(212) 691-0555

355 W 14th St (nr. Ninth Ave.)
New York, NY 10014 40.7405 -74.0039

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Neighborhoods: West Village, Downtown

scarpettanyc.com

Hours:

Mon-Thu 5:30pm-11pm

Fri-Sat 5:30pm-12am

Sun 5:30pm-10:30pm

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants, General Contractors

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Special Occasion Dining, Fine Dining, Outdoor Dining, Notable Chef, People Watching, Online Reservations, Date Spot, Dine At The Bar, Bar Scene, Notable Wine List

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

Italian

Notable Chef:

Scott Conant

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Scarpetta

Featured Review

Jessica Allen

Contributor

According to Conant (formerly of Alto and L'Impero), the word scarpetta roughly translates to "the bread you use to soak up the sauce left on the plate." This kind of earthy Italian dining contrasts with the sleek decor and elegant presentation of duck-and-fois gras ravioli, simple spaghetti with basil, tagliatelle with lamb ragu, and calamarata pasta. Although there isn't any tuck-your-napkin-into-your-collar, sauce-splattering indulgence happening here, the braised short rib starter has diners licking their lipswhen no one else is looking. More refined dishes like the raw yellowtail and…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
Rosemary potato chips make a glass of barolo even better at the 100-plus-year old Mahogany bar, imported from France.
Where to Sit:
The dining room's fully retractable roof (!) lets in natural light, but the small outdoor patio and cafe area near the bar feel less staid, especially later, when the Meatpacking District really gets cooking.
When to Go:
Skip the trendsetters and scenesters by going early, when the bar area opens at 4pm. Nicely set spots, including placemats and silverware, mean the bartender won't get grumpy when you order food.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The dining room is a true pleasure to eat in, comfortable yet has an eclectic feel to it with amazing high ceilings.”
dessert
0.0% positive
  1. “The desert was so bad that i could not get past the first spoon.”
drinks
75.0% positive
  1. “Started off with a drink at the bar where the service was great.”
  2. “found the drinks at the bar to be excellent with the fresh mixers in addition to great wines by the glass.”
  3. “The waiter brought us, by mistake, a bottle of wine that was about 600 dollars more expensive than the one we had ordered, which we did not realize at the time.”
  4. “Service at the bar was great too, our bartender was knowledgeable & friendly.”
food quality
97.06000328063965% positive
  1. “Their famous spaghetti with tomato sause and bazil is something special.”
  2. “However, it's worth the trip if you have to travel and definitely worth the splurge when you want a great meal!”
  3. “For my entre I had the Turbot, prepared with great flavors that truly complemented the fish.”
  4. “my favorite was the simple and classic spaghettini with tomato sauce and basil.”
  5. “understand it is a hot place to go, but if you are interested in good food, I strongly suggest you pick another restaurant in the area.”
  6. “The flavors were very good as well as the service(the ex Fiamma people were great) but we were 2 people who had appetizers, a shared pasta course and 2 main courses and walked out hungry.”
  7. “Also, the waiters seemed obsessed with clearing the table even when we clearly hadn't finished our dishes I wish I could recommend this place but the only recommendation I can make is "stay away.”
  8. “the polenta with mushrooms and the burrata was perfect.”
  9. “found the drinks at the bar to be excellent with the fresh mixers in addition to great wines by the glass.”
  10. “The service was great, the food was delicious the only problem is I can't eat here every night not even once a week because is just a little to pricey for me.”
  11. “have now been to both the NYC and Miami outposts of this operation more than once, and I can assertively recommend the food, especially if you are looking for some hearty but refined artisan pasta dishes.”
  12. “love Itlalian food but this is italian food with a modern twist.”
  13. “If any of you are after a great meal and like so many, for an ap and entree; don't overlook or consider at least sharing one of the pastas as a mid-course.”
  14. “We expect to encounter this sort of clownishness when we eat out in another city, but we've rarely experienced it in NYC, and despite having had a decent (B-) meal at Scarpetta last fall, we won't bother with it again.”
  15. “Good food, poor judgment”
  16. “The food at Scarpetta was fantastic, some of the best I have had in New York to date.”
  17. “They have the best, best bread.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Very creative menu and great taste.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “great place”
  2. “was a great fan of L'Impero so was eager to try this place.”
  3. “Really great place!”
service
85.71000099182129% positive
  1. “Service at the bar was great too, our bartender was knowledgeable & friendly.”
  2. “The flavors were very good as well as the service(the ex Fiamma people were great) but we were 2 people who had appetizers, a shared pasta course and 2 main courses and walked out hungry.”
  3. “The waiter brought us, by mistake, a bottle of wine that was about 600 dollars more expensive than the one we had ordered, which we did not realize at the time.”
  4. “Started off with a drink at the bar where the service was great.”
  5. “The service was great, the food was delicious the only problem is I can't eat here every night not even once a week because is just a little to pricey for me.”
  6. “Also, the waiters seemed obsessed with clearing the table even when we clearly hadn't finished our dishes I wish I could recommend this place but the only recommendation I can make is "stay away.”
  7. “The staff is very polite and attentive.”
value
75.0% positive
  1. “However, it's worth the trip if you have to travel and definitely worth the splurge when you want a great meal!”
  2. “The waiter brought us, by mistake, a bottle of wine that was about 600 dollars more expensive than the one we had ordered, which we did not realize at the time.”
  3. “The service was great, the food was delicious the only problem is I can't eat here every night not even once a week because is just a little to pricey for me.”
  4. “Fantastic value!”
3 Star Rating: Average

03/22/10

Good food, poor judgment

by dominco at Citysearch

i have now been to both the NYC and Miami outposts of this operation more than once, and I can assertively recommend the food, especially if you are looking for some hearty but refined artisan pasta dishes.

however, on each of my visits, there was something noticeably wrong with how these places operate.

on one visit, after waiting at the bar for 30 minutes past our reservation time, the four of us were escorted by the hostess to a table for two (not a tight 4-top, an actual table for 2), only for the hostess to realize that she had made a mistake and asking us to wait at the bar some more. Another 15 minutes at the bar and no apologies from a manager, no complimentary offers, only an apparent entitlement to wasting your time.

on another visit, my wife ordered as her main course what i had had as an appetizer. nevertheless, my placesettings were set up for the same course twice, naturally throwing off my wife's placesettings off completely.

on yet another visit, when the waiter informed me that the wine had selected was not available, recommending me an entirely different varietal and price point than what i had originally ordered, and not showing up with the wine until about the same time as our appetizers arrived.

i will say that the food compensates for a portion of this missteps in service and attitude, however, you go here expecting a remarkable experience on all fronts, but the ultimate result always finds a way to fall noticeably short of it.

  • Pros: carefully executed dishes, especially pastas
  • Cons: no common sense in operations
4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/12/09

Italian with a twist

by chrisslate2 at Citysearch

Italian classics with a twist. Very creative menu and great taste. Could munch on that bread all night!

  • Pros: Awesome Bread
1 Star Rating: Poor

07/27/09

UNBELIEVABLE ATTITUDE - STAY AWAY

by MindExplosion at Citysearch

We stopped in for a post-dinner drink at around 11:30pm on a saturday night. Our drinks arrived, and because mine had been mixed very sweetly (with one of the three ingredients clearly dominating the drink), my wife politely asked the bartender to remix it a bit more evenly. The bartender gave a surreal, unintentionally hilarious response about how she "works at a top restaurant and knows how to make drinks." We expect to encounter this sort of clownishness when we eat out in another city, but we've rarely experienced it in NYC, and despite having had a decent (B-) meal at Scarpetta last fall, we won't bother with it again. I'm willing to grant that anyone can be having a bad night, or a bad moment, at their job, but snapping at the customer is a loser move and is completely unacceptable regardless of the circumstances.

  • Cons: God's gift to bartending
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/21/09

Great Place

by moorzic10 at Citysearch

Scarpetta became one of my favorite restaurants to go to. I love Itlalian food but this is italian food with a modern twist. Its such a nice place to go to in the summer as they have an outside area. The staff is very polite and attentive. We, once got drinks on the house cause we had to wait for the appetizers for longer than usual, even though we did not complain. They have the best, best bread.. Bread with proscuito and mozarella cheese baked in, brought hot.. AMAZING!!!! Their famous spaghetti with tomato sause and bazil is something special....Anything we tried was way above average. I rave about this place to all my friends.

  • Pros: Everything
  • Cons: None
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/18/09

Couldn't have been better!

by 246mag at Citysearch

I had dinner at the bar last week, AMAZING. I've always been a fan of the Chef, & this visit did not disappoint! the 'crudo' dishes are always at the top of my list, but the pasta, just unbelievable. A particular fave was some type of pasta, not sure, with rabbit & mint...just delightful. Service at the bar was great too, our bartender was knowledgeable & friendly. Can't wait to go bak!

  • Pros: pasta, ambiance, service
  • Cons: hard to get a reservation

The Details on Scarpetta

Place Categories:

  • good itlalian food
  • great place
  • great service
  • great meal
  • knowledgeable bartender
  • attentive staff
  • very good flavors
  • divine pastas
  • amazing high ceilings
  • great wines
  • favorite spaghettini
  • fresh mixers
  • perfect polenta
  • fantastic value
  • poor judgment
  • good first date spot
  • best bread
  • not like meatpacking district
  • loved pannacotta
  • bad desert
  • more expensive bottle
  • great dining experience
  • great fan
  • favorite restaurant
  • nice space