Il Corso
“Very conveniently located, a short subway ride from our hotel in Herald Square, a terrific find in a city filled with thousands of dining choices.”
“Well-made apéritifs/cocktails and a good wine list; the bread/focaccia basket presented with a little dish of lentils in spiced olive oil for spooning over is a nice touch.”
“Pappardelle pasta was a little to al dente for me but the fungi and truffle sauce was delicious.”
Il Corso
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Checked out Free Friday nights at MOMA and wanted some immediate grub afterwards. We were craving some Italian and this place took us in immediately without any wait for 4 people.
Burratta – YUM. They had me at "house-made". Mozzarella just melts in your mouth. Get this.
Cacio E pepe – Served in a parmesan cheese basket. Gave it a nice and different texture, however I've had better (even with the cheese basket). Still good, but you can definitely get better in the city
Ragu Papardelle – very flavorful and tasty. Not mind-blowing, but done well.
Tiramisu – this was the standout in my opinion. Not overpowering with the coffee flavor. Done just right. Also perfect to share for 4 people.
Nutella pie (not what it was actually called on the menu, but you'll know what I'm talking about 😉 ) – I guess I described it this way because thats exactly what it tasted like… pie crust with nutella slapped onto it and then chilled. Add a few hazelnuts and there you go. Skip this.
All in all a decent place to check out if you're in the area and not in the mood to wait. Only thing that would bring me back would be the tiramisu!
How can such a terrific place in NYC have so few reviews? Frankly, I'm rather shocked, especially for an establishment that's been around for over twenty years!
Yep, Il Corso is a real find.
To be fair, it wasn't *my* find. I read the effusive review of fellow Yelper (and namesake), Melanie B., back in June, and filed it away in the crevice of my brain reserved for things that I want to try in the future. (Or maybe I just bookmarked it.)
As luck would have it, I was planning on taking my mommy to NYC for a mother-daughter weekend in mid-September; it was the first reservation I made. I just knew this place would be perfect for our first dinner.
And it was.
It's kind of small and cozy, and it just oozes charm. If you weren't specifically looking for it, you just might walk right past it.
But don't.
We started with bellinis (because when in Rome, right?), that were flawless, and a perfect pick-me-up after a long afternoon of walking, shopping, and more walking.
We moved on to a special appetizer of fried zucchini blossoms, stuffed with homemade ricotta and parmegiano reggiano. This is something I don't come across very often, so how could I not order it? The real question is why did I not order two? The zucchini blossoms were delicately battered and fried, and the two cheeses combined into one oozy, creamy, explosion of deliciousness. If they happen to have this, do not miss it.
My mom had the cacio e pepe, which is fairly common in an Italian restaurant. I make this at home sometimes. This minimalist dish is basically pasta, cheese, and fresh pepper. With so few ingredients, they all need to be the highest quality.
And of course they were.
The "bowl" the pasta came in was a basket of parmegiano reggiano! Let that sink in for a minute.
An edible basket of cheese! What could be more wonderful?!
I opted for something heartier, and chose the pork tenderloin with sauteed wild mushrooms, finished with a marsala glaze, and served with roasted fingerling potatoes. I all but licked the plate clean.
I was secretly hoping they would have one of my favorite Italian desserts on the menu, which is panna cotta. Tiramisu is ubiquitous, but panna cotta, not so much. Glory be! Not only did they have it, but it came with mixed berries and raspberry sauce. I died and went to heaven.
The service is warm. The atmosphere is endearing. The food is superlative; I don't think you could go wrong with anything on the menu.
Even though I typically make a point to *not* return to a restaurant I've already tried when I go on vacation, I will most definitely return to Il Corso next time I'm in Manhattan.
Very solid Italian restaurant in Midtown – especially good for business lunches. Huge selection of pastas, some good some ok. Also, home-made mozzarella and burratas that hold their own. I'd recommend for anybody looking for good Italian food around the Midtown area for sure, there aren't that many options around anyway.
I was in NYC for a conference with my friend and we were craving a cute little Italian place for dinner. We found II Corso which was close to our hotel so it worked out perfectly. I will start off by saying that the food is absolutely phenomenal. Very authentic, delicious, decent portions, and satisfying. We shared an appetizer, the burrata cheese (AMAZING!), I had the gnocchi for dinner, and tiramisu for dessert. Everything was delicious, it's a little bit expensive, but it's NYC so it's to be expected.
However, here is why I give a 3 star review…the service was really inconsistent. It was great in the beginning, very attentive, asking us if we liked everything, more water/drinks, ect. But after we finished dinner, our server disappeared for like 45 minutes, We even looked around for him and he was at the back of the restaurant and after making eye contact with him, he turned around and walked in the other direction. It was so strange! Then a different server came over and asked if we needed something and we said we wanted to order dessert. He told us our server would be right with us. Then our server finally came over and asked if we ordered dessert….well no, you just ignored us for almost an hour! So we ordered dessert and they forgot my friend's tea, but at that point, we were already disappointed…
So to summarize, if the food wasn't good, my experience would have been a 0. But if the service was good, my experience would have been a 5, the food was amazing. The service was just inconsistent and left us feeling disappointed.
Since this restaurant is in the middle of what I consider to be a 'dead zone' when it comes to restaurants , I didn't expect all too much from Il Corso , save the higher price tag that accompanies dining in this area. This has to be one of the best reasons to not discount this part of Midtown when it comes to choosing your next meal.
As far as service goes, everything is professional and amicable. From the hostess to our server, it was an easy five star experience.
What truly blew me away was how every item ordered was truly enjoyable; the freshness and superb quality of the ingredients used is refreshing. The house-made mozzarella , cheeses and pastas are so memorable that the sensations will stick with you down the road. The grilled octopus was my favorite, in terms of appetizers, although the buffula was truly in the top 3 I've had eve. I went off the rail a bit and strayed from a traditional Italian dish by ordering the hangar steak at a medium; this was a great decision. My wife had the salmon which was absolutely moist, tender and was probably the best salmon dish I've tasted in recent memory.
The bill is going to amount to something hefty, especially if you opt for a bottle of wine or two, but this is one higher end restaurant that really deserves more acknowledgement for their commitment to excellence, thus warranting your hard-earned coin.
Good dining is all in the details: Corso's house made mozzarella, cherry tomato sauce and pastas, obvious quality ingredients, and impeccable service, make this a place I always want to return to. This little hidden restaurant in Midtown is one of my favorites.
Love their linguini with veal and pork ragú. Yes, judge me for eating veal. I don't eat it often, but sometimes a girl just can't stop herself! The short ribs are worth every calorie as well as their prosciutto truffle ravioli. Gnocchi is always my standby, and while I absolutely love theirs, there are so many delicious entrees to choose from, I would be remiss to choose the "safe" option.
Don't mind the fact that there's often a long wait and there's no place to stand; their cherry tomato sauce will make up for it. But don't cab it home. You'll want to walk this dinner off.
Let me take you on a beautiful journey… To 55th street. Sorry I'm an out-of-towner so that was a journey for me!
Things I love abut this place.
The customer service was impeccable. Our waiter waited hand and foot for us without actually seeming to make an effort. He took our orders, made recommendations, made my friend's cocktail exactly to her liking, and worked so amazingly well with the rest of the staff to make everything transition throughout the meal so smoothly.
The meal. OH MAN THE MEAL. So I had been craving homemade pasta, and found this little gem on Yelp. No joke, our Uber almost passed it, it's so easy to miss, but make sure you don't.
I had the wild boar Ragu on pappardelle, the spaghetti with Parmesan and olive oil in a Parmesan bowl, and the seafood spaghetti. My friend got the salmon and another pasta dish and they both looked to die for. We also shared the calamari and IT IS SO GOOD.
But that homemade pappardelle had to be one of my most favorite bites of food. You can't beat the bite of fresh pasta and its texture.
There's just so much to say but too little time. I would go back in a heartbeat!
OMG HOW DID I FORGET THE PANNA COTTA. I still have fluffy custard dreams of their vanilla bean panna cotta. I even converted my friend who thought it looked gross. But not friend. I will never steer you wrong.
This place was wonderful! I ate a quick dinner there before heading to LaGuardia and it was a perfect way to say goodbye to NYC. The service was perfect. Absolutely nothing I would change. Very gracious. And the food was excellent. I started with a special soup – a chilled carrot and orange bisque with croutons. After powerwalking the hot streets, it was really refreshing. Great flavor. I'm also a sucker for a simple spaghetti pomodoro, so I went for the spaghetti in a cherry tomato and basil sauce. It was just what I wanted. I don't know why I can't seem to get a plate of pasta like that in Minnesota, but I'll carry that memory with me until I find myself back in NYC.