11/29/07

Tranquil, Friendly, Yummy Perfection

by yogie63

I just love this place!!! So charming and beautiful decor and the staff was amazing and sweet. The garden area is a great escape, to sit under the trees and lights was just sublime. I had the yummiest specials--polenta and the toast with figs and this terrific carrot and ricotto cheese concoction that was just heaven. It was such a perfect romantic place...good energy and excellent food. I cannot wait to go back!

• Pros: A total treasure!!

10/22/07

Nice outsdoors place.

by lschomp

I've eaten here several times, always in the garden so I can't speak to the indoors experience. But it's an adorable restaurant and you feel that the owners are somehow present (although I can't be sure of this). This place is pretty good. My favorite dish is a whole fish and the pasta is good too. I recommended it to someone I work with who also loved it and recommended it to the rest of her family... The garden's beautiful, the food pretty solid, and the price is right.

07/09/07

such a disappointment

by abcnewyork

Ugh. My boyfriend and I came here around 7 pm on a friday. It was bad in all respects, starting off with the bread, which tasted like uncooked dough. We moved on to a fig appetizer that tasted even worse than it smelled (although we didnt think that was possible). Our entrees were disappointing as well. My boyfriend had the fish special and I had the eggplant. It tasted bland and pasty. The outdoor garden was nice, but that is all it had going for it. Do not recommend.

• Pros: garden
• Cons: the food

01/25/07

wow that chef

by fabufoodie

What a great place! The food awas so cozy and delicious. The atmosphere is like eating in a sleepy Italian village. The lovely woman chef comes to your table and helps you order -- great wine list too. Next ime we are going to eat in the romantic garden

• Pros: transports you to Italy
• Cons: not open for lunch

12/30/06

Worst Service In East Village

by meechie

After hearing great things I was excited to try I Coppi and my first impressions were favorable, it really is a beautiful space. The appetizers were quite tasty and they had a good selection of wines but it took around 50 -55 minutes for our main course to arrive and when it did two of our party thought the food was bland while the other two were satisfied with their choices. After finishing, however, it took 15 minutes to clear the plates away, 10 minutes for the waiter to ask if we wanted desert, 5 minutes for him to return with a desert menu then a further 15 mintues to come back and take the order. Apparently he was more interested in doing his side work in the front room of the restaurant than ensuring we got good service.

We gave the restaurant the benifit of maybe having an off night in the week running up to Xmas but having just returned from brunch it's safe to say the bad service seems to be the norm. Maybe I Coppi can fit some system where if you need attention you can push a button which is relayed to the waiters who insist on hanging out with each other in the front room at just the precise time I need them.

• Pros: Ambience,
• Cons: Service, inconsistent food, service again

11/05/06

Great not-so-well-known spot

by burgerbiatch

We really liked the outdoor garden atmosphere, and the food was fantastic. We were pleased with everything we ordered. The prices were right too! The service was terrific as well.

• Pros: different atmosphere, reasonably priced
• Cons: gets a little crowded

08/21/06

exceptional food, lovely garden

by ayanpols

This place is a well kept secret as it's not at all pricey (you can have a full course dinner with dessert for less than $50 per person), it's very easy to get a table and the food is probably the best in this price range anywhere in the city. Home made bread is unique and very good, tiramisu - the best I've had in New York, pastas, tomato soup, everything is top notch. The service is warm and friendly, the garden is to die for.

I've been there 6 or 7 times, twice of which with parties of 8-12 people and it's consistently amazing.

07/22/06

Not memorable or romantic

by shakeyourhips

I saw I Coppi on a TONY Time Warner Cable review on "Outside Gardens" and i thought it might be the perfect place for my boyfriend and I to go for our 1 Year Anniversary. It says on the Citysearch review that it's not recommended for kids...romantic...etc...but when we walked in on Friday night at 7:30, there was a giant family dining with 6 kids. I saw a fair share of senior citizens too. Granted, it was on the early side, but THIS IS THE EAST VILLAGE. What happened? A buzzkill, when i had dressed up in provovative chic. Our table was in the garden, which is tiny, and when i asked to sit at a bigger table, they said the 3 seaters are reverved for larger parties. 10 minutes later, a couple was sitting there. The Garden is ok, but it's covered. Our food was bland, and we didn't finish it. Wine List was good, service adequate. Trust me, and save it for a non occasion where you just need a place to go if you are in the neighborhood.

• Pros: location
• Cons: bland food, overhyped

10/06/05

An unassuming, casual place whose food is gutsier than its setting suggests.

by Contributor

In Short
Acting as his own architect, co-owner John Brennan designed a rustic space with exposed-brick walls, wood beams, a mural of the Italian countryside and an open kitchen. It's just the sort of homespun spot found in neighborhoods throughout the city. The northern Italian fare follows a simple path, using fresh ingredients and delivering straightforward, balanced flavors. Pasta is a house favorite, as is the creamy polenta served with ground pork and sauteed wild mushrooms.

06/27/05

Appalling Service

by theseus

Seated right away, good. Garden, lovely. Winelist, great. Bread, served too late. Half order pastas, good. 45 minute wait for entree, bad. Asking about why the entrees took this much time, WORST. We simply asked what the holdup was, and the waitstaff said I dont know, I just asked the same question. You can ask the chef on your way out, very dismissively. At which my companion replied, very politely, That is your job, to communicate our question to the kitchen. She replied You dont have to be nasty to me, this is the last time Im talking to you and stormed off. Never have I been disrespected like this. We went directly to the owner and complained that such behavior does not befit such a charming establishment, and left without touching our food. It just goes to show, food alone does not make a restaurant great.

• Pros: garden
• Cons: service