Cucina 8 1/2

The Best Dining Experience of My Life! From the moment we sat down, this restaurant delivered absolute perfection. We started with the tableside Caesar salad – fresh, flavorful, and prepared with precision – alongside their incredible homemade focaccia bread. It was already clear we were in for a treat. Our server, Elizabeth (like the queen!), was the literal best I’ve ever encountered – friendly, attentive, and truly made us feel like royalty. When our cocktails took a little longer than expected, she not only brought us the drinks we ordered but also a complimentary round of cocktails. Such a class act! For dinner, we enjoyed fantastic bowls of pasta, each bite better than the last. Elizabeth even insisted we needed more bread to pair with it and brought out additional focaccia – on the house. Dessert was a showstopper: chocolate cake with Nutella and espresso – pure decadence. Then, out of nowhere, we were treated to free espresso martinis and delicious cookies from the chef. Talk about going above and beyond. To top it all off, Elizabeth helped us celebrate an early wedding anniversary with complimentary glasses of champagne and a bottle to take home. I’ve never experienced such genuine hospitality or attention to detail anywhere else. This wasn’t just a meal – it was an unforgettable celebration, and the kindness and thoughtfulness from Elizabeth and the entire team turned it into a night we’ll never forget. If you’re looking for exceptional food, stellar service, and an experience that feels like pure magic, this is the place to go. Thank you, Elizabeth (like the queen!), for making this the best restaurant experience of our lives. We’ll be back!

Thank You for a Wonderful Birthday Celebration! Hi Cucina 81/2 Team, I just wanted to take a moment to share my wonderful experience celebrating my birthday at your restaurant. Our server, Rebecca, went above and beyond to ensure we had a fantastic time, and the food was absolutely delicious—everything we tried was amazing! The manager, Liz, was exceptional in enhancing our experience, and Naomi, the hostess, was gracious and welcoming. I truly loved every minute of it and will definitely be returning. Thank you for making my birthday special! Best,
Johanny & Jacob

I want to express the outstanding and phenomenal service/food I experienced at Cucina 8 1/2. The restaurant has a spectacular ambiance and amazing interior decor. We were celebrating a birthday, and they outdid themselves with making the birthday beyond special! We had such a sweet hostess named Naomi, who welcomed us so warmly. Our server Rebecca, took very good care of us, and exceeded our expectations. The food was sooo delicious, I couldn’t pick a favorite dish! My taste buds were satisfied from the appetizers to the dessert. The owner Liz, stopped by our table to congratulate the birthday girl, and Liz was so warm with an enjoyable presence. Every employee at the restaurant acknowledged the birthday girl, and you can tell they make you feel like you are family at this restaurant. I will be returning again and if I could rate it 10 stars I would!!!

We had most amazing dinner! Everything was perfect. I don't know from where to start. From lovely table set up and Liz Amazing women she made sure everything was perfect. We got to meet the chef Michael Aiello wonderful and humble man we thank him for incredible food. And of course we had drink cosmopolitan this restaurant is well known for tv show Sex and City. Thank you for everything. Never disappointed from this place . Staff ,manager, food atmosphere is incredible. Thank you again. So much details!!!

We celebrated a birthday here. The team did a great job creating a custom menu for us. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. Highly recommend. The table side ceasar salad was a must have!!!

Came here to celebrate my boyfriend’s 26th birthday it was absolutely amazing and we were so satisfied! We ordered the lamb chops, Ricotta ravioli and a bunch of other courses, 10/10. It was a one of a kind experience you don’t get at any other restaurant. We felt so welcomed and had the best night here all thanks to liz and the amazing workers who made this night so special for my boyfriend and I!!!!!!

Wow this place is amazing!! This was the best dining experience I have ever had. The staff were so exceptional and friendly. We got the table side ceaser salad, which was beyond delicious. All of the entrees were excellent 10/10 and the desert. If you want an awesome experience with amazing food I would suggest coming here. It was my birthday and they treated me like royalty!

I celebrated my birthday dinner with friends and family, and had an incredible experience. Upon walking downstairs, the staircase makes for a perfect picture background. The interior of the restaurant is stylish, comfortable, and inviting. The ambiance was sexy, elegant, and not too loud. I loved how my party was greeted; the servers escorted them to the lounge/bar area with the help of coat checking. I was presented with a flower, and poster that read Happy Birthday with my name written in a beautiful script font. The courses were truly top tier exceptional flavor. From start to finish, the staff were so warm, attentive, and friendly, which made the experience even better. I had an exquisite time celebrating my 26th, and would recommend to anyone for a special event.

I really wanted to give this place 5-stars but I don't think it'd be true. While I love the fine dining, luxurious ambiance that it gives, the food doesn't match the vibes. The focaccia was my favorite thing here. I'd eat that nonstop and would have loved rounds of it coming to my table! I felt the same way about the zucchini chips too. However, the main entrees were just not doing it for me. With the price tag on them, I just felt like it was missing something. I liked the flavors in the spaghetti al limone. But for $31, you get such a small serving. The tiger shrimp is served to you table side. And while the shrimp was delicious, I felt like the black rice was undercooked? At first, I assumed that it needed to be that hard... and maybe it does need to be. But I didn't enjoy it. Again, with the price tag on that dish... I guess I just expected more. It was $48. The tiramisu and cheesecake saved the night. After having such a miss with the entrees, the desserts really made up for it all. I also did like their espresso martini! Not really a place that I'd list out as a MUST go to but something you can experience if you know that it's popular because of SATC. :) Service is pretty standard as far as the city goes.

oh my! what a great experience! the service unmatched & the food worth every bite! The cocktails blow u away. Nothing touched my lips that wasnt 5 star. Listening to the piano player in lounge was a nice spot to wrap up with another drink. Such an amazing b day experience & will be back!

An amazing place for a celebration! The ambiance is great, very elegant with a live pianist. Service was outstanding- Kat went above and beyond to make my boyfriend's birthday a true celebration. Honestly all the staff members were great. They had a customized menu with his name, a rose, and a few complimentary treats. The food was also great, definitely recommend the table side Caesar and focaccia with honey. 10/10 for a special occasion

On Christmas Eve we had dinner at Cucina 8 1/2 and it was one of the best first time adventures of my life. I booked our Christmas Eve dinner here weeks ago before we left from LA. What a hidden Gem, so glad I found it will definitely be back every time we visit New York from the West Coast. The night before we ate at the Centurion Lounge at 1 Vanderbilt, triple the cost but less the service and quality of Cucina 8 1/2. Elizabeth our server is what made this place so even more outstanding. I highly recommend trying the Chuck's Lemoncello Martini it will keep you coming back. So will the good food and the service they really make you feel welcomed here. Thank you again

Cute Italian restaurant with a large venue, good for groups. They had a pianist playing on Friday night which set a nice mood. The service was attentive and kind, the food was quickly served as well. As far as Italian places go, it was good but it's not like a mom and pop place in NY, more American and fancy.

This place knocked it out of the park last weekend for my fiancé and I. After getting engaged, we went here to celebrate and the staff went above and beyond to make it incredibly special for us. With drinks, rose petals, and desert at the end, our hostess spoiled us and made our celebration so much more special. On top of generous service, they were extremely accommodating to my food allergies! Definitely recommend this place for a special night out in the city. Thank you so much to the beautiful staff!

Stopped here for dinner tonight and had a good experience overall. The Aged New York Strip was amazing 10/10 The caviar was very fine as well though a bit pricey. Ravioli and the Margarita Pizza was okay Customer service was exceptional. The restaurant has a nice decor with a old school baby grand Piano. Definitely recommend this spot if In the area.

Best Caesar's Salad. Ordered the pork chop and it was delicious. The staff were incredibly friendly, nice, and helpful. I would recommend 8 1/2 to anyone who wants to enjoy a romantic dinner or a celebration (like a birthday). What a wonderful experience.

Cucina 8 1/2 is such a beautiful place!!! I love the design of the place! On the top of all the service was amazing I spent an awesome moment with excellent drinks and the food was just perfect !!!.

Excellent service and great selection of food and drinks! I loved the saxophone event they have on Wednesdays

I was in NYC for business and booked this last minute dinner with some clients based on a TikTok review of a creator I don't follow. We went on a sat night and it was mostly empty. This is an older spot. The service was ok. Wait staff wouldn't approach us until the entire party was seated so we couldn't get any drinks etc. We waited long periods during dinner before getting checked on, everyone's drinks were out several times. Was especially irritating because there were only a few tables seated. The furniture, chairs, and decor was pretty old, not really bad but it was like an old school banquet hall, not a fine dining place. Nothing was "bad" here. Was just a middle of the road Italian spot as far as the food, service, and ambiance.

Ambiance 1/10 (house music that's not even good was blaring due to a private event and it's like they had every light in the building on) Food 3/10 (could've made it at home) Drinks 4/10 (nothing special) Service 2/10 (we were rudely told we didn't have a reservation when we did, and our waiter was uneducated on the food and barely spoke to us, took forever to get our food) Other 0/10 (the bathrooms were disgusting

When you enter the building, you descend down to an open dining room that is bright and spacious. There are both table and secluded booth that make for various experiences. With all of the room, this is a good spot for large parties (there were 3 parties that had over 8 people at the same time while we were there). There is also a secluded bar and a lounge area. The service was pretty good as everyone was attentive and helpful during our dinner. Although we had reservations, we went on a Saturday evening and there were a lot of empty tables so this might be a place where you can walk-in and still get a table. Our dinner started out great with the whipped ricotta and focaccia. The caesar salad was the rave on social media so of course we had to order it. It is made tableside so it is a cool experience, but the actual salad was not great. It was extremely pungent and unlike any caesar salad I've ever had before. I'm not sure if it was our particular batch or if it is the recipe, but our entire table found the salad to taste funny. The white pizza was delicious and had a dynamic flavor profile, but the cavatelli lacked a lot of flavor even though it was recommended by our server. The dishes were hit or miss, but I would definitely give this place another try to try some of the other items on the menu.

Cucina provided a great Christmas Day dinner for our family. They had the prefixed menu for 88 bucks each and the selections were plentiful. We had the chicken, meatballs, rigatoni and chicken parm along with the friends, chicken gelato and chaos cake for dessert. The server was outstanding and attentive to my 7years olds needs and dietary restrictions. I would love to come back and try their main menu!

Delaney was the best server we have came across ! She was amazing and so sweet, she made my friends birthday so special !

It was my first time visiting Cucina, I went with a friend and we absolutely enjoyed our time there! The cocktails were so good! Unfortunately we didn't try the food but hopefully next time. The drinks went perfectly with the calm ambiance as we listened to the saxophonist, he was also so kind and a great conservationist. He performs every Wednesday from 5-8 pm so I definitely recommend checking it out !

Cucina 8 1/2 is a great Italian restaurant and ambiance, perfect for a date or just catching up with friends . First off , they make a mean lychee martini. 10/10 . For appetizers , we had the table side Caesar salad , so much flavor , wish there was more cheese but I'd rate it a solid 8/10. Foccacia bread with ricotta & hot honey - 10/10 This was by far my favorite thing on the menu . The hot honey compliments the ricotta so well. Perfect flavor pairing. Tonno - tuna tartar 9/10 ( didn't get to capture a picture but it was seasoned very well, not to salty. 18 oz bone in aged NY strip - 6/10 By far the least desirable of them all . The steak had a sweet flavor to it which wasnt appetizing to me . Lacked flavor Chicken parmesan -7/10 Classic taste of a typical chicken parmesan, nothing outstanding. Wasn't the best and wasn't the worst , the sauce tasted like a sauce bought from the supermarket. Tuscan potatoes- 7/10 As a side dish it was very good . The rosemary and olive oil added flavor but overall it's a plain side dish Overall, tbe ambiance is great , appetizers seem to be the winner for me . This was my second visit , and I'd definitely come back again but to try their lunch menu and have more of that foccacia !

Simply outstanding from start to finish. We came for my birthday and they had a personalized menu, amuse bouche of cheese crisps and a free chocolate cake. I had lobster pasta, my boyfriend had black cod with incredible potatoes. Started with the most amazing bread and cheese. Tasty cheese balls and must get the ribs!

I love the ambiance here, the red carpets & high ceilings. Jazz night is always a hit and the food and beverages are top notch. 5 stars

They have the best cocktails and amazing food 10/10 Great ambience and just really amazing to host family friends and work partners.

**This is a review on drinks** My boyfriend brought me here as a surprise. I'm currently binging Sex and the City and he brought me here because season 4, episode 2 was shot at this restaurant and serves a "Sex and the City" Cosmopolitan. We got excited because we came during restaurant week. We had a flight to catch before and were happy to see that everything online said they would be open on MLK day. Unfortunately, they were not open at 4pm like we had hoped and saw. They did however open at 5pm. We decided to wait (for the still surprise for me at the time). The host was very kind and told us we were smart for waiting. He brought us what we thought were complimentary glasses of prosecco (we didn't ask for this, he just brought them). They charged us for them in the end. We were worried about missing our flight with the set menu, so we just ordered our cosmos. They were a bit on the stronger side, but a lot of fun. It was great to feel like Carrie Bradshaw before leaving New York.

Whenever I got to nicer than normal restaurants, I'm always afraid that I will come out hungry but this was not the case! I came with 5 friends and we ordered 7 dishes to share. At the end of our meal, we were all stuffed!! The pesto pizza was my favorite but the second runner up is the focaccia because the ricotta mixed with the hot honey is so unique and it was so delicious - I will have to remake it! One complaint of mine is that the waiter stopped by our table 3 different times to ask us if we were done eating. We still had food on the table, still finishing our glasses of wine, talking and having a good time. I just feel like asking once would have been enough until we asked for the check. Other than that, I do recommend this restaurant because the food is great and it was overall very nice vibes. You have to make reservations!!

If I could rate it a negative, I would. We came for Thanksgiving dinner and it was absolutely disgusting!!! Inedible and inexcusable after charging over $100/pp. It wasn't just one bad meal, it was almost everything!! On top of that, they didn't disclose they were charging extra for steak on their preset menu online, only when you arrived at the restaurant. The service was terrible and they also didn't mention they were going to auto-grat a table of 4 over 22%. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS.

Went to Cucina 8 1/2 for a work lunch during restaurant week and was pretty impressed. The ambiance is very interesting it was down a spiral staircase and the interior felt a little empty but I think it was just because it was an early lunch. The chicken parm was very yummy and the restaurant week was reasonably priced. I wouldn't say it is a must visit in Midtown but it is a good option.

A first visit; vow not to be our last during our biannual NYC Restaurant Week excursions. The ambiance was set via the decor and excellent music choices playing not overwhelmly loud. Service was attentive; not excited about gratuity auto added to account. The cuisine was on point for me and the vegetarian. Dessert was a delight.

Great place, great servers and great food and cocktails! I'm here every Thursday evening! Great ambience and live music!

We are thanksgiving dinner here with a pre-fix menu at $88.50pp. We made a reservation and were seated on time. Two of the appetizers we ordered were inedible, one being a "soup" that had the consistency of thin mashed potatoes or baby food, and the second being the beef dish, that was overwhelmingly flavorful and smothered in sauce. The tuna tartare was great and so was the focaccia. Both people I was with said the chicken parm was good as well. The thanksgiving meal was underwhelming with dry turkey and undercooked Brussels. The broccolini was very acidic and undercooked as well, especially as it was described in the menu as "charred". The meal was a 2/5, but the service brings this meal to a 1. The service was slow, dinner for 3 took an hour and 45 minutes, especially when the majority of the time was us waiting for our waiter. We finished our meal and had to hunt down the waiter to ask for the check. Once the check was delivered, the waiter did not speak to us again, and instead grabbed another guy and pointed to the check on our table and he closed us out. Come to find out there was a 22% automatic gratuity added, when we did not receive service worthy of that tip. Save your time and skip this restaurant, it will not be worth your time or money. The ambiance and cleanliness is laughable. We sat in full fluorescent lighting for over half of our meal.

This place is amazing!!!! The food is good the staff is friendly. Elizabeth the manager has to be star of the restaurant. The bartender I believe his name row is help on picking out drinks. The food was delicious and for a big place we did not wait long at all! I will be back for sure and the water is tasty. The place it self is beautiful for a date night!

The restaurant is below ground level. Seated in the massive dining area, catching a glimpse of your companion eagerly trying to locate you while rushing down the seemingly infinite winding staircase upon late arrival is, and forever will be, a titillating sight. The meatballs. Ah yes, the meatballs. Delicious enough to pacify most hangery patrons and subside any additional negativity. They were surprisingly versatile, too, standing in as a unit of time. To finish the last one and a half meatballs took what felt like an eternity. A tad delicate, so fork them with care. The red snapper navigated the undercurrent well and experienced less turmoil. Underneath the dark and crispy sear lied its warm and tender flesh, yearning to be discovered, exposed, and cherished. The chocolate hazelnut and olive oil cakes were very sweet. Sprinkle on some bitter accusations, salty tears, and endearing tidbits. Voila! Poignancy. Yelp is sometimes a time capsule. In addition to diligently documenting the food and drinks, service and ambiance, one can also mischievously code in obscure little details, the significance of which only one will know. Because quoting Dr. Seuss, "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory."

The environment is really nice. We ordered a few things: Lamb pizza, the concept is really cool, but the meat was dry. Meatballs were very good, the ricotta delicious. Pasta was boring, the sauce flavor was the same as bought one, not one fresh. Chicken Parmesan was the worst. Almost $40 for fried chicken stacked with a bought sauce. Staff was friendly though. They give a complementary Parmesan chips, which was spot one. And biscotti on the end.

We dined in elegance of Cucina 8 1/2 what a stylish restaurant on 57th In NYC Joshua our server & his team took excellent care of us our diners consisted of BRANZINO Mediterranean sea bass,caramelized fennel, citrus pesto BROCCOLI RABE chili and pecorino CHICKEN PARMESAN bianco di napoli tomato,basil, fior di latte mozzarellaSPAGHETTI AL LIMONE Parmigiano Reggiano OLIVE OIL CAKE strawberry, rhubarb with coffee We had a Fabulous Dinner

Came here on a Monday night and my husband always loves Red Bull in his drinks. We were so surprised that although they didn't offer, they ran next-door and got it for him right away. We started our meal with the octopus and cucumber chips, which were absolutely amazing as well as our drinks. Everything was absolutely perfect! Highly highly recommend!!!

Came here for lunch with my boyfriend on a Wednesday & Just wow . The service and ambiance were amazing . It's so beautiful inside, even the bathrooms were nice & clean . The place is upscale . Perfect for a date night or birthday dinner.... I ordered from the restaraunt week menu & the regular menu ... ( they extended their restaraunt week menu :) ) We ordered the FOCACCIA for starters (fatta in casa, olive oil, ricotta, pomodoro hot honey spread) This combination was bomb ! You must try if you go . They provide you with complimentary chips topped with Parmesan which was incredibly good . I ordered the caesar side salad and chicken parmesan . My boyfriend ordered the INSALATA VERDE ( salad with almonds) and salmon. Everything was exceptional. Very tasty and nice portions. I was full did not finish my food ( took food to go ) and could barely eat dessert . We both had sorbet for desert. The sorbet consist of 3 flavors which was lemon , strawberry and pineapple . Myself and boyfriend both agreed that the pineapple was the best flavor of the three and the lemon was the least favorite. We ordered sparkling water for the table and my boyfriend had a beer . We will be back for dinner . I def want to try some of their most famous desserts .

Great place to have a classy dinner or just listen to a live music and have a drink. I was blown away by their upscale craft cocktails and chef driven food! I Highly recommend Cucina 8 1/2!

Delicious food! The service was excellent, and they provided a beautiful dining experience with a live pianist and singer. Not to mention, the interior is absolutely gorgeous.

My friend and I saw this spot all over Tiktok and OG and wanted to give it a try for restaurant week. They have a $30 lunch special and a $45 dinner special. First of all, this place has a retro vibe to it, almost like a 60s glam (if that's a thing). There was plenty of seating around 6 on a weekday. For my meal, I chose the burrata as my appetizer, the cavatelli as my entree, and the pistachio tiramisu. My friend got the burrata, the chicken parm, and chocolate olive oil cake. We also got the focaccia with hot honey to share. The burrata tasted really good - was fresh and nicely seasoned. The focaccia bread was warm and tasted amazing with the side of olive oil. I actually preferred the olive oil way more than the ricotta hot honey dip - something about the warm bread cooling down in the ricotta didn't sit quite right with me, but that's just a personal preference. After this, there was quite a bit of lag time between our appetizers and entrées that when we did finally receive them, we saw a very confused waitstaff approaching our table with what should have been our dessert. We also had to ask for the Parmesan chips that were complimentary, after we saw all the other table around us received them. They were okay. Anyways, the cavatelli was pretty good! The lamb was tender and I would actually come back for this dish alone. My friend's chicken parm had a very nice presentation where the waitstaff plate it table side. I had a bite and it was good, but there seemed to be wayyyy more cheese than chicken. On to the desserts - the pistachio tiramisu was amazing! The consistency felt more like a budino than tiramisu, but still amazing nonetheless. Had a bite of the olive oil cake, and the tiramisu was definitely the winner in this round. Overall I had nice time! Wouldn't mind coming back if I were in the area.

What an experience! I love the ambiance of the piano playing whilst being in good company. The service was great and the manager talked with us and made us feel welcome! The food was also great! An array of amazing pasta and starters my favorite was the lemon pasta and the olive oil cake. Thank you Cucina!

This place is just Gorgeous. The red stairs when you first come in make you feel like you are about to enter a ballroom. When you head upstairs you are greeted by the friendly staff who will give you the option to wait for the rest of your guest to be seated or start off with a drink at the bar. The furniture is very aesthetically pleasing even down to the bathroom. The food and the drinks were very good. Love the side table salad service My friend celebrated her birthday here and we had a pleasant experience. I would love to come back here for a date night.

The whole experience was great. I dined after a show at Lincoln Center, which ended earlier than expected. I arrived at dinner, and it ended up being the end of the lunch hour. The table-side preset station for the salad was not available at the time. My food was fantastic; I had the focaccia, Caesar, spaghetti limone, and white pizza. I ended the dinner with the olive oil cake. The ambiance was elegant it was at the end of lunch right before the dinner. My server was Delaney. I'm unsure if I spelled that right, but she was so sweet. Hopefully, you have her when you go. Enjoy!

I recently visited Cucina 8 1/2 and everything was amazing. I started with the Jaywalk Fresca. My bartender Anna recommended and made it. It was sweet and in no way overwhelming. I had the caesar salad with salmon on the side. The flavor was perfectly balanced. I also had the chocolate nutella cake which was also delicious. I loved the ambiance, which was made all the better by the warmth of the manager Liz and the bartender Anna who made me feel so welcome. Definitely worth a visit!

Consumer alert!!!! Stay away from this establishment. My daughter went here for a 20th birthday dinner for her friend. Reservation was for 8:15pm by the time everyone arrived and was seated it was 8:45. As soon as they sat down the waitress stated, hurry up and order the kitchen closes in 10 minutes. Everything went downhill from here. Service terrible, waitress rude, food not great. Guest were left feeling that they were mistreated based on race. We live in the neighborhood for decades, first and last time supporting this business.

My friend and I came to Cucina 8 1/2 for dinner. I appreciated the parking garage right next to the restaurant because street parking was a little difficult. The restaurant was very grand and beautiful. I enjoyed the light music. We ordered the meatballs as an appetizer which were light yet filling and then tomato sauce and bread were great accompaniments. The insalata verde was light and refreshing. I was surprised by the amount of almonds. The Branzino was just okay. I was not a fan of the citrus pesto. My favorite portion of this dining experience was the olive oil cake.

Food service People are so kind I am so happy to be here. Great pictures for instagram & Tiktok Happy vibe great for Valentines day date.

Amazing food. Proud bartender is excellent at what he does, manager highly respectful. Wonderful Valentine's night dinner. We are looking forward to coming back for live music. Feel like Majesty coming down the grand staircase!

The set up /ambiance of the restaurant is very nice the best part of our dinner . The service was very bad we were seated right away but no server came to our table . The restaurant was very understaff . You can tell just by looking around. We were a party of 8 so you know gratitude is already included. Our waitress finally came to us and took our orders and because we waited so long we were able to put it the order for our Drinks , appetizer , and main course one shot . 7 people ordered the Caesar salad which is made(table side ) . We got the piccante pizza that's was the best thing I had their and the bread with the honey and ricotta . After waiting for another 20 mins the waitress comes to our table and ask if it's ok if they prepare the salad in the back . -____- . You think we paying $140( each salad was 20pp) for salad that can't even be made table side as advertised on the menu. That was the first straw . Second she never brought out our drinks . We finished our appetizer and we still never received our drinks. The main courses started to come out and still no drinks. When the drinks finally came to the table they were warm (lychee martinis by the way ). No ice was given . No ice was shaken with the drink to chill it . It was disgusted hot vodka does not taste good . One person order a beer something simple , that never made it to the table. The food was very basic the chicken parm comes with no side . The branzino was tiny , the ravioli was good . Probably the best entree on the menu . We came to celebrate a birthday we brought a cake and all . But by the time we were done we were so over that place and their service . We decided not to have them cut it for a extra 40 dollar fee and took our cake back home . The bill was very pricy at the end which was expected . But we were very dissatisfied with everything alll together . Gratuity was roughy 100 plus dollars and the service was completely trash. We will not be coming back here. At the end the sent out a free dessert but that was disgusting to and didn't change our mood, My advice don't let Instagram/ tik tok fool you guys too this place sucks. The infamous staircase is beautiful though.

We decided to check this place out for Restaurant week, and so glad we did. After seeing the mixed reviews on Yelp, I was a bit worried, but it was so worth it! We had reservations for 8 pm on a Wednesday night. The restaurant was very easy to find and located right by Central Park west. Upon entering you see the beautiful stairway that leads you downstairs to the bar area where you'll find the host who will seat you. The restaurant is very spacious and elegant. Definitely not a everyday kind of place but, definitely somewhere you can celebrate a birthday, anniversary, etc. The restaurant week deal we had was for $45 (tax and tip not included). We had the choice of an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. Every single item we ordered was delicious. Portions were big, and our sever was really chill and friendly. Overall, it was a great experience, and I cannot wait to come back and try some of their other dishes!!

The Focaccia and Caesar salad made table-side was delicious but nothing compared to the Raviolo Al'Uovo with the yummy egg yolk inside & shaved black truffle or my rare prime bone-in NY Strip steak. The servers & wait staff were very attentive. I would definitely come back to eat here again.

Host was super friendly acknowledged the note I left on my reservation. Sat my guest first-- though I was late. We were given the perfect amount of space and time to decide on a cocktail and then shortly after our food order was taken by a server who was very patient with our table. The entire place had beautiful ambiance nice classy music and sophisticated decor. (The staircase, lounge, and first bar were my favourite pieces to look at). We were greeted by the GM Liz she was so sweet and friendly with tons of energy we thanked her for a great experience and she was so kind to leave her card as we were potentially interested in hosting a birthday for about 20 people here next month! We will be visiting again soon as we work near by! Everything was amazing!

Love this place! Was visiting NYC over the Christmas holiday and wanted a place to eat away from the crowds of midtown and Times Square. This place was highly recommended on Tik Tok and it did not disappoint. In fact, I ate there 2x while I was in town. Special thanks and consideration for Kazi who makes the absolute BEST ceasar salad I have ever had in life. He is so gracious, so welcoming, and passionate about what he does. This restaurant is absolutely gorgeous, the service is impeccable and the food is equally delicious. The first night I went my mom and I shared the salad, the second time we went we agreed that we needed our own salad lol! Also the focaccia bread with honey and butter was divine. Everything we tried here was delicious. The NY strip steak was cooked to perfection which was surprising because I believe only Texans make the best steaks (lol). My only regret is that I don't live close enough to eat here more often!