Carmine's Italian Deli — Restaurant in Jersey City

Giovanni was awesome from the moment we arrived til the second we left. Great attitude, atmosphere and service. It's not fancy. It's down to earth with amazing food and people. Carmine was also a very nice person but we interacted with Giovanni more. They helped us with the huge menu and served everything to the table.

The Pasta e Fagiole was great with perfect beans and pasta in a nice savory broth. The Chicken Soup was also in a flavorful broth with shredded chicken and veggies. The Chicken Parm was enormous and perfectly breaded with a sauce that packed a punch. The Chicken Marsala was tender and the sauce was sooo good. Mushrooms on the dish were particularly good for some reason. The Broccoli Rabe had excellent flavor. Salted with a touch of chili flake. Mmmm mmm. The bread and butter hit the spot. Pasta and sauce on the side with the Chicken Parm was also perfectly al dented with a winning tomato sauce. Oh, the macaroni salad is good too. Nice and tamgy with sweetness but not too much.

We will definitely come back the next time we are in town. All the people who came on were nice good people too. We had a fun experience listening to all the banter between people who clearly eat there daily. ...

I’ve been coming to carmines for quite a few years now. By far the worst thing I’ve seen be done in a deli. I walked in and as I’m waiting in line, one of the co-owners/works walks pass the cold cuts & the turkey cold cut fell on the floor right in front of my eyes. Took a few second & it got picked up, and placed back in the fridge (away from the other cold cuts). It’s my turn in line & I order a small chicken soup & a turkey sandwich. As I’m waiting, I realized the turkey that was placed away from the other cold cuts, was not there anymore & they used the turkey that fell on the floor to make my sandwich. Unknowingly by the person who made my sandwich, however, the person who picked it up, did not say a word & choose to not speak up to let the coworkers know not to use that turkey. Unsanitary floor to then be served from what has fallen on that floor. Is...

Food is always good. Anything you get will be fresh and extremely tasty.

The only issue with Carmine's is during peak lunch time, the line can be outrageously long and your wait time could be too much. If you have a limited lunch break, walking in and ordering in line can take too much of your lunch time up. The reason for this is because they take call in orders and prepare those at the same time, so even though the line may not be too long physically, there are people who walk in and essentially add another spot in line for which you'll have to wait.

It seems like I'm making a big complaint, and giving 4 stars seems out of place, but I give 4 stars because it truly is good food, good sizes and the lines aren't always bad, just during the...