Antica Pesa
“The original Atica Pesa in Rome (which I ate at a few months ago and loved) is a great place worthy of a New York location.”
“We never made a reservation and only waited for 10 minutes in a great waiting area in front of the fireplace.”
“I tre Lorenzi (owners all named Lorenzo) are very gracious and kissed my girlfriend three times each Italianissimo!”
Antica Pesa
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: 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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One of the best Italian restaurants in Brooklyn for sure. Obviously not better than the traditional old-school italian ones but menu/appearance wise for sure. I've been here 4-5 times and have had to wait every time I've had a reservation.
Long story short, it's a gem in Williamsburg and the atmosphere is top notch. Not exactly worth the price but worth a try regardless.
I came here on a Wednesday night for a late dinner, and there were only a few other tables dining. The restaurant has an extremely authentic feel to it, and the menu notes that they originated in the Trastevere area of Italy. Aside from one other table, we were the only patrons not speaking Italian. Everyone working there appeared to be from Italy and were speaking Italian as well. The ambiance is dark and well-designed with a modern feel to it.
To start, I ordered a Tequila Mule and my friend ordered a classic negroni. The alcohol selection is upscale and we both enjoyed our drinks. They bring you out plenty of grilled bread to enjoy with authentic Italian olive oil, and our food was fantastic.
Crudo e Bufala Croccante: Prosciutto di Parma served with fresh Bufala mozzarella cheese in a filo crust. This is served on 2 plates so that each person receives their own filo-wrapped mozzarella. The cheese was melty and the thin filo was a beautiful encasement. If you are a fan of cheese, this is the perfect start.
Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe: Italian pasta encompassed by parmesan and pecorino romano cheese with black pepper. As a cheese fan, I was in heaven once again. The balance of cheese to pepper to noodles was just right, and the portion was more filling than it appears to be. This wasn't my dish but I kept stealing bites even after I was stuffed from my own dish.
Mezze Maniche alla Carbonara: Made with the same cheese and pepper as the above dish but with the addition of egg yolks and guanciale. The tube-shaped pasta was al dente, perfectly coated with the delicious sauce. The guanciale seemed a bit overcooked to me and as as result I enjoyed this dish less than the other.
While we enjoyed all of the food and were stuffed at the end, we didn't find the service to be pleasing. Our waiter was not friendly to us, but was very friendly to the people sitting next to us. We also only saw him about 2 times through the whole meal. We would have liked to order more cocktails during the meal and digestifs at the end, but couldn't get anyone's attention. It was a shame because the food was such great quality.
Dined here on a Sunday night date. It was recommended by a coworker of my bf so I had high expectations. The ambiance, décor and customer service was great! I love the area that looks like a living room it was very cozy and added to the great vibe.
The menu was just okay to me. I noticed that there are so many reviews here that says the menu is exceptional but for me it was just okay. I ordered the Risotto all'Astice and my bf ordered the Spaghetti Cacio E Pepe. My dish was good however I left hungry and my bf portion was even smaller. The presentation of the food was great, the taste of the food was good however I still left with more to be desired. The waiter altho he was nice and attentive when I asked him what wine paired with my meal best he was unable to give a recommendation. Maybe he isn't good with that type of thing but I expect that from waiters when I am dining in restaurants of this caliber.
Overall it wasn't a bad experience it was okay. Maybe I would return if I was in the area.
The Carbonara pasta is very very good – as well as the Polipo / Octopus appetizer some of the bestttt Ive ever had. Dont forget to try the apple tart for dessert – delicious. Presentation was also on point.
One complaint for me was the folding style chairs – not so comfortable.
Ladies and Gents – Antica Pesa is where it's at. A beautiful restaurant that is both spacious as well as gives an intimate feel, Antica Pesa is not your typical Italian restaurant that offers only pasta. They do have pasta, yes, but they have way more than that on their menu. The crudo e bufala croccante and la burrata nell'orto as appetizers are insanely good, and with a group of 6 the restaurant arranged individual plates with these appetizers instead of having us all go for one or two plates. For entrees our group ordered the lamb, branzino, monkfish, potato gratin, and pasta carbonara. All dishes were given rave reviews by the group except for the carbonara, which was quite salty and not very flavorful.
The staff is excellent. Not only is the hostess polite and friendly, but she is full of life and hilarious! The service is excellent. Water glasses always full and staff always nearby to check on us.
I'm giving this review 4.0 stars only because I can't give 4.5. The only reason I'm not giving 5.0 stars is because the carbonara wasn't great and we did have to wait quite a while to get the check.
Oh – go during the week. It was barely full on a Monday night which I think created a better experience for us!
Despite waiting for our table for 30 minutes with a reservation we had a great experience here. The ambiance is hip and "in", the waiters a bit arrogant but the food delicious. I had the caccio e pepe which was incredibly flavorful, our friends had a variety of different pastas and main dishes which everyone enjoyed. For appetizers we shared the octopus, the burrata with prosciutto which were also all very good. A good spot for a fun night out on the town!
As a wedding present my husband and I received a gift certificate to Antica Pesa. We had never heard of the restaurant so we went straight to yelp. Truth be told, after reading the reviews, we were a little concerned, but not scared enough not to redeem our prepaid meal when the menu looked so delicious.
We made a reservation for Sunday night and arrived around 7:15 to the restaurant which had a pretty good crowd for a Sunday night.
From the start the service was beyond friendly. I've never been thanked so many times for eating my meal, or ordering or simply being present! We shared the crudo to start (a standout) then the cavetelli di Nonna and finally the two fish mains (Artic Char and Baccala).
The bread as mentioned in most reviews is amazing, and warm! Gosh i love warm bread. The pasta was homemade, and they even brought over a tasting of the lasagna which was "lick the plate good."
We were too full for dessert, but the total dining experience was a real standout. The service was impeccable (5 stars for sure). Our glasses were always filled, plates were cleared promptly and Lorenzo who was our waiter, and probably the owner or manager made us feel really special.
We'll be back to spend our own hard earned money.
I was not expecting a WoW dinner after I read some of the reviews… I am glad I came out of the restaurant very satisfied and willing to come back.
The atmosphere is cosy, lights are good and perfect for a relaxing dinner. A bit too dark to take pictures but…hey, the world is not perfect! And with a flash its not bad.
So, ambience very nice, the service very very nice and fun.
Timing between a dish and another was perfect too.
Ask them to show you the wine list of their restaurant in Italy… you'll adore it if you are a wine fan (just make sure you are not ignoring your partner for too long…!)
Octopus with lentils was delcious, there was a fresh lemon taste which made the dish interesting. The carbonara pasta was FANTASTIC, the guanciale was perfect, crunchy as it should be and as they make in Rome. The saltimbocca were different from the original recipe but really really good, worth the try.
Only one "weaker" dish was the fried artichokes and sweetbreads. A bit too greasy, and the artichokes were so thin that it was not possible to realize that it was artichoke. I would just suggest the Chef to go for bigger pieces! Sweetbreads were very good.
A very nice place to go with friends or even romantically in two, you'll enjoy!