Il Violino
“I had the gluten free penne with clams and mussels and we shared the caprese appetizer as well as the flourless chocolate torte.”
“If you are going to Lincoln Center this is a great alternative to Cafe Fiorello which had been a standby for years.”
“Nice menu full of authentic Italian dishes familiar to us all, attentive staff and if you're able to be seated by the windows – great people watching.”
Il Violino
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Food was amazing. We were a party of 15 after black Friday shopping. They Quickly put tables together and we were sitting in no time. Try the broccoli ravioli. It was so good.
Convenient to Central Park and Lincoln Center, we went to Il Violino for Sunday Brunch. With a full glass wall overlooking Columbus Circle, the ambiance was perfect on this beautiful early afternoon. Well priced for a brunch which included a drink (mimosa/bloody mary), and coffee/tea, no wait for a table, a variety of food options including breakfast (omlettes), burgers or Italian fare. I had an open faced spinach omlette, which was just "OK." No one in our group commented at all about the food so it was nothing memorable. But if you are looking for a spot to eat before a show at LC or while walking around the lower west portion of Central Park, this spot is fine.
Quiet little restaurant, a block away from the Lincoln movie theater. A good spot for after the movies. Came here on a Sunday evening with my fiancé, after watching a movie at the nearby cinema.
The service was attentive and courteous. The food was great as well. We ordered the Polpette and Salmon Marinato for starters. The Polpette was soft and filled with flavor. I did find that they fell apart fairly easily with one poke of a fork, but that beats the alternative of dry and hard as a rock meatballs. Good balance between the texture of the meat and mashed potatoes, served with a savory gravy. The salmon was smoked and had a good flavor to them. Though the asparagus was a bit cold, like chilled in an icebox. The asparagus was cooked but I am not sure if it was a good combination to chill it and make that a cold item on the dish.
For the main, we ordered the linguine with mixed seafood and the fettuccine with shrimp and porcini mushroom. The linguine was served with a rich tomato based sauce. It was had excellent flavor between the acids of the tomatoes and the fresh briny juices of the shellfish in the dish. The linguine itself was cooked soft but chewy and mixed well with the sauce. Definitely one of the better pastas I've had in recent months. The fettuccine was cooked in a creamy truffle butter sauce. It was definitely a heavier plate of pasta than the linguine. The butter flavor was apparent throughout the dish but kept from being too dense or thick. The mushrooms tasted fresh. I like both plates of pasta but of the two I would not hesitate to have another plate of the linguine with mixed seafood.
i always find something I'll enjoy on the menu. Service is professional. The place is always clean. This little place has been a neighborhood staple for many years. They know what they do well and stick to it!
Great for lunch or a romantic evening for two. You can sit by a window and people watch. It has an upscale appeal and atmosphere with out the price. No complaints about the price, service, pasta, bread, and quiet atmosphere.
After another exhausting day moving my daughter into her dorm, we came upon Il Violino while shopping for last minute items. The atmosphere with the large windows facing the Ave. was great. Being hungry, the prix fixe dinner menu was a great value.With the exception of the salad, all the items were delicious and satisfying. The service was just so-so, but they did appear to be doing a lot of business. As a visitor to NYC, I felt like I had found the kind of genuine Italian neighborhood restaurant that I'd expect. When we visit in the future, we will definitely dine there again.
Their glass sitting arrangement is amazing but I wasn't impressed with the ceaser salad. Although Pasta in red tomato sauce was good. An average dining experience!
The Lincoln Center area is an absolute mess on Saturday evenings right around 6:30pm when everyone's trying to eat before seeing the Phil/Opera/Ballet. After poking our head into several places that were completely packed and had a wait list that was going to take over an hour, Il Violino offered us a table right away. The restaurant is tiny and cramped and so we had a wonderful time eavesdropping on everyone else's conversation around us. It wasn't really our fault – if you're a real New Yorker who must speak at minimum volume 8 all the time, you're going to have your conversation eavesdropped upon.
Anyway, back to the restaurant. The service was absolutely exceptional. We advised the waiter that we only had a short period of time in which to eat in order to make a show, and he made sure that we got everything in a timely manner.
The food itself is OKAY. The wine list is great and the bread is average. The pastas are homemade which is nice but I wasn't terribly impressed by the sauces which seemed a little bland. My poor husband must eat gluten-free so he was happy that there was a nice GF selection. I myself enjoyed the homemade Bolognese which was somewhat disappointingly bland.
The dessert menu was extensive and I ordered just the traditional biscotti which was very tasty. We both enjoyed a perfectly made cappuccino after our meal.
Overall, the service was great but the cramped conditions and bland food makes this a definite "back-up" for us if we ever need to eat somewhere in a pinch before a show.
Had a great dinner at Il Violino. It's a few blocks from Lincoln Center. The prices are very affordable. The appetizers are around $10, the entrées are around $20, and the desserts are $10.
I agree with the previous Yelper that the window seats are great for people watching! You can also watch as the dogs walk by too.
To start my fiancé and I ordered the prosciutto and cantaloupe. Really liked the app but the picture doesn't do it justice because the prosciutto was covering all the cantaloupe. food was excellent too. I ordered the gnocchi bolognese. The gnocchi was not too heavy and the bolognese sauce paired nicely.
For dessert we ordered the tartufo which was a bit nontraditional. The inner core was cream, no cherry, and instead of a chocolate shell, it was dusted with cocoa powder.
Overall Il Violino is a great spot to get dinner before a show. I would highly recommend to anyone going to Lincoln Center.