Roberto’s
“The specials at Roberto's are what seperate it from the rest of Arthur Avenue's restaurant row.”
“The osso buco was amazing and was easily the better of the two dishes (although the chicken dish was nothing short of amazing).”
“Had burrata served over arugula with capers on the stem and tomatoes.”
Roberto’s
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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I wanted to be in love with this place, and I can honestly say that I was in love with the appetizer I had here in late November. Unfortunately, the entrees are what brought this overall experience down. The antipasti was amazing! And dessert was pretty finger-licking good, as well, but the heart and soul of both mine and my friend's lunches were mediocre at best. We'll start with THE GOOD:
1. Short rib antipasto special– thin slices of marinated short ribs served with roasted red peppers, aged parmesan on a bed of arugula! My friend and I ordered one to share…and then we ordered another one immediately thereafter! This was incredible, melt-in-your-mouth, flavor-popping, show-stopping goodness. Had I known that the entree would be so far behind in quality and taste, I would have ordered 10 of these and nothing else.
2. Chocolate lava cake– pretty decent souffle, but lacking in the lava department. Don't promise me hot, melty chocolatey insides if you're gonna half-ass it. And they could've given me a dollop of whipped cream, or vanilla bean something. Overall, a good chocolate dessert.
3. My friend's strawberry tart– This dessert was perfection. Light, berryful, super delicious thin biscuits layered with pastry cream and fresh strawberries. We could've had seconds on this, also.
Moving on to the shitty parts:
1. Pollo alla caprese– Come on, guys. It was just a breaded chicken cutlet with a chopped caprese for a topping. Normally, I love this simplicity, but the chicken left something to be desired and that something is seasoning! Then the cheese in my caprese was scarce and the dish itself was just not what I had in mind.
2. My friend's grilled salmon served with a whole mess of caramelized onions and broccoli rabe. The broccoli rabe was decent enough but the onions tasted like they were swimming in Roberto's play on barbecue sauce. The salmon itself was dry and overcooked and I hate that in a fish. I won't go on.
There were great parts of the meal and ones I wish I'd skipped. Bill total of $116 or something and the larger chunks of that were on entrees we neither enjoyed nor finished.
I sooo wanted to love you Roberto but cha let me down. I surprised my honey with a one way ticket to romance at orchid night at the botanical gardens and I wanted to seal the deal with a sexy Italian dinner in da Bronx. The NYBG held their own, the great Italian restaurant, not so much. I've been to Arthur avenue before but only during the day so I wanted some unforgettable food like my nonna used to make. We walked in around 8:30 on a Saturday and we were told that there was a 30 minute wait. No problem, although we were ready to eat our arms, we grabbed two bar stools and ordered some cocktails. The Manhattan was fine, the girlie martini my man ordered was OK if overly sweet. We waited about 45 minutes before we were seated. From here on out everything was average to average minus. The bread was good,the caprese salad was average, not great tomatoes,not great mozzarella . We decided on one of the appetizer specials, orchiette with shrimp and scallops. Funny thing is that they have no prices on the chalk board of the specials, this will be important later in this review. The first two bottles of wine we ordered they were out of. We decided on the gaja promis and I will give props to my waiter for his wine service. The special appetizer came and it was boxed pasta with a few small shrimp and tiny bits of scallops, average at best. For an entree we chose the Osso buco on the menu which is lamb, the special was the veal osso buco but we decided to stick with the lamb. The meat was fine, the " risotto" served with it was akin to out of a box wild rice. The whole meal was reminiscent of all of the tourist trap restaurants down in little Italy and all I could think through the whole meal was "this place gets rave reviews?" It was a below average , complete rape people who don't know better, not even remotely authentic Italian meal….oh and the boxed pasta appetizer pasta? $33 big ones…criminal….
This is an excellent restaurant. The food was delightful. It seemed Tuscan to me. Some of the dishes reflected thoughtful creativity.
The dining room was lovely.
Me and the GF shared an insalata boccacino. She had a swordfish special and I had a spicy chicken-on-the-bone special. We shared profiteroles for dessert. We brought home a little bit of each that made for another dinner. With a bottle of red ($48), we spent about $131 before tip.
TIP: generous portions
BONUS: excellent service, especially when the servers plate portions of your dishes at the table. An uncommon touch in my experience that I enjoyed.
My favorite of all the restaurants in the Arthur Avenue area. Intimate setting (though I prefer the design of Zero Otto Nove), good service, a good wine list, and of course- great food. Perfect octopus, perfect pastas, and my seafood app of spicy shrimp and scallops was to die for. I wasn't as crazy about my mixed grill of three chops (lamb, venison, and wild boar). The lemoncello to end the meal was a nice touch.
I won't go back. It was ho-hum. Service was excellent, atmosphere was cold and impersonal, food was poorly prepared and didn't even have an appealing presentation. I'm not usually too tough on restaurants but this one was such a disappointment in an area known for outstanding food. Pass this one by in favor of Rigoletto Pasquale or its sister restaurant Zero Otto Nove
The Arthur Avenue Belmont section of the Bronx is a busy, teaming area full of authentic bakeries, restaurants and markets very unlike the downtown tourist version. If you're ever in the Bronx, make your way over and enjoy this stretch of the community.
It was Standing Room Only at the front bar while waiting for a table Saturday night. We knew Roberto's doesn't take reservations and were prepared to enjoy a few cocktails. We were there so long, we made a few friends during the wait to be seated. People get pretty friendly after a few cocktails on an empty stomach.
Once seated we decided against an appetizer and both went with the lamb shank and truffle risotto. The lamb was succulent, sweet and tender, the truffle risotto, rich and creamy. The wine choice of a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino was spendy but worth it, full bodied and flavorful. Fresh cannoli for dessert followed by a stroll through town and making plans for a return visit with the zoo opens for the season.
We kept it old school this Mother's Day and dined at Roberto's. While I've known of this restaurant for a while, I had never dined here before tonight. Roberto's is owned by chef Roberto Paciullo, who also owns Zero Otto Nove around the corner on Arthur Ave. While Zero Otto Nove is arguably more well known (he opened two more of them in Manhattan and Armonk), it all started here for Paciullo at his namesake restaurant.
Like most restaurants on Arthur Ave, Roberto's is small; upon entry, there's a small foyer containing a bar with an archway that leads into the main dining area. The atmosphere is intimate with low lighting and music playing. The color scheme is warm with dark beiges, browns, and woods.
The menu contains slightly elevated Italian cuisine. The bread basket contained a simple Italian loaf and a few slices of focaccia. I totally succumbed to my carb cravings as soon as it hit the table; the bread was so simple yet so amazing – being on Arthur Ave I didn't expect anything less. My app of Italian sausage with cannellini beans and broccoli rabe was super tasty – the flavors paired well and I'm always a sucker for broccoli rabe. For my main I had the pollo con spinaci which was a chicken breast with proscuitto and spinach topped with melted mozzarella in a wine sauce. The entree was fairly simple but it was tasty – the chicken was massive =O. For dessert I had the tiramisu which was good – my cappuccino was slightly bitter but it wasn't a deal breaker.
Service was great, everyone was very friendly – I was especially impressed by our server who memorized the massive specials menu to a T. Roberto's is definitely a place to get the real-deal Arthur Ave Italian dining experience and clearly shows why Roberto Paciullo has been so successful in his endeavors. While I still prefer Zero Otto Nove, Roberto's doesn't disappoint.
I've known about Roberto's for years, and I've even been to both locations of Trattoria Zero Otto Nove, but I've never been to Roberto Paciullo's namesake until now. It's right off the drag of Arthur Ave around the corner, and the building is done up to look like it was shipped over from Italy. Since opening in 1989 (I believe?), Roberto has grown from a tiny little place on Arthur Ave to this. Zagat ratings for being among the best Italian in the city and numerous other accolades have followed. The cuisine Roberto's does is that of his native Salerno, but at a very high level as you could expect. His father was a chef as well, so this is in his blood. The inside of the place is dark and intimate, with any gaudy decor. The waitstaff is very professional for this area, but given the price point they have to be. My Albanian waiter did a good job as he was efficient and knowledgeable, even if he was also very droll. The specials were recited from memory as well as written on a chalkboard on the side of the room, clearly visible. I had a long day/week/month, so I treated myself to this and was not disappointed.
For my appetizer I got a caprese salad. The mozzarella, sourced from around the corner at Casa dell Mozzarella, argubly the best place for fior di latte in the city, was superb as you could expect. The tomatoes as well were bright and fresh. I was a bit disappointed by the roasted red peppers and marinated mushrooms though, as the peppers lacked a bit of flavor and the mushrooms were very cold as they'd been refrigerated. The dish as a whole–dressed with some fresh basil, a few kinds of olives, olive oil and balsamic vinegar– was still great though, and presented beautifully. For my entree I had a special with thick, homemade tubes of pasta, scallops, clams, chickpeas and braised fennel. I am a massive lover of chickpeas, so they had me at that. This was a great, unique dish! The scallops and clams–also sourced from around the corner at Randazzo's Seafood market–were exceedingly fresh and cooked properly. The pasta was cooked properly and the chickpeas created a creamy foundation for what became the sauce. What I thought was to be the X-factor of the dish–the braised fennel–was the odd man left out somehow. It was in the background in a subtle way, but I expected it to be much more assertive. Aside from this one fault, I loved this dish and would probably order it again.
Little imperfections aside, it's easy to see why Roberto's is ranked among the city's finest Italian restaurants and that Roberto Paciullo has become as successful as he has. I prefer Trattoria Zero Otto Nove by a nose, unless I'm looking for something unique; if so, I'd reccomend coming here as the specials are much more inventive, as is the whole menu. The only issue I have is the price if you go all out, but that is what it is. Regardless, I would gladly come back here anytime so long as I'm not buying, and otherwise I'll come when I can!