Morandi
“Had Cacio E Pepe (bucatini with pecorino & black pepper) which is the dish that brings me back to this restaurant every week or so.”
“We shared the Insalata di Farro ($9) with beets, asparagus, fava beans and ricotta salata.”
“We shared fried calamari (cooked perfectly- just tender enough and not too chewy), and stuff olives with sausage.”
Morandi
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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This is a go-to with out-of-town guests. It exemplifies Manhattan-West Village dining while still being crowd-pleasing and conveniently-located. It also takes bookings, which is vital. The portions are ample, and the food is consistently good. The service is thoughtful and sufficiently attentive without being intrusive or neglectful. The decor is easy on the eye and comfortable. The outdoor dining is delightful, though it was living under scaffolding on my most recent visit.
Here's the deets from our latest visit, two couples, everything was ample to share amongst 4 and we almost had too much food with this list (03/22/16):
Fritto misto, 18 – good!
Assorted salumi, 20
Bolognese, 20
Cacio pepe, 16 – the pasta dish of the moment, a stalwart here, was pleasing
Orata, 31 – excellent
Tagliata (steak), 33
Fritti di Ricotta (ricotta fritters for dessert, 5), 8
Special cocktail, gimlet aromatico, 16
Negroni, 15
Etna bianco, glass, 13
Barbera, bottle, 56
Barbera, carafe (there were 4 of us!), 35
TOTAL 332
TIP – there's a lot of great ice cream nearby, including Big Gay Ice Cream.
I came based on a suggestion a friend made about a year ago, but I was really unimpressed by this place and found it extremely overpriced for what it is. We came in on a Saturday night with a reservation, and the whole experience was underwhelming.
We were seated quickly and asked to order G&Ts. The waiter asked "what kind of gin?" and we said "do you have house gin?" because we're not that classy. He said yes, and I was shocked to see that they had been $12 drinks when their fancy cocktails were $15. If I had known, I would have tried one of their drinks from the menu — but I suppose this is my fault for not asking.
We both ordered pastas, which were small servings. My friend got the pasta with meat sauce and said it was 'fine' — which isn't worth the price. I got the gnocchi and it was so oily that I felt sick and couldn't finish it. For mediocre food at high prices, I start docking stars.
Lastly, we were swarmed the entire time we were their by people, but not our waiter. Although we had water at our table, random people came by constantly to top up our cups, which was really disruptive. Someone in a suit (manager?) hovered around the section and occasionally checked in with us. Our food was brought by not-our-waiter, so when I was considering ordering something else, he was no where to be found. I felt somewhat sick so we decided to pay and leave.
Finally, once we got our check, the man-in-a-suit began hovering over our table waiting to clear it, to the point that when we tried to leave I physically couldn't put my coat on without bumping him. He seemed totally oblivious.
So. Overpriced. Not great food. Overbearing staff.
Would not go back or recommend.
I really liked Morandi.
There are two types of Italian restaurants in New York, slow-quiet or hustle-lively. Morandi is the latter and it works.
They are going to hustle and the service will great minus the personal connection with the table. The food will be good but not great. The wine will flow and be slightly overpriced. You will love it if you are with a group – probably wish you had skipped it for a romantic date.
In the end if I am in the area I would go back with friends.
I'm definitely a fan Morandi! It's such a great place to bring a big group of friends to celebrate, have a quiet and romantic date night, or come with a friend for dinner.
The food is absolutely delicious. I have never had something I did not like. The wine is wonderful. And limoncello after dinner is a must.
I've seen the same servers there every time, which is a great sign of their dedication to the restaurant, and the quality of the place.
It's always packed, so make sure you make a reservation.
Even my foo-bougist (bougie foodist) boyfriend liked and said he would be back!
I imagine dining in Italy to be somewhat like this. Squished like sardines, extremely small tables, and bottles, and bottles of vino.
We drew the big straw this time and landed a petite table on the cusp of the inner dining room and outside. Luck of the draw?… Or maybe we're just awesome.
Seafood was our entrees of choice – naturally. We devoured them like it was our last (KL@$$Y) meal on Earth. The conversations were pouring.. the loud, bustling, but yet neighborhood atmosphere of West Village set the scene for some juicy gossip. The food was the fuel for more.
After all said and done, we looked down, and silently thanked God (the pasta God I'm talking about). For without him and his keen sense for taste, we wouldn't have enjoyed the meal as much as we did that day.
I've been to this place about once a year for the last five years and it always seems to be perfectly consistent and cozy. The staff is warm and accommodating in every way. Try the flava bean/mint salad if it's in season and you can't go wrong with the sea bream or branzino- probably some of the best I've had.
So, so, disappointed in my recent trip back to Morandi. This is the unfortunate consequence that sometimes occurs when a popular celebrity chef restaurant becomes all about the scene and forgets its obligation to serving great food. I guess when you know you're going to consistently fill every table with tourists and foreigners who care more about people-watching and being seen, then why bother caring about the food, right? That's the only conclusion I can draw after six of us descended on Morandi for dinner the other night.
I was among the first in line when Morandi opened in 2007, and it was a scene back then, like most of Keith McNally's restaurants are. I've always been a huge fan of Schiller's Liquor Bar on the Lower East Side. Because there you can count on eating a delicious meal at a decent price that's never inconsistent no matter how many times you come back. That's the way the formula's supposed to work. But that's not the case at Morandi. I surmise that's because Schiller's is a neighborhood restaurant that caters to locals, whereas Morandi has clearly become a tourist trap where fools are soon parted with their money.
Unfortunately, I was one of those fools the other night. All of the pastas we tried were on par with what you could get from your local pizza joint. And perhaps the most egregious fault of the night was the Pollo alla Diavola – grilled chicken with chilies and lemon. The chicken was dry and overcooked, and there's wasn't the slightest hint of chilies or heat of any kind to be found. And to add further insult, this travesty of a dish clocks in at a whopping $26.
People sometimes ask me why I don't send bad dishes back or complain to the manager when things go wrong. Sometimes I do, but generally speaking, when I am out with friends trying to have a nice dinner, I have no appetite for causing a scene or getting into a debate with restaurant staff. And frankly, when you're a name brand restaurant charging name brand prices, it should be seen as your duty to get things right the first time.
An extra star for service, which is indeed excellent, as it is at their other restaurants. And the meatballs were good, too. Famous? Not so much…
You can do much better than Morandi.
We were a little disappointed. The restaurant is beautiful inside – very rustic and authentic looking old Italian. We came for the Cacio e Pepe. It was tasty but nothing like what we had in Italy. The sauce wasn't thick or creamy enough. We also had the bolognese. Again, it was decent but nothing fantastic. I think the biggest problem is that the pasta isn't homemade /fresh (at least it didn't taste that way). There was a decent selection of good wine (by glass or carafe).