Carmines Restaurant
New York

2450 Broadway
(212) 362-2200
Upper West Side

Festive atmosphere with hearty southern Italian food, Carmines Restaurant in New York City is a legend.  All the dishes have plenty of garlic and everything is family-style (portions are for 3-4 people). Nice wine list that is very affordable.  The waitstaff is very friendly and genuinely seems to enjoy their jobs.  It's rollicking fun and the food is always good.  For instance, the pasta is always al dente.  How do they consistently do that when many of the groups are 20 people?  The salads are wonderful, as are the desserts.  

This jolly place is one of the most popular sites to eat in Manhattan, and Carmines Restaurant in New York City is always on the top of the list when people try to think of where to go to eat with a big group.  The prices are reasonable.  While it's $20 for a plate of rigatoni, that dish be split for 4 people and they won't need a second entree, which comes to only $5 each.  You would then split one side dish and split a bottle of wine, and you're still coming in under $15 a piece.  The temptation is to order too much food, and then it gets a little more expensive.  Seriously - order half of what  you think you need.  

Restaurant reservations 

Strictly speaking, restaurant reservations are not required for this NYC restaurants, but usually you'll line up for an hour or more.  You can only get reservations for parties of six or more during peak hours, otherwise, you'll get a flashing beeper you can carry around with you as you visit other places in the area.