Dino's Pizzeria — Restaurant in New York

We were looking for an authentic Italian restaurant on our recent visit to NYC and found Dino’s. We stayed in Queens Astoria and Dino’s is located on Broadway just down from where we were staying. This is a smaller establishment, with maybe 10 tables and a counter where you can order take out. We got the feeling that their main business was takeout pizza, but we were wanting entrees so we ate there and ordered off the menu. We did get table service since we were eating inside. We ordered garlic knots, lasagne, baked ziti, minestrone soup, and sausage and pepper rolls. The entree portions were huge and could easily feed two normal adults. The lasagna was very good with plenty of mozzarella and not too much ricotta, which we prefer. The ziti was as you’d expect but with a good amount of cheese on top and a nicely flavored marinara. The garlic knots were serviceable, not really outstanding but good. The sausage roll was stuffed with meat and veggies, the sausage was sliced links of Italian sausage and very tasty. The minestrone soup was our only real disappointment. It wasn’t bad flavor wise but the broth was very muddy and the soup had a drab greyish tone. Since they advertise the soups are homemade I was expecting more. The interior decor is basic, like I said I think they do more take out than dining room service. The service was good however, and we had a fun time during our visit. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves and would visit again, especially to...

I've been a regular takeout customer for nearly 8 years, and the food continues to be good. According to Mint.com I have given them THOUSANDS of dollars in that time. It's the only Italian I ever order. But in the past year they have just routinely been making choices that I am not comfortable with and I'm about ready to give up. To start with, they have cut numerous items from their menu. Their right, their choice, but what's left is less appealing than former faves like the Scarpariello or the Fiorentina.

Much more importantly, though, is the fact that I think they are deliberately trying to cheat people to cut costs. Routinely, now, I will order something and get a call saying "we're out of X, can we give you Y instead?" And Y is always significantly cheaper but they offer no refund on a prepaid order. I have also now ordered pepperoni rolls three times in a row and each time have received one roll in spite of the fact that it still says you're paying for two on the menu. Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, three times is a deliberate grift.

The thing is, I know times are hard. I'm happy to pay more for something if you need to raise prices to stay in business. But be honest about it. Stop trying to trick people....

Let me first start by giving praises to this pizzeria before explaining my 1 star rating: I’ve been ordering from Dino’s for quite some time. They make the absolute best chicken Marsala I’ve ever had. The reason for the poor rating is because on a few occasions, my chicken Marsala came with an old salad. Usually the salad they send with the chicken Marsala is fresh and green. But that’s not supposed to be special treatment or a “sometimes” deal. ALL FOOD SHOULD BE AND MUST ALWAYS BE FRESH AND WELL PREPARED!!! I’m paying 100% the price of the food, I expect 100% of my food to be properly prepared!! I called to complain and the guy had the audacity to say it’s because I’m ordering 10 minutes before closing time. Seriously?! So because I’m calling late, I get dog food?! Try telling that to the health department!! “Oh it’s not our fault the customer is ordering late in the day. He’s gonna get old, brown lettuce, slimy cucumbers, and old tomatoes.” Serving old food THAT IS PAID FOR is a blatant disrespect! I’m never ordering...