Da Umberto's Restaurant

The Scene – Da Umberto, with its bold fire engine-red exterior, is one of the most boisterous, male-dominated restaurants in downtown New York. Decor, unfortunately, is a weak point--there's an exposed air-conditioning duct and press-board ceiling offset by marble floors. Italian conversation fills the room, and waiters will occasionally speak it exclusively to guests. – – The Food – Simple preparations, using only fresh ingredients, are the hallmarks of owner Umberto Assante's philosophy. Winners include lush portobello mushrooms served with hard polenta in…

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User Reviews (22)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“When food alchemy exists on every corner in NYC, it would seem imperative that Da Umberto have great atmosphere, service, prices AND food to justify coming to such a trite Italian venue.” “great for romantic dinner dates!” “The decor is pleasant enough, plenty of room between tables.” “The size of the check was appropriate to the quality of the food and service, and the pleasant romantic atmosphere encouraged us to stay seated and happy for nearly three hours.” “Great service, atmosphere and last but not least FOOD!” “was surprised at the romantic, warm and inviting decor, it was the perfect backdrop for a wonderful evening.” “The decor is nice.”
dessert	66.66999816894531% positive	“The waiter was pushy and we felt pressured to order, especially when it came to dessert.” “The dessert cart came and although we were slightly on the full side, we ordered the Tirimisu and the Napoleon, both with fresh berries.” “lol BTW, Apps & desert were incredible!”
drinks	93.33000183105469% positive	“Definitely a nice place to eat once, but if you like wine, make sure you take some extra cash (they only take AMEX).” “We live in manhattan and can think of many other places that are much better value with great wine and food.” “The only negative is the wine list: very expensive (none/few under $50/bottle), and the bottle we got for $65 is nowhere near as good as $35 bottles I've gotten in other restaurants.” “My fiancee and I like to eat small plates at the bar rather than eat at a table.” “The wine list is expensive and can put you in an uncomfortable situation if you want a simple meal with reasonable wine ($50-60 is the minimum) our $80 wine bottle was OK but not great, obviously great markup for them as they were very enthusiastic about ”
food quality	98.71999740600586% positive	“Anyways, the food was great (could have been better) but I thought my filet migon was drowned with too much mushroom sauce -made my plate seem very dark, dry & dull.” “entered Da Umberto because I was intrigued by an authentic Tuscan restaurant in Chelsea.” “And the food is excellent.” “The dessert cart came and although we were slightly on the full side, we ordered the Tirimisu and the Napoleon, both with fresh berries.” “The mixed grilled and marinated vegetable antipasto was nicely presented along with a shrimp, some fresh porcini mushrooms, and polenta.” “The pasta was cooked perfectly aldante and they had bits of crispy pancetta perfectly mixed in to every bite.” “The food is excellent.” “The food was delicious!” “The food was quite good, but I certainly wouldn't say spectacular.” “The wine list is expensive and can put you in an uncomfortable situation if you want a simple meal with reasonable wine ($50-60 is the minimum) our $80 wine bottle was OK but not great, obviously great markup for them as they were very enthusiastic about ” “I've been many times and continue to go back because of the excellent food (i always partake of the specials) and the friendly authentic staff.” “We live in manhattan and can think of many other places that are much better value with great wine and food.” “The food is always excellent!” “When food alchemy exists on every corner in NYC, it would seem imperative that Da Umberto have great atmosphere, service, prices AND food to justify coming to such a trite Italian venue.” “The food however, was very well done and the pasta was fresh but that it is nowhere near a good enough reason to ever step foot in this establishment ever again.” “didn't expect much more than another decent meal when I stopped by with my girlfriend one evening.” “was able to get just what I was craving and both my husband and I enjoyed our meal very much.” “The food was rich in taste and texture.” “The homemade pasta would have been good if it didn't have a heavy, salty, pasty tomatoe sauce on it.” “We look forward to taking our friends here to experience the wonderful meal again!” “The pan fried chicken with tomatoes and basil with a balsamic syrup, lacked the syrup, but was the best dish of the night.” “In addition, the food was fabulous.” “The prices are just right, the food is superb.” “At first unassuming, the food was delicious and by the end of the evening I was in love with the place!” “We ordered exclusively from the specials menu - I had an excellent tomato-puree soup and ordered the Sea Bass Livornese, which was incredible.” “The size of the check was appropriate to the quality of the food and service, and the pleasant romantic atmosphere encouraged us to stay seated and happy for nearly three hours.”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“We ordered exclusively from the specials menu - I had an excellent tomato-puree soup and ordered the Sea Bass Livornese, which was incredible.”
overall	100.0% positive	“Our friends took us here , and someone else told us it's her favorite nyc restaurant.” “group of clients nearby call it their favorite restaurant.” “Definitely a nice place to eat once, but if you like wine, make sure you take some extra cash (they only take AMEX).”
return potential	100.0% positive	“I've been many times and continue to go back because of the excellent food (i always partake of the specials) and the friendly authentic staff.”
service	83.33000183105469% positive	“The staff is wonderful, it is obvious that they are a great team the waiters and the manager were kind and attentive.” “The waiter was pushy and we felt pressured to order, especially when it came to dessert.” “The bartender was welcoming and had a great personality even after having worked straight through the holidays.” “The wait staff is very attentive.” “First of all, I cannot understand how anyone can say the service here is not wonderful.” “When food alchemy exists on every corner in NYC, it would seem imperative that Da Umberto have great atmosphere, service, prices AND food to justify coming to such a trite Italian venue.” “The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful.” “The size of the check was appropriate to the quality of the food and service, and the pleasant romantic atmosphere encouraged us to stay seated and happy for nearly three hours.” “I've been many times and continue to go back because of the excellent food (i always partake of the specials) and the friendly authentic staff.” “the service was wonderful, pleasant and attentive.” “Great service, atmosphere and last but not least FOOD!” “The service was outstanding!”
value	95.2400016784668% positive	“The check was huge and we felt cheated by this below average Italian.” “We live in manhattan and can think of many other places that are much better value with great wine and food.” “young lady friend and I happened to visit Da Umberto by chance after taking in one of those huge conglomerated Chelsea art shows, and we were absolutely impressed by this restaurant.” “When food alchemy exists on every corner in NYC, it would seem imperative that Da Umberto have great atmosphere, service, prices AND food to justify coming to such a trite Italian venue.” “The wine list is expensive and can put you in an uncomfortable situation if you want a simple meal with reasonable wine ($50-60 is the minimum) our $80 wine bottle was OK but not great, obviously great markup for them as they were very enthusiastic about ” “The prices are just right, the food is superb.” “The only negative is the wine list: very expensive (none/few under $50/bottle), and the bottle we got for $65 is nowhere near as good as $35 bottles I've gotten in other restaurants.”

03/19/10

ROMANTIC & IMPECCABLE SERVICE

by wadef

I searched online for a few hours for a classy Italian spot and low & behold, DA UMBERTO kept poppin' up on all popular searches. The food, The Food, THE FOOD was all I kept hearing and so, I arranged to have my first dinner date with a beautiful, "cultured", vibrant young woman there.

Upon entering, the place seemed very classy, comfy & cozy. We were seated at one of the bigger tables in the restaurant which was kind of awkward at first but we got comfortable real quick because our waiter was quite the charmer (no h*mo)! lol

Anyways, the food was great (could have been better) but I thought my filet migon was drowned with too much mushroom sauce -made my plate seem very dark, dry & dull. My date had spicy roasted hen w/ sauteed string beans (dee-licious!), yeah...I took a few bites! lol BTW, Apps & desert were incredible!

Overall, the place was an awesome experience...great for romantic dinner dates! Thumbs-up!!

Pros: Attentative service
Cons: Filet mignon was so-so

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06/15/08

Excellent on all counts

by byron2057

A young lady friend and I happened to visit Da Umberto by chance after taking in one of those huge conglomerated Chelsea art shows, and we were absolutely impressed by this restaurant. The wait-staff is good-humored and helpful, when not downright cheerful! No problem getting seated without a reservation (it was about 8 p.m. on a Friday, and the crowd was moderate), and the service was instantaneous. We ordered exclusively from the specials menu - I had an excellent tomato-puree soup and ordered the Sea Bass Livornese, which was incredible. My Pinot Grigio was excellent and appropriate. My friend had a terrific Caesar Salad and the Roast Suckling Pig special, which I sampled - out of this world. The dessert cart came and although we were slightly on the full side, we ordered the Tirimisu and the Napoleon, both with fresh berries. In the end, we had enough quantity of food that my friend was able to take home a small pacakage to enjoy later. The size of the check was appropriate to the quality of the food and service, and the pleasant romantic atmosphere encouraged us to stay seated and happy for nearly three hours. I will be back again and again to this lovely little restaurant.

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12/30/06

Great service, atmosphere and last but not least FOOD!

by myla35

My fiancee and I like to eat small plates at the bar rather than eat at a table. We walked into Da Umberto and saw the cute 6 seat bar at the front of the dining room. The bartender was welcoming and had a great personality even after having worked straight through the holidays. I tried the pasta with white truffles and was pleasantly surprised by a very generous shaving of truffles and it was delicious. We had a lovely evening and will most certainly be returning.

Pros: Great vibe to the place
Cons: If you want a quiet restaurant go French

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12/28/06

not worth it

by lutece

Our friends took us here , and someone else told us it's her favorite nyc restaurant.

Boy, were we ever disappointed. How do you define superb? To me, superb would be something one should get if spending close to 100 dollars per person for dinner with no wine , just one cocktail

Superb,should be every course excellent. The mixed grilled and marinated vegetable antipasto was nicely presented along with a shrimp, some fresh porcini mushrooms, and polenta. This was good, but not the greatest I ever had, far from it. Superb, NO WAY.

The pan fried chicken with tomatoes and basil with a balsamic syrup, lacked the syrup, but was the best dish of the night. Superb, NO WAY.

The homemade pasta would have been good if it didn't have a heavy, salty, pasty tomatoe sauce on it.

Superb, fuggetaboutit..

My hub's veal dish was covered in this heavy, salty tomatoe sauce. He felt ill and stuffed after eating 2 bites.

The manager came over and said hows the food but didn't wait for an answer.

The 24 hour marinated cornish hen, we were warned was spicy, but never did I expect it to taste like 'jerc jamaican CHICKEN.' Superb , eh no.

The service was fine but a bit pushy.

Would we go back

NO.

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11/28/06

Good Italian Restaurant in Chelsea

by manger123

My family and I was in the Chelsea neighborhood looking for a place to eat and walked by this restaurant. They had just opened for dinner so we were able to get a table without reservation. The service was outstanding! The food was delicious! We had lentil soup and it was really good as well as the spaghetti alla von gole. The pasta was cooked perfectly aldante and they had bits of crispy pancetta perfectly mixed in to every bite. My father in law had pasta with duck ragu and that was also very good. Then for dessert, we tried their home made Tiramisu and it was out of this world...was not too sweet and the cake was airy not soggy like some other Tirimusu I've had in the past.

Da Umberto's Restaurant

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Editor's Tips

03/19/10

ROMANTIC & IMPECCABLE SERVICE

by wadef

06/15/08

Excellent on all counts

by byron2057

12/30/06

Great service, atmosphere and last but not least FOOD!

by myla35

12/28/06

not worth it

by lutece

11/28/06

Good Italian Restaurant in Chelsea

by manger123

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