Da Marino
“Fantastic live piano, jazzy saxophone and the owner (I think) was singing love songs and even sang one to me.”
“Classic little Italian wine bar and restaurant in the theatre district, conveniently located directly across from the Ambassador Theatre.”
“We walk in and it's a beautiful little place with brick walls and gorgeous murals of Italy with Christmas lights on the ceiling.”
Da Marino
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Went in for a drink before a show. The bartender was great. He brought us some bread to snack on with our drinks. I had a rye manhattan and my fiancé had a chianti. The wine was so so. The Manhattan was decent. We didn't order food but it looked like it was ok. Nothing spectacular. They had a pianist who didn't have very good vocals but the piano was a nice touch. Might be a spot to try before a show.
At first, the place looks like a regular hole in the wall that was overdone with twinkling lights. Descend the stairs and it feels like you have walked into a restaurant in Italy. We were seated rather quickly and given menus. Our waiter wasn't the world's best waiter, heck very far from it. But the other wait staff was super attentive, as soon as we were down the last piece of bread, he rushed and bought us a new basket or if we needed water or anything else for that matter. The food was a bit slow coming out but that could be because we were starving. The portions were generously sized and taste pretty decent.
Our waiter's shift was about to end half through our meal, so when we asked for the dessert menu he gave us the bill. When we got annoyed and told him of the error he completely blew it off. The other wait staff saw how annoyed we got and finally bought us the dessert menu. The cheesecake was not available so we got the layered chocolate cake with fresh fruits instead. While the cake was good, the fresh fruits was just random bits of fruits on the plate and looked like it was thrown together hastily.
As we finished eating and we were bit annoyed, the wait staff stopped us and gave us a free Limoncello to apologize for the bad service. Which was really a nice gesture on their part.
I didn't realize this place was #famous until we were seated. You know, famous as in "Sex and the City episode where Big and Carrie dine at an Italian restaurant" famous. Apparently, that's enough to exempt you from any rules of common courtesy.
My friend and I didn't even want to come here; our first choice (Lillie's) was too packed, and we needed to kill some time before our show. Enter Da Marino. Wished we'd exited right away too. They insisted on seating us near the bar, right by the freezing door. When we asked if we could move further away, they said no, only diners ordering food could sit in the interior. So yay, pneumonia with my fresh muddled strawberry mojito! Except it wasn't fresh or well-muddled. And my enjoyment of it was punctuated by ever-ruder interruptions from our awful server who made it clear he thought we were a waste of his time for just ordering drinks.
This place was right across from a Broadway show my friend and I were seeing later in the evening. Was this spot our first choice? No, the spot we wanted to go to was full.
We came here and upon entering there was already a tussle concerning where we could sit. The only seats left at the bar were right by the freezing cold door. I did not want us to sit there. I immediately vouched for us to sit at a table even though we were only having drinks.
We eventually get seated at a table.
Our waiter was the worst. A true rude prick.
It felt like he was rushing us to get a drink. When we finally ordered, he snapped at me saying 'I can't hear you!'
Yes, there is a a lovely gentleman beside us playing the piano so it's a bit tough to hear an order I presume.
Oh, wait… I can't hear my wallet wanting to spare you a tip. Yet, I'm not rudely yelling at it. Ha, how funny is that?
As the night went on, he was short with my friend and I. He was very unaccommodating & took 10-15 minutes to come to our table to ask us if we wanted another drink. He passed us numerous times during that timeframe and he was serving very few drinks. I saw no apps or entrees in his hand so he wasn't that preoccupied.
We decided to just get the check.
A shame cause the drinks were tasty and the guy playing piano was amazing and very sweet. Piano man ended up coming over and talking to us inbetween his sets.
The waiter's stank attitude? Minus 4 stars. His mother clearly didn't teach him manners.
Too bad, so sad.
Step down into italy at Da Marino's Restaurant in the Broadway district of NYC.
5 Star for ambiance…4 Star for Service…3 stars for food!
Actually we ate here twice in one week on our honeymoon. They have extended hours, presumably for the post Theatre crowd which we were part of.
Really-it is a bit campy and over decorated but so much fun and stepping down into a cellar type atmosphere made us feel like we were in Italy.
There is live music and singing, the waiters are friendly, we found the appetizers and italian cheesecake to be winners…the main dishes were ok but not as delicious as the appetizers and dessert. It was great fun to be in here-check it out when you are in NYC!
We ate here before seeing 'The Book of Mormon' and it was a great experience. We had the antipasto starter, and the mozzarella was…divine. I had the pasta with Vodka sauce, then the Tiramsu for dessert. I loved everything. The waiter was attentive and knowledgeable. There was even a piano player. The bathroom was an experience all its own, truly. Is it overpriced? Well, you are in the theater district, a couple blocks off Times Square, so, yeah, you're paying more than you should. But I loved the place.
we loved this place. no idea how it doesn't get amazing reviews. the food was delicious. I thought it was regular prices considering it's NYC. we're from long island and the prices still seemed pretty standard. went here before seeing rock of ages the other night. they also had my favorite dessert wine so that's always a plus for me. the only bad thing was ordering the Burrata special and $22? come on. I was like I should have just gotten the fresh mozzarella for like $14. it was really good though.
From all outward appearances, this place looks authentic. You have to walk down stairs from the sidewalk and then navigate a really narrow bar area to get to the hostess. At that point you start to notice the dim lights and piles of melted candle wax on the tables. Edward L. and I were really satisfied that we'd discovered a cool Italian NYC restaurant that we could enjoy before going to see "The Book of Mormon."
WRONG! No, ma'am. Nope. It's not true. LIES!
#TouristTrap dot com. For real, real. Not for play, play.
Damnit they suckered us. Looking back, I'm really disappointed that two Atlanta Elite Yelpers weren't smarter about their dining choices on theatre night.
Service was good, but over the top (it's like they trained the waiters on how to beg for tips). Speaking of service, it's funny how the guys with Italian accents stopped at the bar. Waiters are just some kids from the Midwest who moved to the big city to chase their dreams. Awe.
Both of us got pasta. I don't know the word for "before al dente" but that's how it was served. The menu described homemade meatballs, however I received half a bag of previously frozen ones that were bathed in a basic sauce.
One extra star for their base sauce, though. It was surprisingly good. I wonder which jar it comes out of? Maybe I can buy it here in Georgia. LOL