Reviews & Ratings for Sandro's

02/01/12

Tony loves this place

by filcro

I love everything about this place. My wife and I found it late one night when they were closing and Sandro stayed open to fix us an amazing meal. He is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Who else would bring you a "rabbit" out of the hat. To Sandro and your staff, thank you for REAL food. I look forward to spending many happy years with you. Only my grandmother's cooking came close :)

All the best, Tony & Helene & Friends

12/21/11

Excellent food, considerate service

by weinstem

My wife and I are foodies, we own a house in Italy, and we really know Italian food and the way it should be eaten (we wouldn't dream of ordering pasta for a main course or drinking cappuccino after dinner). Take it from us, Sandro's is very authentic and very good. We had an octopus salad, which blew us away. It was the best octopus salad I've ever eaten. I was less impessed with carciofi alla giudea, which is one of my all-time Roman favorites, It was ok, but not great. Spaghettini with lemon were a winner, the best I've had since my last visit to the Isle of Capri. The service was very good. Our boisterous 4-year old knocked down his glass of orange juice, and we were immediately moved to a different table. He also got a dish of simple rigatoni with tomato sauce, which was to die for. All in all, a real neighborhood gem. Whoever wrote that other horirid review of Sandro's clearly doesn't know first thing about Roman food.

03/09/09

one of the best

by CSMobileUser2

I have eaten here three times and am heading back for a fourth. Excellent food and service. The lemon pasta is a treat.

08/31/08

Best Restaurant Outside of Italy

by jaynovella

Best restaurant in the city!!! My fiance and I are real foodies, and we were absolutely shocked at the quality of the food. It is the best Italian food that I've had outside of Italy. My family is from Southern Italy, and this is the best food I've had since I last visited them. This restaurant is for people who truly know food and have a discerning palette. Go and enjoy!!!

06/21/08

Excellent food

by mamba10028

I agree with the other review, i don't usually do this but the first review is very unfair to Sandro's. I first went to Sandro's to write a review on it, and I have been going back ever since. You always feel welcome at Sandro's, and if by any chance you don't the food is reason alone to go. I am a member of the associated press and Chef Sandro knows his Italian food. My personal favorite is the spaghettini al limone, and at the end of my meal I was offered a complimentary glass of grappa. Chef Sandro always comes out into the dining hall to greet the customers and to make sure that his food follows his reputation.

01/03/08

Sandro's has the best food on the Upper East Side

by gastronome11

I never review restaurants, but since I love this place so much and the other review was so bad (rather unfairly), I felt I had to put something down. This restaurant is fantastic. It has wonderful food that is truly something to savor. It is not a place to go for quick, crappy Italian food. Sandro is charming and wonderful and is often seen at each table making recommendations and checking in on his guests. Do not be surprised by a complimentary glass of the house infused Grappa at the end of your meal (to go with the complimentary cookies) or a tasting of their fantastic mortadella at the beginning. If they have the baby eels as a special, get 2 orders, they are that good. There is no need to rush here, take your time and enjoy every course. I recommend the lemon pasta, baby eels, the fried ricotta, the chicken livers in balsamic and the fantastic burrata like (only creamier) cheese special.

• Pros: Food, Sandro, Complimentary Grappa

Editorial Review

by Contributor

A vet of New York Italian cuisine, Sandro Fioriti, opens an eponymous restaurant on the Upper East Side.

05/14/07

ONE OF THE WORST ITALIAN PLACES IN MANHATTAN

by amberwl737

I was appalled at the service, the food and the staff. We traveled all the way uptown to eat at Tre Scala--what was one of our favorite Italian restaurants in the city. We were shocked to find that Tre Scala had been replaced by Sandro's--with its tacky yellow awning. We went in hoping that Sandro's could live up to Tre Scala's quiet, romantic ambiance, personable staff, and wonderful food. Unfortunately, our experience was just the opposite.

There were 4 empty tables in the restaurant, yet it took us about 10 minutes to be seated and another 10 minutes before we could get someone's attention to bring us menus, water, etc. After asking to see a menu, we were given a wine menu. It was another 10 or so minutes before we could get yet another person's attention to give us food menus. After finally ordering, it took nearly an hour for our food to come out.

Our server was a gruff old man. He got our orders wrong,barely spoke, and was NOT friendly at all. We went the entire meal without anyone refilling our water. When we finally asked someone if they could give us more water, he told us that it wasn't his job to do that. What's more, when we asked if he could help us wrap up the left-overs to go--he ignored us.

The food was terrible...My friend got the fish special and it was disgusting. The fish smelled and tasted as if it had been left out too long. The chef attempted to cover up the bad poultry with a heavy tomato sauce, but it didn't work.

There was a table of men sitting outside smoking cigars at the entrance of the restaurant (clearly friends of the owners), and the smoke from the cigars thoroughly infiltrated the small restaurant and made it impossible to sit there without gagging on the heavy smoke.

We were wholly disappointed and would not recommend Sandro's.

• Pros: NONE!
• Cons: AWFUL SERVICE, AWFUL FOOD, AWFUL STAFF!