Flora — Restaurant in New York

When you ask people in the area for Italian restaurant recommendations the first on the list is usually Pasta Louise. Or when you go on yelp, Pasta Louise jumps out. I'd like to make sure that changes today and vote Flora be first.

Flora and Pasta Louise are separated by one block but might as well be miles apart when it comes to credible Italian food. For those that praise at the alter of Pasta Louise, here's a tip, run don't walk to Flora. It might not be the best Italian restaurant but it's truly authentic and genuine in its representation of Italian food.

We enjoyed the mozzarella de bufala with tomatoes which also included beets. I thought it was odd but it worked. We shared the salt cod and the eggplant parm. All simply prepared and packed with flavor.

The wine list is a bit expensive, actually I would say almost unaffordable when it comes to the bottle list. It drives me crazy when I go to a neighborhood joint and cannot find a bottle of wine in the $50 range. There's no excuse for not having at least one bottle at that price point.

The service was solid. The ambiance is simple and clean. No loud colors or cartoon caricatures. I would encourage Pasta Louise to talk to Flora's interior designers but then again when you run the Italian version of TGI Fridays maybe the point is to hide the food behind clever branding and over the top designs. And cartoon figures. Hmm. I think McDonald's also has a cartoon character like Pasta Louise.

Flora recently received a Michelin star. I'm not sure I agree with that designation but I will say it's one of the better Italian restaurants in the park slope area and would put it on par with Terre...

I'm Italian and for me Flora is a dream come true. I was in New York for tourism and walking through the streets of Brooklyn I came across this beautiful and welcoming place. I decide to have dinner there and I'm pleasantly surprised by the menu. It's a real Italian restaurant! I am treated with kindness, professionalism and friendliness by the two owners, Emiliano and Rossella and they guided me on a truly special tasting journey. I loved their food! Their bruschetta, pasta, octopus, cod, desserts are truly sublime... cooked to perfection and rich in flavor, colors and tasting evolutions (the Michelin star is well deserved!). The products are of the highest quality, imported directly from small towns in Southern Italy. The atmosphere, the decor and even the choice of wines and beers are perfect. What can I say... as an Italian tourist in New York, dining at Flora was a bit like finding yourself at a sort of an Italian food consulate: welcomed into a beautiful and delicious piece of Italy that brings Italian culinary tradition to the fore in such a place far from home for...

Came here in a group of 3 for brunch on a Saturday morning. Was immediately seated and offered water. The food we ordered was sub-par and really pricey. I ordered a mozzarella panini, but they got me a mozzarella salad, but quickly apologized and got me the panini. Now this is pretty much the worst panini I have had in my life. It had thick slices of mozzarella, 2-3 basil leaves and 2 thick chunks of tomato per half of the panini. Like should I take a knife and cut my tomato to spread it evenly? The bread itself tasted good, but the ingredients were just thrown in like how a 5 year old may make a panini. Although I was hungry, I could barely eat it as it was just like biting into cheese chunks. My brother ordered the fried eggs & prosciutto dish. It was very underwhelming and came in tiny portions for 15$ ! My friend got the pasta which was the only reasonable item on the menu. Really overpriced and if I want to have a good panini, bar toto down the street has some great &...