Food-I did enjoy the pasta dishes, we were encouraged to order several as the amount of each would only be 3-4 bites. That was not accurate as there was enough for all 3 of us to have a portion of each. An extra side was included, that we did not order, we were charged for it. I don't care for charcoaled dish, such as garlic bread all of it was burnt taste, all food had that quality. The service-was quick enough, but from the time we were seated. Our pleasant server was trying to "upsell" us. That is we were encouraged to purchase significantly more food than was necessary, for the 3 of us. As you might imagine the check at completion was extremely high, we ordered no alcohol. Ambiance-As with many spaces in New York it is small, when large parties are accommodated the noise is numbing. We were seated by a large celebratory party. It was quite difficult to have a conversation between the three of us, it felt very stressful in general. If all of the above, is the experience you would like, then by all means go. I would not go there again, nor recommend Massara restaurant. Those in my party are essentially of the same opinion. read more

Massara was a pleasant surprise! I've always thought Rezdora was overrated so my expectations were low. Went solo on a Saturday night for a later reservation and service was great. Ordered the stagione pizzette, candele pasta and baba rum dessert. Enjoyed it all and this was the perfect amount for one. Look forward to coming back with a group! read more

Overall incredibly stranger service and OK food. Arrived promptly on a Saturday night for our reservation and the host said "This is the only table we can offer you," giving us the table closest to the door. We had a reservation made weeks ago, and this immediately was a strange greeting. After ordering a pizzette, two pastas, and a meat dish, the waitress very rudely said "You aren't very hungry tonight then." Had multiple people come up to us during our meal to refill our glasses although there was a water jug at the table. Pizzette was fine - you could go anywhere else in NYC and get better pizza for half the price (L Industrie, etc). Pastas were fine, the ravioli could have been from Trader Joe's considering all the flavor it lacked. The pork belly was good, probably the best thing on the menu. Didn't bother with dessert after our lackluster experience. Hoping Rezdora is better. read more

Fabulous new place by the Rezdora crew. Would skip the pizette -- the crust is a little too cracker like, but the pasta is excellent (no surprise there.) The rhum baba was so boozy, I got a little drunk off of it. Serving size seems slightly larger than Rezdora -- could get an app, two pastas and the langoustines to split between two people. read more

Great New Italian Restaurant!! Same owners as Rezdora featuring another area of Italy with a very different menu. It's fabulous! Venue is gorgeous... you feel as if you're in a little piazza in Italy. Small bites with big flavors. Try their pizzettes... their pasta too read more

I was so skeptical about this restaurant because of the reviews but I am so glad I gave it a chance. I'll start by saying that this restaurant is not for everyone, if you're expecting a big bowl of pasta or just big portions this is not the place for you. The portions are small as the should be and you're meant to order different dishes from the menu to share. The food was just amazing, the service and the drinks were just the cherry on top. read more

It's a big change from the semi basement thst Rezdora was. This is an airy and spacious and well decorated restaurant that spans two floors. The service is pretty fluid, and it's hard to find something to complain about there. The food. Like rezdora, they are heavy-handed with the salt. Pasta dishes are all salty. The mains are meh. The best is the pizzette. Next time I'd order three of those and a few sides. The wine list is interesting so grab something there and have a light meal. read more

From the creative minds and very talented team from Rezdôra is a lively and larger experience as we move to Campania. With the introduction of a perfect sized Pizzette, and soon a Pizzette tasting menu, to even more pasta with the brightness and flavours of the Amalfi you will find something for everyone here. The wine menu is large and fun to explore with the staff. Been twice already and can't wait to keep on exploring. read more

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I had high hopes for Massara, given the connection to Rezdora and the hype surrounding the place recently. Suffice to say, I was blown away with mediocrity. Nothing against the service, which was as warm and welcoming as any restaurant could offer. But the food...was just not an enjoyable experience. Have you ever cooked a meal at home and had a slip of the hand when adding salt? That's what it felt like with every dish at Massara. We started with the Margherita pizzette, which was tiny. But we shouldn't have been fooled - what it lacked in volume it more than made up for in saltiness. We then got 2 pastas: the Corteccia and the Candele, both of which had been recommended by multiple other reviewers on Yelp. Those pastas actually did have a lot of flavor, which was good, because it helped balance out the saltiness a bit. Our last savory dish was the capesante (scallops - 3 for $28). For the price, I had expected a bit more than just 3 scallops (admittedly large ones), 3 fava beans, and a dollop of green salsa. Again, however, this dish compensated for its scant volume with ample saltiness. After subjecting ourselves to several courses that seemed like they were sponsored by Morton salt, we wanted to spare our tastebuds with some dessert. Here lies our final mistake - we got a mix of the lemon and salt caramel gelato. The word "salt" in the caramel flavor should have clued us in to what we were in for, but we weren't so prescient - every spoonful of the gelato delivered at least several large, fully formed, unmelted salt crystals that completely overpowered the rest of the flavors. Overall - food gets a C+. Cocktails (negroni) gets a B+, ambience and service get an A. Would not return :) read more

Everything at Massara was exceptional from the reception until the presentation of the bill. It was thoughtful, bespoke, and personalized in a way that exemplified how much they care. Our server, Fern, was delightful, as was the ambiance. The cocktail, food, and wine were spot-on. Each dish was prepared so well that selecting one as better than another is a frivolous waste of time. We will be back. read more

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New spot by Rezdora on Broadway/21st. Very easy to get to but it might be confusing on the outside because there's no store sign! The waiters were very nice but i think the manager tried to upsell us and was annoyed when we didn't order like 8 things between 2 people. That aside, the pastas were pretty good, especially the Corteccia. You need to get that one!!! The Stagione pizza was alright (unless you love asparagus) but it has thin slices of black truffle on it. Complementary sparkling water here which is always a bonus! read more

Massara - Pasta Mista Classica, Corteccia, and Cheesemakers Raviolini (from left to right) - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Kind staff, absolutely delicious pastas, and a very warm dining space. This should be added to everyone's "must try" lists for Italian restaurants in the city. read more

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Everything we ate was off the hook yummy. I was hangry but Josh coursed my meal and got me fed accordingly. Thank you chefs, food runner, bussers and Josh for an amazing meal and allowing me to have an awesome date night with my spouse with good vibes and good food. We'll be back. read more

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Delivery from the kitchen - pastas were cold. PIZZA not quite done. Prices, especially for sfogliatelle were ridiculously high. And it was NOISY. Hoping things will improve. read more

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Rezdora is one of our favorite restaurants in the city. When it was announced that they were opening a second, bigger restaurant with a wood fired grill called Massara we were very excited to try it. The main issue for us is the price vs quality/portion size. The amount being charged for some dishes that are only a couple bites is too much. Rezdora is also small plates, but the food is excellent while also being fairer sized portions for the price in our opinion. The food at Massara was just fine. I think the biggest disappointment was the $165 12oz Bistecca "New Yorkese" Wagyu. We didn't feel the Wagyu quality was up to the price, also split between 2 this is not a lot of food let alone if you're with a bigger group. While we understand the cuts are different you can head to other places close by like Cote which is $74 a person for the butchers feast, or to Hawksmoore for a $63 14oz strip steak. Massara will probably be a hard reservation to get and in our opinion it's worth putting the time into getting a table at Rezdora. read more

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Overpriced and underwhelming. The food is mediocre, the service drags, and the atmosphere feels off. read more

I had reservations for a Saturday night and had to wait 20 minutes to be seated. After being seated, there was another 20 minutes of no waiter approaching us for our orders. Ultimately we left as the service was poor for what was advertised as a decent restaurant. Go to Mark's around the corner instead -they'll treat you right. read more

Ate a lovely lunch here and the absolute standout was the Tonno Paiard- that is a gorgeous, well prepared dish that is craveable and cooked to perfection. The cheese makers raviolini was also delicious. I kept peaking to th back of the kitchen to see if there was a non a back there. The pasta itself of that ravioli was excellent, sauces on it excellent, cheesy filling w a little funk- excellent. Gem salad was bright and fresh. Bouncy grilled ciabatta w olive oil was also delicious. The broccoli rabe was also a stunner, why? It had this surprising unexpected lemon tang. The crudo pizette was good too but the other dishes were the stunners. Service was great. Lovely lunch read more

After dining at Rezdora couple of times, we were so excited to try Massara! The entire experience was 10/10. Each dish was incredibly delightful. We started with two apps, the Ricotta Caponata & Margherita pizza. We ordered 4 pastas to share between the both of us and my personal favorite was Cheesemakers Ravioli! Such an exquisite burst of flavors. There are plenty of vegetarian friendly options and the servers are incredibly helpful in sharing information for each dish listed. For dessert we chose the Baba Rum cake and 2 gelato flavors, Delizie Al Limone & Pistachio Chocolate Chip. The ambiance is super romantic and intimate, perfect for date nights + group dinners. Definitely recommend securing a resy in advance. Can't wait to dine here again! read more

Massara - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

So we hit this spot for dinner. A whole experience. Our waiter was fully stimming in the best way--about every single item on the menu. It was kind of hilarious and weirdly endearing watching him go off like each dish had a backstory and an emotional arc. We split three different pasta dishes and every single one hit. The type of pasta where you look up at your date across the table and let out a moan. The lobster pasta especially... that thing could end wars. Only issue: we stepped away to use the bathroom and came back to find our plates cleared. And I was not done. I had plans for that lobster pasta. I was ready to go another round. Still thinking about it, honestly. read more

My friend and I sat at the bar which we love to do. Bartender was too preoccupied with his friends to attend to us. Everything we ordered took longer than it should've. He was way too distracted. We could've and would've spent more if the attention was there. From the minute we sat down to the time he took our order felt like forever. read more

Simply FANTASTIC - food authentic Italian. The remodeling of the former wine store is stunning.

Highly comparable to Rezdora - our waiter was great, all of the pastas we ordered were well presented and tasted great (except for the Ravioli, recommend skipping this), and the vibe was very nice. read more

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Really 3.5 star review. Live in the neighborhood and have always had good experiences at Rezdora so we're eager to try this place. Unfortunately, I think our experience was only ok. Food quality was very high, but portions are tiny and the food came out lukewarm / cold. As others have noted, spacing was a little off so we waited a while in between courses. Between 4 people we ordered a gem salad, two pizzettes, four pastas, two sides, two desserts, but left feeling hungry. Food portions are downright small and in retrospect, I think this concept works better as a pre-fixe multi course menu. If we had known that going in may have changed our views. Ultimately, though we were served food that wasn't at the right temperature and by the time we could get anyone's attention it wasn't worth the hassle. Not sure I would really go back given the plethora of options in the neighborhood. read more

In a city full of great, good, and meh Italian joints, this place falls squarely in the meh categorically. Like its sister restaurant rezdora, the portions are comically small and will leave you feeling like you've been put on a diet by the kitchen. I went here recently and won't come back. None of the dishes blew me away and you can eat far better pasta at the same price point for FAR larger portions elsewhere. The little gem salad was particularly gross and tasted like an airport Caesar salad with wilted lettuce. read more

Loved the ambiance and the open kitchen format. Beautiful space, excellent food and service was amazing. Our server was James and we met Beau the manager who took such great care of us. Highly recommend and can't wait to go back! read more

is nice unless you're seated in a back room with dim lighting. Portions are super small--we had the pizzetta, which was made from a thin fried crust with no cheese; the ponto, grilled octopus, which I would say was the best on the menu; and two pastas, ragu and pomodoro. The pomodoro was good but super salty. I let the waitress know about the saltiness, and she thanked me for the feedback. As for drinks, we ordered cocktails. Mine was a sour, blackberry-based drink recommended by the waiter, but it was super sweet. Overall, not bad, but I wouldn't go through the hassle of booking again for tiny portions ( considering the price) and pushy servers who want you to order more and place the check on your table before you even finish your meal. read more

I came against my better judgement today. Never loved Rezdora. Thought it was ok. Massara's reviews were ok at best. But decided to come today for lunch. Pizzette were good. So raised my expectations for pastas. 3 of the 4 pastas were 3/10 to 6/10. Not coming back. read more

We tried the salad, pizza, 2 pastas, and the branzino. Every item is extremely bland and lacking flavor. The branzino came out undercooked and the restaurant is oddly loud for a small space. However the staff is incredibly kind and knowledgeable. read more

Dinner Sunday Night Nice space but long steep stairway to 2nd floor Service good - could cut Out the fake Italian Ciabatta excellent Bibb salad wilted - basically same salad you get at Most Italian places Pastas- tried 2- very good but small Portion for 25 bucks. Could Eat in 2 bites Wagyu beef very good but more suited for a steakhouse could You add a couple roasted potatoes for $165? Sfogliatella good but size of mini pastry Overall good not great Suspect this will settle into a popular tourist place With Pizza on menu - same pies at 20 other places in Manhattan for a lot Less Overall *** Expensive and not exciting read more

Went last night! Didn't catch our waitress's name but we were sitting upstairs in the corner closest to the bathrooms. She made the experience! Great recs and hospitality. Food was phenomenal. Portions are a little small but got to try more things. read more

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As others have posted, somewhat of a comedown after Rezdora. And perhaps a miscalculation. If anything a larger space featuring the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna would have been a better choice than Massara's focus on the cuisine and wines of the Campania. The wines of the region seem like an awkward fit for the many pastas on offer. I liked the pasta ragu I ate and it was a nice size. It makes no sense to me to not have basic bread on offer to eat with the pasta. What you can get is a grilled ciabatta drenched in olive oil. I like the idea of it, its sensuality, but I just wanted some bread to eat with the pasta sauce. The broccoli-rabe was nicely cooked but also drenched in olive oil and vinegar. The dessert was frankly bad. The visit to the bathroom seemed to confirm my problems with the restaurant. There is a tape of an Italian lesson playing on a loop while you do your business. Its whimsy like many of the choices here feels not just forced but a bit too rigid. It is a shame because so much care and effort has been poured into the physical space itself. I hope they can make some adjustments. read more

Rezdora does Campania. Of course it's delicious. The pease and soppressata pasta? Perfection. (And don't get me started on the dry pastas.) Steak is a flawless Italian classic, upgraded with wagyu. Contorni could be main characters as a tableau. (Note that this is a fresh ingredient, large format, two-week old restaurant that constitutes one of the most-highly anticipated openings in Manhattan this year. It would be weird if the menu weren't in flux.) Oh, and trust the staff on the wine. They know their stuff. read more

Amazing! Loved every dish. Will definitely go back. Appetizers and entrees were a little slow to come out. Giving 4 stars instead of 5 because the pasta and pizzette are too small - they should be twice as big. The spaghetti classico (with clams) was really like maybe 3-4 bites. Good atmosphere, sat at the bar, nice open kitchen on the first floor behind the dining area. read more

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The restaurant claimed to be trying a soft opening. It was extremely disappointing, they have Pizzette appetizers that they ran out of(even though they make their own dough). The manager while trying to explain the situation was rude. We decided to stay, ordered a salad, pasta, vegetables and a $74 main course (Branzino) to share. As we were waiting for the sommelier to give us some information on a wine, the waiter came back to inform us they ran out of the vegetable we wanted. This being the last straw we canceled our order and left. read more

Went here for my birthday dinner and was SO pleased with the ambiance, food & service. This location was super big with lots of light which was great. Food wise: - Ciabatta: can't go wrong with some bread, delicious but basic - Baby Gem: highly highly recommend. My husband and I loved this salad so much we asked what the black dusting was and it was a burnt onion powder. There was so much depth to flavor on this. Crudo pizza: our favorite of the two pizzas, the flavor contrast from the sweet and salty prosciutto to the brightness from the tomatoes was excellent Margherita pizza: classic, can't go wrong. The dough was delicious Pasta mista classica: unexpected favorite for me. I haven't tried a similar dish to this at any other Italian spot in the city but it was super flavorful Cheese makers raviolini: this was good, I know it's the most popular dish but I think the other dishes were better imo. Glad I tried it but nothing to write home about "Moro parmigiano": I personally enjoyed it but I can see how a lot of people wouldn't like it. It felt more like a "meat"loaf than an eggplant parm. The sauces on top were yummy but it was very smoky. So if that's not for you, wouldn't recommend Dessert (I didn't get the name) : super light, refreshing and lemony read more

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I get the tapas based concept applied to Italian food. Except of course for the prices, which of course are expansive and generous. This is a hi-rent district, expect to pay for that, and that illusive je ne sais quoi atmosphere. Read the reviews romantic, beautiful space, quiet moods, lovely et., al. exquisite wall paper, good dating place, and the service --hovery to the max, you just can't get enough water in this place. The funniest line came from the waiter, who said, when enquiring about portion sizes, ahh, yes our plates are small they are meant to be shared -- mamma Mia, GTFOH! Almost fell over when I received my 6 1/8" pizzette, aptly named to sound cute. Followed by three table spoons serving per pasta dish. Don't get me wrong, they were delicious, but they really should not be called entrees, but the starters or our Italian Tapas menu. Fortunately, I had been to RAO's earlier in the week and another terrific Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, name escapes me, oh yeah average age here 25-30 YO. While the artistry at Massara is certainly there, kinda like that Bear Show on Netflix, you might want to double down with street pizza on 5th Ave., post desert. Passing by next time. Ciao! read more

One liner: overrated and underwhelming. One star because of expectations and hype. Food was not bad but average, maybe slightly above average. There's a lot of hype and little to back it up. Listen, if you want to eat at the "hot spot", this place is full of people looking for that and the food is good enough to satisfy you, I just had higher expectations, especially knowing their other location(s). Far too many interruptions from staff throughout the meal. Multiple servers stopped by our table throughout the meal, seemingly not aware another server had been to our table. They leave self-serve water pitchers on the table, yet staff still came to the table to fill my water, 3 times reaching across my plate. Also, the Negroni was flooded with Campari, which is disappointing being an Italian restaurant with a reportedly experienced bar. If you only need the scene to satisfy your night out, you'll be satisfied, but if you want to leave talking about stellar food, you won't find it here. read more

everything was soooo good. fantastic cocktails and knowledgeable servers. My server, Marilyn, was so sweet and had a recommendation for wine pairing with every course! Portions are mid-sized but you will definitely leave feeling full. Can't wait to go back! read more

It's a new restaurant so they are clearly working out their service rhythm but generally it moved very slow. We waited 10-15 min before we had to go find a waiter to bring us menus. The food came very slowly and nothing was comped. The food is good but did not stand out from many other Italian restaurants in the city that have better service and require less of a wait. The Candele and Pasta Mista were highlights, as well as the Caprese. The clam spaghetti only had 4 tiny clams and was a bit too dry. I'd also skip the broccoli rabe (highly acidic). The restaurant is beautiful and worth seeing if you can grab a drink at the upstairs bar but probably not returning for dinner anytime soon. read more