Crispo Restaurant
Imaginative Italian at a stylish trattoria in the Village.
(347) 321-4166
240 W 14th St
(at Between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue)
New York,
NY
10011
40.739
-74.0009
Neighborhoods: Downtown, West Village
Hours:
Mon-Wed 5pm-11:30pm
Thu-Sat 5pm-12am
Sun 4pm-11pm
Price:
$$$
Last updated 4.30.09
What People Are Saying About Crispo Restaurant
The Owner
Crispo Restaurant
Owner
Chef and owner Frank Crispo opened Crispo Restaurant in the heart of Chelsea and the West Village in the summer of 2002.
Our 150 seats create a lively, warm and friendly atmosphere where you can enjoy our signature Northern Italian cuisine.
We were nominated in 2002 for "Best New Restaurant" by Time Out magazine, and received an award for "Best Spaghetti Carbonara" by New York Magazine in 2004.
Food is not our only passion. Our extensive wine list covers the major regions of Italy and several other countries beyond. For enthusiasts, we have a full bar stocked with grappas, amaros, aperitifs and digestifs.
Come join us for dinner in our main dining room, or in our outdoor garden space. It remains open year long. With this newest addition to Crispo Restaurant you will truly feel like you are not in New York.
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
With flickering sconces and rough-hewn brick walls, Crispo may look like an elegantly restored Italian farmhouse, but frenzied servers, tight tables and wait-list hopefuls at the marble bar make it feel like a city-slick hotspot. In season, solace-seekers retreat to street-front patio dining, while foodies observe the kitchen through a wide window in the white-tile back wall.
The Food
Frank Crispo's confident cooking drives this imaginative Italian menu. Start with prosciutto di San Daniele and peaches enlivened with tangy drizzles of aged balsamico, or braised baby artichokes offset with slivers of toasted almonds and parmigiano. Homemade pastas are emphatically flavored, so half portions suffice. Crabmeat agnolotti is sweet with carrot-butter; sausage orecchiette robust with broccoli rabe. Grilled mustard-glazed salmon with smoky pancetta slaw and tender veal medallions with fontina and mushrooms in a marsala reduction are heavenly followed by creamy buttermilk panna cotta or homemade gelato.
User Reviews
AnthonyB
May 07, 2009
If you love overpriced, empty restaurants with the wait stuff starring at you the entire time – don’t go to Crispo! People seem to overlook the fact that Crispo is not a fine dining place, even though the food and the service are too good for the menu prices. They could have charge twice as much. New Yorkers know that even with the reservation they might end up waiting for the table on a busy Friday or Saturday night and they are not stressed out about it. I find it amusing that people complain about 20 min wait and expect some free stuff to be sent to their table. I’ve been to Crispo on many occasions and I have never left disappointed. The food is absolutely amazing! From appetizers I would recommend prosciutto with polenta and smoked mozzarella, roasted peppers and buffalo mozzarella, caramelized cauliflower. Spaghetti carbonara, meatballs and trofie are outstanding. Branzino, lamb chops, pork shank and duck breast are definitely worth trying. The place can get crowded and loud pretty fast, but the servers are always up to speed. I was very pleased with my waiter’s knowledge of the wine list (I think his name was Jordan). When I had dinner with 7 of my friends, the waitress (with a slight accent) was friendly and very fast, we didn’t have to ask or wait for anything. I love sitting in the garden when the weather is nice. I always recommend Crispo to all my friends and have never heard that they were disappointed. Give it a shot!
read full review
ang44ny
March 29, 2009
Great place but htey need for their wait staff to be more interactive. Make your diners feel they are at your home. Not a very welcome place.
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ab1847
March 23, 2009
We had a 9pm reservation on a Sunday, my boyfriend, his mother and myself. We received a friendly and prompt greeting and were seated right away. The restaurant was not crowded but most tables were sat, so I don't know why we had service issues. Our first waiter brought the menus and then asked us for our drink order. We asked if he could suggest a dry red and he just said "oh they're all good" and couldn't recommend anything. Everything related to service went down hill from there! We ordered individual drinks which never came; we had to go to the bar to get them ourselves. We ordered 4 salads/appetizers, one was brought after the main courses and we had to remind the waitress we had ordered it. The bus-boy took our appetizer plates while we were still eating. We tried to tell him we are still eating the appetizers and waiting for a fourth, but he didn't seem to understand us, so we sat with our remaining appetizers with no plates to eat them on. After our food was delivered I had a question about my dinner, but there was never any follow up by the wait staff. When we got the bill there were charges for drinks we didn't order and we had to chase down a server to have the bill corrected. I think the main problem here is that they seem to use a "tag-team" approach to service. We had a bout 4 wait staff during our meal (not including the bus-boys). No one remembered your order and I think they all assumed someone else was taking care of you. The food was very good, we loved our meal. This is really the only thing that made the night "ok". If you can deal with flaky service, you will get a good meal here. Otherwise, steer clear!
read full reviewThe Details on Crispo Restaurant
The Extras:
Parties of 8 to 12 can call ahead to reserve the wood-encased private nook, flanked with plush banquettes, gilded ornamentation and stained glass details, at no extra charge.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Diners Club, Visa, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
Romantic Dining, Outdoor Dining, Private Rooms, People Watching, Group Dining
Cuisine:
Message from Crispo Restaurant
- Fine Dining
- In the heart of Chelsea
- Bar
Chef and owner Frank Crispo opened Crispo Restaurant in the heart of Chelsea and the West Village in the summer of 2002.
Our 150 seats create a lively, warm and friendly atmosphere where you can enjoy our signature Northern Italian cuisine.
We were nominated in 2002 for "Best New Restaurant" by Time Out magazine, and received an award for "Best Spaghetti Carbonara" by New York Magazine in 2004.
Food is not our only passion. Our extensive wine list covers the major regions of Italy and several other countries beyond. For enthusiasts, we have a full bar stocked with grappas, amaros, aperitifs and digestifs.
Come join us for dinner in our main dining room, or in our outdoor garden space. It remains open year long. With this newest addition to Crispo Restaurant you will truly feel like you are not in New York.
