Al Dente

Recommends

Carrie M.

Joined 1 years ago

Delicious Food, Great Service. I had brunch here yesterday and it was delicious. My niece and I enjoyed the calamari, mushroom ravioli and special pasta of the day with an amazing spinach and cheese sauce. We decided to try the dessert that are all home made on the premise. A simple pleasure of chocolate ice cream is worth going back just for that! I also had the pleasure of sharing the mascarpone cheesecake. If you're in the Upper West Side of New York and haven't tried it I would highly recommend it to everyone!

Doesn't Recommend

nthakar

Joined 3 years ago

Worst Place for Brunch on UWS. Worst brunch experience I've had this afternoon at Al Dente. We went here b/c our orignal choice of Sarabeth's was too crowded and the wait was too long. So we went to Al Dente which is right in the area. We ordered French Toast, which tasted great, however, they sliced up ONE slice of toast into four very small pieces, added 5 banana slices as garnish on a large platter to make it look as if there was a lot of food on the plate. When we asked the waiter if these were normal portion sizes, he said yes. We made a note to never come here again, but quietly ate our food. Then we noticed (since we were sitting by the kitchen) that the manager kept sending staff out for groceries! Also other plates coming out of the kitchen were way fuller than ours! By then we'd already eaten, so we asked the manager regarding the portions, and she said what we got is standard and she saw our plates and that was their norm. We asked if it was b/c they ran out of ingredients in the kitchen, which we heard her say, and she said not at all, they were fully stocked. We continued to complain and she gave us half-price on the meal. We get outside and looked at the menu again, and notice we were supposed to get strawberries with our french toast, not bananas! No one asked us if they could substitute! When we go back in to question her about that, she says oh but we gave you extra bananas instead! 5 thin slices of banana is not generous...So in summary:

- Childsize portions

- Bad management

- You don't get food as it's described in the menu

- They don't take American Express

Bottom line, go somewhere else.

Recommends

buxxny

Joined 4 years ago

Gotta try their steak & mushroom!!!. I have been going to this place for 10 years, and have always enjoyed it. Their "entrecott al porcini" is out of this world!

For a starter, I'd recommend the "insalata mista."

Can't go wrong.

Doesn't Recommend

kapah

Joined 6 years ago

Horrible. Got the "vibe" when we walked in, but we were too hungry to keep looking for a place. The waiter has to ask the woman (mgr, owner) 3 times if I was able to taste a glass of wine before ordering it while we waited for our table- that should have been reason to leave already. Sat upstairs. Service is very slow and non-impressive. The 4 top next to us stormed out from lack of service. Had to ask for everything twice. Blown away when the woman (mgr, owner?) screamed at the top of her lungs downstairs at some workers and the entire restaurant went dead silent - classic. Don't you learn that in opening a restaurant 101? It felt like the restaurant opened one week ago and they didn't have a single kink out. Would never go back - there's too many great places around the corner to support this pathetic place.

Recommends

ameridane

Joined 5 years ago

We Will Return!. For starters, our waiter gave us excellent service from the moment we walked it. The atmosphere is cozy, yet contemporary, as is the food. My main entree was delicious! We will certainly be coming back!

Doesn't Recommend

mikemny

Joined 9 years ago

Two Thumbs Down. I walk past this place nearly everyday, and always thought it looked very inviting. So, the other weekend I decided to take my girlfriend there for a nice dinner. I must say this is probably one of the worst Italian restaurants I've ever been to in the city. The service was horrendous. By that, I mean there was none. Zero. We were seated by a bus boy. Had to flag down three different people in order to take our order. Then I had to ask twice for my drink to come out (of course I had to ask someone other than my waiter because I literally did not see him between the time he took our order and the time he brought the bill). After we finished our meal, we waited 1 hour and 20 min for our bill to arrive. This, even after asking another waiter, the hostess, and who I presumed was the manager for the bill. I guess at least I can say we weren't rushed out of there. Looking at the food independent from the service, I must honestly say it was terrible. Everything we had tasted like a stick of butter. In summation, I wish I never went, and I advise others to avoid if possible. I think that anyone who writes a positive review about this place is either an employee or is from out of town.

Recommends

likuid144

Joined 6 years ago

inhale the pesto...its delish.. I love coming to Al Dente, the Pesto is some of the best in the city and the fries at brunch are fabulous. Al Dente is good anytime, brunch to dinner. The atmosphere is relaxed and the design is done well, get the table over looking the street if you aren't going to eat outside. So many extras for what you pay for.

Doesn't Recommend

newyorker77

Joined 7 years ago

Decent Food, not so decent service. Reasonable prices for reasonably good food, Al dente is good for a light meal on a budget, but expect that the service may be on a budget too. The staff can be uneven, unfortunately sometimes to the point of being rude, at times even hostile. It's very unfortunate because it can otherwise be a pleasant place to sit on the sidewalk on a nice evening. Until this changes, go to any of the italian restaurants nearby which good food & good service--on citysearch try Baci, La Grolla or Arte Pasta etc

Recommends

nycmel

Joined 8 years ago

A jewel in the ruff. Al Dente is one of our most favorite restaurant in the upper westside neighborhood. It's intimate atmosphere is perfect for a quiet dinner or a dinner for 6. We love the pasta Al Dente and their penne vodka. It's good value for the buck and we will definitely be returning!

Recommends

wb12eos

Joined 11 years ago

Great service & food. Discovered Al Dente on our last trip to New york. We sat outside with friends on a plesant summer evening. The waiter was VERY attentive and helpful. The food was amazing! Will definitely return.