Alessa Cucina & Bar

Wow. So glad this opened up near my home. Beautiful inside with fantastic misern italian fare. The best drinks in the city. Alexis makes a mean drink. Nice has such knowledge about drinks and food. He gave us a wonderful experience. My birthday was outstanding. The martini parm was fun. Light, interesting and great blue cheese stuffed olives. So fun. The ravello spritz was like itslian lemon candies. Delicious. The expresso martini fantastic. Light n frothy. The clarified ny sour blew my mind. May be the best drink ever. Frito mistook was like naples. The beet salad fantastic and refreshing. The interesting part was the dehydrated squid ink olive oil. Just wanted more, all mixed with the marscapone. The pizza here fantastic. Memorable. The pesto was like moms and the mozzarella tasted farm fresh. The cantalope and prossuto fresh. The coconut Verde drink outrageous. It was a frothy tropical coconut, green juice gone margarita. The chicken park was huge, delicious and seasoned. The best i ever ate out. Fun cheese pull. The broccoli nuggets with fried hot peppers yes please. Good buccatini n clam. (They have gluten free options). The house made tiramisu, with homeade lady fingers and caramel brittle was delicious. Outstanding meal and service.

What an amazing experience my friend and I had at Alessa. The service was outstanding — super attentive and friendly. The place is spacious and beautifully decorated, and the lighting gives the whole evening a very New York vibe. The highlight was definitely the food. The chicken with capers was outstanding! We tried several dishes, but don’t miss the chicken, the branzino, and the pizzas. Highly recommended!

Came here for a work team dinner. The place is beautiful and staff is helpful. But that’s where the good things stop. Food was mediocre at best - meatball appetizers (house specialty as we were told) were dry, melon prosciutto platter unappealing, salmon entree was severely overcooked and the side pasta was something a toddler wouldn’t even eat. On top of that, we kept smelling cigarette smoke and weed throughout the entire dinner (whether it was coming through the vent that was right overtop of us or an open side door we don’t know but that should not happen in any restaurant, especially a high end one like Alessa claims to be). While it’s a beautiful restaurant in the center of midtown, it’s not worth the hype or the price per plate.

Spent a date night here before a show, and let me say: the vibes are amazing! Alessa offers a swanky, modern atmosphere that is somehow incredibly inviting. With extra tall ceilings, spaced out tables and on-point decor, the ambiance alone would bring me back here! The food was ok - I will be honest and say it was just a tad disappointing given my high expectations after walking in. We got a handful of items including the focaccia bread (pretty salty and greasy), the meatballs (absolutely stellar!), risotto (a bit soupy for me, but the lemon zest made it pretty yummy), the clam pasta dishes (another win!), broccolini (a bit underwhelming) and the tiramisu (not bad at all). Overall, I'd come back for drinks, a snack, the service and the atmosphere!!

From the welcome when we entered to our amazing server Camila. We were very happy with everything at this restaurant. Our food was delicious. Every single plate was cleaned. The grilled octopus was stupendous. The rigatoni with short ribs. Sooooo good. I had the lemon chicken and I couldn’t believe how amazing and perfectly cooked it was. The sauce for it with the capers was Amazing. I would definitely return and recommend.

We absolutely loved the vibe here! The music was great, service excellent, food delicious and beautifully presented. I like the fact that they have lots of different dining options with different feels to them. The vibe at the bar is very different than upstairs for example. You can go from watching sports to a romantic vibe in the same place. Lots of great menu options for a types of foodies.

Had an amazing late lunch here while I killed time waiting for my train from Penn Station - ten minute walk door to door to Moynihan Train Station - and had an amazing midtown Manhattan experience. Entering the restaurant, the general look and vibe is super elevated. You can tell the owners spent some serious time on making this place look top tier. It’s a very welcome respite from the neighboring dives and tourist traps. Sat at the bar and had an unexpectedly unique and delicious Italian wine. Bartender Ellie was so warm and funny and let me taste a couple whites, gave great recommendations and made me feel so comfortable. Ordered a margarita pizza and it was perfect! Not a pizza snob, but I’m a New Yorker who’s traveled to Napoli and this was like having the best of both worlds - Italian style, light, and clearly fresh ingredients, crispy bottom but still with that fluffy crust and foldable slice. This is my new go to spot any time I have to travel from Penn Station and can’t wait to come back to try more of the menu.

Our server Alyson was INCREDIBLE! Definitely the best food and service we’ve had in a long time! Everything we tried was fantastic, from apps and drinks all the way through dessert (tiramisu is a must try). The ambiance is so cozy and sophisticated- Cannot recommend this place enough and thank you Alyson for such an amazing experience! Truly a gem ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We just had our dinner at Alessa. Anna was our waitress and we concluded: Dinner excellent / service excellent. Reason: I wanted to have a Pizza tono which was not on the menu but I got my Pizza Tono! Specially made with a great taste. Anna arranged the pizza and we all had a great evening.

Thank you to the staff at Alessa for hosting and catering! My company had a little gathering here and we had such a great time thanks to Alessa. The food choices were phenomenal and I wish I had taken more photos. Some highlights for me was their mushroom ricotta toast, prosciutto pizza, and their pistachio cookies. I found myself going back for more of their mushroom ricotta toasts and I hope to find it on the menu when I return here! It was definitely my favorite of the night. The servers were also just so kind and patient and I want to thank them because there were just so many of us and with that comes a lot of different requests. The space is so beautifully decorated too and would make for such cute photos. I can't wait to return!

Really enjoyed a lunch at Alessa. The margherita pizza was one of the best in the city with an outstanding tomato sauce. I also had the mortadella panuozzo, which was delicious. Fresh mortadella and great bread. The service was excellent. I highly recommend this place.

Quality Italian in a tough to find quality area. Big room with spacious seating -!; friendly service. Early Sunday dinner. Ate: Focaccia with cacio Pepe butter Marinated olives Beet salad with marscapone Swordfish plus caponata Rigatoni and short rib Total $114 The cacio & pepe butter is fire but my favorite dish was the beet salad. It had crunchy rye or pumpernickel and it was excellent. Swordfish was generous & delicious The rigatoni short rib while always good lacked the punch of others I've tried. A professional run establishments & we will definitely be back.

Gorgeous interior, no details left unturned from the impressive gold-tiled pizza ovens, right down to the bathrooms. This new establishment is exciting and elegant. So close to Penn, makes for an excellent meeting spot after work. There were a few kinks in our service however the staff was so friendly, willing to go above and beyond, you can tell how passionate and enthusiastic they are. Our server Fernando quickly made up for any issues, between the on-the-house appetizer and "pornstar " shot and his positive nature - all was quickly forgiven. All the dishes were delicious - we all enjoyed our pastas. So many great things to try on the menu especially their pizzas which we will definitely comeback for. It is especially helpful with all of the accommodations on the menu- gluten free options, food labelled accordingly to different diets on the menu. My friend ordered a mocktail etc.

Meeting a cousin, who lives in the Bronx. We went before to the Duke vs Illinois game at MSG. Everything was great especially the service. (Shout out to Valery) The food was excellent except for my appetizer, the Fritto Miso. It was bland and had the wrong batter. The entrées were great. Will visit again.

I visited Alessa after work with some friends, we had tasty cocktails with some great food, the bartenders were pretty friendly and attentive.

What a gem! We stumbled upon this lovely place while looking for some late night pizza. It's just recently opened and has a beautiful ambiance. The staff was friendly and very helpful. But the PIZZA?!?! Rivals some of the best, even in little Italy. It was made Fresh and cooked in a brick oven at the front of the restaurant. We travel around sampling pizza from ALL OVER, and this is crisp, tasty, fresh and flavorful. 5 stars!

AMAZING EVERYTHING OMG... It's very rare that when I try a new restaurant I'm blown away by the flavors instantly. I love when that happens it's literally the reason for trying new locations. I came to Alessa 9/28 with my bestie and we ordered the Bianco Pizza, Frito Miso and Beef Rigatoni & two drinks. I was so blown away I said I need to go back b4 I do my review. I went back 10/10 and that place was exactly like the date. A 10/10‼ i ordeeed the same things I ordered the first visit except the rigatoni since I was alone this time. I was so shocked at why the food is so good. I even ate Calamari. Understand b4 this restaurant I was a strong calamari HATERRRRRRR. Very proud to tell you it's nasty. Now I'm proud to say I'm converted Calamari eater because of Alessa. The restaurant is beautiful inside and even better food. It's perfect for a date night or to enjoy food catching up with an old friend. Whatever the reason please go try their foood. I have been wishing it was in walking distance since the first visit. I want the calamari everyday now because it's so fresh. I asked how is the food so good. Apparently they have a great Chef named Denevin Mirada who was on Chopped. I always wanted to try the food on Chopped now I see he exceeds expectations. The staff was so nice from Gerald to my lovely waitress Cassie. She recommended some great drinks for my solo date it was so appreciated. Wonderful job.

Very spacious restaurant with great ambience and great vibes. Service was very attentive which was awesome. The food was really good, across the pizza, pasta, and the steak Florentine. What prevents a perfect score is I wish the steak was not lukewarm upon arrival to the table, kind of took away from a premium dish. Deduct half star, but still 4.5 round up to 5. Recommend.

We met a friend here for dinner after work . Good location a block from Penn Station and a nice new addition to the dining options here. The service was mixed- they had a little trouble with our order initially but they made everything right including both a mortadella and a burrata starter that we enjoyed (albeit the mortadella is definitely salty) with tasty bread and deliciously creamy cheese. They also seemed really interested in making every customer happy which is definitely not true of all restaurants these days. The ricotta gnudi with blue crab was really creamy, sweet, and delicious. Prices were mostly ok by NYC standards but the non-pasta/pizza entrees were pretty boring. There's some room for improvement here but I definitely think we would come back and try the pizzas.

WOW!!! This new restaurant is incredible. Everything was amazing but you need to get the funghi white pizza. Cocktails were great and awesome atmosphere -- will be back!

Super cute Italian influenced bar with tvs for watching a game. Food was great. Service by Cassie spectacular. Drinks creative and made with love. Definitely a great find. Right by Penn station for when you have a little waiting time. Hasn't been discovered yet so come before it becomes a crowded hot spot!

Great Italian restaurant near Penn Station. There's a lot of tables but if you want a low-top table then I'd recommend making a Resy reservation ahead of time. While my table got a variety of items, I liked the pizza the most. Service was friendly and attentive. I really like the ambiance and vibe of the restaurant, cool postcard when you pay and different colored matchboxes!

This was an unexpected find before heading down to MSG for a concert. We called ahead by about 15-20 minutes on a Saturday and were warmly welcomed. The drinks and food were good. Atmosphere was a bit loud but still able to have a decent conversation.

Friendly staff and candlelight ambiance. The food was modern Italian cuisine. I would definitely come back.

Excellent. Drinks costeria negroni and maraska sour. App burrata and entree branzino. Everything was wonderful. Bar staff helpful with recommendations. Great food, service and ambiance.

Lovely server, very attentive and knowledgeable. Food was good however large arugula side salad attempts to mask how skimpy the sandwiches are for their cost. Very little meat and the chicken breast was dry. Pesto aioli delicious.

This restaurant is absolutely stunning first and foremost. Our server was so knowledgeable about the menu and guided us towards some great cocktails and dishes. The housemade rigatoni was perfectly cooked and the braised short rib was so flavorful. The arancini with eggplant was absolutely amazing and the perfect appetizer to start our meal and the bistecca tagliata was a perfectly cooked medium rare. Can't wait for an excuse to go back for seconds! Highly recommend

The service was wonderful. But we ordered the lobster linguini for 2, and the portion was not even enough for 1. The menu said that the meal was a 1 1/2 lb lobster, but we had 6 small pieces of lobster on top of the pasta. $87 for 6 small chunks of lobster is terrible.

Food was wonderful! The ambiance was fantastic. The service impeccable. Cant wait for our next show in nyc. This is where we are going!!!!!!

Great spot if you're heading to any type of event at MSG. Drinks were incredible Food was incredible Staff was incredible Highly recommend the Rigatoni. Will be returning any time we are headed to MSG.

Highly recommended! 5/5 on food, service , and ambiance! See pictures! a birthday party exceeded expectations! We had a lovely night with great food with very reasonable and affordable price!

I had lunch there and it was excellent. The space is gorgeous and the food is really good, they have freshly made soup that was a delicious starter. I also really liked their mocktails and tried two of them. The food came quickly and the servers were so nice and knowledgeable, and easily accommodated me being gluten free.

Amazing dining experience!!!! Food was delicious, and the service was amazing! I shared the short rib panini and spicy salami pizza, and we let the chef choose dessert for us. The short rib panini really hit the spot for me. I don't remember the names of the dessert, but one was a chocolate skillet cookie with ice cream, and the other was a lavender blue berry mousse. The lavender dessert was to die for, and I will be back ASAP to have it again. Cocktails were delicious as well. 10/10 experience

We went for dinner on a day trip to NY. Food was absolutely amazing!!!! One of NY's finest! Highly recommend the broccolini and pizza!

Wow!!! We stumbled upon this place after a long day of travel for a quick drink before we headed off to our holiday Christmas gathering! Let me tell you the bar staff was amazing Nixon was the best!

Ambiance, service and wood was phenomenal! WI'll be back again. a Also note that it is not that far from Penn Station. Go to the city walk around, get dinner at Alessa! Great place to take clients as well. Enjoy!

Dined there on Oct 28th. Thrilled to have so many high top tables, both near the bar and in the dining room. Our server (Cathy) was attentive, informative, and not intrusive. The food was very well prepared and high quality ingredients. Started with the delicious homemade focaccia and fritto misto...could have eaten that all night. Also shared a Sarda salad. Not a typical green salad by any means, but was a perfect accompaniment to the swordfish, which was cooked perfectly. I'll be back in a couple of weeks with a larger group so we can try more things. A great find near MSG.

Absolutely GORGEOUS inside. Service was excellent and every bite was delish. Definitely give the pizzas a try. Seafood was fresh, bistecca was cooked perfectly. Will definitely be back!