Al Di La Vino

Really cute, intimate Italian spot. We were able to walk in without a reservation on a Wednesday night, but the place was pretty full. Seating is somewhat family style, with long rows of tables for multiple parties.
I started my meal off with a raw, shaved vegetable salad. This was possibly the best salad I’ve ever had — fresh, crisp, simple, and delicious. I could eat this salad every day.
My second course was not as notable. I ordered the risotto with quail. What showed up was a giant plate of risotto with four little quail legs (bone in) swimming around. The fact that there were bones in the quail still was really annoying. I had a difficult time separating the small amount of meat from the bone and ultimately ended up with Binet pieces and gristle stuck in my risotto. While the risotto was tasty, it was extremely heavy and sat like a brick in my stomach. The entrée was very unbalanced.
I would definitely go here again, order the same salad and try a different mail dish.

Great intimate atmosphere. I love that you can order the Al Di La dinner menu here. However, the service at the bar could be improved.

Saturday afternoon, party of 6, no reservation. Our mistake for walking in to the main dining room (Trattoria) w/​o a reservation and getting some intense attitude from the hostess. Granted we were not dressed for the part and probably because everyone else was older? Anyway, they hesitantly gave us a table at the adjacent wine bar…
Food: 78%
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Beef Carpaccio — 60%
straightforward dish, includes anchovies for some brine, tomato for some sweetness, and I believe it was parmigiano slices. not a bad starter.
Pasta Nero with Octopus — 80%
I’ve had several versions of black pasta, and one thing they had going for their take on the dish was the generous portion of actual octopus meat. I was expecting «octopus-​flavored» sauce, but it was a pleasant surprise to also see actual pieces. While not short on flavor, the pasta itself might have been seasoned with too much salt, overpowering the mildness of the octopus.
Quail Risotto — 85%
Great, solid plate with flavor packed game meat. Classic buttery risotto to complement the protein.
Beet and Ricotta Ravioli — 80%
Interesting flavor combination, small portion (4 pcs). But the taste was unique enough and definitely merited a place on the menu.
Service: 95%
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The pacing was a little slow but I guess it is a wine bar where people lingered, which is always a plus. We sat down, had a nice dinner, and the people who were already seated when we got there were still halfway through their meals. Our waiter was very courteous, attentive and really friendly.
Ambience: 90%
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The wine bar is «garden-​level.» Adequately lit, slightly dim, very rustic.
Value: 80%
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Not bad for Italian cuisine. The dishes are solid and very decently priced ($ 12 – 30). Nothing to be blown away by though.

Omg you have to try the French toast! They serve it with bananas and a ricotta sauce that is to die for.

If there is one dish to try here it is the Funghi e Polenta –Sauteed wild mushrooms over braised greens and creamy polenta, parmigiano. All I can say is WOW, this is right up my alley! make sure you opt for the additional poached egg on top and you have a nice light breakfast.
The Tagliatelle al Ragu is also a winner.
The kitchen is slow with the food orders, by prepared to wait a little bit.

Little restaurant that doesn’t take reservations happened to be a hidden gem of Park Slope! Northern Italian cuisine in its best just 30 minutes away from Manhattan! Highly recommend it

The boyfriend came across this place while googling brunch places in Brooklyn. After looking at their menu online and seeing the positive reviews we decided to check it out. Boy am I glad we did… During our weekend trip to New York City this place might have been the very best place we visited. The restaurant itself is very intimate and beautifully decorated. I felt as if I was in Italy rather than Brooklyn, haha. Our server was incredibly friendly and each person who assisted in serving us was very helpful and polite.
I first ordered the strawberry rhubarb Bellini– incredible. The strawberry flavor wasn’t overwhelming and neither was the alcohol. It was smooth and packed with summertime flavors. Next, my boyfriend and I shared their soup of the day– which was a tomato zucchini soup– amazing! The soup was packed with veggies and the broth was light yet full of flavor. Next, I ordered the breakfast bruschetta. Normally I am not a fan of fried eggs or eggs in general but I had a feeling that it was going to be amazing and just went for it– wow. The grilled bread was light and flaky with a crunchy crust, the veggies on top were sautéed and seasoned perfectly and the fried egg on top just made it all come together so great. I loved it. My boyfriend ordered the American breakfast. The sausage was thick yet juicy and had a delicious crust on top. The fried potatoes were perfect and lightly seasoned.
This was my first time having brunch at an Italian restaurant and it was a perfect experience. If I ever visit Brooklyn again this will be my first stop !

I went with a friend who loves al di la and is a regular. I had high hopes for the place because of this, as well as the good ratings on Unilocal.Unfortunately, this is how my meal came out.
I ordered the beet ravioli, which was the highest recommended item. It was ok, not immensely flavorful. However, the huge turn off was that the raviolis were sitting in a butter bath. It was not a sauce, no flavor, just melted butter.
Next, I had the mussels. Again, not impressive. The wine sauce did not seem to be cooked properly because it smelled like rubbing alcohol at the back of my mouth. The mussels were fine as long as I didn’t add any sauce on them.
For my main course, I ordered the hangar steak with balsamic reduction to be cooked medium. I got charred, well done steak instead. I felt like I was eating dry sandpaper that was not flavorful. The sauce was just about average and very forgettable. My friend, who frequents al di la, saw the dish and even she said I should send it back. I felt bad about wasting it so I just chomped it down anyway.
All 3 things I ordered were subpar. The waiter did not come by to check how things were either. I know I wouldn’t be returning.

Amazing food! Great wine! Charming place! Exceptional staff! Highly recommended. 5 S*T*A*R*S*

Went here on a Saturday night, pre-​Concert, for dinner at 6:30 pm. We first tried getting into the trattoria but since it was full we checked out the wine bar as suggested by the host. Luckily there were 2 seats left at the bar so we immediately took them up. Since the wine bar and the trattoria use the same kitchen, we were excited to try the food and didn’t mind sitting in the smaller bar area.
The bartender was very nice and gave us time to order or drinks and meals without being pushy.
When it came time to ordering we decided on the green salad (hubby’s choice– was between this and the farro salad) for appetizer, corn tortelli, and spaghetti neri alla chitarra. Borth of these pasta dishes sounded so incredible and we ended up deciding to get them because we didn’t want to be too full but still wanted to enjoy a good meal.
The salad was simple– fresh greens with a small piece of (goat?)cheese and some bread in a balsamic dressing. It was light but tasty, and my husband said it was the best lettuce he’s ever had in his life! Being a burger guy this was truly saying something.
Now to the best part: corn tortelli and squid-​ink spaghetti with octopus. Both dishes were out of this world!!! We just honey-​mooned in Venice and we both agreed these dishes were better than the food we ate there.
Corn tortelli– sweet, delicious, creamy, light, fresh satisfying ravioli-​like pastas in a buttery but not overly-​rich sauce
Spaghetti neri– just-​the-​right –amount –of-​salty, delicious, amazing, tasty. i can’t even describe it, it was so good!!! And the octopus was cooked perfectly.
Loved this place, and can’t wait to go back and try more, especially the polenta.
YUM!!!

A-​maz-​ing! I’m at a loss for words other than amazing.

One of the most satisfying meals I have ever had at a restaurant. Intimate tables. Good wine selection. Friendly, informed servers. Everything we ordered was solid and we did not leave hungry.
Started with 2 apps: fried whitebait and a salad of squid and potatoes. Both were fantastic. I normally don’t like fried seafood but this was delicious. The tiny mountain of perfectly fried, perfectly seasoned and non-​greasy whitebait was served on a round cutting board with lemon wedges and fried parsley. This should be served at more places and exactly as it was served here. The squid/​seppia was tender and the teeny roasted fingerlings soaked up just enough broth to really make this dish feel cohesive.
Entrees were equally impressive. I had the lasagna special and dining companion had the lamb shank. I am a lasagna fanatic and this is the one to try if you want something that tastes more like a lasagna from Italy rather than an Italian-​American version. Perfectly browned top, bolognese that will make you cry just thinking about how much time it took to make and homemade pasta. This lasagna was so good that I purposely took some home just to be able to try it cold (I love cold pasta) and to try to figure out what herb they used to make this one of the best lasagnas I have ever tasted. I think it was rosemary. Perfection.
Lamb shank was also perfectly cooked, not overly fatty and the polenta was creamy and light. Also a must try.
Dessert was also a winner. I’m not much for gooey or overly sweet desserts. But their pear and bittersweet chocolate chip cake was the perfect ending. I thought I was going to miss cake with frosting. In my opinion, if you have cake you need frosting to keep it moist. But this cake was so satisfyingly flavorful and moist that a frosting would have made it too sweet. Tasted like a really sophisticated Italian grandmother would make this. More Sophia Lauren than Sophia Petrillo.
I’m going back. Soon I am tempted to try the fancier version of this restaurant located upstairs. But since both places share the same kitchen (so smart) and I had such a great experience I probably will stick to the wine bar.

Went to the main restaurant but was told to go to the wine bar while we wait for our table.
They had a wine for each pallate and the bill is transferable to the table.
We never made it to the main restaurant since they first gave our table away while part of the party was being waited on. then we were told a half hour. then after an hour we were starving and offered a chance to sit @ the tables in the vino spot and we jumped on it.
Here is what my party had:
Apps:
CARPACCIO — didn’t like it all you could taste was the anchovies
FARRO SALAD — really impressed was as good as it sounded
SEPPIA AND OXTAIL — pretty good — not a fan of polenta tho.
Special tomato onion soup of the day — simple but well executed
Mains:
BRAISED RABBIT — liked not loved
HANGER STEAK — really good wish the portion was bigger
SPAGHETTI NERI ALLA CHITARRA — really unimpressed I was expecting a lot from this dish and unfortunately it did not strike my pallate
TORTELLI DI ZUCCA — AMAZING if they made this in larger portions thats the only thing that would have made it better.
Dessert:
Loved the ports and the biscotti
Cheese plate was — eh
vanilla ice cream with coffee — good idea — nothing exceptional
pear cake — dry and should have been skipped.

Swoon. That’s all there is to say about this spectacular Venetian in Park Slope where you eat mostly at communal tables, a la Le Pain Quotidienne. You enter through velvet curtains – a nice touch – and the décor is appropriately offbeat with a peculiar but charming ceiling I can’t describe.
One reviewer of Wolfgang’s (which I just reviewed) noted that you can trek all the way to Peter Luger in Williamsburg for steak but why do it if you can stay local?
I entirely sympathize with this sentiment as a girl living 3 months a year on the UES but THIS restaurant is worth the trek.
My friend who loves this place told me to order the rabbit over polenta and as this is his second or third recommendation which turned out dazzingly well, I will consult him always about menu selections when in the city.
Rabbit tastes like the best chicken, usually, and this was no exception. I love polenta, both creamy and soft, and grilled and firm. This is the former and the sauce not heavy or rich but decadent nonetheless. I don’t like olives (olive oil fine but I don’t like olives except for Kalamata and I don’t go out of my way to eat them either) and the server agreed that the menu description is odd as olives are peripheral to the dish. There were only 4 olives and I picked them off, greatly amusing my friend who said, «Who hates olives?»
The spaghetti (squid ink) next to us looked wonderful and my special soup with leeks and kale and herbed croutons great. But my friend’s appetizer – a sort of Italian barley whose name I must look up – was indescribably great. That was the better choice of starter but my soup was excellent too.
There were two specials, both of which tempted me and I will definitely be back to try more dishes here.
The wine list is impressive and my friend ordered a Pinot we both adored with an unusual and light tangy aftertaste.
The restaurant is highly rated by Zagat and it made a Michelin list (at least this is what you see on the front window). The house next door put up a sign for people not to smoke: «Thanks, the families of…» I thought that was slightly obnoxious, even coming from California with its smoking fascism but such things tend to amuse rather than annoy me.
Our server was a young married man (ring) with great knowledge about wine and food and we were gabbing so didn’t order right away. He was totally fine with that and I can’t say enough about this restaurant.

Ah, how I wanted to love this place. A park slope institution… we finally decided to come here for dinner the other night. The main restaurant was crowded so we sat at the wine bar next door. I was glad the did… the atmosphere here seemed way better. The staff was really nice as well. So what went wrong? Alas, it was the food. Everything was pretty good up until the black spaghetti… That meal should be stricken from the menu. I stopped eating after just a few bites. I couldn’t believe how bad it was after everything else was so good. I don’t know if it was bad crab or a poorly made sauce or what, but it just sort of ruined the whole meal. Sorry.

We came here on our «night out» really hoping it would be good. It’s actually been a while between when I went and when I’m writing this review but I can still taste the terrible, terrible mussels. They weren’t undercooked but they just disintegrated – maybe overcooked?. At first, I thought was just me, but then my gf made the same remark. We’ve also had mussels several times since and I still can’t get over the terrible mussels we had here.
I don’t remember much else about this place, but they definitely served something that shouldn’t have gone out.

Had low expectations despite (or rather because of) the hype, but really enjoyed it. Good veggie options, though not much for vegans. The greens in my Spring Salad were downright refreshing, and the artichoke ravioli were fab. Great wine specials and good service.
Don’t be shy, TELL THEM YOUR VEGETARIAN if so. I was told they sometimes use chicken stock in things where you may not expect it, but will make it without.

Park Slope keeps stealing my heart with its awesome restaurants!
My friend took me to one of his favorite restaurants and wanting a more quiet atmosphere, we went to the Vino section rather than the Trattoria At 6:30pm on a Friday night, it was still quiet but it did quickly fill up as the night went on. The wine bar of the main restaurant is small, cozy with it’s dimly lit atmosphere. That, with stellar service makes this place a great place for a date or a catch up!
The highlight of my dining experience here was appetizer we shared — Trippa Alla Toscana — tripe stewed in white wine, soffritto and tomatoes. I love tripe and often than not, restaurants don’t cook it well, where the tripe ends up being chewy and rubbery. But at Al Di La, they perfected the art! Having plenty of bread to soak up the rich sauce was as fun as eating the tripe.
My dining companion and I went with items off their specials menu instead of their regular items. I had the Pappardelle Pasta with Duck Ragout. It was good but it didn’t blow my mind like the appetizer did. I felt like I had more pasta than ragout but that might just be me being super greedy. My friend had the Lasagna, which a mix of pork, venison and beef and it was delicious.
Their wine menu is extensive and the waiter was great at recommending wines to compliment my entrée. I knew I wanted a red but wasn’t sure which one would go well with my duck ragout and I could tell he was trying to figure out himself. I trusted his decision and loved the wine.
I’ll definitely return here for another meal!

I would say confidently that this is the best restaurant that I’ve eaten in Park Slope. My BF took me here to dinner, no seating in the main dining room, but luckily there was seating in the wine bar. They offer the same menu as the main restaurant.
We ordered the special Spaghetti alla Chitarra with seafood in black squid sauce and the steak Tagliata, as well as a nice bottle of wine. Food was sooooooo darn good!!! The dessert was a nice finish. We ordered the fried dough things with chocolate dipping sauce. It was well worth the money. Great dining ambiance and good, knowledgeable staff. This is pretty damn good Italian.

Got seated right away on a Friday night as I was dining solo and sat at the bar. The hostess and waitress were both friendly and very efficient — they were pleasant to me and were also constantly mindful of their guests waiting for tables by the bar.
I tried 2 appetizers — the polenta with sepia and oxtail ragu and the casunziei (beet-​and-​ricotta-​stuffed ravioli with ricotta and lots of parmesan and butter). The polenta was creamy, just the way I like it. The sepia (octopus/​octopus ink-​braised?) and oxtail was very tasty. There was a touch of spiciness to the dish. My only complaint is there wasn’t enough of the sepia and oxtail to mush into the polenta.
The famous casunziei was very very tasty. I’m really not sure if the beet and ricotta stuffing made that much of a difference; if it would taste half as good if it wasn’t for all the butter and parmesan served with the ravioli. I would say that the stuffing did impart a slight sweetness that was really nice with the dish.
Overall, it was a good experience. I doubt I’d come again if I was with a large party given its notoriously long wait for a table, but perhaps if I came alone again.