Pepe Rosso Social
“The pasta is al dente and the oxtail is slow-cooked well – and sampled other dishes, which were pretty good as well.”
“Food was amazing, specially the Oxtail Ragu.”
“Dad got spaghetti and meatballs, added mushrooms, mom got penne and zucchini with shallots and ricotta, and wife got a fettuccine with chicken.”
Pepe Rosso Social
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
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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It was pretty good for Little Italy I'd say. Definitely don"t need a reservation for small groups on the weekdays. Food was pretty good but the main draw for me was the atmosphere. It's a quaint and small place away from the busier parts of little Italy and not so much of a tourist trap. My friend I came with was infatuated with our server so that was quite entertaining for me as well.
I always walk by Pepe on my way to Chinatown and always say, "Next time I'm going to try it!". But once I'm in Chinatown, I usually stay closer to the main area and hardly branch back out again to the Noho area. Finally, one day when we were all sick of our typical Chinatown spots, we decided in Pepe.
We came in on a Monday night with a party of 4 and had a 15 minute wait. The dining room was packed!
I opted for the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Bolongese sauce, which was really good! The ravioli was so buttery and soft in the inside. My mom had the skirt steak with mint pesto sauce which was really good! I kept picking off of her plate cause the sauce was so good – and I'm not usually a fan of mint.
Check in on Yelp for a free dessert Sun-Thurs – they let you pick from any desert on the menu, which was pretty neat. I had the Lavender Creme Brûlée and my sister had the flourless chocolate cake which were both delightful and not overly sweet at all.
We actually looked up reviews on Yelp before going here. Called first and they were really welcoming about us popping in! We ate there about 6pm and we got a seat by the front window actually. All of the wait staff were very friendly. I had a mushroom linguini and my boyfriend another pasta dish. I started with a cauliflower salad which was outstanding! We had a decent half carafe of red wine too…so we were all set! I for some reason was full before I even started my pasta dish, so I didn't eat much of it there. I felt really bad about it. IT was delicious but for whatever reason I wasn't hungry all of a sudden. While we were there there was this #lovewall across the street that provided some entertainment for us. Many teenage, girls, couples, friends, etc..stopped to take selfies and pictures. It was very cool actually. We did ourselves after we ate. Anyhow, I'd highly recommend Pepe Rosso if you are looking for a place to eat between Little Italy and Chinatown!
Came here with my girlfriend during dinner hours and this place was pretty empty. I order razor clams with gnocchi. The gnocchi came out really soft and cooked perfectly and the dish had good flavor.
The bad thing was that one of the bites from the razor clam had a shell in it.
It was a bit crunchy.
I came here for the rigatoni bolognese after I saw a delicious photo and review about it. I was told that they were out of rigatoni pasta .. whomp whomp.
I always wanted to try this place and saw that it also had a deal on Yelp if you checked in for a free dessert. I have no shame eating by myself in a candle lit place with dates everywhere. The ambiance though was delightful, I can give it that.
After I finished my dinner, I proceeded to ask for the free dessert with a check in on Yelp. He said no, you have to be a couple … that was the stipulation. I asked him jokingly if my very large purse in the other chair counted.
He still declined my free dessert. 🙁
My bread was cold and the pasta was okay but nothing out of the ordinary. The server was extremely delightful though for the most part and also acted as the host and bartender.
If I try this place again, I will attempt to bring a friend so I don't feel like an idiot asking for the "couples only" dessert and order something different.
Stopped by on a Friday evening at primetime without a reservation and luckily was seated essentially right away. We were quite pleased with the atmosphere and overall decor of the restaurant providing for a very homely italian feel to it. However, we were very not pleased with the the wait time. It took an exceedingly long time to get our food after putting our order in, at least 30/45mins, even just for the appetizer.
The appetizer was absolutely delicious – asparagus wrapped in provolone cheese and prosciutto di parma. I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed prosciutto di parma more than this method.
Ordered off the specials – ravioli stuffed with crab meat. I was slightly disappointed give a) the amount of food (felt like a small meal only 6 raviolis) and b) the amount of oil that they were swimming in (way too much oil in my dish). My girlfriend's entree was much more delicious though, with the oxtail pappardelle – although it was a little too heavy for a single person to eat.
When we walked in we immediately thought the ambiance was nice. Very welcoming and romantic. We were greeted and seated quickly. The pasta was fantastic!! My husband ordered the spaghetti bolognese and I had the fettuccine with mushroom and truffle oil. We were really tired so we just wanted to eat and leave but true to the Italian stereotype we were there for the length of Greese. (Yes the movie. It was playing in the background) There was a couple celebrating a birthday and lots of friends just hanging out enjoying some good food. The service was lovely, the patrons seemed to be locals, for the most part, and the food was very very good with proper portions. No pictures. I ate it too fast.
This is my go-to suggestion for people who are looking for cute spots for dinner while visiting NYC or if they happen to be in the Little Italy area. Though it's right in the middle of Little Italy, it's head and shoulders above many of the super overpriced, low-quality tourist traps that inevitably crowd this neighborhood.
First of all, it's adorable. The lighting is dim and romantic, there's a nice buzz without being too loud inside, and the servers are friendly and have cute accents. My only suggestion is that they don't use the huge flatscreen TV in the back seating area as it kind of cheapens the vibe a bit.
Second, it's easy to get a seat. Though it's popular and many tables are filled during busy dinner times, I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for a table. I've often called ahead and had the guy tell me 'COME OVER, DON'T WORRY!' – a refreshing change from ridiculous waits at trendy, tiny restaurants in Manhattan.
Finally, the food – it's delicious! The menu is pretty straight ahead, with classic pasta dishes, salads, paninis for lunch, etc. Some of my personal faves include the spaghetti bolognese, the black linguine, the pear salad, and the fettuccine with mushrooms and truffle oil. They also always have some great specials so make sure to pay attention to those. Surprisingly, the only pasta dish I've found disappointing was the papardelle with oxtail ragu, as the pasta was overcooked but this could easily be a one-time thing as typically their pasta is prepared perfectly.
I also love that their menu boasts that they have 'no diet coke, no decaf coffee, no skim milk… only good food!' That's a surefire way to my heart 🙂