mario batali, i love lupa. thank you for opening a casual and affordable place in the city. sure, i loved babbo, but always having to make a reservation at least a month in advance was a bummer. sometimes it's all about instant gratification. (and uma thurman sightings) you make some damn good pasta. the bucatini is awesome - do not ever change it. even the simple cacio e pepe is fantastic. and the linguine and clams. oh! i'm also partial to starting with some escarole salad. or even the trippa alla romana. the only tripe i'll eat is yours! please don't ever take the roasted duck off your tuesday special. the skate is also superb. and the tuna belly that is off menu is seriously drool worthy. i wish i had 3 bellies when i visit your restaurant. read more

I went to Lupa for lunch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I was really excited to eat there because I've heard so many good reviews. The foccacia was great. I liked the beets with pistachio and I don't even really like beets. The wine list was good and quite reasonable. I ordered the Cacio e Pepe. It was cooked a little too al dente for my taste, but was still yummy. The service was very efficient, not super friendly as our waiter was some hipster, but efficient bus boys and food runners nonetheless. Overall, I really liked Lupa, but thought it was a bit overrated. read more

Phenomenal. Fresh pasta. There were four of us, we each had a different primi pasta, and each was better than the next.

Lupa is a must-dine in NYC! Another Batali miracle performed here - and the food is so fresh and seasonal. Step aside vegetarians - one must have the salumi and prosciutto cut to order here before even sitting down. If you're in a sharing mood, you could order lots of small plates and taste a bit of everything. Since we didn't really like to share, we still ordered lots of stuff so we could eat lots of everything! Pastas are incredible - love the Bucatini alla Amatriciana and the Ricotta Gnocchi with anything is delicious! Just keep making your way down the menu to the desserts and try the Black Pepper Panna Cotta with Aceto - my god that's good! Of course a cheese course is a pre-requisite before even thinking about a digestivo. Make you next reservation before you leave the restaurant! read more

We went there for Lunch at it was simply amazing! Definitely not the last time we visit Lupa!

Amazing service, wine, menu, food, ambiance.

I made a reservation for the boyfriend's birthday dinner for 8pm and changed it to 730pm to make sure we had enough time to get to his party afterwards. Someone from the restaurant called the day before and confirmed us for 730. We walk in at 740 and the tiny hostess greets us and tells me that since we're so early it will be a bit of a wait. Excuse me? No, we have reservations for 730. She argues with me gesturing to her computer screen and finally says, "Well if someone called you to confirm, they told you to be patient because it might be a wait." RUDE. Actually no, no one said that [B*TCH]. The point of a reservation is that your seat is guaranteed at the time you reserved for, give or take a few minutes. At this point my face read: Sometimes little women just need to get pummeled by other little women. So she asked us to wait outside while she would try to sit us immediately. But no apology. My boyfriend asked for an approximate wait time and she couldn't give us one. We were seated 10 minutes later in the back corner which was fine but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't still want to punch the waitress in the face. We ordered the small meat plate, carbonara, and the duck agrodolce (Tuesday's special). The meat plate was awesome even though half a glass of wine got spilled in the head cheese by the birthday boy. My favorite was the lengua and smoked prosciutto. Carbonara was fantastic. The pancetta was perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and greasy within. The generously portioned half a duck was also tasty. Could have used a little marinating. Kale on top was surprisingly delicious. All in all, the food was good enough to make up for the miserable wench of a greeter. read more

One of the worst services I have had in NYC. Really disappointed to see all of the great reviews and we had such a bad time. Came in as my friend and I were walking by on our way to a different restaurant for her birthday lunch. We were drawn in by the warm feel and the thought of delicious Italian food and red wine. Just our luck, it was restaurant week and there was a prix fixe lunch menu. My poor review is about the service, so I will press on. We were doing ok until the waiter poured our wine. He missed both glasses and spilled a large portion down the side of mine. Fine, you're human... but he simply muttered an apology and walked away. Didn't bother to help clean it up or bring back a napkin to wipe my glass, so I had to use the one on my lap. We didn't see him again until the end of the meal and only because he forgot which dessert we ordered. in the meantime, the busser brought out the food (which took a long time). My friend asked for some grated cheese on top (recommended by the waiter). He replied that there was plenty in there and walked away. Our waiter finally stopped by to get our dessert orders, we asked him to bring the check with the desserts. He did, but never came back to retrieve it and just hid by the bar until I brought it to him. The restaurant was not that full and there was no excuse for the poor service. Such a disappointment for a restaurant that had so much promise. The food was...just ok. The veal ragu was like an expensive version of hamburger helper and the appetizers and dessert were middle of the road. Definitely will not be back or recommend this place to anyone. read more

We should've got more food but I was suffering from a birthday hangover. Service was great, our waitress was very attentive and patient with us. I ended up ordering the Pollo alla Diavola, it was amazing! So flavorful and the skin was crispy. My friend got the Gnocchi Ricotta with Sausage and Fennel...divine. It's a small plate which makes sense since it's the first course, I wish I would've gotten my own. Damn you hangover. They were playing hip hop music which was awesome. We both agreed we will definitely be back! read more

I always feel bad when giving less than whatever the average stars is, but honestly, I prefer OTTO for quality of food, service and value. It's pretty expensive here and while the Buccatini was good, everything else we ordered (the carbonara included) was either too salty or bland (Carbonara). The antipasti were overpriced and soooo small. Service was great however, as was the Tartufo dessert, which I highly recommend. But there are just too many better italian restaurants (Otto among them) for me to highly recommend this one. read more

We have been dining at Lupa two or three times a month since 2000. It is our go to weekend place. We've always loved it but last week, and the last few times we've been there, everything seems to have been kicked up a whole bunch of notches. The food, courtesy of the wonderful Rob, has been spectacular and the staff even friendlier and more top of things than ever. It's so great when a tried and true favorite just keeps improving. Kudos to all!!! read more

Great place. Quite enjoy being here more than other Italian restaurants in this area. Service is great even though it gets very busy for dinners. Back room is a little quieter whereas the front area is more lively. Bar seating is limited. Cocktails are pretty good as well. Fried artichoke was delicious as well as several others we ordered. We were not rushed despite being there on a Friday night. read more

Went to Lupa for my bday. Place is loud and crowded not romantic at all. The host seats us near a mom with two kids and handled the wrong menu. I tell my husband how excited I'm for the burrata with mushrooms when he tells me he doesn't see it on his menu. We tried to flag the waitress who took forever because she screw up an order of a table next to us. She finally came by and gave us the right menu. The bread was disgusting, yes, for a serious Italian place their focaccia was stale. The portions were more than generous and food was decent. Nothing that would get me to come back right away. Staff was rude and inattentive.definitely not worth the money or the wait to get a table there. So much for a Mario Batali restaurant. read more

Apparently you need a reservation, but my group of 3 got lucky showing up late on a Saturday night and was seated at the "community table" which had just become available. The lights are dim, it's noisy but in a cozy way. The ambiance is romantic and the first date happening next to me seemed to be going very well. If you need a conversation starter the menu features an image of Romulus and Remus suckling from a she-wolf, and this will eventually lead you to the name "Lupa" (Google it before you arrive to sound really smart). Order pasta, obviously. read more

As very big longtime fans of Mario Batali we were very excited for our visit here. We braved a winter snow storm for a night out in the city. Had reservation for an early dinner. Got a table immediately upon arrival. Small but very classy and charming The food is excellent and service is even better. Service is totally on-point , very knowledgeable and attentive. We started with Clams & Fregola which was outstanding and Homemade Coppa Cotta which was delicious. For main dishes I got Buccatini alla Amatriciana which was amazingly terrific and my wife had basic spaghetti with garlic/oil which was very good as well. There are a few caveats I will point out. The pasta is served very Al Dente- so if you like well-done pasta this could be an issue. The portions are definitely on the smaller side but still very satisfying. And also, as excellent as the food is they don't really do "simple".. Everything on menu is very complex with multiple ingredients and is very strongly seasoned -- which for me is fantastic but if you like your food plain -- could also be a problem. For dessert we had the Citrus Coppetta which was incredibly good. Price-wise for the quality and location -- you can't do better.. Overall everything met our lofty expectations. I wouldn't expect anything less from Batali. read more

I broke up with my boyfriend at Lupa. (It was a farewell dinner). :( At least end it at one of the best Italian restaurants in Manhattan and go out with a bang... The food was delicious and the atmosphere was intimate and romantic and probably one of the best restaurants in NY; top service, cool vibe and the hyped up tartufo dessert was the sweetness I needed that night. We even made friends with the table next to us. It was a tough night and very sad but it was memorable in a good way and we enjoyed each other's company among everything else and that's what i'll remember. Thank you Lupa, I think I channeled the "She Wolf" powers you proclaim to have which made me stay strong through the entire night. xx read more

I had extremely high expectations for Lupa after being recommended by several people that I consider rather hard to please, and they didn't let me down. The food was incredible - fresh, perfectly cooked, simple but fantastic. The wine choices were extensive, but carefully curated. It would have been difficult to choose a bad one. Our waitress made sure we were taken care of, provided guidance when asked, and let the food speak for itself. I couldn't have been happier with the service. Despite the endless restaurant options in NYC, I'll definitely prioritize another trip to Lupa on my next trip. read more

I've been coming here for years on my infrequent trips to NY and try to always set aside at least one night for a dinner here. Sometimes I have lunch instead, if dinner plans are not possible. I had the fortunate occasion to be here during one of the nicest weeks in the season (highs in the 50s in early December, I'll take it!). I was meant to be dining here with a friend and made a booking for 2, but he flaked on me due to work. They did not bat an eye when I showed up solo for my table. Yes, as others have said, the service here is unfailingly polite. My server was prompt and never huffed at my being a solo diner; in fact, my meal felt anything but rushed. I had my go-to favorite (bavette cacio e pepe). That and a salad are usually enough to get me through but since I was alone, and therefore free of judgement for gorging myself, I opted to order a main course as well. I tried the octopus with lentils. The bavette was just as I remember - subtly creamy, peppery. Salty, definitely salty. But dammit so delicious. The octopus, on the other hand, was simply out of this world. As tender and flavorful as you can possibly imagine. Beautiful flavors and texture. The lentils paired with it were sort of soapy and mushy but can be overlooked. I finished with the pistachio torta and that was the most disappointing element of the meal. Gritty and mealy, with no defined flavor profile other than olive oil. I would not recommend this dish to anyone. All in all, it's earned another notch in my belt and definitely worthy of a return trip again. I look forward to this meal every time I come to the city and it's always ready to deliver. Since I was dining alone I left a generous % of my bill as a tip. The service here front to back is wonderful and really makes the experience pleasant. read more

Service and Food were excellent. The hostesses managed their very difficult job really well. The bar tenders were professionals and made perfect drinks. I would have given a 5 to this restaurant except it was really loud and I could not hear my fellow diners. I'm sure other folks will rave about that "ambience." Still that will not stop me from going back. Great place read more

The food was amazing, our waiter was great. But the 3 stars go for the hostess. My boyfriend saw her roll her eyes at me when I turned my back after asking a question about our table. That was just unprofessional and rude. You are in a customer service type job. Enough said. read more

This is more like 3.5 stars but I'm rounding down. Whatever. The food was absolutely delicious, but the service was meh. We had a reservation at 9, weren't seated until about 9:20 ish, which was annoying as it was a rainy night and I was soaked upon arrival. Our server was attentive enough, but he was very stiff and cold in his demeanor. He never smiled or really introduced himself to us at all. But again, it was okay because the food was so great. I came in with my boyfriend for his birthday, and a disappointing factor was that, when I called to confirm that we were celebrating a birthday, the hostess told me they would put a candle in whatever dessert we ordered. That never happened which really bothered me, but again, whatever. I might come back, as maybe it was just an off night. But, if anything, I will say that the music selection was on point. read more

[Restauranteur Award: Jason Denton (Lupa, 'ino, 'inoteca, Bar Milano)] - 2008 StarChefs Rising Star Event. His signature dish was Terrina alla Campagnola: Rabbit Terrine with Artichokes and Carrots - nothing special, tasted like cold head cheese read more

This place has outstanding food at (for NY) reasonable prices. Don't show up with a party of 8 though and try to order a la carte, because a 20-minute 5-party negotiation will ensue in which they try to make everyone at your table order the tasting menu, so 1-star deducted for rigidity. The bucatini all'amatriciana, the carbonara, and the gnocchi were all awesome, as in as good as great restaurants in Italy awesome. The food is definitely five stars. read more

We ordered the mackerel to share and I ordered the gnocchi. I thought it was yummy! My plus one ordered the bucatini which had a spicy edge to it. We finished it off with the tartufo, which tasted like a very large ferro rocher chocolate--recommend! read more

Just go and eat pasta and your life will be better. Lamb ravioli and ragu pasta, you will clean your bowl and be happy. So good, dreaming of this pasta! read more

I guess I had high expectations of Lupa, since I associated it with Mario Batali, and the pasta tasting menu at Babbo was one of my most memorable dining experiences. However, Lupa doesn't quite reach the same level. Another yelper mentioned that the bread tasted kind of stale -- I agree with that statement. The bread itself did not have much flavor. I tried the Butternut Squash Agnolotti, Bucatini All' Amatrician and Ricotta Gnocchi with Sausage & Fennel. I really liked the agnolotti -- it had a really unique flavor for pasta and was very rich and delicious. The other two were okay but nothing special. Lastly, I tried the Heritage Pork Chop with Braised Cabbage & Roasted Squash. The pork was pretty good, and everything in the dish went together well. So if you visit, I recommend the agnolotti and pork! Also, make reservations early, cause it's a pretty popular restaurant. read more

Not only does it feel so good when it touches your lips...the service is friendly & the space is very quaint rustic italian goodness. The housemade copa is fantasitc & the pasta course we enjoyed was phenomenal...can't wait to go back to try to others...in fact, we almost went back the next day to try more! Now if we could only pick it up & move it to san francisco?!? read more

i had the ricotta gnocchi at lupa and it was delicious: ] good portions + affordable + delicious = happy jane: ] read more

Delish.. I had the tripe garganelli last saturday for lunch.. I still think about it. We shared a verture miste which was a mixture of small vege dishes like brussel sprouts, beats, olives ect. My friends had the carbonara and gnocchi. All were really satisfying and the price was great. In short, it's the poor man's Babbo. read more

Had dinner here last night for two hours with my daughter And I who were in town for college tours. We told the waitress, who was "off the boat" Italian how we in from out of town and how we found their little restaurant (Lupa) on Zagat. She took care of it from there, bringing 3 courses of the dishes she felt were the "must haves" and then 2 deserts. The pasta was Spaghetti Alla Carbonara and the Secondi was Lamb Scottadito. The Lamb may have been the best I have ever had. All of that and 2 glasses of wine for me came to $140. We are from Dallas so for us it was everything we envisioned when looking for a boutique New York Italian restaurant. Great night and very well priced. read more

Since living in Firenze a year and a half ago, I've watched my Italian slowly disintegrate. Struggling with Lupa's menu confirmed my suspicions. Thats aside, my company and I ordered the affetati piccolo (I loved the speck, but as I am not a huge meat person nowadays, I was rather irked by the fat intake and overload) and the butternut squash tortellini (fantastic); for entrees, we had the fluke and the hanger steak (CRAZY GOOD). Both were of smaller proportions, which is expected of Italian cuisine. Everything was spectacular, just wallet-punching. Made me want to hop on a plane back to Italia. read more

This was my second Batali restaurant in one weekend in New York. The night before we went to Otto which we enjoyed, but found a little salty. The next day we came to Lupa and again were overwhelmed by the salt. Is it Batali? I don't know why everything has to be covered in salt, even vegetables and salad. We started off with scallops and proscuitto, and the escarole salad. Nothing that blew me away. For entrees my sister and I shared the Saltimbocca and Spaghetti en pomodoro. The Saltimbocca was more salty than anything, we couldn't even taste the sage that was supposedly in there. The spaghetti was decent, but even then still salty. Even the roasted cauliflower was salty. I just can't get past it. I did like how they had a glossary in the back that helped you decipher the menu. Also, the decor and atmosphere is quaint and would make a great date place. And I liked the bread. Hmm.. not much to say when my favorite item was the bread. read more

My friend and I stopped here for a small pasta meal after a long hot day of walking around the city. I used to live in New York, but have since moved to Philly, so we were exploring some of our old haunts. A few years back we had enjoyed an amazing meal at Babbo, and obviously jumped at the opportunity to try another Mario restaurant. The food was really nice. I can't complain about that. I had the Bucatini Amatriciana and my friend had a gnocchi dish. However, our server left us with a sour taste. I don't know his name because I don't believe he ever told us. We didn't order drinks and we only ordered an appetizer of olives and then one pasta dish for each of us. I'm not sure if it's because we didn't rack up a hefty bill, or if he didn't feel like he needed to waste his time on two 20 something girls when their were older people in bigger groups, but he made it clear that he didn't have time for us. He hardly made any eye contact, and usually only stopped by our table long enough to drop our food. If we had had any questions or problems with the food, we would not have been able to get a hold of him. I even left him a note on the check, saying "You are a bad server, though I still left a 20% tip because I also work in the service industry and would never tip less." So Lupa, please figure out who this arrogant young man was, and set him straight. read more

Just got back from Italy and realized I have never had a clue what real Italian food is all about until I tasted it in the motherland. I have been going to Lupa on and off for many years now (10 years or so) and in my mind, without anyone saying so, I always categorized Lupa as the restaurant that was supposed to best mimic the cooking of the motherland. I went recently to see what I would think after having my taste buds reeducated. Overall, very, very good. Food quality is consistent after having logged at least 10 visits. All the dishes were clean and no flavor was overly dominant. We order the Asparagus Cacio e Uova, RIcotta Gnocchi with Sausage & Fennel, Arctic Char, and Skirt Steak. Out of what we ordered, felt the Gnocchi was the winner. Really great texture to the gnoochi and had a mild and subtle flavor to the sauce. Asparagus was also quite subtle in flavor where it was never too cheesy or overly spiced. Arctic Char was nice but basic in flavor as was the Skirt Steak (a little overcooked for my taste). Service was excellent as always. Usually if the food sucks, I feel it an hour or later and I definitely had that light and delicate feeling going so props for that. Although not fair to compare but I'll say it anyways, it does not come close to food from Italy. I think they try to be like Italy in the good ingredient, subtle flavor, easy on the sauce kinda of approach and certainly they deserved an "A" for effort. I would say you have to be in the mood for clean food instead of in your face flavor. I think if I were in the mood for stronger tastes, then I might give them a lower review. I have my "food moods" and try to match the restaurant to that. So if your in the mood for clean Italian and looking for a low key evening, check out Lupa. read more

The quail was to die for. The pastas were also quite delicious. I liked the rustic feel to the place.

Drinks were good but the food was ok - had the crab crostini (good) but the linguine with seafood was kinda average with very little flavor.

lupa is hands down one of my fave places in all of manhattan -- tasty, not too floofy, and with a magnifico wine list! resi's are a little hard to come by, but totally worth the effort. setting -- teeny weeny front room where poor bastards waiting for their tables are smushed up next to the poor bastards at the bar, who are literally nose to plate with those lucky enough to score a table. the back room is a little more cozy in that you dont have someone's ass on your plate, but the whole place is loud. def a jeans kind of place. crazy music mix, when you can hear it. service -- like being served by your fave cousin or next door neighbor. personable, attentive, and not pushy at all. perfect for a regular neighborhood hangout except it's IMPOSSIBLE TO GET RESI'S. food -- pastas are the strong point here. anything from the simple cacio e pepe to the cauliflower sauce (sounds gnasty but is oh so good) to the ragu is just amazing. get a pasta. who cares which one. the offal is our second must-get. anything with an organ is excellent. the regular entrees are, dont get me wrong, are delicious, but the other options are just so outstanding it doesn' t make any sense to stray. STAY ON TARGET. lupa! we love you! read more

Lupa Lupa Lupa... ohhh how I wanted to try you so. I was supposed to have a nice meal here one blustery Friday night with 2 friends before their move to far away Singapore. We couldn't get a reservation but after a nice phone call to find out if they take walk-ins, we decided to give it a try. Since the group as a whole couldn't make it out to eat until around 730pm, we decided that the 2 who were about to fly the coup could wait while the bf and I met them an hour later. They got there at 630pm and put their names down. The plan was set in motion. I (with nothing to do at the time) decided to keep them company and met them there to wait. Since we thought it would be boring to just wait there though, we decided to go to nearby Francois Payard Bakery and have some dessert before our meal. We sat. We talked. We waited. And by 730pm, our entire group was ready to eat. Just perfect! If only... We returned to Lupa only to find out from the host that we were supposed to call 20 minutes prior to inform them that we still wanted to eat there. What?! Never heard of such a thing. And even if that was their policy, how about you tell us that when we're putting our names down?! Alas, that did not happen. We were instead asked to wait another 45 minutes to an hour, and to call in 20 minutes to tell them we still wanted to eat there. Bad service might I say? Indeed I do. I understand the mix-up but could nothing be done to somehow compensate for it? Can we not have been placed at the next table and have been told, this time once, we could sit. Next time, we must call! If not, can we not at least have had our wait time cut in half so that our starving selves didn't have to bite our arms off before being able to eat??? It's too bad really. I didn't even get to eat there and I already have such a bad taste in my mouth. Amazing how you can be so off-put before even being seated. Thanks so much hostess for ruining a lovely meal with good friends that won't be seen again for a few years! read more

I have become such a fan of the dynasty that Batali, Denton and Bastianian have inspired. Went here last night for an incredible dinner, we didn't have a reservation but were told to come on down put our name on the list and we would be seated. So that's where it began, it was around 7:30 when we got to the bustling small but quaint Lupa Osteria Romana in the Greenwich Village area of NYC. We put our name on the list and were instructed to call in about 30 min. to see how the wait was going. The people were friendly and accommodating. It was such a beautiful night with hardly any humidity and in this part of town a selection of bars were endless making the wait not half bad. We finally got back to the restaurant and were waiting near the closet area to be seated. The quoted us a 9:15 time for dinner; however we didn't get seated until after 9:30pm since people had paid for their dinner but were hanging around chatted a bit. It was fine, they let us try a piece of their Prosciutto, which was phenomenal. Kim one of the hostesses was really nice and apologized for the wait, but we were having such a great time with our drinks and conversation that we didn't mind waiting "in the closet". We finally were seated in the back part of the dining area which was nicer. It was cozy and less loud and really enjoyable. We shared a Quartino of a White Wine which was fruity and smooth. As for food, we shared everything and it was fantastic. We had the eggplant special, which was like a Chinese take on eggplant. Filled with lots of flavor and crunch. We also had an order of that amazing Prosciutto. The best I have eaten ever!!! It was not fatty, salty but just melted in your mouth. Then we had the octopus with chickpeas, which was good not my favorite. We then split the Gnocchi, OMG...heavenly it was. It was light and soft and it was in just the right of red sauce and you really tasted the Sausage and fennel but you didn't have any pieces of sausage which I really liked. We also shared the Lamb short-ribs, again this was such a rich dish but a must if you love short-ribs. The only disappointment was the carbonara which was too salty, but they were happy to take it off the bill and would have brought us anything we would have wanted, but honestly we were full by then. We didn't go for the dessert, but next time I will give it a try. Overall the bill wasn't bad at all, the dishes are reasonable and I love that they encourage sharing. Please you must give Lupa a try and then go to Babbo and all the other restaurants that the trio own. It was a great Saturday night filled with great food, great people, great cocktails and of course great conversation. read more

5 stars is an understatement for Lupa's which serves up incredible food at a reasonable price. This has got to be the best meal I've had in the Big Apple. My party of 3 had no reservations, and we had to wait 1 hour to get seated but it was well worth it. For starters, we ordered their Proscuitto di Parma (aged for over 1 yr), Insalada Mista, Olives Condito, and a bottle of wine recommended by our knowledgable waitress. I am not a big fan of cured pork, but the proscuitto is worth trying and it was not too salty. For our main courses, we ordered a seafood spaghetti and broiled trout with olives. Every single item we had was delicious, and tasted like it was carefully prepared, and didn't give you that heavy feeling in your stomach that Italian food usually do. Portions were not oversized which is what I like. My favorite dish was the trout, and I can't say that I've come close to tasting any quite like it. I will definitely look forward to coming here each time I'm in the Big Apple. Be sure to try their homemade lemon sorbetto to end a perfect meal. read more