Kristina I

Absolutely loved Forsythia for a date night! Gorgeously designed menu. Great service - attentive, knowledgeable and kind. The focaccia is delicious - recommend the honey butter, olive oil & ricotta to accompany. We split the beet salad and arancini - only call out was the prosciutto on the beet salad was “fried / crispy” vs fresh. For pastas we ordered the lasagna which is a MUST order - perfectly crisp, and the agnolotti short rib pasta. I did not love the agnolotti - would try a different pasta next time. For dessert we had the stracciatella gelato - so yummy and perfect palate cleanser. Must order. The vibe of the restaurant was so cute - brick walls, intimate, warm, inviting. Even the candle in the bathroom smelled like a wood cabin campfire - invoking a comforting, home-like atmosphere.

+3

Louis Garza

Forsythia was a delicious multi-course experience. We went in for the prix fixe menu for a birthday surprise, and were taken through an abundance of flavors. The ravioli cheese and mushroom combo was a particular standout among many standouts, as was the short rib stuffed pasta. The desserts were delicious as well. The blueberry gelato was yummy and unique, and the pistachio covered cake was a favorite of mine. We left satisfied but not overly full, and I can say that this is easily some of the best pasta in the city. Few contenders exist, and even then Forsythia stands among them. Worth the visit!

+3

Cute little spot with very attentive service. We got the agnolotti and the ragu. The pasta was very well made and super thin. Both dishes could have used a little more seasoning to make them pop.

Intimate LES pasta haven—Forsythia delivers refined Roman comfort food that shines. Food was outstanding: fresh focaccia warm and pillowy to start, short rib agnolotti rich and tender in butter sauce (highlight!), cacio e pepe perfectly balanced cheesy-peppery, and carbonara silky with guanciale depth. Everything handmade and flavorful. Service was attentive, knowledgeable, and warm—great guidance on the menu. Atmosphere cozy and low-lit with that homey Italian feel (open kitchen adds buzz), though it's small and can get a bit tight/noisy when full—ideal for date night or small groups. Loved it—worth the resy!

Good food but extremely small portions and overpriced. I got the agniolotti and it was only about 10 tiny pieces and was $39! My friend got a class of wine which $30 yikes that should be half the bottle. The service and music was great. Starters were delicious but the prices are making me give this 4 star

ESB NYC

Bit of a mixed bag here. The room is cool, chill vibes, good music and lighting and professional, friendly service. We had the “surprise” 6 course tasting menu. There was definitely a problem in the kitchen because there were some extremely long delays between courses, our meal took 2 1/2 hours. We started with the complimentary focaccia, delicious and we went for the ricotta upcharge, $10 for 2 tablespoons of ricotta. Not sure the value proposition was there. Flavors were generally on point, the eggplant with some charred greens was OK but didn’t love it. Favorite dish was the crab agnolotti, scrumptious. The bucatini served before that was perfectly cooked, but was excessively salty, apparently because of the capers as we mentioned the issue to the server. However, it definitely tasted like someone slipped with the salt shaker. Our main was a kind of disappointing plate of mini meatballs in a sweet and savory sauce. Interesting but for $129 menu maybe we expected more than mini meatballs. Dessert was a scoop of peach and Prosecco sorbet, refreshing, but a little bit underwhelming for dessert on a tasting menu. I guess as I am writing this I kind of wanted to like it more than I actually ended up liking it.

+19

Matt Brown

The food and service here truly is great, but it should be a crime for a small pasta dish to be over $30, which all but one of their primi menu section is. All of the dishes were pretty small, to be honest. I understand that gratuity is built into the overall price of the meal (props to you for that), but come on. It’s pasta. This turned into a $120+ pp meal and we still left a little hungry. That being said, the short rib agnolotti, pici and crudo were the standouts from our order. Wine menu also had great selections.

+2

Food was absolutely delicious and the server was very kind but the portion sizes comparative to the price was laughable. Decided to try the meatball appetizer special that the server recommended and while it was good, one meatball to share for 2 people at $23 was actually ridiculous. As other reviews state, they also include a mandatory 20% tip for 2 tops which is deeply offensive as someone who’s also in the industry. I understand adding a 20% gratuity for large parties which is the industry norm but this is far past that. Was glad I came in to eat but definitely not a place I see myself coming back to for the reasons above.

I was a walk-in, and sat at the bar. The host was a bit cold (I was the only person whose coat he didn’t offer to take on a rainy night), but my server was fantastic. So kind and attentive. He took the time to walk me through the menu and suggest things I might like. The food was well made and tasty. The only thing I really didn’t like was having a 22% tip imposed on me at the end as a surprise. I was a single diner. I could understand 18% as part of a group (as is the norm) but since when was 22% the baseline? Won’t be back because of this. If you really need to pay your staff better, perhaps raise the prices on your menu so at least diners know what they’re in for.

Lisa Sanseverino

THE GOOD AND THE NOT SO GOOD... This place is indeed a labor of love, it's so beautiful and cozy. Staff is super nice and welcoming. Caught in traffic, we were almost 15 minutes late and they were very accommodating holding a gorgeous table for us in the window.. The service overall was very good as well. Onto the not so good, the bread which guests are charged for (as is the case lately everywhere) was stingy at best with one piece of small focaccia per person and the tiniest tablespoon or less of ricotta for an additional up charge of $12. The fritto misto was the size of an amuse bouche, teeny tiny and needs to be skipped because it's cut super thinly and the amount is unsatisfying. Pastas, all homemade are perfectly made. However, this restaurant identifies as Roman, yet the Gricia lacked the crispy guanciale served atop this dish I've enjoyed countless times in Rome. It was also heavier. Pastas at other tables looked spot on. My husband's plate of maccheroni was scant. And to note, he doesn't eat meat and this menu had many less options for him than me. Authentic Maritozzi is double in size than the one of the same name here. Also not so good is the presumptuous 22% tip automatically applied to the check on tables for two!!! not six, which is understandable but two!! and the awkwardness of the staff as they try to explain it away. We had great service here and for great service we leave a 25% or more tip but this was off putting. The table next to us ordered the tasting menu and we're spending a lot of money on drinks and food, having a good time. The Manager or whomever suddenly approached, asking them to leave because the next reservation was waiting. Understandably, this is a small restaurant and they have to turn the tables over but it's rude and embarrassing. People are coming out on a Friday night, spending money to relax and enjoy themselves. This is certainly not relaxing. Overall, is everything fresh and delicious served up in a beautiful atmosphere with a nice staff of servers,yes. But I had the sense this restaurant is trying to right the wrongs of the entire industry, and control the customer experience to a fault.

Kayla

The host was unfriendly, which made for a poor first impression. Thankfully, our server was fantastic and very attentive. Unfortunately, there was no space to hang my coat, so I had to keep it on my lap throughout the meal. The portions were disappointingly small and very overpriced. The area itself felt uncomfortable and a bit strange. Overall, it’s expensive and definitely not worth it.

Mariam Kmh

Very average Italian restaurant, took about 1.25 hours to get our primi course to the table with zero update from the server. When the pastas arrived, nothing to write home about and probably liked them more because we were starving. The vibe was nice, good lightning - it had the potential to a be perfect mid week dinner spot but missed the mark on a few things

+3

Florence Gardner-Hillman

Food was nice but not amazing - pretty safe menu with humble ingredients yet charged $200 per head. Started with focaccia (not complementary unlike previous reviews - disappointing). It was fine. Followed by 2 deep fried olives, nice. Then onto the menu proper which was a tasting menu consisting of chestnuts with radicchio and balsamic, tortellini with squash, then a risotto with ossobucco and a single scoop of panodoro ice cream. Only one meat / cheese option throughout all 4 courses. We got 2 cocktails and a glass of wine and all in it was $400. Not worth it to be honest.

Younjae Doh

Food was okay, not great (focaccia and salad was delicious. Pasta and secondi was not a personal favourite). However the bill included a 22% tip and then the machine asked for an additional tip. Crazy. It came to $300 for two people but I dont think the food lived up to $150 per head and the included tip of 22% did not feel right.

+1

Maggie Yi

Love bread but the amount of bread in this meal is way too much. The fanciness in the food feels forced, bites are tiny and not packed with flavors. Overall mid, especially for the price. Also 22% mandatory service fee is kinda insane, and the service wasn’t very aloof and not great. Cocktail was good though