Carmen’s Trattoria

Good food, generous portions, fair prices. I went with a group and everyone seemed pleased with their food but the overall experience doesn’t stand out. I would go back but there are better Italian places around, in my opinion.

I met up with a girlfriend here a few nights ago. We’re looking for a casual, reasonably-​priced restaurant in the South Plainfield area for dinner once a month. BYOB preferably. It was our first time at Carmen’s. We went to the restaurant portion of the establishment in the back, not the pizzeria portion up front. The dining room was small and intimate. We liked the set-​up of the sliding doors separating the dining room from the pizzeria. There were a few other couples there when we went and the ambiance was quiet and laid-​back. It looked like a nice place to go to with girlfriends or on a date night with the hubby. I will say that we didn’t care for our food or the service, unfortunately. The hot bread at the beginning was a nice touch, but our food was rather bland. Our waitress seemed tired and I think it annoyed her that it took my friend a couple of minutes to pick from the menu, which we were both unfamiliar with since it was our first time there. We got the impression the waitress didn’t know the menu well herself, or maybe she was just rushing us. I’m thinking maybe we went to this place on an off-​night (given some of the other reviews) and will give it another shot soon. I’ll amend this review if we have a better experience the next time. Until then, our hunt for our «go-​to» restaurant when we’re in this area continues.

I’m visiting family here in Plainfield and wanted to take everybody out for dinner. I saw this on Unilocal and decided to give it a shot. My wife’s uncle lives in town and had never been here and will now be coming back with his family. What a great no fuss and straight up good dinner for a family! Kid friendly, and the staff was super cool with kids. Tip– if you want a great family dinner and don’t want to break the bank then this is a great choice. Carmen’s is one of those hidden gems in a supermarket strip mall.

Food was fair in the restaurant part. Never ate in the pizza part. Had salmon with little taste and arugula salad that was fair. Calamari appitizer was good with a huge plate.

I used to go here all the time a few years ago. I had the same dish every visit and was always great. The last time I went the dish was terrible. Cheap ravioli and you can tell they were trying to cut costs. That was over 5 years ago and I haven’t gone back since. Very sad, this place at one time was the best.

Before today, I hadn’t gone to Carmen’s in a good long while because the last time I went the quality of the pizza just wasn’t what I thought it would be. Long story short, I was in the area and decided to give it a try and I was not disappointed to say the least!
The food: I ordered a 12 inch chicken parm sub and a slice if pizza. Overall the food tasted amazing and you could tell that I was fresh.
The service: I walked in around 12, so I was expecting to wait at least a little bit but I was served in a very reasonable amount of time. From the time I walked in to the time I was back in my car with my food was around 7 minutes.
The place: The actual place has a very nice family style pizzaria feel to it. I’ve been to a lot of places that feel like they were opened with the sole purpose of making money (I’m not going to lie, we all want to make money, but some of us to a better job of hiding it), but the place and the guy taking orders gave me the impression that they genuinely cared about my experience.
Bottom line/​conclusion: Since the last time I was here this place has picked itself up off the ground and turned itself into a very nice pizzaria with really nice staff. I’m always in the mood for pizza and with it being my favorite food I am very picky with how my food tastes and this place hits the spot! I look forward to coming back soon!

Food is great! Family friendly! Substitutions are not a problem. They have a gluten free menu and plenty of alternatives for those with allergies. Portions are big so bring an appetite. The dining room has sliding doors to keep the cold out which was a plus on this 35 degree day. Some things I’ve noticed and these aren’t exactly cons as they are observations. Fans and HVAC vents can use a cleaning, bus boy/​waitress helper has no uniform-​I wondered who he was. All in all, a great experience. I highly recommend for anyone looking for Italian and a nice atmosphere.

Service was good but entrees were a little over priced. The calamari was a little fishy but my husband got the steak and said it was good. Ravioli was delicious. Another plus is it’s a BYO with a cute little dining room in the back.

I’ve had take out from this place a few times. their pizza is just OK, but their pasta is another story.
i had their baked ziti and their chicken penne… AMAZING. and the portion for one could prob feed 2 – 3 people. Can’t beat this place with their taste and portions. The price was ok too. Just look out for their specials. I believe on Monday you can find the best deals.
They have a sit in restaurant section and a takeout spot too. I haven’t sat in to eat but will do so one of these days to check it out.

The chicken parm is delicious… my bfs favorite since he’s worked there many years ago. the subs are devine as well! Got a delicious pasta dish bowtie festival yummm everythings just delish!

Great place! Good food, good pizza and they deliver! Dine in for lunch and dinner and a pizzeria type store front area. Can’t go wrong with this place!

My husband and I order from Carmen’s every week. The pizza is great, the prices are awesome and the food is so good. We love the cheese steaks and spaghetti and meatballs. They also make a kick *** Cecilian pizza. Delivery is always fast and the service is great. We love Carmens!

Great place for a great local meal. They have casual dining (pizza and such) in the front and a BYOB dining room in the back with great daily specials. If they don’t have something on the menu, ask and they will make it for you. Everything is always fresh, the service is great and garlic dip and fresh bread is unreal. Great for a night out with friends or family.

On Monday’s Pasta Night this place is 5 stars. However when I stray from the pasta dishes, the results have been very mixed. Hence, an overall 4. I’ve been going there since the place opened, which is at least one and probably more owners back, yet no matter who is there, everyone is warm and friendly. While my all-​time favorite server Regina isn’t there anymore, my man Mike is top notch too.
My wife has eaten eggplant parm just about every place in the NY-​NJ area and swears it’s the best here. I will agree that they do it well. I’m a big fan of the manicotti and stuffed shells. On Mondays, for $ 10, including soda, salad, & pasta entrée you cannot go wrong. Their bread is great too. Like I said before, my only thing is I try to stay to the basics when I’m here. When I go when it’s not Pasta Night, I usually order the chicken parm and like it.

Yummy… We were rushing to make a train at MetroPark. The fresh salad and warm bread, soft bread and crusty rolls with both butter or garlic infused olive oil (so you know it good italian!) came out right away. We finished it, and soon the ENORMOUS portions of Eggplant Parmigiana and Chicken Parm over spagetti were put before us. It was so good. The key is great sauce and this was. No way could any of us finish (a first for my husband I think) the mouth said keep going but…
No question we’ll be back.

Great pizzas! And close to my job! Fast and nice staff!

Great pizzas, and subs. Even their plain slice has a different taste to eat, must be the tomato sauce they use. Crust is tasty and crispy! The staff goes above and beyond. What I like most about this place is that they keep everything super clean. I am a germaphone myself, and I feel like I can eat off the floor with this place. I will come by here again next time a baby sit for my sister-​in-​law.

My favorite Italian restaurant in the area. I’ve only eaten in the actual restaurant section, so I can’t comment on the pizza or subs (yet!). I also just found out that they deliver, which excites me more than it probably should.
Exceptional food, service and prices. Monday is their $ 10 entrée evening (you will be hard pressed to see more senior citizens per square foot than on Monday night at Carmen’s). I have yet to be disappointed with a dish here, their tomato sauce and warm basket of fresh bread is heavenly. The service is great and very family friendly.
Don’t let their strip mall location deter you, you won’t be disappointed.

Great pizza, good entrees and decent service. This place is a reliable performer and an asset to the neighborhood.

Great food and great prices.
For less formal takeout, such as pizza and subs, order up front. For a sit down dinner, they have a dining room in the back.
Plus they have scungilli on the menu.