We will be in NYC in July and looking for good places to eat that won't cost a huge fortune. Someone told us Carmine's on W44th st. is great. Any feed back on this rest..? Or anyother suggestions?
Thanks,
Rose

Foodies will tell you to go elsewhere for authentic Italian.

I think Carmines is great if you want good Italian/American at a decent price in a fun family atmosphere.

They serve family style and it is family friendly.

Becco is also a good choice for the 3 pasta special. Better than Carmines IMO.

I agree that Carmine's serves good Italian-American food--not the best ever, but a good value. It tends to be noisy, which means "fun" to some people and "too loud" to others; and the dishes are served in very large portions, family style, as GoTravel points out, which works out better for larger groups (say, at least 4 people). I really like Carmine's and would recommend it, with the above caveats. Enjoy!

Disagree strongly - I do not think Carmine;s is worth the money. The portions are so huge that it's too much unless you have 4 people and the food is no better than ordinary. It's "fun" only if shouting to be heard by your companions is your idea of a good time.

Sorry - hit post too soon. IMHO Trattoria del Arte is a much better choice - lively without being obnoxiously loud and the food much better.

I don't even think it is good Italian American LOL.
What it is is NYC's version of Bucca Di Beppo.
Tons of food, with tons of crap in it.
I am not even a foodie and I think the stuff was just too Foo Foo.
The other people with us, there were about 12 I would say more then half didn't care much for it. JMHO but I am sure you can find a better place.
Personally I love Cafe Napoli on Mulberry.

We went there with twice last time in NYC. It was convenient to theaters. First time the kids got impatient and couldn't handle the wait. We had glasses of Sangiovese and garlic bread. Excellent. Went well with all the people watching.

Second time went with family. Had a great time. Must have been combination of company and food. We loved the food. It was great. We were hungry, shared a lot, tried a few different things. I loved their veal marsala. Can't remember the prices. But we had fun, food was pretty good, not the best ever, service was nice, place was friendly.

Be aware that you might have to wait at least an hour. Don't know if they take reservations for large parties. YOu still would maybe have to wait. The place is very popular.

In the theater district, Dervish Turkish (I think on 46th St) has an excellent Prix Fixe special (lots of choices) for all of $20. In the same area I like Cascina on 9th Av for very good italian (10% discount with theater tickets).

There are tons of reasonable restaurants in the city but you'd have to go neighborhoods other than Times Sq (which is very touristy and in many asses over priced).

oops, my typo, it should read in many 'cases', not 'a**es'. Sorry about that!! Maybe I should get into the habit of previewing my reply.

Yes MFNCY, you really have to watch out for the "many over priced asses" in Times Square!

It seems the world is split between those that love Carmine's & those that hate it. IMO, unless you have several children in your party, the ability to wait endlessly & think quantity is more important than quality-don't go. There are tons of reasonably priced places, especially Italian. In the theater district, John's pizzeria, Trattoria Trecolori and Becco are some more to add to the list. Joe Allen, Sam's & Angus McIndoe for American in the theater district. I love Trat Dell 'Arte but it's more $$ than the others (unless you share things which is fine). They have great thin crust pizza & are known for their antipasto.

8th & 9th avenues have a lot of less expensive ethnic places. Siam Inn on 8th 51-52 is very good Thai.

Yes, the reviews are mixed for Carmine's. In general, tourists seem to hold a much higher opinion of the place than do New Yorkers....which is why it's mostly populated by tourists.
There are a lot of much better Italian and other types of restaurants in the area.
In addition to those already mentioned, Becco is good and reasonably priced Italian.