Briciola — Restaurant in New York

Our review 2 years ago - I N C R E D I B L E, just dribble. And i love how quaint, European a sense you get and it's a tiny squeeze, love it luv it, loooooooooove. Tiny, quaint delicious. If I were rich I would buy everyone a coupon for the experience. Like no other. If your clustaphobic, not for you, but I love being smothered by people.

Our review today 4 May 2017 - THE MANAGER WAS HOSTILE AND DISHONEST with intent to humiliate. i am sad to write this review of a restaurant i love. last night at 10:30 pm Wed 3 May, 2017 we were hostily and loudly chased a way with screams and outburst of WE ARE CLOSED, WE ARE CLOSE, WE ARE CLOSE, WE ARE NOT TAKING ANYONE ELSE THE MANAGER SCREAMED OUT, patrons were clearly shaken. First i would like to say i have been here at least 15 times, i have brought actors here, editors, creative directors, models, my clients. i began to see a decline the last two visits nevertheless i love the menu. Last visit the food Sept 2, 2016 had to be taken back twice, i was disappointed in the service and the laxness in responding to my concerns. Familiarity breaths contempt, the manager would normally greet me with a show, hug kisses, "who have you brought today?', but this night when i brought my concerns to him, he shrugged me and did not offer to even compliment a tea or something or take off the bill. i said to him that i have been there so many times and he shrugged and said "what do you want me to do?" very annoyed. Last night 10:30 pm Wed 3 May, 2017 i came with an actor friend of mine from the show the WIRE, we walked in the restaurant and the manager looked at me and in the loudest voice a bit manic yelled out WE ARE CLOSED several times, i looked at him thinking he was joking at first and continued in as they close at 12:00 midnight. i said softly, "hey!", he began screaming frantically, 'WE ARE CLOSED, WERE CLOSED, WE ARE NOT SERVING, WE ARE CLOSED", the couple behind us walked out, so he actually turned business away for the sake of being spiteful and bitter. We decided not to have a scene but to leave and watched for a while as we watched others come in and were seated, i could have taken up the matter further but i felt a good honest review would instead do the trick. This was one of my favourite restaurants but clearly a manager that is hostile, holds grudges and is clearly unbalanced. i have seen in good form with other customers but i was stunned to experience it first hand. The bartender even apologised for him and said i have to obey him, customers were taken aback. This is a review from someone who LOVES this restaurant. i am sad to have had this experience and will be reporting it to every food site and food board. The way to handle this manager, was to say "i am sorry about the experience last time, i was not on my best, but i would like to offer you a good night tonight", not...

What an unpleasant end of our mediocre dinner.

We are an Italian couple, hence the comments and feedback about the food are well grounded. Also, we live in the States hence we know the good habit of leaving tips. We must say that the place is cozy and unique (with wine bottles surrounding the walls and dim lights) and the menu itself is quite nice at first glance. We ordered two glasses of wine, two appetisers (costicine di maiale and bruschetta di porchetta) and a main dish (orecchiette with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe). The first two glasses of wine were terrible - as acid and sour as they could get, definitely a very low quality of Valpollicella. Obviously, since we did not want to be having stomach pain, after the first sip, my husband and I asked to change them. This change wasn’t welcomed by our waitress, who then came back and with a very FAKE SMILE gave us the wine menu again and asked us to choose. But let’s move on. The two appetizers were ok. The main dish, which was the orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe, was an insult to Italian kitchen. What we received was orecchiette pasta sautéed with a bunch of garlic and some huge pieces of broccoli rabe and sliced Italian sausage. Any average cook would know that this is NOT how to make that pasta sauce. We told ourselves that we cannot expect everything to be as it would be in Italy, so let's move on again. While we wait to ask for the bill (the waitress only came back to ask about dessert and pour water once) no one seemed to be there to attend us. In the mean time, the two South American chefs, were both videos on their iPhones in the open kitchen - I wish it had been a video on how to make a decent orecchiette pasta but I am afraid it wasn’t. Unacceptable to see staff minding their own business during working hours.

When paying, we decided to leave only 10% tip for a variety of reasons: the fake smile and attitude of both waitress, the fact that we haven’t seen them much during the dinner - even when we had finished everything and our wine glasses were empty. However the cherry on the cake arrives when the waitress approached my husband at the exit door and said angrily “here in America the tip must be 15% even if the service is bad”. (Oh really? We are both young professionals and when we do something wrong and do not treat customers properly we don’t get any tip.). He then started explaining the reasons why we only left 10% tip and at that point I jumped in to tell them we were living. The last sentence that came from the waitress was a sound “DON’T COME BACK ANYMORE”.

Unprofessional, rude and mediocre. We won’t be coming back, AS YOU CLEARLY STATED, nor recommended to our wide network. There are so many italian places that are worth going to, and that treat customers as they should be treated.

Unprofessional, rude...

NOTE* This rating applied to meal delivered from Briciola...

I visited New York in July with family. One particular evening I decided to remain in our suite at the Hilton Vacation Club on West 57th St. and order a meal from a nearby restaurant. After scouring a vast variety of places, I decided upon the well-reviewed BRICIOLA. The menu had an extensive variety of untraditional meal options that were tantalizing and left me excited and giddy as a school girl to try. I started my meal with the Caprese Salad, followed by Linguine with Clams, and ending with Cheesecake. Although pricey compared to Florida standards; I was in New York (meal, tip, and fees - $65). I was more than willing to pay this because the photos I saw on the review told me it would be more than worth it to enjoy such a fabulous meal. What I received, by delivery, was far, far less than I expected. The tomatoes on the salad were very mushy, almost if they had been frozen and thawed or left refrigerated too long. The linguine .... (see for yourself in the photos attached... There is a review photo of this dish on Oct. 2021 by Karen N that reflects what this dish should have looked like). The cheesecake was as small as the tiny fork which came with it and basic. Taste wise, it was a huge disappointment. Briciola seems to have separate standards for the food they put out depending if it is dine in or delivery. My rating is for delivered Bricioa meal/ As I did not try the dine in, it would be unfair of me to rate...