Blissful Bites

This was hands-down, the best Italian food I’ve had in a very long time. Very small place that was able to get seated without a reservation. The chicken with vodka sauce was perfect pasta was perfect. The bread was amazing. The staff was on their game. Definitely be going back.

Carol Scott

if you are looking for old school Red sauce Italian food Emilio’s is certainly it Quality and well prepared . We had the house special veal parm which is prepared with a vodka sauce .. very tasty. The bread is outstanding and the Caesar salad was traditional and flavorful.

Jsilva

Emilio’s is an iconic New York City spot. From the moment you walk in, you’re surrounded by history the walls are filled with photos of famous and notorious people who have visited over the years. During our visit, while waiting to be seated outside, we even saw one of The Sopranos actors. The main actor walked out of the restaurant, which was a cool moment. The only downside was the seating process for dining. You have to wait outside in line until a table opens, and in the middle of a New York City winter, that was rough. We waited over an hour and were honestly frozen by the time we got in. That said, once inside, it was worth it. The restaurant is small, with around ten tables, but it’s very warm and welcoming. The staff was kind, the food was good, and there were plenty of Italian options along with great wine. The vibe was cozy, lively, and perfect for conversation.

+6

Alex T

The food and service is great. It is SO loud inside. If you are on a date or with a group you wanna chat with it could be hard. Everyone is yelling to hear each other. But again, the food is fantastic, just be prepared to yell when you talk. They do not do reservations. It's first come first serve and if you are not there when they open you are probably going to wait at least an hour outside in line so don't show up starving.

Anita Ashley

We enjoyed dining here. We went between lunch and dinner and walked right in. We shared chicken parmesan and rosemary potatoes. Both were delicious. The complimentary bread and olive oil were top-notch.

Maya B

Authentic Italian restaurant, family owned and been around for a long time. They don’t take reservations and often you’ll end up waiting outside until they have an available table. Make sure your whole party arrives, they won’t seat you before. The portions are on the smaller side but everything is incredible. The flavor and quality of pasta is unmatched and I’d recommend ordering one of everything and sharing. You can’t go wrong. They can do a few of the red sauce dishes vegan as well so there’s something for everyone!

+3

Andra Leeke

Very cute inside with an authentic Italian vibe. Get there right at 5 or the wait can be very long. We felt it was extremely over priced, even for New York. We shared the veal Parmesan which was amazing...a pasta dish and the meatball appetizer. We had a$140 bottle of wine which was one of the cheapest and our total was over $550.....blew our minds. Service was okay but hard to communicate so we ended up with a pasta dish we didn't want.

Danielle D'Ambrosio

The atmosphere is great. Cute old school decor. But way overpriced for the quality of the food. The food was not great, especially given the high price and the huge number of much better Italian restaurants just a fee blocks away. Unfortunately this is the worst chicken parm I've had in an Italian restaurant (dozens and dozens). It was a little overcooked and loaded with so much grated parmigiano cheese that it was all I could taste. The tagliatelle bolognese was good though. Nice texture on the pasta and flavorful.

Sanguk “Namkoo” Ahn

This place, which first opened in 1956, is one of the true icons of old-school New York Italian dining. The restaurant is small and keeps its vintage charm intact. The servers are older gentlemen, and while the food—including the complimentary bread—was genuinely delicious, the service left much to be desired. As a solo Asian diner, I was given the bread but not the olive oil that usually accompanies it, and unlike other tables, I wasn’t offered any Parmesan cheese with my pasta. That kind of detail made the experience feel uneven. I asked for more bread because it was that good, but the second round wasn’t warmed and didn’t taste quite the same. Both the vongole and chicken parmigiana were excellent. Still, like many old-school institutions, the service here doesn’t quite measure up—and unfortunately, that tends to overshadow the quality of the food, which is a real shame.

Ghazal Mizrahi

Hands down the worst dining experience I’ve had in over 14 years of living in NYC. Let me start by saying: I have never written a bad review in my life. I always try to give the benefit of the doubt to any establishment. But this experience left me no choice—this is the first negative review I’ve ever written, and I’m doing so because people deserve to know what they’re walking into. We made a reservation weeks in advance for my sister’s birthday. You’d think that would mean something—but no. We were made to wait 45 minutes past our reservation time, only to be shoved into a tiny, hot corner of the restaurant so cramped I could feel the body heat—and sweat—of the strangers next to me. I wish I were exaggerating. There was zero acknowledgment that we were there to celebrate a special occasion. No effort, no care, not even a simple “happy birthday.” Once seated, it took another 30 minutes for anyone to even greet us or offer water. They didn’t bring enough glasses for our table of 12, and after flagging them down multiple times, they finally brought the rest—ten minutes later. The drink orders were wrong. The service was disorganized, aloof, and bordering on rude. Then came the food. The only remotely enjoyable thing was the mozzarella, tomato, and red pepper appetizer—which actually tasted fresh. Beyond that? We were served a sad excuse for a “family-style” Italian meal that tasted like cheap, boxed grocery store pasta loaded with filler ingredients and zero love. You know that gummy, overcooked, flavorless pasta you might get at a school cafeteria or from a microwave tray? Yeah—worse than that. And let’s talk about the portions. For 12 people, they served what most halfway-decent restaurants would give to a table of six. And for dessert? Two tiny slices of cake. For a birthday dinner. For twelve guests. To make matters even more absurd, the cramped little room they stuffed us into looked more like their storage closet than a dining area—complete with boxes visible in the background. I’m posting a photo to prove it. I’m sorry, but that is not an aesthetic. The price? $200 per person. The value? Absolute robbery. Drinks weren’t even included. That’s extra. And the cherry on top? They added a 25% gratuity automatically—without saying a word. People don’t come to Emilio’s Ballato for the food or the service—they come for the name. And what they leave with is a bloated stomach, designer clothes soaked in sweat, and a dinner bill that insults your intelligence. This place is a joke. An overpriced, overrated, underperforming mess. And worst of all, they have the nerve to call it Italian cuisine. As someone who respects and reveres Italy’s culinary heritage, I can confidently say Emilio’s Ballato is a disgrace to Italian food and culture. If you’re thinking about dining here—don’t. Spend your money somewhere that actually gives a damn about the people walking through the door

+2