Great dinner. Loved the environment. Granted it was pretty empty due to a torrential rain storm. Our waiter Clyde was very friendly and professional. He appeared to really like the restaurant and the food. Although they are known for homemade pasta, I don't eat that. They had GREAT eggplant melenzane and branzino. And don't forget the Brussels sprouts. So good! Totally recommend! read more

Craving some Italian after wandering the area on a late Friday night, we walked in to a packed Water and Wheat. We were luckily able to seated super quick. Sometimes it was hard to wave down a waiter. The atmosphere and seating was so cozy. I loved their choose your pasta with the sauce concept - we had the malfalde with beef bolognese, square spaghetti (chitarra) with beef sauce, and casarecca with old school carbonara. The carbonara is made the Italian way - so tasty. Arguably better than pasta my party has had in Rome - pasta was soft and not dente (thank goodness) - and the guanciale packed so much flavor. Personally I would skip the shredded beef sauce and keep either the brisket bolognese or carbonara the next time I drop by. We ended the meal with some mango and coconut gelato. I have never had such tasty coconut gelato before - you could feel the coconut flakes inside each bite of coconut gelato. Extra cool - the world cup was playing that day and they had it on in the background inside the space - super glad they sat us inside. A truly memorable meal - would love to come back if I am back in the area. read more

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Tiny place, but the food is awesome. They are close to the Metropolitan Museum of Art if you're looking for a place to eat near by. You could walk it, pedicab, or taxi. The pastas and sauces are all fresh. I tried 3 of their sauces and had a hard deciding which one was best. I really feel like if you chose your food randomly you would hit a winner every time. read more

I came here on a weekday for dinner and we were able to snag a walk in right at 7PM for two. I loved the concept of being able to pick sauce and pasta shape separately. I got the alla norma sauce which was really good. I loved the cheese on top and the eggplant. This place was so cute though and was pretty busy. Service was great and I would definitely come back for another wine and pasta night. read more

Water & Wheat - ALLA NORMA - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

After walking 6 miles from the top of manhattan, this place was calling our name. Awesome happy hour deals from 12-5 (we were there on a Friday) that included paninis and drinks. Salad was fresh, portions were huge, and the outdoor seating was perfect for a spring sunny day. Quick service with knowledgeable staff. Would recommend! read more

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Ventured to this place because we were craving for Italian food and saw the good reviews. The staff were super friendly and the food came fast! Love that we get to choose our own type of pasta after selecting the flavors we want. read more

Water & Wheat - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

My friend and I walked into Water & Wheat around 1:30pm on a Saturday. We got lucky that someone didn't show up for a reservation, so I highly recommend making one. The space is very small, and the tables are crammed together. The 6 tables by the door also get an unpleasant chill whenever the door is opened, but that can't be helped. We both decided to try the grass fed brisket bolognese ($23), and our server recommended the mafalde noodles. This was my first time trying mafalde noodles, and I liked the shape and texture. At first, I thought the portion size looked tiny, but there is more than meets the eye. Flavors tasted natural, though I would have liked a bit more seasoning on the meat. Pricing is appropriate for the area. Service was fantastic! There were multiple check-backs and water refills. They were apologetic whenever people had to squeeze past us or the door was open for longer than normal. Overall, I would recommend Water & Wheat for a quick bite if you're in the area at an off-peak time. For me, a pasta dish over $20 needs to be mind-blowing, and while the bolognese was good, it wasn't unique that I need to keep going back. read more

Water & Wheat - $23: grass fed brisket bolognese - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

I tried a pasta dish and sandwich with my mom at Water and Wheat a couple months back here and am still thinking about them. The bread was delicious and had a pleasing texture--sometimes deli sandwiches are on such chewy bread that you really have to put in work for each bite--not here. The filling was delicious and perfectly proportioned. We also enjoyed the soup! I loved the bolognese, and the mafaldine had an excellent al dente texture. Would love to come back here soon! read more

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Food 4.5/5. Was told that this had the best bolognese in the city. Mafalde was perfectly aldente, sauce was balanced, had uniquely more spices than other bolognese dishes I'd had before. Clam linguine was the stronger pasta in my opinion, pasta tasted home made, the clam sauce had a nice kick to it. Asparagus and eggplant parm: 3.5/5. They were both okay, nothing to write home about. Ambiance: 4.5/5. A fun date spot. Cozy and spacious enough. Lighting is good. There were a good mix of age groups. No complaints about the service. In summary, a fun place to try some pasta dishes. I will likely be back again. read more

Water & Wheat - Clam linguine - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Went to Water and Wheat with some friends with dietary restrictions and it was amazing. The restaurants itself is small and cozy and dim with cute lighting at night. The service is friendly and helpful. Our server brought out a plate with different handmade pasta shapes to show us our choices. All pastas are handmade except the gluten free penne. I got the kale Caesar and bolognese pasta with burrata added on top and it was to die for. The pasta was Al dente and had a nice texture/chew to it. The burrata was huge and added a nice creaminess to the bolognese. If I'm ever back in NY, I'm definitely coming back here. read more

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The service was not attentive partly because the waiter had too many tables. It is very noisy, and my meal was not good. I ordered a pasta dish with shrimp and garlic sauce and the sauce's flavor wasn't developed. read more

Ambiance: Small neighborhood Italian restaurant. Cute patio out front along the sidewalk. Perfect for intimate gatherings for between 2-4. They can put tables together for larger parties of 6, but I'd recommend making a reservation. The restaurant is pretty small. Service: Really great service! The men working the restaurant made sure that my husband and I were well attended to. They brought us plenty of water and kept checking in! Food: The food is spectacular! I love that they make all of the pasta in house. You can taste the difference. The pasta sauces were also delicious. I did not take any pictures of the main entrees because they were gone in a blink of an eye! read more

Water & Wheat - Pasta selection - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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I don't live in New York, so I figured while here we should try to find some good Italian food. This place hit the spot. Fresh pasta is always the best, and it was delicious here. We were shown a visual representation of their fresh pasta options, and offered to choose which type of noodle we wanted and then which sauce option we wanted from the menu. I don't remember the name of the noodle we chose, but you can see it in the picture. We got a vodka sauce option on it and we loved it! We also got the meatballs, which were tasty as well. The waiters were friendly, and we had several people check in on us while there. The space is a bit small but quaint, and pleasant if in a smaller group or a pair. I recommend trying this place! read more

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Looking for nearby restaurants after visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, saw that this restaurant made its own pastas and flatbread, decided to try it. We were promptly greeted by a waiter as we walked inside the cozy restaurant, seeing the wood fire oven. It was a beautiful summer evening so we were able to have dinner outside. Started with the meatballs which were like homemade, light and delicious served on a delicious bed of crushed tomatoes and topped with mozzarella with awesome cheese pull and a side of warm crusty bread pieces. For the main, our waiter recommended the ten layer lasagna, which was served on a bed of the restaurant's delicious tomato sauce. The silky tender lasagna sheets were cooked perfectly. The flavors were clean, distinct and like homemade in a good Italian home. For sure, will be returning to try some of the other pasta dishes. read more

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Was looking for a place not far from The Frick for lunch with a friend. She has the cacio e pepe, I had the carbonara. They were good. They scratched the pasta itch I had. It could have been a little more flavorful. Pasta was clearly homemade. read more

I've been wanting to try out Water & Wheat since it opened in 2023, so I was excited when the stars finally aligned last week. The space is cozy and casual - perfect for a weekday lunch. They're known for their pastas and flatbreads, but they also offer sandwiches during lunch on weekdays as well as a happy "hour" from 11-4 (!). We were craving pasta (not part of the lunch special), so we ordered the spicy tomato and basil with chitarra pasta and the spring lemon asparagus with mafalde pasta (you choose both the sauce and pasta shape when ordering!).  Sadly, the pastas didn't live up to our expectations. The spicy tomato and basil wasn't remotely spicy, and the spring lemon asparagus was too dry and flavorless.  The highlight of the meal was the panzanella salad. The vinaigrette was delicious, and we were pleasantly surprised by the addition of olives - yum!  The service is friendly, the pricing is reasonable, and the menu is vegetarian friendly. If only the pastas lived up to their potential, this could be a staple when in the UES! read more

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This place does fresh pasta, which I think is unique. You can even choose which pasta you want and then which sauce and toppings you want. It's really an omnivore's dream. You want meat - there's bolognese. Seafood? No problem. You want nothing on it - they can do that. My father-in-law and I both got Vongole (clams). My mother-in-law got the shrimp pasta, my husband the bolognese, and my brother-in-law got the burrata salad, without knowing what burrata was. He was a bit surprised to learn it's cheese. We all cleaned our plates, so it's safe to say that we all liked our dishes. I really liked the vongole, although I wish it had some of the white broth that I like associated with it. The place itself is very small so a reservation is needed, The server was very nice and explained how to order and what people usually pair with the types of pasta. I think it's a great restaurant and if I'm back in the area, I'd return. read more

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Unfortunately, the bread basket was the best part. Yes, service was good and attentive but the food was not good. I was definitely surprised at the quality and taste of the food after reading the previous reviews. Unfortunately, I do not recommend. read more

I went here last week for lunch with a friend. The space is small, tables are a bit close together. Service was good. I tried the following dishes: Panzanella Salad (3.5/5): A nice mixture of vegetables with a good vinaigrette. Mafalde with Sweet Lemon Ricotta (3/5): This dish was really just okay. The pasta was cooked nicely, but the sauce was not memorable and a bit underseasoned. Mafalde with Creamy Alfredo with Pesto (2.5/5): This was also really okay. The chicken was fine, the broccolini was a little mushy, and the sauce was okay. Overall, I had an okay experience here. I don't think I would return. read more

Cozy restaurant in the UES for some pasta and flatbreads. We came by on a Saturday afternoon and the restaurant was fairly packed. The restaurant is small and the tables are too close together, people can barely walk by and you can hear everything your neighbor is talking about. They have a variety of homemade pastas with different sauces. I had the mafalde with shrimp and garlic wine sauce. The pasta was a nice Al dente and the sauce had a little spice to it, would have liked a little more garlic. Staff were friendly and service was quick. read more

Water & Wheat - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

{Overall: 2.5; Food: 2} Ambiance: 4; Service: 3 As soon as we walked in, we felt welcomed by the ambiance: a cozy, intimate Italian restaurant that was full on a Friday night. It felt like an elevated neighborhood eatery. Unfortunately, the food was very mediocre. We started with the Panzanella salad, which tasted like it could have come straight out of a plastic bag. The two pastas we ordered were bland and unsophisticated, more like average home cooking than a restaurant meal. The Creamy Alfredo with Pesto was incredibly bland, and the use of broccolini felt like a parent trying to force vegetables into a dish. Charming setting, but the food was a disappointment and not worth the price. Service was fine, nothing remarkable. read more

It blows my mind how well rated this place is. The food was definitely good but the service is really what stood out, unfortunately in a bad way. Our food was served before our wine ever came out, even after we reminded them. We also asked for bread (which we noticed other tables had) which didn't come out until after our meal was finished. Everything was served hot and fresh and they have a nice wine list but it was almost comedic how much was forgotten and how long everything took. It was still a nice night with friends but I don't see myself coming back anytime soon. read more

Water & Wheat - CREAMY MEAT SAUCE - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

9 /10 Andrea was my server she's AMAZING PANZE SALAD 7/10 Bolognese 8/10 Wasn't Hot enough temp wise & needed spice for me( Personal preference). Vibe is cute read more

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Went here this past weekend with my boyfriend and WOW. We didn't make a reservation (this was a last minute decision we found when we were 5 min away) but they were able to accommodate us! Staff were super knowledgeable and made great recommendations for what pasta shape to go with each dish. Everyone was extremely attentive, not just to us but to all the tables! This was a Saturday night, obviously very busy, but they had it running like a machine! Will definitely come back. read more

Water & Wheat - ALLA VODKA & SAUCE CACIO & 3 PEPPERS - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Happened into this restaurant on a spring afternoon and ended up having a spectacularly wonderful late lunch! Enjoyed my meatball sandwich with house salad lunch special. All of their pasta is, apparently, made fresh in-house. We were able to watch pasta being extruded from a machine behind a counter. Bread is baked fresh in-house as well. The focaccia used for my sandwich was delicious. Though my meatball sandwich was thoroughly enjoyable, I think my husband's "original Italian panini" was even better!!! Service was friendly and efficient. It is not a huge restaurant, but the space was casual and comfortable. Definitely will be back here again! Want to try their pastas! read more

Water & Wheat - Meatball sandwich and salad lunch special. - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

This has become my go to all reliable pasta place if I am too lazy to make my own (rarely happens bc I'm finicky about my pasta/ingredients). They use good quality ingredients and the portion size is plenty for two people (IMO) read more

Delicious, lunch special was hot and tasty , and inexpensive considering we we on the Upper East side of Manhattan

The pasta is so freshly made, and you can see it constantly being made from your table. They come out to explain the different pastas and the mafalde was a clear favorite for us. I got the sweet lemon ricotta sauce and it wasn't sweet as I asked before but I could've used more flavor. I tried my wife's chicken Alfredo and that was clearly the best choice I thought followed by the rage which was more standard. I'd like to come again to try the flatbreads. read more

Water & Wheat - Chicken alfredo - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Let me start by saying that there are very few Italian restaurants that I think are worth the money and this is one of them! We ordered in the first time and was blown away by the quality, usually take out food - with few exceptions - isn't great. This was terrific! The second time, we ate in the restaurant and we weren't disappointed. The space is small and intimate. The staff is friendly and attentive. We had: - Lasagna - very good. - Panzanella Salad - delicious - loved their take on it. No large chunks of bread, super crispy crouton like pieces of bread. - Fennel & Blood Orange - delicious, fennel and blood orange are an amazing combination. - Cacio e 3 Peppers - delicious, perfect amount of pepper. - Carbonara - so good and not too heavy. - Alla Norma - very good and the eggplant was cooked perfectly. All the pasta is made to order and the sauces are terrific. We will definitely be coming back. read more

This adorable little spot was able to serve one of the best Cacio Pepe dishes I have ever had. The service team was also incredibly friendly. I would have loved it even more if the shrimp was not over cooked, and there was a touch more refinement to the overall ambiance and maybe cloth napkins instead of paper. Let's save a tree while we eat delicious food :) read more

Water & Wheat - CACIO & 3 PEPPERS - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Genuinely don't understand the glowing reviews here. The Truffle flatbread pizza lacked the truffle flavor it advertised; it almost felt like microwaved pizza. Wasn't a fan of the flatbread. The Bolognese's pasta felt fresh but also lacked depth in sauce. I liked that we could choose the pasta shape. It has the price of an upscale Italian restaurant but lacks the atmosphere to go with it. The Upper East Side & this neighborhood is so saturated with better Italian options - probably wouldn't come back. read more

Water & Wheat - Flatbread pizza - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

The waiter and waitress were very warm and friendly. The space is small and it was a bit warm inside that day. I'm not sure if it would be able to accommodate very large parties. The food was well cooked and seasoned! However I thought most of the pasta dishes that we ordered the flavors were quite similar and mild. I was the only one who ordered the bolognese, which I really enjoyed. I think most of us agreed that we couldn't taste much of the pepper in the cacio e pepe pasta. We really enjoyed Their truffle and bacon and onion flat bread as well as the octopus. The octopus was so tender! We loved seeing the pasta being made fresh right next to us. Overall I would come back if I was in the area again to try their other pasta. read more

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Short Review/Best Dishes; Bacon & Onion Flatbread, Lasagna, Bolognese, Alla Norcina. With two people, I'd just order those first two dishes and you'll leave very comfortably full. The food here is solid for the price though I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. Anyway, I went here with a group yesterday. Place is small and the staff was friendly. They fill the water frequently and ask how things are and it feels like a nice little local spot. The waitstaff will also come around and showcase their different pasta choices (I guess you can say all the pastabilities) which you'd then choose with their wide variety of sauces. In general, the pasta quality is excellent with very good texture being cooked nicely al dente and their white sauce pastas were worse outside of the alla norcina. In terms of pastas, our favorite was the Grass Fed Brisket Bolognese with slow braised beef sauce and parmesan. We ordered this with mafalde/mafaldine which is the ribbon shaped pasta. Nice rich bolognese which paired well with the excellent al dente pasta. Not a super notable Bolognese but better than average. Our other favorite pasta was the Alla Norcina listed as with leek sausage, green peas, garlic, cream, parmesan, and chives. The bits of sausage in there had a good chew and flavor and the rest mixed in well. In terms of the white sauce pastas, this was easily the best and it's more unique than the bolognese. Not recommended would be the Cacio & 3 Peppers (mafalde) which has a mix of black, pink and Szechuan pepper, butter, pecorino, and garlic oil and especially the Old School Carbonara (rigatoni) with guanciale, free range eggs, parmesan, and pecorino. In the former, the black pepper flavor was light so it tasted more of the butter and pecorino. The latter just wasn't good and was easily the worst thing we had with a lack of much guanciale flavor so it just tasted like buttered pasta with too much oil. Best of the evening was the Bacon & Onion Flatbread with bacon jam, caramelized onions, crème fraiche, and chives. It reminded me of a better version of the standard type of tarte flambée/flammekueche found in Alsace. The bacon jam was cooked down wonderfully and it was a good mix of sweet, savory, and creamy. Excellent and the portion size is big enough to share. A bit worse but still tasty was the Truffle Theory Flatbread with fresh mozzarella, mushroom crema, black truffle ricotta, garlic, and thyme. The truffle flavor was very light which I almost prefer as truffle can be a bit overwhelming but the mozzarella/ricotta were both tasty and there was some umami from the mushrooms. The price point is a bit higher for this flatbread but the portion was the same so it's easily splitable. Last of the main dishes was the Lasagna with beef ragu, tomato sauce, béchamel, and parmesan. This is a very meaty lasagna which isn't too bad of a thing as the best pasta was probably the bolognese though I wouldn't have minded something outside of the meat as the flavors were more one note. In short, I would have preferred a bit of cheese in the mix of all the meat as the parmesan flavor on top was a bit light. It got a bit heavy but you can't beat the price as it's big enough easily for two to share. The Tiramisu at the end with mascarpone, lady fingers, amaretto liquor, espresso & cocoa was just OK. It was one of the more creamy versions with mostly mascarpone and coffee and a very tiny bit of lady fingers. I wouldn't recommend it much as it lacked texture. The food here was pretty solid. It's not the best Italian food in the city especially for the carbonara but it's not trying to be. The prices are pretty reasonable for the portion sizes and there is a particularly good flatbread among everything else. Mid 3 rounded up for the price point. read more

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Pasta was perfect- warm fuzzies on a rainy day. The sauce special was Amatrcianna and it was wonderful. Andrea was our waitress and she was warm and friendly. The Buratta salad was a great combo we'd never think of, It was a perfect combo of savory, fresh and sweet. My wife got the spring lemon asparagus pasta and enjoyed it as well. Just as an fyi the Sileno Cannounau (red wine) went perfectly with my pasta. Bread was also fresh, hot and nice! We will be back next October, when we revisit. read more

Water & Wheat - Americana sauce and Spring Lemon asparagus. - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

I feel very spoiled to be able to visit NYC quite often, especially because I love Italian food!! There's no shortage of restaurants but only a handful of standouts This is one of them Fresh pasta made right in house - they bring out the different types of pasta for you to pick out for your dish!! We opted for 3 different but classic Italian pastas - lasagna, cacio with 3 peppers, and bolognese Every bite of each of the pastas was heavenly. Perfect flavors, generously portioned, and with top notch service to boot The restaurant itself is cozy but not so small that you're bumping elbows! The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, from the pasta to wine selection :) The lasagna was incredibly filling but I could not stop eating. The cacio's 3 pepper seasoning was lovely - one of them was schezuan pepper! What a unique idea And the bolognese is one of the more classic Italian dishes - the sauce was incredible. The meat was well cooked. The pasta was perfectly chewy All in all probably one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been to!! read more

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Fresh reasonably priced pasta and a nice addition to the neighborhood! Nothing fancy, but comfortable rustic decor. I really enjoyed the spicy tomato + bolognese, but would pass on the shrimp garlic. The apps were also a perfect way to start the meal. Really what bumped them to 5/5 is service. I had a huge glass of wine spilled on me accidentally. The server was there immediately with napkins / sparkling water. They even came to top off our wines by the glass earlier unprompted. Small things really matter. *fyi they currently don't have a liquor license so just beer/ wine, but I'm sure it's coming. read more

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Good pasta. Service is attentive and food comes fast. Perfect place has lunch with friends or casual family dinner. read more

Water & Wheat - CHITTARA ALLE VONGOLE - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Food was amazing & I found it to be fairly priced for the area. Pasta was very fresh and the crostini bruschetta was fantastic. Service left a bit to be desired, but the food made up for it. read more

I tried this restaurant blindly looking for something new and boy that I stumble upon a gem. The food is absolutely mouthwatering. Pasta is fresh and tasty. I had two different pastas a kale salad, and the tiramisu is to die for. read more

Water & Wheat - ALLA VODKA SAUCE rigatoni - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Great food great service. The bread is probably some of the best in New York. Fresh homemade pasta and great wine, help make this a fun little restaurant. Our server Adrian made our day. We were celebrating my birthday and my granddaughters as well as Mother's Day a trifecta. Adrian made us feel like royalty. read more