Reservations & Seating: We met some friends at this restaurant on a Saturday night. Waited about 15 minutes for our table. The tables are VERY close together, in a small room and can get very loud. There is some seating outside but it was quite cool so only one table was being used. Service: Our waiter was prompt, helpful and attentive. He even helped us choose a very good, but reasonably priced wine. Food arrived quickly and hot. Food: Ordered some appetizers to share that included Pizzetta del Bosco and Rigatoni. My main course was Steak Lavagna; perfectly cooked and very tasty. Others enjoyed the Pan Seared Atlantic Cod and the Tuscan Kale Caesar which was absolutely delicious. The salad changed my mind about how good kale can taste. Wine: The wine list is sufficient and fairly priced. Price: Price for this caliber of restaurant is moderate. I would definitely recommend trying the restaurant when they offer the prix fixe dinner from 6:00-7:00pm nightly and 5:00-7:00pm Sunday. With a choice of Appetizer, Entree and Dessert for $32, it is a real bargain. It is a bit of a ride from where we live but would definitely go back again if given the chance. read more

Came here for Valentine's Day and holy goodness, I was impressed. Not sure if it was for Valentine's Day, but we started off with complimentary champagne. I had the scallops for appetizer, after asking our waiter if he recommended the octopus or scallops; he answered the latter almost immediately, and he was right -- they were amazing, very rich taste, but not too big a portion that it'd be overbearing. Had the monkfish for entree, also incredibly good (admittedly not as good as the scallops but those are going to be hard to top). Finished with chocolate mousse cake, almost wanted to eat my boyfriend's too, it was just that good!. It seems to be a very popular place for Valentine's Day, as throughout the course of our dinner (we had a 5:30pm reservation) the small space quickly filled up with couples. Totally understandable, as this was a sweet, cozy, romantic Italian restaurant tucked away in the East Village. And to top everything off, they had a large vase of red roses for the ladies that Valentine evening. Incredible food, amazing service, would definitely want to come back. read more

Food is not the best nor extremely memorable but the atmosphere is contagious and very friendly. Service is helpful and wants to please. Menu could be more consumer friendly but small menu choices sometimes makes focused well -put-together dishes. Anyway, when in the East Village looking for moderately priced good food with bread that you will ask for more, worth the visit. Word to the wise:Don't hang up your Coat or hat It might be swapped out! read more

Went last night to celebrate our anniversary. Last time we were here was 2010. They brought back on the menu the octopus appetizer that I loved . We had the rigatoni and monkfish for our following courses. We enjoy he neighborhood feel to this restaurant. Just a great place to eat read more

Pictures look amazing and the reviews good - I was starving so I decided to treat myself and order 3 things that added up to $65 but I thought it would be well worth it. The food is Inedible. I smell line cook. It all tastes dead. No love , no pride or self expression or passion was put into it. It all tastes like someone who has no ability to cook was hired to just follow directions of a long ago gone chef. I ordered the oven roasted artichoke with white bean sauce with mushroom. The artichoke was tasteless and the texture was unlike what artichokes taste like. It was gross.The bean purée was tasteless and greasy. The mushrooms were ... yes tasteless. I couldn't even take a second bite to see if there was any redeeming taste in there. Then I ordered prosciutto with shaved Parmesan on arugula salad. Its a wonderful Italian staple to have on a hot summer night. I was awaiting cold sliced prosciutto and crisp arugula. What arrived was very warm slimy prosciutto that was not cut thinly enough and the shaved Parmesan was like shiny old tasteless plastic. They packed the salad in between the pasta and the hot artichoke , so it cooked all the way through the delivery. So unconscious!!! Outrageous! It was inedible. The pasta now. Somewhat edible , it was supposed to be "melt in your mouth" angel hair with a rich roasted garlic sauce. It was supposed to be a rich melt in your mouth sauce and this ?! Omg!. It tastes like they threw some old stale garlic that had been precut a few days ago into burning it oil and 30 seconds later added canned tomatoes and a lot of pepper and done! The cheese they sent in a separate little container was cheap tasting. It had no nutty flavor. I was hungry - starving and I could not take more than two little bites. I had a stomach ache starting after the second bite of pasta. Such a disappointment !!! How dare they ? You know? I'd give a minus star. This was disgusting. Such poor ingredients, poor cooking. Irresponsible cooking. I've had better food at airports. I should have just made some pasta at home. That was $65 thrown out the window. Now I have to find something to get this terrible taste out of my mouth. Shame on you!!! read more

Hm, this is between a four- and five-star review. The place has a high-end feel inside, cozy, with tablecloths and cloth napkins. It's pretty but a bit cramped with all the tables they squeeze in, and as it gets crowded it gets loud. But with warmer weather they open it up to the outside which helps. My wife had the octopus salad which was a bit over-flavored for our taste though otherwise well cooked, I had a very good grilled asparagus. For mains we both had different pastas al ragu. Both sauces were excellent, beautifully prepared and flavored. But we both felt the pastas (a pappardelle and a fettuccine) were slightly overcooked. I imagine they would have been perfect before being mixed with the hot sauce. The wine list is extensive with a lot of very interesting Italian selections, but it's not cheap. There are some reasonable alternatives, but most of the good stuff is priced high. Service was excellent, relaxed and accommodating. read more

Yum! Small cozy Italian spot in the East Village. I recommend making a reservation (as I did) because they usually have a good crowd. We were seated right away at a table outside. Really nice ambiance. Food: Ordered the rigatoni with sausage and peas--GET THIS. so good. Also tried the Insalata Mista--also really good--and a special pasta with corn. Service: Attentive and consistent. Everything was delicious and we are looking forward to going back soon! read more

Great service and excellent food. Two of us were seated in patio right away for reservations. Gin and tonic was strong and my steak was delectable. I highly recommend for a upscale casual night out. read more

Had the best restaurant experience at this delightful spot recently. The owner is a piece of work and a real character and his opinionated attention to detail makes this restaurant what it is. Charming, great food, wonderful service and an exquisite Italian wine list. It is loud but if you're OK with that, eat here now. read more

Went there with a group of friends for a birthday. The food was amazing, we had mussels, scallops and octopus for appetizers. The mussels were my favorite! I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli for my entree- absolutely delicious! We ordered a few bottles of wine, our server worked with our table in pairing the perfect bottle for our meals. I had a great time & will definitely be going back again! read more

We were greeted by a rude hostes after telling her we were there for wine and dessert. Did they really think we wanted a full course meal at 11pm on a Saturday night? Whatever we sit down, and in comes an incredibly rude waiter who asks " so, what are you gonna get" whhhhaaatttt??? Bye, don't spend your money here. read more

Bad service, and prejudiced against minorities, they have a cop wannabe checking who comes in. They don't allow anyone who had drinks or mixed race couples. I had been a regular patron at Lavagna for the last year. Preferring familiarity, I dined there several times a week and always left a good tip. The food was usually ok. Several months ago our group of four arrived and were told we would not be served, because we had drinks before hand!? Do they not know this is the East Village and Prohibition is over? At least the police use a breathalyzer! There was a black lady in our party, but I did not understand at the time. A week ago I showed up with a black date, and was refused service by Micheal. Not sure if that is the policy of the establishment, or simply Micheal's "closet-bouncer/cop klan" syndrome. (no drinks before hand this time, so - no logic or excuse). I will not patronize an estabilshment that discriminates period!! Good bye Micheal and LaVagna. You will find me and my money at my old spot Perbacco around the corner on 4th Street, which is better and much less noisey. read more

This is my favorite restaurant. The rigatoni with sausage, fennel, peas and cream sauce is the best pasta in manhattan, I kid you not. Great wine selection, nice service, cozy room and good prices. Love it!! read more

We had dinner here the other night. Delicious! Great find and I love that it is out of the way and really a neighborhood restaurant. My wife was so thrilled with the food and the intimate setting. The staff was fantastic. We can't wait to go back. read more

Make that 3.5 stars. Inside is warm, dimly lit, and romantic. Elegantly lit with candelabras, wood finished throughout and this is great for dates and intimate gatherings. It is a little tight in there, especially since by 7:00pm or so the place is in full swing and every table was filled for dinner on a Thursday night.Best route is prix fixe for the whole table and you can get a little bit of everything. The portions are reasonable, and I was filled by the time Ieft. I am a huge bread basket person and the bread they brought over had that lovely rustic Italian quality to it , and our table loved the spicy olive oil and olives that came as a dipping accompaniment. Fantastic! For appetizers we had the prosciutto, scallops, and mussels. The prosciuttio was typical prosciutto type dish balanced with the sweetness from the figs and the peppery arugula. The scallops with parsnip puree and pancetta was good, but it left me wanting more. Maybe if the parsnip puree had more of a kick to it (parmesan cheese?), and if the pancetta had been crumbled on top of the scallops instead of a slab of pancetta it would have been better. Also, dish needs to be temperature hotter overall. Courses ordered: porkchops, lamb, rigatoni, and monkfish. Porkchops was simple; if the meat was a little thinner, or flavored better I would have been happier. It was a little tough, and plain. It made you feel like you're eating meat, to eat meat, pass on this. Lamb, phenomenal! This is a signature dish and I highly recommend it. I don't even eat lamb that regularly save for some Indian dishes periodically. Succulent, satisfrichly flavorful, and tender. Rigatoni was equally delicious! Perfectly al dente, the sausage was evenly crumbled in the sauce and it was creamy, and a hearty bite every time(nobody at my table could keep their forks away!) Monkfish was the main reason for the 3.5 rating. First, compared to the rest of the entrees the size was very disproportionate (note: it was my mom's birthday and she ordered this as her entree) so I felt bad that she had the smallest dish when it was her birthday! It was tiny, and aesthetically unappetizing. I know monkfish tends to be chewier and it's not the prettiest fish alive in the sea, but still. It had this grey-ish Gollum cast to it (google image that, your thoughts are mine exactly), it was chewy, rubbery, the skin was slimy and mush. Ugh. I helped her finish it so she could enjoy the rest of the food at the table. Really poor execution. Dessert: crostata, gelato, and panna cotta. Gelato was a no-fail since its from the always delicious il labratorio. Panna cotta again simple dish, but could have used some depth of flavor, and more sweetness. I'm not asking for a panna cotta that is sickeningly sweet, but I felt like I was eating plain fage yogurt. Crostata was the real star in this arena. that night they were serving blueberry crostata and the crust was perfectly baked through, blueberries plump, and sweet, and ice cream on top, can't go wrong here! If you're going to have wine, have a vino friend research their list and pick a bottle ahead of time as we did. They have some great options if you want to wine and dine. Lastly, service was fine. It was a little jarring that everyone working there was dressed in regular street clothes, one older gentleman, a spry man with albert einstein-ish hair in European looking clothes, and a girl who dressed like your local bartender. I'm not asking for uniforms or white collar shirts, but it was a little confusing who was serving/working there. (spry alber einstein was lovely as our server though! endearing accent and flourish to his serving) read more

Amazing, this food is incredible, reminds me of being in Europe! The staff and owners operate like a family and genuinely care about their restaurant, I've never had any problems. Every time the food is perfect and on time! read more

the table was laden with baskets of bread and plates of olive oil that were terrifically seasoned with grilled garlic, spices, and olives. the main chatter on our side of the table involved little more than how delicious and satisfying a dinner of just bread and this & only this olive oil would be. i looked around the table and giggled at the glimmers in people's eyes as they held bitesize pieces of bread in their hands, kneading them, as they politely but impatiently waited for their turn to dip. lovely homemade fettucine with sweet summer corn & pancetta that curled around the plate and pulled apart in the most deliciously creamy way. the sweetest & juiciest heirloom tomatoes i've ever had (sad to say that both things i had that evening were specials. sara jenkins specials). wine list was reasonable and carefully picked. an espresso and sambuca provided the perfect italian finish to a delicious dinner and an appropriate start to the evening festivities at a not-so-nearby mezcal spot..... mezcal. don't sniff it. just drink it. read more

Terrible service. Waited over 30 minutes despite having a reservation. The food was average: the pizza was very good but the fish was bland and dry. Also, the waiter didn't even check on us once during the entire meal. I really wanted to like this place, but came away sorely disappointed. read more

Lavagna might be my favorite restaurant in NY. The ambiance is settled and yet just lively enough, the food and wine are excellent, and the service is quite good (although if I were to change one thing, it would be this - could be a bit more attentive). It's on a quiet stretch of 5th St., and although I think I've read this somewhere else about Lavagna, I don't mind repeating it: Lavagna makes you feel like it's YOUR place, a feeling that, at least in the East Village, is extremely rare. I think it's this quality that makes it perfect for any occasion - small birthday party, dinner with a couple friends, or a date (preferably one you like - don't want to waste a good meal on a bad date). read more

I went to this restaurant with my friend last Friday night. It was my first time to visit this restaurant and I was kinda excited since the reviews were pretty good. I and my friend were waiting for a waiter who could take us to the table, but nobody came to us. my friend said "excuse me" to the waitress who was a white female with a blond bobhair but she didn't even say hello and totally ignored us and passed us by to serve the other tables in the outside. we were disconcerted a bit ,so I couldn't say anything. actually, I was kinda shocked. she saw us again when she came back inside the restaurant, and I saw She threw a look of contempt at us. I felt like the reason why she ignored us might be that we were Asian females. even though she didn't discriminate against minority people like us, her attitude was terrible as a waitress. Did she forget what she had to do as a waitress because she was an idiot? The owner must lay off her before their reputation gets worse. read more

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet - probably because I've only had four or so things on the menu, but I'm endlessly pining to get back here. The best ambiance of the Italian restaurants I've been to in this neighborhood, especially with the windows/doors open in summer. I imagine it can get noisy with the windows closed, so wait for the summer if you will. I have to say I'm too student-poor right now to get to the secondi, but I don't need to yet: the rigitoni with sausage, peas, cream and fennel - a beautiful standby. And the parpadelle with braised rabbit, wow, shoot-me-in-the-face good. I was steered by others to Frankies Sputino on Clinton for good Italian foods around here, but I don't think there's a comparison - this place has got me. read more

Nom. Seriously. I'm not usually a huge fan of Italian food so I only trekked out to Alphabet City because a friend booked Lavagna as the spot for a reunion dinner. The food exceeds expectations and it's priced so so well. I can't say much about the service because I didn't even notice as I dove into everything. Mushroom and truffle oil pizza? Yes, please. I've had truffle oil on pizza before but Lavanga manages to do it just right. Doesn't overdo the cheese or oil. Really wonderful although our pizza was a tiny bit overdone/burnt. All of the pastas were wonderful-we shared several and no one was disappointed. Nothing was left on the table. Go here. You won't be disappointed and your wallet will barely take a hit. read more

Never had a bad meal at Lavagna. Food is always fresh and delicious. Everyone I introduce to Lavagna loves it. Looking forward to my next dinner there. read more

Fantastic pizza and best pasta!!! Very romantic place.. great service and less than 30 seconds from my home!

the reviews for this place were pretty stellar, so i must admit i had my hopes up. it wasn't BAD? definitely not. but it didn't ... blow me away. my girl friend and i both shared the two fish entrees and there was just something missing. it was a bit overcooked? slightly lackluster. we even shared an appetizer ... and i've already forgotten what it was. this was last week, i usually remember all food. i give it 3 stars because i think it has potential. perhaps they had a bad night with us? it's in a lovely part of town. we sat outside on a beautiful day. loved the ambiance, but i don't know. maybe i'll come back again for the $30 fixed price menu between 6-7pm. read more

Very intimate restaurant and I loved the food. I came here last night for Valentine's day dinner and had a wonderful time. They had a Pri Fixe menu for 2 at $75 which included appetizers, entrees, dessert and a complimentary glass of champagne. We both had the homemade ricotta and spinach ravioli with shredded cheese for appetizers and it was AMAZING! It had to have been the best ravioli that I've ever had! For our meals we had the rack of lambs cooked medium with subpar cooked broccoli rabe and rosemary jus with corona beans. The dessert was excellent and I was surprised that I finished it all. We shared a bottle of wine and laughed the night away. Excellent waiting service! read more

Great pizza! My team loved the food....real family place....tucked away in East Village. A gem!

Came here with a group of 8 - ordered so much food - didn't have a single bad thing. The pasta here was unbelievable. I think it's my new favorite pasta joint. They also have great wine (and I am hard to please when it comes to Italian whites) and it's a great vibe all around. read more

Great food and really nice intimate environment. We love it here and come all the time. Highly recommend it.

Tiny italian joint. Solid food, good service, great for when the folks come to town. Outdoor eating is adjacent to trash piles, but heck you're in NY. read more

we went here last night and had a great time. service was great and the food was great. we split the special pizza of the day and I had the special pasta (spaghetti with pork cheeks) my husband had the rigatoni with sausage. both were so rich with flavor and delicious. great wine selection even though we needed help to pick a bottle, our waiter gave us so many recommendations and we were happy with what he suggested. we were too full to have dessert but the looked great. Prices were really reasonable for the amount of food we received. The manager or owner even topped off my husbands glass since I was slowly finishing my last glass of wine. Best service in a long time! read more

I have a very very tenuous connection to the owners, I think. I am telling you up front in the spirit of full disclosure, but honestly I can't remember who the owners are or how I know them, but I think it's through friends of friends of my sisters. The only bias this imparts is that I was more likely to go to this place than the place next door, all things being equal. I'll start with wine since that is how the meal went. Very good selection and the wait staff is very helpful in finding something you'll like. The decor is typical east village understated small italian, if that clarifies anything. The staff seems like a family (though that did seem genetically impossible); everyone was professional and yet casual, working together like they actually care about the future of the restaurant. My sister and I got a couple of appetizers and a main dish and everything was equally delicious in its own way. The sardine appetizer special allowed the sardines to be what they are, with a very light sauce that tasted strangely of kissing a new boy (sorry, that doesn't help much but it really hit me that way). At first the mussles seemed a bit boring but as they cooled a bit I started to taste more nuance to the sauce in which they were cooked. We shared an old standby, rigatoni with sausage and peas in a cream sauce (it would be more yummy sounding if I could remember the Italian for this but you know what I mean). This dish was prepared just the way I like it with a good balance between the anisey flavor of the sausage, the acidity of the tomatoes, rounded out by the cream. This can be a kind of throwaway pasta staple but they put a lot of care into it which was much appreciated. The dessert menu looked good but we went the boring route and got gelato which they get from il laborotoria de gelato (or whatever it's called...you know the one). Nothing about it was boring; good ice cream done well is a treasure and finished the meal nicely. I don't think this is a destination place but it's a really lovely standard that I think can be counted on when you want good italian. read more

Went here on a date and had the spinach and ricotta ravioli in a porcini cream sauce, my date had the rigatoni with sweet fennel and spicy sausage, peas and tomato cream. I had white wine, he had red. This place is beyond words. The food, service and vibe of the restaurant is amazing. My date scored huge points with me for picking this place out. It's small but intimate enough where you can speak in a normal voice and not hear others' conversations. I definitely need to come back to eat and drink the rest of their menu! read more

Great little restaurant with loads of charm. It was also Saturday night at 8 and this place was busy but running like a well oiled machine. Had the seared scallops for an app which were cooked perfectly. Main course was the Pork chop on a bed of kale which also came out perfect. For dessert it was the mousse cake which was very good and very rich, so rich I could only have three bites maximum. Also had a chance to taste the rigatoni which to me appears to be the darling of the menu and what I would order when I go back. read more

Completely blew away my expectations. Lavagna is one of the few restaurants in the neighborhood that will take a reservation of 10 which really was the deciding factor on a birthday dinner I threw here. Wasn't expecting anything beyond "good" and was pleasantly surprised with "awesome" across the board. Great service, nice ambience and of course, excellent pasta & pizza. Prices are reasonable too. read more

Heaven. My sister, my mom and I had eeeeeeeearly reservations (6pm) on a Thursday or Friday night-I can't remember which. That detail doesn't matter. What does matter is that the food is exquisite and you will go there as soon as your busy schedule allows. I remember having mushroom raviolis- unreal. My sister and I kept calling them "pillows"- they were so light and rich that I was able to temporarily ignore the dismal reality that I had consumed a day's worth of calories in one sitting. I also had the proscuitto appetizer, which was quite lovely. However, in the interest of full disclosure, it is nearly impossible to get me to disparage my dry-cured hammy friend. Go! You will like! Promise! read more

I brought my best friend here for her birthday--what a nice spot! Dark and intimate, decent noise level at 10:00 on a Friday night. We ordered an excellent bottle of Montepulciano (~$35) and the artichoke, white bean and mushroom appetizer to share. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was delicious. I wish it had been bigger since we were sharing! My friend had the fedelini fini for an entree (fedelini pasta with a rustic tomato sauce)--I opted for the spinach and ricotta ravioli in porcini cream sauce. The ravioli was very good. It tasted fresh, even homemade? The sauce was rich but not overpowering. I would definitely order it again. We didn't try any dessert, but I noticed that they get their gelato from il laboratorio del gelato (a big plus!) read more

This is going to be a biased review, and it is somewhat targeted specifically to their Valentine's Day menu. If I went to Lavagna on any other day, I would probably have given it a 4 star. It was a very nice and intimate restaurant. The food was amazing and service was friendly. But I went on Valentine's Day. I didn't plan to go to Lavagna at first, but after an unexpectedly long wait at Sunny's Florist (waited more than 105 minutes), I lost my dinner reservation at Bianca restaurant, and so I became scrambling for a place, and found Lavagna. When I got there, Yorgo, our waiter, told us we can only order the Valentine's Day menu set, which cost $75 per person. For a moment everything seemed to freeze, and I saw money floating out of my wallet. As a college student, I try so hard to save money, and I spend less than $5 eating a day. I planned to spend $30 per person at Bianca (a cheap place and did not have a V-day menu). $75 was more than double of that, and I had to pay for my girlfriend too. That's a whole month of food money, or about 3 meals at Bianca. But I couldn't leave cuz my girlfriend told me she was hungry an hour ago already. So, with tears and pain in the depth of my heart and a smile on my face, I got risotto and lamb rack for appetizer and entree and my girlfriend got a scallop and grouper for appetizer and entree. To be fair, the food was amazing, and we had two glass of champagne, two desserts and a drooping rose. Yorgo was also very friendly, but I just kept imagining a month of happy cheap eating flying past me as I signed the bill. I felt a month older after I signed the bill. And it didn't help to know they have a $32 three course meal every week that is pretty much the same as the Valentine's Day menu. Oh well...YOLO. read more

Tempted to not share as we are regulars here, and the regulars like to keep Lavagna to themselves. Simple concept - great, cozy, well executed Italian fare in a nice atmosphere, but somehow they have a magical atmosphere that keeps people coming back. Everyone is greeted with a friendly hello or a hug, and you're made to feel at home. The menu is simple yet well executed, and everything is delicious. There's something on the menu for everyone. If you want a light dinner you can do a salad and half pasta or fish. If you want to go all out, you can course it out and do an appetizer, pasta and then main. Highlights include the rigatoni with sausage and peas (signature dish and seriously addictive - the place has a following just for this dish alone), and the fish for two.There will also be seasonal specials depending on what they find at the market. In the summer there will be interesting garden salads with fresh cheeses or a crudo special. In the winter maybe a risotto or new pasta. For the fall / winter the ravioli switches to porcini mushroom. I pretty much have the menu memorized at this point. Also great is that they're very upfront about the cost so there's no sticker shock (everything is very affordable though) if you order anything that's on the specials. Most restaurants don't do this. I've recommended Lavagna to several friends who have all become regulars. Great for dates/ business dinners / larger parties (you can rent the entire place out for a fun afternoon and they will work with you to create a menu). A true gem. The wait can be long since it's so popular and the candle light makes people linger for longer than you'd want if you're eager to sit down, but on off hours (early is best) you can walk in. One of my top picks. read more

We had our wedding rehearsal dinner here with a group of 10. The atmosphere was warm and romantic, the food was delicious, and the drinks went down easy. The service was a little gruff but in a wonderful New York kind of way. Loved every minute of it. Highly recommend. read more