Totonno's Manhattan

(212) 327-2800

1544 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10028 40.7742 -73.9543

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Neighborhoods: Yorkville, Midtown

Price:

$$

Last updated 10.17.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining

Cuisine:

Pizza

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Totonno's Manhattan

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – At the Manhattan outpost of a Coney Island-based legend, an outdoor patio leads to a long, dim room with chalkboard specials against a side wall and baby strollers littered among the tables. Regardless of the noise created by the pitter-patter of tiny feet, service is attentive, friendly and meticulous. – – The Food – Some say this is New York's best pizza, and indeed the sauce is light, the cheese fresh, the crust salted and rightly charred. But the 16-inch pies can also come vaguely soggy and not entirely hot, and the famously delectable white pie can…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Pizzas come in three incarnations, including the white pie and the Neapolitan (a red pie without sauce). Or combine the white pie with the margherita and request a sprinkling of fresh garlic and extra cheese.
Lunch Spot:
The lunch menu includes specials like eggplant parmiagana and individual-sized pies.
dessert
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “for pizza its pretty good, but for sit down pie its just ok, afterwards I was contently full.”
  2. “The pizza is good, but for $20-something a pie, one must wonder if it's worth it.”
  3. “for an awesome desert.”
drinks
50.0% positive
  1. “The house wine was terrible, salads are decent, other italian food is average.”
food quality
62.96000003814697% positive
  1. “for pizza its pretty good, but for sit down pie its just ok, afterwards I was contently full.”
  2. “pizza was really good, but nothing to write home about.”
  3. “average pizza but horrible price gouging”
  4. “love pizza (it's probably my favorite food) but this is way overpriced and not good enough to cost this much.”
  5. “have been to Totonnos twice now and both times I have left saying, "good food but what is the deal with the staff?'”
  6. “If you find the crust soggy, get the Margherita, I have never had red sauce pizza that good.”
  7. “had a hankering for a small pizza for lunch, but did not want the pedestrian stuff from all the locals, ie too much bread crust, indifferent sauce, lousy ingredients.”
  8. “The house wine was terrible, salads are decent, other italian food is average.”
  9. “The food is good, not the best I've had in the city, and if you are looking for good service, definitely do not go to Totonnos.”
  10. “Whenever an out of towner asks for good NY pizza, this is what they get and it never disappoints.”
  11. “If you like dry pizza with a side of burn come here.”
  12. “The food was overpriced and was not even that great.”
  13. “Yes, sometimes the service is better than others, and the place can be noisy, but this pizza is great.”
  14. “Very quiet in mid week for lunch, but the pizza did not disappoint.”
  15. “The chicken parm didn't look too bad, but the pasta was school cafeteria quality.”
  16. “Good food, bad service”
  17. “The pizza is good, that's true, but not worth raving about, and it is wildly overpriced.”
  18. “The pizza is good, but for $20-something a pie, one must wonder if it's worth it.”
  19. “like plain old ny pizza which this was not.”
  20. “Can you imagine waiting an hour for bad Italian food at $16.95 an entree?”
  21. “pizza: ok, outside crust was excellent, not hot enough.”
  22. “We tried our best to "nicely" complain (really, we were doing our best to make it sound like we understood that the gross food was likely an accident in the kitchen) but the owner was completely confrontational and unapologetic.”
  23. “Looking for good brick oven pizza?”
  24. “Too bad the service is so poor and the restaurant is run by a bunch of crooks because like I said the before, the pizza is decent.”
  25. “it has fresh mozzarella on it which some people like, some don't.”
  26. “already knew Totonno's had a great reputation as a pizza-maker, but I think I had heard better things about the original in Brooklyn.”
  27. “The place has decent pizza (although it is overpriced and usually delivered cold).”
service
45.83000183105469% positive
  1. “Too bad the service is so poor and the restaurant is run by a bunch of crooks because like I said the before, the pizza is decent.”
  2. “Yes, sometimes the service is better than others, and the place can be noisy, but this pizza is great.”
  3. “But the manager is one of the most offensive people I've ever encountered in a restaurant.”
  4. “it has fresh mozzarella on it which some people like, some don't.”
  5. “This place has the worst customer service EVER!”
  6. “The food is good, not the best I've had in the city, and if you are looking for good service, definitely do not go to Totonnos.”
  7. “The hostess has been pushy with us each time we have been and the wait staff is very spacey.”
  8. “Don't expect friendly or attentive service.”
  9. “had my shares of bad service but this was by far the worst.”
  10. “have been to Totonnos twice now and both times I have left saying, "good food but what is the deal with the staff?'”
  11. “have never experienced such rude behavior by management.”
  12. “Good food, bad service”
value
71.4300012588501% positive
  1. “The pizza is good, but for $20-something a pie, one must wonder if it's worth it.”
  2. “average pizza but horrible price gouging”
  3. “The pizza is good, that's true, but not worth raving about, and it is wildly overpriced.”
  4. “$10 bucks for individual and a reasonable pinot grigio to wash it down.”
  5. “The place has decent pizza (although it is overpriced and usually delivered cold).”
  6. “The food was overpriced and was not even that great.”
  7. “love pizza (it's probably my favorite food) but this is way overpriced and not good enough to cost this much.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

04/25/10

Awful owner

by nyclawyermom

This is one of the worst restaurants in Manhattan, owned by a nasty, mean woman. We recently ate there and our food was cold and soggy. We tried our best to "nicely" complain (really, we were doing our best to make it sound like we understood that the gross food was likely an accident in the kitchen) but the owner was completely confrontational and unapologetic. I have never experienced that. Go ANYWHERE else.

  • Pros: none
  • Cons: cold, soggy food, nasty owner, nasty manager
3 Star Rating: Average

06/13/08

Stay far from the manager

by two78

Nice, ample salads and fine pizza if you ask for it to be well done. The staff is fine. But the manager is one of the most offensive people I've ever encountered in a restaurant. I've grown accustomed to seeing him berate the staff, but tonight he tore into a woman and her two kids for seating themselves at a table intended for them before the table wasn't completely clean. They left. Intolerable behavior from the boss.

  • Pros: Decent, simple food
  • Cons: Choleric boss
1 Star Rating: Poor

01/24/08

Worst dining experience

by allisonchambers

We went for my friend's birthday dinner and was shocked by the TERRIBLE managment. We brought our own cookie cake and was not allowed to eat it there without paying $5 PER plate. The manager came out and was terribly rude to us and RUINED our dinner. I have never experienced such rude behavior by management.

2 Star Rating: Below Average

01/04/08

New Year's Eve Dinner Disaster

by jer1nyc

To be honest, food was clearly not our top priority on the biggest party night of the year. Totonno's was there, it didn't look too crowded, and we just wanted to get some grub on before we boozed it up. Big mistake. I already knew Totonno's had a great reputation as a pizza-maker, but I think I had heard better things about the original in Brooklyn. I probably ordered the worst thing you could order at an Italian restaurant/pizza shop: chicken fingers. Yeah, I know, what was I thinking? Well, I wasn't that hungry and I just wanted something light. My two friends ordered chicken parm, and chicken marsala, respectively. We ended up waiting almost an hour for our food, which in restaurant time, is an eternity. They kept giving us the "one more minute" runaround. Luckily, the food showed up before the ball dropped. Not that we felt very lucky when we looked down at our plates. They dumped four of the most unappetizing chicken fingers in front of me. How can you screw up chicken fingers? These chicken fingers looked like they had been run over by a car, breaded with saw dust, and overcooked. I refused to eat them and they took it off the bill. I could tell by my friends' plates, that their meals also looked very mediocre. The chicken marsala looked like it fell out of a Hungry Man dinner box. The chicken parm didn't look too bad, but the pasta was school cafeteria quality. Can you imagine waiting an hour for bad Italian food at $16.95 an entree? The only thing they got right was the bread and olive oil. If you do go, stick to the pizza. People who came in while we were waiting, got their pies in no time, and we're out the door already before we got our stuff.

2 Star Rating: Below Average

08/06/07

Buyer Beware!!

by mariadesoto

I'll make this short and sweet. The place has decent pizza (although it is overpriced and usually delivered cold). If you do you a debit card be sure to check your bank statement online the next day because they like to tag on a few extra bucks.

Too bad the service is so poor and the restaurant is run by a bunch of crooks because like I said the before, the pizza is decent. CASH ONLY OTHERWISE YOU'LL BE IN FOR THE TOTTONNOS TAX.

thanks and have a nice day.

  • Pros: Fresh Ingredients
  • Cons: Owned and operated by A crew of CROOKS

The Details on Totonno's Manhattan

Place Categories:

  • good old ny pizza
  • bad service
  • good food
  • wildly overpriced red sauce pizza
  • gross italian food
  • decent salads
  • sit down pie
  • great reputation
  • too bad chicken parm
  • worst restaurants
  • lousy ingredients
  • not fresh mozzarella
  • reasonable pinot
  • excellent outside crust
  • good brick oven pizza
  • awesome desert
  • very mediocre meals
  • good luck downtown
  • hated roomies
  • horrible price gouging
  • like dry pizza
  • great brick oven
  • like people
  • famous totono
  • worst customer service ever
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