Villa Berulia
“The chicken parm is amazing and who doesnt like free schnapps at the end of a meal.”
“Great "local" place in Murray Hill——-just a ten minute walk from Penn Station and even closer to Grand Central.”
“The service was fantastic, treating our family like we were regulars even though it was only our first visit.”
Villa Berulia
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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This is definitely a mom & pop (or I guess grandma and grandpa) owned place. It took awhile to warm up to the place as it came across a bit stuffy and maybe not catering to out of towners.
Tables were too close together so hard to really have a good conversation. Egg drop soup was a good choice but the bisteca was overcooked. Service was hit or miss. Ordered dessert but people forgot.
I've experienced better in NY Italian establishments for Italian food.
My wife and I were in town for her 2014 nyc marathon tomorrow – and wanted an early but nice dinner before calling it a night. She wanted Italian, but neither of us wanted to take the time to head down to mulberry / motts streets, so we learned about this gem via yelp.
A very romantic restaurant close to Park on 34th, we walked from our hotel (see separate review) on 38th/Madison and had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner.
Previous reviews revealed Croats owned this restaurant, and so this came up in conversation early on. 30+ years ago, my parents periodically took me to a Croatian restaurant in Germany and I often ordered Ćevapčići. Turns out I could order it here! (Not on the menu – but available). It was a time capsule back to more innocent days.
My lovely vegetarian wife ordered the Agnolotti with vodka sauce which she really enjoyed (spinach crescents, marscapone, artichoke heart purée). I had the lamb shank with arborio. Very enjoyable dish.
Mer's sweet tooth gravitated towards the pumpkin cheesecake & the wild strawberry tart. I went with a double espresso and had a surprise cognac on the house.
From the coat rack check-in to the mints upon exit, we enjoyed the evening and definitely recommend it.
Really nice place… quite romantic and a lovely discovery in the mayhem of Midtown/Murray Hill. Working 2 blocks away, it's always a challenge to find decent places to eat!!! Get one of the pasta dishes in app size to split between 2-3 people and then move onto one of their delicious meat or fish dishes for a main course. Portions are big. Save room for dessert… had the flourless cake, which was delish and tasted just like chocolate frosting! Complimentary apres-dinner drinks were a fantastic surprise.
Delicious Italian food in the Murray Hill section of the City. Very courteous host with experienced and knowledgable wait staff.
Our party of 3 ordered a bottle of white wine from Croatia. It was dry and crisp and paired perfectly with our meal. I had Veal Piccata which was perfectly prepared. 3 thin slices of veal in a light wine sauce with capers. The sides were sautéed green beans with garlic and olive oil and sliced roasted potatoes. The veal was delicious. Others in our party ordered the Chicken Maria. Chicken breast is grilled and served on a bed of arugula and was very tasty. Also ordered was Veal Scaloppini with prosciutto and red peppers. That was a hit with the savory ham and the sweet red peppers. We also ordered home made cheesecake (made with ricotta) and the raspberry torte which was light, sweet and delectable.
This place is worth a visit for great Italian food at reasonable prices with expert service. The owner, John, made our party feel right at home with a gratis peach liquor at the end of our meal.
So about the decor that some feel the need to comment about… This place is about the food, the food and the food.
Will definitely be back on my next trip to the Big Apple.
Four solid stars for the food, and none left over for service. We selected this place because it had solid reviews as a neighborhood local's place with authentic food and a great history. We ate there even though we hear that Hillary C eats here from time to time. My politics are showing.
The veal chop and the risotto were fantastic. Great bread, tasty beet salad, and a gratis after dinner drink (I had limoncello). The tables are cozy, the restaurant has a tuscan feel to it and has lots of nooks and crannies to give it an intimate feel.
We ate there on Valentine's Day. We were greeted enthusiastically at the door by John (I think) and whisked to our table where 3 servers in black tie welcomed and seated us. Our table server, who had worked there for years, was a little too smug for my liking, he would make a comment or joke that left us wondering – did he mean something by that? Others have noted some erratic service here and we had the same. I kinda felt like he was being condescending, which if so is too bad as I've eaten my way across the world in lots of James Beard/Michelin type places. And even though I saw roses laid in front of every other female patron that night – I had to ask as we were leaving.
So – absolutely come for the food! Awesome Italian. And to support a neighborhood joint. And tip accordingly.
Villa Berulia has been around in Murray Hill for 34 years. How many restaurants in New York survive for one year, let alone 34? How many restaurants anywhere survive for 34 years?? It was nice to step into a place that's actually vintage, not faux-vintage. You can tell the difference.
To be honest, I'd probably never have come here if my boyfriend didn't live right across the street. The exterior is unassuming, and the restaurant certainly isn't trendy so it's never the subject of discussion amongst the 20 and 30-something crowds. In fact, Villa Berulia seems to overwhelmingly attract older patrons and large families.
VB has a selection of wines priced very reasonably at $34 to celebrate their 34 years, including a bottle called 'tinto' which apparently just means red wine in Spanish but was likened to a Cabernet by our waiter. That sounded good to us, so we ordered it, and it was wonderful.
The bf had one of the specials of the night: the lamb shank. I had the salmon in a mustard dill sauce, which was served with potatoes and green beans. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the portion was huge — definitely worth the $26. The sauce was light, flavorful, and balanced. We were too full to order dessert, but I appreciated the dessert cart that was being hauled around all night. You don't see that too much anymore.
My boyfriends' friend celebrated his birthday here last night, great welcoming by the entire staff as soon as we walked inside the door. We had our coats checked and was directed to the back room to greet the rest of the party. We were a party of 20 and good thing we were seated in the back because we were a loud crowd. We had a prefix menu, which I was disappointed because I was set on one of their pasta dishes. Customer service was great but we didn't realize until the end that we were pushed with the bottles of wines by the waiter. I asked for a glass of chianti and he brought me Cabernet and poured the wine in everyone's glass. by the end it was $115 per person. Maybe we were being racially profiled and figured we wouldn't know the difference, but as for someone who worked in an Italian restaurant, I know my Italian reds. I did not make a fuss because we were a large group for just one waiter.
The place has a lot of charm to it and Johnny at the door (I think he is the owner) is a real mensch. Good feelings already. Nice touch when he sat us and told my daughter he was seating her where Hillary Clinton sits when she eats here.
The has a real European feel to it. To be honest though, the food was OK; nothing great maybe 3-3.5 on the Yelp 5 scale. At first I couldn't stand the waiter but he finally came around. My original discontent started when I asked for him for menus and he said he wanted to tell us the specials first. That part wasn't a big deal but after reciting the specials he seemed put off that I still wanted to see a menu. I have no idea what was up with that. Anyway, after that he warmed up a little and service from there on was very good.
They have a decent Caesar Salad. I had the Agnolotti pasta dish and my wife and daughter both had a chicken and shrimp dish. Like I said before, good not great; kind of boring; no real oomph. Bread basket not good at all and I am a bread basket person.
If this place was in my neighborhood I'd probably go here again but coming from Jersey, I'd rather try someplace different next time.