Parla — Restaurant in New York

I’ll start by saying the food was fantastic. However, I was disappointed at how rushed my friend and I felt to finish our food and pay the check. Our actual server was lovely and very nice but other servers and the host or manager (I’m not really sure she was just in all black so I know she wasn’t a server) left us feeling very rushed when we hadn’t even been sitting that long.

An old friend was in town at the last minute and we decided to grab an early dinner reservation here at 5:45pm on a week night to chill and catch up.

There is no time limit listed on their reservation site for tables so we figured we could take our time and talk and have drinks after eating.

We hadn’t even been at our table an hour, when our pizza was down to two slices, and three separate servers came over, asking us if we wanted a box for our food one after the other. When we did finally take the slices onto our plates, the pizza tray was gone in SECONDS, which only added to the rushed feeling. That was excessive in my opinion and it made me feel like I couldn’t take my time eating and our server even had drinks for us on the way, so it was very obvious that we were not in a rush to leave.

Once our pizza was finished, we had drinks in front of us and the server left our tab on the table and said absolutely no rush, take your time, but then 10 minutes went by—and this had only been about an hour and 10 minutes after our reservation had started—that the host came over and didn’t even ask if we wanted to pay our bill, just said I’ll close you guys out took our cards, basically forced us to pay and her attitude was not great.

Sad because the vibe inside is very cozy and cute but it’s not fun to be rushed, especially when there’s no indication that tables are only available for a certain amount of time.

I probably will only go to this place for...

The food was amazing, but the service is what made this a one star review. Our server Noemi seemed to lack experience, and it clearly showed. Beginning with our drinks, she didn’t note down our cocktail order properly, and we had to follow up and prompt her to bring water after the cocktails were already out. On the topic of cocktails, I ordered a gin dirty martini (they only had their house gin), and it was not my favorite. It certainly didn’t taste like the typical dirty martini, potentially due to the type of gin? We ordered the burrata, sesame flatbread, SOP with pepperoni, and the goat cheese pasta. The apps and pizza were delicious, but our pasta never arrived. We waited 40 minutes after our pizza arrived before we could ask about the pasta, and during this entire time, Noemi didn’t follow up with us at all. We had to flag her down just to see what was going on, and then she never returned to the table. 10-15 minutes later, we ended up getting a hold of another server to ask for an update, which they were unable to provide (not an issue, they were taking care of their own tables). In the end, Noemi never came back, or even acknowledged us, and the hostess helped us with a to go box and the check. Through this all, we felt completely ignored and were not acknowledged at all, and didn’t even receive an apology. We also didn’t see anything removed or subtracted off the check, which leads us to believe that the pasta was never even rang in. Overall, we spent over an hour and a half at Parla, and the majority of it was just waiting for service. The neighborhood has too many good restaurants to justify going to Parla with this low level of service. If anything, order the food to go and...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Parla - Exceptional Flavors & Atmosphere on the UWS

3 visits in 2 weeks | 320 Columbus Avenue

Parla has quickly become my wife and I's go-to spot after discovering this gem just two weeks ago. The trendy yet welcoming atmosphere perfectly complements their outstanding culinary execution.

🌟 Ask for David!

David's menu expertise and genuine passion elevate the entire experience. His recommendations are spot-on – trust him completely.

🍞 Must-Order: Sesame Flatbread

Absolutely spectacular. Perfectly crispy exterior, pillowy interior, with expertly toasted sesame seeds adding incredible depth. This alone is worth the visit.

Roasted Eggplant - Amazing with One Note

When done right, this dish delivers exceptional flavors with silky, perfectly seasoned eggplant. However, I've noticed inconsistent ricotta distribution across my three visits – from generous and evenly spread (visit 1) to sparse application (visit 2). My wife even commented on the difference. The ricotta is integral to the dish's balance, not just garnish.

💫 The Verdict

Outstanding neighborhood restaurant with complex, memorable flavors and skilled execution. The minor ricotta consistency issue doesn't diminish our enthusiasm – we'll definitely keep returning. Just needs a small tweak to achieve perfection.

Pro tip: Request David and order the sesame flatbread immediately!

[Photos/videos attached showing the beautiful...