Carbone

Have not heard of this restaurant before, but apparently this is the HK branch of a famous NY restaurant. We came during Thursday lunchtime, but it was surprisingly empty – less than half full. The decoration is warm and homely, with nice songs as background music.
The quality of food was good. They offered both complimentary appetiser in the beginning and fruits in the end – a delightful surprise. We order octopus as starter. It was really good with a nice sauce. The octopus was tender and not chewy. The fettuccine fungi was good and cooked al dente, but the sauce was slightly salty for me. The chicken massimo was fantastic. The balsamic-​based sauce was just delicious. We finished with a lemon cheesecake, which was light and not too heavy.
The service was also attentive. They changed our plates and cutlery several times. An overall wonderful experience.

This is my second time here, and I have mixed feelings about this wonderful NYC establishment. Food quality wise, definitely would be five stars, and one of the best New York Italian joints in town.
Atmosphere is top notch, with décor and music that brings you away from Hong Kong. That said, it’s definitely a place for a group rather than a date.
Food wise, it’s definitely the epitome of comfort food. Mario’s Meatballs are a must. The spicy vodka rigatoni is awesome, and steak and veal Parmesan are also great.
Desserts are the highlights for me. The banana flambé is their signature, and not only is this a spectacle (as they prepare it in front of your table, flaming pyrotechnics and all), it is delicious, with a wonderful balance of rum splashed on the ice cream and banana chunks. The other favorite of mine is the cheesecake.
Why only four stars? The first time I was there, our whole table ended up getting food poisoning. While I think this is something exceptionally rare especially for a restaurant of this calibre, and we got a full refund of the meal (and I haven’t heard other people get it and it didn’t happen the second time I am here), it marks as a stain to what would otherwise been a pretty perfect experience. Nevertheless, I hope this doesn’t scare others off this wonderful place

My fav things about this place:
1. Spicy vodka rigatoni pasta. MUST ORDER.
2. Garlic bread, top it up if you want more!
3. Staff and quality of service. They do a good job with singing happy birthday songs, I mean they really look like they love singing that bloody song. They contribute to the good vibe of the place.
4. To add on my last comment — great for group gatherings — people were there for birthdays, hens night, and all sorts of celebration. Don’t come here for date night. Best to come in a group so you can share all the food!
Downside:
1. Our table was not ready when we arrived at the restaurant — happened twice already. But they have a bar so the wait isn’t so bad.
2. Not a cheap place to dine in, but food quality is really up there so I think it’s worth it.

I really like this place. I think it’s just a bit on the salty side and good for smaller groups like 4 – 5. I love the beef carpaccio and the pastas. Veal is also good. My favorite dessert is the lemon cheesecake. I am not a big fan of the tiramisu. But I would recommend this place if you’re craving italian. Yummy!

Our party of five Americans dined at Carbone’s last Saturday evening. Since most of our group is from the NY area we believe we know Italian food. Carbone’s is second to none in authentic Italian cuisine —what a surprise in Hong Kong.
Let’s start with the look and overall feel of the restaurant. The ambiance is terrific. The bar area is too small, however, to accommodate the overflow crowd, but the bartender makes one heck of a manhattan. We were escorted to a beautiful round table for five in a quite corner of this bustling place. The noise level was manageable. We shared two excellent salads – caprese and Caesar. Our main courses were all delicious including pasta with clam sauce, chicken scarpiello (sic), the fish special and the meatballs. We shared two spectacular desserts. Overall the food was fantastic as was the service. Service was efficient, friendly and knowledge. The sommelier assisted in finding an excellent and reasonably priced bottle from the extensive and expensive wine list. If you want an authentic Italian dining experience in Hong Kong — head to Carbone’s

Venetian seafood didn’t impress me, Florence pasta was nice but I will die for new York italian. Those best memories stays in Lower East side and Little Italy. but I didn’t go to carbone there.
We went as a party of 10. Pre– ordered set menu. My coworker avoided steak as I don’t eat beef.(how sweet) and yes, I am. exixited and ready to digging in my toast. The toast is laid with tomato paste and pesto. Amazing. Then mozzarella tomato, grilled pork salad. that piggy is perfect juicy. Italian handles pork to heaven.
Pasta! Fusilli con funghi is rich with a homemade style. Exactly what I haven’t been longing for. And let us ignore the plain Fennel Pomodoro.
Mains! I fell in love with pork here, hands down for the pork chop. I cannot stop having it! The chicken is just average. The scallop is seasoned to that «grandma recipe» though not my favorite.
The dessert came with lemon tart, carrot cake with carrot ice cream… too much, beg me here. Hmmmm, I would rather watch out for some cheese platter.
I don’t know if I am coming back, at least not in a self proactive way.

One of the best italian placed in HK for me at the moment. Yea, its pricey and yea its fancy, but the food delivers.
Starters include some cold cuts and cheese and bread. The complimentary bread was a bit hard and dry, but the cheese was delicious.
Meatballs, veal parm, lobster ravioli were AMAZING. The table next to us also got some sizzling pancetta dish that smelled wonderful.
They ended the evening with a shot of limoncello for the table– nice touch.
All in all, I will be back, but be prepared for slow service and a hefty price tag.

My friend texted me saying she booked Carbone on the second week of its opening when I was traveling in Italy for 2 weeks. My immediate response was… «really? I am tired of Italian food and I can only eat Chinese/​Asian food for a month when I come home.» Of course we didn’t go elsewhere as my friend made a lot of effort trying to book a table. Being super spoiled by authentic Italian food and wine on my trip, I must have to say Carbone set a new standard of Italian restaurants in Hong Kong. During my trip, I’ve been thinking all those so-​called Italian restaurants in Soho were crap, but I’ve found my favorite Italian restaurant in Hong Kong.
Carbone was brought to Hong Kong from New York City in August 2014. The ambience and the staff just make you feel like you’re eating in a chic restaurant in NYC. Being welcomed by the hostess just right outside of the elevator, she led me to the bar for a drink while I was waiting for my friends. I courteously rejected the offer and went straight to the table as I knew we were going to open a few bottles of wine.
Carbone has a very expansive wine list from different regions in Italy. Although my favorite wine is still Tuscan wine, I was happy to try wine from other regions. My wine expert friends had a great time chatting with the sommelier discussing what wine to pair with our food.
Needless to say, the food was excellent. We ordered too many dishes, including garlic bread, lobster, ribeye, some pasta and more. I’m not going to say too much about each individual dish, as I don’t think I need to give anyone any expectation. Everything was just amazing.
People always say there’s a second stomach for dessert. I’m quite an abnormal girl who never really care about desserts. My guy friend wanted to try the carrot cake and we all shared one despite the fact that our bellies were already super full. The beautiful cake was simply fantastic.
I highly recommend Carbone if you are looking for a fine dining place to share great food and wine with your friends and loved ones.

You seriously have no idea how excited I was to hear that Carbone was going to open a branch in Hong Kong. And what is better than opening up at LKF Tower which is so close to where I work? Opened in early August, Carbone Hong Kong is a famous restaurant in New York that is heavily inspired by the Italian restaurants in 1950s in the States. I have never tried the original one but my friends have told me so much about that and I was just so excited to know that finally I got to try this.
The first thing that caught my attention was the atmosphere; it is a mixture of modernity and a bit classical with leather chairs and chandeliers hanging from the roof. The ambience is refreshing and seems to bring diners to the last century of New York. The food here as expected, is Italian slash New York cuisine like veal, linguini, clams etc. I especially loved the way they did with the baked clams. They were rich in taste and juicy enough. Together with the white wine, they just blended so well together.
The staff here also are very friendly and attentive and serve in a professional manner. When asked about the ingredients and how the food are cooked, they could answer you in great details, which I find that very nice. Currently they only open for the dinner time but since there are quite a lot of diners normally so reservation is strongly recommended.