Trista Adams

Came here for a very Carrie Bradshaw themed birthday and was blown away. The atmosphere, service and food were all absolutely impeccable. They gave us a nice opening appetizer of bread, meat and sauce as we looked at the menu. Then we decided to split the ravioli and risotto and they were so kind to plate our meals split without even asking. The food tasted absolutely phenomenal as well. We will definitely be returning for special occasions.

A. M.

The last time I went to Il Cantinero was 20 years ago. And I remember having a wonderful meal then, and we had a great meal this time. The service was exemplary and efficient. The food was exquisite. I ordered based on the suggestions from our waiter. If you are a lover of food from Northern Italy, this is your place. If they don't have what you want on the menu, or you're not interested in their daily specials, they well make anything for you, as long as they have the ingredients. This place is that good. Highly recommended!

+5

Panos Tzivanidis

You get the best food and the best service in the area. You can feel the "love" & the "family" vibe of this place. If there is one thing, is the ambient sound... It is really loud. (no different to many other places in NY) If you want real Italian food and you are in the area, do not hesitate!

Tracy Davido

Great Old New York ambiance. Attentive and charming Matre d'. Service was a bit off and my wine was wrong type from what I ordered. We never asked to taste it or if I liked or after it was served. With entrees that start about $40, that shouldn't happen.

Annie Kingston

Pasta was great, Ceasar salad and calamari were average at best. Super busy spot with tight tables. Loved the round tables, but the room was very loud.

Andrew Davis

Great food in a formal ambiance. Short menu with an abundance of specials. Appetizers and pasta was delicious but the chicken parm tasted like plastic (maybe we got a bad piece?). Mixed berry dessert was served with whip cream and assorted Italian cookies.

+1

Zack Young

Beautiful environment. Excellent hosts. Everyone has thick accents so it’s very hard to understand. Everything good is not even on the menu. My chicken parm which isn’t on the menu came with green beans not pasta. No wine lists, no wine pairing, no description on the 80 dollar bottle we purchased. Management was very nice and accommodating but way too late to fix any of the issues we were having. Very authentic maybe it’s just not for me. Decide for yourself. I just would like expect more for 200 dollars before tip.

Connie C

Never go on a Saturday night. Having been several times on a weekend, I am done with this place. This is the experience for >$1000: (1) the tables are so close together that you are constantly being bumped by the people behind you. And I am sure you are doing the same to them; (2) the wait staff are constantly climbing over you in order to clean up and serve; (3) the noise level is ridiculous - you cannot even talk or hear the person beside you. Now ask yourself, is that how you want to spend that amount of money?

Hannah Abraham

The WORST service. We had to wait forever just to place our drink order and then again to get anyone’s attention. Our tall waiter, yes you know who you are was ignoring our table the entire time. He stood uncomfortably close when he took our orders , no sense of personal space. They brought out a plate of tomato sauce as an appetizer (seriously?) and the bread was nothing special. The main course took 45 minutes to arrive, and when we mentioned it, they brushed it off with a dismissive “yeah, yeah.” Waiter never once asked how our food was & completely fake and passive-aggressive. The food itself was mediocre at best, dessert forgettable, and even when the maitre d’ finally came over, it was too little too late. Horrible service. Fake smiles. Mediocre food. Never coming back.

Amelia Melas

After placing our order, we were basically ignored by our waiter for the rest of dinner. None of the other waitstaff deigned to acknowledge our existences either. We had to ask one of the bussers to get our food boxed up, at which point he cleared the rest of the table. We then sat with a cleared table, ignored for at least 10 minutes, as the rest of the staff waited on other tables and seated new guests. And we were not tucked away, we were right beside the waitstaff’s station near the entrance. Only after asking to speak with a manager did our waiter reluctantly come back and offer us dessert. We were not eager to give this establishment another dime, so we declined, got the check, and left. We couldn’t help but notice the other diners appeared more formal and are wondering if they chose to ignore us given our perceived wealth and adherence to their unspoken dress code. Adding to that, I’ll echo the other reviewers and confirm that the food is mediocre, especially given the price, and the restaurant is dimly lit, which doesn’t really do much for me as a diner, and the tables are very closely packed. I will not be wasting any time or money in the future on a restaurant whose staff and atmosphere are this snobby and self-important.

Sandra Li

Mediocre food (definitely not worth the price), poor service. Service was very slow, they were idling even though we had plates to clear and had asked for the dessert menu. No one asked us how our food was, even though they were not doing anything but standing around. Service was also uncoordinated (our dessert menu took 20 mins to reach us..overheard one of the servers ask the other if they had given us the menu yet a long time in). The servers also don't seem to really like each other? Area was way too dark, only lit by 2 small candles on our table and a few small light on the walls. Overall, definitely not going back.