The Trattoria is the best restaurant on Long Island. Don't believe me? Go and tell me otherwise. Casual fine dining at its best. Maybe 9 tables, a menu that is suggested as a 3 course prix fixe that is executed and presented above and beyond anything you'll find west of the boroughs. As someone who has eaten quite a few of the Eater 38 I can attest to the quality of their food and the laid back vibe. PS The signature dish was rated #1 on Long Island on fios restaurant hunter. Add that brasato to the fact it's the best polenta you'll ever have makes it a no brainier. Considering it's also BYOB with no corking fee and has the best food around you'd be foolish not to try. Make a reservation and bring your favorite bottle of red. You will not be disappointed. read more

Very small dining room. Rood was OK not as great as the hype. I'll go once more to try it again. Best part was bring your own wine.

Bring a nice bottle of wine and enjoy an excellent meal! We come here for lunch periodically; it's an incredible treat. Each and every dish is scrumptious. The service is excellent. It's the best place around! read more

New favorite Italian restaurant!! Came here this past weekend for Valentine's Day and was blown away by the amazing food! The dining room is extremely small and cozy. BYOB is a great bonus. Great atmosphere and food, plain and simple. Will be back here soon! read more

My wife and I decided to give this well-reviewed place a shot. We did the $38.00 price fixe offer they had which gave us an app, course and dessert. The Ricotta spread was really good, as was the meatball appetizer. Main course-wise, the Lasagna was a solid 9, the Braziolle was an 8, but the Sausage/Pesto/Occhietti dish was exceptional. I'd give it an 11 if I could. Food-wise I would give this place 5-stars, but I've got to deduct a star for the meals we're probably going to have to eat in a couple of hours. After all was said and done we spent $110.00 and while yes, the food was good, the portions were pretty small. Even my Skinny Minnie wife was surprised by the three teeny meatballs. I'm guessing this is probably regarded as a trendy place which accounts for the portions but for that kinda $$$$$$ I would expect a little more bang for my buck, even if was a filler side dish or the like. Good service, good food. Bring your own wine is a plus. Enjoy. read more

Steve has outdone Eric, his mentor (C'est possible?). My friends, Christine and John, who introduced us to Kitchen Trattoria years ago joined me and my Patricia for a meal there on May 27, and it was fabulous. I had never even heard of panzanella, but it was magnificent with a roast chicken on top. Greta baked clams with heirloom tomatoes. Desserts are magnificent. Bringing your own wine means with a 20% tip on the 38 prix fixe for three course you leave filled and happy for a mere 50 per person. The lasagna is a killer, but be sure to let it cool before biting into it, lest you singe your mouth. A 5 star in the cubby hole that seats about 16 persons. Jim Mattimore read more

This is the best authentic Italian cooking around. Period. Don't let the casual dining room discourage you because the food will blow you away. I went for the first time with 3 of my family members and every dish was expertly prepared. You can really appreciate the attention to detail and deep understanding of high quality ingredients they are cooking. No really though, some of the best Italian food I've ever ate. The best on Long Island I've ever had ! Make your reservations and byob, you won't be disappointed! read more

The restaurant may be small and intimate, but the food is excellent. This is NYC in Saint James

What can I say about this spot but...WOW. Possibly one of the best meals I've ever had. The price fix menu changes daily but on my visit I had the muscles, beef and mushroom with polenta and the maple cheesecake desert. Everything was exquisite! Two things to keep in mind is that it is BYOB and cash only. I will definitely be back!!! read more

Everything was perfect. If you are on the area you should stop in. 3 course prix fixed was $40. BYO Diet Coke!

Quaint, unique place with excellent food. Small & cozy atmosphere. Price fixe or a la cart options. Food cooked perfectly! Dessert was delicious. Will definitely go there again. $$$ read more

I can not rant enough about this place! We have gone several times as well as recommended many people to dine here. Coming from an all Italian family, this is the closest thing to a real home cooked meal. The ingredients are fresh and farm to table. I am always excited to see what their seasonal specials are and most importantly for the dessert that is always made in house and incredibly fresh. There is no problem paying a lot of money for a meal that is made with only quality ingredients, rustic Italian environment, and amazing customer service. Best restaurant around! read more

I don't even feel that I need to get too much into detail with this review because this restaurant is simply amazing. I have NEVER been disappointed, ALWAYS wowed! I do tend to stick to my favorite entrée, the brasato, because it's absolutely incredible. The space is very small so be sure to make a reservation -- there probably won't be any room for you if you show up without one. It's cash/check only and BYOB. Everything is right about The Trattoria. If you've never been you are truly missing out. read more

I have been here about 25 times and I have NEVER had a bad meal or even an "off night". The food is amazing. I always try something that I would normally not order because whatever it is simply delights my taste buds. and yes it is difficult to get a reservation but make it as far in advance as possible. Its a small place. I have been reluctant to write a good review because I don't want it to get any busier lol but they deserve it. read more

Amazing place. Ordered the black calamari pasta, and red wine brasato. The best part of the meal for me was the house made ricotta for the bread. Hands down the best ricotta I've ever had. Growing up in an Italian family, my perception of Italian food has always been skewed due to eating some of the best authentic Italian my entire life. But this food is the best Italian I've had outside of family cooking. And the entire experience was fantastic. Small place, family vibe, and you feel like you're eating at somebody's house. Will definitely go again. read more

My first time eating here- simply delicious! The cozy atmosphere, delicious food & happy employees made this my new favorite restaurant. I can't wait to return. Thank you for such a perfect place so close to my home. read more

Highly recommend this restaurant you can't go wrong the service is great and the food is just amazing, bring your own wine and cash or check only read more

The restaurant is very tiny and intimate with only a handful of tables. The portions are small but the taste was good and the food was served hot. Overall good exp read more

It was amazing. The place is very small but it has the greatest food ever.You should bring cash and a bottle of wine .

First I'm surprised I could walk in without s reservation, but I did and was treated to an awesome Italian meal. I really have nothing bad to say except that you have to bring you're own wine...which I did not know. read more

Absolutely amazing food every time we come here. It is our regular go to place for lunch or dinner. Prices are so reasonable and the food is outstanding. I can't name a better restaurant! read more

Love the Trattoria, chef is super talented and puts delicious and creative twists on classic Italian type dishes. The BYO policy is cool, prices are very reasonable, chicken liver mousse is fabulous and the sun dried tomato pesto, while it sounds simple, is absolutely irresistible. Never had a dish there that was anything short of wonderful. Be sure to make reservations, bring cash, and bring wine for a fantastic experience! read more

Good food but substandard service. When you remove the plates from the table I'm sure in finer restaurants you don't stacked them on the table. They did here. So embarrassed for my 3 guests. I had told them to expect the best. They were busy but that's no excuse for that level of service. read more

Tiny, but that allows everything to be cooked to order. Homemade ricotta was stellar. Halibut with fresh corn, wild mushrooms and truffles was amazing. We've been here a few times every year for as long as I can remember and it's better than ever. PS-- best espresso anywhere, but carbonara seemed watery. read more

Completely disappointing. The reviews really made this place seem up to par with Kitchen A Bistro or Mosaic, but we ended up taking our food to go just to get out. When we arrived, the waitress left us standing in the middle of the restaurant--there was no apparent room for a hostess booth-- for 10 minutes before actively acknowledging and seating us. She then proceeded to not only ignore us when we needed her, but consistently walk away from us as we were speaking because she "was too busy to help us at the moment." This doesnt even include having to pay extra for tapenade along with our bread, or being charged $13 for ONE slice of prosciutto di parma over lettuce. Cute, classy dining is one thing (which I LOVE), but rude, flippant waitstaff and a cheap presentation/service coupled with being forced to only pay cash is truly unacceptable. DON'T get me wrong, the food was decent but it was far from anything I've eaten at Mosaic or Kitchen A Bistro. If you're ok with spending ~$20 more for a professionally crafted meal versus an overcompensation with cheese and bread crumbs to make up for cheap cuisine and ambiance, I urge you to try one of those places instead. read more

I love the atmosphere the food, the staff... And being so close to my house makes it just perfect. One very happy customer here... Never disappointed.... read more

Great little restaurant would go again. Food was very tasty, and service was very good.

One word "WOW" This is a perfect place if you want something different but delicious. The menu is pretty easy to follow if you order the $38.00 three course prix fixe. Which I recommended so you can try a little bit of each part of the menu. You get to choose one course from any area to be your starter dish and then choose another again from any area as your main dish. My brother got the Black Pasta with Calamari and Spicy Tomato as his first course which I was jealous and basically ate his for him. When we asked what gave the black pasta its color the waitress told us it was because the pasta is made with the squids ink, odd but tasty. I ordered the Ricotta Gnocchi with Heirloom Squash and Hazelnut Brown Butter, the Gnocchi was so soft and melted in your mouth. I ended up with so much food I had to take it home. Because they do not have a liqueur license we got to bring our on wine. The openers were right on the tables so best part no corking fee. Now something to know, this place is small.. very small in fact there were only around less than 10 tables. But that is something kind of nice about it. You can actually see the cooks cooking away. Lastly something I think is important is that they do not take credit cards so bring your cash. read more

Just great. A go -to as often as possible especially when my granddaughter is home. Her favorite also.

Have been going there for 20 years now under their three different names but the quality has always been absolutely wonderful since I think there has always been continuity in the cooks. The small kitchen and staff are innovative, talented, and are so hard working it make one appreciate their effort, especially since you can see into the kitchen. It's one of the best on Long Island because of its intimacy (only holds around 30 patrons) and fresh food. The local fish store guy makes deliveries while we are eating so we know it is fresh. Also bring your own wine and leave a big tips to make up for the bargain. read more

My wife and I ate here on a Wednesday night as one of our last nights out before moving to NC and boy was it amazing. Local gem, bring your own booze and is back and enjoy every dish they bring out right down to the desert. Can't wait to come back so we can experience this place again. read more

Exellent meal and excellent service. A small intimate place where I felt like I was sitting at a friend's dining room table. Pricing was perfect. Will definitely be making a reservation for a future dinner. It felt weird, but we loved the BYOB. read more

Quality not so good anymore. Yesterday. for lunch had baked clams, little flavor. Bronzino over broccoli raab- broccoli raab was not fresh. Desert - Chocolate molten cake - dry and store bought. What happened to Steve, the excellent chef? Warmed over or stored goods represents a radical departure from previous meals. I won't go back their until a mild sense of nausea fades. read more

A unique special place, although cash only. They focus on the food so it's byo(st James beverage next door has a great beer selection if you forget to bring wine). The atmosphere is casual, but would work as high end and fancy. High quality Italian focused food. Three course menu was perfect amount and pretty reasonable for the high quality. Everything we had was great. Will definitely return if we can ever get another table. read more

Food is off the charts and unexpected. He needs a bigger space so we can go there more often because it's hard to get a reservation.

Small place super friendly staff, they risotto and pork were amazing. Lasagna was good also. If we lived in the area it would def become part of our dinner rotation read more

Everything is made with the finest ingredients and it shows. Bring your own wine and enjoy anything on the menu.

This place is a diamond. Stumbled upon it from out of town and they had the best eggplant parm I've ever had in my life.

Not worth the hassle of cash only (something for which I have to wonder about as the credit card industry was founded to allow diners to eat on credit), the waitress was non attentive and the food was poorly served and presented. In addition there are only 3 or four tables and it seemed that everyone was trying to amp up the conversation volume to the point that no one could hear over the other diners. So, if the food is ok, the service is sub-standard, the presentation of the food on the plate is sub-standard, and the ambiance is sub-standard, well I'll you make the final call. As for me, Once and done ! read more

Favorite Restaurant in St James area. Food is excellent and staff is very friendly and helpful