Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 995-9559
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- 8th Street
- Directions:
- A, C, E, F, V at W 4th St; N, R at 8th St
- Hours:
- Daily 11:30am-12am
Editorial Review for Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria – by Allison Austin
The Scene
Bartenders, sporting jeans and button-down shirts, pour quartinos (quarter bottle pours, served in mini-carafes) of Italian wine to the casually dressed crowds waiting, and waiting, for a table. Walls in the dining rooms are painted a warm terra-cotta, subtly encouraging a boisterous noise level.
The Menu
One can, and should, make a meal of the excellent antipasti: roast cauliflower with olives; fresh artichokes; sweet eggplant caponatina; and that excellent prosciutto, which arrives, as it should, at room temperature. Indulge in as much gelato as possible--the olive oil version is brilliant; the chocolate is without peer. But skip the pizzas: Despite being topped with house-cured, buttery prosciutto, pungent Taleggio, tender meatballs and the like, they're simply not very good. The thin crust, first griddled and then broiled to warm the toppings, is acceptable straight out of the kitchen, but becomes tough and unpleasant as it cools.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoThose lucky enough to snag a stool at the bar should stay put and dine amid the bar's people-watching bustle.
What to DrinkQuartinos range from $8 to $27, and bartenders will pour samples. The bottle list is a bargain, with numerous good Italian bottles priced less than $30. The selection of Barolos is especially good.
The ExtrasThe short list of cheese pairings are excellent, particularly Coach Farm cheese partnered with superb tomato jam.
User Reviews for Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria
05/01/2008 Posted by creminite
Thank you to everyone who has posted recently regarding Otto Enoteca Pizzeria. It reminds me why I like the place so much and have been going for years. The management and staff of that restuarant treat every customer the way those customers behave. Therefore, when the population of objective informed reviewers post on Citysearch in response to the way that have been treated at Otto and articulate their feelings in the manner they do, it reminds me that those are the very people that don't belong in New York's top restaurants in the first place. I only hope that the majority of those reading Citysearch believe as I do that all restaurants have thier pros and cons and that this is a great forum to list them responsibly, despite how many reviewers do not. Sure Otto is loud and energetic. It's filled with people enjoying the food, wine and atmosphere while benefiting from the management asking the proper customers to leave and not return so that all might have a more pleasant expereience. Thank you to Citysearch as well for allowing such disgruntled patrons a forum to enjoy each other's company.
04/30/2008 Posted by RawBare
Very bad place for everything. So noisy, very bad hostess (she should learn how to live as a better human being...! or try not working for few days every 28 days... periodically...!). Maybe the crew should fire the owner or manager... Yes, it's often the boss' fault when the work environment / cultur is negative but in any case you don't treat people/customers like criminals or cattle... I'm really surprise how a place like that is called "restaurant"; they have no clue what a restaurant ought to be. In France they call that kind of place; "Hall for cows". You can see that they organize a biiiig bar area (who actually looks like a cowshed) so, even you reserve and there are free tables in the dinner room, you have to wait one hour so, here we go; you spend a lot of money for poor drinks. THEN I had to fight and scream to the hostess (because it's so noisy and you are finally mad to wait in this so LOUD hall) to get seated. (I am not done yet!... continue to read!) So we never got seated and we were told to get back in line to wait for a table with walk-ins though we had a reservation. Fortunately we left without testing their food. I say "fortunately" cuz since that bad experience two weeks ago, I talked about it to all my friends and some of them actually ate there and really didn't like the food! Wow even better... Unbelievable. I spent my time to write that but it's worth it. Unacceptable. If they were in the medical field, that place would be close immediately and some guys send to jail. Well, maybe..... It is unacceptable. I can't wait to see that place closed. I put one star cuz it's well located for the next business there. If you're around, go check the noise, the bar area trick and before you become a cow (am joking) ha ha ha ! and be attacked by the hostess, leave and do what we did by chance, just go half block away in 8th Str. toward West and eat in this amazing, original, great Japanese restaurant: Sushi Yawa 25 W. 8th Str. Ph.: 212 253-9888
Cons: Otto = Zero
