Testo — Restaurant in New York

ok I am honestly baffled as to how this place has 4.5 stars on here: Listen, I get it, the place is pleasant and the staff is wonderful but the food... unseasoned. The food is pretty much a nice instagram photo without irl substance. I ordered the Gnocchi allá Siciliana- a very simple, traditional, and very difficult to mess up dish- and it was so disappointing. Whoever cooked the dish that night or prepped the sauce has no pallet or does not know how to salt things. Friendly advice to the kitchen or chef: TASTE EVERYTHING and make sure your crew is seasoning well. Both of our dishes (Gnocchi and a beautiful mushroom fettuccini special) were severely unseasoned. The fettuccini was garnished with parmesan crisps that had clearly been toasted for too long. I could tell before even tasting it that the crisps were burnt. This dish should not have been on the menu that day had they noticed that the prep for it was messed up (not worth serving). I am not going to go into every detail of the dish because the source of the problem is clearly that the food is not being checked or tasted before serving. Especially with the specials: If you can't make it well, then don't make it at all. I am not trying to bash this place, in fact I wish the food had been as enjoyable as the place itself. I live nearby and would love to have a nice semi-casual Italian place to frequent. I hope the owners or Chef receive this as friendly feedback and I wish them the best of luck. Ya'll have the clientele, now its time to...

Testo is everything you want in a neighborhood restaurant: friendly faces, low-key ambience, and incredible food.

We've been coming here for years with friends or kids or a combination of the two. Sometimes for brunch, mostly for dinner, and a few times just for a glass of wine before heading home. It has simply never disappointed. The regional-style Italian cooking is perfectly prepared and well plated, with the portion sizes more than generous. I'd recommend their Brussel sprouts salad and the polpito, either of which I'd put up against any restaurant's in the city. I always order a big protein because I end up finishing my kid's leftover pastas, and my last visit the lamb chops in peppercorn cream sauce were absolutely perfect. Speaking of my kids, their pastas range from simple staples to more sophisticated offerings, so if you have a picky child, I'd bet they'd still really enjoy the bolognese or something equally kid-friendly.

I used to live across the street before moving away for three years. Now that we're back in the city I'm so happy to see Testo was able to endure the challenges of 2020-2022 and that they continue to offer...

I wanted to love this place. The guys were so welcoming, authentically Italian and their pours were heavy... but I left hungry. I ordered the taglionlini Frute mar and it was a very small portion with mystery seafood and 6 smallish mussels. I wasn’t starving when I came in and don’t normally eat bread or apps Bc I get full easily but not only was my dish very fishy tasting (I know it was a seafood dish - it was the not good fishy taste), but it left me wanting more and the pasta was not al dente (slightly chewy). My husband’s dish (Cremini mushroom ravioli) looked good (very cheesy) and he really liked it, hence my 3 stars, but I was slightly disappointed with the food after all the 5 star reviews. I will say I enjoyed their wine specials and their bread, but will think twice before coming again for dinner. Might give it a second chance for brunch. The staff was really very attentive and friendly, but at the end of the day people come...