Da Andrea Ristorante

The review I hoped not to write. My Italian wife and I frequented Da Andrea as our neighborhood Italian joint. Good food, nice service, pleasant ambiance back then. So, we made the trek yesterday to Da Andrea's new location on 13th Street, excited to see our old friends and settle into a good meal. Sorry to say, somewhere between Hudson Street and 13th, they lost their way. The new space is noisy with music ringing from the stereo, chaotic with tables (no longer with tablecloths) scattered randomly, the service surly. Still, the meal started well with fresh bread and the mussels in red sauce appetizer. However, the main courses were abysmal. The zuppe di pesce looked and tasted like a boiled, lackluster and random bowl of seafood overwhelmed by salt and a strong bitter note (perhaps due to dried versus fresh herbs). The tagliolini was clumped together in short pieces, making it very chewy, the sauce bitter and overwhelming and the clams unappealingly thrown all over the bowl. Looking around the restaurant, meals appeared over sauced and over oiled, not at all characteristic of authentic Italian cooking or the old Da Andrea. Our waiter (new to this location?) acted aloof and surly, and hardly made us feel welcome (though we were warmly greeted by holdovers from the Hudson Street locale). The search for a new, authentic Italian joint starts anew.

Pros: Proxmity to Quad Cinema, good bread

Cons: Poor food, chaotic ambiance, impersonal service

Posted 03/07/09

Unfortunately really fine and authentic Italian cuisine is wasted on one particular segment of the population. A previous reviewer referred to this restaurant as "hum drum" and "without people watching". Well, if that's the priority, you're obviously not serious about food - especially Italian. It's a small, personable, comfortable place with the most wonderful italian food I've eaten since my last trip to Italy - and I ate with my family there.

Perhaps Da Andrea wasted it's time on you. Move on to someplace that suits your character - shallow, superficial, pretty people watching, substandard food with plenty of minute portioned food.

Bravo Gianpietro!! Grazie per tutti!!

Pros: food, service, atmosphere

Cons: Niente

Posted 10/06/08

nothing to write home about. not bad, its an ok casual place. no atmosphere,no people watching. very hum drum. there are so many other italian restaurants that are much better and fun.

Posted 10/02/08

We went to this restaurant to celebrate an important event with another couple and had such a great time. From start to finish, it was great. The restaurant is small, quaint and very cozy. It has a good layout, and the immaculate bathroom is downstairs. When we walked inside and sat, the owner walked over and hung up the men's jackets. We ordered a few appetizers, an entree as an appetizer, two bottles of red wine, 4 dinners, and all of the desserts. The food was absolutely excellent, authentic Northern Italian cuisine. The portions were perfect and it was all very tasty. We had two pasta dishes and two meat dishes for dinner. We all tried each other's food and were all pleasantly surprised. We also really enjoyed our wine. The desserts were incredible and very authentic. Our waiter was very good and the owner was very accomodating. He always made sure everyone in the restaurant was satisfied and was very friendly. The greatest surprise to us all was when the bill came: it was all so well-priced! We ate like Kings and Queens and paid almost nothing compared to the quality, service and overall satisfiaction that this restaurant provided us. Overall, great authentic food, a great ambiance, and all at a great, affordable price. Great overall value. We sat there for hours just eating, drinking and relaxing at such an affordable price. Truly a delight. Highly recommended.

Pros: Great ambiance, excellent food, great service, dedicated owner, affordable prices

Posted 07/23/08

I went to Da Andrea the other night with a few friends; we went on a whim and I didn't know quite what to expect. Being poor college kids, we opted to share four appetizers between the five of us. Suffice it to say that this left us in a state of extreme desperation and longing, not to mention that some subtle hoarding tactics were being employed. We had a calamari salad, mussels marinara, bocconcini caprese and a carpaccio salad; all were superb. Attention to detail in every facet of every dish was remarkable. Based on my experience I'd have to imagine that the other appetizers were equally good. One could easily order a three-appetizer spread for dinner and leave thoroughly satisfied...and with plenty of money still in the wallet!

Also, the olive oil, which comes with the bread at the beginning of the meal and is served in small porcelain bowls with real olives to munch on at the end, might have been the best I've had at any Italian restaurant in the city. It starts a great meal off on the right foot.

Pros: Appetizers, bread and olive oil, price

Cons: Smallish place (kind of cramped)

Posted 02/15/07

HONESTLY SPEAKING GO AND TRY IT !!
Superb food; friendly atmosphere,delicious dishes,a lot of flavor; reasonable wine list ( maybe more selections in that price range would give people more to choose from ). warm, charming, simply the greatest Italian RISTORANTE IN NEW YORK !!!

NO KIDDING !!!

Pros: SERVICE, FOOD, WINE

Cons: BATHROOM SINK

Posted 04/28/06

You will no doubt impress your friends if you bring them to Da Andrea. The location in greenwich village is always lots of fun, and inside the restaurant is very cozy. Prices are extremely reasonable. considering how amazing the food is, i have easily paid double or triple what i have paid at da andrea and not gotten nearly as good food. i recommend the pasta dishes, esp the papardelle with sausage ragout and the gnocchi with pesto. desserts are also wonderful.

Pros: delicious food, great service

Cons: loud

Posted 04/28/06

The ambience is great, best part of town for a great quaint restaurant, walked in off the street & were seated immediately. Wine list was great, bread & foccacia were excellent....however the pasta (of all things) was very subpar. Usually I wouldn't make this complaint but my food was scalding....to the point of having to wait a good 5mins before even gingerly touching it, further we ordered the bolognase and there was litteraly 20 strands of spaghetti more than smotthered in meat sauce. We definetly needed more pasta. Maybe we just ordered the wrong thing.

Pros: ambience, wine

Cons: bolognaise

Posted 07/01/05

I have been to many restaurants in the city, but this one takes the cake. such friendly service, and food....wow. Homemade and delicious. I have taken a party of 6 there and it only cost me around $140. Where in NYC can you find that. Not to mention huge portions, and a very affordable winelist. I have brought many people there and they all say the same. Da Andrea, you have won yourself another loyal customer.
Oh1 you must try the warm Zabaigone with berries for dessert, out of this world!!

Posted 06/04/05

I'm a chef (30 years), and I can honestly say that I've finally found Italian food worth eating at a reasonable price. I can compare it to my home town in Firenze. When I first visited this busy little eatery I was astounded at how well I was received. The Bolognese was exactly like home. The Polipo was perfectly tender and flavorful. I enjoyed my main course of Sweatbreads immensely. I'm always bringing back someone new, and trying something new. Even my mother loved it. I have to give my hat to the Chef/owner of Da Andrea. Ask yourself this. How many Italian restaurants have actual Italians eating there constantly? This one does, with 1 or 2 notible chefs having dinner there as well.
A plane ride to Italy is at least 8 hours long, but here a 15-20 minute wait for food from Italy is definately worth the wait.

Pros: inexpensive, authentic

Posted 06/04/05

I am from Bologna , I have been living in the village for the last seven years and this is the best italian food you can find around new york . all the pasta is unbelievable!!!!

Pros: good food , friendly, excellent prices

Cons: little noise , wait for table

Posted 06/03/05

After my meal there and after reading the reviews below, I have to agree with the 'you can't live on bread & wine alone' post listed below ... my sentiments exactly. The food here for myself and my companion was just terrible. Bland pastas ... and a really below standard Bolognese sauce. I was shocked. And the staff was not accomodating and just outright rude. We had been recommended to go here by other neighborhood NYC'ers, but I cannot recommend this restaurant for an enjoyable Italian meal at all.

Cons: food, staff

Posted 05/14/05

this little place serve the best home made pastas, sauces and dishes , the portion are very generous , great wines , everyone i bring to this place are impress, the service is very friendly , this guys make everything fresh every day , you can tell, from appetizer to dessert you really feel the passion of the chefs , 2 great italian guys.
The focaccia is excellent, keep up the good work . Tara

Pros: inexpensive , charming , crowded

Posted 04/28/05

We went out of our way a bit to try this place, based on the reviews on this site. The service and welcoming attitude and prices were nice, but the Spagetti Bolognaise tasted like something out of a school cafeteria - I could swear the ground beef was from a can - how can you mess up spag bol??

The other food was ok - the cavetelli with pesto and the papardelle with sausage - but wasn't as warm as we expected. The tiramisu was really nice - the apple tart was ok, a bit soft on the crust and not very warm.

In the end, I guess we won't be back - the atmosphere wasn't really that impressive and the food was even less so. I can find affordable (and better tasting) Italian closer to my neighborhood.

Pros: service, Welcome, Prices

Cons: Food taste, Food temp

Posted 04/02/05

I'm italian and this woud be my favorite restaurant also in Italy. Their dishes are delicious, really authentic and abundant. The staff is absolutly professional but also very friendly. I feel at home over there.
And... it's not even expensive!

Pros: inexpensive, delicious, authentic

Posted 02/04/05

It's the best italian food in the city - hands down.

Posted 01/27/05

a friend and i were wandering down hudson trying to find a place to have dinner, and stumbled in here. There was a relatively long wait, but we couldn't bear to leave since the aroma of the cooking food was so enticing. Our 30-ish minute wait was well worth it. The house red is a fantastic montepuciano the pastas are fresh, the servers all have great attitudes, and best of all, it's relatively cheap! not much to speak of in terms of decor, but you forget about that when your food comes!

Pros: house red, vegetarian friendly

Posted 09/22/04

GF and I was wandering around late in Westside and happen to find this restaurant and thought we try the food.
Overall, amazing Italian food, especially the mussels and white tuna dish.
Both of us had appetizer, main dish, and wine and total was only around $60.
For this quality of food, that's simply amazing.
We will come here again and again and again.

Pros: Great food, Wonderful service, Great Value

Posted 06/21/04

You gotta love this place. When they have it, the potato-leek puree soup is absolutely amazing. You really have to have the pappardele with sausage and truffle oil ragu. It tastes even better than it sounds. The veal shank is also quite good. The foccacia is homemade and quite addictive. I really can't say enough about this place. Oh yeah! IT'S REALLY INEXPENSIVE TOO!!!!! Go already!

Pros: Brilliant food, kind, caring service

Cons: , food exceeds decor

Posted 02/06/04

When I came to this restaurant for the first time I immediately felt at home. A warm and cordial ambience, delicious dishes and really good wine brings a moiety of Italy to you.
Whenever I go there I always feel welcome.

Pros: Attentive service, Good wines, Large portions

Cons: A little small

Posted 10/08/03

I hesitate to praise too much, because it's already hard enough to get in -- but this is my favorite village restaurant. From the moment you walk in, both the staff and owners make you feel completely at home. Plus the food is very good, in a "comfort food" type of way. Prices are great, too.

Pros: WELCOMING ATMOSPHERE, VERY GOOD FOOD, GREAT VALUE

Cons: HARD TO GET IN

Posted 06/25/03

Dinner last night was pretty disappointing. We all had pasta, but no one loved theirs. I had the gnocchietti with gorgonzola and arugula, but the gnocchi were pasty, there was too much sauce, and too much of one taste. The kids were happy with the spaghetti bolognese, but the cavatelli with seafood was overwhelmed by the pesto sauce.

Lovely apple tart, nice service, good wine by the glass, including Prosecco, my favorite.

It is inexpensive - pastas around $10, so I can't be too critical.

Pros: inexpensive, cozy, nice wines

Cons: pastas too saucy, pastas not flavorful

Posted 11/14/02

You can't go wrong with that place. It has great Italian food for reasonable prices. The atmosphere is nice and the owners and the staff are very sweet. Unfortunately, it has gotten more popular (no wonder) and you might need a reservation on the weekend.

Posted 10/20/02

This is a charming little restaurant. We brought some out of town guests who had requested "Italian in the Village" and couldn't have been happier w/ Da Andrea. Our waiter was charming and efficient. Our dinners were all wonderful and appetizers of asparagus soup and augula salad were great. I'm going back to try some more pasta dishes. My friend's ravioli was superb.

Pros: Charming staff, excellent food

Cons: a tad cramped

Posted 09/24/02

We got there before our friends and made sure we didn't need reservations. If you are more than two, you should make reservations. The restaurant is small, but not on top of each other. The service - excellent. The food - excellent. The prices - CHEAP. They could easily charge 5-8 dollars more per entree. Four of us - entrees, bottle of wine and dessert ~$88. We are going back for a nice casual, well prepared and served meal.

Pros: Great food, Great service, Low prices

Cons: A tad small

Posted 08/31/02

I have dined here many times. The staff are relaxed but charming, and they make a genuine effort to make you feel welcome and comfortable. The food is genuine Italian food - always good and sometimes better than good. The owners are Italian-Italian and consequently the place lacks the cheesy, pretentious quality of many Italian-American places. A perfect place to take your parents, and I mean that in a good way ..

Pros: Warm service, Good value, Relaxed atmosphere

Cons: A few dull dishes

Posted 06/20/02

Good Service, good food, great Chianti Classic I would recommend to all.

Posted 06/15/02