Carmine's McGregor Square

This is a fabulous place! Everyone was very attentive and friendly. I have an allergy to bell peppers and the waitress had the chef come out to our table to go over the menu and find something that didn’t have any bell peppers. He even offered to customize one of the selections if we wanted. Amazing!

I absolutely LOVED my experience here! I sat at the bar with Britney as the bar tender who was so sweet and made great conversation. The non alcoholic cocktails are great (the cucumber one is super refreshing!) and the pasta is to die for - the Ravi con fungi was amazing and the pasta is HAND MADE! Don’t sleep on this place - the decor is super cute too - all around great experience, thank you Carmines!

Five stars for service, food and ambiance. From the moment we walked in I said OKAY this is what an Italian restaurant should smell like. The waitstaff is incredible, knowledgeable and friendly - giving great recommendations and insight on the dishes. We shared mussels (with chorizo which was different and amazing) and the carbonara for two. The perfect amount of food. On our way out the lovely host walked us out the door, asked about our experience and promised us a better seat (we never even thought we had a bad seat but we were by the back door). Like I said, all around 10/10 service in a great location in downtown. Go here as a nightcap or to get your night started, you won’t be disappointed.

We stopped by here on a Saturday night to grab some carry out and the food is absolutely incredible. The second you set foot in the door you’re hit by the smell of amazing Italian food. The service was great too. We felt very welcomed and the manager Arthur was great at really going the extra mile for us and we sincerely appreciated it. We will be back.

We just spent a weekend here and we liked this place so much we came back a second time. We absolutely loved the special: a fig ravioli! Also, the garlic bread was a real treat! I loved the oil dip for it. The bar service was excellent, with a huge wine selection that was fabulous. I went with the Lagone red blend. We very much enjoyed the conversation with the employees, and I highly recommend trying their house made limoncello! We’re coming back this summer, and I guarantee we’re going to go here again!

Great atmosphere. Had a table of 10 and we ordered family size and shared which made it affordable for everyone. Food and service was AMAZING!

I can’t say enough good things about this place! Visited on a quiet Tuesday night and had the best server. We had a great time chatting with her and she had good recommendations on food. The bartender overheard me deciding on what drink to get and she asked me what spirits I liked and flavors, then she suggested the perfect cocktail… it was absolutely delicious!!! One of the best cocktails I’ve had in a while. The bread rolls they serve upon arrival are to die for and the rest of the food was amazing, Thanks for a great experience, Ladies!

Love this place! The servers, hosts, bartenders are always kind. The food is SO WONDERFUL... some of the best Italian we've had stateside! They are patient and let the whole table ask questions, work through any vegan or dietary restrictions, and help us pick out wine. Highly recommend!

Amazing food, service and price! Loved it! The bread alone is worth going for!

I went to this place last night with a group for dinner. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I didn’t make the restaurant selection and before we went I saw it was a total of 3.9 stars. When I looked through the reviews, most of the negative comments were related to a service fee. I wanted to leave a review to really address one topic from other reviews I’ve seen. Yes, they do have a service fee on the food prices that was noted as a shared fee for the kitchen, bar and wait staff. When you factor the service fee into the meal, it is still a great value for what you get. We shared three appetizers, three entrees (they are family style entrees) and two deserts. We had several drinks at the table as well and the bill was less than $75 per person with the service fee added. If you skip this place because of the fee, you are really missing out. It is a great restaurant with great service and food. If you look at the what you get for the total price, it is still a good value.

Food was so good! We got the seasonal gnocchi and chicken marsala, with four people we split two two-person meals, and it was perfect. The rolls were bomb!- buttery and garlicky. Bruschetta was a great portion size. It was really cool when the Executive Chef came out and chatted with us! Totally come here again

Came here for dinner and it was amazing. The portions are huge, the smallest portion is for 2 so keep that in mind when ordering. We started with the pear salad which was incredible. For entrees we got the Carmines Chicken with spaghetti which was amazing! We also ordered the vodka ravioli which was a hit. The service was great, the server made many recommendations for drinks and entrees. Everything is split table side by the servers which was a unique experience. Lastly for dessert we ordered the bread pudding and it was incredible! We will definitely be back!

Our party of 4 dined at Carmine’s at McGregor Square on Wednesday October 18, 2023 for dinner. Our server, Rachel, was welcoming and very attentive, immediately serving us beverages and explaining the menu to us and how best to order from the family style menu so we’d maximize all the possibilities for our party without over-ordering too much food. We decided on a garden salad, the Veal Marsala, the seasonal risotto, and meatballs with vodka and linguine. To top it off we had the tiramisu. I can honestly say everyone enjoyed every morsel of food on our plates. Our meal was outstanding, the service was impeccable and we felt very comfortable throughout our stay. The restaurant is incredibly welcoming, clean and inviting with a delightful ambiance. We were entertaining out of town family and they really enjoyed seeing the McGregor Square area and especially this dining experience. We can’t wait to come back again with local friends.

Came in off a whim walking back to the hotel. My husband and I hadn’t known of the service charge but I was pleasantly surprised to be told about it before paying the bill. To be honest, it is not my favorite but it’s Denver and the past few years haven’t been good to restaurants as is. The server wasn’t the best with portions and I even over heard the (assumed to be?) manager telling another table floor to order less. But she was really sweet, and the same man was really sweet with us. Overall good experience.

Hands down the BEST Italian food I've ever had. PEAR SALAD popped with flavor and the Ravioli apps were so fresh and filled with flavor. Brittney was our server and she was so knowledgeable and made everything perfect. If you have not tried this place you have to go! It is served family style so dishes are HUGE. We are taking home our main course because we are are so full already. Can't wait until I'm hungry again...Yummmmmmmmm

Italian restaurant located in McGregor Square. Menu had traditional Italian, served family style. Great for large or small groups. Waitstaff was super friendly, and gave good recommendations. Will be back!

This was our first time at Carmines and we had a really good experience. I tried mussels for the first time and they were great. The garlic bread was warm, soft and tasty. My friend and I shared the Chicken Montana which had great flavors but there was not much chicken at all. It was mostly pasta and sauce. Other than that, it was an all around good time.

Desert was great. Service was good. Our food was cold and the noodles were undercooked and even cappuccino’s were cold. Disappointing experience this time around.

Great ambiance but the food was so-so. Tried several pastas and meats, apps and desserts. The chicken marsala was the only dish i would recommend. And for dessert, the ice cream sandwich.

The food was great, but our server was very rude. I ordered a family-sized portion of ravioli for just myself. I was pretty hungry and was familiar with the size of this dish having visited Carmine’s before. I was confident that I would be able to finish it, or at least enjoy the leftovers. However, our server was very rude to me about it. He argued with me about my decision to order the family sized portion, even made a few snide remarks about it (what kind of server argues with a person for wanting to order more food!? I felt like I was in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm). It was extremely disrespectful and highly unprofessional; It made the rest of our dining experience very uncomfortable. P.S. I did finish the entire plate, and in less than 10 minutes, too.

We ordered chicken parmigiana and spaghetti bolognese, the chicken tasted heavily like dirty cooking oil and the spaghetti was extremely salty. Our server was very kind but the food was just not good.

I can only describe the food as edible, nothing special and certainly did not entice me to come back. The carbonara was bland and soupy. Service was slow but attentive. Atmosphere was great and the only redeeming quality of our experience.

As consumers, we all need to use a little more discernment when just blindly paying a 22% service charge at a restaurant that a year ago didn’t have one. For 2 people to have a salad, a glass of wine each, chicken and pasta we paid $120. We paid 40% over the cost of the actual food because we are good people who felt we should still tip after that extra service charge. My friend loves this place so I obliged to make her happy, but next time she suggests we come here I will just say no. You can give all the reasons why you feel 22% is justified, but if it was you need to remove the tip line ENTIRELY on the check. This is a restaurant, and your business is food and booze. So the profits you make on that food and booze should go to paying the rent, your employees, cost of goods, and lining your pockets with profit. Business math. Never before this record inflation and Covid did restaurant math turn into service charges on top Of tipping. But now it’s turning into a trend and considered standard? No thanks. But, Denver is a city of rich people and the rest of us just struggling to keep up with constant rent increases so this place most likely will remain in business from rich folks who don’t mind the service fee. Or tourists.

This was not worth the stop. I recognize this restaurant is from the same owners of the location in Wash Park, nearby, and they are not related to the New York restaurant, so it's not fair to compare them. Besides, there is no comparison. This restaurant provided mediocre, bland food with an attitude that should come with much finer food. My thought: don't bother. At this point, they are just riding the reputation of this restaurant's original location, and the unrelated NYC location. I don't see a reason to come back. BTW, how can carbonara not have any flavor of bacon? Lastly, instead of paying their employees a living wage, they have an automatic 22% service charge to spread among employees, but still keep a portion of it for themselves. What is that? Now a person is thinking they don't need to tip, and the server will end up getting a lower percentage tip. Pay your employees properly, and leave tipping alone.

Our server was lovely. Walked us through some recommendations and did a good job with taking care of us when she could. Key words being "when she could", though. We went on a Friday night and there definitely weren't enough people scheduled on staff for a Friday night. The food itself was just kind of... not good. Flavors were muted. The beef short rib was pretty good but the pastas we had were bland. We ordered dessert and the tiramisu was literally submerged in the topping sauce, and the lady fingers seemed to be soaked in water? Like maybe they were frozen and microwaved or something. I would honestly recommend going elsewhere if you're in the area.

The food is certainly overpriced for what you receive and it is also not tasty. Plus afterwards on the way home, we had to stop because of a bit of food poisoning. We also did not feel right all night after eating at this location. It is the same after eating at their other location. To add insult to injury, then the 22% extra that is added on to the bill was really not worth going to the restaurant. The atmosphere is ok for a very basic look.

The place is very cute and very much feels like a nice Italian ambiance. I went with a group for Denver restaurant week and the food was ok at best. Really nothing special. I don't know if this Carmines is associated with the one in Las Vegas but this food was far below those standards. The chicken marsala lacked flavor and the baked ziti tasted was bland. The caesar salad ended up being the highlight. They were out of chocolate cake and my party ended up still being hungry since it is $70 for two people to share one entree design. Weird. Also, by pre-building an excessive 22% service fee (plus an additional 3% fee for the building), it does not motivate your staff to check the tables on water and be as attentive. I understand that Denver cost of living is higher and believe in a higher minimum wage, but why not prebuild at 17% as a floor and people can tip more if they want based on the service they receive? The service fee was listed on the table but not on the website and it seems fishy and deceptive. Our waiter really wasn't with it either.

Not impressed what so ever. Food was sub par cold and salty. The Cesar salad had so much garlic it made it spicy and way too much anchovies. This place is too expensive for pasta and their family style bullshit. The chicken parmesan had probably 1/2 inch of cheese that was also cold and too salty. My group spent $1100 there and service wasn't good one side of the table got more attention then the other and if the server couldn't handle they should of divided the responsibility. I wont go there again.

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 frustration.

Avoid at all costs! The food is very mediocre at best. The ziti and chicken parm were big let downs. The chicken piccata was actually pretty good. The dessert for the 6 of us only being one slice of cheesecake and 4 cannolis even though 4 of us asked for cheesecake. And this is after the chocolate cake being out. We came for Denver restaurant week and it ended up being $70 per 2 people to share 1 meal menu. Very deceptive. And its on the table but 22% automatic tip plus the 3% fee are way to excessive. I tip 20% usually but 22%+3% is way too excessive. And our waiter was unhappy to be there as he said multiple times how hard it was to work in food service. All in all, avoid at all costs. Definitely not worth it. Far better Italian options around for roughly the same price even if you park out the family style aspect to a per plate basis. Not a good experience.

It doesn’t help that I just finished reading Unreasonable Hospitality and soaking in the amazing hospitality and food that Will and Daniel produced. Regardless, this was a terrible experience. The co2 levels were low so the beverages were flat. They left the food tableside on trays so we were blocked in. They visited the table over 30 times (obnoxious). And worst of all, the food was tasteless, made by someone who is in no way a chef, and cold. The server seemed annoyed that we were there. Just a poor poor dining experience overall. Do NOT eat here.

Was there for dinner last night while watching the Nuggets game. We sat on the patio and ordered food - they totally forgot we ordered food. After 45 minutes of waiting the waitress came to our table and asked if we had recieved our food. We told her no and she said she would check on it. She then cam eback and asked again and said the kitchen told her the food was already made and we must have ate it already. Mind you our silverware was stilled rolled int he napkins that she gave us. On top of that, the menu claims to be family style. We ordered ravioli and it came with 8 pieces. Had the waitess had half of a brain she would have let us know that one "family style" order would not be enough to feed 3 grown adult males. And to top it all off- all 3 of the people that ate there ended up with food poisoning. AVOID THIS PLACE.

Not really impressed with the place at all. The only good thing we had was the wine. The shrimp was not fully cooked. The lemon sauce was too much! And the bruschetta did not have enough Mozzarella cheese. Would not absolutely recommend. There’s plenty more restaurants with better prices and better quality. Two thumbs down.

$20 for the most pathetic salad of all time. Strangely small wine list for an "Italian" place. Menu is confusing and has zero descriptions of the food. Server could not get us out the door fast enough. Left hungry and spent a fortune. Food was mediocre at best. And the 25% automatic gratuity for sub par, unprofessional service is VERY disappointing. Tourist trap at it's finest.

I wanted to love Carmines! We went on Sat, Feb 10 to celebrate our anniversary. It was very disappointing. The salad was wilted and heavy. The chicken marsala was over salted. The chocolate cake was dry and stale. For the cost, including a 22% service fee + Denver Restorative Fee + an addl service fee because we ordered our dessert to go, it was hardly worth it.

Super disappointed with my experience today. Hidden fees and deceptive practices. I made a reservation to try the $35 restaurant week special. Turns out this deal doesn't exist, it's actually $70 for 2 people, to share 1 meal. I'd bet that doesn't count this surprise 22% fee either, so what I thought was going to cost 35, likely would have ended up over 100. Nowhere on the ad does it say anything about this and the way the waiter described it sure made it sound like you guys are aware of the miscommunication and aren't fixing it to lure customers. That is the definition of a bait and switch, and is illegal. I have half a mind to report to the bbb just because you wasted my time today and I had no time to reserve anywhere else, so I had to settle with a takeout pizza for dinner during restaurant week. I don't care how much food I may have gotten. If you got to lie about the cost to get me in the door, I will go out of my way to make sure nobody I know comes here.

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 service instead.

"manager" looking guy wearing purple shirt is the worst manager they could have picked. rude as hell to diners. don't come here save your money. that guy needs to learn some basic human interactions skills and know how to be nice to people dining at his mid restaurant. find somewhere else to go.

The name of this restaurant being Carmine’s (like Vegas, NYC, etc) puts the name to shame. I’ve tried both locations of Carmine’s in Denver and both are equally terrible and not worth your time - or your stomach hurting. Unflavored food, chewy chicken parm, expensive for what portions you get. The chewy chicken parm is wild to me - and is the same thing I experienced at the Carmine’s at Penn. do not visit.

Ugh… I never complain. We own a couple restaurants so I’m only writing this in hopes that it helps the service here… the service was terrible… It honestly wasn’t even that busy, but the waitress was way over her head… We were so polite. We tried giving her feedback and she was arguing with us… We paid our full tab and left without eating. One saving grace is that the manager caught us and gave us all our money back. They’ve gotta be able to perform on a Saturday night. Sorry guys, not good stuff.