Buona Notte
“Walking through Little Italy reminds me of walking through the Plaka in Athens (you must go there!)”
“This awesome little man was so funny and personable, and offered us sangria along with his witty humor, in an attempt to lure us into the establishment.”
“Little did we know, good looking waiters are actually practicing to one day become charming little old men.”
Buona Notte
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Italian food in Little Italy is known to be a tourist trap.
Still, being a big fan of Italian culture, food and Italians in general, I came with my best friend from high school who has the same appetito for Italian as I did.
We started with bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Surprising enough, the bread was the only good part of the meal, which they probably did not bake in house. Service was quick and our old Italian waiter was charming. We both ordered red, Cabernet and Merlot, per to our waiter's suggestion.
Food came out quick, but warm. I had ricotta ravioli and my friend got chicken parmesan. It was subpar, as with most Italian restaurants lined up the block. Over salting must be a popular thing now a days?
Decent, but would not come back.
The wait staff here have two duties: serve (food) and sell (the image) to catch those who roam Mulberry in Little Italy and getting them to comply with the "best Italian pasta deal" man has ever heard. But once they step into the door and sit down, its a sucker session of affordability vs. authenticity. Is the food authentic and is it affordable? Sometimes, in both cases, no.
But this time around, I came in for a pasta deal that included a glass of wine or appetizer for only $12.95. Consider it a poor man's prefix in the theater district, except in Little Italy. The pasta was good, angel hair in a clam shell base was fabulous and the pappardelle carbonara was rich and well done. Service wasn't the best as they groaned each time I mentioned I wanted tap water instead of the bottled stuff. I saw the regular menu and the prices for some pasta dishes ranged from $20-35 which I thought was a little much, especially for something like pasta.
There are a ton of other choices around the area obviously, with deals that just may trump this one. They tend to do it during the busy weekend nights, when people are swarming the streets, sniffing out the best place with Italian (or fake accented) wait staff looking to pry on their tourist dollars.
This place is convenient, good and has great service!
Negatives : music did not set an italy vibe ,
Positives: service was very good, he people were very acomodating, not pushy whatsoever , i felt welcomed not demanded. Tables were cleared very quickly. The servers were very polite and helpful
The food was very good and i would recommend to a tourist looking to spend a lower amount money yet still get the exsperience of little italy!
For whatever reason, everytime I'm in NYC I get it in my head to eat in Little Italy. While I'm sure there are good places to eat, this is not one of them. The food is decent, the service is decent, but I was not blown off of my chair.
Having dined here on several occasions both indoors and out we consider ourselves fans. The staff takes great pride in their appearance and goes out of their way to make you feel like part of their Italian family. I love the intimate feel of dining indoors as the table is set tastefully, although it is a bit tight. Dining outdoors is also a very pleasant but a tight squeeze as well. We've had a number of dishes ranging from pasta to chicken and always left happy and satisfied.
I've had so many good meals and good memories here I have to give it 5 stars. The service was always great, the ambience was nice, and the food always hit the spot. It's a small Italian place in little Italy so it's close together seating but you're still able to enjoy your meal. The waiters mill around constantly with water, etc so someone's always on hand. I always order the minestrone, the way they make it is so tasty. The pasta dishes are big and al dente. I like their shrimp and mussels over linguine. It's a great place for lunch, an intimate dinner, or a family gathering.
I used to absolutely love this place, unfortunately it has gone downhill.
We walked in, and there were a few red flags.
Red flag #1- They were playing some kind of terrible Central American music. I asked for some Sinatra or Dean Martin, and they thought I was trying to order an appetizer. They finally put some Sinatra on, and the radio kept cutting in and out. I heard "My Way" 3x.
Which brings me to…
Red flag #2- The majority of the servers and busboys were Central American. Look, I love Central America, I've been to El Salvador and Guatemala, but I want Italians in an Italian restaurant. Bonus- our actual waiter was VERY Italian.
Red flag #3- The joint was empty. All of the other Italian places were packed.
The food was ok. The bread was cold, and served with no butter. The olive oil on the table was thin and "watery." No flavor. The mussels marinara were ordinary.
We had veal francese, and that was the best thing we had. I have ordered this dish a half dozen times over the past 15 years. It wasn't as good as I remember, but it was ok. The flavor didn't pop like it used to.
All in all its sad to see what has become of this place. I have recommended this place many times through the years. Not only will I not be doing that anymore, I will not be returning.