Elio's Restaurant

The Scene – Dark wood, landscape paintings and Old-World sconces hint at the classic attitude of this Italian favorite, which attracts its share of families, middle-aged friends and the occasional celebrity. Warm, golden light flatters everyone, though the high noise level can distract from conversation. Service is professional and well-timed, performed by cordial, professional waiters. – – The Food – The cooking offers more satisfaction than surprise. Bresaola valtellina, a thin layer of dried beef over arugula, has a delicate texture and zesty flavor, and the shrimp…

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Editor's Tips

Save Time:: The risotto takes 30 minutes to prepare, so be sure to order it early.
Where to Sit:: For a more casual bite, the restaurant also serves food at the bar.

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User Reviews (19)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“The ambience is cozy.” “love the upper eastside atmosphere.”
drinks	0.0% positive	“We blew well over 100 dineros on a shared bowel of pasta and veal meatballs, a glass of mediocre house wine, a martini, an artichoke app, and a bland Caesar salad.”
food quality	70.2899980545044% positive	“am sorry but there is no excuse for the rude treament we received and no food is good enough for that.” “It has the best ceasar salad and paglia e fieno.” “The bread was very good as well.” “Being as picky an eater as I am, I usually try to order pasta when I go to Italian restaurants.” “It was more like a Cesaraen salad, for when the bill came, replete with hidden charges for sharing an entree or for a "warm appetizer" or for perhaps just not being a member of the mob, it felt like childbirth without an epidural.” “We celebrate every birthday there and the food never fails us.” “Please, if you are in the mood for ass-in-face all night, bland food, rude people, for a mere 200 dollars.” “The food was excellent.” “Great food, though pretentious service” “Everthing was fresh and delicious.” “The vegetables were all very fresh and prepared wonderfully ad the soup was excellent.” “Decent food (which is why we gave it one star -- even if we could give it zero stars we wouldn't) but deceptively overpriced.” “The food we had was excellent but the host was extremely unpleasant (sat us late for a reservation), the waiter didn't appear for 20 minutes.” “Average food, terrible service” “Excellent food and service” “Horrible service, over priced food” “If you want great food but are willing to sacrifice any sort of self respect or service then Elio's is the place to go.” “We used to be regulars for years since service used to be great and delighting food.” “We blew well over 100 dineros on a shared bowel of pasta and veal meatballs, a glass of mediocre house wine, a martini, an artichoke app, and a bland Caesar salad.” “Definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a nice chicken or veal, but you might want to come during somewhat off-hours, as the place gets PACKED, and the wait can be interminable.” “After moving down the street I came in and had the best service and food I have had in a long time.” “Make a reservation, act like you know what you are doing even if you don't, and most importantly, enjoy the exquisite food.” “But if you want mediocre Italian food and quiet, stay home.”
menu variety	75.0% positive	“The menu is interesting but doesn't live up to expectations - I've eaten better in less pretentious Italian restaurants around the city.” “The service impressed me the most of anything, the waiter was helpful and even has the chef make me something that was not on the menu.”
overall	100.0% positive	“Definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a nice chicken or veal, but you might want to come during somewhat off-hours, as the place gets PACKED, and the wait can be interminable.” “If you want great food but are willing to sacrifice any sort of self respect or service then Elio's is the place to go.”
service	62.750000953674316% positive	“Horrible service, over priced food” “Great food, though pretentious service” “am sorry but there is no excuse for the rude treament we received and no food is good enough for that.” “We used to be regulars for years since service used to be great and delighting food.” “Excellent food and service” “Please, if you are in the mood for ass-in-face all night, bland food, rude people, for a mere 200 dollars.” “The food we had was excellent but the host was extremely unpleasant (sat us late for a reservation), the waiter didn't appear for 20 minutes.” “The service wasn't great though and the prices are way to high for the portion size.” “The service impressed me the most of anything, the waiter was helpful and even has the chef make me something that was not on the menu.” “After moving down the street I came in and had the best service and food I have had in a long time.” “If you want great food but are willing to sacrifice any sort of self respect or service then Elio's is the place to go.” “Average food, terrible service” “just hate spending good money to eat out and not getting good service.” “Service was attentive but unobtrusive.” “Waiters were helpful and friendly.” “I'm from the Pacific Northwest, used to good service.” “First of all you have no clue where to go when you walk in and no one was helpful in pointing us in the right direction, then the host was as rude as he could be--said it would be at least 20 minutes and then told us to move out of the way, but there is n”
value	25.0% positive	“Oh, and this place can be a tad expensive.” “Horrible service, over priced food” “Decent food (which is why we gave it one star -- even if we could give it zero stars we wouldn't) but deceptively overpriced.” “just hate spending good money to eat out and not getting good service.” “The service wasn't great though and the prices are way to high for the portion size.” “Please, if you are in the mood for ass-in-face all night, bland food, rude people, for a mere 200 dollars.”
wait time	66.66999816894531% positive	“First of all you have no clue where to go when you walk in and no one was helpful in pointing us in the right direction, then the host was as rude as he could be--said it would be at least 20 minutes and then told us to move out of the way, but there is n” “After moving down the street I came in and had the best service and food I have had in a long time.” “The food we had was excellent but the host was extremely unpleasant (sat us late for a reservation), the waiter didn't appear for 20 minutes.”

05/11/11

Worst bartender and mait'red d

by leeH

Do not go on Thursdays for a drink - the bartender is always rude -- ! He's the worst bartender in Manhattan!!!!

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03/02/11

Amazing Italian Food!!!

by TReprise

This place is a GEM! One of the best Caesars I've ever had and the Chicken Parm is the best in the city. Always a good scene happening here, true UES italian restaurant.

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12/18/08

TASTELESS FOOD

by sunsun99

We used to be regulars for years since service used to be great and delighting food. This last two years we have been going there less frequently becuase the FOOD is TASTELESS compared to what it used to be. We ordered a plate of calamari as our appetizer and were disappointed by the flavor of the sauce. The calamari were like rubers with sauce with no flavor. As my main course, I ordered the Fettuccine Amatriciana. Again no FLAVOR and the pasta looked like a flour-ball. I thought the pasta was handmade but could have heard the waiter incorrectly. My friend's fish had a rooten smell and TASTELESS SAUCE. I would not go back anymore and would not recommend to anybody!

What happened, the CHEF lost the TOUCH!

Pros: NONE
Cons: TASTELESS FOOD, OVERPRICED

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10/22/08

What lies beneath!

by gastroreviewer

We are not the types to write reviews, but take note of this one....Decent food (which is why we gave it one star -- even if we could give it zero stars we wouldn't) but deceptively overpriced. We blew well over 100 dineros on a shared bowel of pasta and veal meatballs, a glass of mediocre house wine, a martini, an artichoke app, and a bland Caesar salad. It was more like a Cesaraen salad, for when the bill came, replete with hidden charges for sharing an entree or for a "warm appetizer" or for perhaps just not being a member of the mob, it felt like childbirth without an epidural. Bottom line = skip it. You can find better food for far less in that hood. The ambience is cozy. But

Pros: Decent fare
Cons: Extreme price, deceptive menu pricing shannanigans

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09/27/07

Horrible service, over priced food

by alesia_star

I hate to write anything bad about a place, but Elio's was a waste of $114 for two people at dinner. We were seated and given menus 10 minuets later, we asked for water and never got it, we ordered a glass of red wine and a scotch ($36 bar tab), asked for parm on our soup twice before it came.... Our waiter was MIA almost the entire night. We had to keep asking other waiters for assistance. They charged $32 for a tiny filet of sole dipped in egg and pan fried. The "special" sausage and pasta dish for $26 was a step-up from Hamburger Helper. The vegetables were all very fresh and prepared wonderfully ad the soup was excellent. The bread was very good as well. I just hate spending good money to eat out and not getting good service. This was my second trip to Elio's and will be my last.

Elio's Restaurant

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What People Are Saying About Elio's Restaurant

Karen Hudes

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Editor's Tips

05/11/11

Worst bartender and mait'red d

by leeH

03/02/11

Amazing Italian Food!!!

by TReprise

12/18/08

TASTELESS FOOD

by sunsun99

10/22/08

What lies beneath!

by gastroreviewer

09/27/07

Horrible service, over priced food

by alesia_star

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