Carmine's Ristorante & Pizzeria

Our experience was the best we've had in a restaurant in a long,long time. The decor is awesome - I love the colors of the walls and molding blended with the wood. It felt very cozy. The service was fantastic - our waiter was very attentive without it being too much. The food was great - some of the best mozzarella sticks, not over cooked, nice spice, good sauce to complement. The bread was wonderful, a bit of crunch without being dry. The ziti was lovely, really flavorful sauce with the right amount of cheese - very fresh tasting. The linguine with clam sauce was the best my roommate- a professional cook for 43 years - had ever had. The cannolis were so yummy. I had not had any that were so good since I was a kid in NY from an Italian bakery. The prices are extremely reasonable. My goal is to be a weekly customer. Pros: service, food, atmosphere, value - all excellent more

This was one of my worst dining experiences. We had to wait an hour and a half for our food and it wasn't even worth it when it came. The pasta was overcooked and not even drained properly. It was soggy pasta and when I pushed some aside, water streamed across the plate. The worst part was the taste. I had been under the impression that the sauce was very flavorful. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It was completely tasteless. I hate chunks of tomatoes in my pasta sauce and I was eating these just to get any flavor! Extremely poor service and tasteless food means I will not be going back to this place at all. Pros: Not busy Cons: Poor service, tasteless food, hard to find more

Carmine's perfects traditional Italian cuisine with a touch of Chapel Hill homestyle. Complementing the astounding, yet affordable, wine list is a fanfare of fresh and unique dishes, including a homemade eggplant rollatini and made-to-order gnocchi. If you are looking for your basic Italian fare, such as a homemade marinara sauce over house-rolled manicotti, or if you are in the mood for a more in-depth cuisine, such as a 28 days aged ribeye or sashimi grade tuna steak, Carmine's is the place. And the pizza, to die for!\r Love the atmosphere, service is a little slow, but it's worth the wait! \r The entire Eastgate Shopping Center in Chapel Hill has been remodeled, and Carmine's is just proof that the changes are for the better! Pros: Homemade Cuisine, Family-Friendly and Casual Atmosphere more

The owner/manager of Carmine's is spot on with his sense of what his customers want. The menu includes a variety of great food, the restaurant uses environmentally conscious materials, and staff provide excellent customer service. Wonderful place to eat!!! It's amazing how they have filled the void in chapel hill a restaurant that has reasonable prices/ a great atmospher and you can get a pizza that is the cheepest in town if you want to take it home. I also used there delivery service and it was quick and the pizza showed up on time.\r Pros: Good food/Delivery and take out specials Cons: Hard to find unless you know about it more

I tried this restaurant for the first time for a take out lunch. The food was fabulous. I had the vegetable lasagna and ordered my boyfriend a pasta dish recommended by the manager. I can't remember what it was called, but it had mushrooms, spinach and sun dried tomato sauce. Both dishes were delicious and so flavorful. The portions and price were appropriate too. My boyfriend is Italian and very picky and he liked it. We will definitely eat there again. Pros: Great food! Cons: Hard to find more

Since I have a wheat allergy, I need menu choices that are gluten-free. Thankfully, the wait staff and chef were very attentive and helpful to me and I ate quite well! Their food is fresh, tasty and reasonably priced and the atmosphere is friendly. Carmine's is a new favorite local restaurant for me and my family Pros: Gluten Free more

Carmine's Ristorante and Pizzeria is located at 1800 E. Franklin Street in Eastgate Plaza to the right of Stein Mart. I saw on their website that they can accommodate gluten free diets, so I went to check it out. It says to ask about vegetarian and vegan diets as well. I decided to go to Carmine's at lunch today because I knew they'd be less busy and I wanted to make sure they'd have all the time I needed to talk about gluten free options.\r \r The waiter was very informative and told me that I was able to choose from gluten free ziti and spaghetti. If you ask, the waiter can also advise you on what chicken dishes to order. I was told that several of the dishes are dusted with flour before they're cooked, but that I could request no flour. I was told that Redbridge beer is also available. I decided to order the baked ziti without meat sauce and a glass of water. I was impressed that bread wasn't mentioned and that the waiter didn't bring any wheat bread to our table. Usually, in a restaurant if I ask for gluten free they'll still bring a basket of bread. The waiter apologized that my order took a little longer, but I didn't mind because I know it was because my meal needed more attention. I was just glad that gluten free pasta was an option!\r Two gluten free entrees and two glasses of water was only $30 including tip! Pros: They have a true Gluten free menu and staff that understands our needs Cons: Could not find any more

This review is from my experience in January. Some of the details are not perfect but the general idea is 100% accurate. I was hoping to put this review up immediately but there was no entry on Citysearch at the time. Some friends of mine came over and I suggested we try Carmine's as it got a pretty good review in the N&O. We went on a Friday night and had to wait a minute or two for a table. Our bubbly waitress took our orders and gave us our salads relatively quickly. After awhile of waiting, a friend asked where his beer was as the waitress obviously forgot about it. We were waiting and waiting for food. A manager clearly saw that we were checking out the kitchen and came over to apologize about the wait. He said he was ""chopping some heads"" in the kitchen because of the slow night (even though other tables got their food relatively quickly) and told us we could get appetizers or dessert on the house. (How could they deliver appetizers quickly but not the main meal?) So we were waiting more and more but still no food. The manager and other employees came over to apologize every so often. During none of this, were we yelling (and he seemed surprised that we weren't). He then told us the whole meal was on the house. Finally the food came (more than an hour after ordering). And it wasn't good at all. Mine was okay, and that was the best. The rest of the group said their food had little taste. He gave us two free desserts (for the four of us). But we will never go back again. Ever. Pros: Understanding manager Cons: Bad food, even worse service more

I went to Carmine's for the first time last week and everything was superb. The staff was friendly and prompt with everything my husband and I ordered - we were even greeted by the owner! The ambiance is inviting, casual, but classy. It was not noisy so I was able to have a romantic dinner with my husband. The bruchetta we ordered as an appetizer was the freshest I have had at any other restaurant. For dinner, I had a Stromboli and my husband ordered the Penne a la Vodka. My Stromboli came out crisp and tasteful - their red sauce had a great mix of flavors. We were so full from their portions, we did not have desert but it seemed classic Italian with Cheesecake, Cannoli, and Tiramisu. Overall we will most definitely come here again because with their close to NY Style-as- you-can-get-in-the-south pizza crust and rich flavored sauces, it is definitely worth the trip. Pros: Fresh tasting Italian-style food, ambiance, service. Prices good for the portions they serve. Cons: Parking wasn't bad, but I could see it being a problem during shopping hours. more