Sfoglia Restaurant

Recommends

Uscgirl

Joined 3 years ago

The best pasta I have ever had........ Don't miss this place, it's just the best in Manhattan. I went with a group of 6 friends and we all raved about the food and the service.

Recommends

FoodieNYC47

Joined 5 years ago

Fabulous experience!!. I recently met a friend on the UES and we were unsure where to go. I had walked by Sfoglia a few times and decided to give it a shot. It was a Friday night, and although on the late side (near 10pm) I could tell it was still quite busy. We wandered inside where a hostess instantly greeted us with a huge smile on her face. We felt so welcome. They had no available tables, which wasn't surprising, but were told we could sit at the bar. The bartender was also very nice and we ordered a glass of wine. At first we were going to leave after our glass of wine, but the bartender showed us the menu and we were hooked! The hostess told us there would be a wait but that it shouldn't be long. After about 15 minutes, we ordered food at the bar. I got the pappardelle with bolognese and my friend got the orata. Both were phenomenal! I was in heaven! After our meals arrived, a table did open up. However, we felt so comfortable at the bar. The chef came out at one point and even chatted with us for a few minutes. All in all, it was a FANTASTIC experience and the food was amazing. Even the bread, which was hot and fresh even at our late hour, was outstanding! I will definitely be back!!

Doesn't Recommend

orlowf

Joined 7 years ago

Caters to the Joan Hamburg WOR crowd from NJ but NOT locals who they snub!. If you live in the neighborhood and are expecting a homey, down to earth, low key place with great food then this is NOT the place for you. The establishment caters to NJ/Westchester Baby Boomers who come into the city for a great meal. This unfortunately is not the case here. The food is extremely bland (over cooked with un inspiring ingredients), the service is very slow (we were seating 90 minutes late) and the atmosphere was tight, stuffy and noisy.

Doesn't Recommend

uespbr

Joined 5 years ago

Worst experience in 12 years of NYC dining. I've lived in New York for 12 years and eat in fine restaurants one to three nights per week. Only once have I experienced worse service than I did at Sfoglia last week. HAVING MADE A RESERVATION AT LEAST A MONTH IN ADVANCE, WE WERE DISMAYED WHEN WE HAD NOT BEEN SEATED NOR OFFERED ANY NOURISHMENT A FULL 45 MINUTES AFTER OUR ARRIVAL.

My husband and I were excited to try a new restaurant for our weekly date night and arrived promptly for our 8 p.m. reservation. We were told a table would be ready within minutes. It was the coldest night of the year -- in the teens -- and we were then left waiting in the unheated vestibule, shivering even in our winter coats, for 30 minutes. I assume no one asked us if they could check our coats because it was clear we were freezing. The hostess failed to check in with us until 8:20 p.m. We were finally offered a glass of wine (not comped) at 8:30 p.m. and only invited to sit at the bar (there was one seat, my husband stood) when we expressed our displeasure. I should mention here that we are neighborhood residents and were dressed professionally, my husband in a suit, as he had just come from work.

At 8:35 p.m., the hostess tossed some bread and olives on the bar and apologized, and at 8:45 p.m. -- a FULL 45 MINUTES AFTER OUR ADVANCE RESERVATION, WHEN WE STILL HAD NOT BEEN SEATED -- we decided to leave. At this point the hostess offered to get us some antipasti (still not comped). Too little, too late.

Sfoglia may have fabulous food, but it is in essence a neighborhood place. It's much too far north to become a hip destination spot for denizens of other areas. Italian favorites come and go and the farmhouse idea is overplayed, so Sflogia needs to cultivate the locals.

Here are two locals who will never step foot there again -- until, of course, it closes and the next "new" Italian farmhouse opens its doors.

Recommends

nmvranian

Joined 6 years ago

Great Service. Lovely quiet dining in upper east side. Very popular and hard to get a reservation. We sat at the bar and surprising had a great time with very very good service. Actually it might have been more romantic than sitting close to other people at tables. Food was good. Prices were not cheap but not out of hand. Would certainly recommend to anyone.

Recommends

mangle

Joined 7 years ago

Parpadelle with ragu, order dessert special in advance. The restaurant is cute, farmhouse chic is what I'd call it. Choice of music was strange, a mix of techno and the like, very strange. Service at the bar was somewhat distracted as the sole bartender was waiter for the bar diners plus coffee and drink-maker for the entire restaurant.

I think the big deal about their famous bread is that it's served piping hot...Very very crusty and flaky on the outside and the interior is nicely light but also chewy.

The menu has a short list of apppetizers, primis and entrees. The croquettes are okay, they are nicely crunchy and the whipped potato filling was smooth and creamy but the whole thing didn't have much character in terms of flavor.

The parpadelle is very filling. The regular-sized portion (you can choose regular or small) as an order on its own will be enough to fill you up. The ragu is tomato-based with a touch of cream. The dish is sprinkled liberally with shredded flat-leaf parsley and parmagiano reggiano is grated table side. The meat in the ragu was a touch on the dry side, even though the sauce as a whole was definitely very creamy and rich. The dish overall was delicious nevertheless, very satisfying and perfect for a day when it's cold and you're in the mood for something comforting and homey.

The dessert special I had was the lemon custard with sliced pear and crushed macaroons and vanilla ice cream. It's a plate large enough for 2. The custard was very eggy and the dish as a whole, evoked feelings of having something totally home made and very unstructured and casual but still complex enough to make it a treat.

Reservations are probably best made by emailing the restaurant. They're pretty responsive and quite accomodating.

Doesn't Recommend

cleo821

Joined 6 years ago

Sfoglia: A Real Letdown. Unfortunately Sfoglia did not live up to the hype for my husband and I. I had a beef broth soup w/dumplings which was very good, but it was downhill from there. Pasta Bolognese was laden w/butter and still lacked flavor. The dessert - bread pudding which you have to pre-order at the start of the meal - wasn't worth the wait. We pretty much blew over $100 on a sub standard meal that we didn't even really eat because it was so bad. Wait staff was weird too - like they were tripped out on PCP/acid - they just didn't seem to have it together. I know now why you can't get a res for months out ,and it doesn't have anything to do with the quality of their food - there are only 4 tables. It is very cramped. Everytime our waitress came to take an order from the table next to us, her butt was resting on our table by my husband. Certainly not the view we were expecting. It also looks like they salvage desks/tables from a flea market to create the "cozy Tuscan" look - my husband's knees were banged against it the whole time (he's tall, but no Shaq). The chandeliers were nice and one table had a nice topiary/orange centerpiece. Unfortunately, our centerpiece was stalks of celery dyed red. In the words of my practical husband - "it's a joint." I applaud people who try to get creative, but not when it's obvious they're being cheap (to the detriment of their clients). The much heralded homemade bread - well they only give you 1 piece per person. Our theory is they bought the "Best of" recommendation in NY Mag and people are like sheep buying into the hype. Perhaps you will have to determine for yourself though.

Doesn't Recommend

hshui

Joined 7 years ago

would not recommend. Sophisticated atompshere with decent food, but portions are small and mgmt policy do not create an overall excellent experience. If you do not order the specialty desserts with the main course, they will not serve it. Half way through the meal, we decided we wanted dessert, but after placing the order with the waitress, she promptly returned stating mgmt denied the order because "there was not enough time". Eventhough we were willing to spend more money and time in the restaurant, mgmt has decided turning over tables was more important than serving existing clients. I would not return.

Recommends

jordytan

Joined 9 years ago

kEEP THE CHEF IN BACK MAIKING THE FOOD AND THAT GREAT BREAD. If it's not broke - don't fix it. Sfoglia is a great find on the UES. The food is creative and fresh. Dishes change weekly. Unfortunately the success has brought the husband and wife chefs up to front (greeting guest, taking reservation, schmoozing). This is a skill they lack and are better suited to where their success stemmed from (making great plates of tasty Italian fare and serving the best bread around). Bring back Chris, the front door man ( he was tough - but well suited to handle the demanding UES clientele).

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bonvivant29

Joined 7 years ago

UES Gem. The UES (80th-95th) doesn't have that many great restaurants and this place comes very close. Beautiful decor, great bread and well crafted food. The cheese plate was excellent and paired well with the accompanying homemade jam but needed at least one more cheese addition. The raviloi with wild mushrooms and sage was tasty but the sauce needed thickening. Overall a perfect date spot with an intimate setting and intresting food to match.