Carmine's

Times Square Restaurants, Ranked

"Come For: A second round of lasagna after Tony’s—and a surprisingly great free bread basket. Sinatra makes another appearance at Carmine’s, where the food is a few rungs below Tony’s, but the red sauce dinner theater is just as entertaining. Inside the 500-seat outpost of this New York institution (their original location is on the Upper West Side), Ol' Blue Eyes croons away, while servers scurry around with platters of penne alla vodka the size of flying saucers. Under the elaborate candelabra chandeliers and gigantic portraits of Jimmy Durante, the portions almost don’t feel as absurd as they are—until you’re already full, two meatballs in. It's all just tasty enough to go back for seconds, and every New Yorker should come at least once. Get the chicken parm and something with vodka sauce. " - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, ciera velarde