03/03/08

Great customer service and atmosphere

by wisebrain

The dishes are moderate and the atmosphere is great. Very low key and good service.

01/06/08

My little piece of heaven

by littlelotte

I love Mangiami. I've been coming here ever since I moved to NYC several years ago. The owner is very personable and has a (welcome) passion for electronic-dance music. The food here is excellent and the wine is fantastic. You should definitely try the fried mozzarella. Excellent place for a date or sit at the cozy bar for a drink.

• Pros: Friendly (mostly Italian) staff
• Cons: Can get pretty crowded

01/31/07

Avoid at all costs

by largecoffee

Dinner here started off very promising -- the appetizers were not just good, they were spectacular. But things went WAY downhill as the place got more crowded. Now, I understand how hard it can be when a place gets busy, but these guys are, evidently, totally unprepared for their own success. The delay between the apps & the main course was INSANE. As in FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. Not only that, but my friend's potatoes were cold, his girfriend's rissotto was underdone, and the cheese in my panini was not even half melted. Combine this with things like bringing bread and forgetting the butter (then that takes 10 mins) getting coffee and forgetting milk (then THAT takes 10 mins) and all the other basics that many establishments with far worse food have down cold, and it all made for a terrible experience. Not to mention the fact that this place suffers greatly from an affliction that all too many NY restaurants are falling to -- THE NEED TO PRETEND TO BE A CLUB. Why do these folks feel like once the place is more than half full that the music HAS to be cranked up? Is it because %95 of all people in this town have nothing to say to each other when they go out? No. People WANT to talk to each other when they dine out, or else they'd just fire up a frozen pot-pie at home. But sure enough, when it got more than half-full, the stereo was cranked -- and when you've got hard brick walls and tin ceilings the sound is absorbed by nothing and it just builds up on itself. Then you spend the next hour screaming at each other. Why more restaurants don't spend the 2-3k necessary for the most basic acoustic treatment is beyond me. Anyway, the group of 8 drunks at the table next to us attracted to this place by the music turned it from a fair italian bistro into a high school lunchroom. Paying the check after all this left me feeling as though I'd been beaten up. Avoid. At all costs.

• Pros: none
• Cons: service, layout, noise

09/28/06

Great simple food if not too busy...

by kimoloui

I have been here a few times for a snack and also for dinner. Generally solid menu, well-prepared, well-priced, and once in a while surprising. Relaxed ambience and good service. Only down side is that they seem to subscribe to the unfortunately new New York norm of asking customers to leave as soon as you finish if they need the table - the best way to ruin a great hole-in-the-wall experience... So maybe go on an off-night!

• Pros: Food and Wine
• Cons: Service at times

This Lower East Side bar gives budget wine drinkers a place to stop and snack.

by Contributor

In Short
An arched doorway in a brick-exposed wall joins the two rooms of this tiny wine spot. Both sections are slender, and one holds small tables for diners, while the other a short bar with a television. Wallet-watching locals can taste a mostly Italian selection of wine by the glass and bottle, with choices comparative to their fair price. Cuisine from the boot country is inexpensive as well, and includes salads, pastas and paninis.