Gargiulo’s
“Parking in any urban setting blows, especially when you're down the block from the boardwalk and freak show.”
“It's an old-school Brooklyn Italian food place that makes some of the best meals you'll ever have.”
“They served up the BEST, BEST, BEST CALAMARI I have ever had in my life and probably in the entire state.”
Gargiulo’s
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
And so our tour of being the most gluttoneous couple on Long Island continues….back to brooklyn we go!
We came here to celebrate ManWich's grandparents birthday (98 and 96, god bless them) with a group of his family. One of the things we immediately noticed – giant parking lot with valet – money. Parking in any urban setting blows, especially when you're down the block from the boardwalk and freak show.
They sat us in the back room, which I think was appropriate considering the number of people we had with us. They were very accomodating, as two of the people with us were older and had trouble with stairs, so they helped us get them inside and seated.
Their menu is the standard italian, so obviously I got baked clams. I also decided to get linguine with clam sauce, since we had it the week before so I'm clearly an expert on what is good and what isn't – ManWich got himself the shrimp scampi, and we decided to share our entrees.
They were good – not the best I've ever had – but I'm spoiled from my recent endeavor in Italian food. Anyway, I enjoyed their food. It looked like the veal dishes were very, very well prepared, with the veal nice and thin. I also had some of this chicken dish with sausage that was good. I did find it a little odd the shrimp wasn't served over pasta or a vegetable.
For dessert we had this wonderful cannoli cake that I probably could have had multiple slices of. Yum.
Gargiulo's is probably the most over the top of the old school Italian restaurants left in Brooklyn. It seems almost out of place today around the corner from Nathan's in Coney Island. But it's been there since the turn of the (last) century, and has only changed owners once over fifty years ago. Due to a hefty amount of post-Sandy damage, it has also been redone. The place itself is huge with 30 foot ceilings, and one huge dining room in the front with another in the back. It is designed not just as a restaurant but also as an event venue, and it shows. You have to climb the stairs up from the lobby area to get one of the hosts to notice you; otherwise the staff will look at you like you're from outer space. Old school places like this are regulars-driven, after all. My grandfather frequented Gargiulo's and even had his retirement party here a few decades ago, so this place had been on my to do list for a long time. After seeing the Brooklyn Italian restaurant week deal they were running, I finally got my butt out to Coney Island.
The host seated us in a very good spot along the wall in the center of that front room. I had a view of the aquariums, which I was happy about. But then other than being given water and bread, we were left alone for the next 20 minutes. Finally, probably the youngest waiter in the place came up without apology and asked for our drink order. He was slow for most of the night, and he was especially mediocre next to some of the more experience waiters, who as I saw were excellent. In an old school place with prices like this, you don't have room for error as a waiter. He wasn't the worst I've ever had, but he was clearly lacksidasical and we didn't appreciate it. As for the Italian restaurant week menu, he claimed he hadn't received any info on it. That was bullshit, but I didn't want to make anything big out of it and I really wanted to eat here anyway. But that wasn't all; once the special menu was out of the picture, I asked about lobster as that was what I really wanted. It was only available as a pasta special, so I asked if they could do a whole one for me. He told me they could which I was thrilled about, only to have him return 10 minutes later saying that they couldn't do it after all. He mumbled a bullshit excuse and just expected me to pick something else. Now I know what happened in all likelihood. He went to the back, asked the first person he saw in the kitchen, got their okay, and then the head chef found out and vetoed. Rather than fight them to get the dish for his customer like one of the older waiters would've done, or even be forthcoming with me, he just told me no and BS'ed his way through an explanation. This made the situation much worse. Next time, I'm asking the host/owner for an experienced waiter who knows how to treat customers.
However, Gargiulo's is a good enough restaurant that it doesn't just rely on service: the food is the main reason you come, as it should be. As others have mentioned, the baked clams are stellar. Fresh and perfectly cooked, with the right amount of breadcrumbs. They are second only to La Palina, as they are a bit salty–especially the juices in the piping hot pan they were in. The linguini with lobster special was tasty and fairly priced at $22, but it didn't bowl me over. I got it fra diavolo and it came nicely spiced, but I felt the tomato flavor could've been bolder. It was laced with lots of lobster juices though, even though the pieces of lobster weren't actually cut up much. Good dish, but it completely paled in comparison to the shrimp special we got. The shrimp were grilled with some lemon and oil and served over arugula. They were huge; almost the size of a small langoustine. From the freshness of the ingredients to the preparation to the way the lemon and oil laced everything without being too assertive–it was one of the best shrimp dishes I've had. This dish I would come back here for alone; pricey at $28, but worth it. It was Italian cooking at its best and was far superior to anything I've had at the more modern Italian restaurants I've been eating at recently. This special also came some sautéed zucchini, summer squash, onions, peppers and potatoes, which made for a nice cheap lunch the next day and helped to give my wallet a break. For dessert, we split an Italian cheesecake with coffee and espresso. I also asked for the waiter to bring a bottle of sambuca (an old school Italian thing that goes with coffee) and he instead brought me a glass which he then charged me for. The cheesecake was homemade, a bit firmer than I'm used to but still good, and the espresso was very good unlike most old school Italian restaurants.
Service aside, the food at Gargiulo's lived up to the hype for me. Dress relatively nice, get an older waiter, and you'll eat a great meal. It's one of the last of its kind and it's well worth preserving. You get what you pay for.
We came to Gargiulo's because of the 4 star overall ratings on Yelp. We were impressed as we came in the space and the restaurant is grand. Once you get through, there's a bar on the right and a private room on the left. You then walk in and a set of stairway leads to the dining room. The ceiling is very tall and the dark wood wall panels are clean and made the restaurant even more cozy. There are also two fish tanks towards the back of the restaurant. I would say that the tables can be upgraded so that it's not wobbly. But overall, this place looks beautiful.
Now comes the food. We ordered the linguine with clam sauce, fettuccine with chicken and mushroom sauce, seafood risotto, jumbo shrimp risotto, shrimp marinara with vegetables, and mussels marinara. The food overall was good for everyone but nothing overwhelming great. The shrimp in both dishes were a tad overcooked. The fettuccine was a bit too thick. I think it could've been rolled out one-two more times more. The seafood risotto came in a nice portion with the typical mussels and calamari. At the end of our meal, we also ordered the chocolate mousse cake and cheesecake made with ricotta. The slices were super small (and super expensive — the chocolate mousse slice is $9) considering the price. The cheesecake was super dry and crumbly.
I'm not sure if this is a Garguilo's tradition but when presented the bill, the waiter came with a container with small number pegs. We were to pick a number between 1 to 90. If the peg comes out as the same number, then the meal is on Garguilo's. Unfortunately, we didn't win.
As we were having our food in Garguilo's, we couldn't help but compare their food with Ortobello — a small hole-in-the-wall kind of Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. Even though Garguilo's decor is impressive, the food doesn't compare to Ortobello. The portion at Garguilo's is much smaller than most Italian restaurants. I would say come to Garguilo's if you want to impress someone with the space. If you want to enjoy fully some good Italian food, then skip this pricy place and head elsewhere.
This place is like a hole in the wall joint, but it isn't. It's a catering hall and a restaurant in one. The dining area is very spacious and quite elegant. You are expected to come in dressed nicely with the pants only rule in play. The food was priced just like other italian restaurants to my surprise. Each dish was presented nicely but I wish the portions were a tad larger. I would recommend the baked clams here.
the place is gorgeous and the food is amazing and fresh
the service is really good too
the only reason I haven't given this place five stars is because its a bit pricy
BEST BAKED CLAMS on the old school dining trail in Brooklyn! Gargilius takes the clam so to speak. The dining room here is massive and grand with ceilings that soar a good 30 feet. The room speaks to a hundred years of food memories and some tall tales for sure. We were the first diners and they let us in early as one of our party was elderly. The bread here from Il Fornaretto on 17th Ave.- great choice- this bread does not need to be heated, it is classic and formidable with butter.
Ate:
Baked clams $13
Zuppa di Pesce $28
Veal Chop $24
Spaghetti Marinara
Salad
Veggies including zucchini, eggplant and potatoes(yes potatoes)
Spummoni
Gargiulo's is expensive and has no lunch special, but some items are so special it does not matter. The baked clams to start. After last summer eating at many of the boroughs old school Italian joints, these clams served by the waiter with the juice poured over the clams exhibits an hmmm upon consuming. The perfect breadcrumb to clam ratio, some garlic crunch- just delectable. The veal chop was a little less outstanding, just good, but a little small without the oooh ahhh presentation. The roasted veggies are also perfect…..simple and delish. The spaghetti sauce better than Fiorentino's, but slightly less outstanding than La Palina satisfied. The sad salad- old ice-berg was an embarrassment. The Spummoni was fine. I would come back for the clams and a differnet main, but definitely come back to Gargiulo's for more.
We had a nice dinner here albeit limited choices for me on the menu. Our server was nice though it would have been nicer of him to tell us that they don't have a particular house red wine and not serve us the most expensive glass they offer :/
Anyway, I ordered a half plate of the mushroom risotto and my bf had the grilled filet of sole. Had the tortoni for dessert (ice cream w/ crushed almonds and a maraschino cherry on top) and a cappuccino.
I look around and the patrons were out to either celebrate a big birthday or a special occasion thus the dressy atmosphere.
Clean bathrooms, big parking lot, and comfy waiting area.
Stop by if you don't want to dine at the other seedy places near the boardwalk.
When I was growing up I hardly ever went out to eat because my grandmother made all of our meals. On rare occasions when we did go out to eat this was the only place that would do.
It's an old-school Brooklyn Italian food place that makes some of the best meals you'll ever have.
I can't believe people who have given this place so many bad reviews like the guy who gave one star because he didn't like the construction that it was undergoing after the terrible tragedy of Sandy. Or the people who think they should pay less for a great meal because it's in Coney Island and not Manhattan. Or the guy that couldn't be bothered to wear pants. Or the four people who couldn't be bothered to wait 30 minutes for their reservation. None of you should have left Manhattan in the first place.
Real Italians from Brooklyn who are looking for the best Italian food know that this is the place to come to.