Carmine’s

Best Devil Crabs ever! Great place to eat. It recently got updated which makes it über nice.

There are lots of better options for Latin food in the area. The service is just ok and the food is underwhelming.

I do think this is one of the better places to eat in Ybor. Lovely atmosphere. Very old school with a modern twist. Full bar with one of the best martinis I think I have ever had. I didn’t have cuban here, just Italian and it was delicious. Even better, this southern girl thought their fried green tomatoes are top notch.

We had a really good meal here — we had a big group (9), and they handled it well.
I started with the Cigar City Kicking Mule — very solid!
My wife got the fried green tomatoes — best I ever had! Fried perfectly and thick!
My main course was the fried shrimp. Fried crispy, and the shrimp was succulent. The cocktail sauce may have had too much horseradish for some, but I liked it.
My wife loved the her lasagna.
We come her about 3x/​year, but this is the first time I have reviewed it.
Other tips — their oysters are really good. And if come for lunch, the Deviled Crabs are a must.
Pasta servings are on the large side.

It’s good but don’t expect any mouth-​gasms from this menu. I had the grouper bites with lemon zest aioli. I’m a bit iffy as to whether it’s worth $ 11.90, though the grouper is the most expensive appetizer. Service was on the slower side of reasonable at 2pm on a Saturday.

Abysmal. The short of it: we arrived at 7:00 p.m. for a 7:30 reservation we had made a week in advance, were seated at about 8:15 only after insisting on speaking to the manager, and were served our dinner at 9:25 p.m. If it hadn’t been that we were a group of 8 on New Year’s Eve, we would have walked out. There were several 8 tops free when we arrived. As best as we could tell, the hostess gave precedent to groups that had stopped by before the parade to be put on a waiting list above us, who made a reservation a week in advance. When we asked about our food maybe 45 minutes after ordering it, our server just rolled her eyes. I normally do not slam a place for one bad night, but when you add how long it took to get food even after we were seated and that we were given no concession on our bill for the horrendous experience, I need to make an exception in this case. Stay away.

Carmine’s works hard to give a Cuban vibe to its menu and restaurant. The hostess and server were both friendly and efficient. We had the deviled crab, grouper bites, and Cuban combos. The deviled crab seemed to be getting ordered by everybody in the restaurant but it was a bit underwhelming. My favorite was the Spanish Bean Soup that came with the Cuban sandwich.

Wow ! Is all i have to say, i had the roast pork and my wife had the mojo chicken ! Pfff. Roast pork was dry and so was the chicken. Food was cold and didnt have know taste. When we thought of cuban we thought of flavor. But, no flavor was around to be tasted. Im leaving Carmines with a bad taste in my mouth. And leaving hungry because we couldnt see eating something with no taste! Mind you it was dead on a saturday hmmm

Worst dining experience ever. Turn around and go else where. The exterior and décor looks nice but thats all you get. My party of 4 came on Saturday around 7 pm for dinner and drinks. The service was ridiculously slow and we almost walked out several times. It wasn’t until 10:00 pm that our entrees arrived. We never saw a manager and our server never apologized or gave an explanation. The food was decent. i enjoyed the plantain chips and baked ziti. Icing on the cake was finding a dead fly in the bottom of my sangria glass (after I had already drank it!!!)

We came in because we HAD to have a cuban sandwich before we left Tampa. I was really excited, but when we walked in, there was no hostess. When the hostess finally arrived to seat us, I had honestly even forgotten where I was or what I was doing.
We were seated and we immediately ordered a deviled crab. The hostess, who suddenly transformed into our waitress, told us they were delicious and that people sometimes come in specifically for these deviled crabs. It was quite tasty! BUT– it was cold in the center. I just about threw up. This happens to me way more often than is probably normal and I absolutely hate it.
The menu was less than impressive. I was really weirded out by the selection of food because it seemed oddly put together and some of the sides were just plain bizarre to me. Whatever, thats my personal opinion.
The cuban sandwich was good! Not the best I’ve ever had, but it was good. I’d never return here, but I wouldn’t knock it either. Three stars just because that seems suiting. The wait staff was nice and attentive, plus our food came out very quickly. The deviled crab came out way too quickly.

Don’t expect real cuban food here. I love cuban food and my wife is cuban, trust me on this.
As another review said the black bean soup was like someone dump a can of black beans and heat it. No taste at all. In real cuban restaurants the black bean soup is serve with some whíte rice, raw onion and parsley by the side.
I order the palomilla steak and it tasted a little bit like liver… seasoned with a lot of lime juice but it didn’t cover the bad taste. Lime is use in palomilla but not that much.
We decided to leave without trying any dessert or coffee.
We will not return.

This place is awesome! The service was outstanding, and Michael was attentive, made suggestions when asked (all were super!), very personable and a true asset to the restaurant.
We ordered the huge Crab Cake and the Plantain Chips to start, and both tasted great and were made with the care of an entrée, not an appetizer. The Spanish Bean Soup was so good, we should have asked for a gallon to go. Chuck full of fresh veggies, chorizo and garbanzo beans. Perfect.
My wife had the Pallomilla Steak with Sweet Plantains and loved it. I had the Cuban Roast Pork with Black Beans & Yellow Rice, and it was the best I’ve ever tasted. The pork was amazingly tender and tasted perfect. The beans and rice were a meal in itself.
Diane the Manager checked on us and obviously everyone cares about this beautiful decades-​old cornerstone of Ybor City. Simply, a wonderful meal!

Stopped here during the Ybor city crawl but just got a taste of an appetizer so decided to bring visitors. Most of them ordered the Cuban sandwich and liked it. I decided to try the grilled chicken salad, its a good size and filling. I was a bit surprised that it took longer than expected to get our order during the week but probably because it was lunch time.

Went in for lunch, to get out of the heat, and just had a really nice meal. The beer was frosty cold, the Cuban sandwich was delicious and the black beans and yellow rice were yummy! Our bartender was attentive and friendly and a gentleman who I perceived to be the owner shook my hand and thanked us for coming in as we were leaving. I love a nice personal touch!

Carmine’s is… well it is a tradition and a treasure in Ybor…
To «Get» the real feel of the real Cuban Ybor City atmosphere, you must stop at Carmine’s for lunch or a drink.
If you are sitting down to eat you cannot miss the Deviled Crabs as they are made in house and are some of the best in Tampa.
All of the cuban specialties are treasures to enjoy. Black Beans & Rice, Cubano Roasted Pork, Cuban Sandwiches pressed the old fashioned way… Yes, go to Carmine’s to learn what old school Tampa is/​was all about.
The rustic industrial bare brick wall interior and bare cement floors harken back to the working man flavor that was Ybor City when it was full of cigar factory workers and seamen. The staff is always pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu and the daily specials and the prices are not at all bad for such an experience and destination restaurant.
Many only think of the famous Columbia Restaurant just down 7^th Ave. but my first thought when in Ybor is to grab a bite at Carmine’s.

You know I can see you hiding behind the sheer curtain? Right? With this said this was our first time here based on a friends recommendation, I am currently questing my friendship with this person. The food was adequate and the service was atrocious. Normally I do not give two stars to a business unless they deserve it but with the food being just okay in a city where there’s a lot of authentic Cuban food they need to step up the service program. Sorry guys better luck next time

Cadre typique, personnel accueillant, grand, typique, bon sandwich cubains, prix correct .Un bon stop si vous êtes dans le coin !

I went here on a Sunday afternoon. The overall experience was bad. The food was a major issue. The service was mixed. The décor was nice until I read up on the history.
I ordered a medium rare steak and it definitely came out medium to well done. One side was cooked more than the other side. The side pasta was overcooked as well. The salad was soggy and watery. It was prob sitting for a while.
My friends grouper also came out wrong. They did fix it though.
The service was okay. The guy was on point but the lady working there needs more training. She didn’t seem to know the menu and gave my friend the wrong drink. When you ask for an Irish coffee and mention you want baileys, returning with a ice coffee is not okay.
The décor is somewhat industrial. It apparently is a ybor institution. I expect more of that to show. I honestly thought this was a chain.

Ok, so the wait time is obnoxious. They are so understaffed that the hostess was bussing tables. There was a 30 minute wait time to be seated, so make a reservation. Make sure you have a snack before you arrive since once seated we waited another 30 minutes for our appetizer. By the time we received our appetizer I was so hungry I could have ate my own arm off .The appetizer was great but, not worth the wait. My side soup looked like someone dumped a can of beans in a bowl and heated them up in a microwave. Our meal finally came after an hour of waiting from the time we were seated. I got the crab pasta and it was not at all what I expected it to be, it was decent but it did not blow me away.
I will not return.

Carmines is a long established landmark in Ybor. They consistently put out GREAT cubans, soups, crabs, pork and baked chicken. The menu offers a couple of their family recipes which in my opinion are better prepared at Ivarrones. The lasagna in Ybor was greasy, and to die for at Ivarrones. Same with the spaghetti, just a bit off the mark. I work in Ybor, so this is a usual haunt. Their grilled chicken salad one of my favorites, as well as the Spanish bean soup.

I remember the days when eating at Carmine s was a stellar foodie experience. In my humble opinion, I saw a decline in food quality and preperation, starting a few years ago.
This most recent visit was on a Sunday around 1 PM. The old restaurant was packed, as usual, but there were empty seats. I was quite surprised when the hostess said we could not be seated. Upon further questioning, they weren’t seating anyone else, so the kitchen could catch up.
How crazy is that. It is Sunday afternoon, you are always packed, why is today going to be any different? Poor staffing.
We finally ordered and ended up with mediocre black bean soup and Cubans. Being a native, trust me Tampa has more than its fair share of TERRIFIC Cuban sandwiches and black bean soup. I know there are the groups dropping a lot of money and toting out huge to go bags, to have food to nibble on during the week. I used to be one of those people and always had high praise for Carmines. Not so much anymore & really don’t they think it is time for a facelift. Just because you are located in Ybor, all restaurants don’t let the interior go to hell.
What’s a girl to do? Eat at places that make you & your tummy happy!