Campagnola Restaurant
“To our fortune and enjoyment, both Frankie D and Sal were working when we dined the next evening.”
“Classic Old School Italian that does not disappoint on any level, went last Sunday night with a party of 12.”
“I also really enjoyed the old world vibe, piano player/standards music, the wonderful wine selection and the service was excellent!”
Campagnola Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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OMG. Best Italian restaurant ever!
I'm Italian and my parents are off the boat Italian..I hate to say it, but this is better than mom's cooking. Sorry mom. It is located on the Upper East Side in a small unassuming space. I don't think they seat more than 100 people. If you could get in, I highly suggest doing so.
All the staff is remarkable here form the hostess to sommelier. They really treat you like family here. The owner and manager came and greeted us upon arriving and had our table ready in less than 3 minutes. Im not sure if I came here with a regular, but hey, it was awesome. Being that I came here with a regular, I didn't even look at the menu. He just ordered the "usual" for us.
The wine menu is very extensive, I dint even see the dinner menu. I don't think my wine or water glass went empty once. The bread, cheese, sausage and olive starter is excellent. I tried to eat only a bit as I knew how much food was coming. Next onto the apps, we got calamari, clams, and fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. The calamari and clams were cooked perfectly and the mozzarella was so fresh, I swear they were milking a cow in the back. Oh, and don't forget the three pasta dish. For an entree I got the ossobuco. OMG, this thing was the size of my head and super tender. Sadly, I could not finish it. We decided to skip dessert and go straight for the port wine.
All in all this is an experience. You have to just come here, relax with some wine and enjoy a good time with friends.
I had been wanting to come here for a while since moving to the UES, noticing how cute this place looked from the outside and reading the great reviews on yelp. I finally made it there last weekend and have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. They bring you a bread plate with salami cheese and olives on the house to start which definitely was appreciated. However, my bf and I each got a pasta sampler appetizer and calamari/mussells appetizer to eat as our meals and both thought they were only average. We also ordered a dessert sampler platter and nothing really wowed us. Overall for a bottle of wine, four small plates and dessert the bill came out to over $250- might be reasonable for unbelievable food but I probably wouldn't splurge here again.
Wonderful service and food at this cozy Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side. Came here for a business dinner and left full and more than satisfied.
MUST TRY: Pesto Gnocchi andd Chicken Parmesan to share for apps, while the bone-in chopped veal is one of the best in NYC hands down.
I can now see why this joint has been around for so long, and has such faithful clientele. Frankie is such a welcoming, gracious host. The place is quaint and homey. The staff are excellent! The antipasto was just lovely, and you see the awesome wheel of aged cheese and lovely olive medley right there for all to see.
The bread! Perfection! Quality olive oil. Nice still and sparkling water. LOVELY wine selection. One of the better vodka martinis with onions I've had in a NYC. Good Butterfly Grilled Shrimp Scampi (lovely presentation and nicely-sized shrimp), awesome calamari, handmade, well-seasoned marina, really nice pasta sampler (penne ala vodka, pesto gnocchi, porcini ravioli alfredo [THE BEST!], and pasta with marinara), hearty bolognese, good linguine with white clam sauce, and all the pasta was cooked to its individual perfect level of al dente!
And then came the meat! While I didn't enjoy the Dover Sole, I LOVED both sections of the T-bone, and had to have two helping of lamb chops! The mushroom/onion/roasted garlic combo was a perfect accoutrement to the steak, and I quite enjoyed the potato cake (kind of a cross between a latke and sauteed potatoes….), and side greens.
DESSERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHUT YOUR FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wasn't a fan of the limoncello dessert they serve in a flute….but everything else was great! Coconut, mango and lemon sorbets were lovely, napolean, tiramisu, ice cream, chocolate cake (sooo nice and dense)…and a chilled plate to scoop it all onto.
Everyone at every table was treated excellently, regardless of VIP level, new clientele, old clientele, attire, or any other factor you can imagine. You really can't get a better old school dining experience in NYC!
As mentioned in other comments below, it's pricey. The food is a-ok but not really worth the price. I've gone to better Italian restaurants in the city.
As a pre-appetizer they give you fresh bread and a small meat, cheese and olive plate – nice touch! Waiter and staff were very attentive. There was also a pianist playing which was lovely!
That being said, the food was okay. There was nothing all that new about this spot and likely won't be coming back.
Cozy, elegant UES Italian restaurant with excellent service and comforting food. Try the gnocchi and pasta with lobster, good bread. Great crowd, you won't see any riffraff here. Good size portions.
Fantastic upper east side Italian restaurant. An Italian friend with particular tastes brought me here – and it was my second time. Another Italian friend whose family from out of town has been here several times and recommended this place had brought me here before. If the Italians even from outside the city know about the restaurant and recommend/ rave about it, there is a reason. Outstanding service, food and presentation of entrees. I had the beef carpaccio and a seafood pasta dish (linguine ai fruiti di mare) which were both wonderful. Highly recommend .
The Campagnola has an appearance of an Old Style Italian Restaurant. As you walk into the restaurant the bar is on your left which resembles that old time cozy feel. They have a piano in the front of the restaurant that I have seem someone playing each time I visited this restaurant. The restaurant in most cases is very busy and it is quite loud once especially with the piano player adding to the fun. I have dined at many Italian Restaurants in UES and I consider this restaurant good but not great; it's also pricey. When you are seated the waiter provides you with an antipasto plate. A question to the ownership or management; Would one save money on their dinner bill if they choose not to want the antipasto plate? Also I believe the waiter should provide the guests with a wine list along with the menus; one reason is to allow one to choose their wine of choice and to know what they are paying