Inoteca
(212) 614-0473
98 Rivington St
New York,
NY
10002
40.7202
-73.9885
Neighborhoods: Lower East Side, Downtown
What People Are Saying About Inoteca
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
The neighborhood's barflies and gourmands converge upon this airy, timbered room, where wide retractable windows open onto a bustling corner. Think Metropolitan Home meets Tuscan farmhouse: The blocky wood tables and a sleek bar welcome everyone from brunello-sipping business sophisticates to casual groups on the cheap. The down-to-earth owners--a triumvirate of Otto, Lupa and 'ino alums--are generous with wine tastes, pours and pairings.
The Food
The pan-Italian menu forgoes the appetizer-entree format in favor of fairly priced small plates, which quickly add up. It's hard to resist another order of those deep-fried herb-laced "suppli" rice balls, egg toast with whiffs of truffle or polpette meatballs in tomato-citrus sauce. Artisanal cheese plates, interesting affettati (sliced meats like culatello and prosciutto) and well-crafted sandwiches--spicy chicken tramezzini on squishy bread; slow-cooked porchetta with fresh horseradish--invite sharing. Everything is a la carte, so round out the meal with refreshing grilled fennel-asparagus salad.
User Reviews
Giro
March 11, 2009
It doesn't get better than the best cheese selection, wine selection and friendly staff. On the small side but so cozy- I have loved everything I have eaten here. Among the must haves are the truffle toast, cheese selections, panna cotta, and afogado- Really the best food in town.... and not a bad spot to just get some wine!
read full review
whateveruwant
December 05, 2008
Went here a few weeks ago for a friend's party, and we sat downstairs. The downstairs area is nice for large parties, and the atmosphere seemed fun upstairs too. The food was well priced, although below-average and nothing that really wow'ed me. Service was generally attentive and fine, EXCEPT: when I tried to order a bottle of sauvignon blanc, a very obnoxious waiter first said that he only had one bottle left and he wanted to keep it so that he didn't have to tell guests he ran out. He then tried to sell me on other (more expensive) bottles. When I asked again for my original selection, he called my wine selection "cat urine" (he actually used a different word that citysearch won't let me publish!) and, again, tried to sell me on others. After me insisting again, he finally brought me what I wanted. I have never had anything like that happen to me before! Not very professional. I wouldn't recommend this place -- there are much better places in the LES and E.Village in the same price range, and just as fun.
read full review
jay2002
November 23, 2008
This is a great 'brasserie' like place, though its italian themed, in lower east side right around THOR and the rest of the hotspots here. Living and working in Chelsea i get lazy to travel down here but this was worth it. Atmosphere is cozy, feels a bit Pastis, with wood tables close together etc. Never had dinner there but lunch was great, i am told paninis are specialty and we tried a couple. Butternut squash was great too, arugula salad a bit dry to be honest needed more dressing. The breakfast panini with eggs and ham was very boring, i would not recommend picking from the Brunch menu, go to the regular panini list. And it was quite annoying to have so much italian in the menu. I was with two friends - one is French the other is a Spaniard, and we had to ask the waiter so many times 'what does this mean'? My friend, who is vegetarian, ordred something with ham as a result. All in all a great experience and i would go back. Mimosa by the way was giant, and it looked quite busy. Come at 2pm on weekends lots of tables open up at that time.
read full reviewThe Details on Inoteca
Where to Sit:
A subterranean private dining room offers respite from the buzzing upstairs scene, with low vaulted ceilings overlooking temperature-controlled wine storage.
What to Drink:
The mark-up on the 350-plus Italian-dominated bottle list is remarkably low; the dozens of wines by the glass or quarter-bottle are well-suited to sampling. From northern Italian bubblies to southern Italian rarities, like Ciro's spicy red Felice San Ducal, are all available at great prices.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Visa, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
Breakfast, Romantic Dining, Brunch, People Watching, Family Style Dining, Group Dining, Dine At The Bar, Bar Scene, Notable Wine List
