Love love this place !! Pasta is delicious and the owner is always is and is sooo great and fun. Highly recommend !

We had the most lovely lunch here. I've NEVER given a review but this place prompted me! Marcello was our server. IMPECCABLE ! the food was lovely and authentically delicious. Really wonderful homemade pasta . Delicious wine!!! Everything perfect. Thank you!!!! Please try this place. read more

Was so amazing! Vodka sauce was incredible, but a little over hyped. The real star of the show was the carbonara, which I'd fully recommend to anyone! Espresso martini was also amazing. read more

See all

Homemade pasta is so delicious you can't go wrong with any of the combinations. We ordered drinks, pasta dishes and dessert the vibe was intimate and the service was good! read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Homemade Spaghetti with Vodka Sauce+ Chicken + Mozzarella - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

One of my favorite places in the city! The staff is always friendly and commentating, and the food is always amazing. Highly recommend the Cacio e Pepe and butternut squash ravioli (when it's on the menu). read more

we ordered this evening and the order was 30 minutes late. when i called to ask as to the status, the incredibly rude woman answering the phone asked "what do you want me to do about it?" this was the first time was have ordered from them since our last visit there where we found slugs crawling on tables in the back garden. i guess we should have learned our lesson. never again! read more

My neighborhood favorite. When I throw away the diet then its the cacio e pepe and their desserts.

Food- 5/5; branzino excellent and the lemonchello pasta was to die for. Buratta so fresh, wow Our waiter was hilarious, so kind. He gave the best food recommendations. Very attentive We sat outside so we're not sure how the inside ambiance is but the place was kept very clean and great place to have a conversation. Will definitely return! read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Bronzino, lemonchello pasta - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Stopped by Caffe Buon Gustó on Saturday on a date and fell in love with the food. We both had the Ceasar Salad to start with, and while the portions could be bigger, the salad was DELICIOUS! So fresh! For drinks I got the Campari Soda which I was not a big fan of (neither was my date) and they had the Sangria (it tasted too much like peach for my taste). For our main course, my date ordered the Penne with Ricotta & Pomodoro sauce and Mozzarella cheese - this was really good but could have used a bit more salt maybe. I had the Penne with Voda Sauce and Mozzarella cheese - SO GOOD! We could not finish it and took some to go. I ate my leftovers cold the next day and it still tasted amazing. For dessert, my date ordered the tiramisu, which was very good, and I had the affogato with Vanilla Gelato - IN LOVE. Overall, incredible food. For the service, I would say it left a little more to be desired but overall pretty good. Our waitress was very attentive and checked on us consistently. The ambiance was also fine but please be aware, the space is SUPER small. There are tables set up along a booth that runs the whole length of one wall so you might be touching a stranger. It was a little overstimulating with the volume and trying to get around and in and out of your table. It does feel very authentically Italian ambience wise (except for the music). Overall pretty good and would probably stop by again if I'm in the neighborhood!! read more

See all

I went here with my daughter and we shared everything. We started with the portobello tower appetizer...would not reorder but was good. For the main meal we had the veal piccata and a rigatoni w vodka sauce. These two dishes were excellent. Service was superb. Atmosphere nice...you can hear your companion and the price is right. Just to repeat...we really enjoyed the food. read more

Yummy pasta dishes in a typical UES small Italian restaurant. Kind staff and pretty speedy service with an extensive wine list. The place was crowded but fun and a younger crowd when I went on a Friday night. Definitely a specialized menu so make sure you check before going! I don't think the pastas were worth the price they were, but fun to mix and match. Not sure I would return. read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Lobster carbonara (not worth the price) - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Incredible Italian in UES. The food, the service, the staff, the ambiance, I can't speak more highly of it. Not only was the food delicious and came out super quickly, the portions were great and shockingly well priced. The even had fairly priced wine. Everyone in the group was blown away by how good their dishes were from appetizers to dessert. You'll definitely want a reservation, especially in the summer. 10/10 recommend and will definitely be back. It also delivers really well, I saw a ton of people doing takeout and I've picked up myself before and everything was great. Go check this place out! read more

Outstanding in every way!! Charming & cozy w/rustic, folksy atmosphere. We loved every dish!!

From the friendly door greeting, we knew this was going to be a wonderful experience. Service was impeccable, everyone's meal was beautifully presented, and the food was delicious! We went on the basis of the Yelp reviews and were truly impressed with our meal. Great music in the background (no tired Italian classics). A small gem! Bravo Nando!!! read more

If you're looking for the best Italian pasta on the upper west side, this is where you need to bring your parents. Marcelo took great care of us the entire time! We started with the burrata which was so delicious and fresh (not pictured, phone did not eat first) For pastas we went with the classic spaghetti and meatballs (5/5), the OG famous spaghetti with vodka sauce and mozzarella (5/5) and the butternut squash ravioli which was delicious. The service was warm and family oriented. Pro tip: ask to sit in the back garden read more

See all

Went here for a pre race Carbo load meal. The food did its job. The pasta was well cooked but the sauces all lacked flavor. We asked for salt and red pepper but didn't receive it. The Caesar salad was a joke, we laughed when we saw it because of how small the portion was and how watery it looked. The taste also disappointed. The service was a disaster but I give them a lot of grace because it started downpouring and they had to figure out how to fit all the outdoor tables Inside which was a very small space. I feel bad because they couldn't help the weather but it definitely made our experience less enjoyable. I probably wouldn't come backbut read more

If I could give a review 10 stars instead of 5, then I would for this restaurant! What a great dining experience. Food: GET THE GNOCCHI! It lived up to its expectations and more. I got the handmade plain gnocchi with carbonara sauce which had pancetta and onions. So delicious -- the gnocchi melts in your mouth and it tastes so authentic! My boyfriend got the bolognese and it was also really good! For apps we got the bruschetta (I'd recommend!!) and the tartufo (also delicious!!) Service was very friendly and attentive. I am pretty sure they served us old / stale Peroni beer but I enjoyed my meal so much it didn't even matter! I'll definitely be back! read more

See all

SUPER plush gnocchi!!! We had them in a pesto cream sauce with sausage and it was delicious! I am not usually a gnocchi person because they can be too dense, but these were fluffy and perfect--they tasted homemade. We also got eggplant parmesan, which came with a tiny Tupperware of penne pasta. The portion of eggplant was good though, and it was very tasty and well cooked. The sauce was also great! Also, the bread (which is the hallmark of a good Italian restaurant) that came with our food was fresh and had a nice flavor :) I would definitely recommend trying Caffe Buon Gusto's food, especially their gnocchi! read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Pesto gnocchi with sausage - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

See all

What a wonderful experience we had last night! We were seated at the window - I live their outdoor seating in the back but it looked like a storm was brewing so we asked for inside. We were given excellent service - I needed help with the wine menu and our server (not sure, he seemed like the owner or manager) assisted me and the wine was fabulous! There was a special last night so I got the $140 bottle for $70, a great bargain! My husband and I ordered the burrata with roasted tomatoes as an app and it was so yummy! The burrata was fresh and accompanied by a bit of spring mix that has just a touch of pesto on them. The whole plate came together so nicely! I was waffling between the gnocchi and the special of burrata-limoncello ravioli and again was given the excellent suggestion to try the special and it was a wonderful plate of homemade ravioli that had me wanting more - but I was stuffed!! My husband ordered the lobster ravioli in an Alfredo sauce with shrimp. He loved his dish and he said when it was delivered he thought it didn't seem like much but by the time he finished, was completely satisfied and couldn't have eaten a larger portion. He is still raving about it today! For dessert I went out in a limb - I ALWAYS choose a chocolate dessert and there are a few choices - but I was drawn to the pistachio dessert. Again, I asked and was SO delighted with the pistachio tart(?). There were three layers - on top a light cake - I mean LIGHT! Then, a cream layer and on the bottom, a pistachio layer. This dessert was the lightest dessert and most delicate flavor. It literally melted in my mouth. I cannot describe it well enough - but you have to try it!! My husband ordered the tiramisu and he's a sort of expert on them since that is almost always what he orders in a restaurant if it's offered. He agreed that it also was the lightest he has ever had. I don't know how they take all of that marscapone and make LIGHT desserts! They were both heavenly! Overall, this experience was far & above and I want to go again & again! Try it!! read more

See all

Just like Mom's homemade spaghetti and meatballs! Cooked perfectly, absutley amazing. My friends had gnocchi in vodka sauce and capellini in vodka sauce. All were fantastic! The place was packed and we still had fast service and the wait staff was incredible. Please put this on you wish list, it will be the highlight of your visit! read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Entrance - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Fantastic service. Great food. If you leave a good tip they always treat you to a surprise!

Unbelievable! So happy we picked this restaurant. We went with the fettuccine Alfredo (A+), Bruschetta (A+), Strawberry and Beet Salad (B), and two desserts: chocolate soufflé (A+) and orange sorbetti (A+). The food was incredible but honestly the service was even better. Couldn't recommend more. read more

Eh it was fine. Definitely overpriced but I don't particularly regret coming here. I wouldn't return and wouldn't recommend it, but we were looking to walk in somewhere in the area last minute and they had availability. The service was a bit pushy and overbearing. The prices are higher than listed online (e.g., if it says $22 online it is actually $26) which wasn't a huge deal but just something to be aware of. There is also a 4% credit and debit card fee. All this to say, the prices and service weren't ideal but the food was pretty good. The bruschetta looks unappetizing, like it's made on little cut up pieces of Sara Lee white bread, but it actually tasted pretty good. The complimentary bread, however, was cold, hard, and pretty much flavorless. Empty calories in my opinion, so be prepared to skip that. The rigatoni ala vodka was however very good. The chicken parm was also good but a little soggy on the bottom. It came with some steamed veggies which were also pretty flavorless (needed at least some salt and pepper!). We got the ricotta cheesecake for dessert and it was gross. We love ricotta and love cheesecake but whatever this was, just was not it. It had a weird consistency and really no flavor at all. Beware the polarizing reviews here. It's not life changing and it's not horrible either. Just don't have too high of expectations. read more

Best Italian food in Manhattan/UES. It's a lowkey spot, you could walk past it even. Super tiny inside but the pastas will have you coming back! All freshly made and the prices are beyond reasonable for the location. The service is amazing, a lot of the servers only speak Italian. That's how authentic this place is. I eat here often and it's good every.single.time. read more

Got the popular spaghetti and meatballs for delivery. The sauce and meatballs were good, but the noodles were super soft and no where near al dente. Also, for $25 it wasn't a great value for the quantity. Will need to try some of their other dishes next time read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

It's not just the outstanding food, but the warm, welcoming staff (Nando) who make you want to come back again and again. This is our favorite Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. A true gem! read more

What a great spot! The wine is reasonably priced and great. We got the Montelpulciano. Bread was okay wish it was a little warmer. Then we got the Cesar salad, branzino, and penne alla vodka which was delicious!! The sauce was truly a 10/10. Then finished off with tiramisu which was also so good. The service was fast paced and the hostess was very kind. It is a small restaurant with about 14-16 tables inside and a few outdoors spots too. read more

See all

Food and service was amazing!!! The owner Nando and his son Matt were fantastic. We got the chicken buon Marsala and home made pappardelle with vodka sauce which was so authentic! Highly recommend! read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Owner Nando in the middle his son on the right! They were amazing' - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Had dinner for a group of 4 on a warm November night for outdoor dining during COVID. It was very busy and staff seemed overwhelmed at times but generally tried their best attempts of customer service. The menu is large like a cheesecake factory menu, raising from homemade pasta combinations with various sauces and proteins, multiple appetizers and desserts galore. Food was generally good especially the pastas including the cappellini a la vodka and beef carpaccio. I would pass on the ribeye- nothing special. 1 Tiramisu was thrown in for free at the end of the meal. The man running the restaurant is friendly and active. read more

See all

I'm not that big of a pasta fan, but their pasta is GOOD. I got the special pappardelle with sausage and mushrooms, and it was delicious. We got two homemade pasta dishes for a total of $50 before tips, which is very pricey for lunch. I guess that's your normal UES price. read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Pappardelle and Sausage - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Came here on a Sunday night at around 8 with 4 other friends. They served us bread not too long after we sat down. The bread was pretty good--nice and soft and the oil was infused with herbs which I liked. I ordered the seafood linguine for my main course. It was very garlicky and it came with a lot of seafood but there were also a lot of small broken pieces of shells in there which made it a little hard to eat. For dessert, I ordered the apple tart and it was just okay. The flavor of the filling was pretty good but the pie crust was soft. My boyfriend ordered the chocolate soufflé which I also tried. To my understanding, soufflé is a very light and fluffy cake that's made with egg white and what we had there was nothing like that. It was very dense and just tasted like a regular chocolate cake. It tasted fine but it was not a soufflé. I was a little surprised when I read the reviews on here and so many people were mentioning their good service because that wasn't really our experience. I'm not sure if it was because it was relatively late (but they still had a new table came in when we were ordering desserts?) but the servers that day were just not very attentive. They didn't look particularly busy since a lot of time I just saw them talking to one another or preparing the utensils for next day. We finished our bottle of water for a very long time and no one ever refilled it. No one really checked on us during our entire meal until when we were leaving the restaurant and a person who I believed was the owner came and asked how was everything. Overall, the food was fine but I would expect better service at this price point. read more

Went here for dinner on a Sunday night. Small restaurant with every table occupied. Went here specifically for the Vodka sauce as it is supposed to be one of the best in nyc. Vodka sauce was much thicker than anticipated with not enough sauce to coat the pasta. My tortellini was way over cooked and I didn't touch it except for the first bite. When owner asked me about it I said it was very overcooked and he said well it's homemade pasta so impossible to be al dente. What a crock! Btw, they still charged me the $30 for the dish. When I asked for cheese on my linguine vongole he made a face and an audible dissatisfaction noise and dumped a small portion and left. When he saw me putting salt on my pasta he also made a disapproving noise as he walked by. The bottom line is we won't be returning as they made us feel very uncomfortable and the food was just ok. read more

Cafe Buon Gusto was the setting for Scott's BIG birthday after a night of tennis at Randall's Island for the new Fab 5. We arrived late, tired and hungry. The small restaurant did not spend much on decor and decorations but the setting on 77th has charm and probably more important- available parking. Salads, Italian specialties (chicken and veal Marsala...), salmon and pasta dishes were all good and the plates were cleaned. Not a fan of the spongy bread.... When asked about the salad dressing, owner Nando G. declared it was "Balsamic- the best"! and it was pretty good dressing. A nice bottle of red and a wide selection of Sinatra classics made the scant decor start to seem outright comfortable and homey... Nando is a true restaurateur as he said Caffe Buon Gusto has been at this location 36 years. Nando genuinely likes what he does and he is what you would call a NY character- equal portions comedian, story-teller, host, and schmoozer. Somehow it was very engaging. A song for the birthday boy, some complimentary quality desserts, and the evening was complete. 5 guests surrendered 3 credit cards and Nando asked if we were at the supermarket? That one went a bit over my head. I guess the lesson learned here is that if your food is good, and you bring some charm and personality- you just might have a winning formula to last many years. read more

Quaint little place on upper east side. Service and staff great. Food and wine great. Bread great. Pasta great. What makes this place as well as the one in Hoboken stand out is that the mgr and staff want you to have a great experience. read more

We ordered a glass of white wine each and shared the beet salad (sans the goat cheese) and pappardelle with mushrooms and sausage in garlic truffle sauce. The focaccia bread that is served as soon as you order is perfect for scooping up any residual sauce. The resturant may be small but you can tell that it's a good neighborhood one - the pasta noodles were definitely house-made by hand. Next time, I would probably get the vodka sauce (as it seems to be a classic & signature here). read more

Our server for the night was Marcelo and he was SO SWEET. He had great suggestions, was never overbearing with how present he was, and was charming. This place continues to wow. Today my partner and I tried the shrimp carbonara, and now we understand why Marcelo told us it was his favorite. In the future we'll have trouble ordering something aside from the carbonara and the crab meat ravioli. They're equally decadent. To start we had the minestrone and the mussels in the white wine sauce. Although the minestrone wasn't quite what I expected, it was still delicious. There was plenty of cauliflower, carrots, celery, and a bit of peas in the mix. The abundance of cauliflower made it plenty filling. The broth was leaning more towards a white creamy texture than the reddish clear broth I am used to picturing. The white wine sauce for the mussels was garlicky and perfect for dipping the bread in. We also got a glass of the Riesling and Sauvignon blanc. Would definitely recommend. At the end we got a bit of tiramisu to share. It felt like a bite or two might have been verging on frozen (as if they *just* took it out of the fridge, and maybe it was sitting further back in the fridge), but I still enjoyed it. The tiramisu was balanced in flavor, and the right amount of moist. I'm looking forward to trying the limoncello in the future. Marcelo said it's made in house! read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Linguini Shrimp Carbonara - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

See all

There are many classic Italian establishments on the Upper East Side, and this place made me feel like I've been missing out by always going to the West Village for Italian food. The inside looked cozy and intimate, but I ended up taking advantage of the weather and sat outside. However, I think the inside would be a better choice for future reference. Seeing so many people getting takeout while I was waiting for my food only heightened my expectations, and I wasn't let down! The pear and gorgonzola salad had the perfect amount of sweetness and saltiness, and both the veal parm and meatball pasta were smothered in a very delicious tomato sauce. People here were so nice and made me feel like I was at their home. The complimentary tiramisu was a perfect end to our meal. read more

I was all excited for the fettuccine Alfredo came all the way from Connecticut for it. Was disappointed it was bland there's was no garlic or Parmesan cheese for it. Was no salt on the table to add to it. The service was very good . It's a small but busy restaurant. read more

I had heard about the place and we happened to be in the neighborhood. The place was packed for a Tuesday night. Luckily, one table was available and they seated us without a reservation. The staff were very friendly. My friend ordered pasta with salmon in vodka sauce and I did the homemade gnocchi in vodka. They gave us bread which was focaccia. The food came out in like 5 mins. It was crazy. The gnocchi were prefect. I just wish there was more for the money. My friend liked her salmon dish. We got tiramisu and a soufflé to split. Both were delicious. Though my friend didn't like the ice cream. I would come back but wish it was a bit cheaper or bigger dinner portion. We ate outside on a warm day and they had the fans going. No complaints there. read more

Caffe Buon Gusto - Plain Gnocchi with vodka - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

See all

food was quite The environment is a little quirky, but everything was good and the service was good so I would recommend it.