Rialto

Editorial Review by Citysearch Editors

by Contributor

Rialto is now a bar--with a stellar garden patio--called Elizabeth.

04/12/08

Rialto on Elizabeth St. is Under Re-Construction Temporarily Closed!

by Dollarhyde

Rialto as os 4/11/08 is closed and under going re-construction. It was one of the first places on Elizabeth st. before the area took off like crazy. I believe it will open up shortly under the same name and management. Overall its fine. But I agree with a lot of what the other reviewers indicate. For a $30.00 STEAK you might just as well go to RAUOL'S in SOHO. The space is great. Easy to be seated and the covered outside is great for parties. Some of the best items on the menu are the sides. Still, your average NYC French-Bistro faire.

• Pros: Great space easy to sit large parties... decent food you can count on.
• Cons: The steak is over priced and its the amaetur new york crowd on the weekends.

11/21/07

I though i was on the show "Boiling point"

by meliaa

Service almost non-existent. food was nothing special and overpriced for what it was. Stay away from the steak. Doesnt merit any more of my time complaining.... Dont eat here.

11/21/07

A mediocre meal RUINED!

by ciarank

I'm not normally one to write reviews but sadly in this case I feel I have no choice. I have to warn you all... Its too late for me, save yourselves!!

I recently took my Girlfriend to Rialto for Dinner on her birthday. It started off fine. We ordered a bottle of Chianti and had some decent appetizers but there the good times abruptly came to a end. For our entres my girlfriend ordered a pasta dish and I ordered the Pepper steak.. medium rare. Now I'm not one to send food back (those of you who've seen 'Road Trip' will understand) but this was a $30 steak so when it came out well done, dry and pityful I politely explained to the waiter that it wasn't how I'd ordered in the hope I guess of getting a medium rare steak in its place. Not to be. He took my plate away without a word or warning. 20 minutes later after prancing around the restaurant and polishing a few glasses he finally came back and told me that there was nothing they could do but that if I wanted I could get a bowl of Sorbet on the house... F* the Sorbet, Wheres my steak?!?!

So, Not only did they refuse to make good and give me what I ordered but now they had my steak I wasn't getting it back. To add insult to injury it was clear that I was paying the full thirty dollars for it too, whether I liked it or not. Under normal circumstances I would have made a scene at this point but it was my girlfriends birthday and I wasn't about to let this spoil it. We paid our bill and left with a horrible taste in out mouths. I will never go back.

* = Forget

• Pros: Location- its close to some pretty good restaurants
• Cons: They are uninterested in pleasing the customer

10/07/07

Beware of sneaky waitstaff and ($45/pitcher) sangria

by jfs186

For my friend's birthday this weekend we went to Rialto - had a reasonably good meal, but literally gasped when we recieved the bill, which totaled about $200 for four people. Our dinner entrees were approximately $15 each . . . so we were livid when we saw that the sangria pitchers our server 'kindly' recommended that we get two of were $45 each. They had just swindled $90 out of us for watered-down fruit juice which could barely qualify as sangria and even after two pitchers, gave none of us the desired birthday celebration buzz, but instead stopped it before it started. We do NOT recommend this restaurant which was also completely empty during our Saturday night dinner, and clearly has smooth-talking, greedy servers out to make as much as possible off of unsuspecting customers.

• Cons: horrible waitstaff and prices

04/09/07

Fantastic Food, Great Service - For Both Dinner and Parties

by danpor

My wife and I had our wedding/first year anniversary party at Rialto and the restaurant did a fantastic job! We cannot praise the management and staff enough for their support. The service was excellent, the food delicious, and the restaurant itself was gorgeous! Sam, the owner, was particularly supportive and really pulled off a wonderful evening that we will always remember.

We've also been there for dinner a number of times. The pork chops is delicious, as is the tuna and mashed potatoes! Risotto was moist and flavorful. And the red velvet cake is the best we've had!

We cannot speak highly enough of the whole joint!!!

01/30/07

Good food

by doc234

My wife, step-daughter and I live in Scotland and we were on holiday last week in New York. We visited this restaurant on a Thursday night around 7.00pm. It was less than half full but the dining experience was enjoyable.

The food was good and the portions were big. Our favourite appetizer was the Rialto chopped salad, which was well balanced with balsamic vinegar and was sufficient for two people. For dessert the apple tart was tasty. It had light pastry and was topped with apple slices that had been caramelised (like small pieces of toffee apple).

We had a decent bottle of Jim Barry Shiraz that was great value at $37.

The service was good with no hint of attitude. We also asked for a 30 minute gap between our entrees and dessert, which was no problem for the staff.

Worth a visit.

• Pros: Good food, excellent service

01/21/07

Terrible service

by review26

I went to Rialto for dinner with a group of about 12 people. We did not have the experience that the other reviews have described. The tables were crowded together, it was too loud, and the service was the worst I've encountered in the city. It seemed there was one waitress serving all of the tables. We had to order drinks multiple times before being served, and a few times we had to flag down another restaurant employee to bring us drinks, an additional menu, etc. We never received plates for our appetizers despite requesting them. It's obvious that we should not have needed to ask. Upon finally taking our order, the server suggested to my friend that she reconsider her choice because "that's going to take 30 minutes". To avoid keeping us there all night, she made another selection. Well, the wait for our entrees was well over an hour and we can't blame the pork chops. The food was decent, but not worth the wait or the awful service.

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Service, restrooms, ambience

11/12/06

Sophisticated and unpretentious party space in Nolita

by onyxnewyorkcity

We recently held a large party in Rialto?s garden room and back bar area. If you?re looking for a beautiful, romantic space with good food, a New York edge, and reasonable price, Rialto is the spot!

Guests are still complimenting on the ambiance and food. The garden room is very romantic--exposed brick wall and candles everywhere. The back bar separates the actual restaurant and the garden room. When you have 40+ people, both spaces are your?s. From the back bar area on is closed off to other restaurant patrons so even though you are technically in a restaurant, the space feels totally separate. As for the food, all the dishes were tasty, but the hits of the night were the Mt. Everest sized plate of calamari with chipotle sauce, bruschetta with fresh shaved parmeggiano and basil, tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes (soooo good), and the pork chop (which was tender and moist). Yummm! Also, you get loads of food (i.e. the calamari appetizer would have been sufficient as an entree.)

One drawback is the sound system. You can bring your own music?we brought an iPod---but the speakers in the garden room don?t work too well. The entire sound system is connected to the main restaurant so although the volume was turned up really high, the sound in the main restaurant was quite loud, but barely audible in our area. While we didn?t want a deafening volume, it would?ve been nice to have some background music , especially since we took time to compile playlists. And as the night progressed, we were hoping to shake some booty.

In addition, the women?s bathroom could use a mirror.

Sam is super nice and accommodating and he and his staff did a great job from working with us on pre-event planning, set up, service, price and presentation. Thanks for making our event so memorable.

Overall, we highly recommend Rialto!

• Pros: food, atmosphere, management and staff
• Cons: Sound system and bathroom

11/06/06

Great spot for large groups

by tess333

My friends and I go to Rialto every December for a holiday brunch and we are never, ever disappointed. Not only is Sam incredibly accommodating and kind, the entire staff are always pleasant, the food is great, drinks are strong, and they never rush our large group out the door. Rialto rocks. Highly, highly recommended for large parties.

• Pros: Tons
• Cons: None