(212) 334-7900

265 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012 40.7238 -73.9937

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Neighborhoods: NoLita, Downtown

RIALTONYC.COM

Last updated 4.01.09

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Restaurant Equipment Manufacturers

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What People Are Saying About Rialto

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Rialto is now a bar--with a stellar garden patio--called Elizabeth.

ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. Anyone who's looking knows how hard it is to find a fun but elegant venue for large groups in NY at an affordable price but THIS IS IT.
  2. The rare combination of solid service, great food and right-at-home atmosphere is a welcome change from much of the NYC dining scene.
  3. re looking for a beautiful, romantic space with good food, a New York edge, and reasonable price, Rialto is the spot!
  4. highly recommend Rialto as the place for a romantic moment for two, or a large party for any celebration!
  5. The premise is classy but non-pretentious, courtyard is cozy, rustic and nicely designed with exposed brick, summer foliage, with a nice tent over it.
  6. The food here is decent, but you're paying for the atmosphere.
  7. cozy place, great food
  8. The garden is romantic and good for groups.
  9. More than anything I wanted our guests to simply have fun and enjoy a good meal, and Sam and his staff at Rialto did exactly that for us.
  10. the excellent food, the romantic atmosphere, the gorgeous flowers, the wait staff, everything.
  11. Dine here anytime for a good meal in a romantic spot in a cute neighborhood, but especially if you need to throw a private party go here, because it's such a fantastic value.
  12. Our table was in the garden room, which has a very rustic feel and has a very cozy and romatic atmosphere.
  13. For the meal, we sat in the romantic outdoor area where the tables were set beautifully (fresh flowers and candles on the table.)
  14. The back room seats up to 70 and its so romantic with exposed brick and candles everywhere.
  15. Rialto always makes you feel welcome, the staff are wonderful and there is a great atmosphere when its full aswell as when its quiet.
  16. Sam had arranged special flowers for each table and decorated the whole place in such beautiful ambiance.
  17. would definitely recommend Rialto for a large party or a romantic spot for a date.
  18. The garden room is very romantic--exposed brick wall and candles everywhere.
  19. Everyone was impressed with the food, service and ambiance and was asking how I found such a perfect location for the party.
  20. It is nice and cozy, candle lit, and very good for big groups.
  21. Awesome atmosphere
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. For dessert the apple tart was tasty.
  2. Delicous food- calamari was especially fantastic, everyone loved their entrees, and dessert was great too.
  3. And the red velvet cake is the best we've had!
  4. The food was incredible from the appetizers to the dessert.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. Amazing side dishes, and pretty good drinks.
  2. Not only is Sam incredibly accommodating and kind, the entire staff are always pleasant, the food is great, drinks are strong, and they never rush our large group out the door.
  3. The drinks were tasty, the food was delicious, the staff was unpretentious, and the price was right.
  4. We had to order drinks multiple times before being served, and a few times we had to flag down another restaurant employee to bring us drinks, an additional menu, etc.
food quality
95.72999954223633% positive
  1. the best burger!
  2. Our event was fantastic, the food was customized deliciously just for us, even the fruit salad starters were lovely.
  3. Not only is Sam incredibly accommodating and kind, the entire staff are always pleasant, the food is great, drinks are strong, and they never rush our large group out the door.
  4. The drinks were tasty, the food was delicious, the staff was unpretentious, and the price was right.
  5. The rare combination of solid service, great food and right-at-home atmosphere is a welcome change from much of the NYC dining scene.
  6. Good food, check-out the back
  7. Grilled corn, fresh vegetables, and plenty of seafood and meat entrees to choose from.
  8. The food was decent, but not worth the wait or the awful service.
  9. mediocre meal RUINED!
  10. Everyone was very happy with the food.
  11. Good food
  12. Some of the best calimari in the city I swear to God and the steak au pouve is fantastic.
  13. re looking for a beautiful, romantic space with good food, a New York edge, and reasonable price, Rialto is the spot!
  14. The food here is decent, but you're paying for the atmosphere.
  15. For the meal, we sat in the romantic outdoor area where the tables were set beautifully (fresh flowers and candles on the table.)
  16. Service was great, food was delicious and the chianti almost poured itself.
  17. The food was good and the portions were big.
  18. Dine here anytime for a good meal in a romantic spot in a cute neighborhood, but especially if you need to throw a private party go here, because it's such a fantastic value.
  19. The food is excellent.
  20. More than anything I wanted our guests to simply have fun and enjoy a good meal, and Sam and his staff at Rialto did exactly that for us.
  21. For my friend's birthday this weekend we went to Rialto - had a reasonably good meal, but literally gasped when we recieved the bill, which totaled about $200 for four people.
  22. Everyone was impressed with the food, service and ambiance and was asking how I found such a perfect location for the party.
  23. and the fries are great too.
  24. The food was great and extremely reasonably priced and the service impeccable.
  25. the excellent food, the romantic atmosphere, the gorgeous flowers, the wait staff, everything.
  26. For dessert the apple tart was tasty.
  27. cozy place, great food
  28. Our favourite appetizer was the Rialto chopped salad, which was well balanced with balsamic vinegar and was sufficient for two people.
  29. The food is good, there was something for everyone, and it is an incredible value.
  30. The service was excellent, the food delicious, and the restaurant itself was gorgeous!
  31. As for the food, all the dishes were tasty, but the hits of the night were the Mt. Everest sized plate of calamari with chipotle sauce, bruschetta with fresh shaved parmeggiano and basil, tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes (soooo good), and the pork chop (w
  32. The food was incredible from the appetizers to the dessert.
  33. The serivce is so friendly and the food is execellent.
  34. The pork chops is delicious, as is the tuna and mashed potatoes!
  35. Delicous food- calamari was especially fantastic, everyone loved their entrees, and dessert was great too.
  36. Diverse menu - from great burgers to.
  37. Service was excellent, and although the food took a while to appear the wait staff handled the situation with grace, and everyone went home happy.
  38. Amazing side dishes, and pretty good drinks.
  39. You can count on Rialto for friendly staff, excellent service, warm environment, huge portions, great meal, happy customers and in general a great vibe.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. Diverse menu - from great burgers to.
  2. But what makes it the best is the cocktail menu - there is something for everyone.
  3. We had to order drinks multiple times before being served, and a few times we had to flag down another restaurant employee to bring us drinks, an additional menu, etc.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. This is a great place for large groups.
  2. Our guest keep asking us how we found such a good place.
service
84.44000244140625% positive
  1. The service was excellent, the food delicious, and the restaurant itself was gorgeous!
  2. Terrible service
  3. service can be slow when it gets crowded but the vibe is chill and the prices are fair.
  4. . . . so we were livid when we saw that the sangria pitchers our server 'kindly' recommended that we get two of were $45 each.
  5. the excellent food, the romantic atmosphere, the gorgeous flowers, the wait staff, everything.
  6. Not only is Sam incredibly accommodating and kind, the entire staff are always pleasant, the food is great, drinks are strong, and they never rush our large group out the door.
  7. recently hosted a surprise party for 25 people at Rialto and it was above and beyond what I expected - everything was perfect.
  8. For my friend's birthday this weekend we went to Rialto - had a reasonably good meal, but literally gasped when we recieved the bill, which totaled about $200 for four people.
  9. Rialto always makes you feel welcome, the staff are wonderful and there is a great atmosphere when its full aswell as when its quiet.
  10. Staff was very friendly too.
  11. We do NOT recommend this restaurant which was also completely empty during our Saturday night dinner, and clearly has smooth-talking, greedy servers out to make as much as possible off of unsuspecting customers.
  12. Service was excellent, and although the food took a while to appear the wait staff handled the situation with grace, and everyone went home happy.
  13. The service was good with no hint of attitude.
  14. The food was great and extremely reasonably priced and the service impeccable.
  15. The staff were so attentive.
  16. The food was decent, but not worth the wait or the awful service.
  17. More than anything I wanted our guests to simply have fun and enjoy a good meal, and Sam and his staff at Rialto did exactly that for us.
  18. You can count on Rialto for friendly staff, excellent service, warm environment, huge portions, great meal, happy customers and in general a great vibe.
  19. Sam and his excellent staff did whatever it took to make this event a smashing success--he told us not to worry about anything, just to show up and enjoy!
  20. The tables were crowded together, it was too loud, and the service was the worst I've encountered in the city.
  21. Sam is super nice and accommodating and he and his staff did a great job from working with us on pre-event planning, set up, service, price and presentation.
  22. The rare combination of solid service, great food and right-at-home atmosphere is a welcome change from much of the NYC dining scene.
  23. We sat out back and had great service, were never rushed.
  24. Our favourite appetizer was the Rialto chopped salad, which was well balanced with balsamic vinegar and was sufficient for two people.
  25. The serivce is so friendly and the food is execellent.
  26. The drinks were tasty, the food was delicious, the staff was unpretentious, and the price was right.
  27. Everyone was impressed with the food, service and ambiance and was asking how I found such a perfect location for the party.
  28. The owner and staff went out of their way to make everything perfect.
  29. The staff were very attentive and Mario was a great bartender-ask him to mix you something hot.
  30. We cannot praise the management and staff enough for their support.
value
82.22000122070312% positive
  1. Anyone who's looking knows how hard it is to find a fun but elegant venue for large groups in NY at an affordable price but THIS IS IT.
  2. am a huge corner bistro fan but rialto beats, especially since there is rarely a wait and it doesn't get nearly as smokey.
  3. The drinks were tasty, the food was delicious, the staff was unpretentious, and the price was right.
  4. It is definitely a good value for your money.
  5. The food was good and the portions were big.
  6. Dine here anytime for a good meal in a romantic spot in a cute neighborhood, but especially if you need to throw a private party go here, because it's such a fantastic value.
  7. The food was decent, but not worth the wait or the awful service.
  8. Great foods at very fair prices.
  9. Sam is super nice and accommodating and he and his staff did a great job from working with us on pre-event planning, set up, service, price and presentation.
  10. You can count on Rialto for friendly staff, excellent service, warm environment, huge portions, great meal, happy customers and in general a great vibe.
  11. re looking for a beautiful, romantic space with good food, a New York edge, and reasonable price, Rialto is the spot!
  12. We had a decent bottle of Jim Barry Shiraz that was great value at $37.
  13. service can be slow when it gets crowded but the vibe is chill and the prices are fair.
  14. To add insult to injury it was clear that I was paying the full thirty dollars for it too, whether I liked it or not.
  15. The food is good, there was something for everyone, and it is an incredible value.
wait time
25.0% positive
  1. The water refills were a little slow, but they were very busy.
  2. service can be slow when it gets crowded but the vibe is chill and the prices are fair.
3 Star Rating: Average

04/12/08

Rialto on Elizabeth St. is Under Re-Construction Temporarily Closed!

by Dollarhyde at Citysearch

Rialto as os 4/11/08 is closed and under going re-construction. It was one of the first places on Elizabeth st. before the area took off like crazy. I believe it will open up shortly under the same name and management. Overall its fine. But I agree with a lot of what the other reviewers indicate. For a $30.00 STEAK you might just as well go to RAUOL'S in SOHO. The space is great. Easy to be seated and the covered outside is great for parties. Some of the best items on the menu are the sides. Still, your average NYC French-Bistro faire.

  • Pros: Great space easy to sit large parties... decent food you can count on.
  • Cons: The steak is over priced and its the amaetur new york crowd on the weekends.
1 Star Rating: Poor

11/21/07

I though i was on the show "Boiling point"

by meliaa at Citysearch

Service almost non-existent. food was nothing special and overpriced for what it was. Stay away from the steak. Doesnt merit any more of my time complaining.... Dont eat here.

1 Star Rating: Poor

11/21/07

A mediocre meal RUINED!

by ciarank at Citysearch

I'm not normally one to write reviews but sadly in this case I feel I have no choice. I have to warn you all... Its too late for me, save yourselves!!

I recently took my Girlfriend to Rialto for Dinner on her birthday. It started off fine. We ordered a bottle of Chianti and had some decent appetizers but there the good times abruptly came to a end. For our entres my girlfriend ordered a pasta dish and I ordered the Pepper steak.. medium rare. Now I'm not one to send food back (those of you who've seen 'Road Trip' will understand) but this was a $30 steak so when it came out well done, dry and pityful I politely explained to the waiter that it wasn't how I'd ordered in the hope I guess of getting a medium rare steak in its place. Not to be. He took my plate away without a word or warning. 20 minutes later after prancing around the restaurant and polishing a few glasses he finally came back and told me that there was nothing they could do but that if I wanted I could get a bowl of Sorbet on the house... F* the Sorbet, Wheres my steak?!?!

So, Not only did they refuse to make good and give me what I ordered but now they had my steak I wasn't getting it back. To add insult to injury it was clear that I was paying the full thirty dollars for it too, whether I liked it or not. Under normal circumstances I would have made a scene at this point but it was my girlfriends birthday and I wasn't about to let this spoil it. We paid our bill and left with a horrible taste in out mouths. I will never go back.

* = Forget

  • Pros: Location- its close to some pretty good restaurants
  • Cons: They are uninterested in pleasing the customer
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/07/07

Beware of sneaky waitstaff and ($45/pitcher) sangria

by jfs186 at Citysearch

For my friend's birthday this weekend we went to Rialto - had a reasonably good meal, but literally gasped when we recieved the bill, which totaled about $200 for four people. Our dinner entrees were approximately $15 each . . . so we were livid when we saw that the sangria pitchers our server 'kindly' recommended that we get two of were $45 each. They had just swindled $90 out of us for watered-down fruit juice which could barely qualify as sangria and even after two pitchers, gave none of us the desired birthday celebration buzz, but instead stopped it before it started. We do NOT recommend this restaurant which was also completely empty during our Saturday night dinner, and clearly has smooth-talking, greedy servers out to make as much as possible off of unsuspecting customers.

  • Cons: horrible waitstaff and prices
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/09/07

Fantastic Food, Great Service - For Both Dinner and Parties

by danpor at Citysearch

My wife and I had our wedding/first year anniversary party at Rialto and the restaurant did a fantastic job! We cannot praise the management and staff enough for their support. The service was excellent, the food delicious, and the restaurant itself was gorgeous! Sam, the owner, was particularly supportive and really pulled off a wonderful evening that we will always remember.

We've also been there for dinner a number of times. The pork chops is delicious, as is the tuna and mashed potatoes! Risotto was moist and flavorful. And the red velvet cake is the best we've had!

We cannot speak highly enough of the whole joint!!!

The Details on Rialto

Place Categories:

  • good food
  • love place
  • excellent wait staff
  • incredible sam
  • great atmosphere
  • good meal
  • perfect everything
  • incredible value
  • romantic spot
  • great garden space
  • recommended highly
  • never perfect dining experience
  • tasty drinks
  • great burger
  • very busy water refills
  • decent wait
  • great evening
  • memorable large party
  • memorable event
  • affordable price
  • romantic candles
  • excellent gorgeous flowers
  • excellent service
  • highly recommend rialto
  • romantic garden