Umberto’s of Lake Grove

This restaurant is so bad, I actually looked up an old article about the original Umberto to see if he was still alive, where he was working and who was managing this restaurant in Lake Grove. Sadly, It appears Umberto has moved to Florida and this portion of his legacy has «hit the skids»!
Will I NEVER learn? I promised myself, after my first visit that I would never spend my hard earned money in this unmanaged circus again.
«IF» you can get a waiter to put down their fork and take their attention away from the T.V., you can place an order. Get there VERY early, BEFORE the preoccupied staff begins cleaning! (More on that in a minute.)
The food has been good for me and it’s also been bad. Check your take out check when you pick up as I’ve been charged the wrong price, being told that I must have an out of date take out menu. When I checked the restaurant menu, it was the same as my take out menu. OOPS!
When you dine in, you better slurp it up quickly if you’re dining in the Winter. They like to leave the front door wide open to cool off the restaurant while the staff is on their cigarette breaks, which — you guessed it — is throughout your meal!
After my first visit there, I discovered the new custom (apparently, in many restaurants now) of the staff sweeping around the customers while they eat. Umberto’s in Lake Grove takes this new custom to the max, as they did on my LAST visit there. They bring out the huge rolling bucket and mop the floor… That’s AFTER picking up the chairs and placing them on the tables. Imagine what a fine dining experience it is to be surrounded by tables with the chairs on top while a team of cleaning people spruce up the joint. When you mention something about this to the staff, they look at you like you’ve just sprouted a second head and then they help complete your dining experience by whispering about you to every other staff member, and then each one has a go at «passing the broom», or «the mop» while they laugh. A type of «taunting» and mocking me, I guess. Very pleasant experience. How DARE I complain about people sweeping and mopping, around me while I’m paying to eat in their establishment. It’s not like the meal was free!
I was with my elderly Uncle and he could have easily stood up and tripped over the rolling bucket or slipped on the wet floor. Is it better to — God forbid — be killed THAT way or by the «I could Kill you» looks we got from the restaurant staff after saying something to them.
I was so paranoid about this happening after my first visit there, I even called the restaurant to make sure I was giving myself at least 2 hours before closing so that they wouldn’t be cleaning while I was dining. It didn’t matter. We were there by 9:00 pm. and surrounded by a wet floor by 10:00pm.
IF you want to pay your check (which at this point, you don’t), you’ll have to interrupt your waiter’s meal, television show or the hijinks he or she is involved with, in the kitchen. This place SCREAMS «THERE ARE NO BOSSES HERE!
I was recently laid off and I’m thinking of applying for a job at Umberto’s in Lake Grove. It seems like a fun place to work, I won’t miss any of my television shows, I can eat all day or night long and I don’t have to be polite to anyone if I don’t want to. There’s no one managing every move I make or hounding me to «get back to work». I just have to be good with a mop and /​or a broom!
See you at Umberto’s!

I didn’t get to eat here but I’ll explain why I’m giving a negative review. After being stuck at Stony Brook hospital a couple days with a sick family member, I thought it would be a nice change to eat something other than hospital food. When I called up to place an order the guy on the phone seemed annoyed that I was even calling. When I told him that I needed it delivered to the hospital he gave me an attitude and I’m a rude manner said that they don’t deliver there because it’s too far and that the security gives them a hard time of pulling up in front of the lobby. I decided to do some research and I asked security and personnel at the front desk if it was a problem to have food delivered and they stated «no, absolutely not, people get delivery all the time with no problem». I then proceeded to call other pizzeria/​Italian restaurants that were even further then Umbertos just to see if they would deliver to Stony Brook and surprisingly no one gave me a hard time that it was at the hospital. Shame on you guys
P. s. Umbertos to Stony brook hospital is 4.4 miles

The service was a little slow on the water and plates. The pizza was just meh. The pizza was kind of watery and each bite would burn you. The crust was okay. The garlic knots were very hard and difficult to chew. Will not come again

Umberto’s is a good, solid establishment for pizza and pasta. Affordable prices, decent atmosphere, consistent performance. You’re not immune to the slight issue here and there that plague many casual Italian restaurants on LI, such as the overly creamy cream sauce, or the too-​sweet marinara. But overall, you’re going to get a nicely portioned, flavorful, and satisfying Americanized Italian dish.
One major plus is the extremely full glasses of wine that they serve, at an attractive $ 6 price point. You won’t be able to swirl it (not that it matters, it’s basic quality stuff anyway) but you’re definitely getting on the plus side of a 6-​oz pour.
I’m not a big pizza eater, but theirs is excellent. Sometimes stingy on the toppings, but it’s a big ass pie to begin with. Crumpled sausage pizza is a fave.
Three stars overall.

Great thin crust pizza. There is a sign on the door teling you that it is cooked well done. Perfect every time. Garlic knots very good as well. Restaurant in the back that could use an update but the food is delicious. Servers are friendly as well as professional. If you live around here or shop at the Smithaven mall this is a great place to stop for dinner or a quick slice.

We had great meals tonight.
1– Large order Baked Clams — very good, whole clams, loved the sauce which I dunked bread in and then poured on to my pasta dish. Nicely bread crumbed and seasoned.
2– Spaghetti with grilled shrimp. EXCELLENT. Beautifully prepared, tasted outstanding. What I like is they ask how many grilled shrimps would you like and you pay per shrimp so I asked for 6… they were large in size and grilled to perfection and served with the tails removed as I requested. Could not have enjoyed this dish more… loved it!
3– Penne Pasta with grilled chicken… chicken was plentiful and very tasty, moist not dried out. Excellent dish.
4– Service was very good and this time the bread basket was fresh and we loved the garlic knots.
Terrific meal… we will be back!!!
PS– and the cozy company was the best part of the meal… teehe!!!

I often swing by Umbertos for lunch or dinner as it it located right by my work.
Excellent pizza and knots, which is what I always get. Sometimes I swing by late and they have thrown in extra slices or knots free of charge! So nice.
Everyone is always very pleasant and I have always had a good experience. Highly recommended!

This is the first time I have ever written a negative review — for ANYTHING. If I am unhappy with an establishment, I simply do not revisit it. However, I feel it is important to note the manner in which I was treated tonight by the OWNER of Umberto’s of New Hyde Park Pizzeria in Lake Grove, NY. We had company and the kids wanted pizza. We ordered from Umberto’s — as we have dined in, and taken out, several times and were generally pleased with the food/​pizza. We opened the box and started doling out the slices to the kids when one of them noticed «something» on the slice. It was a moth, right on top of the cheese but clearly bonded to it. I called the restaurant and spoke with a young lady who was polite but kept asking her «supervisor» for the answers to my questions. Finally, the owner — Mike — got on the phone. When I explained to him what we discovered, he became agitated and said that it was IMPOSSIBLE that the pie left his store that way. At first, I thought he was kidding… surely I had better things to do on a Saturday night then to be insulted by a moron! He kept saying to bring the whole pie back, intact, and then he would «see about refunding my money.» I explained that some of the kids started eating their slices and he yelled to bring the entire pie back intact and HUNG UP ON ME. I brought the pizza back — and spoke with Mike — who was belligerent and unapologetic.
Funny thing is, I was not upset when I called about our «discovery», these things happen. But, it’s is not okay to treat the people who frequent your establishment like they are trying to get over. And Mike, if you are reading this, you really are a bad businessman. Being obnoxious and treating your customers with disrespect will not serve you well.

The pizza had the right amount of dough, it was nice and crunchy. It was pretty decent for a chain store. The restaurant was busy, but it seemed to be not too crazy inside. The workers seemed very busy, but they were fast in my case. I will be coming back to this location, because it was a good meal, and I enjoyed the kindness of the workers.

The Food is delicious, and I would recommend it to anyone, but don’t eat in the restaurant. The servers are awful, split a glass of wine on the table and didn’t bring another, instead she pretended like it didn’t happen.
When the food came, the runner got everyone’s good wrong and we had to switch plates.
Lesson: stick to takeout or counter service pizza, don’t waste your money on table service.

Great service, quick and friendly. But the the pizza is only okay. They had a good variety in the menu and the pizza by the slice at the front counter looked decent, although you might miss the display if you’re not looking for it. The pizza was a little greasy, crust was medium thickness but had a good crunch, a bit on the dry side. Dining area looked clean. I haven’t been to the other locations, but this on is a good choice for a decent meal at a fair price. Nothing fancy, but also no red flags.

I always find it hard to review an establishment after one visit, but i will give it my best shot according to tonight’s visit.
They were very much understaffed. We sat for a good 15 mins before we finally flagged down a busboy for some waters. Our entire visit went this way and i even noticed a gentleman at an adjacent table consistently getting up to get the waitress as she emerged from the kitchen.
We started with 3 appetizers;
Fried calamari– cooked to perfection, nice and tender and not «overbreaded»
Fried zucchini sticks– very bland, slightly greasy.
Rice ball– excellent, nice mixture of cheese, rice, meat and peas.
I had the Veal Parm. — nice size portion, the sauce was decent (a little acidic), i do prefer my sauces on «parmesan meals «to be on the lighter side. Side of penne cooked al dente to perfection. My wife had cavatelle with chunks of veal, peas and carrots in a red sauce. I tasted her meal and was impressed by the nice compliment of flavors. The veal in her meal was like butter. Bravissimo! My kids had penne alla vodka (looked like mac and cheese in color, but my daughter said it was delicious). My other daughter has the eggplant parm (again, this one also loved her meal). Finally my son had the fruta di mare fra diavolo, and he said the spice was just right and the seafood was cooked nicely. I cant personally vouch for the kids meals, as they no longer look for dad’s help in finishing their meals, lol. Another problem with teenagers!
All in all the food was average to above average. Portion sizes were average to above average. Service was below average.
Would i return? Absolutely if i could grab another $ 100 worth of food and drinks for $ 50 on Groupon, otherwise probably not.

Very good thin crisp crust. Sauce and toppings also good. Overall would recommend if u live nearby and want to grab a good slice. However, think the pizza in the original New Hyde Park and Plainview locations are better. The sauce there and seasonings more memorable.

First time we ate here and the food was definitely good but the service was lacking… it seemed that they were short on help. We constantly had to ask for everything including basic things like making sure the water glasses were filled up or extra bread… the bus boy was easier to grab then our waitress !!
We had a groupon coupon so we put up with it all but we really should not have to… yes I would try it again in the future.

I am convinced, going forward to ignore all pizzeria restaurant reviews in Suffolk county. Why, you ask. Majority of people in Suffolk don’t know what good pizza is. I saw this place getting 4 stars and being only few miles away I figured it was a score. My original plan was driving 35 miles to Elmont to go to King Umbertos on Hempstead tpke.
I regret my decision. The clams oregenate were so bland. No seasoning whatsoever. I had better clams in a bar/​pub. That pissed me off big time. The pasta fagioli guess what, bland again. The margerita pizza was average and so was their regular slice. I will never go out of my way to come back here.

This is the 3 location I’ve been to. No complaints at all. Tastier grandma than the Oyster Bay location. Still waiting on my stuffed shells which are always spot on. Umberto’s needs to go nationwide!!! Olive Garden couldn’t see this place no time soon…
Umberto’s is my all time favorite. Whenever in the area I will stop by…
Ohhhh SHIT!!! Half an hour later and I’m stuffed!!! The shells were awesome… Accompanied with some very tasty garlic knots… Same quality as the New Hyde Park location.

Good, not great. There was a time when I included Umberto’s among the best pizza places on Long Island. However, they seemed to have dipped in quality over the past few years.
The service is usually always mediocre. There’s a few people who work there that I’ve never seen smile.
The pizza is usually slightly undercooked, which is strange because they advertise that their pizzas are cooked well done by default.
It’s not a bad pizza place by any means. If you’re in the area, give them a try as a matter of convenience. If you’re looking for really good Italian food, however, you may want to try a different place.

Really solid Italian food! They deliver. The pizzas are really good and their pastas haven’t disappointed. Their cooked vegetables were a bit soggy but the prices are really fair. My opinion is that you’ll similar or better quality of food as Sole Mio but at a lesser cost.

There is nothing like real New York pizza. Living in MA, this is one of the things that I miss, plus the fact that there are few places that I can actually purchase a slice.
Umberto’s delivers every time we visit. Granted, the only thing we have had here is pizza to go, but it’s so good and worth the trip.

My favorite pizza place in Lake Grove. This place wasn’t here when I was a teenager, its been here since Umbertos started their Long Island expansion 10 years ago.
This is a big space, there are booths up front for the pizza folks and in the back is sit down waitress service. (I’ve never eaten here for dinner)
When my kids and I see a movie, we’ll come here and order a fresh pie. Even though this a corporate pizza chain, they have the process down. They make a good pizza and its one of my favorites, I’ll usually swing by here for a pizza to go on my way home from work.
A typical 8 slice, Long Island pizza that never disappoints.
Search this place out, its so worth it!