Carmine's on McGregor Square — Restaurant in Denver

Our family is on a trip to Denver from California, we came to McGregor Square to grab some dinner since we were in the area walking around. We decided some Italian food sounded good and was seated at Carmines. Our server was Josh, I cannot say anything about the food because we ended up leaving before we were able to have anything other than drinks. The menu does not explain what the food is, just names of the item but we ended up looking at the menu online and it explained. When Josh came to grab our order, we were not ready to put in entrees but knew what appetizers we wanted, I told Josh the server what we decided on and he said he won’t put in the appetizer without the entrees because it throws the kitchen off so he will give me more time. I found this odd but okay, when he came back I had the order, I cannot eat shrimp but my family can so we ordered our dish with the shrimp on the side so they can add it themselves he had to check if the kitchen would do that, they would, I asked for the non spicy marinara sauce (he told us we could change the sauce) so when I ask he explains the Italian sausage is spicy which we know and are okay with I said that’s okay he keeps repeating himself about the sausage and repeating “there’s nothing I can do about that” I keep saying that’s okay we like Italian sausage. He was very argumentative at everything we tried to order and trying to push us to order more, we didn’t need more. My daughter asked Josh if he could please grab a refill of my son’s Shirley temple he grabs the cup and says “he is gonna get diabetes” surrounding tables heard this and thought it was completely rude and inappropriate. I had enough we canceled our order and asked for the bill for our drinks. He came back dropped the bill on the table and said “sorry you decided not to eat here” in the most sarcastic rude way possible. This was the worst dining experience ever my 7 year old son was upset to hear what Josh had to say about him and is still asking why he said that. Josh you should be ashamed of yourself to speak about a child that way, maybe consider a new job this one is not for you. Carmines you should be embarrassed to allow this behavior from a server. We walked across the way to Tom’s watch bar and had excellent...

I’ve been a loyal customer of Carmine’s on Penn for years, but the experience at Carmine’s on McGregor has been consistently disappointing. After visiting the McGregor location about ten times, I can confidently say it’s not up to par. Each visit has come with its own issues, whether it’s a dish that doesn’t taste right, is improperly cooked, or poor service.

Last night was a breaking point. We ordered our usual vodka sauce ziti, which we get almost twice a month, and it was nearly inedible this time. The sauce was off and tasted nothing like it usually does. It took about 15 minutes for our server to check on us after the food arrived, which is disappointing given the restaurant’s price point and reputation. She was nice, but the overall service was slow, and the restaurant wasn’t even busy.

When we pointed out the issue with the ziti, the dish was taken away, and we waited another 30 minutes for a replacement dish, carbonara, which was just okay—probably a 7/10. The noodles were a bit mushy, but I didn’t complain further. They did offer a complimentary cheesecake, which was a nice gesture, but it didn’t make up for the $120 bill, flat and disgusting soda, and the overall disappointing experience.

I’m frustrated that, as a repeat customer who’s been loyal despite the ongoing issues at this location, the response was so minimal. They only comped the dish we sent back after a couple of bites and offered a dessert. It felt like they could have done more to make up for the repeated letdowns.

While Carmine’s on Penn remains a favorite, we won’t be returning to the McGregor location. I hope they can improve because the inconsistencies and poor service are just not worth the price or the...

It seems from the outside that it will be a nicer dining experience than it is. The wait staff is super friendly and incredibly knowledgeable, but if I'm paying $100 for two courses and 2 6 oz glasses of wine I really expect the atmosphere and food to be amazing.

The music was so low and the room is so echoey that you can hear other tables conversations and it's a bit awkward. One of the walls we were sat by was fake, and if you turned your head you could see straight into the empty opening and even hear the chatter from the room next door.

There is craft paper on the tables with crayons, and the server writes your order on the paper on the table which is pretty bizarre for a restaurant with expensive food. It's something I'd expect for a casual place. Even Olive Garden seems fancier in hindsight.

The menu is "family style" which was certainly a bit off putting, but we gave it a chance and the portions were TINY for the $30 price and the fact that you have to share. I could get a steak at a restaurant with more ambiance for the same price as our 8 pieces of ravioli. The taste was okay, but nothing exceptional. Again, if I'm paying that much for 8 ravioli's I would expect them to be some of the most delicious raviolis ever.

There are a lot of restaurants in McGregor Sq and near Larimer Sq. Just walk a bit further south and you'll hit a dozen nicer restaurants for a similar price point that will be more romantic for your night out. Definitely don't make the impulsive mistake that we did and fall for the façade of a fancier experience. We ended up here because the other places we tried were on long waits. Definitely should have grabbed drinks and gone somewhere...