We love Carmine's On Penn! Been going here for over 10 years and happy to see it's still thriving. They always deliver fantastic food and service!
Paul
The experience was saved by one server, Marie, who clearly was the star at this restaurant. Literally watched her work every single table in the place to cover the other staff when it got busy. She did the work of 4 servers and a bartender; the four servers and a bartender did the work of one. Only the FOH manager could describe any of the food. That's sad for the prices, and a poor reflection of the hiring. The bartender dropped off the $40 antipasto plate and said, “here's some arancini .... and meats and cheese.” The plate was not worth it, $20'wpuid be more appropriate. The wine by the bottle here is all under $15-20 and it's bumped to $70+. Not a great selection either. Bad service was rescued by the FOH and Marie. Food was on point outside of the antipasto. It's a great neighborhood place suffering a bit with poor staff mixed in with great staff. In a business where your money is made by service 2/3 people we encountered were fair to poor.
Megan
I have been going to Carmine's in Penn for 25 years for my birthday. Every year has been amazing. The free dessert is a lovely touch.
Clint
After 25+ years, I will no longer recommend Carmine's On Penn. Their quality of food has declined and the service was poor start to finish. It took several minutes to be greeted by our server. He was not engaging and even recommended going to their website if we had any questions about their dishes. Our party was interested in a large appetizer and he replied “it's too much for you” and walked away. I recommend North Italia or Osteria Alberico for both quality food and superior service!
Emily
We had 5 people in our party. I had not been back to Carmines on Penn in over ten years. It was still really good! Huge portions - we ordered the servings for 2 for Chicken Parm, Chicken Montana, spaghetti and meatballs in vodka sauce and clams and linguini. We also ordered the two portion Caesar salad and House salad for our table. We had the portabello mushroom appetizer as well. The garlic rolls were also amazing! We had an early reservation and the place was pretty quiet but the staff was very attentive which was great. We all went home with lots of food. I would rank the restaurant overall a 4.5 . We had a really nice evening. It is a great venue for a large table! We probably could have fed a few more people easily if that joined us. I am sure we will be back again! Thank you!
Judy
The amount of food you get is tremendous. We got 7 meals out of dinner for 3. I would have preferred the eggplant peeled but it was cooked well and sliced thick. It was crispy and not mushy. The pasta was good but I like a little less sauce. The house salad and dressing were good. The rolls were amazing!!!!! This is a place to go with a group. The dining rooms are comfortable.
Josh
Fun atmosphere, fun menu with the family style. Service was fantastic. The food is pretty average.
Tom
So Carmines in the past has usually been very good. Tonight was horrible. New management? Bad night? We were one of the very tables seated but we were seated in the back windowless room. We were both dressed very nice and to be honest my wife works as a model but we were hidden away. Then the next table sat had four little very little crying kids. No offer to move. We weren't offered drinks. We weren't asked about appetizers. We ordered our dinner, which came out wrong. At and left. Record time in and out and record lowest bill too! This was a horrible night my wife may never forget. Don't sit two adults back in the kid room and then ignore us. What a terrible experience. I know you can do better!
Kate
Outstanding meal yesterday evening. Both the Chicken Montana and squash ravioli were excellent along with the pear salad and Vino. Thank you Carmine's for a wonderful 25th anniversary dinner. Well done.
Bill
Carmine's on Penn is absolutely worth visiting on a routine basis. Best if you have a bigger group, 4 should be considered a minimum and 6-8 is ideal due to the nature of family sized servings. What you WON'T get is standard Italian fare. Yes, they have Pasta and Meatballs, Carbonara, Chicken and Veal Parmigiana. That said they have a lot of their own dishes and the “standard fare” they've added their flare to it.
New to the neighborhood and walk by all the time. We took the grandkids (10 and 9) and all had a great time. Cesar salad plates were perfectly cold, the salad excellent, the warm bread even better, the cherry Italian cream soda perfect(more soda and less ice would have been better), and the pastas great with enough to take home. And then there were Canolis. The service was excellent. Only one complaint. Put some cushions on the chairs! Fun family evening. Will be back!
Nolan
Absolutely stunning! The food was amazing and the staff is awesome too. One of our favorite spots in Denver that we've been going to for years and years. The Chicken Montana and Carbonara are among the best. Cannoli are amazing too. Best Italian in Denver!
Brian
Overall good experience but I hate restaurants that add a 3% (or higher) surcharge for a “fair wage” for their employees or kitchen staff. If you need to pay your employees more or a fair wage raise the price of your food! Then the customer can decide if they want to go there. Don't try and sneak an extra fee in for the guest to pay your employees a fair wage.
It has been years since we visited Carmine's, certainly won't be years until the next visit. The service and the food were great! We sat outside which just added to a great evening.
James751
Great, great family Italian restaurant. Large family style portions. Best Marinara sauce in Denver. Chicken Parm and Caesar salad m favs. Don't miss this neighborhood gem when in Denver
We love Carmine's On Penn! Been going here for over 10 years and happy to see it's still thriving. They always deliver fantastic food and service!
The experience was saved by one server, Marie, who clearly was the star at this restaurant. Literally watched her work every single table in the place to cover the other staff when it got busy. She did the work of 4 servers and a bartender; the four servers and a bartender did the work of one. Only the FOH manager could describe any of the food. That's sad for the prices, and a poor reflection of the hiring. The bartender dropped off the $40 antipasto plate and said, “here's some arancini .... and meats and cheese.” The plate was not worth it, $20'wpuid be more appropriate. The wine by the bottle here is all under $15-20 and it's bumped to $70+. Not a great selection either. Bad service was rescued by the FOH and Marie. Food was on point outside of the antipasto. It's a great neighborhood place suffering a bit with poor staff mixed in with great staff. In a business where your money is made by service 2/3 people we encountered were fair to poor.
I have been going to Carmine's in Penn for 25 years for my birthday. Every year has been amazing. The free dessert is a lovely touch.
After 25+ years, I will no longer recommend Carmine's On Penn. Their quality of food has declined and the service was poor start to finish. It took several minutes to be greeted by our server. He was not engaging and even recommended going to their website if we had any questions about their dishes. Our party was interested in a large appetizer and he replied “it's too much for you” and walked away. I recommend North Italia or Osteria Alberico for both quality food and superior service!
We had 5 people in our party. I had not been back to Carmines on Penn in over ten years. It was still really good! Huge portions - we ordered the servings for 2 for Chicken Parm, Chicken Montana, spaghetti and meatballs in vodka sauce and clams and linguini. We also ordered the two portion Caesar salad and House salad for our table. We had the portabello mushroom appetizer as well. The garlic rolls were also amazing! We had an early reservation and the place was pretty quiet but the staff was very attentive which was great. We all went home with lots of food. I would rank the restaurant overall a 4.5 . We had a really nice evening. It is a great venue for a large table! We probably could have fed a few more people easily if that joined us. I am sure we will be back again! Thank you!
The amount of food you get is tremendous. We got 7 meals out of dinner for 3. I would have preferred the eggplant peeled but it was cooked well and sliced thick. It was crispy and not mushy. The pasta was good but I like a little less sauce. The house salad and dressing were good. The rolls were amazing!!!!! This is a place to go with a group. The dining rooms are comfortable.
Fun atmosphere, fun menu with the family style. Service was fantastic. The food is pretty average.
So Carmines in the past has usually been very good. Tonight was horrible. New management? Bad night? We were one of the very tables seated but we were seated in the back windowless room. We were both dressed very nice and to be honest my wife works as a model but we were hidden away. Then the next table sat had four little very little crying kids. No offer to move. We weren't offered drinks. We weren't asked about appetizers. We ordered our dinner, which came out wrong. At and left. Record time in and out and record lowest bill too! This was a horrible night my wife may never forget. Don't sit two adults back in the kid room and then ignore us. What a terrible experience. I know you can do better!
Outstanding meal yesterday evening. Both the Chicken Montana and squash ravioli were excellent along with the pear salad and Vino. Thank you Carmine's for a wonderful 25th anniversary dinner. Well done.
Carmine's on Penn is absolutely worth visiting on a routine basis. Best if you have a bigger group, 4 should be considered a minimum and 6-8 is ideal due to the nature of family sized servings. What you WON'T get is standard Italian fare. Yes, they have Pasta and Meatballs, Carbonara, Chicken and Veal Parmigiana. That said they have a lot of their own dishes and the “standard fare” they've added their flare to it.
Restaurantji Recommends
New to the neighborhood and walk by all the time. We took the grandkids (10 and 9) and all had a great time. Cesar salad plates were perfectly cold, the salad excellent, the warm bread even better, the cherry Italian cream soda perfect(more soda and less ice would have been better), and the pastas great with enough to take home. And then there were Canolis. The service was excellent. Only one complaint. Put some cushions on the chairs! Fun family evening. Will be back!
Absolutely stunning! The food was amazing and the staff is awesome too. One of our favorite spots in Denver that we've been going to for years and years. The Chicken Montana and Carbonara are among the best. Cannoli are amazing too. Best Italian in Denver!
Overall good experience but I hate restaurants that add a 3% (or higher) surcharge for a “fair wage” for their employees or kitchen staff. If you need to pay your employees more or a fair wage raise the price of your food! Then the customer can decide if they want to go there. Don't try and sneak an extra fee in for the guest to pay your employees a fair wage.
It has been years since we visited Carmine's, certainly won't be years until the next visit. The service and the food were great! We sat outside which just added to a great evening.
Great, great family Italian restaurant. Large family style portions. Best Marinara sauce in Denver. Chicken Parm and Caesar salad m favs. Don't miss this neighborhood gem when in Denver
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