21st anniversary celebration with my beautiful wife. Restaurant was cozy. Food was delicious. Loved my veal chop and the Manhattan were stiff. read more

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I'd rate this a 3.5 but rounded down given that there are so many other Italian places. It's a cool place and old-fashioned food, and the service was great. There is also two locations both in LIC, so be aware. I got the veal st. Antonio(?) Special. The veal was cooked well such that it was juicy although the eggplant and cheese on top didn't add much to it. The sauce was on the bland side. I tried bites of the veal parmesan and the penne pasta dish; neither really popped out but weren't bad. The veal dishes came up with vegetables or pasta, so I got the escarole which was decent. The baked clam as an appetizer was just alright. I did appreciate that the complimentary bread came hot. We also got drinks, but mine was the pomegranate mojito and just tasted like syrups. We got the homemade Italian cheesecake (decent) and the pistachio tartufo (a bit of a weird color, but not overly chemical tasting). read more

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I know I didnt try alot of things but the calamari was Bad . Bland, over cooked and Breadcrumb was Basic. Im sorry guys you are very nice people but the food was not good. There was more lettuce then calamari. read more

The service and food was excellent. I think the waiters name was Brandon very polite and excellent service We will be back read more

Manducatis - Shrimp with Shrimp and Peas over Capellini. A must try - Italian Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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Finally made it back here after leaving the area years ago. It is like I never left. We had the lasagna, fettuccine bolognese after an appetizer of seafood salad and stuffed, baked clams. If you want old charm, a family-run institution that seems as timeless as it's owner, then you have come to the right place. read more

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We returned here for a birthday dinner & I really love the spacious layout & extensive wine selection. We ordered a bottle of Vino Rosso Brachetto "Birbet" which I recommend for those looking for something similar to a dessert wine. For entrees, we ordered family style with several dishes including seafood linguine, chicken Parmesan, and shrimp scampi (which came in five jumbo-sized pieces). The portions were generous, and everything was flavorful. I did notice that the seafood dish had a slightly stronger "seafood" taste compared to my last visit. Overall, the portions were great, and the service was polite. read more

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If you love classic Italian cuisine served in a warm, family-style atmosphere, Manducatis is a must-visit. The menu offers something for everyone. I had the calamari--perfectly tender and full of flavor--and followed it up with a pistachio tartufo that was both rich and refreshing. A decaf cappuccino wrapped the meal with elegance. From the first bite to the last sip, everything was excellent, including the attentive and friendly service. Parking may be a hassle, but the meal makes it more than worth the effort. read more

Manducatis - Pistacchio ice cream in a hard chocolate shell. - Italian Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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Charming old school Italian restaurant still family run since 1977. Went the other night and it was just a very relaxing and pleasant environment with wonderful service. Our waitress was super nice and helpful with our order plus had wonderful personality. The food was simple and perfectly done. It may not be trendy, but it is a lovely place for a nice dinner with friends/family in a relaxing gentle setting. Highly recommend! read more

We made reservations, but this place is huge inside, so it is not necessary to make one. This is a nice family owned restaurant, and it has been in the community since the late 1970s. All these awards and recognitions are posted all over the restaurant, so I'm glad that we were able to go there. The service was great and friendly, and it had a family type atmosphere. The chicken parm & shrimp and peas over capellini were good. Nothing too over the top. The desserts were great and not too heavy for me to eat after a meal. Overall, I enjoyed the food, and I'm glad that I was able to check it out. read more

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Great food and service . Every dish is fresh and special, served by an attentive staff

The place looks and feels like an old fashioned Italian restaurant (which is a great thing). We shared the Baked Clams and the Sauteed Mussels. Both were very good starters. I had the Chicken alla Parmigiana for my entree and I thought it was excellent. For dessert, we shared the Homemade Tiramisù (since they only had one slice left). It was one of the best tiramisu that I've had in a long time. Service was very good. The owner, Ida, walked by and chatted with us for a few minutes. Her son was our waiter and he was very friendly. Everyone in our group agreed that the restaurant was fantastic! read more

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Old school Italian .Great service ,old world charm, and great food .Try the chicken or veal parmigiana . For starters try the fried calamari. Great place !! read more

Great food, great service and also very accommodating when I came in with my stroller! Fantastic wine!

Great service! The food was excellent and the dessert was phenomenal. Great place to eat out with the family

Walked in around 6:30 on a Saturday and got a table right away. My boyfriend and I shared the baked clams, eggplant parmigiana, calamari salad and zucchini (special). The calamari and zucchini were both fantastic, but the eggplant tasted off - totally not good. Baked clams were alright. 3.5 stars. read more

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Birthday dinner for 10 went off without a problem. Warm atmosphere, terrific service and delicious food. And fabulous wine. No wonder it's been in business for decades. read more

Went with my wife on Valentine's Day to Manducatis, which we remembered fondly from early dates together in the 1990s. Sure enough, the rec room decor and indifferent service haven't changed a bit, nor the lighting which is as bright as a McDonalds (no candles) and the 1970s music. That was all as expected, and in its old-school Brooklyn/Queens attitude, authentically charming. But the food was a huge disappointment, like something served at a senior citizen birthday party. My veal parmigiana tasted like it had been fried in the same oil used to fry fish-- not an exaggeration. The stuffed mushrooms were oily. There were literally no greens of any kind on the menu (maybe a condensed Valentines Day menu?) The side pasta was slimy and the sauce watery, like out of a can. The $52 bottle of Nebbiolo was what you'd expect from a $12 bargain bin. Sorry, I can't recommend this place except as a kind of time capsule-- which considering how much the neighborhood has changed might have a certain value for newcomers. read more

Great service, food and prices! We ate family style and I felt like I was in someone's home!

had a pretty bad meal here tonight - started off with the tossed salad that arrived with no dressing and when we asked we were just told to use the oil and vinegar on the table so the salad was extremely mediocre. we then had a chicken parm and a shrimp parm which were both tasteless and we both felt that the tomato sauce was super watery. service was good but the food was very subpar. read more

Don't be mistaken! It may look like a normal house door, but inside is a massive restaurant!! Such wonderful interior and yummy pastas , I would def go again for some homey cooked Italian fare read more

A group of colleagues and I dined at a local restaurant to celebrate Staff Appreciation Day. The atmosphere was perfect for our gathering. read more

Manducatis - Italian Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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One of the best hidden gems I've ever come across. This place evokes memories of an Italian childhood, with a huge, old school brick interior and little touches that truly make you forget you're in the city and not in your grandfather's house. To top it off, incredibly attentive and knowledgeable staff who are always ready with a recommendation especially for wine wait on you. We sampled a few vintage bottles from the hidden menu and these were incredible. For food, I tried their special: spinach pasta with olives, capers, and red sauce. The pasta was homemade and unlike any other I've had in a good way! The sauce was a little watery but this is the sort of place where you question your own taste over the chef's. A bite of tiramisu to end a great night rounded out the experience. The owners grew up in Italy and I can't wait to take my family here and enjoy a night at the bar. read more

Manducatis - Italian Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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Food is great. Service is terrific. Real home cooking. Very flavorful and prepared just right

Excellent old school Italian restaurant, even down to the decor . We started with the cold antipasto, baked clams and thd best fried calamari I've had in a long time. Server went above and beyond with his knowledge of the wines , recommending a fine red explaining the grapes used. Main course wax chicken alla parmigiana with fresh pasta and the steak pizzaola with broccoli rabe -both plate lickin good! I usually avoid desserts but couldn't resist the tiramisu or the pistachio tartufo. Bottom line Italian food the way it was meant to be !! read more

We meant to try this place for quite a long time since we moved to LIC and this past weekend we finally had dinner here. We thought it's a small place when peeking thought the windows from the outside. However we were pleasantly surprised when the waiter led us through two rooms into the charming dining room, which has really nice ambiance with the exposed brick and stone wall. The service was absolutely attentive. We had the fried calamari for appetizer, it was lightly breaded and very tasty. We ordered our entrees (seafood pasta, and pork dish) from the special of the day. Big portion and delicious on the pasta, and the pork was tasty, tender and not dry. We really enjoyed the food and will definitely come back again. read more

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We've been coming to Manducatis for over twenty five years. We love the family run restaurant. You can find mama Ida in the kitchen every evening. She may take a break here and there, sitting in the shadows of the other room. Then she would be off to the kitchen. We love the classic Martini's and the wine selection is also plentiful. The service is on point and we just can't stop coming here. read more

I first heard of this from the many mentions of this restaurant on Zagat. I finally went with a few friends and we were all happy with our dinner. The restaurant has been open for 41 years and it was like a well oiled machine. The decor was really nice, the outside doesn't really have the most appealing storefront but don't let the outside deter you from visiting. Also, the service here was friendly and top notch, thank you for all the stories. The food: Octopus and Asparagus Special- Omg was the octopus excellent, the octopus was super tender and I loved the garlic flavor. The portion was a tad small but the dish had so much flavor and the asparagus was cooked nicely. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=OngdqYyM3Y6z7vkgcqIsUg&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Eggplant Rollettini- The was good, it was nice and tender eggplant and the cheese had good flavor and added a nice chew but I did wish the sauce had some more flavor. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=LWYBIPgya8XEo-SKjYOE8g&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Steak Pizzaiola- This was easily my fav item of the night. I loved the steak and the tomatoes, this was kinda a surprise because I wouldn't normally associate steak with tomatoes but it went together perfectly. The tomatoes were so perfectly sweet. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=G42X-8I4X9PjsBAHOsANNg&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Salmon- The salmon was so tender, so light and packed so much flavor. I enjoyed the tomatoes, capers and garlic, as well. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=N2l78395EUdOc1DDerY_LQ&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Roast Suckling Pig Special- I enjoyed the flavor on this but I did wish there was some kind of texture on the skin since it wasn't soft. Overall, it was good but it would have been amazing if the skin was crunchy. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=eH4yst-yWDLPo1iwg4LaMQ&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Scallop Pasta- This was the dish I thought was going to be the easy favorite but turned out to be my least favorite. I enjoyed the scallops since they were nice and fresh but the pasta came off very bland to me. I also thought the pasta come off on the heavy side. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=vg8OnQpnFhqldz0wJ0N5uw&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA Broccoli Rabe- The waiter asked if we wanted rabe and cabbage for the table and wow were they both really good, the rabe was not too bitter and it was perfectly tender. Cabbage- This was really good, it was nice and sweet with really good flavor. Italian Cheesecake- I thought the cheesecake was just OK, I thought it could use some better texture and I thought it came off dry. Cannoli- I thought the cannoli was just OK, the shell could have been fresher. read more

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This is a review Manducatis doesn't need. Manducatis cares not for your social medias - your Instagram influencers, your Yelp reviews, your Google reviews, etc... Manducatis does not advertise. It has been on this same corner since Christmas Day, 1977 doing what it does - serving up excellent, classic Italian dishes while making you feel right at home. Their legend built by happy customers' word of mouth. I will tell you it doesn't hurt when the words are coming out of the mouth of legendary singer and Queens native Tony Bennett in the form of a tweet "Manducatis in NYC is the most authentic italian restaurant in the US. I love it!". I mean, c'mon! Does it get any better? What could I possibly add? I love that this place exists and hopefully continues to exist for a long time. It is a conduit to a LIC of the past before the giants moved in when it was a working class neighborhood in the shadow of Manhattan. The wait staff will tell you stories of the history, show you old photos all while directing you to an excellent bottle of wine and some amazing food. I loved all I tried - grilled octopus, eggplant rollatini, steak pizzaiola, roast suckling pig, scallops over linguine, salmon with the humble sides of cabbage and broccoli rabe nearly overshadowing the mains. We did specials, but the menu consists of well known classics - I doubt you could go wrong with anything you order. I was not crazy about the cannolis for dessert - I would pass on this. If you've never been, do yourself a favor and go because you will feel relaxed overlooking that warming fireplace as the Manducatis family takes care of all you need! BONUS HISTORY: My mom, a LIC native, lived here before Manducatis and tells me this corner used to house Spetmann's - a local bar. read more

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My first time dining at Manducatis, and I wasn't impressed. Manducatis is a very large restaurant that appears to be stuck in the 1970's. It attracts a mostly mature audience, and plays a 1960's soundtrack. We were a party of four that drank a lot of wine, and sampled a lot of food. Wine's by the glass were expensive, but not very good. A special of Zucchini with a Balsamic glaze was good, but the special pasta Fra Diavolo was not. The seafood was all overcooked, and the sauce a bit bland. Everybody thought there was nothing special about our dinner except the bill. $390 for a party of four. I guess that there is no shortage of money in Long Island City. read more

an old-fashioned Italian restaurant that has been around for years... Never disappoints, lovely atmosphere and great service

Hello, excellent food and service. Very warm atmosphere, great staff and service. The best cheesecake we have ever had! Would definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

This is a hidden treasure in Long Island City, in Queens. The owner is an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program which taught her good business practices and helped her make great decisions to help her business grow. The interior is very welcoming, eclectic, and warm/inviting. There is a darling patio for outside dining with fountains and privacy. But the crowning glory is the food. The owner is also the chef, and she is very talented. Her sauces are well paired with the proteins, are multi dimensional and are just delicious. If you are up for EXCELLENT Italian food, find your way to Manducatis Rustica! You will not be disappointed and you will remember this outstanding restaurant forever. read more

Anthony is wonderful. What a great restaurant. Don't miss this place. They are so friendly and kind. Really glad we stumbled on it.

Great service and Excellent Italian food and wine !! We always go for dinner and we are always happy to dine at Rustica !!

Please see my review (Rob E.....above) from 11/3/23. We went back today (about 45 days or so later, 12/20/23) for a late lunch/early dinner (after noon during mid-week. We couldn't WAIT to get back there, and were so happy we visited again for another fabulous meal. Wound up sitting at the same comfy table among the plethora of tables available (MDC's had just opened for the day). There were a couple of other tables nearby with people having fun and enjoying their meals. Not noisy at all, though, and, as it was the last time: warm and comfy inside. We were also lucky enough to procure street/metered parking across the street (not easy to do in LIC at lunch time, but we were fortunate in that regard last month, as well). We settled in. Just soda and water to drink for us (no wine this time). I ordered the hot fish antipasto (a FULL meal in itself! Lots of tasty and briny seafood: shrimp, scungilli, mussels, shrimp, etc in a delicious, somewhat spicy sauce PERFECT for dipping the tasty,crusty bread into), and the Veal alla Parmigiana (the same main dish I had last month, and one I couldn't WAIT to sink my teeth and taste buds into again....and once again it was the best VAP I've ever eaten). The VAP came with side of brocolli (the broccoli could have been warmer, but it WAS tasty and slightly buttery). A fine side dish. My wife ordered the Eggplant Rollettini as an appetizer/antipasta: lovely, cheesy, tasty! And since she loved HER main dish last month as well, she once again ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara. Again, no surprise: it was beyond delicious (I can conifrm!). For dessert, we ordered TWO helpings of biscotti and we each had a rich cappucino (which made for some delicious dipping). The biscotti, although cool temperature-wise, was LARGE, fresh, and even more delicious once dipped in the cappucino. We were able to take a LOT of the main course and the biscotti home (so really, what we ordered will have wound up being enough, as it was last month, for TWO full meals for each of us: today and the leftovers re-heated tomorrow!) It wasn't inexpensive, but par for the course around the neighborhood nowadays. But again: it was enough for TWO meals EACH. A heart-warming, superb meal; from appetizer through dessert. We were once again served by the affable son, Vincent, who remembered where we sat, what we ordered last time, and other details we shared with him...even though we'd only been here once previously. No wonder the regulars love it here. I wish I'd discovered this restaurant years ago. I'd have been a regular much earlier! read more

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This is your classic red sauce Italian American restaurant that can be hard to find in NYC. The place is still family run, which you can really feel from the moment you step inside the unassuming building off Jackson Ave. We ordered a bunch of classics, including calamari, Chicken parm, Chicken French, Shrimp French, and eggplant parm. Everything was good to great, but the service was especially welcoming that I have to give 5 stars. They even provided a piece of tiramisu and a picture for the birthday girl (over 90 years old), which was a special touch to commemorate the day. We had a great experience here and know you will too! read more

This is an old school, NYC Italian family run restaurant. If you grew up on outer borough cheesy-saucy Italian food, well iykyk.

I have eaten at Manducati's thrice, all for business purposes. I would recommend it for what it is, a reliable, old school Italian restaurant. When you walk in, it looks as if you are in somebody's basement. There is a stuffed animal sheep, full size, and decor as if people were living in a middle class suburban home above the space. That is "character." The dining room is conventional, probably as it was fifty years ago. The first time, we had a group. People ordered cocktails. They were refreshing. We also shared appetizers. I cannot recall exactly what I ate, but I can say it was satisfying. We were loud and stayed a long time. Nobody minded that. The last time, it was just two of us. I had the fluke, lightly breaded, with the side of green beans. I was hungry. I was eyeing the paste. I was informed I could have a half order. That was perfect. I had enough fluke left over for a nice sandwich, with cheese, the next day. The service was brisk. The prices are fair. All in all, you could not do much better and you could do much worse. I would not hesitate to dine at Manducati's, including on my own dime. read more

A very comfortable place for excellent food. Servers are nice too. Great fish and pasta dishes.

This is my favorite Italian restaurant. It makes me feel like I sent back to a Italy or home with family. It's intimate and one of the longest running restaurants in Queens. Definitely recommend. read more