Carmine's on Penn

Carmine's on Penn has held down its corner of Pennsylvania and Bayaud since 1994. When the restaurant opened, it was intended as a place where large groups could converge and enjoy themselves without thinking too much about what they were eating — ordering big platters of Italian food served family-style, which is still the approach today under owner Brad Ritter, who purchased the restaurant in 2006. (You can opt for family-style or a size meant for two these days.) There's now a lighter, brighter sister restaurant, Carmine's at McGregor Square, but we prefer to eat giant heaps of dishes like carbonara (made — non-traditionally, but deliciously — with cream and butter) at the OG outpost.