Amarena

They alerted me as I sat down at the crowded happy hour bar that they were down a bartender and apologized. The service was still exceptional. Nothing to apologize for! Most people were here for the HH specials- which are amazing- but I came not knowing about them. Had the HH red wine and HH squash blossoms. Both very cheap and very good. Finished with a great bread basket and the crab pasta. Will be back, HH or not. Wonderful staff, atmosphere and food.

Don't come too hungry, portions are normal , not American. The food is SO fresh, so tasty & so delicate. The house bread is PERFECT. Pastas are mouth melting. Very nice employees

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 50/10 — Best Italian in NYC! 🇮🇹💫 Amarena is an absolute gem! Tucked inside the cutest remodeled townhouse, this Italian restaurant exceeded all expectations. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere felt warm, inviting, and authentically delicious. ✨ Food Highlights: • Spicy Vodka Pasta: Hands down the best we’ve ever had — perfectly balanced heat, silky sauce, and unforgettable flavor. • Marinated Steak: Cooked to perfection with rich seasoning — honestly chef-level execution. • Sides: Every side dish was thoughtful, flavorful, and elevated the entire meal. • Desserts: We enjoyed both the Lemon Olive Oil Cake and the Chocolate Cake — both were divine and worthy finishes to a perfect dinner. 🍷 Service: The staff here were absolutely amazing — attentive, friendly, and genuinely made our night feel special. Overall? 50/10 — could not recommend more. The best Italian restaurant in NYC, without question. If you’re looking for outstanding food, incredible service, and a beautiful setting, Amarena is a must-visit!

Had a wonderful time with friends yesterday! Every single dish was absolutely phenomenal, from bread basket to pasta to desserts, we loved all of them, and the service was prompt and attentive. But $90 for a small plate of white truffle pasta and $45 for another small plate of lobster pasta? Probably not so worth it.

Food was good but the experience felt stressful. They sat a very loud group next to me even though it was a slow night with plenty of open tables. It’s the kind of loud behavior that gives Americans a bad reputation in Europe. The bread table with olive oil dip was excellent, and the mocktail selection was surprisingly strong. Burrata desperately needed salt. Cavatelli al Granchio was bright and perfectly al dente, but the Campanelle alla Vodka was disappointingly overcooked and mushy. Desserts — panna cotta and olive oil cake — were standard meh.

I loved Amarena! Everything was great from the food, drinks, decor, service. The Amarena spritz was so good (and I'm not an Aperol fan). The vintage yet modern upscale decor was lovely. Upstairs and downstairs, but good to have a reservation.

The loveliest birthday dinner we’ve ever had. We came here for my friends birthday and Jorge was absolutely amazing. He treated us so well the whole night! Our food was delicious but the service is what made this place stand out. Our server Jorge was such a delightful person, he laughed with us and made jokes the whole night, brought the birthday girl gelato with a candle and gave us all post cards at the end of the meal. Such a lovely restaurant with extremely kind people working there, will definitely be back again.

Such a nice neighborhood spot! We had the arancini (7/10), the burrata, (8/10), the tuna tartare special (10/10), the carbonara (7/10), the campanelle alla vodka (9/10), the tiramisu sundae (7/10) and the chocolate cake (8/10). Pretty solid across the board, didn’t have anything I didn’t like but the clear stand out was the tuna tartare special and the campanelle. Such a pretty restaurant too!

Honestly not sure why this place doesn't have a higher review. It's fabulous. Perfect ambiance, location, lighting, service, and food is exceptional. Even the bathrooms are lovely. I hesitated going in because of the other, not so kind, reviews, but I always like to judge for myself. We went out on a Friday evening to just have a few cocktails and a few apps. We stumbled upon this place, and couldn't have been happier with the find. The place is sexy. Perfect for a date night. The bar seating is inviting, with plush velvet seats and a nice back, and hooks under the counter, which is always appreciated. There is a dining area on the first floor and then another upstairs. Seems the place is pretty hopping for dinner; so a reservation is probably best. I saw many walk ins and plenty of bar seating, though the bar got full fast while we were there. Lots of nice cocktails. Francisco and Frennie at the bar are excellent bartenders and worked together so well. Watching them was an art. They gave great recommendations, were pleasant and worked with speed. We had a margarita pizza to start. I kept my expectations low but was blown away. Very thin crunchy crust, sauce was fresh and rich with flavor, and fresh mozarella cheese. The basil drizzle on top gave it a burst of flavor. We also ordered the meatballs. Flavor bombs! I wished I had a little ricotta to layer on them, but that's just my inner fat girl fighting for more cheese. They were perfect the way they were. Tonight we are back again. Just 2 days later and got the pizza again. Tastes even better today! That basil drizzle - muahhhh! I ordered the vodka pasta. The pasta is homemade!!! Super rich and just a hint of spice. The portion was perfect for me. My husband had the 24 ounce prime NY strip, which was on special. He's a steak guy and always has a critique. He was very pleased! The steak came with roasted potatoes. All was cooked to perfection. Also, love there dishes. Very cute and simple table setting. Nice little candle and flowers. Five stars. Loved every single bite, and service was great again. Francisco remembered us and made sure to say hello - so kind. I love when I find new delicious places with great staff. Love that for me!

I don't like giving poor ratings without cause so feel I owe a detailed explanation for this one. Please bear with me as I explain myself... You know how when a restaurant comes highly recommended and you get all excited about going and then when you DO go you're disappointed but blame it on your over enthusiasm? Amarena was not that. It was genuinely a 2-star. While cocktails (old fashioned and martini parfetta) were the saving grace, items we tried on the menu were anything but. For starters we had their house bread, the burrata, and ahi tuna ... all were "ok". Come to entrees and find zilch for a good vegetarian pasta option; all their pescatarian pasta dishes were lobster or octopus or clam based - no shrimp, salmon or any other what I call "normal" fish. That's when I started feeling like we had made a wrong choice of restaurants. We settled on the clam dish cause goodness knows I absolutely cringe at the idea of eating lobster or octopus ... at least I had tried and liked clam chowder soup. Turns out the pasta part was yummy but the clam chunks were chewy and flavorless. To top it all, the service was really not great. The heavy Italian accents of our rather superior sounding server seemed a little too snooty... and our order for second round of drinks remained at large for the entire main course, coming in the end when we were done with the dinner. Overall it was not just money wasted but also our milestone date night, sigh. Can't get that back.

We came upon this spot while walking back from the Met and are very glad we stopped in. The food was delicious and we liked all of the menu choices. They also were able to adjust and add gluten-free pasta, which we really appreciated! You can also tell they've put a lot of thought/effort into the ambiance of the place, and it looks great. The only downsides were that the service was a little slow (our waiter was very kind though, I don't think it's his fault by any means) and it was a tad pricey for the portion sizes.

A few of my friends were excited to try this place out because of the truffle pasta options. We tried the white truffle special and unfortunately had to send the dish back twice - there was hardly any sauce/butter/flavor on it and it was very watery. My friend ended up switching to the vodka pasta which was significantly better. they still charged my friend $90 for this dish when it wasn't eaten which I found very odd. They did give us dessert to make up for it but it would have been more fair to remove the $90 charge without anything additional. I'd give 4 stars for their spicy vodka pasta though! Similar to Carbone but not as tangy. We also tried the carbonara 3/5, bucatini di pulpo 3/5, black truffle pizza3/5 and the meatballs in their Sunday sauce 4/5. The black truffle options definitely stood out over the more expensive white truffle If you are in the area, I'd stop by for the Vodka pasta and anything else the their Sunday sauce!!

Overall I do recommend Amarena, as it's such a cute restaurant with amazing friendly service and delicious cocktails. The vibes of the restaurant definitely emanate the upper east side. The carrots were an absolute star of the show for me. They were soft, salty-sweet, and perfectly cooked. The pastas were good (and they offer a gluten free pasta shape which is perfect) but the portions were a bit too small for the price we paid. I sadly left feeling pretty hungry.

Went there tonight for 3rd time in 6 weeks. Food is incredible! Truly innovative & amazing. Service is not great & they rush you out. It's not a good feeling to be fast tracked constantly. If they can get the team together it should succeed on the food.

Honestly everything that we got was really good but nothing blew me away for the price you have to pay. I left saying everything was good but still was looking for something a little bit more for the price. The service and ambiance were impeccable and have 0 complaints about it. The Sunday sauce was easily the best thing we got and I would 100% go back and get this! Come try this place out!

Beautiful restaurant in the first and second floor on a brownstone on a residential street. The service is amazing. We didn't have a reservation on a Wednesday and Anthony (I believe) was able to squeeze us in. The hostesses were both great as well! The drinks were amazing -- perfect extra dirty martini. And the bartenders are very fast. The bread service was a big cracker and focaccia which were both SO good. The mushroom pasta was the standout dish, but the ragu was also amazing and filling. Skip the squash blossoms and the cake which were both just fine. I can't wait to come back!

We sat at the bar of this cozy European-style restaurant and experienced top-notch service and delicious food. Our server was Francisco who made cocktails perfectly and was so kind and friendly. We had the vodka Campanella and salad with hearts of palm and they were amazing!

LOVE this place so so much. It's in an UES townhouse and is so charming with great cocktails and really yummy Italian food. Sopressata picante pizza is a must get, loved the peaches on it. If amarena was in the west village it would be ALLLLLL over TikTok

We live right next door, so it's always great to have a solid spot so close to home. Dan, Matthew, and Megan make you feel right at him. The cocktails are great - Matthew behind the bar can get inventive too which is nice to see what he will whip up to tickle your fancy. Love the Sunday Sauce pasta with the meaty ragu, their stuffed agnolotti, panna cotta, and often their special salads are all delicious. While the food is solid, though I will say, it doesn't feel a tad bit pricey for what some of the items are. I think everything feels like $3-5 over. We have this in our rotation. Even if it's for sharing a dish or two and couple cocktails. Glad it's in the neighborhood

Delicious food and presentation. A little on the louder side but the ambiance is cool because it's so lively. The service is great and the food is amazing. Good prices too. Definitely recommend will be coming back!

I was so excited to try Amarena and had high hopes knowing the restaurant group. Unfortunately I had a very different experience. I educated the staff on our parties food allergies prior to our visit, when we arrived, they were not addressed so we again shared this with our waiter. The waiter allowed three separate entrées to be brought to the table that contained nuts after communicating this multiple times. Do not come here if you have any type of food allergies. I was so disappointed in our experience I won't be returning. Other notes: The lighting upstairs and downstairs was quite bright for the environment The noise level was extremely high. It was hard to focus on personal conversations with the overwhelming noise. The rap music was very loud for the ambients and did not match the environment

Quaint Italian spot that new to UES. Cozy vibes in a revamped townhouse, their traditional Italian fare isn't groundbreaking but comforting and good. Kept it light with a cocktail (Calabrese), complimentary house-made bread (tomato & olive focaccia), and two dishes: Every Day Sunday Gravy (pasta) & Pollo alla Parmigana (Chicken Parm). Cocktail: smokey from the mezcal, sour and tart from the lime and pineapple, kick of spice from the chili. Think of it as a less sweet and more sophisticated cousin to the spicy margarita. Complimentary Bread: Tomato & Olive House-made Focaccia & a crispy bread. Paired with a good quality olive oil. The focaccia was a bit dough-y but good, nonetheless. The crispy bread was like a cracker (a well-seasoned salt and pepper water cracker). Every Day Sunday Gravy: This pasta is worth ordering. The tomato base was subtle and did not overpower the main focus of the sauce - braised beef cheek. The sauce was fantastic - the braised beef cheek was flavorful, meaty, and hearty; it fell apart at the slightest bite but was able to keep its integrity. The pappardelle noodles were chewy (but not too chewy) and broken up into bite-sized pieces. Would 100% order again. Pollo alla Parmigiana: Chicken Parmesan was good but predictable. It is exactly what you expect from it. Nothing new or special about this dish but it is safe, comforting, and basic. The cooked cherry tomatoes were a nice touch. I wouldn't order it again. All in all, I think this restaurant is worth a visit. It's dark, moody, and aesthetically pleasing. The ground floor, with the bar, booths, and limited seating, felt intimate. Upstairs, on the second floor, felt cozy, comforting, and contemporary. I wouldn't say the menu had anything remarkable or out-of-the-norm. But, if you're looking for a good Italian restaurant in the neighborhood for a date night, this is the spot for you.

We visited Amarena when it first opened and were impressed at the time. We really enjoyed the pasta, cocktails, and environment. The servers went out of their way then, and they did so last Friday as well. As we wanted to stay local on a stormy Friday night, this was the best option for us. This restaurant's portions are painstakingly small. Two appetizers (a pizza and a salad), two pastas, and a glass of wine ran us $250+. My wife and I left hungry and annoyed. Not cool...it feels like they're taking advantage of a captive audience. We will not be returning.

Cozy and dim-lighted restaurant perfect for date night. Food is very tasty and service is excellent. 10/10

Food was not impressive for the price. The quality and quantity was disappointing. Pasta dishes are smaller than average. Very cute ambiance. The cocktails were great.

Lovely ambiance, wasn't too hard to get a res. Service was great, and the food was very good. The truffle pizza was delicious but might not have been worth $35, felt like the cheese overpowered the truffle taste. Mushroom agnolotti was super unique and delicious, loved the crispy Maitake mushrooms on top, wish there was more of the mushroom crema as well! True star of the show was the vodka pasta, it was absolutely amazing. Rivals carbone's without a doubt, would definitely come back here just to eat two bowls of that pasta alone. The tiramisu sundae was good, but don't get it if you don't love the taste of coffee, would probably get the panna cotta next time instead.

I never experienced in my life this treatment!!! I am eating outside with my wife and my little dog and the main Chef of the place comes out and take picture of us. I just wanna suggest the owners of this place to watch out for your chefs and don't allow him to take pictures of the costumers while they're eating and paying ,this is a shame!!!

New addition to the UES-- loved ! On the pricier side but the dishes were incredible, delicious, and unique. The ambiance was fabulous too.

We had such a great time at Amarena! This is definitely a UES hidden gem that was bustling even after 9pm! We sat at the bar and our bartender Matt was so funny and provided incredible service. We had the meatballs, soppressata piccante (peach pizza), and bucatini di polpo (octopus pasta). The food was outstanding and you could taste the quality and detail that went into its composition! I highly recommend this spot to anyone looking for delicious Italian food with a modern ambience and great vibes!

I came here for dinner on a weekend. The best thing I can say about Amarena is that the bread is quite good. The service was outright bad. When I arrived, I gave the name of the person in my group who made the reservation, and the hostess said my group was already seated. She led me to a table of complete strangers. When I told her this was not my group and I didn't think they had arrived yet, she couldn't figure out where to seat me. Then they brought out the entrees of all but one person in our group, who has ordered at the same time as the rest of us, and it took two staff members to admit they forgot to put her order in. Her meal came out fifteen minutes later. On top of that, our waiter was just never nearby. The food, beyond the bread, was fine. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't worth the price tag. The portion sizes are small; I'm aware "fancier" places tend to have smaller portions, but this portion size was appropriate for a toddler, not an adult. You can get better Italian in UES for sure.

I was excited to try this resturant out. Nice italian place that came to upper east side. There are two floors. The bar is very nice. I sat downstairs at a table next to the stairs. There was alot of action of people going up and down the stairs. This place was a bit on the loud side. A bit hard to hear the waiter. Also, took a bit of a long time to get our drinks for the first round. My friends got martinis and I got a glass of Prosecco so nothing crazy. For our next round we had 3 different people come to our table to ask if we wanted another round. It was a bit strange. I thought for sure we were going to get doubles of drinks but luckily we did not. The meatballs I had for a starter were tasty. The sauce was a gravy type and gave the meatballs that much more flavor. Then for dinner I had the chicken parm. It was ok a bit on the dry side. The tomatoes they put on top of it were good. My friends enjoyed their dishes.

Had a really excellent meal--this is undoubtedly one of the top Italian restaurants in the UES. First, the atmosphere and vibes: the space is beautiful, elegant, and intimate. The first floor is probably better for dates, and the second floor is perfect for groups, with a more expansive layout, and at least one larger table that is cordoned off a bit to create somewhat of a private dining like experience. Second, the food: every dish was a hit. My table got the arancini, meatballs, polipo, baby crispy artichokes, tonno crudo, campanella alla vodka, bucatini di polpo, short ribs, and duck carbonara. Every dish was cooked perfectly, and the pastas are all made in-house. I got the campanella alla vodka. It lives up to the social media hype and was one of the best spicy vodka pastas I've had: perfectly al dente pasta, with a sauce that has deep richness of flavor and a great kick. You can also add lobster, which I did and highly recommend: it's a really generous serving of lobster (and the whole dish comes out to $45). My wife got the bucatini di polpo which was insanely good (but note, it's spicy!). I wish I had taken photos of the food to share! Third, the drinks are awesome. Based on other reviews, I got the dirty martini and it was excellent and a generous pour. The cocktails others in my party got were also fantastic. The wine menu is also great and a very good value. Fourth, the service is phenomenal--extremely warm and there is a focus on the small things. At the end of the meal, we were stuffed and debating whether to get dessert. We decided not to. Our waiter could hear our indecision, and, after we paid our bill, brought us a complementary cured lemon olive oil cake and gelato, which were totally fantastic. The olive cake in particular was so moist and delicious. I recently had the famed olive cake at L'Artusi in the West Village. The olive cake at Amarena is better. In short, we were blown away by the thoughtfulness of the wait staff. You really don't see that in New York often. If you're looking for excellent food, great vibes, and warm hospitality, I highly recommend Amarena!

Such a great experience. Great cocktails, amazing food, great service, great ambience. Truffle tagliatelle was amazing and cherry cake was amazing.

This hidden gem was amazing, really close to The Met. Service was amazing and super friendly. The food was astonishing! The arancini are a must and they also have an excellent corn pasta that I would say it's their signature dish! Great spot

Wow wow wow! What a beautiful restaurant and delicious food. We had tasty cocktails and the radicchio salad was fabulous. Meatballs were recommended by our waiter and that was our favorite dish! Truly a must-try. We also had the chicken parm and zucchini pasta and they both were cooked perfectly. Tiramisu sundae and Amarena for dessert and they were both to die for. We will be back. Our server, Fragola, added to the experience and all staff were very professional.

Love this restaurant - the decor and the ambiance was amazing. Miguel and Antonio provided a great service to us. Be sure to order the pistachio martini!

This place is a gem. Unbelievable pasta and the service was also incredible. Highly recommend.

We were here two weeks ago and had a lovely evening. The food was on point, tasty, plates are small and very expensive, but we enjoyed the evening, and I thought the proportions and the atmosphere were perfect! I would have given the restaurant a five-star review two weeks ago. We decided to go back again last night and had a totally different experience, but the evening was very unpleasant. We had three waiters at our table. I think one was a server, one a waiter and one who wipes the table down. We started off with two prosecco's and a bottle of Pelligrino and they brought out a lovely basket of bread. Right away the waiter shows up as the other server is setting down the prosecco's and filling our water glasses. I did not even have enough time to read over the menu. My husband ordered the Vongole Al Forno for an appetizer which was excellent, and I ordered the Polipo it was made to perfection. I asked the servers and waiter if they could please slow down, I feel like we are being rushed. The waiter said, "I already put in your order for dinner I can try to hold back but your dinner may be cold most people like their food right away". Immediately after we finished our appetizers the entrees came out. My husband had the special Pasta Arrabbiata with Octopus, and I had the Cavatelli Al Granchio. The pasta was cold on top and warm under the cold pasta. I think they tried to hold off serving the entree after I told them to please slow down with our meal. I believe the plates sat a bit so I wouldn't feel rushed, but we were rushed, we had no time to even enjoy the appetizers, and I didn't like that the server kept watching over the table to see when we finished the appetizers. We couldn't even have a conversation without someone coming by grabbing breadbasket or bread plate. The second, I put my fork down I saw the waiter came running to grab the plates and another guy cleaned down the table and gave us new forks and knives. We also ordered cocktails and dessert my husband ordered the chocolate layered cake. I had a scoop of ice cream. Within 45 min. the server came with our bill, and we paid. What bothered me was there were plenty of empty tables downstairs, even though the bar area was empty there was no reason to rush us. The couple next to us who sat sharing plates were not rushed and were still there when we were leaving. One girl a few tables down sat for 30 min. waiting for her friend, and they served her baskets of bread while she waited. I don't like giving two stars, but this experience was very expensive for an unpleasant evening. Not sure I would return to the restaurant it was a very expensive evening to have a repeat of what happened last night.

4.5 stars so rounding up to 5. I came alone and ate at the bar on a Saturday night and it was so pleasant. As you can read in the other reviews the ambiance is beautiful, warm and cozy -- honestly, it's probably one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood looks-wise. It was nice for dining solo but also would be a great date night spot or with an intimate group of friends. My dirty martini was made to perfection -- it's my go-to cocktail so I have tried too many to count in this city, and the one I had at Amarena was in my top 8 for sure. Also, blue cheese olives -- a huge plus. I started with the crispy artichokes which were delicious. It came with a nice dipping sauce but the artichokes were so good on their own I didn't even need it. The vodka pasta was pretty tasty. New York has countless incredible Italian spots, so it's very difficult to top the list when it comes to vodka pasta. Is it the best I've had? No, but it was still very good. I would probably try another pasta or pizza next I come back. The service was warm and attentive, the cherry on top of a great experience. I will definitely be back.

We are frequent patrons of the other Chef Medina establishments. This measures up. The ambiance is upscale, from his Mexican Restaurant across the way, making it an excellent location for a special celebration or just a nice night out in the neighborhood. The food puts Chef Medina's touch and style on Italian.

Named after the classic Italian cherry, Amarena is the next project of the prolific Chef Medina and the 'diner savior' Louis Skibar. With this novel restaurant, the menu explores Roman dishes with the chef's twists and embellishment. A pair of arancini will run you around $10, with the classic Nduja-filled or an opulent black truffles. Can't forget the pizza (with vegetarian options), but the Sunday gravy pasta with coffee-braised coffee beef cheeks cooked in sugo will sure to satisfy a cozy evening. The desserts are also inventive and can't forget the namesake Amarena cherry layered cake with coconut meringue. Also a little lighter option is the torta al limone, and Panna Cotta Alle Fragole with yuzu-macerated strawberries and fragola ice cream. Upper East side is lucky to welcome another high caliber Italian restaurant in town. Great for a special night with friends and family or when breakfast and lunch are available, a wonderful santuary for a light bite in between the day.

Host did know what was going on.. went to bar ..bartender wasn t friendly . Didn t ask what gin i wanted in drink. The man at bar said the chicken parm was delicious , order it it wasn't . Carpaccio was very small portion. Bar is pretty and bathroom but people go to place for the food not the ambiance. Downstairs was small it will be hard for older Eastsiders to go up to second floor.

the ambience and service was nice! however the food did not wow us. if you're looking for authentic no frills italian food, there are better options on the UES.

Dan has done it again! Great addition to the UES! Chic and delicious. Matt makes an astounding cocktail. Go!

Average ues Italian. Can get better chicken parm at any Pizza place. Much above average prices for mediocre food.

The halibut was delicious! The restaurant is very pretty, with relaxing ambient lighting, wooden beams and sepia photography on the walls. The service was warm, friendly and efficient! Highly recommend!!

Fantastic new gem on upper East side. Same ownership as Toloache across the street. When I think of New York restaurants, I think of a place like this: cozy but with a hip vibe, great staff and excellent food. Took a sampling tour around the menu and nothing missed, but liked the octopus, the Sunday Gravy and the duck egg carbonara in particular. Definitely worth a visit.