La Bella Vita — Restaurant in New York

We went for lunch at this restaurant yesterday and were very disappointed. This place has nothing to do with authentic Italian food. We ordered pizzas and different kinds of pasta.

The Fettuccine Alfredo was a total letdown. The pasta was overcooked and the dish was overloaded with cream.

The Penne alla Vodka, on the other hand, tasted very good, but the pasta was also overcooked.

For the Spaghetti Carbonara, which is easy to get wrong, the taste was quite good, even though they used bacon instead of guanciale or lardo. At least there was no cream.

The Pizza Margherita was an absolute no-go. From an "Italian restaurant," I expect the famous pizza to be at least "edible," but this was not the case. The top was cooked through, but the bottom was raw, probably because of the excessive amount of tomato sauce. We left both pizzas more or less untouched.

Conclusion: The overall experience was very bad. It didn't transport me back to the '80s, and the food was simply not good for my taste. The staff was friendly, and that's the only positive thing I can say.

We paid $220 for two pizzas, two Penne alla Vodka, one Spaghetti Carbonara, one Fettuccine Alfredo, one beer, one bottle of water, and four soft drinks.

Be careful: The tip is already included, and you are not informed about it.

Note: The indoor restaurant is not wheelchair accessible; at least, I...

I love this little restaurant. Every time I come to NYC, it is my favorite place to come for dinner at the end of a long day. Last night, however, the service was so poor. We had a reservation for 6:15 and people who had reservations for 6:30 were being sat before us even though we showed up on time. Once we were sat, we were hardly ever checked on. We asked for more bread twice and never received it. It took a long time for me to get someone’s attention to order another drink. We were out of water at some point. It felt like all the other tables were being tended to and we were somehow being overlooked. It was incredibly disappointing, as I brought a group of friends with me this time. They did end up giving us our second sangrias for free, but the lack of service still was disappointing nonetheless. If you want to visit here, I recommend a week day during the holiday season. Their service in the summer time was amazing and they love what they do. Aside from the service, their food is absolutely to die for. Everyone at my table said it was worth the wait and everything tasted sooo good. I will still be coming back and only knocked off one star for the poor service, especially because I understand it’s the holiday season and it could...

I have worked out of NYC for the past two years. My husband has never actually been. We were at an impasse on where to eat, so I said, “let’s walk through Chinatown and Little Italy, and see if anything pulls us in.”

The hostess here asked if we wanted to come inside—YES! This was the foodie fate I was hoping for.

It was wonderful. Small, intimate. Our water as refilled quickly and kindly. Had a family owned feel. Server seemed a little distracted, but we never wanted for anything really.

They have regular bread with olive oil as a basic opener. We had the bruschetta for an appetizer. It was so tasty! Savory, tangy, with some bite. Perfect crisp!

For entrees, I had the gnocchi and my husband had the lasagna. Both perfectly prepared. Not soggy or too soft. The Parmesan added on made it all the better.

We had tiramisu for desert, and it was cool, sweet, and the perfect end of the night.

They have a decent wine list, but we didn’t have wine.

The gnocchi was such a large serving that I took some home and it was an amazing savory breakfast! My husband, who is half Italian, right off the boat, loved his lasagna.

I’m glad serendipity...