Carmines Part Deux

[manasia]

I tried Carmines again, and of course. I sat their for about 20 minutes with no server, the bad part about it, was that I went to the cashier guy, and he said take a seat and someone will be with you.

People were walking in after me, and were getting service.

No Wifi. The food the last time was not memorable.

I am writing this post from Pizza Palace in San Marco, Carmines has made me like them alot better.

I'm sorry yall, I tried, I am not sure why I am 0 and 2 at Carmines.

[AntigoneStarr]

That's sad... only time I've been to Carmine's, I couldn't get the service staff to leave me alone while I went through the menu. Granted, my dining buddies complained they "hated" the obnoxiously plain cheese pizza they ordered. I had the Hawaiian style one, spicy. Was delicious. And, they use actual buffalo mozz for caprese? That's cool... leave off all that balsamic and it's grand.

Pizza Palace will never satisfy my pizza cravings.

Hopefully this new Toscana Little Italy opening in Miramar will beat out The Loop and Pizza Palace.

[manasia]

That's sad... only time I've been to Carmine's, I couldn't get the service staff to leave me alone while I went through the menu. Granted, my dining buddies complained they "hated" the obnoxiously plain cheese pizza they ordered. I had the Hawaiian style one, spicy. Was delicious. And, they use actual buffalo mozz for caprese? That's cool... leave off all that balsamic and it's grand.

Pizza Palace will never satisfy my pizza cravings.

Hopefully this new Toscana Little Italy opening in Miramar will beat out The Loop and Pizza Palace.

I forgot to mention that Carmines had no Wifi either, so that also killed it for me. I assumed they had wifi. Pizza Palace does.

Yea Pizza Palace is nothing special, but I like the service, and the friendly atmosphere of it, more than the food actually.

[JaxByDefault]

I tried Carmine's a few weeks ago. It was good, but overall I'm going to stick with Tommy's Brick Oven Pizza on Southside Blvd. It's a bit of a hike from Springfield (really only 10 mins or so taking the Arlington Expressway), but I love Tommy's crust--thin and delicious (especially when it's crispy). Good, high quality toppings, too.

[Dog Walker]

A pizza is a pizza is a pizza.  (Sorry, Gertrude!)

[CG7]

I guess everyone's a little different, but I really like the Pizza Palace in 5-points. For the food and service.

[Ocklawaha]

A pizza is a pizza is a pizza.  (Sorry, Gertrude!)

You've obviously never been to Josephs on North Main! 

OCKLAWAHA

[urbanlibertarian]

A pizza is a pizza is a pizza.  (Sorry, Gertrude!)

You've obviously never been to Josephs on North Main! 

OCKLAWAHA

Mmmmmmmmmm...Joseph's!

[danno]

I grew up on Josephs.  First pizza I ever had.

[stephElf]

A pizza is a pizza is a pizza.  (Sorry, Gertrude!)

No way!

[voice_of_reason]

I live in Avondale and Carmine's is the best new "dining establishment" we've had in a long time. I am including all the places I frequent in Riverside and St. Johns avenue. It's a local watering hole for goodness sakes, a la New Orleans or Chicago. The music is great, the beer selection is better than most restaurants in Jacksonville, and every server I've had has been experienced and know ledgable. The owner has come by my table, the handy man updated me on the current "improvements," and any number of friendly people came in and out each time.
I haven't mentioned the food, yet, because it speaks for itself - great - from pizza to wings.
If you're hating on Carmine's for Pizza Palace (or anywhere else), that's a bonus for all the people who love Carmine's and won't have to wait for a table!

[Captain Zissou]

I would say Tommy's is the best pizza place in town and Joseph's is great as well, but neither are less than a half mile from my house.  Carmine's is great on a saturday when you need some food in your stomach to soak up last night's entertainment.  It's also a great place to unwind after a hard work day.  The place is welcoming, relaxed, and well run.  The food won't win any awards, but it is very tasty for what it is and more than worth what they charge for it.

The San Marco Pizza Palace is overpriced, bland, slow, and unprofessional.  3 of the past 4 times I have been there I have watched the staff walk past my conspicuously placed table number, do a quick glance around the restaurant, and then take my food back to the kitchen.  Do they think I paid them and just left?? Aren't they concerned??  What if I had been abducted?

There's really no comparison between Carmine's and Pizza Palace.  Once Pele's open then I think we'll be able to put them head to head.

[Dog Walker]

When at Carmine's, always ask the server if they are experimenting with new flavors for their wings.  They like to taste test things before adding them to the menu.  Wonderful!

[voice_of_reason]

Another reason to love Carmine's - the "small stuff."

They have the most cleverly written menu I've seen in Jax - props to the creator!

...and they have an outdoor "corn hole stadium" which adds to the appeal.

Now if they had a pedi-cab service to and from my house, we'd be golden. Text Carmine's, wait outside, rickshaw picks up, and so forth... We can only hope for such luxuries in Riverside.

ps - if you haven't already, try a Saturday afternoon Trolley Crawl from Margaret Street to St. Johns Ave.

[fieldafm]

Best pizza in Jax:
Tommys, Pompeii(coal oven) are my two favorites... any of the wood-fired places are great (Pele's, Taverna, Mezza Luna)... Librettos is pretty good NY style pizza(my family owned NY-style pizzerias, so I'm kind of snobby about it)... Neros on University used to be good, but I haven't been there for awhile... when they offer it, the duck confit pizza at Biscotti's is very good... and finally I like the Thai Dye pizza at Mellow Mushroom