Carmine's - Atlantic City — Restaurant in Atlantic City

7/24/25 Sorry to say, disappointing compared to previous visits, and we brought our daughter along this time to let her experience “how good Carmine’s is”. Calling ahead is some type of Ai recording. In person with just 3, they were able to seat us within 25mins at 9:50p on a Thurs night.( which was pretty busy). They seemed to be selective/ inconsistent in what wait time was depending who came to the desk. Supposed to be notified by text when ready, but they seem to just yell out your name, and you better be there quick. No text was ever sent, whiched seemed to be the complaint of many who were not within shouting distance when their name was called. Our server was very polite and prompt considering the crowd. Some kind of little league championship going on. Was surprised at the amount of kids, considering we weren’t sure if our almost 18yr old would be allowed into the Quarter. Was a little loud inside. The bread basket doesn’t disappoint. The girls ordered the classic Misto frito appetizer and a spaghetti w/meatballs for the table; it is family style dinning. The app came in less than 10mins. In years past( and other tables) the offerings were “separated”; ours was dumped altogether and was not fried crispy. The whitefish was limp( wiggly) and had a strong fishy flavor like mackerel. Calamari was just a little firmer but greasy. The pasta and meatballs arrived. We each started on them. None of us were a fan, and we enjoy making homemade Italian regularly at home. Sauce was basic with good flavor as well as the pasta. The meatballs were hard, and a dense puréed consistency like a brick, with a muddled Italian seasoning flavor mixed in and uncooked fat pockets not rendered inside. It was good the Misto filled us enough. We asked to have 4 of the 6 meatballs packed to go with the pasta. The head host/manager(?) did stop to ask if things were okay, after telling the table behind us how much kitchen staff they had at each station. We just said it was “fine, and were ready to go” because it was getting late. When we got home and then went to reheat the food the next day, the meatballs were even harder(cold) and to our surprise in good light, not even cooked(pink) in the center. A $45 meal in the trash. Very disappointing, considering we were trying to show our daughter high quality Italian cuisine. Maybe next time they’ll get it right??? Park at the local lot for $14(?) one block away instead of the hotel valet ($40), for short...

This was our first visit to the Tropicana in Atlantic City and we chose Carmine's for our dinner out one night. Staying in the hotel, it was just a short walk from the elevator and easy to find. We went on a Saturday night after 9pm and it wasn't too busy and even without a reservation, we were able to be seated rather quickly.

Both the outside and the inside of the place just oozes with Italian charm and nostalgia and the atmosphere of this place really sets it apart from other Italian restaurants out there. Lots of vintage pictures line the walls and the decor was truly beautiful.

The servers were prompt and polite and efficient. The menu is a little different style than you may be used to in a fine restaurant. A QR code you can scan on your phone and see the menu and prices or on the wall in places, it lists all the items they offer, but without any prices.

Now when you look at the menu, the prices may startle you at first. For example, most appetizers are $20-30 and entrees are $35-55 but you have to remember (if you didn't know), this is a family style restaurant where the dishes are all large, VERY large, enough that 3-4 people can eat off of each item easily. So if you are feeding a family of four, you literally only need to order one appetizer and one entree for everyone to share. Even the desserts are huge and priced accordingly. That's great if everyone will enjoy the same thing, not so much if one person doesn't like seafood or another person doesn't eat sausage for example, so that's the only downfall with that style of menu.

Fortunately, my wife and I love lasagna of any kind, so that's what we ordered and we were not disappointed at all. Saying it was huge is an understatement. It's literally almost as large as you may cook at home for your family. Needless to say, it tasted authentic and delicious, definitely one of the best lasagna we have ever had anywhere.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal there and highly recommend this place to anyone that enjoys Italian restaurants that have delicious food and a...

I visited Carmine’s in Atlantic City on August 5th for my birthday. We arrived around 7 p.m. and were told there was a 45-minute wait. We left our name and number with the hostess and went to grab a drink nearby, but we never received a text or call that our table was ready.

After about an hour and 15 minutes, we checked back in. The hostess told us we still had about 20 more minutes. When we came back again, her attitude had noticeably changed. She told us we could now sit at the bar or in the adjacent seating area even though earlier she had said bar seating was only for reservations and wasn’t available. Suddenly it was open. It was confusing and weird.

We were finally seated next to the bar. Our server, an older gentleman in all black, was polite at first. We ordered pasta and Caesar salad. The food was decent, but the meat could’ve used more seasoning.

When we asked for bread, the waiter told us they had run out of bread. Can you believe it? My partner just responded, “Oh, okay,” and let it go. But then the waiter added, “I’m going to save you a few carbs,” which felt unnecessary and unprofessional. My partner is a stocky guy because he works as a bodyguard, but we didn’t find that comment funny.

Later, a different staff member brought out our food. We asked him for bread as well and he brought it to us immediately. When my partner asked if the restaurant was low on bread, he said, “No, we have plenty in the back.”

At that point, we really started to feel like we were being treated differently. My partner and I are both Black with locs, and while we’d like to think that wasn’t a factor, the dismissiveness, the attitude from the hostess, and the overall inconsistencies made us uncomfortable.

What should’ve been a fun, celebratory dinner turned into a disappointing experience. We most likely won’t...