Gina La Fornarina – West Side
“Since I moved to the UWS two months ago I've been on a quest to find solid pizza options.”
“I can honestly say that Gina's is hands down my favorite place on the Upper West Side.”
“We made it to the Beacon Theater in plenty of time and mellowed by some nice pinot grigio.”
Gina La Fornarina – West Side
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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To begin with Gina is so expensive to be in the location that it is. Restaurants in downtown way better and more affordable. Anyway, let's dig in!
The staff is basically the best part, they are friendly and have a kind smile on their faces.
Food is not WOW, but if you are hungry and that's your choice you will be ok. I dislike the prices and the poor presentation.
I just leave u here the pictures so you can see. My gnocchi al pesto was horrible, the sauce was all watery and had no consistency. The tomatoes for decoration were very ripe and tasted ewww.
I'll give them one more try if I'm in the west side. But it's definitely not my first choice.
Me and the GF sat outside for a pleasant, typical Italian dinner: Salad, pizza, entrée, and a bottle of wine. It was a solid 4-star experience. Here are the deets (08/07/16):
Prosciutto di Parma pizza, 18.95
Asparagus and beet salad, 14.95
Whole branzino, 27: Delicious sauce with a perfect preparation. Our server, Mari, reminded us that we had bread to enjoy the sauce when we finished the fish.
Gavi, bottle, 44
TOTAL, 105
TIP: The wine list is no friend of the people
BONUS: Branzino entrée was a good size for sharing
TIP: The outside seating is on the sidewalk
Ah Gina…. it looks like it should be a GREAT restaurant. Its cute and charming with a little kitsch. Its in a prime location with awesome people watching on the corner of a busy intersection. But its really just ok. I've had dinner, brunch and lunch here and while the food's not bad I always feel a little disappointed. They have a salad with shredded chicken and the chicken is a little dry and flavorless. With the dressing its ok but I think they can do better than that. I recently had salmon benedict with the option of potatoes or salad. I got the salad and the balsamic dressing (which I didn't know would be on the salad) ran onto the eggs and salmon and kind of ruined the flavors of the eggs/salmon/hollandaise combo. Another person in my party got the ricotta pancakes which tasted fine but were very dry without the syrup and accompaniments. The standard pizza is decent and the pastas are fine. Anymore adventurous orders than those and you may feel let down. On the plus side, the service is fast and accommodating and they hustle in order to squeeze us in when its crowded.
Ok but not great, my pasta was overcooked but the sauce was good but slice of bread dried out as if it had been sliced hours before. Will have to try again to see if I would keep it on my ok listing.
A very OK meal. My friend and I both ordered the gnocchi (hers had tomato sauce and mine had pesto), and the gnocchi were too small and I feel like for the price, I should have had a bigger portion.
Chocolate mousse dessert was delicious though!
I've come here a few times after some sort of occurrence, whether it be I just ran a 5k or a rough night out before. The 3 cheese omelette with a salad, bacon or sausage and a Bellini or mimosa on the side will fix all your problems! On week nights it's packed. I think daylight is the best time. One of my upper west side faves!
Me and a friend stopped by on a whim since it was packed outside and we thought that a good sign. Caution: check the rating first :/
The atmosphere was ok, a little loud and crowded, but the bus boy was amazing and attentive. Unfortunately the roach on the wall (and the woman beating it with her napkin) killed the mood.
The menu has a ton of vegetarian options including salads and soups. The asparagus and beet (special) salad was ok, but it lacked seasoning and acid. The whole wheat veggie pizza was subpar in seasoning, and the crust was charred while the center was slightly doughy. Just a little knit-picking- they didn't give any servicing utensils (spoon for the salad or grated cheese, spatula for the pizza). I don't think I'll come back.
When friends and I couldn't get into brunch at Alice's Tea Cup down the street, we opted for Gina's instead…and this ended up being such a great alternative! Though the restaurant was busy, we were immediately able to get a table for five people around 1:30pm on a Sunday afternoon.
The massive menu included lunch and brunch, as well as some fun brunch drinks (unfortunately there was no unlimited alcohol option). I tried the Prosecco Sangria with Strawberries…surprisingly simple and yet so delicious! And for brunch, I ordered the Mushroom Ravioli, which was awesome. All the entrees on the table were such a great portion size, and the calzone my friend got had the most amazing and beautiful presentation.
I loved the bright space, the intimate but non-claustrophobic ambiance, and the friendly, fast service. I would absolutely go back!