I had always wanted to try Porsena, but had trouble getting a reservations. Now, with outdoor space and few people dining out, I was able to snag a table. Was it as good as I may have expected? Yes. The salads were tasty. I and my husband had both the Caesar and peach arugula. My only complaint here were the peaches which were hard and not at all sweet. The salad itself was good with lots of slivered almonds.The pastas were good. Some are house made. I had the rigatoni with lamb which was excellent. It had a little spice to it. Service was good. The seating is all outdoors on a quiet street.
Ian Coogan
Amazing Italian restaurant with a very neighborhood hidden gem feel. I haven’t eaten anything here that wasn’t good. Selection of salads are amazing, all the pastas are delicious, and a well-rounded unpretentious wine list makes this place feel so comfortable.
Yuan Yuan
First dinner outside in this pandemic!Love the pasta, friendly service, quiet street.
Amber Lennon
My husband and I sat in silence for 30 min after our meal to process how it’s possible that food could be that good. -fungi paparedelle-buratta-peach salad Impeccable. I’m ashamed to have lived in the EV for 10 years and have not eaten here until now.
stefania rovera
So excited they're re-opening with a takeout/delivery menu! Been missing this food all lockdown.
Alvaro M.
Great italian restaurant flying under the radar. Live next to it, and the food here is always solid. The menu has daily offerings that change so that's another big selling point. Price point is a little high, only con I can think of.
Ivy Z.
This review is for a private party at the Extra Bar. I was tasked with finding a spot for a team dinner, and found Porsena off an Eater list. Ian, at Porsena, was super responsive through email and was so flexible and patient as my headcount/plans for the dinner kept changing. In the end, I'm very glad I went with their private room, the Extra Bar, for my group of ~22. It was a tight fit but we all enjoyed how intimate the setting was. The service and ambience were spot-on. Now onto the food... Porsena definitely delivered! We went with the usual large group menu, which included 3 appetizers, 3 pastas, steak, fish, and dessert, all served family style. The food was all SO delicious, especially the squid appetizer and the spicy lamb sausage pasta. The meat and fish courses were also cooked perfectly. Quantity wise, we all left feeling super full. My colleagues raved about the food for days. Overall, I highly recommend the Porsena team when booking your next large group dinner!
Kristin L.
We ended up here when a couple of other places were full and closed. We were seated at the bar which was ok but the wooden bar stools felt so wobbly and uncomfortable. The appetizer and wine list is really the only reason I'm giving this place 3 stars. The appetizer was delicious so we had high hopes for the rest of the meal, but unfortunately it was pretty disappointing. My husband ordered the braised beef which was really fatty and not tender like any other braised beef we've had. He had to cut it with a steak knife. The polenta with it was good. I had the penne pasta. It was spicey but really just ok. Not worth the $108 for two drinks, an appetizer, and two entrees (but I guess typical for NYC).
Megan Lu
To simply put it, the food was stellar, just the perfect comfort pasta we were looking for and the flavours were wonderful. But, the service left more to be desired. To eat at a restuarant that took over 20 minutes to ask us for a drink or food (even though there was barely anyone in the restuarant at that time), and our server (Miguel), who was really never around our area to be waved down or checked how we were doing, made the experience exhausting. Did not help whenever we ordered or asked a question, he would look at the rest of the restuarant so we wouldn’t even know if he was engaged enough with us to take our order properly. It’s disappointing that such thoughtful food is incorrectly represented by lacklustre service.
Joe M.
Looks like this place was stellar when it opened--rock star chef and fantastic homemade pasta. Based on our experience those days are over. Guessing the chef is long gone. The recipes may be the same but the execution was very poor. We all ordered salads and pasta dishes that sounded interesting but were prepared and presented carelessly--and folks that kind of carelessness deserves one star. If anyone associated with this once a proud establishing is still in the area code they need to get back in the game.
Enjoyed a stellar dinner; looking forward to returning.
Sarah Steinbruck
Went here for a small private dinner on Saturday. Service was extremely attentive and the food was delicious. Can't wait to make a rez for myself soon. Really great space for a private dinner event.
Michael C.
The most consistent restaurant and truly one of new york's hidden gems. I have been coming here for 6 years and love it more and more every time.
Ellen H.
Meh, in a city with so many great options you wonder how a place like this survives. The hostess showed us to a high top table that was literally behind the hostess stand with one side 2 inches away from the stool for the hostess. We requested a different table that seemed free to which we were told "yes as soon as the table is set there I can give it to you." We spent 10 min in the entryway waiting for someone to SET the table which didn't happen so we checked in with the hostess who was so sweet she actually went and did it herself. But like seriously how disorganized is the restaurant? Then after we sat down it was another 10min before any one came to us. While we were putting in our order our waiter had to suddenly disappear to talk to another table (?!) and then our drinks came as we were well into our appetizers (drinks before food people!!! it's why it's an aperitif!). Food itself was tasty EXCEPT for the really bad panna cotta which was more whipped cream than gelatinous cream and left a terrible final note in my mouth. All in all not an experience I would recommend.
roberthetravelingboy
Our food was great but the staff there are incredible. They are lightfooted but informed and attentive.
I had always wanted to try Porsena, but had trouble getting a reservations. Now, with outdoor space and few people dining out, I was able to snag a table. Was it as good as I may have expected? Yes. The salads were tasty. I and my husband had both the Caesar and peach arugula. My only complaint here were the peaches which were hard and not at all sweet. The salad itself was good with lots of slivered almonds.The pastas were good. Some are house made. I had the rigatoni with lamb which was excellent. It had a little spice to it. Service was good. The seating is all outdoors on a quiet street.
Amazing Italian restaurant with a very neighborhood hidden gem feel. I haven’t eaten anything here that wasn’t good. Selection of salads are amazing, all the pastas are delicious, and a well-rounded unpretentious wine list makes this place feel so comfortable.
First dinner outside in this pandemic!Love the pasta, friendly service, quiet street.
My husband and I sat in silence for 30 min after our meal to process how it’s possible that food could be that good. -fungi paparedelle-buratta-peach salad Impeccable. I’m ashamed to have lived in the EV for 10 years and have not eaten here until now.
So excited they're re-opening with a takeout/delivery menu! Been missing this food all lockdown.
Great italian restaurant flying under the radar. Live next to it, and the food here is always solid. The menu has daily offerings that change so that's another big selling point. Price point is a little high, only con I can think of.
This review is for a private party at the Extra Bar. I was tasked with finding a spot for a team dinner, and found Porsena off an Eater list. Ian, at Porsena, was super responsive through email and was so flexible and patient as my headcount/plans for the dinner kept changing. In the end, I'm very glad I went with their private room, the Extra Bar, for my group of ~22. It was a tight fit but we all enjoyed how intimate the setting was. The service and ambience were spot-on. Now onto the food... Porsena definitely delivered! We went with the usual large group menu, which included 3 appetizers, 3 pastas, steak, fish, and dessert, all served family style. The food was all SO delicious, especially the squid appetizer and the spicy lamb sausage pasta. The meat and fish courses were also cooked perfectly. Quantity wise, we all left feeling super full. My colleagues raved about the food for days. Overall, I highly recommend the Porsena team when booking your next large group dinner!
We ended up here when a couple of other places were full and closed. We were seated at the bar which was ok but the wooden bar stools felt so wobbly and uncomfortable. The appetizer and wine list is really the only reason I'm giving this place 3 stars. The appetizer was delicious so we had high hopes for the rest of the meal, but unfortunately it was pretty disappointing. My husband ordered the braised beef which was really fatty and not tender like any other braised beef we've had. He had to cut it with a steak knife. The polenta with it was good. I had the penne pasta. It was spicey but really just ok. Not worth the $108 for two drinks, an appetizer, and two entrees (but I guess typical for NYC).
To simply put it, the food was stellar, just the perfect comfort pasta we were looking for and the flavours were wonderful. But, the service left more to be desired. To eat at a restuarant that took over 20 minutes to ask us for a drink or food (even though there was barely anyone in the restuarant at that time), and our server (Miguel), who was really never around our area to be waved down or checked how we were doing, made the experience exhausting. Did not help whenever we ordered or asked a question, he would look at the rest of the restuarant so we wouldn’t even know if he was engaged enough with us to take our order properly. It’s disappointing that such thoughtful food is incorrectly represented by lacklustre service.
Looks like this place was stellar when it opened--rock star chef and fantastic homemade pasta. Based on our experience those days are over. Guessing the chef is long gone. The recipes may be the same but the execution was very poor. We all ordered salads and pasta dishes that sounded interesting but were prepared and presented carelessly--and folks that kind of carelessness deserves one star. If anyone associated with this once a proud establishing is still in the area code they need to get back in the game.
Restaurantji Recommends
Enjoyed a stellar dinner; looking forward to returning.
Went here for a small private dinner on Saturday. Service was extremely attentive and the food was delicious. Can't wait to make a rez for myself soon. Really great space for a private dinner event.
The most consistent restaurant and truly one of new york's hidden gems. I have been coming here for 6 years and love it more and more every time.
Meh, in a city with so many great options you wonder how a place like this survives. The hostess showed us to a high top table that was literally behind the hostess stand with one side 2 inches away from the stool for the hostess. We requested a different table that seemed free to which we were told "yes as soon as the table is set there I can give it to you." We spent 10 min in the entryway waiting for someone to SET the table which didn't happen so we checked in with the hostess who was so sweet she actually went and did it herself. But like seriously how disorganized is the restaurant? Then after we sat down it was another 10min before any one came to us. While we were putting in our order our waiter had to suddenly disappear to talk to another table (?!) and then our drinks came as we were well into our appetizers (drinks before food people!!! it's why it's an aperitif!). Food itself was tasty EXCEPT for the really bad panna cotta which was more whipped cream than gelatinous cream and left a terrible final note in my mouth. All in all not an experience I would recommend.
Our food was great but the staff there are incredible. They are lightfooted but informed and attentive.