09/24/09

Average food but great people

by RoseBlake

I went there the other day for a glass of wine after a show. The food was very average, raviolli and chicken parm but what made this place stand out is the crowd. There were so many interesting people in one place and everyone was so friendly that I felt like part of this huge fun American Italian family.

To my utter shock Mr. Big from SATC was there! I kid you not! The man was just hanging out with everyone at the bar. He looked just like on TV. There were some very beautiful women having a good time and it was just like a big fiesta...mind ya, this was a Monday night too. The music was fantastic! The piano man played some favorite jazz standards while some fantastic singers sang anything from Sinatra to opera. I think this is the most fun I've ever had at a restaurant in my life...so much for the random little Italian joint. The waitresses were kind of cute but very stand offish and looked like they couldn't wait for it all to be over. but whatever. The place is a blast!

• Pros: Best crowd
• Cons: food average, bar tender girls crabby

02/15/09

Ruined Our Valentine's Day Dinner

by randb090608

For our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, my wife and I had 6PM reservations at Da Marino, with theater tickets for 8PM. When we arrived at 6PM, we were told, along with several other people waiting with reservations, that it would be a few minutes. When pressed, the maitre d' kept saying 10 minutes or a few minutes. They did give a few parties, including ours, a free glass of champagne while we waited. However, we were not seated until 6:50PM. At that point we ordered a couple of glasses of wine (watered down) and when it arrived, were asked to move to another table to accomodate a larger group. We agreed, but were forced to carry our menus, wine, and napkins with us. When we were re-seated we told our waitress about our theater tickets, ordered, and were assured we would have no time issues. We quickly received our appetizers, lobster and crab salad and caprese, which were good, but overpriced due to a shortened holiday menu. The bread we got was somewhat stale, and the bottle of olive oil was taken off of our table without us being asked if we were done. We were done with our appetizers at 7:15 and our waitress came by every 5 to 10 minutes to assure us our main course was on its way. At 7:45 I approached the maire'd and told him we had to be at the theater in 15 minutes and had yet to receive our main course. He didn't say anything to me but went toward the kitchen. A minute later the couple next to us, who had been seated well after us, received their main course. We received no acknowledgement from our waitress or the maitre'd, so simply got up and left the restaurant, with nobody trying to stop us. The restaurant was clearly overcrowded and overwhelmed and did not know the meaning of a reservation. We managed to enjoy our show but would have preferred to have actually eaten and enjoyed our dinner on Valentine's Day. With so many good restaurants in the neighborhood, please stay away from this one.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Service

05/06/08

After Show Drinks

by sahowell

We stopped in after seeing a show for dessert and a glass of wine. It was a great place to sit and have a drink. The staff was so incredibly nice! Had a very nice house wine and a delightful chocolate cake. What a great way to wrap up a wonderful evening in the city.

04/16/08

This place rocks!! We were treated like roylaty.The food the wine the service Heaven!!

by ColleenFrances

What more can I say. I can tell you we were pleased! Yummy, friendly, and reasonable! You have got to try this place!

• Pros: Thumbs up
• Cons: none

02/19/07

ok

by anjel79

I decided to give this restaurant a try just by the reviews posted here...& I'm sorry to have to say..."NO!" I think I would have been better off going to Olive Garden down the street. The service was good, the food had no taste & the sauce on my pasta was watery/runny. The "garlic toast" was so hard it burned the roof of my mouth & burnt. The price would have been ok if the food was great! Definitely, do not recommend to anyone trying to seek something a little more authentic (than Olive Garden) & will not be returning. We were seated next to the kitchen & an exit door (which they came to open once while we were eating)...the one menu item that was great were the scalloped potatoes.

04/26/06

Not quite up to par

by accomack

Restaurant was recommended by the hotel Mayfair (excellent cheap hotel) on the same street. Service and ambience excellent. The salad and appetizer were great. The main course not so. My pasta was not quite cooked, much less al dente. My wife had a dish with calamari, mussels, shrimp and clams. The clams were the size of a fingernail, the mussels had a sewer taste. Wine was great thought. Caraffe of wine, appetizer, 2 salads, 2 entrees for $130 plus tip? Should be no complaints at all. We were going to Babbo but talked out of it. Never been to Babbo yet, wish we had nowl

• Pros: ambience, service
• Cons: see review

12/27/05

Pretty Good

by joecusanelli

My wife and I went there for lunch right around noon. The restaurant was not crowded, which was nice. We made the mistake of ordering the lunch pre-fixed menu. We both ordered the soup and the pasta with proscutto & peas and a bottle of Chianti. They did not have the wine that we wanted, so we ordered Chianti by the glass. They were also out of the soup that came with the special, but they did substitute with another soup that was more expensive. The pasta dish came out with no proscutto and we had to send it back, but after that it was fine. I think it would have been better if we didnt order the special.

• Pros: Good food, Not crowded
• Cons: pre-fix menue, Out of some items

12/19/05

DELISH!

by nadiakarina

Excellent ambience, Fabulous decor. Great food. This spot is a nice romantic , yet casual spot for pre-show dinner/drinks. Love it..and will definitely go back!

• Pros: Decor, Ambience, Quaint
• Cons: Service

06/20/05

Loved This Restaurant

by shelly211

I have had the delightful opportunity to dine at Da Marino's and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting or living in New York.

06/16/05

First Choice

by gdnabr

My friend & I discovered DaMarino's by accident in 1997 and have made it our first stop for dinner every time we visit the city. We have recommended this restaurant to all our friends who plan on going to NYC. The ambience is quaint and reminiscent of my trips to Italy. My favorite dish is the salmon alla grilla. This is a must for anyone looking for true Italian cuisine.