food and wait staff, attentive but not intrusive.” “This is great food.” “Their pasta was fabulous and they will go out of their way to make your food made to order how you like it!” “The food is delicious.” “it an italian restaurant that serves great pastas and fish.” “The food was amazing!” “My pasta dish was huge as well, and very good.” “The time spent in the bar with the live music beforehand and the food itself made up for a very subpar dining atmosphere.” “The portions are large and the food is full of flavor.” “Great location, great food and great service!”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“We were searching through the menu, and decided to order a bottle of wine.” “Have tried many items on menu - liked everything!” “My date and I had dinner (we're both mid-20s) and while I enjoyed my meal ( the stuffed mushrooms are wonderful) I had no idea that the menu was the exact same as Rosebud on Rush.”
overall	100.0% positive	“It was the best service I have ever received at a restaurant (and since I am a server, this is a top compliment!)”
return potential	100.0% positive	“Unless they can turn things around, I will have to find a new place to go back to when visiting good old Chiicago!”
service	84.09000396728516% positive	“The food is ALWAYS amazing with HUGE portions and the service was GREAT!” “The warm atmosphere and friendly staff completed the experience.” “highly recommend downstairs for people watching and upstairs for more quiet dinners.” “Our server was not bad, he just seeemed more concerned with getting us out quickly and upseling us on appetizers, wine, dessert, etc.” “As soon as we sat down at the table, our server was there to help us, and offered great suggestions to us.” “good italian food, not the best service” “The brown nosing manager by the name of Glenn or something is the worst, one of those hyenas who will pretend to serve you comfortably while spitting in your drink behind your back.” “Admitedly the wait-staff can be a bit unpredictable, the food is never less than excellent!” “Great location, great food and great service!” “The portions are HUGE, the wait staff is amazing, and the bread is simply divine.” “Seems to be some extremely poor management going on there these days; there were several people in the same situation.” “chose this restaurant due to their detail-oriented staff and amazing service.” “This almost overshadowed the fantastic food and wait staff, attentive but not intrusive.” “Food, wine, atmosphere, friendly staff - all an A+.” “It was the best service I have ever received at a restaurant (and since I am a server, this is a top compliment!)” “Great people watching in the summer.” “Great Time, great service” “That came and went & every time we checked status up front, the hostess was very rude & said either "5 -to-10 minutes more' or 'i will find you when you table is ready” “The service is always superb, the atmosphere friendly & fun!” “Great food/wait staff/terrible hosts” “Great location, Great service, Memorable food.” “would definitely recommend the restaurant but would make sure that people knew about the wait before they ventured there.”
value	81.82000160217285% positive	“Basically, the place is one huge corporate crap with greedy owner who fires his stuff over silly complains by snotty suburban or tourist visitors' complains (such as 'Waiter was not happily dancing while serving my fat butt').” “My pasta dish was huge as well, and very good.” “The portions are large and the food is full of flavor.” “the food is fabulous and they serve huge portions.” “The food is ALWAYS amazing with HUGE portions and the service was GREAT!” “plus, the portions are huge so you can totally split and still take h.” “and the portions were huge.” “Large portions of great food.” “The portions are HUGE, the wait staff is amazing, and the bread is simply divine.” “great quality italian food with a price tag that won't break the bank!” “but it was just an expensive, crappy tourist trap.”
wait time	66.66999816894531% positive	“Great bar to wait for your table - tho usually quick to seat.” “After a long day and many miles of walking we found ourselves seeking a satisfying meal before we soaked in a few libations.” “That came and went & every time we checked status up front, the hostess was very rude & said either "5 -to-10 minutes more' or 'i will find you when you table is ready”

06/30/10

so sorry

by latinacarlos

this place used to be awesome. the last time i was there it was a disaster. not sure what happened but the service was horrible, food was bland and my girl got a serious stomach ache later that night. :(

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10/06/09

Great food/wait staff/terrible hosts

by vulrich

Walked in-hosts didn't even LOOK at us. We were in jeans(nice jeans) and had walked over from the very upscale hotel nearby in which we were staying-thought we would pop in to see if a table was available. Manager came out finally after we were ignored by hosts for 2 minutes(they weren't on phones!), I asked if we were dressed appropriately, he said of course. Hosts still didn't even look or acknowledge us even while seating us. Note to hosts-just because we aren't in our 'couture' attire at the time, doesn't mean we aren't well off and ready to spend a mint in your restaurant for good food! This almost overshadowed the fantastic food and wait staff, attentive but not intrusive. Food was EXCELLENT, hubby had pork chops, I had the cavetelli arrabiata-very nice and spicy-loved it! Almost a perfect dining experience.

Pros: Food was fantastic, very reasonably priced
Cons: Host staff was very unwelcoming

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07/13/09

Beware

by 4chun8grl

Had 1/2 Cesar and cheese ravioli. Got ill at 4AM.

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06/21/09

Disappointing return trip to Carmines!!!

by geebabs9199

Every time I am back in Chicago, I love to go to Carmines for the great food and atmosphere. This past Saturday was really disappointing!!!! We made a reservation for 8 people at 8:00PM several weeks ago. We arrived 10 minutes early, and were told we would be seated in 10-15 minutes. That came and went & every time we checked status up front, the hostess was very rude & said either "5 -to-10 minutes more' or 'i will find you when you table is ready". About ten "5-to-10 minutes" later, we were finally seated for our 8PM reservation at 8:50PM!!!! Seems to be some extremely poor management going on there these days; there were several people in the same situation. I am quite disappointed b/c I really loved this place & my linguini & clams was no where near as good as it has been in the past. Unless they can turn things around, I will have to find a new place to go back to when visiting good old Chiicago!!!

Cons: Not seating on time for your reservation; rude hostesses

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06/13/09

amazing

by oldhomewbl

I loved every minute at this place - until they walked us into the overflow seating in the "tent".

The time spent in the bar with the live music beforehand and the food itself made up for a very subpar dining atmosphere. If we'd been in the main restaurant, it would've been 5 stars and superb.

Carmine's

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What People Are Saying About Carmine's

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Editor's Tips

06/30/10

so sorry

by latinacarlos

10/06/09

Great food/wait staff/terrible hosts

by vulrich

07/13/09

Beware

by 4chun8grl

06/21/09

Disappointing return trip to Carmines!!!

by geebabs9199

06/13/09

amazing

by oldhomewbl

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