IL Brigante
“Il Brigante is a very friendly, warm, Italian joint on the beautiful block of Front Street in the South Street Seaport.”
“Exposed brick lines the four walls of the establishment that adds to the simplistic feel.”
“From the dishes I've tried the ala norma pasta is incredible, so are the handmade ravioli, their seafood dishes, and the veal dishes.”
IL Brigante
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Il Brigante may be my favorite classic Italian restaurant in Manhattan. I'm probably biased considering I live in the area and find anything in South Street Seaport to be charming.. but really, the food is very good and is ALWAYS good (whether you're dining in or ordering delivery/take-out).
Everything I've eaten is delicious – pastas (Vongole & Norma being my favorites), pizzas, salads, tiramisu. Even their bread basket dipped in olive oil/balsamic vinegar makes me happy.
This local restaurant feels genuine – a feeling hard to find in Manhattan. I will be sure to keep coming back to my beloved Il Brigante!
Nice looking little place located right near the Seaport. The place is pretty small and can become congested as it did when we visited today. I really would give this place 3.5 stars and I will explain. Let me start off with the good. Nice looking place. Friendly service. We had an antipasto and fried calamari and shrimp. Both were tasty as was the bread they placed on the table with oil. Entrees went from ravioli with sage and butter, chicken and sausage with roasted potatoes in a balsamic sauce. Farfalle with broccoli rabe and sausage. NO complaints about the taste of anything.
Now for the bad. Portions were all on the small side. The ravioli consisted of about 5 standard sized ravioli. My chicken and sausage were gone in 6 bites! As Italians, we consider a crime if someone leaves the table hungry, yet most of us did. I guess that may be an issue because I did not see a single Italian working here. They have a nice little place here in a great location. They have the cooking down, now just get the portions right!!
Lastly. Pop music blasting throughout the restaurant is not exactly what I'd like to be hearing in an Italian restaurant. Mind you, I'm not some grumpy old dude complaining about music. I listen to almost everything and my main love is some of the heaviest music known to mankind. That said, either play some Italian music, or something a little milder. Fix these minor issues and I would bump this to a solid 4 stars.
I came here twice and I wasn't impressed with anything.
The fried calamari and shrimp appetizer was typical. The saltimbocca alla Romana was a bit better than the appetizer but it still lacked any wow factor.
The Calabria pizza was disappointing and just shy of disgusting. It shouldn't have been floppy given the ease of making a crispy thin crusted pizza. The bottom of the pizza was too white and the sauce was watery and bland. The hot sopressata might as well have been pepperoni.
The tiramisu and cannoli were nothing special. I did not like the cassata at all.
The servers were friendly but weren't attentive. It required multiple attempts to get the attention of my waiter when there were only 4 other occupied tables in the restaurant.
Sometimes Yelp helps me out, sometimes I get steered in the wrong direction. This is one of those times.
I was staying at a hotel about 2blocks down and really wanted pasta. I decided to call this place and order the gnocchi pesto, the Bolognese and Cesar salad. Which all came out to 50$
The food arrived and I was excited to eat. The salad surprisingly was quite good. Can't say the same for either of the pastas though.
I got the gnocchi with pesto and it was quite terrible. The pesto tasted like it was out of a jar and definitely not freshly made there. For some reason, there was mozzarella cheese which I don't really mind in moderation to my pasta serving but the one on this plate was literally one big clump of mozzarella that tasted worse than Polly-o. (See photo) I tossed the cheese to the side but the pasta still lacked everything that makes a great gnocchi dish.
The Bolognese wasn't any better. The sauce again tasted like it was from a jar and more flavorless than ragu. The meat was hardly seasoned and just the whole dish was not good at all.
More thank half the food ended up in the trash, a 50$ loss and still two hungry bellies. Will never try this place out again.
I ordered the "brigante" pizza. It had prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, and shaved (not grated) parmigian cheese on top. Everything was fresh, and the arugula wasn't soggy or warm. Price was it isn't bad (I think $20), and delivery was quick. I'm looking forward to trying different pizzas from here soon.
I really enjoyed this place. The atmosphere is lively. The seating is ample. The service was great. And most importantly, I really enjoyed my meal. I ordered Cotoletta Di Vitello Alla Milanese (Breaded veal cutlet topped with rucola and cherry tomatoes.) It was really tasty.
Good prices too…check it out.
I really like how rustic and intimate this location is. We went for dinner last night with a group and they were very accommodating and attentive. I had a salad with grilled chicken and a side of rosemary potatoes. My salad was a little spicy but the pears and chicken were great. My friends had pizza and pasta entrees and all enjoyed their meals. I would definitely return if I return to the area for the rest service and quality.
My love for Il Brigante runs deep. I used to live in FiDi and my husband and I would come to Il Brigante for date night regularly. I just about always ordered the gnocchi, which is so tender, and so cheesy. The sauce is tangy but still has a nice, rich Italian flavor. I've also loved their butter and sage raviolis. Their fritturella mista (fried calamari and shrimp) is a treat. Usually fried food can feel really heavy but this is always fresh and crispy. The fettucine alla bolognese was my husband's favorite. It's a wonderful classic dish and the pasta is handmade, chewy, and always perfectly cooked. I've had a range of their desserts, which are delicious. One that stands out the most was a special–it was an ice cream in a chocolate shell covered with some kind of cherry topping, it was so. freakin. good.
My heart broke after hurricane Sandy when Il Brigante was flooded out and closed for a while, but I was so happy that they were able to come back from it and reopen.
Aside from my tame nights at Il Brigante for pasta with a glass of wine, I also had part of my bachelorette party here. A group of us came for dinner before we went out to celebrate and the staff was so much fun. They really got into the fact that we were celebrating and even put on some of our obnoxious pink bachelorette-wear to join us. I don't live in NYC anymore but whenever I'm back in town I try to make sure to come to Il Brigante, it's definitely a hidden gem in the seaport.