Lunella — Restaurant in New York

While the restaurant looks nice, we were offered 1 bottle of still water and 1 bottle of sparkling water at the beginning of the meal and charged $18 for the two.

Reply: Thank you for your reply to my comment.

You may not be aware but, quite often restaurants provide water on a complimentary basis - meaning at no charge. In this case, water was provided before menus. Therefore, there was no opportunity to verify that water cost $9.00 per bottle. Serving water before menus is not a fair practice if you are planning to charge for it - particularly if your plan is to charge $18.00.

We did not ask for water - We did not ask for bottles - We did not ask for still, tap or sparkling. This was your recommendation.

You may not be aware that restaurant patrons are often served water with confidence that they will not be charged. They don't typically scurry to look through menus once the menus arrive to verify if they've just consumed water that cost them $18.

I am not saying you are one of them but, some restauranteurs take advantage of customer's confidence to surprise them with unsuspected charges. I must give you the benefit of the doubt that you were unaware that restaurant patrons often assume that water is brought to the table at no-cost before menus are provided.

To help prevent the unpleasant experience my family had at your restaurant, I would suggest that, like many restaurants around the world, you simply provide complimentary tap water at the beginning of the meal and offer other water options after the menus have arrived so that patrons may have a fair opportunity to see that water is $9 per bottle at your establishment.

I've been eating in restaurants for over 5 decades and cannot recall paying $18 for water.

Thank you,...

This restaurant was recommended to us by the owner of DiPalo's cheese when we asked where to get the best gnocchi around! When we walked in it wasn't as cutesy and rustic as other restaurants in the area and the music was slightly strange (my husband told me they were playing the style of music popular in Italy so I guess it's legit). But the people working there were all really nice. I was driving the waiter crazy asking which pasta they make fresh there - as far as I could tell, the fettuccine, orrechiete, ravioli and other stuffed pastas are made in house. Bowties, capellini, spaghetti and linguine are purchased dry.

We were offered free salads and they were really good - fresh lettuce and little tomatoes with a simple olive oil dressing. The bread was amazing too, served with olive oil and balsamic.

I had the fettuccine with shrimp and asparagus, and instead of cream sauce I substituted pesto (they had just made a fresh batch for the next day's special). It was probably the best pesto I've ever had, and the pasta was perfectly cooked and tender and soaked the sauce up. My husband had gnocchi with Gorgonzola cream sauce and toasted walnuts. His gnocchi was so tender it tasted like mashed potato balls. The portions of both were big.

Overall, I was wowed. In a town where so many people are rude and kind of hurry you along and act annoyed, everyone at this restaurant was super nice. At the end of the meal, the water guy asked us about ourselves and seemed genuinely interested in having a conversation with us. I recommend...

If you’re searching for a classic Italian dining experience that feels like home, Lunella’s on Mulberry Street is the place to be. From the moment you step inside, you’re embraced by an old-school charm that’s becoming rare these days. It’s the kind of spot where the food speaks for itself, the atmosphere is lively, and the service is refreshingly authentic. The Cavatelli Capsih was simply outstanding! It was perfectly cooked, rich with flavor, and reminded me of the dishes my Nonna used to make. Every bite transported me back to Nonna in the kitchen, giving me little tastes of the main event; meals where tradition and love were the main ingredients. The rest of the menu is just as impressive, filled with time-honored recipes that celebrate true Italian cooking. What truly made the experience memorable was the classic waitstaff, full of personality and character. We were lucky to have Carmella serve us! A seasoned professional with no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point Italian charm. She kept things moving, made sure we had everything we needed, and even threw in a few sharp-witted remarks that had us hysterical laughing. It was like eating at a relative’s house where everyone knows each other. It was great old school vibe. Lunella’s is everything you want in a Little Italy restaurant; delicious food, a great atmosphere, and a staff that treats you like you’ve been coming there for years. This is a must-visit spot that brings the heart of Italian...