Food is unique and delicious. The portions are small for some of the plates but amazing. The music is slightly too loud for me but it’s a great background playlist.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
jeff plitt
HOSPITALITY AND CONSISTENCY!! The benchmarks for all great restaurants, even more important than the food itself. This gem of an Italian restaurant specializing in Sicilian style cooking has been doing those exact deeds since 1996. That alone should speak volumes about this establishment. The owner/chef Gennaro is passionate about his food. Being a lover of Sicilian cuisine, I was wowed by his Caponata( ever so slightly sweetened eggplant appetizer) and Sicily's Chief pasta dish... Bucatini Con Sarde....a thick walled spaghetti with fresh sardines, raisins, and wild fennel. A taste and texture sensation for the soul. My dining friend ordered a half order of a different pasta which he left the bowl so clean that the dish could have been put back on the shelf. His main course was a pounded breaded veal chop with salad on the top. The veal chop was the size of Rhode Island and was moist, flavorful and satisfyingly memorable. Our waiter was intuitively available on a moments thought and answered all our food questions with an inviting attitude. My friend and I had not dined together for many years and our waiter seemed to pick up on that and never bothered us unless he was needed. The timing of the food was well tuned and the room had a good vibe especially for a Monday night. It had been too many years since I had been there last, but rest assured I will be back soon. I live in Northern NJ and only wish Gennaro was in my town. This is a true labor of love establishment. The owner cares about his food preparations and the restaurant has a welcoming, warm and alive feeling about it. You will leave with a fond memory of the dinner and hopefully in three hours you will burp and get to taste that glorious food againLOL.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cecilia Chin
Favorite restaurant in NYC. I always get the fava bean arugula salad and cacio e pepe, but everything is good. Casual, but still elegant.
Aggie Waggie
We come here whenever we come to NYC because the food and ambiance are amazing! Just remember this place isn't open on Tuesdays. You really can't go wrong with anything on their menu but especially the tart with potatoes, beets, goat cheese and arugula is incredible, and the spaghetti alla chitarra is amazing. One time they had a beet ravioli as a special and that was fantastic too. And their burrata is also amazing. There's really nothing bad to say about this place; you won't be disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tomato \u0026 Burrata
A.J. H
Went with a group so we were able to try a lot. Everything was very tasty. Bring cash.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Ashish Pujari
Accepts credit cards now The Parmigiana melanzane was so tasty The atmosphere is very lively and the service is good Very popular with the locals
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lee J
It started off with our request to change to a diff table. The waiter brought over the silverware from the previous table and tossed it at my date. We had 2 different pasta dishes, salads and appetizer. One pasta was really good. We like al dented pasta, but the 2nd dish was undercooked. We sent it back. The 2nd attempt was the same, undercooked. The wine was old. The waiter tried to charge me for sending the wine back. We won't go back because the writer's attitude was so bad. To top it all off, in a cash only resturant, he said he didnt have change because he wanted specific dollars for tip. He ruined our evening.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Matt Torres
I cant rave about this place enough, the food is delicious and comforting, i believe everything is made in house. They have a large menu and so much to choose from. The grilled calamari was tender and delicious and the oxtail ragu from their specialty menu was rich and flavorful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ezio Cavazzini
Un incontro casuale sulla metro ci ha fatto conoscere Maurizio, simpaticissimo e cordiale gestore, che ci ha invitato a cenare in questo ristorante.
Io quando sono fuori dall’Italia non amo andare nei ristoranti italiani, preferisco la cucina locale, ma per una volta mi sono lasciato convincere.
Così con mio fratello è nostra cugina di NY abbiamo provato questo ristorante.
Dire che è stata un’esperienza eccellente è poco!
Tutto quanto abbiamo scelto è stato ottimo, non descrivo cosa abbiamo mangiato ma lascio a voi il gusto della scoperta.
Il tutto in un ambiente caldo e familiare con personale cordiale e musiche italiane ottime, non le solite tarantelle o simili.
E per finire il conto: più che onesto per quello che abbiamo mangiato e bevuto.
CONSIGLIATISSIMO!
We love this place! Have been going for over 20 years. Not just for the cacio e pepe and lamb shank and ever-changing specials, but for the cozy, homey, caring ambience. The love! Many of the same waiters all this time. That says a lot. We've been for birthdays and parties and evening-for-two. We're always happy here. Wonderful wines from Sicily and Italy too. We crave his dishes when we're away from NYC! Family-owned and run.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alexis Field
Our go-to spot for Italian on the Upper West Side. The food is always fantastic and the vibe is super cozy. The wine selection can’t be beat and the service feels like you’re being take care of by family.
Kid-friendliness: This was the first restaurant we brought our daughter to at 4 weeks old. We’ve celebrated every milestone here. She’s now two… and they’re more than understanding.
Wheelchair accessibility: My dad uses a motorized wheelchair and they always accommodate to make room for him. There are also no stairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rigatoni Con Melanzane with Eggplant Tomato Sauce and Ovendried Ricotta, Braised Organic Chicken with Almonds Currents Capers and Arugula Salad
William Schierl
A great new find for us. Very warm and welcoming staff with outstanding food. A definite repeat.
Love it! A classic
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is unique and delicious. The portions are small for some of the plates but amazing. The music is slightly too loud for me but it’s a great background playlist.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
HOSPITALITY AND CONSISTENCY!! The benchmarks for all great restaurants, even more important than the food itself. This gem of an Italian restaurant specializing in Sicilian style cooking has been doing those exact deeds since 1996. That alone should speak volumes about this establishment. The owner/chef Gennaro is passionate about his food. Being a lover of Sicilian cuisine, I was wowed by his Caponata( ever so slightly sweetened eggplant appetizer) and Sicily's Chief pasta dish... Bucatini Con Sarde....a thick walled spaghetti with fresh sardines, raisins, and wild fennel. A taste and texture sensation for the soul. My dining friend ordered a half order of a different pasta which he left the bowl so clean that the dish could have been put back on the shelf. His main course was a pounded breaded veal chop with salad on the top. The veal chop was the size of Rhode Island and was moist, flavorful and satisfyingly memorable.
Our waiter was intuitively available on a moments thought and answered all our food questions with an inviting attitude. My friend and I had not dined together for many years and our waiter seemed to pick up on that and never bothered us unless he was needed. The timing of the food was well tuned and the room had a good vibe especially for a Monday night.
It had been too many years since I had been there last, but rest assured I will be back soon. I live in Northern NJ and only wish Gennaro was in my town.
This is a true labor of love establishment. The owner cares about his food preparations and the restaurant has a welcoming, warm and alive feeling about it. You will leave with a fond memory of the dinner and hopefully in three hours you will burp and get to taste that glorious food againLOL.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Favorite restaurant in NYC. I always get the fava bean arugula salad and cacio e pepe, but everything is good. Casual, but still elegant.
We come here whenever we come to NYC because the food and ambiance are amazing! Just remember this place isn't open on Tuesdays. You really can't go wrong with anything on their menu but especially the tart with potatoes, beets, goat cheese and arugula is incredible, and the spaghetti alla chitarra is amazing. One time they had a beet ravioli as a special and that was fantastic too. And their burrata is also amazing. There's really nothing bad to say about this place; you won't be disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tomato \u0026 Burrata
Went with a group so we were able to try a lot. Everything was very tasty. Bring cash.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Accepts credit cards now
The Parmigiana melanzane was so tasty
The atmosphere is very lively and the service is good
Very popular with the locals
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It started off with our request to change to a diff table. The waiter brought over the silverware from the previous table and tossed it at my date. We had 2 different pasta dishes, salads and appetizer. One pasta was really good. We like al dented pasta, but the 2nd dish was undercooked. We sent it back. The 2nd attempt was the same, undercooked. The wine was old. The waiter tried to charge me for sending the wine back. We won't go back because the writer's attitude was so bad. To top it all off, in a cash only resturant, he said he didnt have change because he wanted specific dollars for tip. He ruined our evening.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
I cant rave about this place enough, the food is delicious and comforting, i believe everything is made in house. They have a large menu and so much to choose from. The grilled calamari was tender and delicious and the oxtail ragu from their specialty menu was rich and flavorful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Un incontro casuale sulla metro ci ha fatto conoscere Maurizio, simpaticissimo e cordiale gestore, che ci ha invitato a cenare in questo ristorante. Io quando sono fuori dall’Italia non amo andare nei ristoranti italiani, preferisco la cucina locale, ma per una volta mi sono lasciato convincere. Così con mio fratello è nostra cugina di NY abbiamo provato questo ristorante. Dire che è stata un’esperienza eccellente è poco! Tutto quanto abbiamo scelto è stato ottimo, non descrivo cosa abbiamo mangiato ma lascio a voi il gusto della scoperta. Il tutto in un ambiente caldo e familiare con personale cordiale e musiche italiane ottime, non le solite tarantelle o simili. E per finire il conto: più che onesto per quello che abbiamo mangiato e bevuto. CONSIGLIATISSIMO!
Restaurantji Recommends
We love this place! Have been going for over 20 years. Not just for the cacio e pepe and lamb shank and ever-changing specials, but for the cozy, homey, caring ambience. The love! Many of the same waiters all this time. That says a lot. We've been for birthdays and parties and evening-for-two. We're always happy here. Wonderful wines from Sicily and Italy too. We crave his dishes when we're away from NYC! Family-owned and run.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our go-to spot for Italian on the Upper West Side. The food is always fantastic and the vibe is super cozy. The wine selection can’t be beat and the service feels like you’re being take care of by family.
Kid-friendliness: This was the first restaurant we brought our daughter to at 4 weeks old. We’ve celebrated every milestone here. She’s now two… and they’re more than understanding.
Wheelchair accessibility: My dad uses a motorized wheelchair and they always accommodate to make room for him. There are also no stairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rigatoni Con Melanzane with Eggplant Tomato Sauce and Ovendried Ricotta, Braised Organic Chicken with Almonds Currents Capers and Arugula Salad
A great new find for us. Very warm and welcoming staff with outstanding food. A definite repeat.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Octopus Salad, Tomato & Burrata
Great waiter, we had dinner at the barra
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Simply FANTASTIC!!! Thanks to Gennaro and his collaborators.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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