Aita Trattoria
“I was familiar with the space through the previous tenant, Pacifico's. But Aita is something entirely different.”
“Giulia was very attentive and suggested a great dish (stuffed trout) paired with a balanced wine.”
“I come here for brunch on Sunday's with my boyfriend and am always surprised by how perfectly the pasta is cooked.”
Aita Trattoria
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
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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My girlfriend and I had dinner here on a busy Saturday night, and snagged two seats without a wait in the middle of one of their communal tables. Aita is brand new, and I've heard that the transition from the previous owner moved really quickly, but you wouldn't know it — they did a fantastic design job on this place, creating a fun/inviting atmosphere.
Food was very good — kale salad was top notch, both pastas we ordered were solid, and the cannellini side dish was delicious and bacony (though a bit heavy). As another reviewer noted, the bread issue is super weird, except in our case, the hostess just plopped down plates with a half-slice of bread apiece, without anything else. We just ate it with the salad, not realizing until later that they were also supposed to drizzle oil on as well (not that it would have improved the measly slice all that much). It was the only notable misstep in an otherwise generous/friendly service, in which they provided a (delicious) fennel puree amuse, and a complimentary amaretto at the end.
Reasonably priced overall. That applies to the excellent beer selection and the nice assortment of summery cocktails on the menu as well. I'm looking forward to coming back in a month or two when it gets warmer. The table situation is a little weird: if you are at one of the smallish eight-person communal tables, prepare to be really intimate with your neighbors. (For us, that wasn't a problem, since on one side we had a horrendous date where the guy talked for 45 minutes about artificial intelligence, and on the other we had two guys loudly sharing misinformation about the Middle East. Free floor show with dinner!)
Definitely recommended, and there's potential for it to become a really great spot as things get smoothed out.
I wanted to hate this place but, damn, they made it hard!
Pacificos Fine Foods, a really unique Brazilian restaurant closed just two short weeks before Aita had its grand opening. I wanted to go in and be like, "Pfffffft, another Italian place. Whatever!" But I really couldn't…!
On its opening night, the staff really had their act together! Our orders were taken quickly and efficiently with the food also arriving quickly and deliciously.
Night 1 dinner consisted of:
Drinks:
– Il Diavolo – Mescal based spicy cocktail
– Martini Bianco – Gin based martini
– Bitter Heart – Rum based with coffee notes (this one was my favorite!)
Food:
– Radicchio e Stracchino – basically a warm salad staring raddicchio. I was a bit surprised by how sweet and tart (pickled?) the roasted squash was. Let's just say this was not my favorite dish. The hubby disagrees.
– Polipo Rosticciato – roasted octopus with a lot of celery and sunchokes! I LOVE sunchokes! Seriously can't get enough of the stuff.
– Mafaldine di Farro – pasta with veggies and…SUNCHOKES! Also really delicious.
– Cannellini Gratinati – a side dish of cannellini and pancetta. Totally perfect for a cold winter night. Will make your belly feel cozy!
Some dishes I spied that I will definitely come back to try were the trout dish where the trout was rolled around shrimp stuffing and plated vertically (very dramatic; nice!) and the pork cheek dish which smelled great (I totally perved out on my neighbor's food – the benefit of sitting at the bar).
However, given how unique the previous restaurant was (who does Brazilian home cooking?!) and the other nearby Italian places (Centanni, Bar Corvo, Barboncino, +3 other by-the-slice spots), I was a bit sad to see how ordinary some of the pastas and entrees were hence 4 stars instead of 5. But ultimately, I think this is going to be neighborhood joint where you can find us posted up at the bar with drinks and fork in hand!
Aita is a good looking new place on Franklin Ave; this seems like a recurring theme these days, and that is not a bad thing! Being the second outpost of a restaurant in Clinton Hill,, the owners here have their shit together. The space is simply and rustically decorated, with a decent amount of tables for the size of the place without packing too many people in. The restaurant wasn't crowded when we came in but it was when we left. Service was friendly, efficient, and without any hovering which is tough to pull off in a small space. We came in here on a lark and I'm glad we did; it's a great addition to the block.
For a drink, I got the Lucky Lucano (4roses bourbon, Amaro Lucano, lemon, IPA). This thing tasted like a lemonade on steroids, and while that wasn't what I was expecting it was very good. We got a little freebie (not sure if this was because they just opened or if they always do this) as they gave us each a small bowl of tomato soup with breadcrumbs; this was very good in addition to being a nice surprise. We started with the fried artichoke salad. We were confused at first as the artichokes were completely hidden by a large amount of arugula but there was still plenty of them. They were nice and crisp, and the salad on top was delicious as well. This was a more sizable dish than I expected which was a pleasant surprise. For my main I got the bolognese, which was a combo of both beef and pork. This was packed with meaty flavor and deeply satisfying; the fresh pasta was also a nice touch. Definitely the best bolognese I've had in awhile, even if the tomato flavor was mostly left in the background. The girl got a pasta dish with eggplant that I didn't get to try, which is always a good sign.
While it was sad to see the Brazilian place that used to be here go, I think that Aita has the potential to have real staying power here. Little touches like freebies, servers who know what they're doing, and a pleasant atmosphere are hard enough to achieve. However when you factor in great food, you have a winner. IT shouldn't be a complete shock given that the owners have been doing this for awhile, but often that means little. I'd recommend giving this a shot if you're in the area.
it's cute & it's cozy. well lit during the day & romantic during the night. there's plenty of seating & i've never encountered a line. bonus also is that the train station is across the street.
The dinner menu is satisfactory. I generally think restaurants can dial down on the salt, but this restaurant needs a bit more seasoning..
Ordered the minestrone soup, the beef cheek side, the bread salad, and the fettucine bolognese. portions were hearty but lacked the seasoning. of these, loved the bread salad.
The wine list is concise, but do have a number of beers to try. I liked that milk stout was available.
service was cordial but not over-friendly
Came back for dinner and my experience was much better. Everything that I ate was solely on staff recommendations and I was not disappointed.
The 2 additional stars where earned from service, follow up , and the staff having a solid education on the food and what wines to accompany them.
I friend the cod and it was wonderful, full of flavor and it accompanied the house presseco.
I also had the cherry bread pudding with gelato and it was LIFE definitely the best dessert that I have had in a while.
Bravo.
This place is such a nice spot for a date night. Just off the 2/3/4/5 at Franklin Ave in Crown Heights. This spot just opened (or moved? I can't remember if they relocated or expanded). Small, square dining room in the front so service is attentive, with dim lighting – no bar area. We got two specials that night – a pizza that was $6 and a pasta that was $14. The pizza was okay – not your typical pizza though. Extremely thin crust and the sauce was a bit unique. However…. the pasta that they had as their special that day- holy smokes. I believe they make their own pasta, so it was fresh linguine with heirloom tomatoes and a little-too-oily white/pesto sauce? I can't remember. But it was SO GOOD. Aside from the fact that it is very oily, I could devour that bowl in 5 minutes. They've also got wine on tap here too!
This review is for brunch. Solid 4 stars for food.
We were seriously craving brunch on the worst day of the year to try to get into a brunch place (Mother's Day) so we decided to stray as far as possible from our kid centric hood (remember when you could go a whole day in Carroll Gardens without seeing a single stroller?)
At first we figured a more bar-centric brunch would have a lower mom quotient but then remember how every time we pass this place it has plenty of tables (not in a bad sign kind of way)…it just seems to be a place you can always walk into and be seated.
The vibe is good here and they open up the front windows on a warm day.
They border on being distant with the service but this is actually nicer than being hovered over. They just let you order and take your time.
We went with the blueberry pancakes platter (which we knew was a risk given no one can compete with luluc). Pancake (one pancake) was good and bacon was cooked well but homefries were practically nonexistent (literally 3 little cubes). Good but probably wouldn't get again.
The hash was the real winner. Truly excellent. Problem was that it just wasn't enough food. Really needed to be 1.5 times the size. Granted the point is low so probably can't complain. We may need to order 3 dishes next time.
Regardless we really liked this place and will definitely be back.
i havent tried their dinner menu yet – but their dishes for brunch are super yummy. I love their steak and eggs dish. The potatoes that they serve there is TO DIE FOR. the season is just perfect. thank you.
the service is fantastic as well. The servers though are just super sweet and friendly. They are also very patient (i tend to rumble my mouth after a few mimosas lol).
i live in the neigborhood and will definitely return again and again. Im surious to try their lunch or dinner menu! stay tuned.