(212) 677-9466

205 E 4th St
New York, NY 10003 40.724 -73.9839

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Neighborhoods: Alphabet City, East Village, Downtown

Hours:

Mon-Wed 5pm-12am

Thu and Sun 12pm-3pm, 5pm-12am

Fri-Sat 12pm-3pm, 12pm-1am

Last updated 9.11.08

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Cash

Cuisine:

Italian

Smoking Permitted:

No

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Assenzio

Featured Review

Erin Behan

Contributor

In Short – Light-green walls, a distinctive copper bar and small wooden tables and chairs give a fresh, updated feeling to the smallish dining room. The moderately priced menu includes antipasti such as the Sardinian cheese plate with honey. Fennel, artichoke and arugula grace various salads, while pasta dishes range from potato dumpling to penne and black tagliolini. The traditionally prepared suckling pig and braised wild boar are among the entrees.

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
Try the namesake drink, assenzio (Italian for "absinthe"). The legal brand Absente is served in traditional fashion, with flaming sugar cubes.
ambiance
93.75% positive
  1. “The atmosphere is great, the decor unique, and the food will make you lick your plate!”
  2. “The cozy but unpretentious atmosphere of Assenzio made for a relaxing dinner.”
  3. “Whilst looking for a nice, cozy, traditional Italian restaurant for my Sicilian-born friend, we stumbled upon Assenzio and were surprisingly delighted.”
  4. “mouth watering food, attentive service, seductive music, homey atmosphere.”
  5. “love the wine, salads, pastas and atmosphere here.”
  6. “Excellent food and and a great atmosphere”
  7. “great ambience, comfy,.”
  8. “Went on a Monday evening and although empty, ambiance was great.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “An unbelievable meal followed (highpoints: extremely fresh jumbo shrimp, to-die-for olive oil/rosemary/nutmeg 'dip,' tender wild boar with juniper berries, a wonderfully creamy tiramisu, orgasm worthy chocolate mousse).”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “good wine list, good food, generous portion,”
  2. “From the diverse wine selection we selected a glass of Dolcetto D'Alba that was excellent.”
  3. “It was a nice night and the windows were open- the wine was good, the food was delicious.”
  4. “The wine list has some nice regional selections, but for such an unassuming neighborhood joint, I wish they had more wines under $35.”
  5. “Finally an Italian Enoteca like the ones you could only find in Tuscany, try the cheese selection with honey and a nice glass of sardinian wine.”
  6. “There are many great Italian restaurants in the East Village with better wine lists, service, and food.”
  7. “We went to Assenzio a saturday for the first time with a party of six and since we stepped in we've been pampered from all the staff, always attentive and smiling; even if the place was quite crowded they let us stay to enjoy our afterdinner drinks and th”
  8. “love the wine, salads, pastas and atmosphere here.”
food quality
88.33000183105469% positive
  1. “We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and capped it off with a Mirto, a Sardinian liquor, definitely worth a try.”
  2. “An unbelievable meal followed (highpoints: extremely fresh jumbo shrimp, to-die-for olive oil/rosemary/nutmeg 'dip,' tender wild boar with juniper berries, a wonderfully creamy tiramisu, orgasm worthy chocolate mousse).”
  3. “Vitello Tonnato (a perfect balance of a tuna/mayonaise sauce, veal and capers) and Polenta with Porcini Mushrooms- a very surprising pleasure.”
  4. “Porter- great as well, keeping our glasses full, table clean, food coming at the right intervals.”
  5. “The salads are fresh and perfectly dressed, pastas are wonderful, braised wild boar with cannonau sauce is heaven.”
  6. “There are many great Italian restaurants in the East Village with better wine lists, service, and food.”
  7. “The food is good, but now outstanding.”
  8. “Excellent food and and a great atmosphere”
  9. “If your looking for an authentic, country-style Sardinain/Italian meal in a warm/relaxed and casual space, Assenzio is perfect.”
  10. “Great food at good prices”
  11. “To be fair, I realize I was there for lunch and that the food is probbably better at dinner service when a full kitchen staff has arrived and prepped, but I doubt I'd return to find out with so many other options in the neighborhood i already trust.”
  12. “The atmosphere is great, the decor unique, and the food will make you lick your plate!”
  13. “Good food, poor service”
  14. “The food was delicious, and the cocktail list impressive.”
  15. “The highlight of the dinner for us was the porchetto with mirto (roasted young pork with myrtle) and the fresh seabass special.”
  16. “The food was wonderful.”
  17. “Pastas were well cooked and seasoned, the fish was excellent.”
  18. “Our entrees - the pappardelle with mushrooms and truffle oil, and the branzino -- were equally amazing.”
  19. “mouth watering food, attentive service, seductive music, homey atmosphere.”
  20. “Service is always incredibly sweet and friendly, with a reliably delicious menu.”
  21. “good wine list, good food, generous portion,”
  22. “started going to Assenzio several month ago and at the beginning I was going there for the incredibly good food and the relaxed mood, but lately I found myself going to Assenzio just to talk to him.”
  23. “The food was very disappointing.”
  24. “The tuna carpaccio seemed as though the fish had been caught two minutes before, and the bufalo mozzarella was the best I've had in the city.”
  25. “They start you off with a fantastic bread basket, which includes tomato foccaccia and light as air house-made crackers, served along side sun-dried tomato packed olive oil.”
  26. “everything from the vegetables to the potatoes tasted perfect.”
  27. “The food was all around delicious.”
  28. “Great date spot, delicious food”
  29. “the food, especially anything with truffle, was fantastic and the service is really friendly.”
  30. “It was a nice night and the windows were open- the wine was good, the food was delicious.”
menu variety
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “To be fair, I realize I was there for lunch and that the food is probbably better at dinner service when a full kitchen staff has arrived and prepped, but I doubt I'd return to find out with so many other options in the neighborhood i already trust.”
  2. “The wine list has some nice regional selections, but for such an unassuming neighborhood joint, I wish they had more wines under $35.”
  3. “Finally an Italian Enoteca like the ones you could only find in Tuscany, try the cheese selection with honey and a nice glass of sardinian wine.”
  4. “The appetizer menu looked good based on what we saw on other patrons' plates.”
  5. “Service is always incredibly sweet and friendly, with a reliably delicious menu.”
  6. “From the diverse wine selection we selected a glass of Dolcetto D'Alba that was excellent.”
overall
0.0% positive
  1. “This isn't the best Italian restaurant in the neighborhood, but it's a special one.”
return potential
0.0% positive
  1. “My group informed the hostess and unapologetic manager that we were leaving, and got only a rude shrug in return.”
  2. “To be fair, I realize I was there for lunch and that the food is probbably better at dinner service when a full kitchen staff has arrived and prepped, but I doubt I'd return to find out with so many other options in the neighborhood i already trust.”
service
65.63000202178955% positive
  1. “Terrible and rude service”
  2. “They made us feel like at a high school reunion (but only with the cool people from high school, no nerds... )”
  3. “Service is always incredibly sweet and friendly, with a reliably delicious menu.”
  4. “Good food, poor service”
  5. “I've never been to a restaurant with a staff that was so rude and unaccomodating.”
  6. “the food, especially anything with truffle, was fantastic and the service is really friendly.”
  7. “My group informed the hostess and unapologetic manager that we were leaving, and got only a rude shrug in return.”
  8. “We went to Assenzio a saturday for the first time with a party of six and since we stepped in we've been pampered from all the staff, always attentive and smiling; even if the place was quite crowded they let us stay to enjoy our afterdinner drinks and th”
  9. “Our charming and extremely friendly waiter topped off the whole experience, and as much as we want to keep it our secret, it was too great to do so.”
  10. “Our waiter was very knowledgeable and personable.”
  11. “There are many great Italian restaurants in the East Village with better wine lists, service, and food.”
  12. “The manager was incredibly rude, unprofessional, and unapologetic and we finally had to walk out.”
  13. “To be fair, I realize I was there for lunch and that the food is probbably better at dinner service when a full kitchen staff has arrived and prepped, but I doubt I'd return to find out with so many other options in the neighborhood i already trust.”
  14. “Service was attentive, helpful and friendly.”
  15. “mouth watering food, attentive service, seductive music, homey atmosphere.”
  16. “Our waiter David was knowlegable, polite, attentive but not overbearing.”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “Great food at good prices”
  2. “We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and capped it off with a Mirto, a Sardinian liquor, definitely worth a try.”
  3. “good wine list, good food, generous portion,”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “The tuna carpaccio seemed as though the fish had been caught two minutes before, and the bufalo mozzarella was the best I've had in the city.”
  2. “When we showed up (without reservations) they told us it would be about a 20 minute wait-- not bad on a Saturday night.”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/17/08

Amazing!

by hmorris6 at Citysearch

One word: Polenta. The most amazing I have ever had, including when I went to Italy. Their use of wild boar instead of beef is incredible (and healthier might I add). I come back to this place almost every time I am in New York.

  • Pros: Polenta
  • Cons: Too far away from home
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/18/07

Great Find!

by fornickels at Citysearch

GREAT restaurant. We wandered in with no reservation. The place was full but we waited, the owner gave us shots of grappa on the house for waiting. The food was all around delicious. Pastas were well cooked and seasoned, the fish was excellent. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and personable. Bartender was very forthcoming with suggestions and information about the liquors (grappa) and wines. Will definitely go back!

  • Pros: great food, great drinks
  • Cons: may have to wait for a table
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/08/07

Best Porchetto in town

by kat65 at Citysearch

Finally we have found a fine Italian restaurant that doesn't drain our resources. The cozy but unpretentious atmosphere of Assenzio made for a relaxing dinner. Under new management, the restaurant is hosted by Massimo who is gracious and friendly but not invasive. From the diverse wine selection we selected a glass of Dolcetto D'Alba that was excellent. The appetizer menu looked good based on what we saw on other patrons' plates. Instead, we had the salad special with arucola, grilled portabella mushrooms and ricotta salata. It was delectable. The highlight of the dinner for us was the porchetto with mirto (roasted young pork with myrtle) and the fresh seabass special. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and capped it off with a Mirto, a Sardinian liquor, definitely worth a try.

  • Pros: Great food with great service
  • Cons: Nothing
3 Star Rating: Average

03/28/07

Excellent food and and a great atmosphere

by sienna9 at Citysearch

I went back to Assenzio after a long absence and wondered why I had stayed away for so long. the food, especially anything with truffle, was fantastic and the service is really friendly. It may be the most laid-back restaurant in the East Village, which is saying something. The wine list could use a little updating, but otherwise, I've no complaints.

1 Star Rating: Poor

03/17/07

Terrible and rude service

by citylove94 at Citysearch

I will never return to this restaurant again. The staff was rude from the beginning and purposely did not even tell me the specials. I didn't even realize until the same waiter explained the specials in detail to the next table. The stuffed chicken was the driest I have ever tasted. The snapper was so fishy that it was unpalatable. The rigatoni with eggplant was oily with COLD mozzarella on top. Our water was NEVER refilled. My friends and I were seated at a table near the bar and felt uncomfortable throughout dinner as the staff stood less than 4 feet away and looked at us the entire time, as if they never had minorities in their restaurant. There are many great Italian restaurants in the East Village with better wine lists, service, and food...I have never had a worst experience.

  • Cons: Terrible food and service

The Details on Assenzio

Place Categories:

  • delicious food
  • attentive service
  • full place
  • great atmosphere
  • very knowledgeable waiter
  • unapologetic manager
  • full kitchen staff
  • perfect everything
  • wonderful pastas
  • reliably delicious appetizer menu
  • authentic countrystyle sardinainitalian meal
  • not best italian restaurant
  • good wine
  • love salads
  • like felt
  • excellent papardella
  • terrible nyc dining
  • not bad minute wait
  • great vibe
  • cold mozzarella
  • great ambiance
  • extremely fresh worthy chocolate mousse
  • perfect assenzio
  • excellent dolcetto dalba
  • nice traditional italian restaurant