Dominick’s Restaurant

No menus and no Checks
They come to your table and just tell you the amount of your bill without itemized amounts!
Very strange

Love the old school charm. There is one menu in the back and everyone just tells the waiter instead of getting individual menus, and no credit cards. When you pair that with all the painting on the wall, the various sauces on shelves, the simple red table clothes with waiters wearing plane white, it all transports you back to a simpler time. The food does this even more effectively. Fettuccine alle Dominick (carbonara) is rich and filling, with all the meets cooked to perfection and complimenting the sauce in a way that doesn’t distract. Italian sausage has that trademark spice to it and the tomato sauce enveloping my meatball is sweet and just the right consistency. The meatball itself is a generous portion. Even having the doggie bag hours later was a pleasure.

This is my second time in Little Italy in the Bronx. The food was really delicious. We had an antipasta and penne vodka which was rich and filling. I would highly recommend this restaurant. This is not BYOB.

This place is definitely unique in its serving style. After reading many reviews I was not quite sure what to expect but here’s the low-​down:
The waiter asks if you’re interested in any appetizers, and if so, he lists the options to you and you pick from those. For the entrees, there is a menu on the wall at the back of the restaurant with all of their options, and the waiter also lists the specials for that day. All appetizers/​entrees serve about 2 – 3 people.
Personally, I don’t really get the point of hiding the menu in the back of the restaurant instead of putting it somewhere more visible, and the chef verbally listing the specials isn’t very out of the ordinary.
But on to the food,
We started off with the cold antipasto, fried calamari, and steamed muscles in a red sauce. I didn’t have the antipasto but everyone really enjoyed that. I also tried a muscle for the first time and it was very good! The fried calamari was the star… definitely the best I’ve had because it wasn’t too rubbery/​chewy.
Then we ordered linguine marinara, chicken parm, eggplant parm, shrimp linguine in a white sauce, and the special which was a pork pizzaiola. The pasta was definitely al dente, pretty good. Both the chicken parm and the eggplant parm were okay, not the best. Pork was super tender and yummy. The shrimp was also delicious and very fresh. So overall not bad but not fantastic.
This place is a tad overrated but worth checking out if you’re with a large party and interested in trying out a bunch of different dishes.

This is the place Olive Garden tries to copy. When you’re at Dominik’s you feel like family with everyone — it helps that you’re seated at the same table.
Food is served in enormous portions meant to be shared (or not depending on how much you hate yourself). At the end of the meal, the waiter will approach the patriarch of the table with a single number scratched on a piece of paper — that’s your bill.
Pro tip, there’s a menu on the wall in the back so you can just snap a photo of it.
Food is okay. It’s peasant southern Italian food just like grandma used to cook. Go for the experience, it won’t disappoint.

An icon, simply the most important stop you need to make when in NYC. Broccoli rabe, fried calamari was awesome. Steaks, yes steaks were amazing.

This is one of the staples of Little Italy in The Bronx. It’s been here for at least 30 years. They serve immense portions of pasta and veal parm meant to be shared family style. This place is really not for foodies. There is no ambiance whatsoever, in fact you are seated with other people on vinyl covered picnic tables. In my openion, the food isn’t nearly as good as it used to be. Maybe it’s just that I have become jaded over the years. Still, the price is right and you will not leave hungry.

Very welcoming, the staff is very friendly and I got a authentic Italian vibe. I would recommend this to a friend that is looking to have good ravioli and good lasagna. It would of gotten 5stars if they accepted debit card.

Clams and steak pizziola were great. Shrimp and calamari with linguni was gross. I didn’t like the artichoke everyone raves about. I thought the chicken parm was average at best. Italian amwrcian cusine is pretty wasy to make. Its pretty easy to make a good chicken parm. I was disappointed. Prices aren’t bad though.

On my first visit to Arthur Ave (The Real Little Italy), we opted for Dominick’s and they did not disappoint. After a tour of Fordham University we were more than hungry and started with the Antipasto and Baked Clams, we followed with the Linguini Gianna (Chopped Shrimp and Clams), Chicken Scarpiello and Veal Parmigiana. The four of us were stuffed beyond belief and it seemed like we didn’t put a dent in the huge portions. The veal was a bit dry, but the rest was delicious beyond our expectations. Definitely will return to try some new items and would highly recommend this classic old school Italian gem to anyone venturing to Arthur Ave. Our waiter Jack and the new guy from Albania (didn’t get his name) were awesome servers and treated us like family. The dry veal cost them the 5^th star on this trip.

Great authentic vibe. Defiantly a wait but worth it. They have a bar upstairs that’s easy and comfortable to wait in.

How this place has 4 stars is beyooond me!!! 1 is too much. Food wasn’t edible… dry, flavorless gahhhbaggge. Atmosphere was the worst… a high school cafeteria has more ambiance. I took the food home and gave it to my dog… she liked it!!! At least someone ate it and we didnt waste our money. The cash only policy with no itemization is another joke. The service is the only reason for the star, stay away from this dated dump. Go have pizza on the corner.
PS… You can tell a great Italian restaurant by their meatballs… don’t try theirs, really the worst I’ve ever tasted.

Went for the first time. Was clueless about the lack of menus until the waiter told us. The dining room was noisy and you eat shoulder to shoulder next to strangers.
But the food… we had veal piccata which was very good, pasta with broccoli rabe which was delicious. But the chicken scapariello… it was sublime. Firm enough to stay on the bone, tender enough to use a spoon to cut it, bathed in sauce so addictive I had to restrain myself from licking the plate. Thankfully the bread was, though delicious on its own, more than satisfactory to sop up the sauce. The sauce is lemony, savory, fragrant with rosemary, and with a hint of red pepper to give it the kick that makes it linger in your mouth.
By the time dinner was over we were fast friends with our fellow diners…

Pasta was amazing. We got the linguine with chopped shrimp and clams. The linguine is flavorful and cooked perfect. The sauce is a thin garlicky red sauce perfect with the juicy shrimp & meaty clams. Such a great dish. We reheated it that same night. Sadly the pasta was overcooked by then but still chomped it down.
Baked clams– awesome, don’t miss these!
Stuffed artichoke– first time having this anywhere so wasn’t sure what to expect, was good but not my thing.
Salad– I ordered the personal size for 2 of us which was perfect. Really good salad and the meats that come on it are thick cut/​great quality.
Ambience– man this place is loud (lively?) and perfect for large groups. If you come in a smaller group you will be drowned out by the larger groups. We were there on Sat at 5 and was already packed. We waited about 15 min for a table for 2.
Also I don’t mind communal seating but it’s always a gamble… I happened to be seated next to a lady who stared at me eating the whole meal so…
The only complaint is the wine list, not too great and very overpriced.$ 45 for a bottle of Santa Marg PG-​dang that is quite the markup! We paid $ 7 for heineken, not too bad. Would be awesome if they were BYOB as I would love to enjoy great italian food with great wine to complement!
If I’m with a large group I will def sit in, but for just a pair will opt for takeout next time.
PS the bread is ridic… yeah I need to go back soon!

I have never gone to a restaurant that doesn’t present a menu. It was a great idea. It’s hard enough to picking a place to eat. This restaurant saves time when the waiter named Jack named what he recommended we definitely enjoy.
He was absolutely right. Not only was it amazing but the size platters was enough to serve a group of seven of the hungriest people.
We practically filled the tables with food. We were treat like kings and queens. They were so attentive always filling our water glasses and refilling the bread without being asked. Jack had a couple of jokes made us feel happy to be there.
Pasta was perfectly cooked, sauce was nice and thick and very tasty. Pork chop was humongous and so tender we didn’t have to use a knife to serve ourselves. Overall experience and food was 5 star.

Dominick’s doesn’t cease to amaze and delight — delicious, succulent, flavorful, scrumptious, and simply mouthwatering. I can keep on with colorful adjectives but all I have to say is — when people sitting at the table next to you not only want to order what you’re having but steal your left overs — it’s THE place to be! Did I mention that you can’t help but become part of the family the minute you walk in? Dinner at Dominick is most pleasurable and satisfying experience every time. Thanks guys!

Update: 4 days after posting my 3-​star Unilocal review, I received this incredibly rude and defensive message presumably from management at Dominick’s. Please excuse the spelling errors; this was copy/​pasted.
«A suggestion for the future: No one cares about your favorite restaurant in your home town unless you are reviewing it. To negitively compare the restaurant you ARE reviewing to that restaurant is absurd. No one cares about you in your 20’s or how you felt. No one cares what you believe the kitchen is doing or why. Talk about the food, service and atmosphere, then, before you post your review, look at all the other reviews to see how your reality tests against those reviews. Also, I would focus on the packed dinning room and your 45 minute wait for a table at 5:30 on a Saturday as another way to measure your reality testing. Oh, please stay away from my restaurant… Thanks»
I’ve decided to take their advice, and will modify my review to one sentence as follows:
If you want to be crammed into a dated restaurant full of hair-​sprayed B&T, served raw chicken and dry meatballs, receive a bill with no itemized pricing, and finally get menacing private Unilocal messages about your honestly written review, then by all means, I wholeheartedly recommend patronizing Dominick’s.

Came here with a group of friends after a long day at the zoo and cruising Arthur Avenue. This is the best homestyle Italian dinner I’ve had in NY. First, they don’t have menu’s, but the waiters come by telling you what the house is cooking tonight. 3 months later, I can remember exactly what we had because it was so good: amazing meatballs (not fatty, but tasting like real meat), great ziti with vodka sauce, lamb shank which was literally falling off the bone.
Altogether, we got out for $ 40 per person including wine and tip. Such a great spot!

Old school Italian joint in Da Bronx.
Just a no frills place with little decoration or ambiance, long family style tables that you will share with others on the main floor, but it has a certain old school charm to it. The bathrooms are upstairs on the second floor seating area which looks like a nice place for large parties, but I heard it’s hardly used.
No menus. The waiter will relay a list of what they have for the night. He won’t write anything down. You will get the correct food you order. Friendly service in a no-​nonsense way.
Solid Italian comfort food standards. Being that I grew up eating delicious Italian food done right by my mom, aunts, grandma, and sister I am a bit critical at times. I still have not found anywhere that makes Italian food and sauce as good as mom and sis. Sorry Dominicks, but you also fall short. Not bad, but it was a valiant effort.
The basket of fresh bread was good, but no oil to dip in. Packets of butter are a fail.
Sauteed broccoli that had a covering of bread crumbs and cheese. Ok.
Stuffed artichoke. Ok.
Ziti with meat sauce. Good.
Washed down with a small glass of house wine. Ok.
The portions are large and we did take some home with us. In fact, we saw many others taking bags of food to go from their meals. Overall, the meal experience here was tasty.
Decent prices but they don’t accept credit cards here? Meh. C’mon guys, it’s 2015. The bill for two or more will still run $ 60 — $ 100. Accept some plastic as not everyone has a wad of bills burning a hole in their pockets. They hand you a piece of paper with the final amount on it. It’s kind of funny in a «you better pay this or we’ll break your kneecaps» kind of way.
Overall, it’s a well known locals joint that has great neighborhood support, but it’s a bit of a shlep for anyone else coming up from Manhattan or further out. It’s also kind of a touristy spot at the same time. Worth a trip once to at least say you ate there.
Wish I could rate with half stars as this was a 3.5 star meal to me. I’ll give it 4 stars since I have a love for old school places like these which are disappearing around New York. Mangia!

Family long tables, vinyl table cloths & white aproned waiters; this is how old school Little Italy used to be down on Mulberry St, except that this is Arthur Ave in the Bronx. There are no hawkers on the sidewalk trying to lure in the tourists with free wine or appetizers, just some great old world charm and flavors. This is a great spot after a morning at the NY Botanical Garden nearby. We were the first ones in for lunch on a Saturday, but the dining room filled up fast. When we sat down, 3 of the chairs had loose legs, probably holding up a number of oversized patrons in the past, but were replaced pretty quickly.
So family style it is because we were a family of 6. «I got all my brothers and sisters with me!» Since there’s no fixed printed menu, our waiter recited what the chef was cooking that day and it was a pretty long list of Italian favorites you’d get anywhere in town. We started with a large house salad accompanied by a huge basket of crusty Italian bread followed by a dozen baked clams. The clams were big cherrystones but thinking back, only 2 per person just didn’t cut it. I could have put all 12 away myself (Note to self: order dozen for self next time, maybe 2. Thanks, self). The Chicken Scarpariello was tasty, the Osso Buco was tender as can be and the Linguini with Shrimp & Calamari was massive! The Penne a la Vodka was on the small side, so maybe they should have a family sharing size? The sauce was excellent though. The sauteed Broccoli Rabe was smothered in garlic and the Pork Chops Pizzaiola was a little lacking in flavor but was not lacking in ginormity (is that a word?). We ended up taking one whole double cut pork chop home with the brontosaurus rib still attached.
When it’s time to pay the piper, our waiter kind of stands next to me with a plain white sheet of paper, flashes me a number and I lay out the cash. It’s so surreptitious and feels so illicit! Is it the days of Prohibition again? Look! Revenuers! (runs out the door) Dang, now I HAVE to go back!