Borgo — Restaurant in New York

Articles seemed to really hype this place up so I went in with high expectations that were ultimately unfortunately very much not met.

The menu itself had some interesting options but didn't really seem to have that much of a cohesion, especially in the first two sections.

-Chicken liver crostini: I did appreciate the butteriness of this but the crostini was unforgivably hard and frankly difficult to eat. I tried to cut it with a steak knife and was unsuccessful... -Tuna carpaccio: We were told we hadn't ordered enough food so grabbed this instead of a second pasta. I think this dish just needed something to go along with it. It's just enough olive oil but I think maybe some greens would have improved it. Aesthetically it is not an appealing dish and there aren't any discernible "pieces" that I may expect. I truly don't understand the point of the peas. Crab spaghetti: This was my favorite dish but it still was underwhelming. I'm not sure what flavor was missing but it was just missing something that made it memorable. A disappointing amount of crab. I also don't think the ramps were too thick of a green that overpowered here. Lamb saddle: This was probably my least favorite. The price point at $64 for the amount of meat was shocking and the meat itself was flavorless/drowned in a confusing gravy. I didn't care for the mostarda and it feels a little gimmicky. Heirloom beans: I never imagined disliking the flavoring of a bean dish as much as I did this. Absolutely skip.

The service left a fair amount to be desired. Our waitress was pleasant, don't get me wrong. But she didn't really check in during the meal to see how things were going. When each dish was brought out the runner would just tell us the name of the dish and none of the details of what was in it/how it was made (i.e "this is the lamb saddle".... and walk away?). The table next to us had a bit of a mishap so a lot of attention was placed on them for a while, which I understand.

The pricing is all over the place. I can justify the pastas for their price but then all of the anti-pastas were also in a similar range? The main courses were all outrageous, such as chicken marsala for $40+ and the tiny piece of lamb mentioned previously that was $64. Also, I know this was likely a strange mistake and was quickly rectified, but be sure to check your bill as somehow we were charged twice for each dish.

Finally, the ambience is VERY loud in a...

It takes a lot for me to write a review, but I felt this one was necessary. We dined on the evening of 12/28/24. I had done my research on new and upcoming restaurants so I wanted to try Borgo. We came about an hour and 15 minutes early and just waited outside. We didn’t want to risk not getting into the spot since no reservations were available. When it was finally time to enter at 5 pm sharp, they let us in and the host greeted us so warmly and said they did have a table available. We were ecstatic. As we waited for the table to be prepared, we stayed at the bar to grab our first round of drinks which was on the house. We were flabbergasted but they had seen us waiting outside for so long in the rain that they it was on them and the least they could do. When it was finally time, they led us to our table. Not being familiar to the layout of the restaurant, we thought we would be in the main dining room by the bar, but as we continued to walk into a separate room, it opened up to an open kitchen, and we were sat at a booth with a perfect view or the action. We were astonished of our table seating as we would’ve been perfectly ok with being sat at the bar as a walk in. We ended up trying a majority of the dishes and cocktails along with a bottle of wine. The fried squash really stood out along with the martini table side service presentation. This restaurant superceded our expectations and gave our visiting friend from California an experience he’ll never forget. I HIGHLY recommend Borgo if you’re looking to have delicious food, a beautiful ambiance, and impeccable customer service. Having been in the restaurant industry myself, I cannot explain how hard it is to execute everything so perfectly in restaurants and how important it is making guests feel welcomed. Borgo is obviously doing it all right as every individual we interacted with that worked with all genuinely seemed to love working there and we couldn’t help but feel like super VIP guests when we were simply walk-ins. To all of the Borgo staff, thank you for giving us such a grand experience, and we’ll never stop singing your praises to everyone we know. Keep up the...

The experience at borgo was fantastic. I had been wanting to go since they opened as it’s relatively close to our apartment. We arrived when they opened as a walk in with our giant nuna stroller and baby on a whim. Not only did they accommodate us but they were the ultimate hosts. They handled our stroller, the manager offered to hold the baby while I ate, the Maître d was a total sweetheart who answered all my questions about the restaurant and its outdoor section in the back.

As for the space, it is giant. Two huge rooms. I overheard that it was two spaces converted into one. And as I mentioned the outdoor space in the back is large and will be amazing in the summer. I need to make this spot a frequent visit on our list so we are able to still get a table when that opens up.

As for the drinks and the food. The signature martini I had was delicious and well balanced. My husband ordered a second of his as well. To eat we did the focaccia, the liver, the beef tartare and the squash because our server raved about it. The liver was delicious, the focaccia was good but needed an additional few moments in the oven, and the squash was one of the most interesting dishes I’ve ever had. Arguably very dessert like but so good nonetheless. But the beef tartare was phenomenal. Clean, beefy and as our server explained, there is a seafood element shaved over the top which adds a level of brine that makes the dish sing. We almost didn’t get this but it was unreal. Then we shared the Zucca alla Parmigiana and the branzino which was perfectly cooked. The flavor was a bit interesting. It was a tad more South American than Mediterranean. Tomato based but with some type of chili or cumin flavoring. Not my Mediterranean husbands favorite. But it was executed perfectly and the skin was so crispy. The Zucca was delicious and I loved it but my husband wanted meat. The menu clearly read “January” indicating we can expect monthly changes based on seasonality. Overall, we left very very pleased. It’s a fantastic addition to the area and we cannot...