We recently celebrated a family member's college graduation at Barbalu in Brooklyn, and we found…read morethis hidden gem. This cozy, family-style Italian restaurant offers a warm atmosphere and an impressive bar. We enjoyed refreshing drinks, including peach spritzes, classic old-fashioneds, and Aperol spritzes, all while soaking in the inviting vibe. We ordered burrata and shrimp / calamari to start. Our meal featured a variety of entrées, and everything was delicious. The bronzino was a standout, while the ribeye steak earned rave reviews. The lamb chops and roasted chicken also delighted our taste buds, and we wrapped up with their delightful tiramisu. Barbalu truly made our graduation celebration special. Special thank you to Adriana and the staff for great service.

Barbalu serves Italian fare and favorites stone's throw away from where we live. So it was just…read morebefitting to give our neighborhood restaurant a try. We came here after a World Cup match between England and Norway. Of course, England won, and we were festive. We were slightly late to our reservation without any problem. We were promptly seated, and to our surprise, the restaurant was actually bigger than how it looks from outside. We started with fried calamari and shrimp with marinara sauce and a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. For the main entree, I selected traditional lasagna verde with three meat Ragù and Bechamel, while my partner chose homemade fettuccine al Ragù with pork and beef. We had a wonderful dinner here. The food was all delicious and came in timely fashion. We will definitely come back here to try the other dishes on their menu.

I've been back multiple times since my first visit and always get the Reginette and another pasta…read moredepending on my mood for our entrees. We came for dinner today and got lucky because the Sunday only special (Chicken Parm) was available so we ordered that and I decided to switch up my usual to the Spaghetti. My boyfriend loved the Chicken Parm and it comes on top of Vodka Pappardelle which was also delicious and the Spaghetti wasn't too heavy even though it was cream based. I wish they sold the Vodka pasta separately as an entree because I would order that as an entree on my next visit. Another fabulous dinner at Ammazzacaffe!

Really a 3.5/5. The drink and one of the appetizers were great, but the entree was disappointing…read more Sunchoke - interesting for sure. The sunchokes and apples are tossed in a creamy and slightly herbal dressing. Burrata - really great. The eggplant base is richly spiced and tart to complement the rich and creamy burrata. Gemelli - disappointing, and the only vegetarian option. The goat cheese totally overwhelms the dish, so you can't taste the pesto at all. The texture on the noodles was perfect at least. Passion project - delicious drink with notes of passion fruit, chocolate, and some spices. The others in my group also had the duck (which they found to be a bit overly loaded with duck fat) and the reginette (which they enjoyed). I'd love to see a more balanced vegetarian main course make it on the menu sometime. The bill for 4 people came to nearly $230 after tax and tip.

Amazing atmosphere. Small and delightful. Very cozy and authentic. Service is A+ and the food is…read morefantastic! I had the wild bore pasta. Outstanding!

Piccola Cucina Casa Brooklyn delivers the rare kind of meal that makes you rethink what a…read moreneighborhood Italian spot can be. The room is small and romantic, homemade pasta hangs in the front window, and the whole evening felt less like dining out and more like being invited into someone's family table in Florence. We started with the fritto misto, a well executed mix of fried fish and vegetables, alongside an insalata caprese that let fresh tomatoes, burrata and basil speak for themselves. From there we went family style, which is really the only way to do it here. The bucatini cacio e pepe was as much performance as dish, mixed tableside directly in the cheese wheel. The fusilloni di Gragnano from Puglia paired scampi with burrata, cherry tomatoes and arugula for a bright, briny plate, while the tagliatelle verdi brought a rich wild boar ragu finished with fresh black truffle. The two standouts, though, were the agnolotti ossobuco with veal sauce and pecorino fondue rounded out with thyme and lemon, and the lasagna Bolognese. That lasagna, layered with meat ragu, tomato and bechamel, may be the best I have ever had. We paired the meal with a bottle of Salvioni 2022 Rosso di Montalcino, aromatic and beautifully matched to the food. The space is cozy and intimate rather than sprawling, so a reservation is a smart call. Everything else, from the food to the atmosphere to the sense that someone's nonna was cooking just for us, made this one of the most memorable meals in NYC. We would return without hesitation.

So a friend and I decided to dine out on a Tuesday, thinking that most places would be empty, well…read morenot EVELINA. We were able to snag an early seating at 6:30. Note: reservations are not required but definitely suggested!! This place was packed. Every table sat, but a few chairs at the bar. I give this place 5 stars, EVERYTHING was lovely! The dim lights, (I love a dark and moody restaurant) noise level, talk-able but good music in the background, food, drinks, service.... all of it TOP NOTCH. Let's get into the deets.... I ordered the Portia cocktail... if you like Mezcal, you should definitely try this one. Smoky and a little sweet, it was a delicious drink We order Pinsa Bianca for appetizers, the bread, roasted peppers and whipped ricotta all made for a light but delish start. We then dove into the rib-eye (for 2) DELICIOUS ! One of the best steaks outside of a steakhouse I have had. The marbling gave it great flavor, salted well and the perfect char on the outside, it was accompanied by French fries and broccolini. All a great addition; The broccolini was surprisingly not too bitter which was nice. To round it off we ordered their version of a Lemon tart! It was the perfect level of sweet and tart! Yummmo Overall a great place for dinner, run don't walk, you won't be disappointed! You'll thank me later

I recently had dinner with friends at Evelina and had a nice experience. We started with the…read morezucchini blossoms, which were okay, and the fritto misto, which was delicious. The calamari and shrimp were perfectly crispy, although I wish the portion included more than two shrimp. For drinks, I ordered the Lavinia, and it was excellent--a refreshing blend of tequila, lime, orange, and a nice touch of honey. For my entrée, I had the grilled pork chops, which were cooked perfectly. The pistachio gremolata added a unique burst of flavor that really elevated the dish. My friends ordered a variety of pasta dishes, which I tried and tasted good, and everyone enjoyed their meals. We ended with dessert and tried both the traditional tiramisu, which was very good, and the budino--a butterscotch pudding with pistachio gelato--which completely stole the show. It was absolutely amazing. Overall, a great dining experience, and I'd definitely return.

I have been on a quest for tripe -Italian trippa specifically -and I have been through lots of…read morerestaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn. And this one -by far -in terms of service, ambience, and especially food-is number one so far on my quest. Tripe was meaty and firm -not mushy wonderfully sauced. I will come here again.

You can tell this is a staple Italian restaurant in Marine Park, Brooklyn. Lots of regulars and…read morefamilies. I always pass by and finally decided to try it out. The interior looks like a classic Italian restaurant and service is very formal. It was quite busy for a weekday night. There's valet parking so you don't have to stress about finding street parking nearby. We ordered fried calamari, baked clams, baked vodka penne, and the Fisherman's Platter. We were served bread and some antipasto to start. The calamari was a classic and I loved the sauce -- it had a good spicy kick to it. The baked clams were okay. The Fisherman's Platter is a must and good value with its generous portion of seafood. It can definitely be shared amongst two people. The baked vodka penne was also good but portion was on the smaller side. I would say Michael's is a must try at least once.

Cute and heartwarming authentic Italian restaurant on the 6th Ave! They offer some outside tables!…read moreWe were two people around 7pm, that spot is a hidden jam! It was lively :) They have some today's special menu you should definitely check out. Their wine list is awesome! & The beer came ice cold! We started the beet salad and grilled calamari- both are excellent!! The salad was so refreshing! Also grilled calamari was marinated with basil- flavorful with hint of lemon juice. I want to have them againnn! And we got the gnocchi with oil. It was rich and creamy, flavorful and peppery. We were so filled with happiness ･:*+.\(( °° ))/.:+ was already planning to come back xxxx there were only two servers who were working hard, friendly! Thank you so much!!

3 stars. Overall, there were some genuinely good parts of the meal, although the experience was a…read morelittle uneven. I started with the fig jam, prosciutto, and gorgonzola appetizer. Overall it was good, but the combination needed better balance. The gorgonzola had a pretty aggressive bite, and paired with the saltiness of the prosciutto it became a little much. There were some greens underneath, and once I incorporated those into each bite, they mellowed everything out considerably. I actually think the greens needed to be treated as part of the dish rather than essentially garnish. For my entrée I had the special, a risotto with clams and octopus. The octopus was easily the best part. The clams were extremely small and pretty average, to the point that I'm not sure they added much to the dish at all. The risotto itself was also surprisingly bland and not particularly enjoyable on its own. Mixed with the octopus, however, it worked much better and became a genuinely enjoyable bite. That's ultimately where the dish felt a little uneven: the strongest component was carrying the rest of the plate rather than everything working together. Service was fine when I arrived, but became noticeably slower once the outdoor seating filled up. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor sections, but appeared to have only two servers, with the hostess also serving and a barback supporting the operation. Once the patio got busy, most of the staff's attention shifted outside and the indoor dining room received considerably less attention. Nobody seemed lazy or inattentive individually. It simply looked understaffed for the number of tables they were trying to cover. One additional server during the busy period probably would have made a substantial difference. And, admittedly a minor thing, an Italian restaurant having limoncello but no amaretto was disappointing. Nothing here was terrible. The appetizer had good ideas, the octopus was quite good, and the meal had several enjoyable moments. The food and service were just inconsistent enough that I couldn't quite call it a strong three-star experience, but it was close. I'd put it around 2.75 stars, which I'm comfortable rounding to three.

Lilia has been on my Brooklyn bucket list for a long time, and I finally got to try it -- and…read morehonestly, it was incredible. Of course, we did what we always do; showed up without a reservation haha... It was packed, and the hostess told us the was no way they could seat us. Defeated, we went outside ans sat on a bench trying to figure out our next move. Then the unimaginable happened. One of the people running the floor passed us outside, started chatting with us, and said, "let me double-check". A few minutes later, he came back and got us a table! He make sure we understood that we only had it for a short window bc they needed it back at a certain time -- but we got at least hour and a half to enjoy it so we were THRILLED. To us that was more than enough. He really went out of his way to make it happen, and honestly wish I remembered his name so I could give him the credit he deserves. And the service from there was outstanding. Even though we knew we had a time restriction, we never felt rushed or hurried for a second. Everything felt relaxed, attentive, and perfectly paced, which made them whole experience even better. Once we sat down, we started ordering as quickly as possible. The grilled clams were insanely good -- flavorful and with just the right little kick. The Nduja & sungold tomato toast was surprise favorite. The tomatoes were so juicy, and the flavors were perfectly balanced. Simple, but SO good. The little gem salad was fresh, crunchy and exactly what we needed in between all the richer dishes. For pastas, I had the mafaldini with parmigiano, one of their signatures, and it was delicious. BUT... I have to give the win to my husband's pick, rigatoni alla diavola. I know they are completely different dishes, and Im usually a white-sauce kind of girl, but there was something about that bold, spicy flavor that just HIT THE SPOT. And dessert... The vanilla soft serve gelato and the warm rasberry tart together were the perfect combination -- creamy, warm, fruity, and just the right way to finish our lucky dinner. Lilia was absolutely worth the wait and definitely lived up to the hype. Another Brooklyn spot checked off the list -- and one I'd happily go back to.

This is a place where everything is done well. Service was very good - our waitress was attentive…read moreand welcoming. Started with the Prosciutto- it had a good pairing of balsamic and parmigian butter. The sheep's milk agnolotti was definitely the highlight - the filling was slightly tangy since it is sheep's milk but that was a great balance to the creaminess. The mafaldini was topped with red peppercorn and the pasta had a good texture and chew. Finished off with the Vanilla gelato which was the perfect ending. Overall I would definitely come back here.