L’Amico NYC
“Doesn't seem to have any "bad" tables, & the open kitchen really adds an earthy, hearthy feel.”
“Had a mix — a delicious crab crostini — was fresh and clean tasting and the bread they make is AMAZING!”
“Can't wait to come back again especially since it's so close to Penn station.”
L’Amico NYC
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Went here with a friend to grab a bite to eat on a weeknight. It was around 9:30pm, but the place was still bustling and we were lucky to grab one of the few open tables. We were pretty hungry so we decided to order several dishes and split them:
Peekytoe crab crostini (3.5 stars): This was a super refreshing dish on a hot and humid night. The bread was toasted perfectly and had a nice crunch, but I found the crab/avocado/peas to be a bit underwhelming overall.
Zucchini salad (4.5 stars): I was not sure what to expect from this dish, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was basically a cold noodle dish, except that the zucchini (in noodle form) took the place of noodles. The combination of the rest of the ingredients is excellent.
Pipe rigate (4 stars): This was a very solid dish. The pasta was cooked well and the bolognese was very meaty and rich and had great flavor as well.
Blackened scallops (3.5 stars): Though the presentation on this dish was fantastic, I found the dry rub to be a little overpowering for the scallops. The rest of the dish tasted great, but the scallops were just average.
Charred green beans (4 stars): I was also not sure what to expect from this dish, but the flavors all came together very well. Not sure what the difference in flavor was from roasting, but the dish successfully paired some unique flavors.
There was also a gelato dessert that looked amazing (the table next to us got it), but we didn't have any room left after this meal.
Overall, I loved the vibe of this place and most of the food hit high marks. Our waitress seemed to be a bit confused at times, but was friendly nonetheless. Definitely a place worth checking out if you are looking for a cool, hip place that doesn't take itself too seriously.
I actually enjoyed my time at L'Amico, but there were just a few major things that would prevent me from coming back here. It's a shame because the space is quite nice, and the food quality is better than that of most Italian joints.
When we first arrived, the hostess seemed to immediately direct us to the bar to get a drink, even though we were both present and there were plenty of two-tables open. Very peculiar. After a little coaxing, we were immediately seated near the outside part. The windows were open, which was nice, because the weather was great outside, but the landscape was basically the not-so-pretty SHAPS (S*** Around Penn Station) area, so it was kinda so-so for us.
As I mentioned, the food we got was all-around great. We ordered the pipe rigate with veal bolognese, clam pizza, and blackened scallops. The pipe rigate was great, and the veal bolognese it came with was very rich without being too greasy. The blackened scallops were huge, and the beans underneath were cooked just right. I was a little confused by the skewers that the scallops came with, because it seemed to be somewhat superfluous and really wasn't necessary. Finally, the clam pizza was delicious, although I didn't really quite get why the clams were still in their shells. I'd assume you'd want to enjoy the clams on top of the pizza, not separately. Nonetheless, I just kinda picked them out of the shells and placed them on top.
With all that said, the service was just also about nowhere to be found throughout the meal. We were constantly asking for water refills, and our waitress didn't check on us at all. It took us a mighty long time to get our check, and it wasn't particularly busy in our section.
Quite a few hiccups, but I guess you can have a good time if the conditions are right. The food is at least very well-executed, but I'm reluctant to return because of the service.
Decor: bright, airy, and lots of natural light
Food: very good; "our bread" (simply incredible) and gelato (Meyer lemon ricotta and chocolate) are highly recommended. The Blueberry and lemon pancakes were also very fluffy and have lots of blueberries and syrup and lemon curd.
Spring menu is light, delicious and great for weekend lunch. There are big windows across the wall which brings in a lot of light for a NY location. I was sitting by the window and it was the perfect seating for my mom and daughter date. Unfortunately, bigger tables aren't located by the window, but you still get the warm ambiance of the sun. And the open kitchen makes it more homey. I don't know why, but the ability to turn my head and see the chef cooking up dishes make it more personable.
The waiter was friendly and extremely knowledgable. I ended up ordering the mussel special that was cooked with beer instead of white wine – absolutely delicious! Wine usually makes the broth lighter, but I loved the beer substitute, it gave the broth a deeper and more flavorful taste to pair with my garlic bread. And the mussels weren't those puny little ones you get at the other restaurants, they were big, juicy and a mouthful. I also got the crab avocado toast which was just a-okay. You can't go wrong with those ingredients, but compared to the mussels, it was just mediocre.
The agnolotti pasta was superb! It was filled with this seafood goodness like lobster, scallops and crab meat. The sauce wasn't too heavy either which probably is the best part. Something about white sauces make pasta dishes a bit heavier, but not this one! My salmon salad with avocado was pretty basic and not amazing. I wouldn't recommend this one since it's literally a salad thrown together with salad and avocado. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but I'm a fan of the pasta dish more.
ALSO! I asked for a wine recommendation and it was fabuloso! Not too sweet, not too dry and super refreshing. I wish I remembered what he brought out, but it was the perfect summertime drink.
I've been here twice now and can say that excellent service is a definite constant at this classy establishment! It's tucked away in a hotel and shares a bathroom with its sister restaurant in the other side of the hotel lobby (you HAVE to check out the bathroom. very modern in my opinion).
My boyfriend loved the clam pizza on their older menu (was it the winter one? I'm not sure…). Anyways, we loved the place so much, we went back for a second time. I wasn't a big fan of the burned edges of the pizza crust (my favorite part!), so I ordered a chicken sausage frittata instead. It was on the specials the day we went. Since the menu switched to match the season, the clam pizza was only on the dinner menu and we went for brunch. So we ordered the smoked salmon pizza instead.
The frittata was served on an adorable little skillet and tasted oh so very light! I loved how fluffy the egg was! The only complaint I had about it was that it tasted kind of bland but maybe that was the point, who knows?
The lox pizza reminded me of a breakfast bagel but much lighter and fresher!
The olive oil on each table is also a nice touch – always love dipping any type of bread in olive oil!
Looking for the next occasion to go back to try more things on the menu!
For those of us who use Penn Station as our entry/exit point into NYC, it's great to have a decent food option within walking distance. We braved the ominous skies and sat outside to avoid a long wait – it's a little crowded on the sidewalk area.
The meal started off quite strong with Eggplant Caponata (good) and the fantastic shellfish Agnolotti – we were debating getting another order of this dish. The Black Sea Bass was fine, but not that exciting. For dessert, we choose the Sticky Chocolate-Hazelnut Torrone, which was like an impenetrable chocolate Rice Krispie treat – not only was this hard to consume, it wasn't that tasty.
An excellent, pricey, and no bacon allowed brunch. It did not start out on the right foot: what kind of place refuses to serve bacon? And why must mimosas cost so much and only be half-filled? Quickly, the pace and our mood picked up: service was steady and attentive and the food made up for any shortcomings of bacon or Manhattan (over)pricing. Mimosas were tasty, bloody Marys packed a spicy kick, and each of the seven of us left happy with our entrees. We are an opinionated group of eaters and that does not often happen. The lemon and blueberry pancakes are a must. They were tremendous – the fluffiest and most tasty pancakes I've ever had. Seriously. The French toast was also a winner. The baked eggs was a flavorful dish, too, with a tomato and olive tapenade; eggs al forno in a skillet was gobbled up in a flash. I guess it is possible to have a great brunch with no bacon on the menu, although for seven of us – each getting one or two drinks only – $300 was the bill, so it isn't cheap.
The restaurant is very pretty, but the food was very bad. We ordered the benedict, lemon ricotta pancakes, french toast, and omelette souffle. Besides the benedict, the kitchen has managed to do something extraordinary here – every dish had exactly the same texture. Fluffy mush. The omelette souffle was probably supposed to taste that way, but it's oddly incredible that they managed to get bread and pancakes to have the outwardly appearance of being bread and pancakes, but inside completely mushy. Not really sure how to describe it and I'm still trying to figure out the physics of it. It's a shame because I thought the flavor was pretty good, but just lacking texture resembling that of food.
When I asked the waiter who was refilling water to tell me how the eggs were cooked in one of the dishes, he told me he didn't know so I had to flag down someone else. Not a huge negative, but wait staff should also know the menu or be introduced as someone in training.