Manetta's Ristorante — Restaurant in New York

Loyalty Doesn’t Always Matter: My Disheartening Experience at Manetta’s Ristorante

After 18 years as a loyal customer, I never thought Manetta's Ristorante would behave this way. What started as a disappointing meal—overly garlicky, overpriced appetizers with tiny slices tomatoes (photo is bigger than it actually is) —quickly spiraled into something far worse.

When I ordered takeout, Diane (possibly the owner, handling my order) failed to complete it properly. When I pointed out the mistake, she blamed me, offering nothing more than a half-hearted apology. Worse yet, her "solution" was completely unreasonable: I could either trek back in the cold or wait for a late delivery—both incredibly inconvenient. To top it off, the food lacked flavor, as if it had been prepared by someone just learning how to cook rather than a skilled chef. It was nothing more than carbs, and definitely not worth the price.

What stung the most, though, was the realization that the staff didn’t even recognize me as a loyal customer until I mentioned it. Diane, who is there frequently, didn’t even make an effort to remember faces or acknowledge long-time customer, which made the experience feel impersonal and dismissive.

As a long time customer, being treated this way was beyond frustrating. Family-owned or not, mistreatment like this is unacceptable. Sadly, I can no longer recommend Manetta's. There are too many other local spots that know how to treat their customers...

I give them 2 stars based on the service we experienced. The food is very very good, I love to come here for the brick oven pizza. However, last thursday I went in with a large group that had not been there before and I was raving about this place. The service we received from the waiter was horrible, he was so rude, with an attitude as if he was better than everyone else. We asked him questions around the portion of the chicken parm and his answer was "its a main dish," this does not tell me the portion of what I am ordering. The bus-boy (tattoos on his arm) was extremely helpful, very very friendly, he seems to actually perform his job the right way, he was the one that was able to answer our questions. When the waiter came back we told him we had spoken to the busboy and he said " well he doesnt know anything he is JUST A BUS-BOY." I am sorry, but how can someone be so disrespectful, when in the restaurant industry you know that the bus-boy is of major help to the waiter. This was very disappointing, and I was very embarrassed because I brought a large group that had never eaten here. I think the owners need to speak to their staff and ensure that the waiters remember they are part of the service industry and they shouldnt act like the tips are mandatory. We sat outside and our waiter was around his early forties with a...

Manetta's is located on a rather vacant street, deprived of restaurants or any livelihood really. I stepped in to find a lot of diners surprisingly. The restaurant is spacious yet cozy. The service is very attentive and friendly. It feels like a family-run restaurant.

We started with their Insalata de Casa, which is light and refreshing. It is a good portion for 3 people and I think it could use a bit more seasoning. Just my opinion though. In addition, we got the fried calamari because it seems like the appetizer of the night! Every table had one. Truthfully, I think it was only OK. The fried calamari didn't have much flavor to it.

The really good dishes are their pastas. I had the daily special, which is wild mushroom with porcini sauce and their homemade spaghetti. The sauce is creamy and mushroom is tender and adds a lot of flavor to the pasta. My husband got their spaghetti Nere with spicy shrimp and that was excellent. All of our pasta dishes come in generous portion and the price is very good compared to the city.

We ended our dinner with their homemade giant tiramisu. It is very very soft, creamy with a hint of espresso.

I think I know what to order here next time. The pasta is definitely a winner here and so is...