Carmine's La Trattoria

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Story That Started in a Small Italian Town

Carmine Giardini was born in Vittorito, a small town in Italy, and came to the United States as a young man with no particular plan beyond finishing his schooling. What followed was a decades-long pursuit of food and community that eventually planted deep roots in South Florida. He started as a butcher in Connecticut, opened a meat market in Pembroke Pines in 1972, and gradually built a network of thirteen stores carrying fresh produce, gourmet Italian groceries, and imported wines and cheeses. The flagship came in 1988: a 16,000-square-foot gourmet market in Palm Beach Gardens, before PGA National or the Gardens Mall existed. Customers drove for miles.

From that market grew a pizzeria — built around an authentic brick oven and a New York pizza chef — and from the pizzeria grew what stands today: Carmine's La Trattoria, a full-service Italian restaurant that has been welcoming Palm Beach Gardens for over 37 years.

The Place Itself

The restaurant overlooks a marina, and al fresco diners can settle into an outdoor piazza surrounded by Italian murals — a setting that earns its atmosphere without trying too hard. Inside, a private dining room also faces the water, available for birthdays, anniversaries, business gatherings, or any occasion that calls for something more than a regular table. On Friday and Saturday evenings, live music fills the room.

The approach to Italian cuisine here is described simply: fresh, simple ingredients paired with a genuine love of the Italian table. That philosophy extends to the butcher shop side of the operation, where prime center-cut dry-aged steaks — aged a minimum of 30 days in the old-world, artisan tradition — round out a menu that reaches well beyond pasta.

What's on the Table

The antipasti menu reflects the kitchen's range: Imported Burrata e Prosciutto with organic arugula, figs, heirloom tomatoes, and a balsamic glaze from Modena; Carpaccio di Manzo with shaved parmesan and lemon dressing; Gamberi alla Griglia — jumbo shrimp sautéed with white wine, garlic, and butter over polenta. Chef Elmer Saravia, who joined Carmine's in November 2018, brings homegrown herbs into the kitchen and a fresh, authentic sensibility to each plate. His periodic Chef's Table dinners — multi-course evenings paired with carefully selected wines — have become a signature event for regulars and newcomers alike.

Wine at the Center

Wine has been central to Carmine's identity from the beginning, and the list has earned consistent recognition from Wine Spectator, culminating in the publication's Best of Award of Excellence for 2025 — its highest tier, reflecting both depth of selection and the expertise to match bottles to food. For guests who want guidance, wine pairing is woven naturally into the dining experience, from everyday service to the dedicated Chef's Table evenings.

Lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and happy hour keep the doors open broadly, and the kitchen accommodates families with children as readily as it does guests looking for something more adventurous from the chef's specials board. After more than three decades, Carmine's La Trattoria remains what it set out to be: a place where Italian cuisine and good wine bring people together.