Is The Murder Mystery Dinner At Carmine’s NYC Restaurant Really Worth $129?

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So, a few weeks ago, I got invited by The Murder Mystery Company to check out their Murder Mystery Dinner at the famous Carmine’s NYC Restaurant in Times Square, and I immediately knew this would be my kind of escape! I mean, what’s better than food and a show? It didn’t take long for me to say yes. And when I found out I could bring my friends along to help me review Carmine’s Murder Mystery Dinner, it was a no-brainer!

I mean … I rarely ever eat at home without pulling up something on Netflix or Hulu to watch! So, social activities that let me escape into a different world—especially with a cocktail in hand—are absolutely my jam. And as soon as the crew said they were down, we started planning our outfits! And charging our cameras.

Now, I’ve done a few social escapes with my friends before, including Beat the Bomb here in NYC, the NYC Squid Games Experience, and an escape room in New Orleans, so clearly we’re not new to solving mysteries. But I’ve never had the pleasure of attending a murder mystery dinner, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. So if this is your first time planning your group’s outing to a murder mystery dinner, here’s what you should know!

A Review + Our Full Experience Of Carmine’s NYC Murder Mystery Dinner

• Activity: Murder Mystery Dinner
• Location: Carmine’s NYC Time Square Restaurant
• Type of Event: Interactive Dinner + Theater Show
• Ticket Cost: $129 per person (not including drinks and tip)

Why Carmine’s NYC Murder Mystery Dinner is the Perfect Escape

• Escapism Appeal: If you love interactive theater, solving puzzles and mysteries, and talking to strangers during fun activities, Carmine’s murder mystery dinner is definitely an experience worth checking out. The show was hilarious, and the audience participation made it feel like we were part of the story. But … trying to eat and solve a murder at the same time … is hard!
• Group Dynamic: This escape is best for those who love a challenge and don’t mind “getting their hands dirty”. So if you’re looking for a chill dinner where you can just sit back and relax, this might not be for you.

Escapism Rating

🎈🎈🎈🎈 (4/5 Balloons for Social Escapes)

• Rating Explanation: The actors were great, and the audience participation was actually super fun! But it was also a little overwhelming and confusing at times.

Activity Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 Stars for Overall Fun)

• Rating Explanation: This easily could have been a 5/5 experience! The show itself was well done. It was funny, and engaging, and the performers were fantastic. But I did have a few minor issues, that had nothing to do with the performers, that kind of dampened my overall experience. I’ll explain below.

What Carmine’s Murder Mystery Dinner Helps You Forget

For about two and a half hours, you’ll be wrapped up in a comedic whodunit, chatting with actors in character and sipping on slightly illegal drinks. So, if you’re someone who enjoys playing detective, you’ll love this! And if you take your role seriously, you may even forget that you’re not really a detective … or the killer.

Tips to Survive Carmine’s Murder Mystery Dinner

• Dress For Success: If you’re dressing up to play the part, don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes! You’ll have to walk around if you want to solve the mystery. This isn’t your normal sit-down dinner baby.
• Come Hungry: It’s a full 3-course meal served family style, and there’s more than enough for seconds. You won’t be able to take any of it home though, so if you were taught to “eat before you get there” … don’t!
• Talk to everyone! Each table has its own suspect, and you’ll need ALL the clues you can get.
• Take Good Notes: But don’t stress too much about the clues—your Head Detective will keep you updated on the story as the show goes along.
• Bring Money For Booze: Listen, honey, it’s an illegal speakeasy run by a mafia family … and the feds are watching! So, if anyone asks, they don’t sell booze! (You’ll notice alcoholic drinks aren’t included in your dinner ticket price!) So if you want a little something something to tie you over for the evening, and to calm your nerves so you don’t go spilling ya guts to the cops in front of the mob, you’ll have to pay extra!
• Beware Of Drinking “On The Job” Detective: The drinks are strong and while they may help you get rid of your social anxiety or nerves, they won’t help you crack the case, so beware!
• Don’t Bribe The Detective, But Do Tip Your Waiters: After the show is over, you’ll be presented with your bill, which may say $0, since you’ve already paid for your food–however if you purchased drinks, you’ll be charged for those and a suggested tip is noted for service.

Carmine’s Murder Mystery Dinner Food + Drinks Review

Now, let’s talk about the food:

Carmine’s is a famous Italian Restaurant in NYC, one that I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting before this. So I was super excited to try their dishes, served family style. But was it worth the hype? Well …

• Caesar Salad: 5/5 – I’m a caesar salad girlie, and when I say this was SO good! I’d totally go back just for a salad and a drink.
• Garlic Bread: 3/5 – The garlic bread was okay, but it was served after the salad, and removed before the pasta arrived. Which I thought was so weird, since I usually eat my bread with my pasta.
• Pasta: 3/5 – For a restaurant that’s all about its pasta, this was actually kind of disappointing. My plate was a little cold, and I would have loved more sauce! But it paired well with the meatballs!
• Meatballs: 4/5 – These weren’t the best I’ve ever had, but they certainly were delicious! And humongous!
• Chicken Parm: 4/5 – Our chicken parm was super cheesy, just the way I like it.
• Tiramisu: 4/5 – The tiramisu was good, but my plate was mostly whipped cream! I wanted more cake.
• Cannoli: 2/5 – I’m not a fan of cannoli, so I could have done without this.

Would I eat here again?

Eh … I wouldn’t say I’d totally “fuggedaboutit” … but I wouldn’t necessarily rush on over again. If I was paying.

I’d happily return if someone wanted to visit for the experience because it’s one of those popular restaurants in NYC that’s on everyone’s bucket list. And it’s way closer than Long Island, which is where the good Italian spots are!

Now the drinks didn’t let me down, baby!

• Dial M For Margarita: 5/5 – This margarita was strong, but sweet, exactly how I like it.
• Strawberry Lemonade: 5/5 – We saw a waiter bring out glasses of this pretty colored drink, and were completely shocked when we were told it was just lemonade! But boy was it GOOD!
• I Need A Clue Cosmo: 4/5 – Although it took forever for me to even get my cosmo, so I never got to finish it, I enjoyed it. This was also the first time I’ve ever ordered a cosmo before, so I was pleasantly surprised.

The Bill Fiasco

Now, this part really messed with my brain! And I hate to have to complain about something that feels so simple … but I can’t tell you my FULL experience, without being completely honest about everything.

On top of what was already a bad week for me, there were just too many “extra” things happening for me to fully lose myself in this escape like I wanted to!

As I mentioned above we were invited to cover this event, meaning our meals were comped in exchange for social promo. (This review is just me being extra and giving y’all all the deets, per usual. They didn’t request a review.) And I know I mentioned that drinks were extra a few times above … on purpose … so I knew I’d have to pay for drinks! But since I was there to capture content, and my site isn’t called Popcorn and Tequila for no reason — I wanted to make sure I at least tried the cocktails to let everyone know my thoughts.

But baby the way the bill confused us at the end of the night! It honestly pissed me off.

So here’s where things went wrong …

• When our waiter asked if we wanted drinks, he mentioned he needed a card to open the tab. Coolio, I’m used to that. But my friend specifically said he could use his card to open the tab, and we’d figure out the bill later. (Don’t charge this card!)
• Despite that conversation, they charged my friend’s card $59 after dinner. Which I thought was a super weird number for opening a tab! Usually, it’s like a $1 or something.
• After doing the math — I realized that $59 was the cost of our drinks. Between the two of us, we had 3 drinks. I got 2 for content, and he got 1 to taste. BUT — our bill said we owed $79! Not $59!
• Our check listed all drinks at $79 (which included sodas, even though we were specifically told everything was included, minus alcoholic drinks, because those would cost extra).
• Then, I took a look at the bill AGAIN and noticed that gratuity started at 18% (which is typical for NYC) but included the ENTIRE bill … not just the drinks that we ordered. Let’s remember that we were invited to attend, free of charge, and were only told we’d be responsible for alcohol. There was no mention of tips!
• And after what felt like forever … because I had already invited everyone and promised them a free fun night out … I decided that I would just bite the bullet and pay the tip myself. Had they told me we’d be in charge of paying for the tip beforehand, we would have all been prepared to do so. But because we thought this was a completely free event, minus alcohol, I didn’t feel right making everyone else pay.
• I handed the waiter my card and told him to put the tip on my card. He took the card, charged the tip, then handed it back to me for a signature — without charging MY card!
• Turns out they then charged my friend $129 the next morning!

Never have I ever been so darn confused at a restaurant over a bill in my life!

Of course, I reached out to the company that invited us and explained, and they offered to refund my tip since technically they were planning to cover the costs, which was super appreciated. Especially since it wasn’t their fault. I honestly think the waiter just wasn’t paying attention!

But I was so disappointed in how our night ended! What would have been a GREAT night out, was soured by miscommunication.

Now — I’m not angry about it because mistakes happen! But in good faith, I couldn’t just pretend like we had the time of our lives, with no issues at all, because that wasn’t the case. And then to top it all off — by the time we finally left, the trains were down, and I didn’t get home until 1:30AM!! We left at 10:30PM!!

Baby — there’s a reason we New Yorkers rarely ever venture out to Times Square!! And this is one.

But overall … we had a great time!

And I now have some amazing photos and memories of us together!

So would I do this again? Honestly … yes! The show itself was fun, and everyone at the event was super nice. My friends and I had a fun time, minus the end of our night. And I honestly don’t think the service or bill issues were a real reflection of the company itself.

So I’d be happy to attend another murder mystery dinner with The Murder Mystery Company!

I like doing activities with my friends, even if that means I have to burn a hole in my brain thinking and looking for clues! I’m learning that I’m way more competitive than I realized, and losing / not solving the puzzle — depresses me. But as long as I’m with my friends, it’s worth attending! Especially if they all have a great time.

So if you’re thinking about attending a murder mystery dinner with your friends, this one is totally worth the price! I would say it’s a LITTLE pricey since I’m used to paying about $100 for a meal when out with my friends, but considering Carmine’s is in the heart of Times Square, $129 isn’t that bad for a 3-course meal. Just be sure to get your money’s worth, and have fun! Stuff your face, and don’t stress yourself out trying to solve the case!

If you do grab tickets and attend, please come back and leave a comment below letting me know how your night went! Or tag me on Instagram @shayewyllie! Still got questions? Let me know!