Gemma
“When the weather is nice there's seating outside (good for people watching)
They don't take reservations for parties smaller than 8 or 9.”
“Love this place , especially polenta fries and robiola pizza, have not tried much entres, and the ambiance is nice, not cheap however.”
“Decor is reminiscent of the 20s due to the chandeliers and lit candles all throughout the restaurant.”
Gemma
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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This is the best italian food that I have had all year (and I eat out for lunch and dinner daily). The roasted eggplant was excellent and the beef appetizer was also fantastic. My friend had the pear and Gorgonzola salad, which I tried and loved. The service was also great. All of the menu items were written in italian with english explanations and all of the servers were italian. The inside was gorgeous – very good date place and very classy. The prices were not inflated. The portions were smaller (european vs. a larger american-style portion). Good selection on the menu. I also like how this place seated us at 5 pm even though the other higher-end french and italian restaurants in the area don't start serving food until 5:30-6:00 pm so it's great for early dinner. Inside was large and well decorated. Places like this make the east village/LES area the best part of town to live.
This is my kind of brunch place because their menu is full of savory dishes like POLENTA AND EGGS and BLACK TRUFFLE AND POTATO FRITTATA. And if you start your brunches at 12 noon like me, you can also order pasta for your first meal of the day. Go ahead. Treat yo self!
My favorite dish was the BAKED EGGS, AVOCADO, PROSCIUTTO dish. The eggs are served over easy and swim in the red sauce flanked by avocado and prosciutto. It comes with two pieces of lightly toasted Tuscan bread. The red tomato sauce is finger lickin good. So good that I wiped down the dish til the very last drop with my bread. This is a must try if you are sharing plates but I had this all to myself and it was just the right portion.
My friend ordered the PROTEIN breakfast and it was huge portion. Definitely a hungry man plate. We were also served a basket of freshly baked brown bread. I have no idea what kind of bread it was but it was soft and sweet and delicious.
Of course, our waiter was awesome and we had a wonderful tasting meal.
I spent less than $20 including tax and tip. What a great deal!
I love all things pasta and I when my co-workers took me to Gemma for my birthday, I wasn't disappointed. We enjoyed drinks at a cute booth before dinner and soaked up all the cute candlelight decor that surrounded us. I ordered the pappardelle pasta with short rib and it was amazing! Had bites of the rigatoni as well and all was delicious. I cannot wait to return to the city to go back!
I have been wanting to try this place forever, and I was so underwhelmed.
The service was so odd. I feel like it's almost not fair to say this, but the service was too fast. I was there on a Saturday night, and it was not busy at all, so we were planning on having a leisurely dinner. We ordered the kale salad with our drinks, and it was out in one minute. It was fine, nothing special.
The one thing we had that was absolutely amazing was the focaccia robiola pizza with prosciutto. I would highly recommend that.
We then ordered the penne a la norma (not because we were particularly hungry, but because we had another hour and a half to kill), and it was really mediocre. The pasta tasted like it might have been microwaved.
We had the tiramisu for dessert, and it was bland.
The extremely fast service was really a vibe killer. It felt like they were trying to push us out of the restaurant, but it wasn't even full!
I won't be back.
Stopped by for Brunch on a Sunday, was able to get a seat right away. The decour was interesting, gothic in feel. It could very well pass for an old school NYC hotel. The table split a tasty bread basket, which had an assortment of muffins and banana bread. I decided to go healthy and get the protein breakfast, that included grilled chicken with egg whites and tomatoes. The chicken, while seasoned decently, left something to be desired. The egg-whites and tomato were standard brunch fair. Service was good at first, but it took a bit to get a coffee refill. I'd swing by if around Bowery again, but didn't stand out by any means for a brunch spot near the east village.
Blueberry pancakes are fluffy, and it comes with real maple syrup. Hot chocolate also comes in your own pot, which is a lovely touch!
I loved the atmosphere of this place, it's a darker setting during the evening. They candles all over that are very mansion like. The pizza is pretty tasty if I do say so myself. Everyone was very helpful especially with trying to decide what to get the large group, especially the waiter. It looks like this place must be very good for a decent sized crowd at 11pm on a Wednesday night. Will return.
the menu selection at gemma
is one of the best in the city. when it comes to Italian classics old and new. gemma has them – down & they are all delicious. simple ingredients / intelligently executed. you cant go wrong with this Nolita gem. When in doubt – Gemma.