Best Italian food Best sauce and fried cheese ever staff is sometimes friendly overall it is a great family experience I am a regular there

Comically bad red sauce "Italian" food. Close to what I would expect if someone from Montana who had never been to the NYC area tried to imitate this "cuisine" based on what they saw on the cooking channel, but could only shop at a military surplus store fore the ingredients. read more

Came in to eat dinner and there was a party of 20 or more. I was turned away due to no seating arrangement. Saw the party that was waiting and there was only the owner and one server. Whom was the owner/ server had an attitude and was overwhelmed with so many people. Definitely would not come back again. read more

I gave it one star and honestly it's a lot. I have ordered food throughout the pandemic from this restaurant. Yesterday was my daughter's birthday and we decided to go out to eat to this restaurant. There are no reservations needed. As we entered the restaurant we stood and waited (a party of 5). There was a young Latina woman by the bar who never acknowledged us nor that anyone come out to greet us to even inform us that there was no space for us to eat. I was so embarrassed as they were other people having dinner and just staring at us. Soon after we were outside in disbelief a party of four entered the restaurant and were greeted and were able to sit. I am one of the owners of polygon Brooklyn and never in my life would I allow for anything like this to ever happen. I'm not afraid to say that I felt a little discriminated there's no other reason why we would not be acknowledge nor served. I would never again ever order anything from this restaurant and I am very disappointed. I tried calling today to speak to the manager or owner in regards to the situation and I was told he's not available and may not be available until tomorrow. I just wish they will take the time to read this review and correct this situation. read more

Last night my family and I were starving, we decided to call in an order and pick up, ordered shrimp Parmesan with spaghetti (got fettuccine noodles) also ordered chicken Parmesan and cheese garlic bread.... What a disappointment omg how gross did it look.... Marinara sauce is a nice red color... this sauce was burnt and nasty... it was and looked gross...please attempt to maintain the way ya were in which we enjoyed... get better chefs with dignity in what they are serving... last time eating here...such a shame since we have been patronizing you business fir years in this location and the one ya were at before. read more

Good to see that some traditions haven't completely died out. The place is run by the chef, a little friendly Latino guy named Desy. As others have noted, this place was opened by Desy after his original workplace, Little Charlie's Clam Bar in Little Italy, closed. Prices are weird here, with some things priced well and others not. Place was empty for lunch, but then again I wouldn't expect any big crowd in the middle of the week all things considered. My friend and I shared a veal parmigiana hero w/ medium sauce as he didn't want seafood and we just wanted a light lunch. The whole thing here where they offer 3 sauces (sweet, medium, hot) is typical for clam bars for seafood even if its weird that they offer it for the whole menu here. We got some hot sauce with the bread we got initially; between the hot and medium, I personally preferred the hot but the medium worked much better with the veal. Bread was good quality Italian bread. The veal itself was ok quality (dark veal), and could have been crisper. There was also too much cheese relative to the meat, which wasn't skimped on but wasn't plentiful either. Overall it was a decent sandwich, but given the price ($15) it wasn't impressive. I'd come here again to try the seafood maybe, but I'd probably be better off up somewhere on Graham Ave instead. read more

This place is definitely not what it used to be when it was located in New York City. The food was absolutely horrible. Very low quality and the service was absolutely horrific. We ordered a salad antipasto that came with rolled cold cuts instead of chunks of salami and cheese. We also ordered fried shrimp and calamari that were cheap frozen very low quality that smelled of fish. Usually, when you order these things in a restaurant they should not smell a fish, there shouldn't be any fishy odor at all. So I proceeded to tell the waiter that these calamari smelled of rotten fish and he gave me an attitude and said "it's fish" I told him to please take it off the bill and he absolutely refused to do so. The food is so low quality this place has had its day also he expected us to eat out of side plates instead of giving us a proper size dinner plate I had to keep asking for serving utensils. When something is served family style, there should be serving utensils in the plates and we should not be expected to eat out of side plates. It's just low quality bad food. This place is done. I'll never return. read more

It's nice that the staff from the former Little Charlie's Clam Bar had the ability to open this new location. Thankfully it's not too far out of Manhattan. All dishes remain consistently and pleasantly the same. My absolute favorites are the Linguini with fried squid in mild tomato sauce entree. The cold seafood salad and baked clams are always winning appetizers. The meatballs are to die for, and I love the fried shrimp. Eggplant and chicken parmesan rock as well. They serve fresh baked bread as well. The ambiance is very casual. The staff is always friendly and attentive. I wish they were still in Manhattan. Tip: I often mix the Medium and Mild red sauces. The Hot red sauce I enjoy in small doses. read more

Just went in with my family stood at the door we started talking didn't realize 5 mins passed no one came to help seat us the guy was at the bar just standing there looked over didnt even say give me a second to seat you smh read more

New address 672 Grand street!!! Always found food and service to be fine, never experienced any problems. They don't rush you which I like read more

I've been grateful that this small business has endured the wrath of 2020. Unfortunately they do not have outside seating at the moment. I'm not sure if that will happen at some point (one's hoping). But, the take out has be excellent. The food hasn't lost its credibility or deliciousness. It has maintained true for the past few months. Unfortunately if I want to eat from here on a Monday or Tuesday, I'd have to look elsewhere at the moment. But such a great Italian/seafood spot. Fav: fried shrimp with medium sauce and/or spicy sausage with broccoli rabe and penne with Roasted garlic and oil. read more

Tonight was an absolute disaster. I was served the worse calamari ever in my life. It was soaked in oil and had little to no breading on it. I was then served my Shrimp Oreganata RAW! it was completely WHITE. It was as if it was just slapped on to the shrimp. My serve then caught an attitude with me because I complained about my food. I simply asked for it to be fired and he threw my food away. I will never go back here again. I also heard another guest complaining about RAW FOOD. What used to be a great place is a complete mess now. Fire the Server and the chef. read more

I can write so many bad things about this place....the food and the poorly run management was a mixed disaster: muscles had no white sauce and they smelled old asked for chicken parm ( i don't know why they served it with their spicy marinara sauce, that should be served while mild sauce unless asked for.) gnocchi had no flavor and the sauce did not help the bland dish the scallops and shrimp were over cooked and sauce was watery instead of sauteed. A family of 6 were there, the child was not only screaming of the top of his lings but also standing on the table, I had to walk out, leaving hungry( returned most dishes) and disappointed in the quality of food and poorly run establishment. read more

The service was slower than it should be for a Saturday afternoon and when we were the only 2 people there, but man....that sauce. At first only marinara, lemon and butter were brought out and we were so confused...then the bread came five minutes later. The house marinara has a slight kick to it and tasted amazing. For apps, we got a dozen baked clams which were very well breaded and tasty. We got the calamari/shrimp small platter (with the SPICIEST of spicy sauce...who knew Italians knew spice??) and the Angel Hair Frutti di Mare. The latter was great with most little sea critters and a buttery pasta; so filling. Other than the service, this place was pretty good for a random desire for seafood in Williamsburg. I wouldn't go at night--who knows how long service would take then--but a lunch or early evening dinner is the perfect time to go! read more

Great food and prices the staff so welcoming I recommend this place highly affordable

Desy is a family favorite! We've been coming here for the last 5 years and really enjoy the food! They give large portions, a lot of seafood and it always tastes super fresh. Highly recommend! read more

This place is a gem. No frillls... weird blue lighting. Food is amazing. Classic Italian dishes. The red sauce is incredible I could eat it with a spoon! You can get it spicy or as our waiter recommended and we loved... sweet medium. Perfect bite to it. Order off the menu or honestly they'll make you anything you want (aka shrimp Parm!). People mention bad service but we had great service. The amount of food you get for the price is incredible. This is just one of those places you only find in New York... I'm glad we came across it we'll definitely be back!! read more

An adorable family owned restaurant with the most mouth watering sauces. We trek it to Brooklyn just to eat here!

The best hot italian subs in wburg. Easily. I especially love their chicken parm sub with sweet sauce. In this regard, they give you the option between sweet, medium, or spicy sauce. The spicy sauce isn't so much spicy as it is savory. But I like the sweet sauce. Sandwich is huge, and can pretty easily feed two people. Bread is nicely squishy, sopping up the sauce without getting soggy. I've only had a better chicken parm at one other restaurant - and that was in NJ and long ago went out of business. Highly recommended for subs. Can't speak to other food though. read more

PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW BEFORE YOU ORDER DESY'S: Thank you. A few tips from a man who knows: Tomato sauce dishes are offered in mild, medium, and hot iterations. Medium is hot. Hot is unbearable. I cover everything in sriracha, I hope that is a hint to my relative tolerance. Cheesey dishes are topped with a layer of goopy, papa John's-esque melt. I hope you're into that sort of thing. Whenever I look in Desy's, there is about one to two medium sized families inside eating. They are not tourists, hipsters, "New williamsburgers", no, they are authentic New Yorkers who have been around here for longer than you have. A bit of cred is due to Desy's and to those families, whoever they are. read more

I am a former regular of Little Charlie's dating back to a time when most of my fellow Yelper's parents had yet to 'Yelp in Unison', so I'm a little partial, here. Yes: this place cannot compare with the former iconic institution in Little Italy that we all loved. But make no mistake -- this place is money. It's so good, we frequently order up lunch and have it delivered into our offices in Lower Manhattan. It's THAT kind of good. Now... for all of you who thought Desy's is a dine-in joint... Surprise! Surprise!: It isn't. 'Nuff said on that front. For hungry newbies, here's all you need to remember: "Shrimp Parm Hero - MILD".... ["HOT" is reserved for those times when you're so stuffed up that you can't breath]. Of course, they have chicken and other stuff, too... Oh yeah... expect this sub to be big and bold, not delicate and whimpy! read more

I am currently eating the shrimp oreganata over pasta, and it is extremely delicious. So much so, that I wanted to talk about it while I eat it. The pasta is swimming in the perfect amount of garlic and oil. They give you a heaping amount of baked shrimp with a delicious breaded coating. They also threw in about a quarter loaf of baguette. This is definitely enough for two people, and at $15.50, I think that's a bargain. The delivery guy was courteous and it look no longer than 30 minutes, although they said it would be 45. I live in the part of East Williamsburg where no places north of and including Metropolitan Ave. will deliver to you, so I'm always looking for new spots that will cater to my laziness. This was certainly one of those places. Delicious Italian food, reasonable price, and prompt service. 4 stars in my book. read more

A group of us ended up here for lunch the other day, and we're still talking about how terrible it was. I've walked by the place several times and I always expected it to be a quaint Little Italy-style restaurant. The inside looks more like a run-down pizzeria. The waitress seemed annoyed we were there and took forever to do simple things like refill water and get us the check, even though we were the only table. She also didn't smile the entire time. The food was the worst part and I'm surprised by how many reviews say it's great. There were 5 of us so I got to try a few different dishes: 1. Fried Mozzarella--Not terrible, but nothing of note. The cheese was a bit hard and chewy instead of gooey. 2. Shrimp Scampi Linguine--I could barely even eat it, the sauce was sour from too much lemon and the texture was gritty/clumpy from where the cream or butter didn't melt fully and congealed. The shrimp were overcooked and dry. 3. Chicken Scarpariello--This was the least offensive in terms of flavor but the potatoes were hard and undercooked and the chicken was chewy and overcooked. 4. Chicken Eggplant Parmigiana--This just looked gross, it was a big sloppy plate that was topped with a giant glob of low-quality cheese. 5. House Salad--Hard to screw up, but drenched in dressing that was a bit too tangy and the ingredients weren't very fresh. On top of having a cook who cannot cook, the prices are pretty steep for the quality of the ingredients and the end result. Horrible experience, skip it! read more

I'm surprised at how bad the reviews are for Desy's. My parents were regulars of Little Charlie's for over 20 years and we were all disappointed when we realized they were no longer there. I finally found out about Desy's and have been coming here for about a year now. I love the fried shrimp in mild sauce over penne. The eggplant rollatini appetizer is so good! Desy's definetely gets 5 stars from me! read more

This is as close to my Momma's and family sauce that exists. I love this sweet sauce. I'm totally addicted. Meatballs are out of this world... the entire experience leaves me so stuffed I fall into my happy food coma. Do not miss. Late seating and BYOB. read more

AS GOOD AS IT GETS ! A fan since a young boy the food is the same if not better ! staff Is Super Nice ! PROUD OF YOU GUYS ! Going on your own thanks for doing this you guys made a lot of people happy now my kids get to enjoy the food I ate as a kid and they love it just as much Fried cheese Mushrooms & Peppers Chicken Parm Shrimp Balls Fried Calamari Fried shrimps & Linguini I could go on forever ....... ALL IN ALL - THERES NOTHING NOT GOOD HERE ! You won't be disappointed ! read more

We waited one hour and didn't even get our apps. I feel like a protest is about to ensue because all the other tables and people waiting on pickup aren't a) getting service b) getting their food. We asked for more bread about 30 mins ago and can't even get a waiter to make eye contact with us. The sauce for the bread was delicious but...it's been an hour. I don't care how good that food is, I'm not returning. I'm 5 seconds away from walking out of here. No apologies from the staff as people complain to them and each other. Tables are literally complaining to each other because we're all losing our minds. If I could give zero stars I would. If you see 3 people working here, walk out. Until they're willing to spend money on more staff spend your money elsewhere. read more

Really hit the spot! We started with a shared dozen clams on the halfshell. When we saw how fresh, plump and juicy they were we knew we were in for a treat. The Giambotte and Veal Parm were served on huge platter sized dishes and were absolutely scrumptious. They offer you a choice of their 3 sauces, which ensures everything is made to order. Service was friendly and courteous. We will be back. (And I have a feeling this place will not stay empty at dinner time for very much longer!) read more

I live in lower Manhattan right off the Williamsburg bridge so I have been dining at this restaurant when it was Lil Charlie's on Elizabeth street since I was old enough to remember. So needless to say I was ecstatic when I found out the cooks had opened their own restaurant. I say this to give relevancy on how long I have been a customer. I was even on first name basis with some employees.NONE OF THAT MATTERS THO TO THE STAFF AND MANAGER. They DO NOT VALUE THEIR CUSTOMERS.I called in a order today of 3 items one of which is a chicken and brocolli fettuccine alfredo with EXTRA ALFREDO SAUCE. The picture below is what they gave me. When I called to say how my order was messed up I was told that the manager and chef said alfredo sauce was on it as if I was lying. Then I sent the below pic and I was told that its cause the food was cold ,as if I hadn't left less then an hour prior, and how would they be able to tell that from a pic. When I asked that I was told cause " We been doing this more then 30 years and the chef knows his dishes." I was then told the alfredo was on the bottom just stir it as if I hadn't already. The bread they gave me was hard as a rock and they didn't even include butter for it which is ridiculous to me being that I just spent 60 dollars in there. They apologized for nothing and took no responsibility like I would just make this up after I had been coming there for years. They have just lost my business. I wouldnt reccomend this place to anyone who works hard for there money. read more

Desy's Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I don't know where the previous people are eating but I just returned from the worst dining experience I have ever had. The first clue was how empty it was for a Saturday night. Second was when we tried to use a gift certificate that they said was no longer valid. We gave them a chance for being a neighborhood spot anyway. The "fried" calamari for starters was sooooo overcooked that it tasted like thrice cooked rubber bands! No wonder it was not mentioned in the appetizer column but thrown in with a fried food sampler. After that we were happy to not chose any more seafood but the entrees were worse! My dining companion specifically stated penne alla vodka and received penne over-oiled with fried chicken and broccoli. After sending it back, we received a dish that was tossed in a supermarket grade sauce and thrown in the microwave. My dish of broccoli rabe and "hot" sausage was again over-oiled with super overcooked floppy rabe (cooked in butter!), over-cooked pasta and mild Goya chorizo (which was the tastiest thing we received throughout the meal!) After eating only a quarter of the meal, we asked for it to be wrapped up and paid for the overpriced meal with 20% tip. Upon arriving at home, we found only 1 meal was wrapped. In retrospect probably a good idea considering how unpalatable it would be the day after. If there is some speakeasy-style basement of this place that makes the $15-average-per-entree of this place "amazing" please let me know. read more

Good food. Seafood is nice. Italian standards are great. Pasta is consistently great. read more

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I just moved over to Grand street and my new roommates and I wanted Italian food. We started to walk around and we came across this quaint little restaurant. The menu had a good amount of options. Shirmp Parmigiana Chicken Parmigiana Grilled Chicken Salad Just to name a few things that I thought looked good. I ended up getting the Grilled Chicken Pepper with Onion. It was really tasty and the chicken was cooked just right! My water was never empty and the staff was great. read more

The red sauce unbelievable sweet medium or hot whatever one you choose will make you happy we ordered all our favorites -chicken palm , meatball, Fried calamari, Fried jumbo shrimp, deep-fried cheese, we were a party of six and not a one had complain about anything we ordered everything came out perfect only wish I could make it at home A real treat.been enjoying the leftovers for about two days now... thanks guys really enjoyed (Argentine cowboys Boston mass) read more

Desy's Clam Bar - Seafood Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I always have the penne Alla vodka with shrimp this time it was not up to my standards. It did not taste the same as last time. Very disappointed. read more

The people that work there have no respect for the paying customer I sent my family from California and told them that the food is great the wait staff told them that they have no forks or spoons and the bread and butter is extra money I truly hope that my gypsy family sees this and never go back read more

PRO: Loved the bread and marina sauce they bring out before you eat your entree. They are both warmed up and it taste even better like that. Ordered: Shrimp alfredo dish, which was pretty good, the plates are average size, though I think they jip you off by putting in on a plate instead of a bowl like other Italian restaurants. CON: Their menu is also their place mats...I thought I was at a Chinese restaurant for a second when I sat down, and then realized they really don't have menus. It is literally a paper, not pretty, or fancy at all - -for the price you pay, you'd expect much better. Really bad service. There was one waiter, who was really really distracted by another waiter who wasn't taking care of any customers at all. They were both sweet guys don't get me wrong, but really really lacking in the customer service area. It took forever to put in our order (I had to ask after waiting at least 10 mins). There were only 3 people there so it's not like it was busy. And I had to ask for water, twice, I shouldn't have had to ask even once, that should be common sense for the waiter to bring it out without a customer having to ask. Getting the water was another process... let me stop here. Ordered: Veal Marsala. The marsala taste itself was really good, but the veal was either old or overcooked. I've had veal a number of times and it should not have been that hard to chew. For the size of the food they give you, I think they are overpriced. My shrimp dish was $20 and I've definitely had larger portions for less. Verdict: I'll pass. If the veal was better, and the customer service was MUCH better, I would have even recommended it to others. But - - woomp woomp. read more

Desy's Clam Bar - Paper place mats. - Seafood Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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No hi, hello unpon our arrival. Litterally had to ask for plates and utensils 15 min after we recieved bread and butter. Which took 15 after we sat down. Took an hr until we recieved our food. No water refil was offered. No music was playing. Felt like i was eating at a fancy soup kitchen. This place went to shit. read more

I've been going to Little Charlie's in Manhattan since I wasn't even old enough to eat solid food yet. My parents and I were so upset they closed but so excited to find out the chefs opened up their own spot here in Brooklyn. The food is EXACTLY the same. It's amazing!!! read more

After getting home from this place, I felt extremely compelled to write a review. From the moment my girlfriend and I saw this place from the street, I had a feeling we were going to have a bad time. Aaaaaaaand we did. To start, I hope those who visit this place go to the gym. You will have a great workout trying to open the two front doors from the kitchen exhaust being so powerful. As we finally managed to pry the through doors, we were told to sit anywhere. A red flag for any restaurant is when your not greeted properly. If your a sit in type of restaurant, you should always greet every customer properly. That "you can sit wherever" greeting from behind the register is already showing your customer you do not value their business. So after we finally decide on where to sit from the abundant empty tables, the waitress comes over and asks us what kind of sauce we wanted with our bread. I have been to plenty of restaurants and I have never been offered bread with tomato sauce. Ehhh but when in Rome right? Sooooo the waitress reassures us that the sauce is what they are known for. When the sauce arrives at the table, that was red flag number 2. It had a texture that immediately reminded me of Ragu. I asked for sweet while my better half asked for mild. The taste was not any better. My sauce was just horrid and her "mild" sauce was hot enough to melt paint off a car. Not to drag this out, I will write only about my entree. I ordered fried calamari with linguni al dente. Let me just point out that the pasta is extra for the order. Rings only, extra. Oh and cheese, guess what.... extra. If I remember correctly, I believe the calamari entree is $14 to begin with so in my opinion nothing should be extra. If you opt not to get any extras, you get a biscuit with your calamar. If you do splurge for the pasta, guess what, no biscuit for you. I guess the waitress saw the look in my face when she said that and decided to throw in, and I quote "one biscuit." :/ So finally dish arrives. Fried calamar chewy. Al dente linguini was not cooked properly. And the famous or perhaps infamous sauce was just as appalling to the palette as the one served at the beginning the meal. Never again for us and hopefully never for anybody else that thinks about trying this place. read more

My boyfriend and I stumbled here before the quarantine. It's literally so good I hunted it down on Yelp to see if they are still open for delivery. Out of everything, we loved the mussels. We got the diabla and the white wine mussels and devoured both! Best ever. The service was great. They were slow but cognizant of it and kind about it. Additionally, it's a mom and pop type place with really amazing homemade tasting food, so it's to be expected. Be patient and you won't be disappointed! read more