Pappardella — Restaurant in New York

We were patrons of Pappardella’s many, many years ago when my son lived on 75th Street. We are no longer city residents and don’t frequent the Upper West Side. However, a handful of years ago we started attending lectures at the NYHistorical Society, which end exactly around dinner time. After trying several newer establishments in the area, we returned to Papparadella.

As native New Yorkers we have eaten in most of the top rated restaurants. The chef at Papparadella would certainly be welcomed into the kitchen of any of them. The daily specials are always a draw and never disappoint…such as the bass in a Livornese (a light tomato-caper-olive) sauce, lobster ravioli, the fennel citrus salad, and the exquisitely flavor-balanced soups. However, we are also working our way through the main menu. Pappardella prides itself on its pastas, and it never fails to please and satisfy. Highlights have been an outstanding cacio e pepe, Papparadella funghi e tartufo, and even the mundane Spaghetti Popette (meat balls and spaghetti).

The not overly extensive lunch/dinner menu includes expected appetizers, pizza, panini’s, parmigiani’s, and the done to perfection main courses. Although not necessary if you order a main course, order a contorni-a side. Whether it’s the broccoli di rabe al aglio, or the asparagi arrosto, or the spinachi they are each stars in their own rights.

You can always find a suggested wine to accompany the specials, and the wine list is just right, not too elongated, and not too short. And then there are the desserts if you have room. The tiramisu with chocolate chips, the fruit tarte, or even the ice cream is the perfect complement to one of the finest meals New York has to offer.

The dining room and ambience transports you to a true cucina tipica Italiana. If you arrive during a busy time, the atmosphere can be frenetic but the hostess, Marion always squeezes in time to chat with her guests, making all feel welcome to what can feel sometimes like a family dining room. All the staff, waiters and busboys alike are accommodating and pleasant.

Papparadella is our go-to restaurant any time we find ourselves on that side of town, and although we rarely advise people where to go or what to eat believing that everyone’s tastes are vastly different, we have no qualms about the quality of the experience at Pappardella’s and have shared our refound restaurant home with many out of town guests. Who doesn’t love...

This is a local place for me. I ordered a simple Easter bread for pickup today. I went over to the restaurant and was told to go to the bar for pickup. This is a bread baked for Easter and promoted for takeout by the restaurant. I had to ask several times, and the person, who was the manager, seemed to have no idea what I was asking for. He was rude to begin with, but it escalated. He went into the back and came out to confirm that I was waiting for a "basket". I said it's just a bread, the one the restaurant was taking orders for. He stared at me, no other communication. I asked if he knew what I was talking about and that it was just a bread. He responded with real contempt in his voice that it didn't make a difference. I asked one of the staff for the manager when he again went into the back. She indicated that it was the person I was speaking to. He came back out but so did a worker from the kitchen. He gave me the bag with the bread. I asked for the manager since the person who had been so rude to me did not come to the bar with the bread, but lurked somewhere I guess waiting for me to leave. I waited for him, confirmed he was the manager, and asked his name; he said "none of your business" and then said he didn't care about how he had spoken to me. I asked for the name of the owner and he responded similarly. He was a person of average height, dark small rimmed squarish glasses, shaved/balding head. I learned from another staff person that the owner, Marian, will not be in until after the weekend. I will speak to her if I can, but for sure I felt that this interaction deserved a review. Not because I don't like the food, but because no one should be spoken to in this way. It can't be I was the first. He's overworked? He should go into a different profession. Hospitality is the name of the...

My wife and I just got married in New York last week and had our rehearsal dinner at Pappardella--one of our local favorites for some time. It was an amazing experience that rivaled the wedding itself! From the time we started planning in December, Marion treated us with such care and attention that we never doubted it would go smoothly. Her singular goal, as she told us a hundred times, was to make our night perfect. The team accommodated our every request, whether that meant getting creative with the seating arrangements to fit more people or ordering a few extra plates so that we could serve some of our favorite dishes family style. They even invited us in for a tasting ahead of time to make sure we loved everything on our menu.

The ambience of the restaurant was perfect--cozy and intimate, but still big enough to fit all 80 of us. The service was amazing--I'm pretty sure they had their entire wait staff working that night, attending to every detail from keeping wine glasses full to turning down the music for each speech. And of course, the food was unbelievable (as you'd expect from this neighborhood favorite). It was a silly amount of food--passed hors d'oeuvres and pizza, a salad course, a family style hot appetizer course, a family style pasta course, and entrees and desserts ordered tableside. At least a dozen people told us over the course of the weekend that it was the best meal they'd ever eaten at a wedding event, and a several counted it among the best dining experiences of their lives. We surely agree with them.

Honestly, words can't do justice to our dinner here. It was a very special night to us, and the Pappardella team made sure it lived up to its billing. We can't...