Pietrasanta

Worst brunch ever. The service was horrible! Beyond horrible. We sat down to eat lunch with a party of six. They asked us if we want water. We sat for 15 minutes and no one came to the table other than bus boy for water and bread. No one had the common courtesy to mention that a party of 20 was coming in. Any decent restaurant would have let us know to maybe get our orders in to beat the rush. Well not here. Then after sitting for 15 minutes the party walks in, and they all get to eat 2 courses, before we even see our waiter. He takes our order and vanishes to serve the large party. I walked out after 1 hour, starving. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME if you want any kind of decent service.

Stopped in on Mother’s Day for dinner without a reservation after a show, and the hostess graciously found us a table. Unfortunately, the food was well below par. I had the special veal piccata, which, though tasty, was not tender at all. That was nothing, however, compared to the inedible chicken parmesan my son ordered. I was surprised when, after a few bites, he pushed his plate away. I tried a piece and quickly understood. No chewiness or taste at all. Must have been a bad piece of chicken because it was something more than tough. It actually broke into pieces when I bit into it. It was literally like plastic encased in breadcrumbs. Disappointing because the sauce was very good. To the manager’s credit, when told, he took the dish away and did not charge us. But our dinner was not very good at all.

I ordered delivery last night, and the food was delivered hot and fairly quickly. The minestrone was great, and the chicken parm was crunchy on the outside but moist on the inside. However, the portion size was smaller than pictures of the food on Unilocal indicated and smaller than I would have expected given the price point of this restaurant. Also, they have a VERY heavy hand with garlic in their tomato sauce. I love garlic, but woah. I’d definitely order from here again.
–1 star for portion size and overbearing garlic

Small intimate Italian restaurant just outside the theater district with great homemade pasta. On a nice day they open the folding doors across the front of the restaurant facing a light on 9^th. Busses park directly in front and the traffic is loud and horns are blazing constantly. You have to shout to talk across the table. We could barely hear the waiter. Then there’s the truck fumes.
It’s probably very nice here in the winter when the doors are closed, but not for me on a nice day.

Found this spot walking down 9^th ave. delicious food and very attentive service. Definitely a great find!

Give this place a try! The Italian here is great! I came with my family around the holidays and we were not disappointed. Delicious food and moderately priced. They have a smaller wine list but have specials on the house wine.

It was packed when we got there around 745pm. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and I got the spinach fettuccini with egg plant and tomato sauce instead of mushrooms I asked for spinach. My boyfriend got the Alfredo. They were really accommodating with food. The atmosphere was nice and simple, but cute. Also the owner was walking around and made sure each person enjoyed themselves. It was great.
I think our bus boy was having a rough day so he was a little moody, but over all I loved the food and the over all experience.

Read a few of the other reviews and I have to agree when entering the restaurant the smell is awful! For some reason my chicken was extra chewy this visit and the service was horrendous! Waiter Pedro seemed more interested in his friend outside the restaurant versus telling us what the soup of the day was. Wish we had the other waiter not Pedro! This is the second time we’ve received poor service from the same waiter Pedro! Don’t plan on patronizing this establishment again!

This is a terrific little restaurant just a couple of blocks from the Theatre District that us perfect for a pre-​show dinner (although worth going to any time). We had pasta dishes, salads, ravioli… All wonderful, fresh and flavorful. Service was attentive and friendly and they had great sangria (bonus!). One point off for the interior, which needs freshening but it’s clean and warm and pleasant.

Pietrsanta describes itself as «rustic» and «homey.» But, anyone using those words relative to this restaurant is either blinded by aspirational thinking or simply unfamiliar with the English definition of the words, because it is anything but.
Putting aside the noxious smell upon entering, the bus boy doubling as a bartender eating a banana behind the bar (putting his half eaten banana and floppy peal down on the bar while mixing a sangria-​like concoction for an unsuspecting couple being served rose like wine with fruit spooned into it from a Tupperware, as the bar tender also nibbles on the fruit that dropped into the bar), the bathroom whose faucet just spontaneously burst and sprayed water on my daughter, the wine list that boasts Yellowtail and other liter size bottles of delectable swill (there is one Pinot Grigio and a Chianti on their list, which I guess is their homage to Italy), the fact that no one there seems to have any relation to Italy (except in so far as Cortez and Vespucci were both explorers of the Americas), the lousy food, the stark and cold ambiance — I don’t even think there was a cheesy picture of a gondola cheap, laminated wood tables, no music, and an empty, cafeteria style furniture arrangement
I feel genuine sorrow for anyone who has given this place more than one star, as their previous dinning experiences must be appalling horrific.
Worth also noting that it’s not close to being in the heart of the theater district, as self described, unless that term includes aspiring actors who share the neighborhood with bums and ruffians while living in shared studio apartments just scraping by in Hell’s Kitchen hoping for their big break.
Summarily — I see no redeeming quality to this restaurant and my head spins when I read the positive reviews here.

i have only been here once (so far) best little Italian place i have been to in this area
i got the salmon and it was very good. table are small and u have very little space between your table and the ones next to you .
I plan to return
Food– excellent
service– excellent
atmosphere — good (not enough space)

Excellent food and very comfortable despite the summer heat. The host and staff makes you feel at home. I had a generous portion of chicken parmigian, a nice ceasar salad and tasty gazpacho soup! Their espresso beats starbucks across the street. The price is not bad if you’re looking for a quality dining experience. I give it 5 stars!

It’s not that the food is bad… it was quite acceptable. But no
atmosphere. Place was like a tomb with indifferent staff
Lots more interesting good restaurants to try than this place

I was the only one in the restaurant having lunch at 2pm on a Wednesday. They brought out bread with balsamic and olive oil dipping sauce. I ordered the shrimp scampi pasta with tomatoes and asparagus. It was ok but nothing spectacular and the shrimp was a little overcooked. Service was good. I sat in the patio and witnessed some New York road rage but that was not the restaurant’s fault.

Heard this was the place to eat before leaving New York. So ate here… had Risotto, it was good. Sangria… ok. Service… not 18% worth.

Food was great but the service was a bit lacking. I had the caesar salad followed by the Pollo Pietrasanta. The caesar was amazing and the pollo pietrasanta had a great flavor to it. The drinks were a bit off — I first ordered a mojito which did not taste good at all so I sent it back — I then ordered a gin and tonic which, although it tasted okay, was extremely strong and kind of took me out. It was hard to drink it was so strong! The server was kind of fly-​by-​night at times. He was not there when we needed him and drinks took way too long to get. However, it wasn’t a huge deal to me at the time because I was feeling pretty good from that strong drink!

Another nice Italian restaurant conveniently located to the theater district.
We were seated promptly at 6:00pm, which was plenty of time to enjoy a nice meal before catching a show at 8:00pm. In fact, it seemed as though the host was ONLY letting in folks who had a reservation to the restaurant, so keep that in mind especially on busy weekend nights (we went in on a Friday).
For dinner, I had the orecchiette pugliese («little ears» pasta, broccoli rabe, pecorino, and sausage in a garlic wine sauce) and it was really delicious. The sauce was nice and light, and the broccoli rabe tasted really fresh and not overly bitter. The caesar salad and bread I had on the side were equally good, but the main course really stole the show.
Overall, a nice meal. Would certainly return again.

Good choice when looking for old school Italian in theater district. Everyone in group enjoyed their meal (osso bucco, shrimp risotto, baby octopus, minestrone, beet salad and organic greens salad). I had the baby octopus and it was in a tasty olive tomato sauce.
Interior could use an update but service and food is much better than most restaurants in area. Good choice if you are seeing a show on 47^th as it is on corner of 47^th & 9^th.

I had wonderful complete dinner here on a cold winter night last January.
The service was friendly and prompt.
I enjoyed salad, pasta wtih clams and dessert. I thought, for a Manhattan Restaurant the price was reasonable.

I actually can’t believe I’ve forgotten to review Pietrasanta after all this time! I’ve been here many times and I just so happen to be going back this week so I thought it would be appropriate to review :)
First of all, shame on you Unilocalers for giving such mediocre reviews! This place is a gem in a fun neighborhood. I am an Italian, from Brooklyn, where grandma’s sauce and pasta is meant to be the only one I truly love but I think grandma would be happy to know I eat here.
Pietrasanta does HOMEMADE pasta and has some of the best Italian dishes I’ve eaten in all of nyc (my faves: Fettucine Verde and Pumpkin Ravioli, the Goat Cheese & Beet Salad is also delicious). OH and it’s super affordable. I often take out-​of-​towners here because the food is so impressive and it doesn’t break the bank. They have a nice wine selection and it’s a casual spot so you don’t have to be done up. The neighborhood is also great for after-​dinner cocktails.
If you’re looking for «atmosphere» go elsewhere – it’s a pretty standard-​looking casual italian restaurant. If you’re looking for a no-​hassle, delicious meal with good friends or a special someone– DONE. Can’t wait to go back here this week.

J’ai eu la chance d’habiter tout près de ce petit restaurant, c’est donc comme ca que j’y ai échoué un soir. J’ai décidé de tester les ravioli au hommard né sachant pas trop quoi prendre. J’ai été très agréablement surprise, mon plat était vraiment délicieux.
L’ambiance du restaurant est très calme et pas bruyante.