Pepe Rosso Social

I just had my birthday brunch at Pepe Rosso Social this past weekend ! my family and friends loved it and could not stop telling me what an amazing place I had chosen for my celebration!
everything we had to eat was delicious! the menu was a variety of brunch foods. The chef Stefano and the young man assisting him were such nice people, so attentive! I definitely recommend having a celebration here or dinner if you are in the area. def a hidden gem in Little Italy!

Superb.
Low key and unstuffy Italian with a very talented chef running the show. They also seem to rotate the pasta specials fairly often so you can eat here every day and happily get fat.
We have eaten here multiple times during both brunch and dinner and the quality is always consistent. And they will unapologetically tell you to f*ck off if you want the sugar free /​low fat version.
We have not met a pasta dish we have not liked and even the desserts here are excellent — the torta di pere although not always available stood out in our minds.
As an added bonus they have football (ok they’re Italian so Calcio it is) — you know the sport you play with your feet that dumb Americans like to call soccer — sometimes on in the back room.
They used to take OpenTable but they seemed to have come off the platform — you now have to call. This place probably seats about 50 people max so we would recommend getting a reservation.

Hipster italian sums it up. Cute and small with a romantic and intimate setting. Happy hour starts at 4pm where you can get drinks at half the cost. Food is average with a good variety of pasta, salads, paninis and plates. I had the chicken panini which comes with chips. I asked if they can substitute the chips with a side salad… they said they couldn’t. A few pieces of green leaves would have suffice but they refused. While waiting for the rest of our party to arrive, we asked if we can order an appetizer to begin with. They said they can’t because all orders has to be put in at the same time. Their menu has a lot of stipulations… paninis sold until 6pm, no diet coke, no skim milk… etc etc. It’s a little unwelcoming with all these «rules and regs». Our waiter didn’t seem interested in helping us at all and was chewing something every time he came by to help us (gum maybe?).

CAUTION: the menu says «panini» but they are in fact sandwiches.
STORY: I ordered a panini and it came out with hot ingredients and cold bread. I called the waiter over and said uh, «panini» usually means pressed in a hot press.” And he says «we don’t have a panini press.»
So i said, «well then your menu should call these ‘sandwiches!’»
So I asked him to put the sandwich in the grill to heat up the bread and melt the cheese, and it came back with only one side heated. I ate it because I was starving.
Happily, they didn’t charge me for the panini, saying «I’m not going to charge you for something you didn’t like.»
So, just be warned that you won’t get a hot pressed panini if you order a panini!

Came here in a rainy day. I’m all melted in the delicious food here. The deportation is very European feeling and relaxed. The server is very cool and friendly. Will definitely come back again.

This place did not disappoint. While in the city for a weekend with my girl friends we made a reservation for 7 the day before at this place. It was one of the higher ranked places on Unilocal so I had high expectations. They totally lived up to them.
The service was the best we had while in the city. Our table was waiting for us when we arrived and we immediately started off with wine. Our server provided feedback on each dish we asked about — although they were all delicious. With a large group we were able to try lots of things. Fresh bread, wine, delicious homemade pasta followed by a delicious dessert at the end. I cannot speak highly enough of this place. Check out Little Italy when you are in NYC and make sure this is your stop for dinner. I will be back!

Was cravin for pasta so came here for date night yday. Its a cute and cozy spot. Heard theres also a downstairs. We started off with the sausage polenta (i looooove polenta!) and proscuitto w fresh mozz served w tomatoes and greens. Then we had the oxtail ragu, steak w mash and a side of brussel sprouts. All the dishes were so good. Loved the fresh pasta they made for the oxtail ragu, it was not too heavy and not too salty or too much sauce. Ive been to restaurants where they serve pasta way too salty and w too much sauce that u cant even put parm cheese on. The steak was cooked perfectly to our liking — medium rare. Its served w mash (i believe?) but the texture of it taste jus like polenta (and again. I loooooove polenta! So i was a happy gal!) i liked the fact the steak was full of taste so that it goes well w the polenta/​mash/​white-​goodness. To top off our night we were introduced to this nutella tiramisu in a cup! oh my. It is the best thing ever and so brilliant. Nutella on the top, middle layer is i believe mascarpone and bottom layer is lady fingers. So so good!
Service was great, the chef and host came around time to time to check on us. I’ve never been to a restaurant where the chef is actively speakin to customers and even seatin customers. I appreciate that idea becos that shows the chef is opened to feedback and has an open communication w the people hes serving. Most chefs jus stays in the kitchen and never find out what their customers like and didnt like abt their food for improvements.
Definitely a spot we will be visiting often!

Came here for a reservation for 9 people on a weekend night and they happily seated us in their basement portion (which was dim lit and pretty adorable).
The menu is hard to read, and the waitstaff are sometimes out of it, but it was overall a good experience. I got the oxtail ragu — which was good. The pasta is al dente and the oxtail is slow-​cooked well — and sampled other dishes, which were pretty good as well. Nothing mindblowing, but above average Italian comfort food.
They were really nice, as we brought in a cake and they didn’t charge a cake fee, but they did charge us an automated gratuity, which is to be expected with a large party in NYC.

Wonderful spot in the nether regions of Little Italy/​Chinatown. Very comfortable, cozy, and unpretentious. Might get packed at certain times, not sure as I was here on a quiet Friday afternoon for lunch.
.Which made it all the more strange that they were out of panini – basically, half the menu. OK, I went with a pasta special, and it was not bad (pumpkin soup + pasta for $ 10), but I really wanted that panini. How can you be out of that at 1 pm during lunch. Really, guys, really? [Waves mock old man cane at no one in particular]
Other than that, PPS is pretty tight. In addition to the aforementioned lunch special, they have a nice selection of wines and other Italian libations. Just be sure to bring cash as they don’t except plastic.

Just beyond the pearly gates called Little Italy, comes a newcomer to the Italian eateries we know and love. I can see why the high ratings: adorable, Italian waiters, homey, and well-​priced food. But, no meatballs (boo), no chicken parm (double boo), and no pizzas (well, you get the drill). They started with a demerit right off the bat.
Little and narrow, expect to wait 15 – 45 mins. When inside, nice wait staff and owners, but expect a little European service: sit and wait for any service, and even more so, when looking for a waiter.
A small and limited menu along with a hard-​to-​read handwritten «specials» menu, the choices are limited but are of value (~$ 14 for pastas).
1. Fresh bread — not warm, and not delicious. It was bread, however, so bring it on. ($free, 3.0 stars).
2. Wild Mushroom Truffle Bruschetta — wonderful flavor on 2 medium pieces of bread. This was a little overpriced ($ 10, 4.5 stars).
3. Wild Mushroom & Truffle Fettuccine — made from fresh pasta, great flavor but dry, could use way more sauce and some kind of veggie to break up the monotony ($ 14, 4.0 stars).
4. Chicken Milanese — this is close of Parm, but without the marinara & cheese. Way excellent, with arugula and fresh parm atop ($ 14, 4.5 stars).
Overall, this doesn’t get my 5.0 star rating, but it’s really worthy.

Came here the other night for dinner while my friend and I were in Little Italy for the SG festival the other night.
We were seated right away. Visually, it is a cute little place, has a full bar. Service was okay but nothing to rave about.
We were excited to dine in because the people were raving on about how good the food was.
We were brought bread once we placed our order – a little stale in my opinion — also we weren’t given any bread plated.
We also had to ask for water. Water was brought to the table in a wine bottle which was cute and all but we were given no ice – however it was brought to our table once we asked for it.
For dinner, my friend ordered this seafood dish Arabbiata style and I ordered the parppardelle with mushrooms in a truffle sauce.
Our food was brought out quick, however, neither dish met our expectations.
My pasta was extremely soft and mushy and also lacked flavor — the mushrooms were cooked extremely well though. I tried out her sauce just to taste it.
Her dish was suppose to be spicy – however, I would say it was made with medium spice – if that. The sauce was also way to thick. Portions were also rather small – never in my life have I seen my friend finish a whole pasta dish – not that it was sooo good she had to finish it but because of the size.
We decided to go elsewhere for dessert.
Idk if we came on an off day or our table was just the lucky one that they dropped the ball on.
I would give this place another shot of I’m in the area because of all the fantastic reviews – Maybe next time I will leave with that happy warm fuzzy feeling the other customers left with…

After years of sitting in my bookmarks, we finally got the opportunity of going to PRS.
We started with the buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto which came with 3 slices of tomato and 3 slices of prosciutto ($ 14). Everything was really good, but maybe not as fresh as I’d have expected. I then picked the penne vodka ($ 12. The papardelle with oxtail was a close second) because that’s how I assess an Italian place (yes, ‘real’ Italians, start scoffing now). The pasta was delicious and the portions were right– everyone left with satisfied tastebuds and no one had to un-​notch any belts. The mimosas were also delicious ($ 6) and we were sad that we missed the bottomless deal that ended at 3pm for $ 9.
Overall, solid spot with a cute décor and we would love to come back.

Love the atmosphere and coffee.
Owned and managed by Italian.
Best food and coffee.
I ordered cappuccino which was exactly i wanted ever in coffee travel !!!
I really fall in love with this place !

Service: 5 stars.
Food: 3.5 stars
Atmosphere: 4.5 Stars
This is a great date spot. The tables and exposed brick walls are pretty nice for a date. I, on the other hand, went with a friend and we spent a good five minutes joking about how it was like we were on a first date.
The service was what really set this place apart from the other Italian places that I’ve tried in the area. Part of the time, I felt like I was in Italy… and others, I felt like I was part of the family. My friend and I were able to joke around with the waiter and have real, genuine laughs — that’s not something that you normally find when you go out to eat. My water glass was never even close to empty.
The food was slightly above average. The mushroom bruschetta felt like it could have been much better and something that I could have made at home. I would even say that it was on the edge of boring. The pasta was around the same. At least in regards to the sauces. The pasta itself was cooked to al dente perfection.
I’ve had better Italian food, yes. But for the service and atmosphere, I would definitely consider coming back.

Dined here last night and had a wonderful time. The waiter was laid back, kind and popped up exactly when we needed him.
We followed his suggestions when ordering and ended up with the meat lasagna and the three pork cream penne pasta (the name is much fancier in italian).
It was all very delicious and very FILLING!!! The lasagna had a very very very similar taste to chef boyardee but I’m not saying that’s a bad thing… The penne was so heavy that even between my boyfriend and I we couldn’t quit finish it. Also maybe a little too much of a flour taste happening in the sauce, but still delicious.
The complimentary bread is phenomenal, I definitely may have been caught soaking up my sauce with it. We also tried the mushroom bruschetta which I also couldn’t finish, but my boyfriend loved it – I felt it needed a hint of acid perhaps lemon or tomato? Still delicious, again.
Everything was good, maybe would have changed the flavors of each dish just a tiny smidge and possibly deleted a little oil/​butter/​cream but that may just be because I am not used to eating an abundance of those in my diet. However I am not complaining, good food and even better atmosphere and staff!
Only big negative was my glass of Rose — do not suggest.
I would highly recommend.

I’m not sure where else in Manhattan you can get steak, (three) eggs, potatoes, and some salad for $ 12 during brunch. That’s right — 12 BUCKS!
Of course, It isn’t the best steak and eggs ever, but it isn’t bad for the price. It’s a little bland, as is the rest of their food (including the penne vodka and chicken Milanese), but it’s nothing a little bit of salt can’t fix.
You can also turn it into a boozy brunch — it’s $ 6 for one mimosa, or $ 9 for unlimited ones for an hour and a half. It tastes more like a bellini than it does a mimosa, and there’s more juice in it than champagne but if you opt for the unlimited option, I’m sure it will at least give you a small buzz.
I wouldn’t mind coming back for brunch round 2, or maybe even happy hour (M-​F 5 – 7).

The Table was not clean when we were seated. There were chunks of food on the table. I complained about this and was told «I’m sorry we didn’t clean the table before we seated you». The server took over 10 mins to come to our table to take drink/​appetizer order. We ordered two glasses of wine, waited 20 mins and asked what happen to the wine. The server told us they forgot to bring it, and as a result he decided to comp the wine. The bread they bring out before the meal was not fresh! Some of it was actually stale. All of these things happened before my entrée came out.
This would have to be one hell of a meal in order for them to receive a favorable review from me. In short, it was not. The food was average, I ordered the Penne Tre Porcelinni. This is pasta with prosciutto and sausage with a cream sauce. The combination of meats added a good flavor to the dish but the pasta was too al dente for my liking and there wasn’t enough sauce. I was able to enjoy this dish but I wasn’t particularly impressed .
I came to this place to avoid the tourist trap that Mulberry street has become and in hopes of finding some of the most authentic Italian food in the city but honestly nothing about this place was better than what I experienced on mulberry street. They are getting a GENEROUS 3 stars. In reality they are a 2.5 but Unilocal doesn’t do partial star ratings and because the food wasn’t bad ill give them a 3 instead of a 2. I don’t think ill be back.

First dinner date with grandma back in the city. Two home made pastas to share between my second mama and me: oxtail ragu pappardelle and pesto gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella.
So this is what authentic, fresh, home-​made pastas taste like! I loved that both dishes were paired with a light, non-​cream based sauce. Tomato oxtail, pesto mozzarella — perfectly seasoned, perfectly made. The gnocchi — hands down the best I’ve ever had — rich in flavor but light and airy in texture — they were «dissolve in your mouth» delish!
The portions were just right but I can probably down another plate or two of both dishes to be honest — just because my stomach can always make room for more 5 stars food. Service however was non existent. We ate without water, and it took us each two bathroom runs to get our check and change. Minus a star! Nevertheless the food was still awesome and the price was very fair for the quality! Can’t wait to bring my husband when we revisit the city!

Love Love Love Bolognese! They did an AWESOME job!
This was take 2 of Italian food in Little Italy. I mean you have to get Italian food in Little Italy or Asian food in Chinatown. But I’ve always done Asian food there, so figured I’d give Little Italy a try.
Now this place is a bit off the beaten path. While you walk down the street lined with Italian restaurants, you see menus with a billion dishes that hurts your brain… at least it did mine. So I go to my trusty Unilocal app to find the most popular restaurant ’round these pots… and it had me walk around the corner to this joint.
I was not disappointed. My kale salad was pretty good. Considering I haven’t been eating healthy since I arrived… my Aunt normally cooks the good greasy foods (it’s good but not very nutritious) I figured I get some green in my body. Of course I’m used to the normal romaine lettuce but I love kale, so this was a good alternative.
The bolognese! OMG! The noodles were so fresh and the sauce was sooooo good and rich. I’m not a tomatoy sauce person. I’ve made bolognese before with the carrots, celery, various meats, and red wine and it came out great, so it was very reminiscent of that.
The waiter was very helpful, patient, and nice.
I was looking forward to a special I saw through pics, and well… it’s a special so of course they didn’t have it. But it’s all good… I liked my food.

I was unsure of how I felt coming into this place because my new york native cousin had warned me that restaurants in Little Italy tend to be tourist traps. But it was 8pm, i was hungry, and needed food asap.
This place was a pleasant surprise! It’s a little small and quaint, and has the «communal table» feel many restaurants have, minus the communal table.
The most memorable part of this meal was the octopus and chorizo! What a delight and so, so good!
We also ordered a prosciutto and mozarella, but that was kind of mediocre.
I had a pasta but it wasn’t memorable enough to recall clearly.
Note: while this is cute with a bit of a «bigger hole-​in-​the-​wall» feel, be warned that this is somewhere that wine is in plastic cups, where it isn’t super quiet, intimate and romantic.

Super restau italo-​américain situé dans la rue adjacente de la rue super passante de little Italy. Je le recommande chaudement!
J’ai commandé des spaghettis bolognaises et mon compagnon a pris un plat avec des meatballs qui était absolument délicieux. Les spaghettis étaient bons mais j’ai eu mangé mieux en Italie. Les prix né dont pas trop chers et le service était très bien.
On a vraiment l’impression d’un restau familial au cœur de little Italy et c’est super car ailleurs, on est plutot dans le piege a touristes.
J’ai commandé un tiramisu au nutella en fin de repas, il est assez gros, donc vous pouvez le partager en fin de repas, surtout si vous avez commandé un énorme plat de pâtes comme nous juste avant ! L’idée du tiramisu au nutella est originale mais je m’attendais à sentir davantage le goût du nutella justement et ce né fut pas le cas… Un peu trop noyé dans le goût de la crème.
Cependant, dans l’ensemble le lieu nous a charmé. Je recommande!