Carmine's Bar • Grill • Stage — Restaurant in East Hartford

Friday April 30th was our first time at Carmines. Went to see our friends band Flashback IV (great band by the way) Got to the restaurant around 7pm, wasn't very crowded. Found a table that kind of afforded us a view of the band (weird wall system, blocks alot of the view for entertainment) we were having dinner with another couple and they had not arrived yet. A woman approached our table asking if we were having dinner and drinks, we said yes, she then went to another girl and sent her to our table with menus. This girl took our drink orders and brought them in a timely manner. We were still waiting for the other couple when she came back to take our order, we declined at that time so she brought us bread with a carafe of melted butter (had a garlic flavor but no spices). Our friends arrived and after we found and flagged down the waitress (still wasnt very busy) our friends ordered drinks, which she brought incorrectly. One friend decided to keep his but our other friend waited 15 minutes for her correct drink before I got up and went over to the bar (about 6 feet away mind you) after another 5 minutes the waitress finally brought her her drink. We then ordered another round and our food. Drinks were a bit slow in coming (our waitress seemed to like hanging out in the kitchen instead of taking care of her tables) Our food finally came out, but i had to get up and go find utensiles and salt and pepper for our table. I ordered a cup of the homemade mushroom soup, creamy and delicious. My husbsnd ordered fried calamari, cold and tasteless. Our friend ordered risoto with grilled shrimp, he said it was good. The owner had come to our table and chatted with us, he seemed very nice and offered us a round of drinks. (Our waitress never brought them) We had a fun night all in all as we were with great friends listening to a wonderful band. Will we go back?....probably not. Menu was very limited, service was poor, food was ok, mixed drink prices were a bit high ($7.35 for a Margherita in a rock size glass). I wish them well, but they need to seriously train their...

Hidden Food and Drink Gem. . .at least for out-of-towners!

If there are picky people in your party, consider Carmine's for the variety.

While not the quietest setting, sure is a lot of fun for a post-work cocktail and snack.

Updated and clean. Older bar configuration with a large oval bar at the center. Love seeing this. It was packed with regulars around the bar with a few open seats along the rail. Hight top and table seating around the bar and bar area.

Our group of 4 went in after work for some dinner. Live music was going to come-on. Until then, someone was having fun with the jukebox.

While waiting for our food, we ordered a Blood Orange Cosmopolitan and a Honey Rose Margarita. Wonderfully mixed! Other interesting cocktails available including a Sunset Serenade and a Peachy Keen.

We started off with the Eggplant Stacker. Wow! perfectly hand breaded eggplant, deep fried and not greasy at all. Layered with parmesan and provolone cheeses and toped with a Bolognese sauce. Could have made a meal out of this appetizer.

Next was the Sausage Pappardelle that starts with sausage in a spicy olive oil butter sauce. Some tart broccoli rabe and crushed red pepper topped the pappardelle. Spicy goodness.

Also, the Vodka Chicken with pan seared chicken as the base and served with a traditional vodka sauce, peas, sun-dried tomatoes over rigatoni (the best pasta) and topped with crispy prosciutto and parmesan.

There was no room for...

Carmine's has quickly become a favorite of my boyfriend and myself. We stumbled into it randomly - hungry and looking for a place near our hotel. We were impressed with the delicious food, the amazing ambience, and (importantly) the genial and affable Carmine himself. Carmine came out of the kitchen to enquire about the food and check in on us and that's a unique touch. So, the second time we went out of our way, took a detour to specifically eat at Carmine's, while on our way to NYC. The second time left us just as impressed as the first, and this was during a pandemic. The customized three cheese ravioli with pesto was delicious and filling. It was al dente cooked and melted in my mouth. The Tokyo Iced Tea tasted delicious and the Tiramisu was decadent. While there was no one performing live, the playlist made up for it. The other part of the Carmine's experienc is the affordability. Italian food need not burn a hole in your pocket and Carmine's shows us exactly that. It combines an exciting ambience filled with music, with the delicious Italian food and the personality of Carmine to give us an affordable, and memorable Italian experience. Do make it a point to visit and eat here and you will not regret...