Montebello Ristorante Italiano

My husband and I went into NYC overnight to see Jersey Boys (GREAT show!). Checked this website for a good local Italian Restaurant. Having one parent from Northern Italy and one from Southern Italy, I am used to REALLY good Italian food! This often makes it difficult to dine out. I read the reviews, checked out the menu, and thought we'd give it a try.

WOW! It's not often that your experience exceeds your expectations! The staff was extremely friendly and attentive. Our water glasses were never empty! It was Valentine's Day and the restaurant was busy but they were able to accommodate our request to add two to the reservation at the last minute! The appetizers were amazing! The Buffalo Mozzarella was AUTHENTIC Buffalo Mozzarella! The eggplant parm was SOOO FRESH! Three of us had the veal chop with the prosciutto and mozzarella. YUMMMMM! They were cooked to perfection and incredibly delicious! The risotto with shrimp and asparagus was really delicious! The salads were fresh and beautifully presented.

The owner was really on top of things! He walked by each table every ten minutes or so to make sure everything was up to his standards. Quite impressive! As we were leaving, he asked us how everything was. You could tell he was genuine. I LOVE when a restaurant exceeds your expectations! I would DEFINITELY recommend this restaurant!

Pros: LOVED THE DECOR, THE SERVICE, AND THE FOOD!!!!

Cons: Can't think of ONE!

Posted 02/14/09

I normally don?t leave reviews but I felt like I just had to for this restaurant. I have grown up in the restaurant business (my family has a Northern Italian restaurant in NYC for over 25 years) so I understand the importance of reviews and how you have to take them with a grain of salt. There are just some people that you can?t make happy; there are people who get so angry at the smallest things that no matter what you do to try and correct it they will leave a nasty review and you have others that give their honest opinion. I am going for just giving my honest opinion?.
We were a party of six and were sat at a nice large table toward the back of the restaurant. I ALWAYS take a look at the wine list, I am curious about prices and selection. It was very nice a priced very competitive. It was a great selection of wines from all over the world. I ended up ordering a glass of the house Chianti and I thought it was great. Appetizers were a Hot and Cold Antipasto. I had the Pera salad afterwards (arugula, sliced pear and pecorino cheese). For the main course I ordered the pasta special which was penne with ground sweet and hot sausage in a light tomato sauce with a scoop of Ricotta cheese on top. My mouth watered just from the description so I knew I had to get it. It was out of this world! The combination of the two sausages with the Ricotta cheese was heavenly. My boyfriend had Linguini Fruitte di Mare and it was just breath taking. The ingredients that were used and how it was made so simple, you forget how good simple and traditional Italian food can be. So many places spice things up with all these crazy ingredients and focus so much on show that they forget what going out to a restaurant is really about, THE FOOD! Dessert was tiramisu for me and cannoli for my bf. Both were simple and tasty.
This is a restaurant that takes what they do very seriously and you can see that they love what they do. I highly recommend this place, you will not be disappointed.

Pros: Exceptional Food, Wonderful Service, Great Atmosphere

Cons: ZERO

Posted 02/05/09

Montebello is lovely. I'm scared to know what the bill was but I figure my ignorance is a good thing. I have a strong suspicion it was one of the more expensive dinners I've been on. I had the Agnello . It was succulent and wonderful. Dessert was fabulous too. Probably one of the best meals I've had ever. In short, my impression was: a truly a fantastic place.This place is great for: romantic dinner, place to impress anyone, business dinner.

Pros: service,food,ambiance

Cons: pricey

Posted 11/05/08

My manager took our team here for dinner last month. The staff was gracious and the service wonderful. We started with anti pasto for the table to share. I ordered the chicken special. Food was delicious too! A bit disappointed with the tiramisu though.

Pros: attentive service, good food

Cons: a bit pricey

Posted 04/05/08

I came here last Friday for restaurant week with five of my friends. This was probably my favorite out of all the places we were able to experience. I thought the wait staff was very attentive and polite. We of course had the prefix menu and they offered a much larger selection than most restaurants. It was nice to see. We felt that they wanted us to have an opportunity to taste more than just a plain pasta or chicken. The food was amazing. I had the eggplant appetizer and veal scaloppini which was phenomenal. You can tell they don't skimp on quality. Although it was very busy, not once did I feel rushed or ignored. They set a really fine example of how a restaurant should operate and treat their customers during restaurant week. I've already made reservations for next weekend!

Pros: Food,Service

Cons: No complaints!

Posted 02/06/08

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday and I had a fabulous time. What caught our attention to this restaurant was the video this site has posted. I thought it was so cute and it would really seem like a great place to visit and it truly was. We had some great wine and excellent food. I felt the atmosphere was very warm and welcoming. The waiters were very nice and made some great recommendations. Working in the city I tend to eat out a lot and this is by far one of my favorite restaurants.

Pros: Ambience, food, service, dessert to die for!

Cons: No complaints here!

Posted 09/05/07

I recently came to NY for business and the hotel I was staying at recommend Montebello. The food and service was excellent. The environment was very nice as well. It's a great place for a date and I highly recommend it.

Posted 03/18/07

What a great restaurant! We were recommended to this restaurant recently and were not dissapointed! The food is absolutely amazing. My husband had an excellent lamb dish in ragu sauce and I had the most delicious monkfish. Try the tiramisu, it is the best I have ever had. The decor is cozy and great for any occaison. The service is excellent and very attentive. If you like wine, they have an unbeatable list. The food was so good we still talk about it and plan to go back very soon!

Posted 03/12/07

Went there during restaurant week for lunch with a business collegue. It's a good business lunch scene; alot of high powered suit types. They checked our coats and we were seated promptly. We ordered gnocchi and Buttuta di Pollo (Paillard of chicken with diced tomato and basil). We were happy with our choices as the food was very good. But I quite disappointed with the service. It took over 10 minutes for us to even get menus. Then I had to ask them for the pre-fix menu. I got a look from the waiter like it was a hassle. The whole time it was hard to flag down a waiter when we needed something; it was never the same person. Service was sloppy. A fly was buzzing around the restaurant in the dead of winter. The place is good but not great.

Posted 01/31/07

Dined here on a Saturday evening. Had the Parmisian Crusted chicken - it melted off the knive it was so good.... Staff made you feel very welcome and the decor is pleasing to the eye. Nice treat for a birthday dinner or special occasion.

Posted 11/12/06

While visiting New York City, my boyfriend and I stumbled upon Montebello Ristorante Italiano completely by accident. It turned out to be the most amazing dining experience.

The food was fresh, the seasons perfectly balanced. Even the seafood stew, which is usually not my favorite thing, left me dreaming of going back for weeks afterwards.

I highly recommend this restaurant.

Pros: heavenly food, great wines, excellent service

Posted 08/24/06

My husband and I enjoy Montebello restaurant very much. Everytime we get a chance we go there! The food is excellent and the waitstaff is great too!

Pros: amazing food, privacy, great wine selection

Cons: none

Posted 02/20/06

I just recently had a business lunch at Montebello and it was a great experience. They were able to accomodate us with a private room and it was really very pleasent. The waitstaff was friendly and polite and the food was absolute perfection. The best i've ever had! I highly reccomend it to anyone who needs a private meeting or party.

Pros: fantastic food, excellent dessert, great place

Posted 02/06/06

I recently had a business meeting at Montebello and i can't tell you of a place more suitable for such an event. Everything was perfect from the food, wine and to the service. Great place for parties!

Pros: Excellent food, Fantastic wine list, The best tiramisu

Posted 01/03/06

My wife and I eat at Montebello's the first night of our weekend in the city. We arrived Friday evening and made it to the restaurant around 9 PM. The food and service were both great. We had a buffalo mozzarella and tomato appetizer and the eggplant parmesan. The mozzarella cheese was delicious the way it had tasted on our trip to Italy. My wife both enjoyed our main courses and a bottle of wine and the service was excellent. The prices were pretty reasonable too.

Pros: Food, Service, Not Crowded

Cons: none

Posted 12/26/05

We have eaten here many times and have never been disappointed. The food is great and service attentive. Would recommend it anytime we are in the area.

Pros: early dining easy, service, food

Posted 10/20/05

What a relaxing and enjoyable place. The food is just so good, the waiters are so attentive and the atmosphere is simple and relaxing. They also have a great wine list. I cant wait to go back.

Posted 08/07/05

All I can say it that it is amazing. You are missing out if you don't go!

Posted 06/14/05

ontebello Ristorante Italiano is one of the most sophisticated and inviting restaurants in New York, and has been a standout on the culinary landscape of the city for the past 15 years. Glowing sconces, soft coral walls and vintage bottles of wine create an atmosphere of elegance that is perfect for both whispering sweet nothings to a loved one or discussing business during a power lunch. The menu features such sumptuous fare as lobster ravioli in a light aurora sauce, double-cut grilled veal chop with an aromatic salsa verde, and octopus salad with steamed potato, red onions, and caper berries. Montebellos homemade ricotta and mascarpone cheesecake or the ultimate Italian pick me upa Tiramisu that is the best in New York City. Montebello also offers an wonderfully priced three-course prix fixe lunch at $20.12 and prix fixe dinner at $32, that offers an exceptionally wide array of choices.

Posted 06/09/05

This restaurant provides delicious food, great service and a sophisticated atmosphere. My calamari was well prepared (not rubbery at all), the seafgood pasta was great and the blood orange sorbet was the perfect end note to a great meal.

Posted 06/06/05