Noi Due Cafe — Restaurant in New York

First time dining here and came with a friend. We started by ordering wine- my friend chose a glass of Moscato, and I went with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Instead of simply taking the order, the waiter proceeded to spend two full minutes arguing with her that she shouldn’t order the Moscato, despite her insisting that it’s what she enjoys, to the point where i was physically cringing at the interaction. He should not have been trying to plagiarize her taste as if he knew better and should have just respected her preference. Life is difficult enough for women just let a girl order a glass of wine of her choosing omg. When my Cabernet Sauvignon finally arrived, it was disappointingly warm—much warmer than room temperature, almost hot. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve said something, but by this point, I was so exasperated that I wanted to avoid further interaction with the waiter. Now onto the food. The truffle pizza was the highlight of the meal- perfectly crisp, genuinely delicious. However, the Rosa Rosa pasta wasn’t just lukewarm; it was, dare i say, COLD. The flavors were decent, but the temperature made it hard to appreciate. The odd behavior from the waiter continued when we asked for some Parmesan cheese. The waiter brought over one of those standard glass shakers, nothing crazy, but then kept hovering, asking if we were done with it. After the third time, I gave in and told him to take it away. No, I was not finished with the cheese!!!!!! It was like we were being rushed through the meal for no reason—there were plenty of empty tables, so the pressure made no sense. To end the night, we ordered the tiramisu, and thankfully, it was a pleasant surprise. Very creamy and full of flavor. At $70 per person, the price was definitely reasonable for kosher dining. So i will not...

My friends were in the area tonight and wanted a night out. Since I was only a few blocks away at a workshop, I figured, why not? I love tapas, and they said the food was great the last time they had gone, so it seemed like a good option for dinner with friends.

The place itself is cozy and intimate. It's good for groups/parties, date nights, or friends just hanging out and chatting, all while wanting to share food.

The service was fine, so there are no complaints there. My big #1 complaint with this place: the prices.

Yes, I know it's RVC, but this restaurant really thinks it's in Manhattan. I barely glanced at the drink menu, but my friend's drink alone was $11. That was enough to keep me far away from ordering anything off of that.

The small plates were all very overpriced, and yes, these are VERY small plates. Believe you me, I've been to MANY tapas restaurants, but the prices here were ASTRONOMICAL for the amount of food received.

Out of all the tapas we ordered, I only really enjoyed the small dish of patatas bravas. A close second was the cheese and meat board, in which they charge $27 for three meats and three cheeses, all with three slices each. Not a lot of food at all for about $30.

To add insult to injury, they had the audacity to charge FOUR DOLLARS -- yes, FOUR dollars -- for one small, narrow glass of Coke. The food was so salty that I ordered 3 sodas, to the tune of $12! Yes, folks, there are no refills on soda at this establishment. The cost of 3 small (flat) sodas was the same as if I had bought ONE cocktail. You've GOT to be kidding me.

That sealed the deal that I will never come here ever again. I would much rather go to Plancha or Salumi on LI, or heck, for these prices, spend money to take the LIRR to a better quality tapas...

10/29/18 Update: This evening, one of the employees (the owner, possibly?) accosted and harassed me in front of where I live over my TRUTHFUL review! It only gets worse I guess. When this place was being considered for residence in our building's basement, we all had a vote in the matter. After being assured they'd be a good neighbor, they opened and proved they are not. Now they are accosting me at my home. Awful people! This place in the basement is small - very(!) small so no matter what time you show up, it's pretty much a sure thing you'll be forced to wait outside with the mob before you'll be called downstairs when a table eventually opens up. Whether in the blistering heat of summer or the frigid cold of winter, you will be outside with the throng pushing into the stairwell for who knows how long before you're let in.

This said, it would be a good display of common courtesy to not block the residential entrance of 143 W. 69th. Street and ESPECIALLY to not park your butt on their stairs. Also, the sidewalk in front of the stairwell which leads down into this basement eatery is quite narrow, so as a courtesy to pedestrians you won't want to block the walkway in clumps even when the stairwell is overflowing with people waiting to be allowed in either.

The restaurant next door at 141 W. 69th. Street, Noi Due Carne is owned by the same proprietor and has an entranceway set off the sidewalk so it would be better to conglomerate outside there while you wait in the elements for a table. This way, you will not be blocking a residential entranceway or the sidewalk either. They even have a couple of chairs in front of 141 set out...