Reviews of Grotta Azzurra Restaurant (Restaurant)

David M

The best Local Craft Beer selection (approximately 40-50) I have ever seen and a very nice Wine List. We ordered from the Homemade Pasta section and it was made perfect. Tip is added to the check (some earlier comments brought this up but it is printed on the bottom of the menu inside and outside) just like any neighborhood in any city with a lot of tourists visiting. Great experience, we really enjoyed it. We will be back soon!

Tony Allender

My first time in NYC, we wanted to see little Italy. We walked down the the street and then turned around and came back. I had the spaghetti and meatballs. It was hands down the best i have ever had. On the menu it had a brief summary of the history of the restaurant, it said that Frank Sinatra had said it was his favorite. I can see why the food was wonderful and the prices were fair.

Tjensvoll Jan

Great food. And the waiters are incredible nice...

Dave/Al Football

Ate lunch. Food was authentic and delicious. Cost was reasonable as well.

Charman Dirmeyer

Great food. The waiter was great.

Larry Campanella

Went here for the San Genaro feast and stopped for lunch with my wife. I never met a more rude host in my life! I asked the guy for a bathroom and I asked where it was located and he said “sit down first like a normal person or go somewhere else!” I drove over an hour and a half to get to the city and had to use the men’s room immediately! Then he said to me (a man) “sit here young lady!” I had to be restrained by my wife as I was going up to approach him in his face! At the end of the meal I assisted the waiter with a dirty dish, and he makes another snide comment, “so strong!” Unreal! Food was very mediocre! The waiter was very efficient, but this place has the worlds rudest host! Never again!

Jennifer Palmerson

Fantastic Pasta with garlic and oil, also great penne vodka. Authentic Italian food...everything is delicious!

Gi Yung Bang

Tomato sauce from penne tastes bare

Phillip Tripolone, Jr.

The waitstaff/manager standout as exceptional. The food was equally as good. We enjoyed the meal, atmosphere and experience very much. Highly recommend this place.

Alexander Lozano

Delicious. A must visit. Customer service is A+.

EzE Chow

Seriously good eats and the service was phenomenal. My waiter was Sammy and when I say he was a phenomenal waiter, put it this way, I would take him in the restaurant any day. When I'm back to NY for work in the future, I will be stopping by again and asking for this man. The filet of sole was pretty awesome as well.

Paul Lopez

I really enjoyed the freshness of the food and the variety. My group had the Pizza Blanco, Calamari, Pizza Pepperoni, Pasta Carbonara, and 2 Cesar Salads. All were prepared and served in generous portions. Some minuses: We were not offered bread but it was available. My brother noticed one of the bus boys use his scruffy beard chin to carry a stack of clean drinking glasses to the bar. Not good. Otherwise, it's a splendid dining spot.

Rob Mosley

Don't go here !I ordered two $14.95 specials that came out to well over $20 each. In my opinion the portions aren't worth the price Also I ordered cannelloni,... One was good and the other one seems like it was sitting for a week It was hard and the meat had a very peculiar smell in that particular one Also don't leave a tip as it is built right into the entire bill but you can't tell that by looking at the bill. Also to the waiter who explained the to me why the $14.95 specials came out to well over $20 a piece you weren't dealing with a dummy. You use words to confuse people and with that said I won't be back Also my advice to anyone is never go to a restaurant that builds a tip into your check if you can help it. How do you know if the food or service will be good enough to deserve a big tip

samiam halal green eggs and ham

Food was good afff, are server was nice as well..much love from Detroit

Stinsen

Best homemade lasagne I had! Lovley service!

Patrick Miner

Awesome service with great food.

Todd Lindquist

Great wine and staff!

Sammi A

Very unimpressed with this restaurant. My parents were in town and wanted Little Italy food so I figured we’d walk around and stumble into a great Italian restaurant. Wrong. I knew it was a red flag when a man working at the restaurant convinced us to dine here while we were reading the menu. First of all, the service was terrible. Our waiter was using an electronic ordering system and it took him so long to write down our food orders. Then, the Caesar salad we ordered with no croutons came with no cheese! Caesar salad is four ingredients and if we ask for none of one thing- it means the other 3 are essential! But it was literally a pile of plain Romain lettuce with dressing on the side. The food was pretty good- I order gnocchi and meatballs. My dad was unimpressed by his chicken Marsala with pasta on the side. Besides from the taste being bland, the red sauce from the pasta was On the same plate as the brown Marsala sauce from the chicken. To top it all off, the waiter did not ask us if we enjoyed our meals. Would not go out of my way to recommend this place to anyone, but I’m giving it a 3/5 because my mother and I enjoyed our dinners.

Lee Ferry

Nice place. Good service. extremely affordable!!! Established in 1908. Great traditional food.

Alexis Sanchez

Delicious food and great staff

Cindi Stapleton

Ate here back in November and loved it. Came back to bring friends and The Puller Mike was the nastiest person I've ever encountered at a restaurant. We left before eating then went back to tell the manager how horrible his puller was. Mike laughed at us the whole time. Do not eat here ever. Too many other great places to spend your money

Bryan Freeberg

Price point was ridiculous for the uninspired meal. Food was on par with any Italian restaurant. Nothing special, nothing memorable, but not bad. Server took his time to get to our table. But the food came out quickly. The host did a poor job of suggesting we leave in order to free up the table for others. Apparently we had been chatting too long after our meal (less than 20 minutes). No one was waiting for a table when we left.

veronica gebrie

There’s a whole strip of restaurants with people who stand outside actively trying to recruit you to come eat at their place. My family and I just walked into this place and approached the bar, no one greeted us and one of the male waiters made eye contact with us only to walk away and avoid us all together. 0/10 from me, you’re better off going to the plenty of other restaurants who value your business.

Joseph Saccone

We used to luv their limoncello martinis, but lately not so much!

rob biehl

Solid bartender and very, very good beer list. One of the better spots in the area

Sergio Cilla

Good atmosphere and good food as well. Service was a bit slow.

Emily Brand

For being right in tourist central the food was delicious. Definitely recommend the caprese and pesto gnocchi. The service is also wonderful.

Daniel Giraldi

My family was walking around Little Italy around 7:30 pm and we were trying to decide on a place to eat. A worker at this restaurant was outside trying to lure people in. While we were looking at menu that was posted outside, the worker said that he would allow us to order off the lunch special menu, even though it was dinner time. The lunch special menu offered two course meals for around $14.95 a plate. We decided to eat here. Waiter was impatient when we asked questions about menu and whether the restaurant served bread before and with meals. Took forever for my wife and step-daughters to receive their Caesar salads. The salads were warm and when they asked to send them back the waiter became perturbed. When we asked for refills on our waters, he went and grabbed a carafe of water and forcefully set it in middle of table. Waiter ignored our attempts to get refills on basket of bread. Another waiter brought out my spaghetti and meatballs and my daughter’s food. My wife and step-daughter’s food still hadn’t arrived so after 15 minutes we asked about status of their food. It seems difficult to mess up spaghetti and meatballs and chicken Parmesan, but the Parmesan was bland and the meatballs tasted rotten. When we received check (which took forever to get from them he waiter), we were charged full price for three of the meals. Took another 15 minutes for the waiter to correct the price. This restaurant also automatically adds a 20% gratuity to every check, regardless of the number of people in your party. This must disincentivize the staff from having to provide decent service to customers. I had assumed that the worker who lured us in was the manager. I complained to him that our food and service was horrible. He told me that he wasn’t the manager. I asked him to send the manager to our table and he never bothered to. I would stay away from this place. You’re better off eating Taco Bell or dog food. There is an Italian fast food place called “Fazoli’s” where I live and the food there is ten times better than this dump’s food and a fraction of the cost.

Carolyn Swannell

Amazing food, wonderful staff. Real authentic Italian food!

thomas nebesar

The menu specials were decent, avoid the pizza. The environment, vibe, leaves much to be desired.

Andrew Cross

Food is mediocre but the servers are extremely dishonest. I asked for my check and received a check with a 20% gratuity automatically added to the bill. I did not think they deserved the 20% that they effectively stole from me. If you see Grotta Azzurra run the opposite direction because these are real thieves.

Toni Evans

Make sure you call first. We took three subways to get here at ten o’clock and the lady told us when we walked in they were closed. It was a Saturday night and the sign on the door said 11:30 as well as their website. Go down just a few doors to Lunella! They were amazing and I can’t wait to go back. Don’t waste your time or your money here. Lunella was amazing and glad to take care of us.

Rich Carr

Italian name, and that's about it. They're friendly, fare priced, but the food we had was very poor, bland, and below 'meh'. Two stars because they were very nice.

Timothy Trott

Excellent food and perfect prices!

Roni Goldberg

DON'T COME TO THIS RUDE, OFFENSIVE PLACE. We came here during San Gennaro feast, on Saturdays they offer a fix-price, 2 courses meal for 14.95. One of the courses in the deal is pasta, and their menu makes clear that one can substitute normal pasta with gluten-free penne. Since I suffer from the coeliac disease, we asked before sitting if I can have gluten-free substitute within the meal, they said yes. Once sitting our waiter changed their answer 180 degrees and told us that gluten-free pasta is not included in the prix fix deal and that I shall pay full price for GF pasta. Of course we left immediately! I think that PLACES DISCRIMINATING THEIR COSTUMERS DUE TO THEIR DISEASES OR HANDICAPS SHOULD BE BOYCOTTED FOR THEIR DISGRACEFUL ATTITUDE.

Jamie Dorsey Williams

Food was okay. Nothing great or special. Had Veal parmesan. The sauce was good, veal over cooked and to much breading. Tourist trap and over priced.

Alexander Kuhr

This Bar / Restaurant is in theheart of Little Italy and has a excellent list of beers If you want to chill here or meet with frinds this place is for you

Bryan Allee

Excellent Italian food with long history

A R

Food was very bland and overpriced! We ordered the Chicken parm and fettuccine alfredo.

Jessica Sofia

Lunch special was fenomeno and cheap. Great selections of wines. Great service

Nikki Goode

Went in for their lunch special and left quite full. Drinks were also very good.

M P

Great food. Insalata Mista was bomb.

Rafal Krzysztoforski

The place is OK to stop by and have a quick drink or two but it looked like no one wants to stay there. Maybe because of lack of service that day. Anyway cool interior and nothing serious to complain about.

Raul Ramirez

Absolutely delicious. We enjoyed the bone marrow bruschetta, and the quattro formaggi pizza with a side of mushrooms.

Sunny Atwal

This place was amazing!!!! They offer a great lunch special with two courses for $14.95. They have a nice patio with a view of the Street. Service is good. The food was absolutely amazing! My friend and I kept raving about it as we were eating. Best meal we've had since he came to visit!

Vickie Bowden

Wonderful authentic Cafe/Restaurant in Little Italy. Breakfast was great and the service was spectacular.

Andy Beis

Good was good as was the atmosphere. Or waitresses seemed distracted in spite of it not being crowded. The gratuity was already included in the bill and this might explain it. Overall a good experience. I recommend the garlic bread and the meatballs were very tasty!

Chrissy Frattone

We ate there last night, It felt just like you were at someone's home. Such a Beautiful Place. Staff was excellent. Made sure we were comfortable. Food was Delicious.

Alain Bouchard

Great service! Great food! Very enjoyable atmosphere!

Karina Ruth Tabacinic

Great real Italian pasta (with much more than regular sauces common on New York) and several other dishes in Little Italy.

B G

A trip to New York City isn't complete until you visit Grotta Azzurra. The menu has a full compliment of traditional Italian selections that will not disappoint. My latest trip during the San Gennaro Feast involved a cheese "Pizza Vodka" pie recommended by Dave, the host. It was awesome and highly recommended for anyone on a quest to experience a New York slice. I am very surprised at some reviews related to customer service. The hosts at Grotta Azzurra welcome and manage the high volume of guests visiting the restaurant. I expect some of these "negative" reviews are self motivated without any sense of social surroundings. Not following entry instructions, sense of entitlement, frustrations with lines, and impaired judgement from too much celebration are only a few things I have seen. Dave was the host in full operation during the San Gennaro Feast. I was always welcomed like family, treated like a long time regular, and never pressured to leave. If you listen, comprehend, and follow directions, your experience will be unprecedented. You may even gain a new friend from a host named Dave that will seem like you have known him for years. I'll be back in 3 months!

Easton Westerly

Missed San Gennaro by one day this year so my wife and I came here to our annual spot. Our waiter was very friendly but super slow, especially since there were only 3 other tables that had customers in the entire restaurant. My wife’s drink was super watered down but she ended up getting something different after drinking the first. The food was good but I’m a little mad I paid $21 for a lasagna that didn’t seem much different from a frozen lasagna from the supermarket. The prefix dinner menu is worth getting if you are unsure of what to buy and it’s very affordable but yes the portions are small. Overall I love this place as it is our annual tradition to come here during the San Gennaro festival, however, we left full but not entirely satisfied.

Ann Bushell

Really friendly staff, the menu has a good variety, the food is extremely good, fresh and delicious. The spaghetti carbonara is a family favourite and did not disappoint. The wine list is great, not a rip off and every bit as good as the wines we've had in Rome and Sardinia. It's busy, with customers from all walks of life, good turnover and great atmosphere. The service is quick, unobtrusive and efficient. Was a real find after a long train journey.

Ivana Torres

Every year my best friend and I usually go eat at La Mela during the feast. (she has been going 20 years and I have been 5) as we were walking down the street we meet a guy named David and we were cracking jokes out of no where. He told us to go in and grab a drink so we did. We met another awesome guy inside that we chatted with for about an hour, come to find out he was the owner. This year we decided to change it up and eat here instead. David made sure to get us sat immediately and check on us periodically throughout our meal. We felt so welcomed and pleased to have had great service and awesome food. We will be coming back soon.

jamiecochran46

The food was amazing !! Like butter melted in your mouth

Chris Lord

Typical touristy Italian place. Decent food and service

Zack Poelwijk

I'm surprised to see the poor reviews for this place. My wife and I were vacationing in NYC and stopped in little Italy. The restaurant had a greeter outside whose entire job was to convince tourists to come have dinner inside. He sold us and away we went! Most of the staff we saw were Italian (as in, English was their second language). It added to the ambiance of the place. The food was delicious and the wine was equally as good. The interior of the restaurant is also really cool and gives off a nice vibe. I've read the reviews of people saying the service "sucked" but I think that they're just spoiled Americans who are used to being waited on by American staff (where they check on you every 3 minutes). Having just got back from Italy, I can say that the experience at Grotta Azzura is truly an immersive Italian one. The service isn't "bad"... it's just European. That means the wait staff doesn't bother you. They leave you alone to enjoy your meal. They're not rushing you out of the restaurant. Stay a while. Have a coffee and dessert after dinner. Enjoy yourself. Folks need to lighten up.

Charles Griffin

The best Italian food that I have ever eaten!!!!! Friendly staff and great service!!!!! If you are ever in Little Italy, you must visit Grotta Azzurra!!!!! I would have given 10 stars, but it wasn't an option!!!!!

gemi hartojo-alwakil

CHECK YOUR RECEIPT!!! Waitress did not serve. Snappy responses, and no service! We paid for our check and my husband wanted to leave her cash — so he paid the check using their iPad — he SIGNED for the amount and selected NO TIP. As we were leaving he handed her undeserved tip and ask for his receipt! She tried to make an excuse and didn’t want to give him the receipt — he pressured her to give him the receipt and guess what? SHE ADDED her 15% tip to the Already signed bill! REMEMBER he selected NO TIP. So she was going to pocket the cash and take the tip!! Isn’t that stealing??? Food wise — Olive Garden has better food. Bread was cold and hard — no Olive Oil?? Chicken salty, no table service!, ravioli ok.. but have had better!! Pizza... this isn’t authentic Italian... pizza was doughy and just slapped together! Bottom line this is a Tourist trap. Sorry people. We have traveled the world and have had exponentially better food and service and definitely NEVER had our waitress steal from us!!

Leah Maher

Expensive and staff was not friendly. Was there during the feast but still...

Anna Harte

Always wonderful. No matter what i ordered.

Ric Wilson

Food was okay and so was the service. I had the the famous Lobster fra diablo.

Johnny Cataneo

Great place to stay during San Gennaro.

Shawn Neuville

Had the Braciole and meatballs special and I tased the chicken parmesan, it was most delicious. Staff was very attentive.

Destiny Rojas

Really good food and excellent service! 100% recommended

Jan Smith

Worst chicken parmesan I have ever eaten

Faby

Great service. Went to lunch special so it was not as expensive. It was delicious. Had spaghetti and chicken Milanese. I recommend catching the lunch special. It’s a perfect place for a date, romantic dinner or just to go with friends.

Montana

Absolutely amazing place and to the amazing people who work there

Valerie VIAN

Great food... Excellent...

maira yael barros ortiz

Just amazing!! Lovely food. The staff care about us!!!

Danny Clark

Nice food, felt a little pushed into eating when looking at the menu outside however the food was good

M Soler23

I prefer my coffee black... decided on trying the Cappuccino & the Chocolate Biscotti ... YUMMY

Eric San Jose

Grotta Azzurra is a great Place for New York York Italian Food. Easy to see right off of Mulberry Street in the heart of Little Italy. Parking on the Street is available but it fills up fast especially at night and on the weekends. Pizza. calamari, and salads are great appetizers. Red sauce pasta dishes are amazing. The best part, is they'll make Gluten Free pizza and pasta. Clean facilities with a wheelchair accessible entrance. Public Restrooms. Reasonably priced. Credit cards accepted. We will definitely be going back.

Timothy Mashburn

Yummy pizza! Has a great time here!

Jennifer Pettit

Ate there with my family of 3 on our last day of vacation. Food was not what I expected from Little Italy. Very greasy sauce and not to my taste at all. I LOVE Italian food and found it mediocre. Staff were friendly and food was fast to be served. Just felt like fast food not homemade authentic Italian.

Kathy Gwyn

The food was great and our server was very nice!

Kristen M

Solid food and excellent service. the portions were huge, so you feel like you get your money’s worth. the penne alla vodka was very good, as was the mushroom risotto. A place worth checking out in Little Italy.

Talese Shertzer

Stopped for an afternoon cocktail, ended up also ordering the foccacia. Totally decadent. Perfect for a drizzly day. Also loved the man we assume is the manager.

Jessica Higginbotham

Tiramisu, wine, and atmosphere were excellent. The staff was great, too. A good place for getting out of the rain!

Austin T

My wife and I really enjoyed eating here. The gnocchi and fish definitely stood out. They have a lunch option that is advertised at $14 but it is a little bit deceiving since most of the options have an additional fee.

Cille Andrea Lyngstad

Nice place. Bartender with knowledge and interest for craft beer. Liked it!

Luana Stanulonis

One of our favorite spots in the city. A must if you enjoy a delicious Italian experience.

Andrés Martínez

Poor quality. Very expensive.

Rich York

We ate at this place during the San Gennaro festival, simply because we wanted to be able to step away from the crowd, sit and enjoy a cold beer with good Italian food. However, the pasta and entrees tasted like something you would get in a school cafeteria and it came out so quick it's like it was already made and reheated. The beer wasn't that cold either and as you can imagine, the bill wasn't cheap (which already had a 20% tip charge on it, there was only two of us?).. wont go here ever again. And it turns me off to the whole idea of little Italy.

Michael Nitz

Great food. Awesome service

Kaira Gutierrez

No words the people here are absolutely rude.

Nicolas Lacroix

Super friendly service and good Italian food at a great price

Cherry Jain

One of the best restaurants in little Italy of New York. Commendable customer service as well.