The food at Carmi's is pretty good and the staff is sweet and friendly. I tasted the mac n cheese and the chicken and waffle entre. I really enjoyed the waffles, they were buttery with powdered sugar on top. The chewy/crisy ratio was perfect. The fried chicken breast was moist and the seasoning was present but not overpowering.
Despite the good food, Carmi's is best enjoyed to go. The atmosphere is just sad, dingy and depressing. I have a hunch that this establishment moved into an old Irish bar and never renovated the space because you can still smell the cigarette smoke from 20 years ago and there is virtually no sunlight. And I get dingy, I've been to my fair share of dives, but kick up the music or something. The sad and gloomy 70s-90s ballads took me to the point where I couldn't overlook the divey/old-school aesthetic. Donny Hathaway's "Song For You" in that dreary atmosphere was just too much and made me want my check pronto. Come on, spare me please!