Piccola Cucina Estiatorio Reviews Summary

Category: Italian restaurant New York

Address: 75 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012, USA

Phone: +16467819183

Rating: 4.6
based on 263 reviews.

Authenticity and Quality of Food

Pros:

  • "The dishes are so authentic - the lasagna was like the one back home in Bologna, and the arancine were succulent."
  • "The pasta is the best you may ever have in your life!"
  • "The pastas were all amazing: we got the bucatini cacio e pepe, the fusilli scampi, the lobster linguine, and the green tagliatelle."
  • "The tiramisu was AMAZING, on par with tiramisu from Italy."
  • "Food is simply excellent, although not strictly Sicilian - it covers more southern Italian food with a few American twists (like lobster)."
  • "The food speaks for itself, with flavors that transport you straight to Italy."
  • "The mix of flavour was unbelievable and so fresh!"

Cons:

  • "Slightly pricey though."
  • "But don’t expect to impress your date or friend about the food… would nottttt say it’s 'hmmmmmmm delicious'"
  • "The other special pasta with lobster was good but not too exciting and a bit pricey."
  • "Quality has dropped considerably in the last year."
  • "The pasta was excessively salty, making it nearly impossible to enjoy."
  • "The lobster was dry, the pesto was kind of too liquid."
  • "The arancini portion was tiny and tasted rancid/ old oil."

Service

Pros:

  • "The staff and service were great."
  • "The staff was friendly and kept checking on us all night."
  • "They treat me super good."
  • "Service is top notch and I can't wait to go back there!"
  • "Also have to mention the service which was just perfect."
  • "Waiters came across very eager to help and made the overall experience so great!!"
  • "The service was very attentive."

Cons:

  • "Really disappointed to know that we would be treated differently for simply speaking Spanish."
  • "We were assigned an overzealous waiter who was inattentive and a bit aggressive for our taste."
  • "I had to ask multiple waiters for bread, my pasta was more like a stew and there is apparently an $8 charge if you want normal water."
  • "They just ignored us and let us stand in sun for 10 minutes and let other walk-in customers seat firstly."
  • "Service wasn't great. Felt super rushed."
  • "The waiting staff was really rushing to turn our table over."
  • "They were very rude and gave terrible service, we left before ordering any food."

Ambiance and Atmosphere

Pros:

  • "Great ambiance."
  • "Lovely low lit restaurant for a romantic dinner."
  • "Very lively and warm atmosphere."
  • "Such a vibrant place."
  • "Adding to the authenticity and festive atmosphere."
  • "The environment was very cozy with small dining tables just like a small trattoria in Italy."
  • "From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was warm and inviting."

Cons:

  • "It is so noisy, loud that you can't even hear the person next to you."
  • "Very crowded."
  • "It is REALLY impossible to have a conversation in this place."
  • "It can be noisy!!! No good for a date - no privacy."
  • "It was INCREDIBLY loud - I could barely hear my girlfriend over the line chefs continuous yelling of orders."
  • "Consider bringing air plugs, as this is place is SO loud!"
  • "Way too loud... couldn't hear them so would definitely not go again."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

  • "The $11 lunch menu (any starred pasta) on weekdays is such a good deal."
  • "Even the prices are good for the quality of food you're getting."
  • "They have a lunch special which turns many dishes to a very convenient $11.95 per dish price. An absolute steal!"
  • "Fairly priced also."
  • "$15 lunch special is unbeatable!"
  • "Very fun-cozy atmosphere and reasonably priced."
  • "The food was delicious and definitely worth 5 stars."

Cons:

  • "Slightly pricey though."
  • "The other special pasta with lobster was good but not too exciting and a bit pricey."
  • "Quality has dropped considerably in the last year."
  • "However, it is worth notice that almost all desserts are at a fixed price around $14 each."
  • "I will say for the amount they serve and the quality, it was definitely overpriced."
  • "Our bottle of wine was 3 times the actually cost."
  • "The disappointment was in regards to dessert... we were then charged $30 for slicing and serving a cake we didn’t eat because we’d already eaten the desserts we purchased from the restaurant."

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