Trattoria Mangia

This is a great place to go to have a wonderful brunch, a great lunch, or an incredible dinner. This little Italian restaurant really knows how to make you comfortable. The drinks are wonderful and are always fresh and the lasagna is to die for. The cuisine here is without a doubt some of the best that you can find in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I make it a point to dine at this restaurant frequently and have even had parties there because the staff makes you feel so at home....and the live jazz players that they have there make you feel that much more at ease and entertained. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great meal, wonderful drinks, and incredible service.

Pros: The Drinks

Posted 05/29/09

Simply the best Italian Restaurant in Park Slope. I was there about three days ago and ordered something from the special menu. The waiter was so nice. He did not rush but helped me make my best decision. I loved my food and great service. Go there NOW!!!

Pros: Clean and Cozy

Cons: Not at all!

Posted 02/04/09

The staff at Mangia are there to please. The service just compliments the food and the ambiance there. Will definitely continue to go back

Posted 09/28/08

I was at Trattoria Mangia last Saturday night with my girlfriend. Tommy, our waiter was fantastic! Sat us outside at a comfortable table, helped me pick a great bottle of wine. I had the seafood salad (out of this world) and Lobster Fra Diavolo. My girl had a veal dish that was top shelf. The service was outstanding. We were treated like old friends. I would highly recommend this restaurant and our waiter Tommy.

Pros: location and service are excellent

Cons: the menu is limited

Posted 06/29/08

I order delivery from Mangia all the time and have also dined there several times. I highly recommend the following dishes:

-Pollo ala Caprese

-Spaghetti and Meatballs

-Chicken Parmesean w/ Vodka Sauce (not on the menu but they will make it for you)

-Any pizza (the regular cheese pie, the true test for any pizza, is top notch)

Simply put, Mangia is an affordable neighborhood restaurant with excellent food. It's also a great place for a date or a great place to bring family visiting from out of town.

Pros: Great food at a great price

Posted 06/20/08

I was at Magia a few days ago for a dinner party and what a gorgeous place! The food was spectacular! We had grilled calamari, octopus with vegetables, and some short fresh pasta with mushrooms and sausage that was truly divine! The ravioli was some of the best I have ever tasted and after trying the lamb and the fish that were served, I knew I had found a new favorite. You are a treasure! I will be back

Pros: everthing

Cons: nothing

Posted 02/28/08

Comfortable, inexpensive, the food is terrific and the service is friendly. What more could anyone want. I have become a great fan of the Pollo Caprese which is a real bargain and as good as you are going to get anywhere.

Posted 02/28/08

so i stop into this resturant it looks great clear windows all over,the brick walls with the antique type writer and the fire place rite by the bottles of wine its a great look i havent tried da home made pasta but me and my friends got talked into buyin the specials by the manager who makes the specials sound so good.we started off with the mussels in red sauce and grilled portobello with a salad it was worth munching on.then he sold me the lobster fra divolo oh man the the spicy sauce with the linguini n the mixed sea food was great. my friend had the filet mignon he said it was ,my girlfriend enjoyed the filet of the fish he took the bones out rite in front of us .and to cap it all off i had a tirmasu it was good and my girlfriend got a a special dessert they put on a lil show for u like its the cook fruits and flamee its a big flame it looks good n it taste great. service was good to but the food made it worth while i have to go back again

Posted 02/13/08

Please don't go to this place. You will regret it.

Me and my boyfriend were craving some italian food when we saw this place. BAD CHOICE.

It was the WORST italian food we have EVER had.

My boyfriend's pizza was dry and cold and the cheese was barely there. He took two bites and left the rest.

My fettucine (I chose to add vegetables) was definitely NOT homemade, as they claim it is. The alfredo sauce was probably from an expired can, so horrible. The vegetables were frozen, carrots and cauliflower only!! It was just absolutely disgusting.

Service was arrogant, rude and shameful. At first, my plate came without the vegetables (even though I had requested it), when I pointed this out, the waiter grabbed my plate, without saying anything at all, took it to the kitchen, and never got back to me, until he placed the new dish on my table.

This place should just close down, undergo complete renovation, hire new staff and chefs, rename themselves and maybe then they have a chance at calling themselves a restaurant.

Pros: Nothing

Cons: everything

Posted 09/07/07

My boyfriend and I went here for brunch this weekend, and I had to send my food back and was so grossed out by what I had been served that I didn't order anything to replace it. From their brunch menu I ordered Eggs Benedict. The "hollandaise sauce" was not hollandaise. It was not creamy. It appeared to be chunks in some sort of greasy broth. When I inquired about this, with several different people there, they seemed to be unsurprised - as if this is what they thought eggs benedict should look like. Very hungry, and assured by them that the chunky sauce was safe, I cut into my eggs. Instead of the runny center of a poached egg, I was met with a yoke nearly firm enough to be the center of a hard-boiled egg. I sent the whole dish back and left. Disgusting. I would never eat there again.

Pros: Nothing

Cons: The food and the service

Posted 09/03/07

They have messed up far too many times in the recent past. We moved into the neighborhood 2 years ago, and found Mangia. It was great. We had no complaints, and we were ordering at least once a week, up to 3, and going to brunch (unlimited Mimosa, Bloody Mary, Champagne, Coffee, Tea). We were in love. One day our pizza came sideways with the cheese glued to the box. We chalked it up to a new delivery guy. They went downhill FAST. Brunch: If you order a fritatta, don't bother choosing, it will come as a big cheesy surprise, with mystery ingredients, things not even on the menu. My friend ordered the Smoked Salmon Plate, which is supposed to be foccachia, cream cheese, tomato, capers and salmon, sounds good. It was a plate covered in a paper thin layer of salmon, with a ball of cream cheese in the middle and ONE HALF slice of stale bread. She then found a curly black hair placed on top, like a cherry on a sundae. Pasta: They have started using overcooked dry pasta (they claim it to be homemade), and using either one teaspoon of flavorless tomato, or tons of oil as a sauce. They used to supply delivery orders with little bags of freshly grated Parm, and tons of bread, now even if you ask for it you don't get it. About a week ago we ordered hoping we would get a "good night". They called 30 minutes later and told us they were out of what we ordered and they had chosen something with the same price to send us. Ok, fine. Why then, are you asking for my credit card again? After mumbled explanations, we said fine, but I better not find two charges. They charged us twice, and our food took another 40 minutes. Last thing we got from them was salad, usually really good, and fresh. They charged us extra $5 for 4 small(smelly, oversalted, cold)grilled shrimp on my soggy salad, most of which was at the bottom of the bag. They didn't seem concerned when we told them that they had screwed up and lost a faithful customer.

Pros: Two for one credit card charges!

Cons: bad service on every aspect, AND the food isn't good anymore.

Posted 08/01/07

Went here last night for the first time and was completely underwhelmed. First of all, the waitress lied about the pasta, ALWAYS a no-no in my book. The awning brags "homemade pastas", and my mother and I were assured (twice) that ALL of the pastas were homemade. I ordered the penne alla vodka (after asking again and being told that yes, it was homemade pasta), only to find that it was obviously not homemade but some generic brand of dry pasta. This is from someone who has been to Italy and has bought nothing but fresh (not dried) pasta for years, so I am a credible source. Even the vodka sauce did not taste homemade, it had no texture and it was bland. The atmosphere was ok and the service was good enough, but since the waitress blatantly lied to me I will not be going back. Don't believe the lies, there are so many better Italian restaurants in this city that there is NO reason to eat at this one.

Pros: ok atmosphere

Cons: they lie about their menu

Posted 05/30/07

Several times we were told in advanced during special holidays they would have a specific menu and they promised us an entree we were looking forward to. We would plan on spending our Holiday with them and when we sat down to order on those Holidays it wasn't what we expected and were hugely disappointed! We wouldn't have dined there based on the menu we had to choose from, but by then all other reservations were booked up completely at the last minute anywhere else in the city. We stopped giving them chances since a few too many romantic holiday dinners were ruined by not getting what we expected to be able to choose from. We noticed it appeared to be a pattern saying they couldn't get it. This seemed to be Ruben's doing, as other's there looked puzzled he told us he planned on having those entrees. This restaurant went from an "8" at best (when they hired another chef, who was excellent, to replace the previous) all the way down to a "2" when the new manager Ruben took over.

Posted 04/03/07

My boyfriend and I used to eat here all the time when they first open. Everything was excellent and my favorite dishes the Chef made were specials Shrimp Francese and Filet Mignon. Other steaks were less than desirable. One of my favorite dishes, other places might not offer is Clams Oreganota, They are excellent and I'd give them high scores, just wish the clams were bigger or a few more since they are tiny. That dish has always been consistent but just once when the chef was off. I highly recommend their Spinach Salad with glazed walnuts and goat cheese. One of my favorite dishes is Fettuccine Alfredo but it wasn't consistent at all and at times was too buttery. Spinach Manicotti was always too dry. Pizza was good at first until they lost their good pizza Chef then they raised the prices. Mixed drinks there are good and the atmosphere in the evening is romantic, nice and cozy if you get there at the right time. Service used to be excellent but when they hired their new manager, Ruben, things went down hill. He is overly pushy on Specials and never around when you need him, since he's busy flirting with women at other tables. They remodeled and the glass was attractive but lost the intimacy we really enjoyed. Service descended to an all time low. Even as regulars, at times dining there up to three times a week, we might wait hours for our food, and a few times Rubin forgot to turn our order in. Ruben is also a yes man, but it's best to ask others to find out what's really good. Ruben says it's all good but he was often clueless what was in the dish. After many pushes he would check on a wrong order, when we ommited an item we didn't want, only to find it was in there and he forgot to tell the Chef, on numerous occasions. Worst time to catch them is 3:30-4:30 PM when it seems the entire staff eats together and you have to wait for them to check back with you. It almost seems as if they ignore you, since you can barely flag them down.

Pros: Clams Oreganota and Spinach Salad

Cons: Service from the Manager

Posted 04/03/07

It's sad when one person can incur the demise of an outstanding new restaurant in the community, yet he's still standing. They have an awesome Sunday brunch with unlimited champagne, orange juice and Mimosas. I would have highly recommended their Mangia's Eggs Benedict, (which was one of the best version's of Egg's Benedict I've ever had!) We ordered Mimosas and the first one was great. The second one I noticed tasted a little funny but couldn't figure out what changed. I asked Ruben if it was a different brand of juice or champagne and he said no. We were sitting right where he made them so we watched him make the next. He took a little bit of champagne and poured it in then some orange juice but the glass was less then half full when he topped it off with their house sparkling water. We watched him do that to everyone's drinks after that. I guess because we were such regular customers we actually both got one Mimosa that was right. After that we asked him for just champagne and glass of orange juice. I figured we would make our own. One the second glass of champagne he told us he was out of champagne, but we saw a few bottles still unopened on the counter of the bar. It appeared he was trying to cut down his overall food cost at the expense of customers, even regulars! On the average we ate about 3 full course dinners & wine weekly, and other days we came in for appetizers & a few mixed drinks. On the average we spent $600.00 dollars a week. Last Easter was the last straw and he may have saved food cost that day with switching out the champagne for sparkling water but he lost our regular patronage. We have heard complaints from many of the locals around since Ruben took over. The owner and her husband are very sweet but they have a poor choice in who they hired to manage the place. In the beginning Mangia's felt like a romantic cozy Italian home but after Ruben's poor care we went on down the street to our new home Blue Ribbon Steakhouse!

Pros: great food especially weekend brunch

Cons: manager cutting resturant costs

Posted 04/03/07

I just moved to the neighborhood 3 moths ago and found this great Italian restaurant. Everyone in the place is nice,helpful & friendly even when you place a takeout order. Would definetly recommend this place and very resonably priced.

Posted 02/04/07

My wife and I have been eating at Mangia for many years now. We've seen it change from a humble pizzeria to what it is today - simply one of the best neighborhood restaurants in New York City. The food is superb. The ingredients are always fresh. The dishes are always prepared with care and expertise. Yes, the food is excellent, however what really makes this restaurant stand out from all the rest is the atmosphere. Managers Reuben & Ricky are to be credited with creating the perfect environment. One never feels rushed. One always feels that their needs are being attended to. Privacy & space are well respected. There is a romantic intimacy about the place that my wife and I have come to cherish. A visit to Mangia leaves on satiated, relaxed, and feeling a sense of overall well-being. This is the way dinning out should make you feel.

Pros: See review

Posted 08/13/06

Our waiter took ages to take our order, he forgot about us and disappeared for 40 minutes to go hang out in the kitchen. Even he popped up, saw us glaring at him and realized that he hadn't given us any food. We had to bother managers and other waiters several times to get a serviced and get a check. One of the clumsy waiters spilled food all over my boyfriend, it was just horrible IT WAS JUST TERRIBLE. Definitely not worth it. Worst 2 hours of my life!

Pros: none

Cons: EVERYTHING!

Posted 07/22/06

This restaurant was said to be pretty good, so i went to try it with my bf. it was very nice looking, but the wait service was slow and they definitely lost interest after we didnt order their expensive wines. I ordered veal, and my bf had pasta. His pasta was soft and mushy, with sauce that tasted like cans. My veal was dry, and tough (can you even get that from veal!?) and the complimentary pasta that came with my dish was just plain nasty. Only the spinach was good. needless to say, we didnt stay for dessert. The table next to us ordered lots of drinks (at $8-10 a drink) and they got served before us, even though we arrived and ordered a good 15 minutes before them...Also, the service sucked. There was a large party next to us, and they were really upset that the waiter forgot two orders, and they were left without food, while all their friends got their food.

I will never go back to this nasty "italian" place, not when there is sotto voce closer to my house.

Pros: none

Cons: Bad food, bad service!

Posted 07/21/06

My husband and I been going there on and off for over a year now. I think they're spending more money on redecorating rather than maintaing the quality of food.. The food is NOT what it used to be. My linguine w/clams was just gross.. Plus their "head" waiter is very pushy .. especially with the wine. He sold the same wine to three tables last night.

Posted 04/22/06

when Mangia first opened, my husband and I were in love with the place! We are regulars and dine in and order out very often. I am sad to say that their new manager is making it hard for us to visit our local favorite. The past 3 times we have gone, he is rude and curt and makes the whole experience frustrating. Our waiter is always WONDERFUL and friendly and the food is great and inexpensive. The manager however, insists on taking our order and speaks to you like he would rather you go away. He isn't friendly and has little knowledge about the food. When I ask him questions about new dishes, he mumbles something short and seems frustrated that I asked hm in the first place. What a shame! everything else is SO great!

Posted 04/08/06

We just received a pizza from delivery and i opened it and just said 'What?' There were sesame seeds on the outside (it's pizza dough not a hamburger bun), barely any sauce, VERY thin slices of mozzarella sparingly applied and topped with lots of herbs. What happened to the toppings? Where's the cheese? Where's the sauce? Where i come from, pizza is a meal, not a piece of bread with a teaspoon of sauce for the whole thing. I hope this is not a sign of what is available. If so, i want to go home!

Pros: fast

Cons: boring, lack of yumminess

Posted 01/14/06

We were lured in by Ruben, who then proceeded to take very good care of us. Drinks reasonable, food really plentiful and very good, and oh! that CHEESECAKE! Have been back several times, and it holds up. But don't tell anyone. It's our little secret! :)

Pros: courteous staff, food ++, reasonable $

Posted 12/25/05

You've gotta be kidding me!! The pizza isn't worth $3/slice. I've stopped going since they increased their prices. That's the problem with decent places getting written up... they start charging an arm & a leg for a slice of pizza.

Pros: Friendly Staff

Cons: $3/slice

Posted 06/01/05

I absolutely love this place. My boyfriend and I have added it to the top of our list of neighborhood resturant staples. The food is incredible, the prices are unbelievable, and without fail the staff always makes us feel as if we're dining at a pricey, special place...the fettucine alfredo is to die for, as is the fresh mozarella pizza. Finally, a new Park Slope resturant without a pretentious staff and overpriced menu! WELCOME MANGIA!!!

Hands down, best Italian in the neighborhood.

Pros: Inexpensive, Romantic, Delicous Food

Cons: None I can think of!

Posted 04/27/05

Great informal dining room and friendly service. We tried the Margerita pizza which was very yummy. We also got a salad that was fresh and delicious. Great place to do take out from too.
We will be back.

Posted 03/24/05

Stumbled into this kitchen on a cold night and found it uncrowded and amazingly tasty. Pastas were perfectly cooked and seasoned, calamari fried to perfection and just enough cheese on cheesy things to still be called authentic Italian.

Good wine list and beautiful and simple candlelit surroundings. We'll definitely go back

Pros: Gamberi Scampi, Wine by the Glass, Location

Cons: Abba on stereo

Posted 02/04/05