Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria

06/21/2008 Posted by jimbos1015

Had a wonderful evening at this hotspot. The train was delayed and the 30 minute wait promised for a table turned out to be 1 hour but that gave us time to enjoy a reasonably priced bottle of wine and the daily bruschetta. The bar area is crowded, busy, alive, and crowded! The waiters are stretched but ours was efficient and helpful. Wouldn't trade places with him! In the dining room the noise level continues and while you needed to raise your voice to be heard some took this as an opportunity to practice thier screaming abilities! While we found it hard to hear each other the two over-imbibed ex-frat boys at the next table made sure we heard every Syllable they uttered! Our waitress was fantastic, anticipated our needs and was friendly, jovial and joked with us. The food, well what can you say, it's Mario. Otto pizzas are all quirky but delicious and pasta with mint, peas and ricotta salata over the top! Desserts were irresitable and odd as it may sound Olive Oil Gelato is my new fave!! Don't go when you are tired and impatient or in need of a romantic table for two! However, it will be an experience that will pick you up and make you happy!

Pros: Upbeat, wine list, food, service

Cons: crowded, long wait, crowded, long wait

05/18/2008 Posted by luaguero

We had to wait over 40 minutes for a table late on a Sunday night. As soon as we sat down they throw us some bread wrap in paper without butter or any presentation at all. We order pizzas which were great, great tomato sauce and fresh ingredients. However, we had to wait for another 20 minutes to get our check, and another 20 minutes went by before we finally got voucher. The waiter was nice but he completely neglected us.

05/01/2008 Posted by creminite

Thank you to everyone who has posted recently regarding Otto Enoteca Pizzeria. It reminds me why I like the place so much and have been going for years. The management and staff of that restuarant treat every customer the way those customers behave. Therefore, when the population of objective informed reviewers post on Citysearch in response to the way that have been treated at Otto and articulate their feelings in the manner they do, it reminds me that those are the very people that don't belong in New York's top restaurants in the first place. I only hope that the majority of those reading Citysearch believe as I do that all restaurants have thier pros and cons and that this is a great forum to list them responsibly, despite how many reviewers do not. Sure Otto is loud and energetic. It's filled with people enjoying the food, wine and atmosphere while benefiting from the management asking the proper customers to leave and not return so that all might have a more pleasant expereience. Thank you to Citysearch as well for allowing such disgruntled patrons a forum to enjoy each other's company.

04/30/2008 Posted by RawBare

Very bad place for everything. So noisy, very bad hostess (she should learn how to live as a better human being...! or try not working for few days every 28 days... periodically...!). Maybe the crew should fire the owner or manager... Yes, it's often the boss' fault when the work environment / cultur is negative but in any case you don't treat people/customers like criminals or cattle... I'm really surprise how a place like that is called "restaurant"; they have no clue what a restaurant ought to be. In France they call that kind of place; "Hall for cows". You can see that they organize a biiiig bar area (who actually looks like a cowshed) so, even you reserve and there are free tables in the dinner room, you have to wait one hour so, here we go; you spend a lot of money for poor drinks. THEN I had to fight and scream to the hostess (because it's so noisy and you are finally mad to wait in this so LOUD hall) to get seated. (I am not done yet!... continue to read!) So we never got seated and we were told to get back in line to wait for a table with walk-ins though we had a reservation. Fortunately we left without testing their food. I say "fortunately" cuz since that bad experience two weeks ago, I talked about it to all my friends and some of them actually ate there and really didn't like the food! Wow even better... Unbelievable. I spent my time to write that but it's worth it. Unacceptable. If they were in the medical field, that place would be close immediately and some guys send to jail. Well, maybe..... It is unacceptable. I can't wait to see that place closed. I put one star cuz it's well located for the next business there. If you're around, go check the noise, the bar area trick and before you become a cow (am joking) ha ha ha ! and be attacked by the hostess, leave and do what we did by chance, just go half block away in 8th Str. toward West and eat in this amazing, original, great Japanese restaurant: Sushi Yawa 25 W. 8th Str. Ph.: 212 253-9888

Cons: Otto = Zero

04/14/2008 Posted by Jacksonjoe

Well, here is it food was average to good. Service was okay........the music is so loud and they pack the tables so tight that the waiter can not get near you and can not hear the order that you place, they try and rush you out so they can TURN a table. Prices are reflective of NYC and dishes served. MARIO have you ever been in your own place. So it was an average experience. I guess I expected more???

Pros: ???

Cons: Well it is in my overview

03/23/2008 Posted by carolqsmith

For my mother's birthday we made reservations for six people for dinner. We confirmed earlier that day that all six of us would be there. When we got there we were given a piece of paper and told to wait until our name was called. After waiting almost half an hour past our reservation time they told us we could be seated. They took us over to a table that only seated 5 people!! After realizing six of us were not going to fit, they brought us back out to the front of the restaurant and told us to wait a few more minutes. We were annoyed at this point and when the women in charge came over to speak to us we told her how frustrated we were. She proceeded to yell at us and told us that they made a mistake and we should get over it. When we told her that wasn't fair, she claimed that we were "cussing" at her and forced us to leave the restaurant. They screwed up our reservation, made us wait almost a half an hour to be seated and when we got upset they asked us to leave!! We have eaten there many times before but that was the last time I will ever go there again. Absolutely Terrible!!

Pros: Good WIne List

Cons: The people who work there are very rude!

03/23/2008 Posted by smcmonigle

They screwed up our reservation, we waited forever to be seated and they got mad at us for having an attitude with them.

Pros: Great wine

Cons: Reservations mean nothing to these people!

03/12/2008 Posted by foodfoodfood245

I went to Otto on Sat and I cannot get the exceptionally horrible experience out of my mind!!!!! How did this place get 41/2 stars?? First of all it's not hip…unless your definition of hip is hanging with a bunch of NYU students. Second we were seated 1 hour after our reservation. Apparently making a reservation makes no difference since people who walked off the street were seated before us (albeit they arrived earlier than us). I think people who have reservations should be seated on time and people who walk in off the street put on a waiting list…this is how things usually work. Once we sat down the service was so rushed and inattentive…it was like they wanted us to scarf down our food and get the hell out so they could turn the table. Finally, the place is really really LOUD and I couldn’t even hear my friend who was sitting right in front of me SHOUTING.

Pros: Food tastes good

Cons: Wait, service, too crowded, loud, unplesant, all students

03/09/2008 Posted by jshuws

I probably would have enjoyed the food if it wasn't for being seated 1 and a half hours after our reservation (made 1 week in advance) and having to stand around in the chaotic bar area where the hostesses kept shoving group after group. In the stampede like atmosphere we met some people who had been waiting for almost 2 hours--it was 10 and they had 8pm reservations! Soon after we were seated, the waiter came up to our table and dropped off 4 pieces of bread for the 8 of us to share. Then he asked if we were ready to order. We said we needed a few more minutes and he gave us a look and shrug that was something to the effect of “suit yourself, but I don’t know when I will be back.” I think the food was good, but I was so embarrassed for having recommended this place that I couldn’t enjoy it. I would NOT recommend this place for groups on a Fri or Sat night.

Pros: Cheese, dessert, food overall

Cons: Long wait but nowhere to sit

02/28/2008 Posted by sorenhbech

Been coming to Otto for a number of years, and it is consistently a good experience. The ambiance is great, the variety of Italian delicacies is astounding, and the pizza is very good! Went last week for dinner with some friends, and had a bit of a delay being seated despite a reservation - after 20 minutes waiting, the hostess came to apologize and had the bartender bring us glasses of prosecco! We were finally seated and had a great meal and good service throughout. Will definitely be back!

Pros: Great food, service and value

Cons: Can be a bit noisy