San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina — Restaurant in New York

2-Star Review for San Matteo’s

I had high hopes for San Matteo’s based on the reviews and the promise of authentic Italian cuisine, but unfortunately, the service completely ruined the experience. While the food was decent, the overall dining experience left me frustrated and disappointed.

From the moment we walked in, it was clear that customer service was not a priority. Despite having a reservation, we were ignored at the hostess stand for nearly ten minutes while staff walked past us without so much as a greeting. When someone finally acknowledged us, they seemed completely disorganized, scrambling to find our reservation before eventually seating us at a table that hadn’t been properly cleaned.

Our server took another 15 minutes to even bring us menus, and when we asked for recommendations, they seemed annoyed by the question. The lack of attentiveness was astonishing—getting a glass of water felt like an impossible task, and we had to flag down a different server just to place our order because ours was nowhere to be found.

When the food finally arrived, it was lukewarm, as if it had been sitting out for too long before being brought to the table. We tried to get our server’s attention to ask for a reheating or at least an explanation, but once again, they were nowhere to be found. It was almost comical how difficult it was to get even basic service. At one point, we saw our server chatting with coworkers near the bar instead of checking on their tables.

To make matters worse, when we finally did get a chance to speak with them, they were dismissive and borderline rude. Instead of apologizing or offering to fix the issue, they shrugged and said, “That’s just how it comes.” I’ve dined at plenty of Italian restaurants, and I can assure you that cold pasta is not how it’s supposed to come.

We considered ordering dessert, but after waiting another 20 minutes for someone to clear our plates and bring the menu, we gave up. By that point, we were too frustrated to sit through another round of waiting and neglect.

The final insult came with the check. It took forever to get it, and when it finally arrived, there was a mistake on the bill. When we pointed it out, the server sighed loudly and made it seem like fixing it was a huge inconvenience. No apology, no effort to smooth things over—just pure indifference.

I will say that the food, while not spectacular, was passable, which is the only reason I’m giving this place two stars instead of one. But no matter how good a restaurant’s food may be, bad service ruins the entire experience. San Matteo’s needs to seriously reevaluate its staff and customer service standards because, as it stands, I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone who values basic...

We went to this highly-rated restaurant on April 26thf or a highly-anticipated family meal. What a major disappointment! Unsavoury greeting, insensitive service, horrible food, watery drinks, rushed exit, .... I should have realized what a mistake this visit was going to be when the greeter made a face - instead of responding respectfully to our cheerful salutations. I had no idea pepperoni was not available for pizza at Italian restaurants. The pizza was raw and cold in the middle - very pasty in texture, with a bland taste. The prosciutto was just thrown over the top, more than likely to cover the sparse toppings on the nearly-inedible offering. This "prosciutto draping" occurred after the pizza was, initially, served with scant toppings covering the surface, with about a teaspoon of cold, wet, overly-cooked onions - very sloppily - placed in the centre of the pizza. The bottom was, slightly, warm and black-looking and tasted burnt. We, actually, got the prosciutto on the pizza because the seating (or head) waitress noticed the prosciutto was lacking from the final "mix" (at the first serving) and ordered the server to take the pizza back to "make it right". Thus we got some "slap and dab" to cover the actual mess the meal really was. The drinks, an additional insult to injury, were 7/8 ice. When asked if the soda drinks had free refills, the waitress gave a very curt, negative response. There were, probably, 2 tablespoons of carbonated beverage in each of the four ice-laden glasses. The ice redistributed the contents into a watery, flavourless liquid. We would have been better off to have drank plain water. Obviously, the waitress was not interested in positive customer service. We were barely finished before the bill arrived and the next customers were, literally, standing behind our seats to take our place - virtually pushing out down the stairs, which we and our table were so - conveniently - placed next to at the top of the stairwell. The table had not even been cleaned off yet! Note to self: Full house + profit does not equal courtesy or concern -particularly on a jam-packed (and heavily-raining) Friday evening This will be neither a go-to nor recommended dining establishment ever again. Too bad this dining establishment's reputation was so - utterly - quashed. How nice of them, though, to offer overly-cooked Nutella and icing sugar dessert pizza to children, upon our exit. Saving face? Not at all. We travelled a long way for nothing and less. One is too strong a rating for what we got in return for our money and efforts. Hopefully their other locations are better. 2nd Avenue was, definitely, less...

A friend who once lived in Milan (and now lives in Manhattan) told me the best pizza in NYC is at San Matteo. I was born in the city and have lived more than half my life here. How I never ate at San Matteo until March 1st 2023 is anyone's guess.

And what I thought was the best pizza in the city (Di Fara's in Brooklyn, which closed for good 2022) was replaced. The Vesuti was perfect. Crust, sauce, basil, cheese, ground sausage. Together, the pie was a textural and flavor dream.

I ate nearly my weight (I'm a big girl) in it, insalata mista (which could use a few more castelvetrano olives), meatballs (which were a touch dry and still delicious, and what I know as arrancini, though they're called something else here.

The music being played was awesome: classic R&B and pop, bringing the ideal vibe and rhythms.

Opportunities for improvement are few. They include the brand/vineyard names of the wines on the list, or if the availability changes often, write them on the chalkboard. Right or wrong, people want to drink from the winemakers they know and no one is served by not sharing the full information. Also, if the guests request a specific order for the dishes they selected (i.e., salad, primi, and then pizza), that ought to be provided. If that isn't possible, tables need not only to be bigger so as to accommodate simultaneously so many plates, and guests need to be told dishes are not served as courses.

What does NOT need to change (besides the food) is meeting the spectacular Carmela and Alfredo being your table's primary server. With a seemingly photographic memory, I've seen Alfredo manage a whole lot of customer traffic, orders, and hustle on a very busy night in a space where I only saw one free table once we were in conventional dinner hour (my first ever reservation was 5:00).

San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina on 2nd Avenue and E. 81st. You need to dine here. You need to make...