PERFECT place for a cozy Italian meal and good wine. And if you just want some wine and a bit snack, their cheese board is amazing. Perfect place for dates, for catching up with friends, or to go by yourself even. I go there all the time, the staff is really nice, the owner is attentive and polite and its just a great place. Good ambiance, music could be less loud. read more

One of my favorite spots to hang out and linger over wine or coffee. I have to confess that I've probably only ever ordered food once or twice, and don't remember if it was good or not. But I'm constantly bringing friends here to catch up and talk somewhere where it's not too loud, beautifully cozy inside, and full of interesting, eclectic clientele. This place kind of personifies Nolita for me. read more

We stopped by this place because it had good reviews, and were seriously disappointed by the poor service. We sat at the bar for a very long time without the waiter acknowledging us let alone take orders. For poor service and lack of diversity, two stars. read more

Terrible service. We were the only people waiting and the waitress would walk back and forth and pass us and never asked us about our party. We waited 20 minutes and had to ask her about the table ourselves. Then when the table was ready she didn't even bother telling us. Another staff member had to bring us over. After sitting at the table for 10 minutes they never bothered to give us menus or silverware or water...When asked about their juice of the day the guy had no clue what was in it and tried to sell us on getting it..like are you kidding me? Oh and they also spilled an iced latte on one of us. Ok food, worst service in the world--that alone is enough for me to never come back. read more

This restaurant is a MUST! My friend and I went for brunch. It's the perfect place to catch up with a friend or group. Coffee house vibe, with a unique restaurant menu. We had their breakfast, and it was delicious. I'll definitely be returning, not only because I love the atmosphere, but also because I'm interested in trying out other menu items. read more

My family stumbled into Epistrophy on a bitterly cold, dark, January night after wandering aimlessly for almost an hour disagreeing about where to eat. There were 11 of us--three residents and eight visitors--and here we found something for everyone: classic Italian dishes for the cousin who wanted Little Italy and the dad who wanted "food I recognize"; fresh, healthy ingredients for the farmer in-laws; subtle, well-designed flavors and decor for the snobbier among us (guilty). The music and ambience were a cozy haven from the winter night. The manager made us feel super welcome, never intruding but always noticing when we needed something, occasionally making sweet silly faces at the baby and toddler in our group. (It's hard to find a place that can flex to accommodate a family with small children and still feel like an adult restaurant!) This was our last night together with two overlapping groups of family visiting New York. We shared a relaxing, delicious meal that was the PERFECT end to our day, honestly everything I could have asked for in our dinner experience. I notice other reviewers called the food pricey, but we found the prices very competitive for the area, and everyone left happy. We would definitely return to Epistrophy again. Thank you so much! read more

Cute decor, very loud and not a great place to talk. Got the quinoa salad with beet tahini and it was okay, nothing to write home about, but definitely needed a dressing or at least more tahini. Was basically just eating plain quinoa and veggies. read more

I called Epistrophy to make a reservation and the woman on the phone told me for two people I had to go on Open Table. I did, and Open Table says they don't handle that restaurant. I called back and got a man who said they only use Resy; when I said that someone told me five minutes earlier to go on Open Table he seemed unconcerned. He said that there was a link to Resy on the Contact Us page of their website. I looked at the same page I had already looked at and didn't see it, because you have to scroll past a big ass form to fill out if you want a reservation for three or more (http://epistrophynyc.com/contactus/) because the Resy button is below the big ass form. I told the guy on the phone that was bad placement because it was difficult to find and they should move it to the top and he was didn't care at all. A long way of saying that I'm never going there because if they suck at customer service on the phone I'm not hopeful for in restaurant service. read more

Cozy atmosphere. Very nice food (specially the salads).

Really cute restaurant. I don't often dine in SoHo because I feel too low budget but I'm really glad I brought my low-budget self to this classy joint. I'd give it 5 stars but the patio is whack! They have these little stools that are rickety and my ass was about to bust that thing into a million pieces and my ass isn't even that big. Note: If you have a big ass, you need to sit it inside. Not only that but the air conditioning from the apartments above kept dripping on us and one of the people in the apartment above threw their cigarette down onto our table. While this is not entirely the restaurant's fault, maybe they should make a bigger awning. Also the ground is not level which also adds to the possible busted stool situation. Once i got over the annoyances of the patio, I had a lovely experience. Our waiter was a super cool chill guy who was patient and very sweet. I'm so overwhelmed when I get pleasant service. He gave us recommendations and helped us decide. The food was really good. I didn't deal with desserts because I was just too full from beer and lasagna but they have a really good menu. I would love to return here. Plus it is really easy to get to. read more

Epistrophy is an adorable little place straddling little italy and soho. My boyfriend and I wondered in here one night after searching for a moderately priced, romantic venue downtown. The restaurant is endearingly rustic, with little wooden tables, velvety couches and multiple bookshelves lined with novels and art books. It was perfectly casual and the waiters were friendly, helpful and down to earth. The food was delicious, my boyfriend had the pesto cream ravioli, which he raved about, and I had a simple chicken salad, which was fresh and also quite good. The place has a certain European charm to it! Though we went for dinner, it seems like the perfect place to frequent for dessert and coffee, or even for a quiet place to read on the weekend. Definitely worth a visit! read more

Good wine selection but food is just ordinary- nice place to hang out but recently discovered a new place called Oro a couple blocks away...and have been going there for happy hour and casual drinks on the wkd...it's alittle more comfortable and just warmer vibe. read more

Delicious food and cozy atmosphere. The gnocchi, spaghetti Nero, short ribs, and meatball appetizer were especially memorable!

Ordered here on Seamless. Someone from the restaurant called to kindly note that the kind of pasta in the dish I ordered had run out, which I appreciated. The pasta dish itself was delectable and still warm, plus it came early, all of which is great considering all the bad Seamless experiences I've had. Thanks Epistrophy! read more

We were five people with a few luggages and we chose this place for breakfast because it was empty, so there would be space to keep the bags by the table. The service was horrible. The waiter had a sour face for us was not there for others. We couldn't get our full order, even after we reminded the missing items. Asked for a bottle of water, got half a bottle, for five people! When I complained they said that it was the busiest time in last four months! No apology, nothing. Wold not suggest any one to provide business to such people. read more

As a law student, budget places to eat are VERY important to me. I had the parmigiana panini which was 9 or 10 bucks and I split a 24 dollar bottle of wine with my two girlfriends. By the way, the 24 dollar bottle of wine was not the cheapest on the menu. Oh and I tried the soup (my friend got it)--it was SO yummy! It's also just a really cute place. Very hipster. Really like the ambiance. Super unique for NYC. read more

We went there for brunch and service was rude, plus they did not give us back the change, kept as a generous tip above 22 % . Food ok but a bit expensive for a tiny sandwitch. read more

Love their smoked salmon Apple salad and tuna salad! Very well cooked! Friendly and warm service!

Truly A-OK. Made a reservation before hand and was seated promptly. The service was rather slow, the food took 45 minutes to come out. Our waitress messed up the order pretty badly, which she made a decent effort to fix, but come on its just pasta my girl! The portions were incredibly small but pretty tasty. I liked the vibe of the whole place, but definitely didn't feel like they had the whole restaurant thing figured out. Great wine selection, which is all I really need read more

Brunch was super good and not crowded at all for a saturday at noon. Love how fresh everything tastes - their pesto, oh my god. Very European spot I have found, like Cafe Fiat across the street (but a diff vibe). read more

I love this place! I had dinner here a few times with friends and I keep coming for more. My favorite dish is brasato, salivating-ly good short ribs! I chose a glass of carignano red wine which was a match made in heaven ;) I had lunch there recently and took Pane Frattau,two sunny side up eggs on flat Sardinian bread in tomato sauce. Simple dish but full on flavor. Have a kale salad here too! Fresh and equally flavorful. I loved the laid back atmosphere,welcoming staff...it's a sweet friendly and yummy gem to visit when in Nolita. read more

Delicious authentic food, fun cocktails and great atmosphere with live music. Pasta was so yummy and easy to share with a couple of starters. read more

exactly my type of place - great food and drinks, warm, intimate, dark, outdoor seating, unpretentious

Amazing brunch place! Food was delicious, fast, and cooked to perfection. Staff was friendly, polite, and quick with service. It's a cute little place with lots of charm. Will definitely go back. read more

One of my best friend's lives right next to this place, so we come randomly and often just to have drinks and catch up and we end up ordering a few dishes here and there. Most of their pastas a pretty good and service is great. It's a great place to come after shopping and just chat with friends. read more

I have been here twice. The first time was fine. The second time, we had no reservation so sat in the front part on a sofa with a coffee table. We ordered drinks and a couple of dishes each. It was all OK except that, just as we were finishing our food, the manager ushered four people over to share our table. These four were previously inside the restaurant, so perhaps they had finished eating but the manager wanted to use their table. In any case, there was (barely) room for them, even after the manager brought over an extra chair. He did not ask if this was OK with us, although I guess he figured the sofa and coffeetable was quite large for just two people. However they were all drunk, and two of them were making out to the point of virtually having sex. They were seated two on either side of us, so there was no escape. It was unpleasant sitting 3 inches away from people drunkenly making out. We left quickly. I don't think this was a good way to treat us. The manager must have seen they were drunk, and to just foist them on us (literally foist them on us - they were falling onto us) just to get a few more drinks out of them, was pretty crappy. I wouldn't go back for this reason. I realise it isn't the fault of a restaurant owner if the patrons are drunk and badly behaved, but you don't need to find a place for them to sit at the expense of non-drunk well behaved customers. read more

They need to make a clone of this place and bring it to my neighborhood. Absolutely lovely.

Cute interior with wee patio seating out front. There's always a seat for you! Dropped in with some friends for drinks-- the house white is tasty and only $6. Friendly staff. Busy area, but this place is pleasantly buzzing and not jammed. read more

Service was great here! Came here on a rainy day with my friend and we both were pleasantly surprised by the cute decor inside. The plates look like they're part of a tea set and the whole place has kind of a hipstery vibe. The day we went, they weren't too busy and there were only two waitresses, both of whom served us very politely. As we placed our orders, one of the waitresses pointed out that my original order of some sort of a meatball dish was going to be small so if I was feeling hungry, I should get something in addition to that or something else. I was pleasantly surprised that she had considerately warned us of the portion sizes when the alternative could easily have been just a nod and a smile. I changed my order to an eggplant park sandwich while my friend had an egg sandwich. We didn't have to wait too long for them to be freshly made and served on a cute cutting board served with a mini salad on the side. We both enjoyed our warm sandwiches very much and just as we finished it began to pour again outside. We stayed a little while longer and although we were clearly finished with our meal, no one rushed us out or signaled that we should go by leaving the check on the table until we directly asked for it. The service here was refreshing and compatible with the delicious warm food they serve. Be sure to stop by! read more

Great atmosphere, free wi-fi, nice staff, and tasty food and drink. I came here with a couple friends and we shared the cheese and meat plate and something with asparagus and both were delicious. The house red was tasty too. read more

i used to live around the corner from here and used to go all the time. it's still one of my favorite spots for home style italian pasta. all the pasta dishes are delicious. i also love the live music they usually have on weekends. it's also just a good spot to meet a friend for drinks, latte, or dessert. i love the laid back ambience and shabby chic living room feel. the only con is that they are cash only which is sometimes inconvenient. read more

cute little spot for a glass of wine and some plates to share, or to have a coffee in the day and do some writing. Nice relaxed vibe

My friend and I were visiting New York too experience the city during the holidays and of course we had to visit Little Italy. We asked a local, who works at a wine shop connected to a wonderful Italian market. I can't remember the name however she was so helpful and willing to help guide us, which was our experience with each New Yorker we came across! She recommended two places and we show Epistrophy and we were so glad we did. It was such an adorably quaint place, relaxing after the crazy hustle and bustle. We shared the pear and gorgonzola salad which was quite tasty and a perfect start. My friend ordered the baked eggplant, which I am not a huge fan of but this time I was. I loved it and so did she. I ordered the gnocchetti with sausage and it was perfect. Light and delicious, if I could make that sauce I would be so happy. Our waiter recommended a great glass of red wine, looking at their site I think it was the primitivo. All in all we really enjoyed it and have already told people about it! read more

Cool atmosphere, nice staff, sidewalk seating or open window seating. Also a nice bar. I can't remember what we ate or the tab. Just that I want to go back read more

Nice easy going spot for lunch on a weekend. Good pastas, great bread!

Stumbled upon this charming little restaurant in soho for brunch. I really wanted to love it but between the poor service and mediocre food it gets 2 stars. My friend and I waited over 30 min to get water-- and the place wasn't even crowded. Secondly, my prosciutto omelette was just ok. The meat was cold and there was no cheese on it. I asked for egg whites and it cut the omelet size down in half. I wouldn't recommend coming here, there are tons of other little places in this area that you could try. read more

Avocado toast is delicious and decently priced. I highly recommend. very cute and quaint and great for people watching

The owners must pay attention to the service provided at their restaurant. The restaurant was 1/3rd full and I had to wait 20 minutes before I waived for a waitress who then forgot and when she saw me looking at her, sent her other colleague over. It's a super cute and eclectic place in the perfect location, can become one of those must go places when in NYC, I think what sets it back is this mediocre super slow almost passive service. Saying that, the Italian owner is always pleasant and charming and the food is always consistently good. I truly hope the service level is turned around, wishing them all the best. read more

love this place. small, cute, dim. cheap wine. phenom cheese plate. delish olives. fresh salads and pasta. really, can't complain. cash only. read more

Gnocchi with mushrooms was amazing. may be the best I've had outside of Italy.