Convivium Osteria

I was going to the Islanders Hockey game at the Barclay Center on a Tuesday night with my wife and was looking for a local place to eat before the game. It’s location to the arena makes it a perfect spot of you wanted to have a nice dinner prior to an event. The Bergen Street Subway on ²⁄₃ is a block and a half away and basically every train is available at the Atlantic Ave station a few blocks away.
Upon walking in we were greeted and promptly seated at a small corner table by the door. We were asked if the seating arrangementhe was to our liking whicher it was. The restaurant is definitely aesthetically pleasing. It’s décor and lighting make it a romantic spot. We were asked if we wanted tap, mineral or sparkling we went with tap and we didn’t feel. judged or anything. lol. I only add that because I had read in prior reviews people felt the staff was snooty which they weren’t. Our water was poured, we received a basket of absolutely delicious bread and some olives in olive oil and herbs. We ordered a very reasonably priced Chianti and heard the specials.
The bread was awesome crunchy crust and chewy on the inside perfect to dunk into the olive oil. Our appetizers arrived. the Baby Octopus was ok. we weren’t blown away by it buy it was by no means bad or off. We also ordered one of the specials. clams with chorizo. glad we didn’t eat all the bread. Dunking was in full effect. It was delicious.
We ordered the ravioli’s with duck ragu and the crusted lamb chops to share. First let me address something I had read previously saying the staff made faces at sharing. The waiter encouraged us to share so I didn’t have that experience. Also when we ordered the Roasted pinenut crusted rack of lamb in port wine sauce with cauliflower we weren’t asked how we wanted it cooked. I only mention this because it came medium rare, pink with a quarter sized spot of rare in the middle. This might not be to everyone’s taste. My wife normally likes her’son slightly more cooked than I do. Let just say that it was one of the Lamb dishes I have had. Absolutely delicious… very tasty crust and cooked perfectly. The roasted cauliflower was grest too. Great job all around!
The Green Apple and Cinnamon Ravioli with Duck Ragu was good. My wife loved it and I thought it was ok. I wouldn’t order it again but my wife would eat it all day. That’s a case of personal taste there.
We saved some room for dessert. We shared the flourless chocolate cake and ordered 2 espresso’s.
The service was just attentive enough but not overwhelming. I assume that’s part of the ambience to keep it romantic. We were asked if everything was OK and our water glasses were constantly refilled.
I would definitely return!

4 stars for the food and ambiance, however I had some issues with the service.
I came with my girlfriend and the man behind the bar told me it would be a fifteen minute wait and suggested we could sit at the bar and have a glass of wine since there is no beer or liquor. He handed us a wine menu and my girlfriend and I each picked out a wine and closed the menu. He was too busy however at the computer and would occasionally smile at us. He then told us our table was ready.
We sat at the table and were given menus and asked what kind of water we wanted. The busboys were fantastic, they continuously filled up our water and cleared empty plates. Our server then came and asked if we had any questions on the menu. Um no, but we’d like a glass of wine. We then tried to order something to start out with, but the chef only takes complete orders, so he gave us a few more minutes. He came back asking if we were ready and he took our full order. He was about to walk away before my girlfriend and I each asked for a glass of wine. He never offered to get us anything to drink.
The food came out quickly and was quite good but small in portion size and expensive. I finished my wine and our server came and asked if I would like another glass, I said, «sure, I would love one, thank you.» He never brought me another glass. By the time he had resurfaced I was done with my meal and 20 minutes had past. I was quite annoyed by this. I will not be going back here.

Great ambience, food nothing special and way expensive. It seems pple pay for the ambience rather than the actual food.

Food is good, however, nothing out of the ordinary.
4 STARS FOR FOOD.
–3 STARS — Petty servers who looks down on you, because they assume you can’t afford their price tag. Plus gossiping behind your back.
Just b/​c I want to try a few dishes, sharing dishes is apparently too much to ask of them. Charge me a fee for sharing if that makes you happier.
If you want a comfortable meal, don’t come here unless you are going to start off with an expensive bottle of wine. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the mood for wine tonight.
Do yourselves a favor, skip dinner and go straight across the street to The Chocolate Room; they are so pleasant and deserts will definitely brighten up your evening.
IN REGARDS TO MICHELLLE P. (FEMALE OWNER) COMMENT:
Great Business tactic on the comment. I would do the same to address my customer (s) concern (s), however, I would also address the issue (s) and apologize for the inconvenience (s).
We ALL MUST be hallucinating when the busboy and waiter were literally talking behind our back, in which we heard most of their conversation (s).
FYI: Prior to beginning our dinner that evening, my friend walked in for his reservation, in which it was made under his wife’s name: Male Owner thought he was being funny/​cute (btw, he was being serious) by making this comment: «Are you sure this is your reservation? Because if this was Manhattan, I would have THROWN YOU OUT already.» As a business owner, he must be really proud of himself and he goes on laughing about his comment (s) with his employee (s) in front of my friend.
I’m not exactly sure which restaurant (s) he’s trying to compare himself to, however, it can’t even touch the tip of the toe comparing to restaurants like, Bouley Restaurant (
), One if by Land Two if by Sea (
), The River Café (
), etc.
I was originally being really civilized with my original comment.
If you want to have a similar meal nearby, drive the extra distant and go to The Stone Park Café (
); A LOT BETTER IN EVERY-​WAY IMAGINABLE.

First of all I have to give a huge thank you to the entire staff, our group came for a birthday and after ⁶⁄₈ glasses of wine each we completely lost track of time. The staff let us stay for an extra hour after they closed! We had no idea the place had even closed because we were still be served! That was an incredible gesture on the part of the staff and we truly do thank them.
Of course as you can imagine we had a great time we all ordered the shrimp pasta and it was delicious we had sereal appetizers which were all amazing as well as several different desserts.
The highlight however was the wine and presseco. OMG… We probably should have just order by the bottle.
It was just a wonderful combination of great food, outstanding service and or course great friends!
This is a must stop! Perfect for parties or dates!!!

All I can say is after all this time the food is absolutely DELICIOUS!
Super service and great wines as well.

Romantic restaurant. Loved the atmosphere. And good choice of Portuguese wine. Service good but not great, food regular nothing special

The rabbit was really mediocre, and the hostess & waiter who were circulating the dining room pretty much ignored just us the entire time (besides the busboy, who was great) (great to regulars, but we also didn’t get alcohol and didn’t meet what seemed their target demographic). Tables are extremely low, like to the point where you don’t even need to be 6′ to hurt your knees the entire meal.
Fortunately the lady loved the candle on the table (even if they kept moving it to awkward spots) and the copper cookware and wine bottles and all that other jazz, and flourless chocolate cake was ganache-​y good, so we left without a terrible taste in our mouth. Missed their BBEats deal a while back.

My boyfriend took me to this restaurant for my birthday. The gnocchi are to die for. Get them immediately! Get ten orders! No, really. I had the sea bass for the entrée. It was good but it’s a whole fish and I didn’t realize this for some reason. It’s a bit annoying to get the bones out and blah blah. The quality of the food is fantastic here though! The service is also great!

Went to this place recently for the first time. We had an 8:00PM reservation and when we got there there seemed to be a slight mix up as they did not have our reservation noted. It quickly got resolved but we did have to wait a few for the table. The manager offered my party of 4 glasses of wine. I was automatically impressed as most will not go through any trouble when they so obviously make a mistake these days. I loved the charming wine cellar downstairs and the food so I decided to have my birthday celebration here! The rib eye was amazing! The rabbit was also very good. I know rabbit might sound gross to some, but my mom, a native Italian has been after me to try it so I did! I must say really good. The pulpo appetizer was equally as good. All the food was quite good, but these dishes stood out! They had a Sicilian wine that I absolutely loved. It went well with the steak and was just a very good food wine. Benny, the server that was in charge of my birthday celebration was a complete pleasure! He did everything right! He made sure the glasses were full and that everyone was happy. Thanks, Benny!

Oh Convivium, how I want to award you 5 stars, which I do not do lightly. For ambiance, service and wine selection, this place cannot be beat. Tonight we had the good fortune to sit downstairs in the wine room (we were bringing a guest who is a serious wine guy and they were kind enough to grant this request on short notice) which is just a lovely space. We had a great table in a nice private nook. And the wine did not disappoint: we had a really great bottle that was under $ 40. Unfortunately, I have to stick by my prior 4 stars because the food is uneven. The quail starter was outstanding with an amazing cherry rosemary sauce and nice crisp quail (although for $ 16, I expected 2 quail). The shrimp was a little mushy but so briny and flavorful. Unfortunately the artichoke that we loved last time was flavorless and a little chewy. My husband had the duck ravioli again because he loved it so much and it did not disappoint. One of our guests had the lamb rack and it was great — cooked perfectly and again a dynamite sauce. Me and our other guest had the pasta special — meh. The pasta itself was perfect but I thought the spare rib ragu was kind of flavorless: I tasted far more cheese then meat. The blueberry/​coconut pie was spectacular. I am definitely going back and will hope 3^rd times a charm so I can award that coveted fifth star.

This is probably the top 5 most romantic restaurants in New York. Cozy rustic romantic is an understatement. If you are on a first date or celebrating your 50^th wedding anniversary this is the place for Amore warm and intimate experience. The wine list (over 250 wines are available) is full of reds and whites and the dry cured meats and cheese platter is a great beginning to start this journey. Warm toasted bread, EVO for dipping and I’m already in heaven. The menu is unique mixing dishes from Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Stars of the evening Farro salad with sun dried tomatoes, basil, and fontina cheese. Tonnarelli pasta with boneless pork spareribs ragu. This is a truly amazing restaurant in Park Slope and should not be missed. Also lets not forget the Panna cotta with berries and flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce outstanding choices to end with. Ciao

Seated in the wine cellar, sharing copious amounts of wine and excellent pasta over candlelight, my wife leaned in… and stole the last ravioli off my plate.
Well, the romance may be dead in our relationship, but you seem like you still have a shot. So take your date to Convivium, and order the green apple and cinnamon ravioli with duck ragú. I know it sounds a bit odd, and it’s ever so slightly sweet for my taste, but it works. So just do it.
If I have one warning for you:
I wouldn’t get too attached to any of your choices on the wine list. We were literally sitting in a cellar full of wine, and yet they were out of the first three bottles we chose. Eventually we just said, «Bring us the cheapest bottle of white wine that you actually have.» Because we’re classy.
If I have two warnings for you:
Watch my wife around your ravioli. She’s a thief.

This by far was one of my best food experiences in quite sometime. Where do I begin? Let’s start with the atmosphere… old country feel and rustic. I felt like I was in an old Italian/​Portuguese movie scene. Next the service was absolutely impeccable!!! Clean plate and silver wear for every course. The wine was spot on and the selection was stellar. You must go downstairs to view the cellar as well.
The Food? AMAZING!!!
Everything was extremely fresh and authentic. The Ribeye was by far the most amazing piece of beef that I’ve had from start to finish.
I could go on and on I suggest you go experience it for yourself!!!

Superlative dining. That’s all I can write about this experience. It’s just too bad that this place doesn’t get the hype and press it deserves… or maybe it’s not too bad, otherwise I might have had a hard time getting a reservation. While the foodie freaks eat vegetables on a fence at places like Blue Hill, I’ll happily eat my fill on fresh burratta mozzarella and pan roasted free range Quail in port wine sauce!!! Seriously, after eating at other places in the city that have better reputations and fancy awards, I can say with 100% honesty that they can’t hold a candle to the food prepared at this humble restaurant nestled in Park Slope.
From the moment we sat down things we’re perfect– the waiters cleared an area for my Mother to pass through to be seated, immediately brought water, olives, and fresh bread (excellent rustic ciabatta loaf). Service was telepathic. Water was never near empty. Plates vanished seamlessly as we finished them. The table was kept spotless, yet we never noticed the waitstaff’s presence.
The food though was another level. The aforementioned starter plates were amazing– the buratta is some of the best I’ve ever had, anywhere. My mother ordered the cinammon and apple ravioli with duck ragu– this was incredible! A dish wonderfully balanced between savory and sweet. Your mouth was in suspense as to which area of the palate was more affected. Such a great sensation, and one that I know from cooking that is very very difficult to pull off. An incredible dish and amongst the very best pasta dishes I have ever eaten (again, anywhere). I ordered the pinenut encrusted lamb shanks. These were cooked to perfection, perfectly medium rare as I ordered. Beyond perfect. The umami on these was incredible. I can’t even describe just how delicious these were. At the end of my meal I was gnawing on the bones trying to get off every little last bite.
We didn’t stay for dessert as my Mom really wanted to visit the chocolate room up the block. They sounded great at Convivium, so we will partake next time for sure.
This place is a sure bet for a special occasion, and I’ve heard their downstairs cellar is extremely romantic so potentially a great date location. Finally, I want to note that I’ve eaten at restaurants where I spent twice as much money and walked out feeling hungry, not so here, not all. We walked out feeling perfectly satisfied. I am certain that you will too if you eat here. So, skip the hyped places. Come down and find this amazing restaurant in Park Slope. I know that I will return soon.

Came here with five friends to celebrate a birthday, the service was impeccable from beginning to end. Seriously, they were nice, attentive, conversational. it was great. It is a cute spot very rustic and romantic vibe, low lighting, love the copper pots on the walls A+. The bathroom is nice, clean also dim, I guess you don’t want to go from low light to bright so it makes sense. I had high hopes for the meals, maybe a little too high, it was good but most of the dishes lacked seasoning. So as a table we ordered a variety of things from Antipasti and Secondi.
Antipasti included (1 – 5 rating):
Prawns (2) overcooked and under seasoned, Clams and sausage (3), Assortment of meats & cheese (3), Quail (5)
The Quail was one of the stars of the visit, the best seasoned dish, I’m glad we ordered two.
Secondi included (1 – 5 rating):
Braised Rabbit (3), Sea Bass (3), Roasted Pine Nut crusted Lamb (3) — this probably would have earned a 4 but following the Quail it just couldn’t light a candle.
From the Paste section a friend ordered the Ravioli with Duck Ragu (5) she was the winner, I wish I order that, it was delicious!
I wanted to try the Ribeye, since that is my favorite cut of steak but it is portioned for two and so many other things on the menu we wanted to try so that will have to wait for if another opportunity presents itself. It might because that quail is worth another trip. The wine was great as well. I would give a 3.5 but no halfsies.

Had dinner at 5pm earlier today with my date. The place is quiet and peaceful. The plain wooden tables and chairs create a very homey and quaint atmosphere that my date and I rather liked.
The servers were extremely polite and attentive. We decided upon the 48 oz steak for two people (which is fantastically huge btw — enough to sufficiently feed 3 – 4 people), and catching onto our uncertainty of ordering this particular menu item, the waiter brought out the raw block of meat on a cutting board to allow us to see the size of it. All throughout our dinner, the waiter (and chef and even the worker in charge of beverages) continued to keep an eye on us to make sure we were comfortable.
The steak, like I mentioned earlier, is huge. It’s beautiful. We ordered it medium rare, and it came to our table perfectly cooked. The meal comes with potatoes with rosemary and arugula salad. I definitely recommend this dish; I recommend this restaurant.

This place is ridiculously cute and rustic. Right off the bat, the ambiance alone makes this a great date spot.
The copper pots and pans hanging from the walls. The warm, muted lighting. The tall red candles in their candle holders. The bottles of wine, everywhere. The ear-​piercing shrieks of a young child whose parents should have known better.
Oh wait.
Yeah, we are in Park Slope right? Stroller City baby, even in the most romantic of romantic restaurants.
Despite said offspring’s apparent fondness for testing the capacity of his lungs (conveniently located at the table next to ours), we had a great dinner here. We ordered glasses of wine, skipped the starters and went straight to the mains. Ordered the apple and cinnamon ravioli with duck ragu, because weird-​sounding dishes are hard to resist, and the pine nut-​crusted rack of lamb, because who could ever say no to LAMB.
The ravioli was inventive, and certainly unique, but I didn’t fall in love with it. The duck ragu was very nice though. The lamb, however… wow. It was awesomely delicious! Cooked just right, with a crispy crust on the outside and tender pink inside, it was perfection. Paired really well with the red wine sauce and the roasted cauliflower.
Definitely a place I would recommend to others. But leave the baby at home.

Order the rack of lamb. Just do it.
A friend of mine recommended it, and it was probably the best lamb I’ve had in a long time. Cooked medium rare with a super crispy skin encrusted with pine nuts. It’ll set you back $ 34, but it’s definitely something you can share. The roasted cauliflower on the side was also good.
The green apple and cinnamon duck ragu was interesting, but there wasn’t much cinnamon taste to it. Seemed very adventurous, like something you’d see on Chopped.
Anyway, the most notable thing about Convivium is probably the interior. It’s very rustic. There’s copper cookware basically everywhere. There are giant wine bottles. It’s dark and candle-​lit (good for dates, hint hint).
They also have a wonderful wine selection, if you’re into that kinda thing. I know I am.

One of my favorite places in ny. Cozy and intimate ambiance. I’ve tried something new with each visit but have yet to be disappointed. Good gnocchi, great fish but the best was the lamb.
Prices are actually reasonable given the quality of food and experience.