Pasquale Rigoletto Restaurant
“I had the lamb osso bucco for my entree with yellow rice and escarole on the side.”
“I also enjoyed the guy carving out cheese from a huge cheese wheel in the center of the room and sending out fresh hunks of cheese with brioche.”
“But what set this place apart from every other place down in the REAL Little Italy (Arthur Ave) was the entertainment.”
Pasquale Rigoletto Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Delish! A co-worker and I recently stopped in for lunch and really enjoyed our meals. The basket of bread that was brought to us was your typical cheap, white baguette, but the homemade pasta was delicious. I got mine with a simple marinara and she got hers with a spicy tomato sauce and both were delicious. The place was buzzing on a Friday afternoon and the service was fast and friendly in a very old-school Italian New Yorker sort of way.
Came here for dinner with friends and was not impressed with this restaurant. I know Arthur ave is known for its Italian restaurants so I was definitely expecting more. After we were seated, the waiter brought over bruschetta, cheese and a basket of bread. I enjoyed all three. For dinner I ordered what I read as fettuccine with tomatoes and basil but what I got was fettuccine with red sauce smh. I did not enjoy it at all. I ordered grilled chicken with the pasta and the grilled chicken was extremely dry.. I must say that my entrée was an utter disappointment. For dessert I had pumpkin spice cheesecake which was absolutely delicious, I want to buy the whole cake for the holidays lol. The service was extremely attentive even with an engagement party in the next room. I probably am not going back though unless I just go for the pumpkin spice cheesecake lol.
My first Arthur Ave experience was A-OK!
After reading the reviews, my table of 3 decided to split a few entrees. Be sure to ask how the specials are prepared. The names seemed a bit vague but we were glad we asked because we ordered a couple of them and they were quite good.
The portion sizes were generous. The prices were a bit high. I would recommend ordering at least one entree or pasta dish per person in addition to one appetizer per 2 people. The bruschetta and cheese on the table were a nice touch of old world Italian-American comfort.
On a weeknight, we got right in and it was not busy at all. I definitely would like to try other restaurants in the area before coming back here.
My favorite place on Arthur! I went to Fordham and first ate here with my parents six years back on accepted students day. The bruschetta and chunks of Parmesan they bring to the table are a really nice touch. Mozz en corrozza is delicious. I typically don't deviate from chicken parm when I eat at Italian restaurants, but I've tried their chicken rigoletto and it is decadent. It's breaded chicken topped with prosciutto and mozzarella – yum! It's a great, authentic experience.
A-ok about sums it up. The person I was with REALLY talked with place up so I had fairly high expectations. The surrounding area is charming – lots of little butcher shops, a fresh fish store and some bakeries, plus the excellent Arthur Ave Market. Rigoletto does have an advantage over some of the other places on the street as has a private parking lot.
Our lunch started off with a small plate of freshly made bruschetta and some chunks of cheese from a wheel in the center of the dining area. It was delicious. The actual entrees?? Well…it was pretty "ok".
I had pesto linguine and it was about average. I liked the bit of red pepper that was in the sauce but overall the dish lacked flavor – a little salt probably would have helped. My partner got a slab of salmon with a mustard sauce and green beans – the fish was cooked very nicely but the sauce wasn't the best complement to the fish -it was a little overpowering.
Service? Nice but not terribly attentive. Portions? Ginormous – and this is coming from a Midwestern girl. Ambiance? Well, I can't speak for the evenings but there were certainly some "characters" hanging out that looked a lot like Uncle Junior and may or may not have been discussing show-no work construction jobs.
All in all, I certainly enjoyed Rigoletto as an experience. Don't go expecting the best Italian food ever – go and expect decent Italian-American food in a "old school" neighborhood and you'll be very happy.
After a lovely time enjoying the orchids at the Botanical Gardens how can you miss not enjoying some good Italian cuisine on Arthur Blvd?
We were hungry and it was early so many of the restaurants weren't open yet for dinner service. Luckily Pasquale was open and menu satisfied everyone.
The restaurant looked much bigger with the mirrored wall and pleasant interior. Our peppy server was funny and ready to take our order. We had the veal and lamb shank entrée and my other friend had the pasta and calamari. The pasta cooked al dente and the shanks was tender and well seasoned.
All the entrees could easily be shared by two people.
It was a good day in the Bronx. Lots of flower photography and a satisfying Italian dinner. Now it was time to get back on the train head home.
Although I did miss the complimentary Parmigiano cheese bruschetta that used to be served, the rest of my meal did not disappoint. I devoured the pasta paglia e fieno, which is a green and white fettuccine pasta served with a light cream sauce filled with peas and proscuitto. I have had this dish several times at this restaurant, and it is always prepared well. My friend ordered the bracciole and cavatelli. The cavatelli were fresh, and the pork bracciole was stuffed with garlic, pignoli nuts, prosciutto, and raisins. The raisins gave it a somewhat sweet flavor. My cousin asked for something not on the menu, and it was prepared for her. Her rigatoni with spinach and garlic looked quite good. All of the pasta at Rigoletto's is fresh pasta, and that makes a huge difference in the quality of the meal.
I topped off my meal with a St. Joseph's cake (also known as zeppole). The pastry cake was light, and the cream filling was so good!
Oh, I hope that I'll be back to Rigoletto's soon! I really enjoyed my dinner there last night.
My family and I have been coming here for years but my most recent visit was probably my last. The experience of eating at Pasquales used to be impeccable, from start to finish; when you sat down you'd be greeted with warm bread and olive oil for dipping, and big chunks of salty parmesan put right down on the table. The food was all fantastic, especially the pesto, which I remember as creamy and savory and very fresh. We were there on Mother's Day, which I know is not a great time to visit any restaurant, and Pasquales was predictably swamped. We had a reservation and they were great about seating us early but after that things sort of deteriorated. Our waiter seemed overwhelmed and we had to ask several times for basic things like silverware and parmesan. We ordered two appetizers, a tri-colore salad and one of the specials, stuffed artichoke. The salad was pretty tasty, very fresh and crunchy, but the artichoke was watery, and somewhat bland. Even worse, if hadn't been cleaned properly; we could feel grit in our teeth. When our main courses arrived things definitely improved–if there is an area where Pasquale's excels it's in their pasta dishes, but even so my pesto didn't live up to my first impression (though it was still good, and the portions are big enough for 4 meals). My boyfriend's carbonara was fabulous though, I had order envy when I tried his dish. Pasquales, I have some awesome memories but I think it's probably time to move on and try some new spots on Arthur Avenue.