Nocciola Ristorante
“Tucked away in East Harlem, this intimately-lit, cozy restaurant is bursting with flavor.”
“My fiancé had the gnocchi and I know he loved it because he finished his food so fast that I'm pretty sure he set a record.”
“From the complimentary bread + pesto, the Meatballs appetizer and then our main courses of "Pappardelle Bolognese" & "Ravioli di Burrata".”
Nocciola Ristorante
Takes Reservations: 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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Everything about this place is perfect. I came here with a bunch of my friends when it just opened. The waiter was friendly and enthusiastic about the meal choices and shared his suggestions with zeal. The place was a good size enough not to me to loud and you can have a good conversation with out feeling like you are in a loud club. The food was excellent. My favorite dish was the goat cheese ravioli and the sausage pasta dish. The goat cheese ravioli was light fresh and tart with spice I loved it.
Nocciola, I finally made it! Tucked away in East Harlem, this intimately-lit, cozy restaurant is bursting with flavor. It features a very narrow bar, incredibly friendly staff, heavenly short rib ravioli, and lots of exposed brick. It would be an adorable place for a date night. It's very reasonably priced, but I can't speak for the alcohol since we weren't drinking.
I stopped in last Sunday, with the lovely Mardory V., for a delightful dinner after my hellish afternoon in the Emergency Room…don't worry, my toe didn't turn out to be broken.
It was fairly crowded when we arrived, and the only two tables unfortunately were directly in front of the door. It was freezing outside, and once the other parties began to leave, my companion and I were stung by the brutal draft. But that was probably the worst thing we encountered here, so that's not horrible. I wouldn't recommend coming here if you're in a hurry because service was lagging a bit between courses, and it wasn't too swift when we were trying to grab the check. Again, for these to be my biggest grievances, this place is doing pretty well.
Now, the food was absolutely delicious! For starters, we had the house focaccia served with arugula and walnut pesto. The pesto was great- light, nutty, and not too much cheese. The bread was a bit dry and I hope that's not the norm, but it was still full of rosemary and overall, not bad.
Mardory and I shared a small plate of Short Rib Ravioli (5 pieces), which was absolutely amazing! The short rib was perfectly done, and so tender. The ravioli were bathed in a delicious savory jus, topped with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan…mmm. I will admit the jus was A TAD under-seasoned, but honestly less than one smidgen- I mean an actual smidgen, measured- of salt needed to perfect this. I would return solely for this dish, but everything else was truly amazing.
I had the chicken saltimbocca, which has prosciutto and sage, and is served in a bed of polenta with a bit of broccolini. The chicken breast was tender, the sauce was what I wanted out of the short rib jus- this was perfect. I was much too full to eat all of the creamy polenta on the plate but that was really a great complement to the other flavors on the plate. Mardory had the salmon, which was also mouth-watering. I could go on and on, but I'd just make myself hungry for another night at Nocciola. Can't wait for round two!
Enjoyed our experience here very much. A group of seven of us came in and were thrilled to find their happy hour deals. Tried a variety of different drinks–some better than others, several on the list they didn't have in stock–and had at least one of every happy hour small plate. I thought most everything tastes good, especially the meatballs, rice balls and the calamari, which was fried but not overly battered. The service was friendly and good. I would definitely return.
The pasta here is so delicious! I was here earlier tonight during the happy hour. I got the meatballs off the happy hour menu. It came in a tomato based sauce with two pieces of bread. It was delicious and flavorful. I also got the spaghetti cabenero which had speck, egg and onion. Highly recommend. I would highly suggest coming here for the happy hour which is $4 for a variety of drinks and also small food dishes.
After sorting through reviews of various Italian places my family decided we meet here on a Friday night early February. My aunt had made a reservation for the six of us for 5:30. There wasn't a lot of people in the place but the staff was very friendly and attentive throughout the whole evening.
When everyone got there we ordered a bottle of Malbec and one of us had the peach bellini – very pungent citrus taste with a sweetened additive of peach schnapps. Along with drinks we had a few appetizers including beet salad with goat cheese, fingerling potatoes in a lemon herb rub, octopus salad with a side of couscous, head of lettuce Caesar style and stuffed mushrooms. Everything was delicious and well seasoned. Homemade bread and EVOO with pesto sauce is available with table service. For the entrees, everyone got something different: butternut squash ravioli, gnocchi with lamb ragu, NY Sirloin steak, pasta bolognese, cheese ravioli and someone got fish. Nocciola prides itself on their homemade pasta which was for most perfect but I agree with previous posts in regards to the gnocchi. It looks and tastes like a long fat piece of pasta dough was cut into thick slices and cooked. Not really what I'd expect but will go to their pasta shop and buy it and make it home to see if there's a difference – stay tuned!
The price for appetizers, entrees and drinks seemed fairly reasonable for NYC restaurant pricing. The ambiance was romantic and rustic with a lot of wood and dimmed lighting. Warning for the technology inept: the bathroom has an automatic trash bin, no need to touch the buttons on the top just simply wave one's hand over it and it will open by itself. The location is in what I think is considered Spanish Harlem, above the Upper East Side. Seems like a nice neighborhood. Lots of street parking is available but metered. We came on a Friday and one of us got a spot right outside the restaurant. Overall, I would recommend trying this place out if you're in the area.
We dined here twice and have left very satisfied and content. Their pastas are amazing from the spaghetti, baked ziti, ravioli and more. The restaurant is very elegant and sophisticated, which makes it a true gem in the El Barrio (East Harlem) neighborhood.
Their wines and Bellini cocktails were a great accompaniment to the (pasta, steak) dishes and overall atmosphere. The waiter comes to grate fresh cheese over your pasta. The waiters and waitresses are very polite and professional.
There was a time when we waited a while for the check, after we had asked for it (about 30 minutes wait). We were not sure if they forgot about us or wanted us to stay longer, because the restaurant was not as busy.
However, I loved the candlelight at the tables and the romantic Italian main courses, desserts and drinks. I highly recommend any of their pastas or appetizers!
came here on a weeknight, fairly late. I believe we arrived at 9:00.
The service was attentive for the first half hour or so, although not very knowledgeable.
We ordered a few small plates and one large plate… the bar tender, who was serving us asked how we wanted to course out the meal, and made a suggestion, which we agreed to…
The first course came, and was quite tasty… then half an hour and finally our second course came… then another half an hour, and then another course… I had enough at this point… it was a school night, and it was getting quite late, so I ended up cancelling our last course…
What made it worse was someone who appeared to be the owner, or at least the manager pulled the bar tender aside and started reprimanding him in ear shot of us, the patrons… Very poor manners.
All said and done, the food was above average, and pretty tasty, the wine list was very reasonable, but the execution was terrible. They need to get their act together before I would try it again.
Came here for a quick dinner with a friend. I was convinced by her mention of "fresh pasta!" Done. Especially on a brisk NYC night.
We were starving so we ordered the roasted mushrooms with polenta to start. The waiter brought over focaccia bread with pesto for dipping. On these two things alone: 5 stars! Mushrooms (though a very small portion for $9) it was delicious, hearty & a great combination of textures. The focaccia bread was buttery and the pesto with it was a good marriage. I couldn't get enough. So much so I dipped the bread in the polenta. Carb overload. Cue the pasta!
I order the gnocchi with lamb ragu. It was just okay. Which is NEVER an acceptable way to describe gnocchi. Why just okay? Gnocchi were really large and although they had great texture (though not as crispy on the outside as I like) they severely lacked flavor. Even the ragu was bland. I simply tasted the lamb (it's natural flavor) but nothing further. Meh.
My friend ordered the pumpkin ravioli in brown butter sauce. She loved it but was disappointed there were only 4 raviolis. So sad. Haha.
Overall I'd come here for appetizers & maybe a glass of wine. Or dessert & wine! But I'd skip the gnocchi for lack of flavor.