Pepe Giallo — Restaurant in New York

Service was supar. The host took us to back which was not air-conditioned so. We asked for inside. We waited about half hour then they gave us a table across from waiters station.

Our waiter was disengaged and looked bored to be there with little communication skill. He did not bring bread to the table until we finally asked as other tables were served. Food was incredibly late until we asked where our appetizer is?

Our appetizer, calamari finally came and oil was dripping from the food and gathering at bottom of bowl. A small Portion of calamari is mixed in with a portion of zucchini shreds to give you illusion of large bowl. overpriced for what we got.

Rigatoni with eggplant and mozzarella with red sauce came to table. Red sauce tasted like it came out of a cheap jar in supermarket. It was dark, unauthentic and lifeless. Eggplant was so overdone that you can only taste the black skin in food.

Branzino fish came to table and it was nothing like what the waiter had described when we asked how it was prepared. Food was salty. Portion of fish was also over grilled, dry and charred.

Penne with ala vodka sauce, looked like something that my teen can make on his own with better success to what came to table. Again sauce does not seem homemade rather from a jar.

all three food looked as if we were reheating leftovers rather than freshly cooked and presented accordingly. No shinny color, no dimension. Just flat and lifeless.

Disappointed to...

I was looking around the neighborhood for a good restaurant for a dinner with a group of friends before we were scheduled to attend an nearby special event. I was bringing together a group of friends from work and outside of work, so I needed some that would appeal to people from different walks of life... something comfortable... not too fancy or too casual.

Enter Pepe Giallo! I scouted pictures of the place from the internet and caught glimpse of their beautiful back yard/garden. The place look small but it's actually got a lot of dining space tucked into nooks and crannies. It's easy to miss the back room but I didn't (;-).

I'm elated to report that dinner was great! The restaurant staff was gracious enough to seat part of the group while late stragglers made their way to us (It's so hard coordinating groups of friends these days). Dinner was supposed to be light and quick but we ended up trying multiple pizzas, pasta, calamari, bruschetta etc. We ended up being stuffed and taking some pizza to go.

The visit was perfect except for one thing: It was sometimes difficult to get the attention of the wait staff, especially in the latter half of dinner. I'm not sure if it was because the "front of the house" was busy or what but it was noticeable and I distinctly remembered that. That said, don't let my experience stop you from going! The food is great, so is the atmosphere. So tell the squad to form up (and try to...

NOT A GREAT PLACE TO DINE FOR TWO! I rarely review restaurants unless I truly have something of value to add. I made sure to make a reservation for my daughter and I to get a decent table as opposed to walk ins. That said, when we got there, they sat us directly at a shared table with the ONLY other couple eating in the front of the restaurant. There were MANY open tables so I kindly asked if we can have one. That said, they complied but then 5 minutes later sat the very next couple that came in, at our table, again leaving all other tables open. I totally understand there are sometimes reservations, and the need to leave room for 4 bank needs, but I watched throughout my entire dinner and not a single person was seated at any of those tables. The 2 front window tables also sat empty. The tables are so close together as it is, but to then have to share the table with another couple wishing to talk and enjoy their meal was frustrating to say the least. Very poor management of the "customer experience" especially on a slow, cold, mid-week night. The Italian food was good but I live in the neighborhood and frankly have had much better with much larger portions. I'm sure I would have enjoyed the experience more if I was treated better. It was extremely hard to get a check too even though it was on the quiter side. NOTE - Either go as a group of 4 or more, or avoid all together especially if you are...