Best pizza! Love that smoky crust and eggplant. Upstairs space, pleasant, service excellent.
Opentable Diner
The pizza is still great, but they've officially jumped the shark.  do takeout only. 
Antonella
Pizza buona ma non buonissima. Della Mozzarella di bufala ( 4 $ in più ) neanche l'ombra... quindi consiglio una margherita normale. Personale tutto straniero. Nessun italiano.
GlossGal
A friend who once lived in Milan (and now lives in Manhattan told me the best pizza in NYC is at San Matteo. I was born in the city and have lived more than half my life here. How I never ate at San Matteo until March 1st 2023 is anyone's guess. And what I thought was the best pizza in the city (Di Fara's in Brooklyn, which closed for good 2022) was replaced. The Vesuti was perfect. Crust, sauce, basil, cheese, ground sausage. Together, the pie was a textural and flavor dream. I ate nearly my weight (I'm a big girl) in it, insalata mista (which could use a few more castelvetrano olives), meatballs (which were a touch dry and still delicious, and what I know as arrancini, though they're called something else here. The music being played was awesome: classic R&B and pop, bringing the ideal vibe and rhythms. Opportunities for improvement are few. They include the brand/vineyard names of the wines on the list, or if the availability changes often, write them on the chalkboard. Right or wrong, people want to drink from the winemakers they know and no one is served by not sharing the full information. Also, if the guests request a specific order for the dishes they selected (i.e., salad, primi, and then pizza), that ought to be provided. If that isn't possible, tables need not only to be bigger so as to accommodate simultaneously so many plates, and guests need to be told dishes are not served as courses. What does NOT need to change (besides the food) is meeting the spectacular Carmela and Alfredo being your table's primary server. With a seemingly photographic memory, I've seen Alfredo manage a whole lot of customer traffic, orders, and hustle on a very busy night in a space where I only saw one free table once we were in conventional dinner hour (my first ever reservation was 5:00). San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina on 2nd Avenue and E. 81st. You need to dine here. You need to make it your go-to.
Shane
San Matteo consistently has amazing food with great service. It is a long time neighborhood staple.
Sachi
The food is really great, but main courses came out at different times. Service was a little bit slow.
Chris Budwal
Amazing authentic Italian food. The margarita pizza was so thin and delicious with a pillowy crust. The gnocchi was also a huge hit. We also had the polenta with mushrooms which I suggest you try. Great food and service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marilyn Lucchi
I’m Italian American—and this is the real deal ! Had linguine n clams—tender n fresh! Escarole—plentiful and tasty n crispy. Cannoli—really crisp n fresh n tasty! Try it—you’ll like it! 😉🍷😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Linda Roman
Growing up in NYC, I’ve tried ALOT of pizza. San Matteo’s is easily top 5. Tasty pizza and quick and friendly service; couldn’t ask for anything more. 🤌🏼🍕
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lorraine Kluesner
Very authentic and absolutely delicious Italian pizza makes this a must visit while visiting Upper East Side in NYC!
Food was great, service was fantastic, ambience was top notch. What more needs to be said.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stefano Gianforme
Here I was able to enjoy the best pizza in New York. Excellent dough and good seasoning. For the sausage I expected more Italian style. Good table service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Eric Holder
Ravoili is a must.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Shany Dagan
Nice service.
But unfortunately the food wasn’t very good. The pasta sauces felt very basic and It felt as though they’ve made a lot of dishes and forgot to season the food. honestly I was very surprised cause I’ve had a few recommendations about this place.
Maybe the pizza is better but I don’t know, I might try to go back and give the pizza a go, but not recommending the pasta.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Henry Michels
This is the first (unique, actually) place that comes to mind when I want to have a authentic Italian pizza... Don't waste your time anywhere else and do yourself a favor, order from them or visit in person. You won't regret. Note: Do not get distract with the photo because DoorDash does not care about people's food... You cannot taste the photo and I assure you that the pizza was delicious.
Best pizza! Love that smoky crust and eggplant. Upstairs space, pleasant, service excellent.
The pizza is still great, but they've officially jumped the shark.  do takeout only. 
Pizza buona ma non buonissima. Della Mozzarella di bufala ( 4 $ in più ) neanche l'ombra... quindi consiglio una margherita normale. Personale tutto straniero. Nessun italiano.
A friend who once lived in Milan (and now lives in Manhattan told me the best pizza in NYC is at San Matteo. I was born in the city and have lived more than half my life here. How I never ate at San Matteo until March 1st 2023 is anyone's guess. And what I thought was the best pizza in the city (Di Fara's in Brooklyn, which closed for good 2022) was replaced. The Vesuti was perfect. Crust, sauce, basil, cheese, ground sausage. Together, the pie was a textural and flavor dream. I ate nearly my weight (I'm a big girl) in it, insalata mista (which could use a few more castelvetrano olives), meatballs (which were a touch dry and still delicious, and what I know as arrancini, though they're called something else here. The music being played was awesome: classic R&B and pop, bringing the ideal vibe and rhythms. Opportunities for improvement are few. They include the brand/vineyard names of the wines on the list, or if the availability changes often, write them on the chalkboard. Right or wrong, people want to drink from the winemakers they know and no one is served by not sharing the full information. Also, if the guests request a specific order for the dishes they selected (i.e., salad, primi, and then pizza), that ought to be provided. If that isn't possible, tables need not only to be bigger so as to accommodate simultaneously so many plates, and guests need to be told dishes are not served as courses. What does NOT need to change (besides the food) is meeting the spectacular Carmela and Alfredo being your table's primary server. With a seemingly photographic memory, I've seen Alfredo manage a whole lot of customer traffic, orders, and hustle on a very busy night in a space where I only saw one free table once we were in conventional dinner hour (my first ever reservation was 5:00). San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina on 2nd Avenue and E. 81st. You need to dine here. You need to make it your go-to.
San Matteo consistently has amazing food with great service. It is a long time neighborhood staple.
The food is really great, but main courses came out at different times. Service was a little bit slow.
Amazing authentic Italian food. The margarita pizza was so thin and delicious with a pillowy crust. The gnocchi was also a huge hit. We also had the polenta with mushrooms which I suggest you try. Great food and service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’m Italian American—and this is the real deal !
Had linguine n clams—tender n fresh! Escarole—plentiful and tasty n crispy. Cannoli—really crisp n fresh n tasty! Try it—you’ll like it! 😉🍷😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Growing up in NYC, I’ve tried ALOT of pizza. San Matteo’s is easily top 5. Tasty pizza and quick and friendly service; couldn’t ask for anything more. 🤌🏼🍕
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very authentic and absolutely delicious Italian pizza makes this a must visit while visiting Upper East Side in NYC!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burrata
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was great, service was fantastic, ambience was top notch. What more needs to be said.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Here I was able to enjoy the best pizza in New York. Excellent dough and good seasoning. For the sausage I expected more Italian style. Good table service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Ravoili is a must.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Nice service.
But unfortunately the food wasn’t very good.
The pasta sauces felt very basic and It felt as though they’ve made a lot of dishes and forgot to season the food.
honestly I was very surprised cause I’ve had a few recommendations about this place.
Maybe the pizza is better but I don’t know, I might try to go back and give the pizza a go, but not recommending the pasta.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
This is the first (unique, actually) place that comes to mind when I want to have a authentic Italian pizza... Don't waste your time anywhere else and do yourself a favor, order from them or visit in person. You won't regret.
Note: Do not get distract with the photo because DoorDash does not care about people's food... You cannot taste the photo and I assure you that the pizza was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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