Zia Maria Chelsea — Restaurant in New York

I normally do not leave reviews for establishments, but after the experience I had over the weekend during a loved one's birthday, I feel strongly compelled to. The food was enjoyable and our server was fine, up until it was time to pay the bill. I have never in my life been so flagrantly disrespected during a night out as I was was Saturday night. I paid my bill using apple pay, had no issue with the total, and also tipped the waitress as she took decent care of us. When I went with her to pay, the check with everything that was ordered was underneath the final check, which only reflected the total. I was standing in a heavy traffic spot, therefore I wanted to pay swiftly so I would not be in anyone's way. I did not look at the check in detail before I paid, which is a mistake I do own. However, I did not realize gratuity, which is suggested and not mandatory as stated on the receipt, was added, unbeknownst to me. So on top of the automatic gratuity that I was not aware of, I also tipped. Once I realized, I went back to the waitress to inquire about the gratuity as I was confused and wanted clarification since it was not something initially mentioned to me. She told me that my loved one tried to pay the bill while I was in the bathroom and she informed them that gratuity was automatic. I found this odd as this was my treat for their birthday. I said no problem and returned back to my table where I inquired why they tried covering the bill behind my back, to which they responded, the conversation never transpired and they had no clue what I was talking about. She lied to me about the way in which gratuity ended up on the bill. I would have had no issue with it if that was the restaurant's policy, but I became quite frustrated when I realized she had lied to me and tried to take advantage. The manager was very rude and impatient with me when I approached him about the matter, constantly asking me in an annoyed tone "Ma'am what is your problem", despite me trying to calmly explain the situation 3 times, he completely disregarded what I had to say until he realized she lied. He first said how could I possibly be unaware of the conversation, insinuating I was lying, even though I stated numerous times, I was in the bathroom. He then blamed me for not checking the bill and tried to tell me she may lose her job due to the situation, as if I am supposed to feel sorry for he making a choice to lie to me. At no point was he understanding or apologetic that this happened to me, the paying customer. It was truly an embarrassing experience, as it was a birthday celebration that ended up being spoiled because of greed and dishonesty. I would never go back here and I plan on telling the people in my life to steer clear of this establishment, as they are not at all accommodating to people who look like me. The entire bill should have been absolved, but simply never returning will have to suffice. I do not recommend due to the dishonest and rude nature of the staff. There are much better Italian restaurants, with much better service and food in the city; You will not be missing...

Made mistakes on our takeout order...and then never responded.

We placed an order earlier this month for a chicken parm, pizza and a spinach salad. We requested extra basil on the Margherita pizza. The order actually arrived quite quickly from the time of our order (about 35-40 minutes afterwards). But there were a number of problems with the order, the biggest of which was that instead of a spinach salad, we received a spinach side dish. There was no extra basil on the pizza. And while the chicken parm was warm, the pizza was not. We followed up with the restaurant immediately after we received delivery, especially about the mistake in not providing a spinach salad. The person at the restaurant agreed that we had ordered a spinach salad. At the request of the restaurant, we sent photos of what was sent. We were told that we would receive a reply. Then…absolutely nothing. No apology. No response. No refund for the salad that wasn’t delivered. Nothing. We deliberately waited so as not to hound the restaurant and allow them to develop a reasonable reply. It’s now been over 2 weeks after the order was placed, and still no response of any kind. No emails. No phone messages. Nothing. The food was ok, but nothing special. The pizza was bland, whether it was the crust, the sauce or the few scraps of basil. The chicken parm was fine, but we have an Italian restaurant across the street that does better. And of course, the spinach salad was missing. We will never order from or dine at Zia Maria again. Average food, sloppy order fulfillment and miserable, unresponsive management. There are plenty of excellent Italian restaurants in New York. Zia Maria (Chelsea) is at the entirely opposite end of...

I travel the country for work and these are my favorite (and the best) Arancini balls I have had in memory. The first meal I got here I didn’t photograph, as it was take out and didn’t think of doing so. (It was fettuccine Alfredo and vodka penne, both were fantastic!!) However, when I found myself back on their menu looking for those Arancini balls a day later, I decided to give in and try other items as well.

I decided on cheese ravioli (very much appreciated how many vegetarian options available here) and the Fraiarelli pizza as well. The ravioli is handmade and the white wine sauce was light and delicious; buttery and garlicky without being heavy and sticky like a cream sauce. The pizza was all fresh ingredients, fresh crust and baked to perfection. I spent so much money here exploring my own personal favorite foods - and nothing disappointed! It was worth every penny. (Aka; great value for the price)

Not only that, but the second night I requested the Arancini balls separate from the sauce for delivery and it was divine. The crust was perfect crunch with everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly. They came thru on all my notes and honestly made me happy enough to want to share this and get everyone to try this place out!

May return to try the risotto….and...