Ristorante Tello

(212) 691-8696

198 8th Ave. (20th St)
New York, NY 10011 40.743459 -73.99982

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Neighborhoods: Chelsea, Midtown

chelseadining.com/tello/index…

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining, Date Spot, Special Occasion Dining, Brunch, Outdoor Dining

Cuisine:

Seafood, Italian

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About Ristorante Tello

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Old-World Italian restaurant complete with red-checker tableclothes serves up classic dinner dishes, nightly specials and weekend brunch. Delivery also available.

Editor's Tips

When to Go:
Head over between 11am and 4pm on weekends for prix fixe brunch--which features a lengthy menu and a free drink.
Save Money:
Book your reservation online to receive discounts on your meal.
The Extras:
The restaurant is also available for private parties. Call to inquire.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. its cute cozy and TASTY!
  2. Lovely warm ambiance, great food.
  3. The atmosphere looked cozy and not too formal so if our group couldn?
  4. People having a good time,laughing,romantic,holding hands,waiters saying good nite to their customers,whats wrong with that?
  5. Hungry, cold & in need of a hot meal & a good drink, we were immediately drawn to Tello's inviting warmth & cozy atmosphere.
  6. The atmosphere is perfect and romantic.
  7. The restaurant has a very warm, comfortable, friendly ambience and the the wait staff is exceptional, especially Greg.
  8. Great atmosphere and fine food and drinks.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. The cheesecake was very good to.
  2. The people I dined with all enjoyed their meals, and I LOVED their chocolate mousse.
drinks
68.75% positive
  1. Hungry, cold & in need of a hot meal & a good drink, we were immediately drawn to Tello's inviting warmth & cozy atmosphere.
  2. On Tuesday night, I had the mussels in white wine sauce & garlic as an appetizer - big bowl full of succulent mussels steamed just right.
  3. The wine was very good to,for a pouring wine by the glass.
  4. The bar was busy and the bartender Ryan was great and cute.
  5. the place was full,people waiting at the bar.
  6. Wines by the glass were good as well, but cocktails were sub-par: a cosmo was overly sweet & a martini far too 'wet'.
  7. came into the restaurant on a busy Saturday night and was hit first by 20 minutes wait and the small wine bar was full.
  8. Great atmosphere and fine food and drinks.
food quality
90.0% positive
  1. it was a delicious meal and we were all in our seats just before the curtains went up!
  2. The garlic bread was crispy and flavorful with out a huge smelly blast of garlic!
  3. They do a mean penne and meatballs in a delicious, velvety ragout that I have a hard time resisting.
  4. The food was great the shrimp fradivolo was fab and the gnocchi was delicious they were decent in size (not huge which is fine by me).
  5. Charming place but the food not as good as Mom's
  6. Not a great start but I had heard great things about Tello's. The Brazilian bartender who greeted us was exceptionally kind and attentive and we had the most delicious cosmo I've ever tried.
  7. The food and service was better then I would have expected for a less expensive restaurant.
  8. Hungry, cold & in need of a hot meal & a good drink, we were immediately drawn to Tello's inviting warmth & cozy atmosphere.
  9. The food is so so good and the staff is lovely.
  10. The food is excellent!
  11. Our dishes - Linguine Di Mare & Chicken Tello - were terrific.
  12. The food is good, with ample servings, but if I had known we'd be seated separetly, I would have made reservations else where.
  13. Affordable, tasty Italian.
  14. am a huge fan of seafood and fish and their Salmon dish is very delicious.
  15. We were just too pleased and appreciative of all the effort that the restaurant chefs and waiters put in to give us a great meal in the short time we had ?
  16. The food is good but dinner at a hefty price is meant to be enjoyable.
  17. must go if you enjoy Italian food.
  18. The Italian bread was crusty, soft & fresh, albeit accompanied by rock-hard, cold butter.
  19. Their dishes are entertaining to your eyes and mouth.
  20. Loved the watercress salad with bleu cheese and toasted walnuts.
  21. The food is awesome.
  22. The table next to us recommended that share because the portions are big(we split two entrees)The food was so good I wish that there was some left over to take home for the next day.
  23. It was very good,the pasta was cooked aldente the way I like it and the sausage was the best I ever had.
  24. Lovely warm ambiance, great food.
  25. The food was outstanding and the service is to rave about.
  26. The food is so amazing.
  27. On Tuesday night, I had the mussels in white wine sauce & garlic as an appetizer - big bowl full of succulent mussels steamed just right.
  28. the food was outstandingly good.
  29. Great atmosphere and fine food and drinks.
  30. The food here is very good with ok sized portions, and not what I've grown to expect from Italian restaurants (I don't remember seeing manacotti or lasagna on the menu).
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. The food here is very good with ok sized portions, and not what I've grown to expect from Italian restaurants (I don't remember seeing manacotti or lasagna on the menu).
  2. website, menu and online reviews looked good so this was the spot we settled on.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. We were seated next to the door,but the tables next to the doors are the best tables to be because of the blazing fire place.
  2. Tello's is a great place to take a date.
  3. This is one of the best Italian restaurant in Chelsea.
  4. This is our favorite restaurant in the city which we eat out at once a month.
service
87.5% positive
  1. This was an example of amazing service and care.
  2. brought many people to the restaurant and every time we had great experience.
  3. Food is always great, very courteous wait staff.
  4. The bar was busy and the bartender Ryan was great and cute.
  5. was greeted by a big smile hostess.
  6. The food and service was better then I would have expected for a less expensive restaurant.
  7. The food was outstanding and the service is to rave about.
  8. the place was full,people waiting at the bar.
  9. Greg, our server, was so helpful, especially since we had a large party.
  10. The people I dined with all enjoyed their meals, and I LOVED their chocolate mousse.
  11. The staff was cool and collected and we even joked about how it could be ?
  12. People having a good time,laughing,romantic,holding hands,waiters saying good nite to their customers,whats wrong with that?
  13. The restaurant has a very warm, comfortable, friendly ambience and the the wait staff is exceptional, especially Greg.
  14. Not a great start but I had heard great things about Tello's. The Brazilian bartender who greeted us was exceptionally kind and attentive and we had the most delicious cosmo I've ever tried.
  15. The service is outstanding.
  16. Huge portions, great and attentive service, and pretty good prices.
  17. Tello has a friendly wait staff & the place just draws you in.
  18. When we were ready to leave the waiter came with a big jar of biscotti and said you can t leave until you have one.
  19. The food is so so good and the staff is lovely.
  20. We were just too pleased and appreciative of all the effort that the restaurant chefs and waiters put in to give us a great meal in the short time we had ?
value
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. and best of all it is super affordable for NYC standards.
  2. The prices are very reasonable considering the size of the portions, the quality of the cooking, & the neighborhood.
  3. The food is good but dinner at a hefty price is meant to be enjoyable.
  4. The garlic bread was crispy and flavorful with out a huge smelly blast of garlic!
  5. The food was great the shrimp fradivolo was fab and the gnocchi was delicious they were decent in size (not huge which is fine by me).
  6. Portions are big, prices aren't.
  7. The food and service was better then I would have expected for a less expensive restaurant.
  8. am a huge fan of seafood and fish and their Salmon dish is very delicious.
  9. The table next to us recommended that share because the portions are big(we split two entrees)The food was so good I wish that there was some left over to take home for the next day.
  10. The food here is very good with ok sized portions, and not what I've grown to expect from Italian restaurants (I don't remember seeing manacotti or lasagna on the menu).
  11. Huge portions, great and attentive service, and pretty good prices.
  12. Food was fantastic, inexpensive and portions are huge.
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. came into the restaurant on a busy Saturday night and was hit first by 20 minutes wait and the small wine bar was full.
2 Star Rating: Below Average

11/05/11

Dire Duck

by dainer

A pretty restaurant, but marred by TERRIBLE jarring music blaring (a staff- member's I-pod? Management -get a grip!)

Whatever you do, avoid the duck salad. You get a lump of several-times deep-fried duck leg so hard you can only extract one forkful of edible meat. This is the worst duck confit in New York. If every other restaurant can get this right, what's their excuse? Never again!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/25/11

Easy

by lcchang221

Such an easy no fuss dining experience. Tell makes you feel like you're part of the family with warm food , huge portions and wine for days! I like to stop in after work for as glass of wine and some pasta. Highly recommended!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/24/11

Hot food in Chelsea

by BruceM

Walking around Chelsea one evening I found Tello's Restaurant. I was single when I went in. I sat at the bar, had a few drinks and some pasta. I met this guy here and we started dating. Thanks Tello.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/22/11

YUM!

by maryvasquez88

Just got done having dinner here with a co-worker. Perfect end to my busy day. Delicious cocktails and enough food that I don't have to make lunch tomorrow! Everything moved like clockwork, we didn't have to wait long at all for anything! Friendly staff as well! Can't wait to go back!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

08/03/11

Feel at home

by crystalgriffith83

I noticed another review said that a glass of wine was expensive. Have you never dined it the city before? Most places I eat at charge $8 - $14.

Relaxed with a sort of Italian pub feel, I quite enjoyed my meal at Tello. The service was quick, our waiter knew the menu and gave us great recommendations, and the portions were so plentiful that I had leftovers for work the next day. The owner was in and checked on my husband and I to make sure we were enjoying ourselves, he even gave us 2 lemoncello shots on the house! All in all a great staff who made us feel like part of the family and child friendly.

The Details on Ristorante Tello

Place Categories:

  • great italian food
  • romantic atmosphere
  • absolutely wonderful place
  • outstanding service
  • nice dinner
  • favorite italian restaurant
  • inviting tello
  • very good wine
  • pretty good prices
  • cold nite
  • comfortable ambience
  • terrific dishes
  • flavorful garlic bread
  • great bartender ryan
  • very good sausage
  • best pasta
  • cool wait staff
  • great meal
  • cozy cute
  • great experience
  • enjoyed people
  • affordable standards
  • big portions
  • good meatballs
  • great drink
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