Review Carmine's Seventh Avenue - Tampa

Went out to lunch at Carmine's with colleagues on a busy Thursday afternoon and had a delicious lasagna. I have to say, this was the best lasagna I have eaten in my entire life and that's a fact. It looked great too - the photo from my potato camera does not do the dish justice. I cannot wait to come back and have another lasagna and maybe try something else with it!

One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time! Meatball appetizer for the win, my husband got the Cuban and based off of our waitress’s recommendation I got the Chicken Marsala with blackened chicken which was 🔥🔥🔥Our waitress Gail was beyond phenomenal! Five star recommended to anyone in this area! Also get her drink 😉

Great food, the Cuban sandwich was tasty, the Spanish Bean soup delicious and the service was good. We indulged in the stuffed crab which was good but not fresh in the sense of homemade. Overall great food and always good company.

This is a great restaurant in Ybor City, with one of the best Cuban sandwiches in all of Tampa! I love the location and the atmosphere and think they have a pretty solid menu. My two complaints are: 1. That they serve non-alcoholic drinks in short glasses, so you end up needing a refill pretty quickly and your server may or may not be that quick about it. 2. They won't allow substitutions on side items for their sandwiches. I ordered a sandwich that comes with the side of soup or rice and beans, and they wouldn't let me substitute any other side from the sides menu. The server was very apologetic about it, but said that he gets yelled at if he does. So for that reason I can't give this restaurant five stars.

It was a great dining experience. One I've been looking forward to for a while since I am now living out of state. If you are visiting Tampa you must visit Caine's in Ybor City. Devil Crab, authentic Tampa Cuban sandwich and Spanish bean soup. Excellent!

Carmine’s is a restaurant in Ybor City known for its comfort food. The decor inside is basic, and has a few brick walls. The service was a bit slow; but gave us recommendations and was friendly with us. The food here is very good. The deviled crab had a good flavor combined with the hot sauce; and the fries are very fresh; as we doubt anything was frozen here. The chicken tenders were great, and the sandwiches are good. Overall, I recommend eating at this place.

Our waitress Paris was amazing!!! The atmosphere is so warm and welcoming. Paris helped us and walked us through everything because it was our first time. Then the bartender made the best drinks. The food is one of the BEST in ybor! Easily one of my new favorites. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

visiting from NJ and i entered here not knowing what to expect.... everything from the friendly hostess... to the amazing bartender Pete. i sat at the bar and had dinner and drinks.... Pete was amazing in suggesting ideas for drinks, dinner, and dessert... outside. i highly recommend and will return when I can

Let me start by saying the host at the door was so nice to us and got my party in last minute. Silvia was so sweet . And our server Paris got our food out quickly and the "devil crab " was the best I've had !!!! " definitely worth the trip" they didn't have the bottle of wine I was looking for but Paris recommended the this coffee martini they have and was absolutely fantastic 👌🏾

I just had my anniversary dinner here earlier and everything was amazing. The decor, the vibe, it was so cute. Little string lights and the best expressi martinis. The staff is adorable and so giggly, I loved it and will definitely be coming back.

One of our favorite spots in Ybor to grab a Cuban or have a nice meal. Staff is friendly and food is always delicious. They were all out of their grouper when we came but the Tampa Cuban and their Crab cake were phenomenal. You really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu. Come check it out!

Carmines is a great spot for group dinners, with a nice list of options for everyone to like: from italian food, to Cuban sandwiches. I got The blackened Grouper sandwich and had trouble putting it down it was that good. For appetizers i recommend the mozzarella sticks and the plantain chips. Prices here were surprisingly high, but my main complaint was the painfully slow service. Drinks took forever to get to us while the restaurant wasn’t in peak busyness.

Three of us went to eat at Carmine’s for lunch. When entering the restaurant we were immediately greeted and seated. The inside had a nice rustic feel and the lighting was perfect. Our waiter brought us our water and then we ordered our drinks. The drinks came out quick and when I was out, it was refilled quickly. We ordered the sausage appetizer and it was delicious. For my meal I ordered the Italian house salad and the Ybor Burger. The salad and burger were very good. The other two people in my party ordered the Florida Fresh Grouper and said it was delicious as well. I would give this a 4.5 stars. I didn’t give it a full 5 because my water never got refilled and my salad came out with my meal. Other than that, everything was perfect.

Been in the restaurant industry myself for 13 years as a bartender/server and have never left a bad review somewhere, but I started out with a patron Margarita that tasted like water that the server spilled twice in front of me cause she kept leaning her tray. got a order of grouper bites that were virtually tasteless, ordered the Filet Mignon only to be told 15 minutes after I ordered that they were out. I instead got the New York strip and ordered a bottle of Hahn Pinot Noir to come out with the meal. Received a decent steak oddly paired with beans and rice (but no biggie). The bottle came out without any presentation with my friends and my glasses poured before the bottle came to the table. I proceed to eat the food and about broke a tooth biting into a huge bone that somehow found its way into my beans and rice and apparently their solution was just to bring more beans and rice. My part of the bill was $100 which would have been fine if the quality of food and service matched the price for which I was paying. Definitely will never eat here again. Applebees quality food at fine dining prices.

I don't even know where to start... I guess the beginning is best. My older sister and I made a reservation for Mother's Day to take our mother, grandmother, father, other sister & her daughter, our uncle and his son, 9 total. Since I have recently had knee surgery and am on crutches I was dropped off out front to get our table while they found parking. While standing outside of the door (glass door with the entire front of the restaurant being Windows) the hostess did not think "hey girl on crutches maybe she needs someone to hold the door" instead I stood outside looking for a handicap door button for assistance. Eventually a couple inside noticed me and graciously held the door open for me. Still positive at this point I check in and watch the hostess leave to start arranging tables for our party. I watched three different table assembly attempts for 15min. Meanwhile people were walking in and filling the space in front of the hostess stand waiting patiently and never being acknowledged. I found myself apologizing for the wait and explaining that the hostess should be back any minute, they eventually left. The rest of my party arrived right as we were seated. We weren't given enough menus so we shared which is fine. My family proceeded to order drinks and appetizers and then our food. The appetizers were horrible. The calamari had zero flavor and the batter resembled something more like pancake batter. Everything was room temp nothing was hot, we are a positive group & my fiancé is a chef so we get the hustle and bustle of restaurants at time, so we cheer up and don't get hung up on it but everything went downhill from there. My mother and grandmother ordered cosmos and were served some grape fruit drink instead. Their entrees (the roast pork) were so dry and flavorless they asked to order something else (I have never EVER in 27yrs seen my mother or grandmother send anything back that's how I knew it was bad) my younger sister had to ask for a high chair for her daughter three times. The second meal my mother tried was a chicken Parmesan (advertised on the menu as a regular chicken parm, noodles marinara sauce etc) they brought out two pieces of chicken "tenderized" *cough* beaten *cough* so flat that they looked like a piece of paper fried, with burnt cheese melted on top and black beans with yellow rice.... No pasta.... No marinara... We actually laughed my mom asked to see the menu again and yep right there no confusion "chicken parm Angel haired pasta and Marinara sauce" so again we asked our waitress in a polite way "wtf???" And she looked completely clueless. So back to the kitchen it went and you would hope that third time was the charm but alas now we had chicken parm WITH the pasta and sauce *applause* yet so completely burnt the entire bottom was black and essentially inedible... At that point my mother gave up. On Mother's Day my mother gave up having, not even a decent meal at that point, just an edible one. I focused mainly on my mother in this review (since it was Mother's Day) but my sisters rice tasted like peanut butter which was odd, my cousin (who is allergic to peanuts) took a bite of his and had a reaction (luckily we had his Medicine but there's clearly cross contamination) my father ordered deviled crab which he was told was served on a half shell in reality it was a deep fried over sized crab cake (burnt as well and no shell or even presentation just a deep fried ball on an empty plate ). My niece ordered Mac and cheese which was in all honesty cold noodles lathered in butter and lightly sprinkled with cheese. My younger sisters clam linguini was soaked in olive oil with every few clams. My Cuban, though ordered pressed and hot was stone cold and rock hard. My mothers meals or meal attempts were comped but even though we were clearly dissatisfied and had three items sent back not one not two but three from the same table and a customer said they would rather go hungry than try a fourth time, no one came to speak with us. Other guests overheard us talking and chimed in with similar mishaps to their food (the calamari became a fun joke between us and the couple one table over who had the same issue with theirs) no one came to speak to us no one came to apologize, other than our poor waitress, nothing. My poor mother... Her big day out of the year and she couldn't even eat, needless to say we felt like failures for picking this place. The entire experience was dismal and we paid a heavy price for a less than mediocre experience. Alas, Carmine's we will never make this mistake again I only wish everyone else heed our warning and avoid making the same mistake themselves.

The Shrimp in my Fettachinni Alfredo, were delicious. Sadly that was all that was. Dish was terribly bland. Sauce was more of a paste, making it very dry tasting. Hubby liked his Cuban Pork for the first 3 bites, dry tasting, then got a mouthful of fat & he was done. We were just disappointed. Positive, wasn't terribly expensive. No frozen margaritas.

The service and food are the best in Ybor! The atmosphere is great and the wait is never too long.

Attentive waiter. Loved my cafe con leche and my lunch Cuban sandwich and Spanish style Bean soup were all very delish. Would love to return!

If I could give a 0 I would. Music was awesome. The 0 does not go to the restaurant or food. I am rating the patio and the pizza/bar connected to Carmine’s that is under the same management. Bad service. Terrible awful bartender. Too much attitude. Give someone a little power syndrome. Whatever happened to the customer is always right era. As a person who owns her own business and appreciates every customer, I live by this rule. I hope Carmine’s owner reads this and teaches their employees this valuable lesson. My complaint is too the bartender with way too much attitude. So rude. So wrong on so many levels. Lied to her manager. Stole our money and said they “don’t do refunds” on cards. Really? This is the 21st century. The world of technology. I can do a refund on my phone. She harassed me, put her finger in my face, lied to the bouncer, tried to throw me out then told the bouncer to call the cops cause of open container law. I was still in the doorway of the bar. What kind of power control wannabe does that. Luckily management was called and when I calmly described the situation he “tried” to rectify it. So here’s what I want. 1. The bartender to be fired. That’s a given. You don’t need that type of employee. And 2. A formal apology to me and my fiancé for the way we were treated and manhandled by your staff. I pray the owner and people who run Carmine’s sees this and makes right a very wrong situation. Sincerely, Linda Susca

When we arrived, we were greeted and seated right away. It did take quite a while for someone to come take our drink order. When we finally did get our drinks, we were asked if we had any questions. We said no and thought he would take our order. But no. He walked away. It took quite a while for.him to come back and take our order. Once we received our food, it was hot but lacked flavor. I was shocked to find out that the Coke I ordered came in a CAN and was $2.75. Over all, food was good. Atmosphere was great but the service was extremely slow.

Carmine’s was recommended to us and as it turned out we had eaten there 8 years ago. The atmosphere is perfect for the area and the food delicious. We started with the Bruschetta and I had the marinated baked chicken and my husband had the meatball sandwich. The prices were reasonable too.

My favorite restaurant ever! Best chicken soup! Best crabcakes. Too bad I have to drive 45 minutes to get there or I would eat there every day.

All of their restaurants are amazing and worth the try. One of the best deviled crabs �

Great atmosphere and good food. I had Carmine'lunch special with half a Cuban sandwich and black beans and rice. Maybe dinner next time!

Food Not as good as it use to be to me. They change staff constantly and the tall lady hostess a little rude.

Carmine’s has the best deviled crabs and fried green tomatoes that I’ve ever had. The food, service and atmosphere are impeccable. If you are looking for an authentic old Ybor City feel...look no further. Truly one of Tampa’s gems.

Great food and excellent Margaritas. Service was first rate ..

Hands down, best restaurant in Ybor city!

Had my birthday dinner at Carmine's with family. It's ideal for a party of this sort (11) on a Sunday evening in that it's not packed & noisey, & one can really enjoy being with friends & family... you're not stifled with overwhelming background noise & sporadic service.<br/><br/>Our waitress, Jordan, was attentive, helpful, & patient. The food was top drawer. Among other things the group had the "mountain steak" (bistek de palomilla w/ crudo topping), roast pork, lasagna, Mac n' cheese w/ rigatoni pasta (for the children), backened grouper. Everything was prepared well, but the favorite of course was the pork...so tender & favorful. But then this is THE signature Cuban dish in my opinion.<br/><br/>It was a great place for our party. We'd all come back. Note: the Spanish soup is outstanding, & I hate chickpeas any other way but in their soup & hummus.

Awful service. Waited 35 minutes to be seated after being told it was a 15 minute wait. Then no one came by for 15 minutes so we left. Maybe a good restaurant some of the time but bad management planning for the FSU block party. Manager nowhere to be found. Hostess said he took the night off.

Food was good the service was slow however. I will go back again as it may have just been an off night for the wait staff. The prices were reasonable

Not a great evening. Waiter was attentive but food came very slowly even though the restaurant wasn't full. Food was ok but not very interesting. Devil crab was a big hush puppy with crab salad filling. As our food arrived a group of drunk football fans came in and took over the restaurant (not the bar) and the waiter said there was nothing they could do. I won't go back if I am ever in Tampa again.

Awesome food, hit or miss service.<br/><br/>Carmines is a classic Cuban\Italian staple in Ybor. It's a great place for lunch to escape the heat or to people watch the party goers at night. <br/><br/>First the good. Great space, great drinks and the best deviled crab Ive ever had. Like crab? Order this. Trust me.<br/><br/>The cuban sandwich is good and so are the fries. They serve a basket of sliced buttered cuban for .75 which is a deal, but it's not the billowy in the inside crunchy on the outside that is so plentiful in the Tampa area.<br/><br/>Service. Meh. It can be good but never great. On my last visit it was downright comically bad. The place was half full but the tables were not evenly distributed between wait staff. We were greeted and seated and our drink orders were taken. We then watched our waitress take care of multiple tables without putting our drink order in. Another waiter and the bartender came and asked if we had been helped, which we had, we were just waiting on it and they seemed ok with that and walked away.<br/><br/>She finally returned with our drinks (wine and wine and Ybor Gold beer) and took our orders. Food came out fairly quickly, BUT my deviled crab was missing. She said it would be up quickly, but I watched and she never went to the back. She walked from table to table. At this point i notice several tables dirty and uncleared, no hostess at the hostess stand and customers waiting, confused, and a manager on the phone. My wine is empty, my salad is half gone(and covered in onions when I asked for none) and still no crab... Oh wait! She heads to the back! Yay! And she stays there for a solid 5 min. Other staff popped in and out, but not ours. <br/><br/>Finally she appears, crab in hand. Yes! She apologies. Fine. More drinks please? She obliges. She then heads to the hostess stand, sits on the stool and buries her head in her hands on the podium. Hmmm must be having a day.<br/><br/>The crab was delicious. The wine was divine but our server maybe could use a day off. <br/><br/>But the beer is cold and the people watching is great and my love for Ybor will bring me back despite the hiccups in service.

Both historic and stylish atmosphere. Server Michael was very attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. Great devel crab and Cuban sandwich. If you're ever in the Tampa area, you owe it to yourself to visit the Ybor City district. And likewise Carmine's. 5 out of 5 for the service alone.

My go to for deviled crab and an Ybor Gold. The beans and rice and other dishes are good too. This place is not fancy or pretentious but just good, old Tampa food. Ybor needs more places like this.

I cannot recommend this place.<br/>My friends and I were the ONLY customers in there at the time yet it took 10 minutes to get waited on. We ordered and waited another 20 minutes to be told that one of the dishes we ordered was not available .. would we like something already prepared since the other dishes were being served. To boot, the beef of one of the dishes was ordered medium and came out well done; and I won't even go into the soggy fries and over cooked grouper. BTW, the prices are out of line as well. Overall, this Carmine's should be avoided.<br/>The drinks were good for what's that worth.

First and last visit !. Lunch today at Carmine's in Ybor- this was our first, and must say LAST visit to this highly over rated eatery. Have had better Cuban sandwiches at gas stations in the area, better priced with loads more ingredients! The " wisp" of Swiss cheese was second in failure only to the nearly non existent Pork and single slice of pickle... Shame! Don't waste your time, energy, or money at this place with all the other options available in Ybor.

Service. Arrived at Carmine's and were told that they couldn't seat 9 people. Asked if we would mind splitting up our party. Agreed to split up but inquired about an open table that would easily seat our party. We were told that the table was reserved. Were told that our tables would be ready in 10 minutes. 25 minutes later they seated us at the open table we inquired about earlier. <br/>We are currently seated at the table and have been waiting to see our server for 20 minutes. No water, no bread, no service whatsoever. <br/>Should have gone elsewhere. <br/>Guess we will see if the food quality was worth the poor customer service. Will post the result after.

Best beans & rice. Had a traditional dinner here: baked chicken, beans & rice, plantains. Chicken was flavorful & juicy, beans & rice were some of the best I've after had. Menu is a little pricey, but not out of bounds. Nice place inside, although it was nearly empty on the Wednesday night I was there. Server did a great job.

Food and Fun. Stopped off in Ybor city for lunch. This place was great. Good food and service.

Mediocre and Expensive. Last night, we went to Carmine's for Mother's Day. I am going to review this restaurant from my perspective of eating Cuban cuisine here in Tampa for the last 10 years. 3 out of 4 of us got the roasted pork with rice and beans. <br/>Presentation: The presentation of the food was very good from what you can see.<br/>Drinks: I got a Mohito, which was full of ice and barely any rum. I never drink Mohitos and was excited to drink one, but it just did not do it for me. <br/>Food: The rice and beans were very bland, needing salt. They were also kind of dry, so it felt like it needed some olive oil or something. Out of the 3 plates, mine only had 3 slices of meat and the others had like 5-6. My meat was very fatty and after cutting it off the meat, I had a small bowl of fat. <br/>Portion size: The portion size is good, but the portions of meat varied between the 3 plates at the table. <br/>Service: Service was slow, but wasn't bad. At times we were looking around for the waiter and waiting, and waiting...<br/>Price: Too expensive for roasted pork, rice, and beans. My meal was $16 and if I went to Arco Iris or another place, I could get it for under $8. These prices are Ybor City prices, so expect to pay a little higher. <br/>Overall: I would not go back just because I know that I could find a less expensive and high quality place to eat Cuban food. It wasn't horrible and wasn't bad, just had a few things I didn't like. Overall, a medium quality place.

Amazed. I ordered Ziti with Marinara sauce I made sure to mention I don't EAT MEAT 2hrs and waiting with several in-betweens the waitress stating yours is next I get ZITI with Meat sauce. Of course if the waitress wouldn't have been sitting at another table talking and been a little more attentive she might have noticed me trying to get her attention when she finally does come over she has the nerve to say oh You know I thought of putting a spoon through and checking for meat but it shouldn't have had meat since it was MARINARA SAUCE. And really they need to do something about the waitress dress code she was a bit on the heavy side to be wearing what she had on another reviewer Tammy said it perfectly they must have seen the same waitress...

I not a Cuban sandwich eater my husband is we were walking ybor and and was hungry and stopped In after ordering I look at the reviews they were terrible but we had already order so couldn't turn back so I tell u if u can stop at Carmine's hope u get lyedi she was amazing the food was awesome the only thing that should change is the other girls clothes u should never put a big girl in tight see thru pants and another girl in a very short dress they should all dress like lyedi I will be back again :)

Terrible Service, Mediocre Food. I can't recall a time when I've waited more than 50 minutes for a sandwich, let alone a cold sandwich with little to no prep-work...I guess I should have walked out after I looked around and noticed that there were very few people in the restaurant (none eating) and my appetizer had yet to arrive. Shame on me for sticking it out in hopes that the wait would be worth it. The long and short of it is, my food was edible but I think my five year old could have slapped together a better "Cuban Sandwich."

Super slow and inattentive service. The cuban sandwich was more bread than meat, and cut down the center (long ways) which made no sense at all. Was there with a small group of coworkers, and server forgot to put orders in which led to some not eating. Not going back.

Went there for lunch with 12 people, they gave us 2 waitresses so you would think we would had good service, but no.. The food took forever and came out a little at a time. The chicken carmine was so dry I would have needed a gallon of water to get it down. I told the waitress and she sent over the manager, who obviously been drinking. By the time he came over everyone had finished eating, he asked what was wrong. When I told him he said okay offered me something else, I explained I had to get back to work. He said okay and walked away, never apologized and charged me for it. We all couldn't believe how unprofessional he was and won't be returning.

Deviled Crab!. Had lunch here not long ago, wasn't too hungry so I ordered light. I had a deviled crab and a small salad, and a delicious sangria. I thought deviled crab was only true in fairy tales, but after one bite, I'm a believer! So good!

Bad service, it took waiter some time to greet us at our table, never took notes with a party of 3. Brought bread that we ask for, forgot our drinks, we have to ask. Food took forever, we saw table next to us, two parties left because no waiter came to take their order. When ask for a refill, she said refills not free. When we mention that the Grouper bites taste funny, she insisted they were fresh. Never ask manager for discount due to forgetting our drinks or grouper bites bad. She took upon herself to cut me short on my bill cash return. Forgot the tartar sauce and we had to ask twice. Whatever happen to customer service? Maybe it is not important there. We are not coming back.

Loved every bite! You must get the devil crab appetizer. So good! I had the roast pork Cuban style with black beans and yellow rice. It had the most incredible flavor. But my favorite by far was the Cuban bread - the most buttery delicious bread I've ever eaten. Don't miss it!

Really wanted to like this place because of its high review but our family of 4 was not pleased. After a very long wait for our food (unfortunately our waitress dropped our order when bringing it out so we had to wait for it to be prepared again). We all ordered different items. Eggplant Parmesan (which we could not find the eggplant in, only chicken, which was not ordered, meatball sandwich, Cuban sandwich and the Cuban dinner (the meat was very dry in this). They did give us a free dessert to share for the mishap. I would probably not eat here again.

I ate at this restaurant a few years ago and had a good experience, but I went there tonight and ended up walking out. The man that greeted us was very pleasant and took us to a nice table, but no server ever came over to us. It wasn't even busy, one person at the bar and the restaurant wasn't even half full. We left and went to James Joyce where we had a great dinner.

Overpriced TV dinner. Don't go there expecting the Carmine's of New York. I ordered the lasagna and it was, I kid you not, frozen solid in the center. So, basically, you are getting a TV dinner at restaurant prices, and they don't even know how to defrost things (a skill most of us mastered in college). Of course, we ordered a replacement that took about half an hour and it was burnt on he outside.<br/>Disgusting, basically. We'll never go back.

Service was average, food was ok. Very noisy in restaurant with construction.

Best Hotel Recommendation. Friends were visiting Tampa and staying near Ybor, and the hotel recommended Carmine’s for dinner. On Ybor’s restaurant row, 7th Avenue, it’s easy to find, and there’s ample parking in the municipal lot behind it.<br/><br/>Be prepared for noise and bustle. Although the historic tin ceilings are high above, they reflect the noise of the large dining room and bar; likewise the tile floors and paneled walls. Tables are set spaciously, leaving you to enjoy dinner without sitting on top of your neighbors.<br/><br/>Carmines advertises an original crab cake. Well, it was actually more of a crab ball. Our visitors split one, and enjoyed it very much. The Oysters Lavarone were exceptional. My partner loved the Italian Mushrooms, stuffed with sausage and Italian seasonings. The Black Bean Soup was thick and rich. We followed appetizers with an excellent Gorgonzola salad. <br/><br/>For dinner, I recommend the Breaded Palomilla Steak, which is breaded and fried crispy, topped with marinara and a hard-boiled egg. The Lasagna was also exceptional, as was the shrimp, served with linguini. The Chicken Piccata was good, but would have been better with a bit more sauce and capers. The side dish of fettuccini Alfredo was overcooked, the pasta actually clumped together.<br/><br/>We ended our meal with cappuccino. Rich, smooth and creamy. A perfect ending to a great meal. Oh, and they make a killer Bombay Sapphire martini. Kudos to the bartenders, whoever they are.<br/><br/>Although the restaurant was crowded and busy, we were never made to feel rushed during the course of the evening. Taylor, our waitress, was very helpful with recommendations, and very capable at her job. At the same time she was friendly and funny, and always made us feel that we were her special customers. Be prepared, when your waitress asks you which salad you want, or what side dishes, that all items are ala carte. We ordered many items expecting they were included in the entrée price, when every item was priced separately. Our bill for two dinners, excluding drinks, totaled $70, before tip.

Had lunch there today and have to say they have the "Best " grouper in town !<br/>I got it grilled and lightly blackened <br/>A must try !

Carmine's could not have been more disappointing. The service was excruciatingly slow. We waited and waited while watching the staff display a complete lack of urgency - seeming to have a great time amongst themselves. To make a horrendous situation worse they charge by the can for Coke. After waiting 40+ minutes for a Palomino Steak (less than a 1/4 inch thick) in a virtually empty restaurant my steak was cold and extremely greasy.

This was the worse Cuban food i ever ate. We sent back half the food. The Palamino steak was tough as leather. The cuban pork sandwitch had no flavor and the restaurant hot pressed the sandwitches but they were atill soagy. If you want cuban food do not go to a restaurant that claim to fame ia that they are spanish italian American quisine and home of the cubam sandwitch<br/> Do Not Eat Here run away as fast as possible

Went with my family for an evening dinner before a movie. The food was fine but the wait for food and the service was horrid, slow and uncaring. Just a word to the wise they don't serve fountain drinks and there are no refills on lemonade or tea. We were not told about the lack of refills so we Spent $16 added to our bill for 3 non alcoholic drinks. After the poor service and long wait time the drink charge felt like insult to injury.

I guess we were luck out. There was only one server and four of us. The food was good, service was good and the check was correct.

Dissapointed. My girlfriend and I stopped here last Sunday as she had a craving for a good cuban sandwich. The meal started off poorly with Deviled Crab that had a thick soggy outside and poorly flavored inside. Only one server was working, albeit it was not very crowded, and while she was courteous enough, seemed to vanish often. The cuban sandwich did not appear all that authentic and came out cold. The grilled chicken sandwich, while havign a genrous portion of chicken, was nothing to be excited about and again, soggy. Overall it was mediocre food at best with lackluster service. Made us wish we went across the street to Gaspar's Grotto instead.

So Good. Our family had lunch here and we loved it. The deviled crabs are amazing, the Spanish bean soup is just delicious with its chunky potatoes, heavenly chorizo, and yummy beans, and the Cuban sandwich is terrific.

The hot Cuban sandwich was came ice cold, the black beans and rice was horrible .chicken Parm was awesome. The waiter very slow

Really good food but the server messed up the check three times.

Dissatisfied customer. Slow service and food had no taste. I ordered a full Cuban and it ended up being a cold ham sandwhich. my girlfriend ordered the Italian burger. it was a regular burger with a big blog of cheese. needed more seasoning like everything else. not happy will not be back

Dreaming of Carmines. 1. Eat Deviled Crabs- The best!<br/>2. Order frozen Deviled crabs to take home to Mom and Pops.<br/>3.Buy cooler and ice to transport.<br/>4. Order 3 orders of Fried Green Tomatoes!!!<br/> Soooo Yummy!!!<br/>5. Do it all again just one more time before we leave!<br/>6. Killer mondo mozzarella sticks for MS lovers!

Cuban Sandwich. I took my family to Carmine's in Ybor City,now I was thinking of back in the days when I arrived from New York City to relocate here.The place of course changed,and I mean changed for the worst.We ordered a Cuban sandwich which had no roast pork in it.a vital part of the Cuban.We grabbed the attention of our waiter,notice the word grabbed! We asked the waiter why the sandwich didn't have roast pork?He said it did! I then showed him the inside of the sandwich, he didn't even look surprised! Nor did he offer to get some roast pork,so I asked nicely to remove te cost of my sandwich from the bill.Would you believe he asked why? I said be cause this is just a ham sandwich! I asked for a Cuban! Well I guess I ruined his day and also his T.I.P. Remember TIP is To Insure Proper Service.I didn't get that at Carmine's. Diner Beware!!!!!

Mediocre food, slow service, rude staff, way too expensive for what you actually get. The only redeaming quality is their half roast chicken- which is amazing. However, that is the only thing I would ever order off the menu the rest is awful. The last time I was there I ordered a simple Cuban sandwich and the bread was so hard it literally cut the roof of my mouth.

Pork, Black Beans and Rice! and the BEST BREAD!!!!. TO DIE FOR!!!!!!

Recently I was in Carmines, Ybor City and the Manager Was Gino Iavarone. I was very disappointed by the level of customer service received. There was a maximum of 3 tables occupied in the resturant, he introduced himself and then proceeded to go to the kitchen and berate the employees for not doing their jobs? As a client, I feel as if there was no reason for me to hear this tyrade.. Management needs to change or this establishment will be much shorter lived than originally thought.. I will NOT recommend this to anyone in the Tampa or surrounding areas..

The press Cuban is really good I enjoyed the flavor of the ham jumping out in your mouth - the chicken soup is okay but missing something

Bad choice..... I think my mistake was two fold; I went at lunch and asked the bartender for a recommendation! I was torn between the chicken and yellow rice and the chopped steak. Wanting to break the chicken stranglehold as of late I opted for the latter. It was a greasy hamburger that was smashed on the plate with yellow rice and soupy black beans. As I ate this tasteless abomination I yearned for the days of the elementary school lunch lady and Salisbury Steak in the magical brown mystery gravy. Very loud and average service accompanied my beef patty disaster.

Cuban was good. Service ok and the pork cuban is pretty good.

Eh. I was hoping it would be better. The food wasnt great, the service was bad, and the crowd was terrible. I won't go back.

Great place for a simple, pressed Cuban. The devil crabs are amazing! Cherry Coke isn't available on menu, but if you ask for it, they'll bring you a Coke and a glass of cherries in syrup.

Judging a Place by the Appetizers? Awesome!. Stopped in during a down time on a Sunday afternoon and sampled some appetizers- a dozen fresh oysters, the the Shrimp Gino, and the Sausage Gino. The oysters were clean, if not overly exciting. The "Gino"-style food was absolutely wonderful. I have never tasted a crispy sausage and olive oil combination that was so simple, yet so bold and true to the ingredients. Good apps and I can't wait to get back and try some main entrees!

Best crab cakes. Carmines has the best deviled crab cakes around. I remember driving to the old Sea Breeze on the docks to eat them, but Carmines as vastly improved them and they are the best. Try the Oyster app, if your in to oyster like me. Very good pressed Cuban with beans and rice. Awesome Spanish bean soup for dipping the toasted Cuban bread. Good selection of drafts too. Top it all off with a hand rolled cigar at the many cigar shops and enjoy the good life.

Love this place. The devil crab cakes are to die for! Everything on the menu tastes great

There is no heat inside building so we sat there in our jackets eating our food very quickly before our food got overall. Food overall was good.

It was just ok!. My husband and visited this place after our Museum Day in Lakeland. We had lunch of half cuban (half cuban sandwich with the bean soup) and I had the Onion Palomilla steak. We also ordered the crab cake. Must say that we didn't enjoyed the food or the atmosphere. The fried crab ball was mediocre to say the least as the 'shell' was rather thick and tasteless while the crab filling was mildly spiced and chopped very very fine, also somewhat tasteless. It needed more flavor, the same goes for the shell. <br/>The garbanzo and chorizo soup (bean soup) was great and tasty. So was my husband 1/2 cuban sandwich. My Palomilla steak was good, a bit too greasy and there was a charge of $2.00 for the sauteed onions. The service was good, Javier was very attentive and informative. All refills are not free ... so pace yourself. The dirty martini was ok, but a good price. I was seated promptly and the server took my order very quickly. The food arrived almost immediately. It was an ok experience. <br/><br/>Would I go back? Nope ... looking forward to trying other places.

Not A positive Experience. I had a small lunch of bean soup and a crab cake on a Saturday during Museum Day and can't say that I really enjoyed the food or the atmosphere. My experience just goes to demonstrate that everyone's tastes are different. The fried crab egg(?) was mediocre to say the least as the 'shell' was rather thick and tasteless while the crab filling was mildly spiced and chopped very very fine, also somewhat tasteless. I must say that I am use to Maryland crab cakes which are quite different from the Cuban type.<br/><br/>I will say that the bean soup was superb and would highly recommend it so the meal was not a total loss.<br/><br/>The service was hot and cold. I was seated promptly and the server took my order very quickly. The food arrived almost immediately and then the dream ended. I never saw the the server again until it was way past time to give me the check. I went without a drink refill and the sauce that I had ordered. In fact, a manager went around to all the tables refilling the drink glasses, looked at my empty glass, and just kept on going even though there was plenty of ice tea in his pitcher!

Absolutely the BEST Devil Crabs in Tampa Bay!. Being a lifelong resident of Tampa, I've had my fill of Cuban Sandwiches and Devil Crabs, but there is NOWHERE, and I truly mean NOWHERE that comes close to the quality of Devil Crabs that Carmines has!<br/><br/>We order them to go (they're less expensive that way).<br/><br/>Their Cuban Sandwiches are okay - not great, and certainly not bad - maybe a 7 out of 10. Haven't had a 10 Cuban in years, and would love to find one.<br/><br/>(here's the problem - most places are using less expensive / VERY salty ham, and it overpowers the flavors of all other ingredients)<br/><br/>Enjoy! Those Devil Crabs are TERRIFIC!

Great Food On 7th Ave. Carmine's is one of those places you love to stop in from time to time and enjoy the food and atmosphere. As would be expected of the area, they have a terrific Cuban sandwich but perhaps surprisingly they also have terrific spaghetti! The Cuban community in Ybor gets all of the focus but there is and was a large Italian community too, a testament seen in some of the menu items at local eateries like Carmines. Good food, good times and all-in-all reasonable prices.

Good Cuban. Stopped in for lunch one w/e, service was decent, prices fair, food very good. It's Ybor so of course there is a full bar. Soda came in the can, which always disorients a bit. Had Black beans, rice and pork. Spouse went Black beans, rice and chicken. Meat was well seasoned and left a memorable taste.

Excellent deviled crab. Stopped for deviled cran and I thought they were great. crispy and tasty. nice with the house hot sauce.

With all the great Spanish food they have, you would never think to get a burger, but I did and it was one of the best burgers I've ever had. The French fries are excellent as well

Yum. We all enjoyed our meal--the food was yummy. The service was good. Our only issue is that it was stinkin' hot. Either the airconditioning was broken or they were trying to save pennies--we were all dripping hot.

Great Cuban. . . Iconic Tampa. I have been eating here for almost 25 years. Great food, great cubans, GREAT deviled crab! and great black beans and rice.

Good, but costs more. Nice simple traditional Tampa/Ybor comida - black beans, yellow rice, cuban sandwiches, etc. Everything's good, and the deviled crab is arguably the best in town. The atmosphere is also simple, with a lots of wood and black paint and big plate glass windows looking out onto historic 7th Ave.<br/><br/> However, you'll pay a little more here than you will for similar food in other places around town. If you're ok with that, Carmine's is a good choice.

Good Eats!. All in all this resturant had a nice atmosphere and the food portions were good. Their cuban sandwiches are really good too!

Carmine’s represents the roots of Tampa in a great way. They serve Cuban and Italian and do both cuisines very well.<br/><br/>On this visit I went Italian and ordered the Italian Sausage with Marinara Sauce. There are several different pastas available. I selected spaghetti.

If you want an authentic Ybor City Devil Crab this is it. Pair with an ice cold Ybor Gold draft beer…maybe two.

The thin mint mojito reminded me of a grasshopper and was a nice surprise.