Caffe Falai

07/22/09

a Soho Sunday brunch

by louisgiradi at Citysearch

spent my last Sunday brunch at Caffe Falai because a friend of mine had wanted to go for weeks. The service was professional and friendly and the idea of the "white restaurant with the elegant chandelier" made it a minimalist dining experience. But I'm not saying the food is bland. On the contrary- the cheese eggs and dessert are beyond words. Thanks!

• Pros: brunch

03/22/09

Felt like I was back in Italy

by Raquelina at Citysearch

Some friends I made while traveling in Italy came to visit NY, and upon recommendations from friends of theirs, we met for brunch at the caffe. It was not only beautiful but the food was truly spectacular. The Polipo octopus dish was so good we ordered a second dish for the table! Next were homemade pasta dishes; the one with mushroom and cauliflower was my favorite. A cappuccino and slice of complimentary 'crepe cake' made this a completely enjoyable brunch. Great selection of Italian wines and friendly Italian waiters a plus!

• Pros: Best Cappuccino in NY
• Cons: Patience is rewarded

03/02/09

Unfriendly and disappointing!!!

by CSMobileUser at Citysearch

We decided to start new year's day with a nice breakfast in Soho. The Caffee Falai interior looked charming and inviting, but as we walked the impression turned out to be wrong. The waitress was unfriendly. Since it was around noon there were only two choices for breakfast left; baked eggs and panini. The food was horrible, tasteless and very expensive!! The only good thing was the

coffee! Not recommending!

01/04/09

Best Kept Italian Secret in Soho

by arts10022 at Citysearch

My guest and I were thrilled to stumble upon Caffe Falai just around the corner from busy Broadway in Soho last month. The sparkle of candlelight, crystal, and white linens drew us into a welcoming atmosphere. After asking for help with the wine, a luscious bottle of white from San Gimignano provided the perfect start to our meal. A light tomato and bread soup was followed by a salad of delicate greens and avocado dressed with whtie truffle oil. A perfect al dente linguini with a sauce of parmesan and lemon zest was amazing. Tiny biscotti with expresso ended the meal perfectly. The collection of mirrors hung at various heights along the outter wall of the restaurant proved not to be mere decoration. In fact, they provided the diner with a clever, yet subtle way, of watching the reflected activity on the street, in the kitchen, and among fellow diners. This restaurant has great potential. The subtle and beautifully crafted food is glorious. Be patient, show appreciation, and you will be rewarded.

12/29/08

Watch your back

by pphc at Citysearch

They broke dishes ... then a wine glass. The glasses broke into pieces and fell onto my friend's sweater. The guy sitting at next table was nice enough to tell my friend or she could cut her back. The waiter and the manager never apologized; SO RUDE. Will never go back there.

If you do decide to check this place out, sit far away from the long side of the bar where the wine glasses on sitting on marble stands. Idiots!

• Pros: Sit far from broken dishes and glasses and you might have a safe meal
• Cons: Broken dishes and glasses ... Yikes!

12/02/08

spoiled eggs

by peixue at Citysearch

I went for a late breakfast on a recent Monday morning. This was my first time here. Two of us ordered different baked eggs dishes, and the third person had a prosciutto/cheese/tomato panini. The eggs turned out to be rubbery throughout and inedible. The panini was barely serviceable. This was an unfortunate experience as I had invited a friend from overseas and wanted for us all to have an enjoyable, sophisticated meal.

10/31/08

Best fresh pasta outside of Florence

by tonybuscemi at Citysearch

Last night I dined at Caffe Falai and found it to be a great addition to the Nolita area. When so many restaurants in Little Italy are geared up for the tourists (and the number decreases yearly), this place delivers on bringing authentic, fresh Italian food back to the area.

I had the breaded eggplant appetizer, which I will admit was too large and only slightly warm, but the red sauce it was served with was magical, both tangy and sweet, a nice compliment to the eggplant. For the entree, I had the short rib ragu fresh pasta course. The pasta was so fresh and delicate, it reminded me of the gnocchi my girlfriend and I made this summer. The sauce was hearty with hunks of tender, succulent short rib which tasted great with the Nero d'Avola recommended by the manager. My dinner guest enjoyed the avocado salad and ordered the spinach agnolotti stuffed with riccota and covered with a 4 cheese sauce, truly a rich experience. Again, the pasta was so delicate and fresh, sublime really.

The place was packed (Thursday night), but the Italian wait staff was very warm and engaging. Asked how long until a table would be ready upon arrival, they said 15 minutes. When pressed, they said "an Italian 15 minutes". It put me in the right mood and allowed me to be chill about the wait. Service was slightly slow, but the food was worth it.

I am not prone to making recommendations, but the pasta was truly divine. I hope the place doesn't get overrun, unfortunately I think I just let the genie out of the bottle!

• Pros: Fresh pasta, wine, food in general
• Cons: Service time, wait time

10/13/08

Great atmoshere-Friendly service- fresh delicious food- amazing desserts!

by jsp424 at Citysearch

I stumbled upon caffe falai while i was down in soho. I walked in just for an iced coffee and was immediately drawn to the front area with all of the amazing looking desserts and food! I decided to stay and try a little spinach tartlet then had the thin crepe layered cake dessert TO DIE FOR! I also ended up buying a couple of the biscotti gift boxes and ended up eating 1/2 of one on the way home! I will definitely be back to caffe falai. The food was delicious and the service was great!

07/08/08

Fantastic Bomboloni!

by mattbev at Citysearch

Not sure about the restaurant but I got a few of their bomboloni to go and the ones with the vanilla filling were AMAZING! The chocolate were pretty tasty too but a bit rich.

12/05/07

Aweful Service

by ucsbcub at Citysearch

I think the food was real good for the price, but honestly I think the service was just plain AWFUL. The manager/host seemed more worried about what he looks like (constantly looking at himself in the mirror) then servicing his clients. Food took forever to make, after 25 minutes of not being attended to, I had to ask for both a menu and a glass of water. Waiters were rude and unhelpful, and while in the end the food was nice, I still don?t believe the place is worth having to put up with being treated awful.