Grotto

The food here is pretty good– but what this place is really worth going for is the garden in the back. The space is pretty open and it’s a lot of fun, went for a party once and loved it!

I like this place… it’s not GREAT. It’s very good. It’s tiny which adds a lot, feels very exclusive. Here again another subterranian venue (It’s a walk down from street level… another example of my underground fascination? It also feels like a discovery as it has no real street-​level visibility. That make it feel sexy.
The food is well prepared, but if anything a little underseasoned. If that’s the worst thing you can say about a place then they’re doing ok. Small room but not too loud. The tables are the right size, not cramped, but not so far apart that you can’t hear your company.
I’ll go back, but given the pluses and minuses I’ll wait for the Groupon or Living Social deal… that makes this place a slam dunk.
(I note the other reviewers complaints with service… yea, I should add that too. Some were great, a few were attitudes on two legs… this should be an easy fix if management reads these things. Why dont they?)

The service here is brutal and they force a 20% gratuity on the customers. Came here on a Monday night and it took two hours to finish my meal. Seemed like they had one waitress for 10+ tables with no busboy. Our water was never refilled during the entire meal.
The main course was lukewarm, they didn’t offer bread and never checked on us during the meal (or offered cheese for the pasta). They didn’t have our first dessert choice and it took almost half an hour to bring out one piece of cake.
People around us were also complaining about the service and one table never got their appetizer. Our table’s candle even went out during our meal. Avoid this place.

We went to this place at 6pm which they just open the door, then when we ordering the waiter did say a bunch of items on the menu had been sold out.
all the dishes and glasses were not clean, you can still see detergent mark on them even they set the lights dark.
We used our living social deal too, then the tips is not at your choice but mandatory at around 20% of all original food price.
the last and the most important is the food, I got diarrhea after eating there. not sure this has to do with the detergent or their food really.

I would not recommend going to grotto. I got this as a gift voucher from someone. Overall the food tasted like it was microwaved along with very very slow service. And I had food poisoning at the end of the night, I don’t know what they put or don’t put in their food but it is tasteless.
Would not go again.

We came here with the $ 29 Living Social deal, which included a shared appetizer (under $ 14), 2 pasta dishes, 1 shared dessert, and 2 glasses of house wine. The meal had so much potential to be a romantic low-​key Friday night date however, the overall experience missed a few key elements for us.
We were promptly seated in the small dining room behind the bar (I assume this was their «red room»). There were only 2 other Living Social couples seated in this room of maybe 12 free tables and yet we were seated IN BETWEEN them. We felt like we were on a date… With 2 random couples. The waitress brought our bread and water and walked away, only to realize 5 mins later that she hadn’t given us our menus.
We both had a glass of the house white wine, which were served in different sized glasses– strange, but oh well. We shared a plate of the arancino catanese to start, which I though was decent but the BF found the bed of tomato sauce too overpowering and sweet for his taste. We got our appetizer at the same time as the couple next to us but unlucky for them, the waitress arrived with their pasta dishes literally 5 mins later. They were clearly not ready but the waitress gave them «helpful» suggestions as to how they could combine their appetizers onto their pasta plates. I was thankful we were given at least 15 mins to finish our rice balls!
For our pasta course, we were informed that they were out of one of the dishes so we ordered the carbonara and the vongole. The carbonara was again, decent but VERY heavy. The vongole was probably the best dish of the night– lots of flavor and a substantial amount of mussels. I feel like I must mention that during this course, another Living Social couple had joined our triple date, and we all had to move our tables to make room. Also, the poor couple next to us were rushed once more and had their dishes removed BEFORE they were both done. However, the helpful waitress kindly suggested that she transferred her remaining pasta onto her small side plate while she finished her meal…
As we were ordering dessert, the waitress informs us that they’re out of a 2 – 3 things on the dessert menu, which is fine but that’s a lot of things to be out of on a Friday night at 7pm.
We felt really bad for the couple next to us who then received the bill with the wrong amount but which they luckily spotted and had fixed. The night wasn’t awful, and the waitress was sweet but the service was spotty, food was mediocre, being seated RIGHT next to other diners in an empty and music-​less room, made for awkward and unintentional eavesdropping (literally half my review is based on my neighbors’ experience… or maybe I’m just too nosy?) — there were just too many little mistakes throughout the night which took away from what could’ve been a decent experience.

This is a nice place with an outdoor garden.
Pros:
1. Good wine collection
2. Good food for both vegetarians and meat lovers.
3. It is a hidden gem of a place on that block.
4. Good place for special occasions and dates.
Cons:
1. The couple next to us were smoking and had a dog. I thought that was illegal. They must be big spenders and regulars.

I REALLY teetered back and forth between the 3 – 4 star mark for Grotto. I wanted so much to allocate that extra star, but for sake of accuracy I could not force myself to do it.
Miss Sarit had purchased the Living Social deal here, which was a great price for the amount of food you get. One appetizer to share (we got rice croquette), entrée for each (her: asparagus ravioli, me: scallop risotto), a glass of house wine each and a dessert to share (affogato).
The atmosphere was pleasant. Candlelit restaurant in a tight setting but conducive to all things lovey-​dovey. The music was classical piano. The restaurant was empty except for the two of us.
No, friend, that’s not a romantic euphemism but the restaurant literally was empty. It had literally just opened, so that’s to be expected. (Our reservation was at 6 and they opened at 6.)
As for the food… The rice croquette was delicious and cheesy and fried as one would expect. It really was well done, set atop a bed of tomato sauce and topped with fresh basil leaves. The scallop risotto killed the evening, although not TERRIBLE it was way too salty. It was akin to Rice-​A-​Roni topped with a bed of salt. I may have to get checked out by a cardiologist in the morning. The scallops were pretty good, though. Miss Sarit’s asparagus ravioli was very good and well balanced.
The dessert was actually very, very good. We got the affogato, which was a salted caramel gelato served with a double shot of espresso. They pour it over the gelato in front of you and you and your date delve in to the rich, complex balance between dark and light flavors. The servers were super friendly, if not a little un-​attentive. We could hear their gossiping across the restaurant, but didn’t mind that. I am sure it wouldn’t have happened were there other customers in the building.
What merited three stars, instead of two were the friendly servers, the dessert and the appetizer. If the risotto had not been jam packed with salt, it would have been an easy 4.

So cute and romantic. Bought a living social deal for a date night with my girlfriend. It was a good deal… basically works out to about 50% off, when you factor in gratuity and all.
The food was fresh and great, the staff was EHHHHH (my friend had crutches and needed to have them put away and brought to her again as the space was small, the waitress was so pissed with having to do this… seriously!)…
Would go back here for a dinner with a bunch of friends and take over the place.
Just know this place was so very tiny!!!

I was so disappointed since the two entrees that we ordered was so salty that it wasn’t edible at all. my bf ordered the seafood risotto and I had the pappardelle all’amalfitana.
I eat out all the time– this was the first time I ever went into a restaurant where the food was so salty that I could not eat it. we drank lots of water and ate lots of bread but it did not help. we finally decided to let our entrees go to waste since it just wasn’t edible.
My fresh noodles would have been good without the added salt. since the dish contained spicy sausages, red pepper flakes and anchovies– very little salt was needed. my boyfriend did not enjoy the seafood risotto since he complained it was way too salty and the seafood was not fresh. the scallop tasted like it was imitation scallop to him.
the only thing we enjoyed was the fresh foccacia bread and the tiramisu. we left the restaurant hungry and thirsty from all the salt.

Extremely solid Italian place. 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up to 4.
Location is a little weird, in which you have to walk down a rather steep flight of stairs (wet and slippery after rain, no easy feat) to get to the entrance. But the inside is pretty cozy, darkly-​lit and rather romantic.
Only thing was that it was HOT. My friend and I sat at the table closest to the A/​C and it was still stuffy. I’m not sure the A/​C was actually working. An older couple that came after us had to leave because they couldn’t stand the heat. My friend had a Living Social deal that gave us a prix fixe of a shared app or salad, two entrees, a shared dessert, and a glass of wine.
We ordered a salad of arugula and braised artichokes. It was slightly overdressed with cheese and lemon vinaigrette, but it was very refreshing and tasty. I ordered the ricotta, spinach, and smoked trout ravioli and it was delicious! Loved the saltiness of the trout with the creamy ricotta. I liked that the ravioli were very large. The tiramisu was good, but not notably memorable. We ordered glasses of Pinot and they were fine as well.
The service was very good throughout, even when my friend showed up late and I was at the table for a while by myself. I’m not sure if I would go back without a deal, but it was a very good meal. Fix the A/​C please!

Our party had the following for —
Appetizers: Carpaccio di Manzo & Bruschetta
Main Course: Rigatoni al Ragu & Chef’s Special Risotto
Dessert: Panna Cotta, Lamponisu, & Raspberry Tart
The food was prepared and plated deliciously; Appetizing both visually and aromatically. The wine we had on the other hand was another story.
The Bruschetta was a little burnt for our liking but it was good enough to warrant an oversight. The Carpaccio di Manzo was dressed just right that it was finished by someone who usually didnt like vegetables and meat mixed together. The pastas were al dente, and the Risotto was dressed with flavorful shrimp. The desserts were tasty and finished the night off wonderfully.
The wines however were stale and tasted of vinegar. We ordered 6 glasses and on a humid 90 degree day/​night, both red and white wines we had were disappointingly unchilled. It were as if we ordered wine vinegar to compliment our meals. Unfortunately, we ended up settling for water, and left leaving most of the wine glasses untouched.
Overall, it was a wonderful meal, barring the wine.

The first time I came here, I had a perfectly pleasant meal.
I came here last night and while the food was quite good, experienced one of the worst nights of service I have ever had.
My friend and I had a Groupon and didn’t make a reservation, so we sat at the bar. That’s totally fine — not an issue at all since it was my bad for not making the reservation.
The bartender, who was very sweet, was just not on her A game. We ordered our first round of drinks, which came quickly. She then brought us plates and silverware. We waited for about 15 minutes thinking she was going to bring menus, but they never came. I asked for them and she brought them about 5 minutes later. She came back to take our order at which point we were informed that the cheese plate that we were trying to order wasn’t included with the Groupon — okay, that’s fine — so what’s included? Wait, where did she go? She just told us that we couldn’t order the cheese plate and then walked away.
A few minutes later, when she came back, we finally ordered the scamorza, which was very tasty but clearly not healthy.
We ordered two glasses of wine, which didn’t arrive until after our food came. The food (the carbonara and risotto) were really tasty and of a reasonable price normally. If I didn’t have such AWFUL service, I would definitely have returned for these dishes.
Anyways, after our food came out, we finally got our wine and ate quickly. We ordered our dessert, along with another round of drinks (a glass of wine and a Stella). They never arrived. We reminded her like 15 minutes later, while she was eating dinner at the bar with her friend, at which point she poured me a glass of wine but never brought out the beer.
At this point, we’re like ready to leave, so we get the check. The Stella is on the check, so I ask her to take it off. She brings back a check with the beer still on the check. I ask her to take it off again, at which point she finally does, along with another beer we ordered earlier, which was a nice gesture.
We were charged $ 24 in automatic gratuity for this horrendous, awful service that leads me conclude that I will never return, despite the tasty food.
Sorry Grotto — and I am sorry, as that risotto was amazing.

Definitely not a destination dining spot. If your next stop after Grotto is within walking distance, fine, but it’s certainly not worth getting in a cab or on a subway for standard Italian and poor service.
Other reviews seem to equate exposed brick and dim lighting with «romantic ambiance», which I can understand. The out-​of-​place portholes on the wall counterbalance those positives, though. Perhaps the nautical features are a nod to the cruise-​like overpriced cocktails ($ 13) Grotto offers?
As for the food, I took other Unilocalers’ advice and ordered the Carbonara, which I was pleased with. Good portion and only $ 14. The Ragu with Short Rib was a bit sweet, and the Salmon got an «it’s fine» non-​endorsement from my friend.
Confused decorations and so-​so food aside, a 3-​star rating would have been appropriate if not for the uneven service. Our server was absent for enormous swaths of time, we had to ask her for water twice, and when she did appear, she raced through the specials (out-​of-​order, I might add) with an air of annoyance suggesting we should have telepathically learned them.
You can do better and you can do worse. So, keep searching and go do better.

The spot is perfect for dating! Romantic ambiance, reasonable pricing, good food.
All food tasted amazing, I especially recommend the grilled octopus, and the squid ink tagliatelle.
The shrimp risotto was a tad bit too salty.
Panna cotta was good too, didn’t WOW me.
Service was 100% attentive. Very kind service.
Overall, I had a lovely experience there.

I came here for a casual comfort-​pasta meal with the boyfriend. It was freezing cold outside so stepping into the restaurant was such a relief. The lighting was low and each table was lit by a candle: not my favorite atmosphere, but quite perfect for a nice evening date. There aren’t many seats available and the space is rather cramped so I highly recommend making reservations before coming.
Our waitress was very pleasant and after we ordered, quickly brought out bread with olive oil and salt. I requested a bit of balsamic vinegar and that was brought out quickly as well. The bread had a soft inside and a crunchy crust that was covered in sesame seeds. It was perfect when paired with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Unfortunately, at this point, the dinner went downhill.
We had ordered the Carciofi Alla Romana, which was this portobello mushroom dish with a bunch of other vegetables, including braised artichokes, as an appetizer. We didn’t actually get to taste the appetizer until 1 hour after we sat down and by then we had already started on our main courses.
We ordered two pastas, the risotto of the day (duck) and the Mafaldine Alla Trota. The Mafaldine Alla Trota wasn’t bad. The trout had an extremely smoky flavor, which was kind of overwhelming, but otherwise it was okay. The duck risotto was more interesting. The duck was well cooked (though there is not much duck — 3 slices and some bits mixed in with the rice) and the risotto had the perfect texture. Only problem was… the risotto was probably the saltiest thing since salt. It was extremely difficult to eat the dish because every bite had to be washed down by a gulp of water.
When our appetizer (Carciofi Alla Romana) finally arrived, the chef threw in a Caprese appetizer as well as an apology. That was rather nice of them, and it melted my bitter heart. But then I tried the artichokes in the Carciofi Alla Romana and cried because it was the saltiest thing since the duck risotto. The caprese was fine because it is extremely difficult to mess up bread, tomatoes, basil, and cheese.
We finished our meal off with the panna cotta and it was so good that I could eat gallons of that stuff. Of course by this time it was getting really late. Our meal took 2 hours (too long for me) and we struggled to flag down a waitress to take care of our check.
Would I go again? Probably not. The service isn’t fantastic, though the waiters are nice. The food is passable, but for the price you have to pay, not really worth it. If you do go… go for the alcohol and the panna cotta.

Visited Grotto on a chilly Friday night around 8pm. Despite the cozy setting, I was disappointed with both the food and service.
We ordered the Scamorza to start, which was basically melted cheese on a plate. By the time we got it, it was so cool that we had to use a knife to get it onto the toasted bread that came with the dish. Not really sure what they were thinking here.
Our Living Social deal also came with two pastas. We ordered the carbonara, which was tasty if overly heavy, and the gnocchi which was very plain.
For dessert, we had the panna cotta. Not sure if it was homemade, but sure didn’t taste it.
Now for the service. Our waitress was complacent and seemed annoyed at our presence. When the check came they had added 18% gratuity onto the original price (not the Living Social price). I know to tip on the original amount, but found this a bit presumptuous for a party of two.
Might come back in the summer to check out the garden, but won’t be expecting much from the food or service. Then again, there are so many other great spots in the area, why bother?

Well prepared dishes from Italy and the Ticino region of Switzerland. While the code and service are deserving of a visit, go for the atmosphere in their hidden back yard patio. It will transform any average Fall evening into a night to remember.
Try the Carpaccio for an appetizer. Sliced paper-​thin it is light and gently opens you taste buds for the finer nuances of the entrees. All portions are a bit larger, but you will forgive them easily, I assume. My company had the Risotto with Salmon. The Risotto was cooked perfectly al dente and had a wonderful consistency. Not overbearing, nor too heavy. The salmon was just a tad bit over-​cooked, but nothing to complain about.
I ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara, forgetting how tricky the dish can be. There are so many regional differences in the sauce and more often than not, it’s just too much cream, too much bacon, and cheap parmesan. Luckily Grotto knows what they’re doing, shown with their quality ingredients. While it wasn’t my favorite version, I did enjoy the dish. A solid 3 stars for it alone.

***Please see bottom note if you’re in a rush.***
Have you ever heard of counterfeit filet mignon? Neither had I before my visit to Grotto. Google, «filet fraud» and click on the first link. Scroll to the bottom of the article and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

My 3 friends and I all ordered the special, which was described as a seasoned filet mignon with seasonal veggies and fries. When we asked the price, the waitress said, $ 21. Which, if you know anything about filet in NYC, it’s unheard of to find it under $ 30. So, I asked her if she was sure that was the price, she said yes. I was ecstatic, so I said I’ll take it and so did my 3 friends. Then she comes back 20 minutes later and tells us that it’s actually, $ 32, not $ 21. Oh, and it’s too late to change my order. This is ridiculous. To make nice, the waitress did give us one free extremely watered down cocktail each. And, we figured, we ordered it, at least we’ll get a delicious, juicy filet.
HA! Nope. That was not at all what we got. Instead of a beautiful, plump round filet, we got a flat, thin steak that we were told was our filet. I could have looked past the look of the filet, if it had tasted somewhat like filet. It didn’t. It tasted like soggy, ground up paper towels. And to cover their disgusting tracks, I guess they decided we would be properly fooled if they slopped a bunch of blue cheese goo all over it.
WORST MEAL EVER!
Oh, did I forget to mention that my husband got food poisoning from the burger that he ordered. Yep, Montazuma’s Revenge ain’t only in Mexico. Apparently it’s alive and well at Grotto in Chinatown, NYC too.
This place needs to stop serving food and let people order or bring their own, because that backyard patio is it’s only saving grace.
***DO NOT EAT FOOD HERE. (Unless you hate yourself or need a good colon-​cleansing.)

Dina Q.‘s wonderful boify planned a surprise dinner for her birthday here at Grotto on a lovely Friday evening.
We had the whole back section of the outdoor patio to ourselves and our waitstaff were so pleasant and accommodating and PATIENT for a group of 20 rowdy young adults :) The evening was clocked in at just under 70 degrees, and the stars above us made the night quite magical!
For a large party, we had a prix fixe menu, with shared appetizers of octopus, salumi/​mozz, and scallops. Didn’t get a chance to taste the octopus but really enjoyed the scallops as well as the cold cuts. For entrees, we went with the mushroom ravioli and duck risotto (per the waitress’ rec). A few of the boys went the meat route with lamb chops, and they drew quite the amount of jealous stares from the boys who went with the duck. The lamb chops were huge! Both entrees we had were very good — definitely above par. There were also shared desserts that I didn’t try. The prix fixe also came with a glass of sangria and I believe the entire thing came out to about $ 60pp, with the inclusion of a few bottles of vino + tequila shots (of course).
Definitely a great romantic spot for a dinner date or just an evening to hang out with friends. It’s a little out of place in Chinatown and very easily missed as the entrance is underground — but definitely worth it.
P. S. There are two lovely blond kids that roam around the back. I think they’re the owner’s kids. One of them is called Ava, she shares my love for Hello Kitty and loves loves loves dancing. =)