Carmine Pizza Pasta

Stopped in for a quick lunch today and ordered the Pizza con Funghi. It was excellent! Not a lot of space in the restaurant but it’s a great spot for a bite with a friend or two.

Nice small place in the center of town. Booking is recommended.
Pizza here is different to what you normally get — still very good though.
Waitress is a character as is the owner.
Cash only which can be a pain.
Ventilation is not so good so you can come out smelling of pizza afterwards.

Anyone with a sense of humour and an awareness of irony to appreciate il padrone’s quirkiness will like this place. Food reflects the price, but his pizzas are the ones to go for instead of the set pre-​theatre offer; they are just great! He seems to dictate what and when we drink our wine, as he brings the bottle of house red to you from time to time! In this age of glossy packaged silliness about food and restaurants, Carmine and his very pleasant staff are an oasis of sense, down to earth atmosphere, and as one who has been to Italy, I see a reflection of how casual eating as the Italians know how to effect, can work here. Please Mr Carmine, go on forever.

I stopped in for a take away pie. For £4.20 I got a mushroom, garlic, and tomato pie that was quite tasty and filling enough for a one man dinner.
I loved the atmosphere in there, though. It was a tiny little place and seems to be run by a couple in their 50s. They were playing some opera music on the radio and had pictures of Italy on the walls. It was charming in the ways that chain restaurants try to emulate. I felt like I would be getting authentic Italian food.
The pie was quite thin crusted and the dough was very light and fresh tasting. The chef came and showed my the pizza before he boxed it.
I would definitely go back if only I had more time in Aberdeen. :(

Everyone should have at least one visit to Carmines… AB FAB! CARBONARA ALL THE WAY!
Num Num!

This place is a very special place. It retains all it’s character. You get your food very quickly as you should and there is a personal feel to it all.
Definitely go there asap because he is retiring soon.

If you can get a table then Carmines is a great experience. For lunch it’s cramped, busy, noisy at times and utterly charming. The food is unpretentious and top quality it’s a must

Great place to eat although small you can’t fault the food or the service. Only thing is it’s best to book ’cause it’s so busy. Everything is home made and very inexpensive. You will love it.

Been eating here since 1988 when I started Uni. Back then it was £1.80 for a 3 course meal!!! Even on the days I was skint Carmine used to drag me in off the street and feed me anyway. He makes the best pizza I have ever tasted. The minestrone contains enough goodness to support human life indefinitely.
If you’ve never been then best take the opportunity before Carmine retires — he’s older than he looks.

The food here is amazing! Its got an outside toilet, but the theate is close. It doesnt sell white wine and the little pizza helperer fancied Suzannes sister. The garlic bread is really good aswell. Everything is handmade, I think.

This is a fantastic little Italian restaurant that survives on word of mouth alone. You have got to be very quick off the mark and make a reservation in advance if you want to get there as it is always busy.
The food is fantastic and is like no other in Aberdeen if you ask me. The pizza and pasta has it’s own authentic taste and this is one place you would always describe as magnificent.
The customer service is in a world of its own, you are treated like royalty and in whatever way you want from the minute you walk in the door to the minute you walk out. Definately worth a visit if you ever get to Aberdeen.

Carmine’s — a small traditional Italian café/​restaurant in my old home town of Aberdeen — small menu, but brilliant at two things pizza and pasta.
I first went there about nearly 20 years ago with the now MrsP. After our lunch Carmine told me ‘this girl is a-​nice, you bring her again, not that other one’ (refering to another not so polite girl i had brought in the previous week!)
The reasons we love Carmine’s are:
— the tinny cassette player blaring out Opera
— Carmine does the cooking and serving himself while singing along
— We were poor so Carmine brought sneaky glasses of wine (it’s unlicensed) when we couldn’t afford to bring our own in
— The size of portion you were given was directly proportionate to your own size (huge Calzone for me)…
— Carmine comes over and shouts at you if you don’t finish all your pizza
— Despite being a regular for 10 years I was still called ‘Ronnie’ even though he knew fine what my real name was
— Potential customers who only wanted coffee were chased out of the door
— ‘Poison’ coffee (sneaky Sambuka!)…
— The café was across the road from the main Theatre in Aberdeen. The cast of whatever was on were often in there between performances (the walls were covered in signed photographs)…
— He closed at 7pm — daytime trade only so no bother from drunks etc
lessons for marketing?
Carmine never advertised, ever — All w-​o-​m.
The turned-on-it’s-head ‘customer service’ was legendary — people lined up just to get shouted at.
The one-​size-​fits-​one approach to portions!
He never pandered. If you don’t like it go to pizza hut.
People love authenticity.
The opposite of great is not ‘bad’, it’s average. Average is invisible.