Massara on Park is a newish Italian spot right on 26th/park close to Madison Square Park. The interior is dimly lit and the food is presented in an elegant manner which makes it perfect for a date night or after work drinks/dinner. The service is very good here with the waiters making good recommendations and carefully explaining each dish as they came out. For food, I'll definitely say that the portion size is very small given the price. You'll need to order 2-3 pastas per person if your goal is to only eat pasta as the entrees. The ciabatti bread is also super small given the price. When I went, my group tried every pasta on the menu along with a branzino which was perfect for the 6 of us. Of the pastas, I thought the Candele and Paccheri were definitely the best and the others were lacking in terms of flavor. I think the highlight of the menu was definitely the Branzino which was cooked perfectly and was even de-boned which made it super easy to eat. A lot of spots normally wouldn't debone the fish so I appreciate the thoughtfulness there from the kitchen. At the end, they brought us some mini olive oil cakes which were quite dense but had a good flavor to them. Overall it's a good italian spot but the price is a bit high given the small portion size compared to other restaurants. read more

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I went to Massara on a weeknight for dinner. They had a lot of reservations available so we booked in advance, but it seemed like there were some walk-ins as well. The restaurant is large with a ton of light, which made it less vibey of an ambiance. The service was really attentive and good. For food, we received complimentary starter and dessert! That was a pleasant surprise. We ordered the Burro and Alice Ciabbata for a starter. For pasta, we tried the Candele, the Quadratti, and the Cheesemakers Ravioli. Everything was really tasty, but the portions were very small. Overall, the food was great but the small portion sizes make it unlikely I'll revisit. While it was a good meal, it's hard to justify leaving hungry when paying that much. read more

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My husband and I were super excited to get a reservation at Massara. We LOVED every part of our spectacular dinner. Our server, Josh, was incredibly helpful in helping us choose our dishes: Hamachi - melt-in-your-mouth delicious (2 bites of raw fish) Little Gem Salad - delicious upscale version of a Caesar salad. Del Bosco - SO GOOD! Mushrooms and creamy ricotta on crispy bread. Candele - this was our favorite dish. It didn't look fancy, but it was seriously love at first bite! We talked about it all evening! Spaghetti Bottarga - the anchovies gives this great flavor, the crispy bread crumbs(?) add a great texture. It had some unexpected heat to it, too! Lamb - Osso bucco - falling off the bone tender with a wonderful tomato based sauce. We could barely finish it! For dessert, we had the lemon tart and the gelato (pistachio and mint). We both liked the gelato more than the tart. I also had a wonderful glass of Italian white wine that was listed as the "Wine of the Week." (Coenobium) read more

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Food was amazing. Every single dish was amazing. We ordered the burro & alici ciabatta, Kent's fluke, candele, and paccheri pomodoro They gave us a side on the house, consisting of baby carrots? As for the service, it was rather slow from the beginning. We waited about 15-20 mins to be seated upon arrival. We received our drinks by the time our appetizers arrived. The back-servers were very friendly, but our server was hard to locate. read more

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I've been to the original Massara, but this was my first time visiting Massara on Park. I loved the atmosphere of this location - it's so spacious, with a big bar, lots of seating, and a raw fish bar. Service was good - our server was new, but was attentive and got our meals out correctly and timely. Food was delicious! Portions are on the smaller side, as anticipated, but the quality is unmatched. I got the Quadratti, and I would get that again if I were to go back - they were little raviolis with little bits of lobster, and the sauce was delicious with a little flavor of spice which was tasteful. The tonnarelli and guancie di razza were also delicious! We had to try all the desserts. My favorite sfogliatella was the raspberry. The pumpkin gelato was seasonal and delicious, and the pistachio gelato was another favorite. The millefoglie was super flakey, but I wasn't crazy on the taste of the chocolate - don't get me wrong, it was still tasty! read more

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A friend snagged a reservation here for a girls night out. Due to a fire at their original location, Massara on Park is now open for the summer (they said they're expected to reopen in fall). Nonetheless, this location is exquisite and elegant. We all started off with a cocktail before sharing a bottle of Monte Maletto ($115) that was recommended by our waiter. For the cocktail, I had the Forever in Campania ($23). The drinks were solid, but nothing that truly stood out to me. They didn't bring out our wine until we finished our cocktails. After ordering, they gave us complimentary mini tarts to start off, which was nice. Then came our variety of appetizers to start with Burro & Alici Ciabatta ($18), Polpo ($24), and Baby Gem ($19). These were all pretty standard, but the fish-shaped butter on the ciabatta were too adorable and always enjoy loads of parmesan on a baby gem lettuce for some greens. Next up, we tried 4 different pasta dishes since the pizza isn't offered at this location unfortunately. Although the pastas are small dishes, we had the Candele ($28), Cheesemakers Raviolini ($27), Quadratti ($29), and If Pasta Freda Was Eaten in Amalfi ($29). Both raviolis were beautifully presented and tasteful, but the surprise pasta that we all liked the most was the candele. As I expected, you're paying a lot for what you get here --but as is with most fancy restaurants. I did enjoy the variety of pastas offered here. Definitely glad to have tried this spot although unlikely to return. read more

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Honestly thought booking a reservation would be harder, but I guess that month ahead planning worked out! We went in as a duo at around 7:00pm. At the temporary location, we asked for a coat check and got seated at a dark, isolated location. As there were still open tables, we were curious on why we were led so far away from the center of the restaurant. We asked to sit somewhere where the ambiance was felt and they said okay! After moving, we quickly ordered our food: piacherri, candele, and swordfish. The pasta tasted so fresh and felt homemade, like in Italy! The piacherri was so flavorful and the candele was definitely unique! The swordfish was cut open but very little meat to be blunt. However, it was a charming experience and we definitely enjoyed the food! read more

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Visiting NYC from out of town and enjoyed this spot for a date night! While the portion sizes are small, the food is excellent - every bite was either unique or very tasty, or both! My table wasn't too hungry, so we went with a salad, 2 pastas, 2 sides, and a dessert. Of everything that I ate, I'd say either the Zucchini Flowers or the Linguine was my favorite. Both were so flavorful and well balanced (ex. not too greasy from being fried). The service was also great - if there's crumbs on your table, someone will come to clear your plates and wipe your table down in between courses. The interior felt upscale and vibey - perfect for a date night or a nice dinner party. Be sure to make a reservation! read more

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Really cool spot--I wanted to come to the location when Tides of Time was here, but they shut down and made way for Massara temporarily. Really massive restaurant with great service and ambient lighting. It was arguably a little too hard, even. We came in hungry and so we got multiple rounds of food: Stracciatella - classic Stracciatella cheese, but it drowned out the nduja taste. This was a decently sized piece Del Bosco - vinegar and mushroom forward dish. I enjoyed this a lot, even moreso than the Stracciatella. Good combo of a slightly sweet vinegrette and a fragrant mushroom flavor Candele - this is the iconic dish here and it did not disappoint. Perfectly al dente, well coated in an oily sauce and the ragu was super meaty and hearty. I would come back just for some ciabatta and this dish Cavatelli verdi - also just the right amount of pasta, crumbs, and vegetables. This was an awesome melody of flavors and textures Cheesemakers raviolini - these least stellar of the three pastas, but still solid. The cheese was rich and smooth and the sauces were subtle but solid Lamb "ossobuco in campania" - we should have ended the meal at the pastas, but we got this lamb as well. It was slow cooked and fell right off the bone, but somehow there was no flavor in the meat. The sauce was a basic tomato base and the peppers were a slight refreshing touch. I liked this spot more than its predecessor, Rezdora, but I would still rank it well below Torrisi. read more

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I attended a work event at Massara on Park that featured a fixed menu. For the primi, I had the Quadratti--lobster with pomodorini and Calabrian chili, which was rich and flavorful. The secondi course was served family-style, and we shared the flatiron grilled steak, spigola nera black bass, and sunchokes with a date gremolata. For dessert, I enjoyed the decadent torta caprese with chocolate gelato, served without nuts. All the dishes were flavorful and delicious. read more

Massara On Park - Quadratti, Flatiron Steak, Black Bass, Sunchokes & Chocolate Gelato. - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Another excellent visit, this time at the new location. We both loved the corteccia and the burro/alici ciabatta. I thought the sunchoke/fig side was one of my favorite new dishes in a long time, but less so my wife's thing. We both liked the quadrati but would probably sub it out next time. Same with the pistachio sfogliatella. read more

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This Italian spot deserves more love! Although its sister restaurant, Rezdora, is Michelin-recognized, Massara deserves the spotlight. In a recent visit with friends, we were delighted to be taken on a culinary journey across pastas, meats, and seafood. All ingredients were fresh and tasty and the attention to detail was noticed (peep the mozzarella goldfish on toast). Service was impeccable with sweet and attentive servers. Cannot wait to return! read more

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Sat at the bar and ate our way from the spritz menu through to dessert. Cándele remains the star of the pastas but I also really enjoyed tbe paccheri and raviolini. Baby gem is a unique skin on a classic dish. Huge fan of the beef carpaccio with the ciabatta and also loved the affogato. The space is so large that it lacks the intimate cozy feel of the original massara space. I hope the kitchen reno is done soon so they can return. read more

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Massara has moved! Unfortunately due to a fire at their original location. The new space is nice, not as good as the original, but it'll do temporarily. The menu is substantially similar with a carpaccio section added. Portions are still small, pasta is still good but nothing mind blowing. Great service! read more

Massara On Park - Candele - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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This was a bummer of a meal. Massara pops up on a lot of hot new restaurant lists and the tiny menu and exorbitant prices made me think that every bite would be a creative explosion of flavor. Maybe it was creative, but the taste and texture were not it. The baby gem salad was basic and nothing new (but probably our favorite part of the meal). The hamachi was overpowered by citrus. I was most excited by the sunchokes which I order whenever I see on a menu. These sunchokes were massive and too soft. The fig jam that came with them did not make sense. The roasted cauliflower was probably the most disappointing side. It came with something called "agrodolce gremolata" which was some kind of unidentifiable glob or paste of very bad tasting stuff that was thrown happhazardly on the bland cauliflower. Every time you got a forkful of the stuff (by accident) it was an unpleasant surprise. We were told the pastas are 4 bite pastas and meant to be shared. Four bites was a bit exaggerated. Each pasta was enough for a person. My friends got the Candele which was a ragu Genovese which seemed to have very little ragu and a sticky unpleasant texture (they had both the regular and gluten free versions). I was glad we didn't order the $80 fish. My Cheesemakers Raviolini tasted like biting into halumi cheese. I don't know where that flavor came from as it was not listed on the menu and it's not something I would have chosen. I was surprised by how many fails we had at this dinner as we didn't finish most of our dishes. The gelato dessert was good, but not enough to save the meal read more

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Service, wine, food were all excellent. The starters, pasta, and dessert all very memorable. Massive attention to detail. I know they are in a temporary location and will soon move back to their original location so will wait to comment on ambiance until then. It's lively and elegant. Our server Sofia was excellent and very knowledgeable of menu and pairings. Thank you! read more

Food was fair at best. The portions were tiny!! The main course of skate had literally four bites. The pastas about 5-6 bites. The pastas were fair as far as flavor. The deserts better but by then the disappointment set in. I would not go back or recommend this place. The service was good and the staff tries. No doubt. read more

Massara On Park - Pasta with broccoli rabe and sausages (where are the sausages?). Tiny!!! - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

The atmosphere was subpar more like an old cafeteria than a restaurant. Not cozy at all. The food beside the stracciatella was primitive at best. read more

Went here for dinner and I was exceptionally pleased at how well the experience was! At first I was a bit apprehensive with some of the reviews, but never judge a book by its cover or a restaurant by the reviews (unless you wrote it). First off, the temporary space is gorgeous! It feels so familiar though and reminded me of Park Avenue Winter when they were open (I think it might be the same location). Our host and servers were all friendly and offered stellar service and recommendations throughout our meal. To start off, we had the sardo sour and amalfi palmer- I really enjoyed the sardo sour and would have ordered it again. It was light and refreshing. In terms of food, we were given a complimentary amuse bouche which was savory and a great way to start the meal. After much deliberation, we opted for the antipasto which had the softest prosciutto di parma and cheese that melted in your mouth with how fresh it was. One of the hosts actually recommended the baby gem salad and we decided to add that in and we had no regrets. The salad was crunchy and perfectly tossed with vinaigrette and had cheese shaved all over. For pasta, we opted for the fan favorite candele where the ragu and parmigiano was perfectly meshed into the pasta for a rich bite. The quadratti was stuffed with lobster and was buttery and delicious. Every bite was devoured and for dessert, although they didn't have a chocolate option I was crazy about, we opted for the torta di ricotta e pistachio and it had a toffee like nougat bite on top for crunch and texture. The cake wasn't overly sweet so if you are looking for a tasty dessert that doesn't give you the cavity feel right after it's perfect. To top it off, we were given complimentary house made caramels that were divine! I would honestly want to buy a box for myself. Overall I highly recommend giving this spot a try. read more

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So fabulous! I'm a big fan of their other restaurant, Rezdôra. Had a magical evening getting to know more about the food and wine of the Campagna. The staff is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. read more

Service here is fantastic. Food is very good too. I didn't have a huge meal but found the appetizers and desserts to be the stars. Scapace carrots were incredibly well made, as was the garlic olive oil ciabatta. The Pomodoro pasta also was well made and very flavourful. The meal was capped off with the ricotta-lemon-pistachio torte and chocolate sorbet. I loved the torte, texture and flavour was impeccable. I thought the chocolate sorbet had a good taste but was too grainy for my liking, but my friend preferred it over the torte. Ambiance was quite good considering this is a temporary location. read more

The best pasta Ive ever had. The Som paired great wine. Friendly staff accommodating. Temporary spot was nicer than some permanent spots.

I tried to give my review privately over direct message but no one ever responded. So here I am and this is a summed up version. Beware: portions are very small. I was not privy to this before seating. If you're looking for a bowl of pasta this isn't it. Service isn't great either we waited over an hour for our food to start coming out because I'm certain we were forgotten. On a higher note, the Candele pasta was some of the best pasta I ever had and I'm so incredibly sad for how short it lasted. read more

My friend and I so enjoyed our Sunday lunch at Massara in the Park! Tyler and Cameron are exceptionally fine waiters! I adore the Gem lettuce salad and Ciabatta Bread. The expresso delicious. Low key and lovely ambience for Sunday! We left very satisfied! read more

Delicious food. Everything was tasty and fresh. Pasta portions were a little small. Can share 3 pastas for 2 people. read more

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service was very attentive and pretty quick for how many people were dining in. pasta was al dente and has smaller portions so it's nice to taste test multiple dishes. lively ambiance with nicely dimmed lighting for photos and vibes. love love love!! read more

Massara On Park - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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This spot is a 10 out of 10. The pastas are all so unique and tasty and the service was unbelievable. I have nothing but good things to say here! read more

We loved Massara the first time we went and was surprised to see that they had moved to Time & Tide's location due to a fire. The new space is even nicer and more spacious! The only downside is that they don't have a pizza oven so we weren't able to get the pizza we were craving for from our last visit. All the other menu items were available. The star of the show was the diver's scallops and as per usual, pastas were spectacular read more

New location blows the doors off the original. Vibey, great food and service, beautiful people, have music down and bar space is awesome. Don't go so I can keep getting a reservation. Feels like old New York social scene and what makes New York, New York. read more

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY. Just an awful experience all around. We arrive and have to stand near the host until the party arrives even though restaurant was empty - fine. With each order, even though we ordered every single pasta on the menu, the waitress had a nasty attitude about us not ordering enough and also knew absolutely nothing about the dishes - neither did the server who delivered them. Legitimate snickers at the $80 bottle of wine and the fact we only ordered 3 (yes 3) desserts. Kept adding things we didn't request when reading back the dinner order. Onto the food... first thing you'll notice, each pasta dish has barely 5 bites. So expectation is you spend around $100/pp on pasta. The thing is... the stuff isn't even good. We were served bad clams on the linguine, dish tasted sour and fowl. There was no uni on the taste of amalfi pasta. The other pastas were fine - nothing to write home about - hard to make oil and butter taste bad. Tiny Ciabattas. Carpaccio's were decent. There are so many "fancy" pasta places in this city that Massara is trying to be and they just aren't. Not even the same category of cuisine, and if you want to be fine dining, invest in teaching your staff grace and class. read more

Came here from LA because my girlfriend loves Italian food. Ambiance was pretty cool not too shabby. Service was great very fast, descriptive, and enthusiastic. Our server was awesome. On the other hand, most of the food was very salty and burnt, including the bread. The salad was awful I don't even know how it is edible. The pastas were pretty good I can't lie but they were bite sized portions. About 4-6 bites each pasta. Experience was great just disappointed with the food and price. read more

The atmosphere is very welcoming. The service is average. As for the food, unfortunately, the quality is inconsistent.

Upon entrance into Massara, I felt a wave of cold, unwelcome energy. We were very excited to try what is widely regarded as one of the most elite Italian restaurants New York has to offer. That excitement quickly transitioned into a meal that can only be described as perplexing, uncomfortable and frankly, lacking the basic principles that makes going out to dinner fun. The food was terrific - expensive, yes, but truly very good (although the portions were so small that my wife and I went to Joes Pizza afterwards because we weren't full). The food wasn't the story - this tragic story begins with the table fit for 12 that our party of 5 was placed at. Victor Wembenyama couldn't reach across this board-room esque table that belonged in an episode of Succession. We couldn't hear eachother and basically felt like we were having dinner alone. When politely asking if we could move to several seemingly open, appropriately sized tables, we were met with sass, shameful looks and a lack of empathy. Now, compare this to the warmth of a restaurant called Kabawa I diner at several days later - we loved it before we even had a bite of food. Massara felt like they took pride in not caring about the experience of guests they ask to pay $27+ for pastas described as "5 bites each." If you are looking for a corporate, unwelcoming, high on their own supply, stuffy staff/environment, that happens to serve delicious, expensive, small portions then I can't recommend Massara enough. If you are looking for a place to truly connect with your fellow diners in an energetic environment that values its guests, I'd strongly urge you to look at just about any other restaurant in NYC. Note to Massara - people go out of their way to go to your restaurant and spend a lot of money doing so; treat them like it. read more

Amazing food and ambiance. Went to the original Massara location and then here. I wish they still had the pizzas on the menu. Pasta and affogato are go to options. Really amazing and authentic cuisine. read more

It is more of a place to experience different flavors than to actually really eat and feel satisfied. They encourage you to order many dishes and share as the entrées are not full portions. In fact, they are literally just samples of what you might eat in another restaurant. I would say each pasta dish has about 10 bites. All of the dishes were very bold and Bright with very specific flavors. They did not shy away from making each dish as specific as possible. I did not appreciate most of the flavors. And I am southern Italian. However, my two friends enjoyed the experience of sampling flavors they had never experienced before. It definitely was just an experience that I don't need to have again. I would've rather had one of their pasta dishes as a full entrée instead of having a few bites of many dishes. It just confused my palate and my stomach. It seems like this place would be good if you went for a business meeting or after work event. It could also be good for a first date, where you're more interested in each other than the food. The service was great, everybody was very attentive and explained the dishes and had ordering suggestions. For three people, and no liquor, before tip it was about $260. read more