Bar Italia Madison

This place is a delight. My boyfriend is vegan, I’m vegan/​gluten free which can be annoying but they were pleasantly accommodating. I always order gluten free pizza, all veggies and no cheese and he gets gluten free pasta with marinara. (the gluten free pizza is amazballs). It does get a little noisy during dinner service but that didn’t bother us.

Return? Maybe, had a great meal but pricey and not really my scene. Been here twice but only because my friend lives a block away
Atmosphere (3+) — Clean, stark, a little cramped because a small space. Gilded, eurotrash crowd, on par with the neighborhood
Food (4) — This was a while ago so I don’t remember what we ordered (sea bass?) but it was very good
Service (4) Friendly, helpful, attentive
Cost = Total tab was $ 164 after tax before tip with 3 glasses of wine

Had the brunch prix fixe. Mimosa, asparagus appetizer then the veal parmigiana. Ask for a salad instead of the fries as the entrée is a bit oily. Relaxing seat near the window. Shared an affogato.

Excellent service. The waiters were very accommodating. One of two eaters even offered to hold our baby girl (8 months) wile we ate.

Had Dinner last night with a friend, the food is ok, but the bad attitude of the server was the opposite of a service professional, very rude and disinterested, never check for more drinks or how the food was, bad vibe for this cute place. In our way out we chat a little with the maitre d, I din’t mention it because of my friend. I left 20% anyways, bartender and busboys were nice.

Easily the worst experience I have had at an «upscale» restaurant. The patrons were obnoxious– one couple was making out, another couple was loud and boisterous– they actually seemed to be part of the ownership, as they bused their own dishes and walked around like they owned the place. They were so loud– dropped dishes into the bus stations with a clang, etc.
The best part was, when I went to use the ladies room– not a gender neutral bathroom, mind you– a waiter stepped out and as I walked in, I noticed he left the toilet seat up. Way to treat your guests like a non-​entity!
Also, the food was nothing special. I had the carbonara, and it was very salty/​cheesy– not much creativity going for it. Expensive food. Terrible atmosphere.

For anyone with a gluten-​free intolerance, this restaurant is a dream come true. Bar Italia’s gluten-​free Veal Milanese is a delight and a rarity even in restaurants with a selection of gluten-​free options. The selection of gluten-​free pastas is also very good. The setting and ambience are lovely, however the service is average and could be improved.

This meal was pure perfection from start to finish.
Appetizers were calamari which was very fresh and the tuna (which if I had to rank was least favorite) however the barata mozzarella is a must have and literally the best I have had.
Highly recommend the chicken which was amazing and pan fried ever so lightly it melted I. My mouth.

I love coming here for lunch. Delicious food and super nice attentive staff. The dairy free potato celery soup is my favorite. I wish I could come more often but it’s so out of my way.

Went here on a Wednesday night. It was small and warm. Enjoyed the restaurant week menu. Appetizers included a beet/​goat cheese salad and prosciutto and greens. Main course consisted of sword fish and a creamy shrimp rissoto. Delish! We ended the night with flan and coffee. Food wise it met my expectations. It seemed to get busy quickly even with our early reservation. They were quick with bringing out the food. Not sure if it felt a bit rushed but perhaps we could have adjusted that by going at a slower pace. I will try it again.

I enjoyed everything I ordered (Salmon Tartare and Crispy fried calamari), were made to perfection.
Black truffle over eggs was delicious accompanied with a glass of dry Proseco.
Lovely location, great and friendly staff!
Strongly recommend this restaurant and I’ll be back soon

1) I am Italian
2) I import high-​end Italian foods
3) I grew up eating 5 star restaurant meals
I enjoyed everything. Authentic Italian meals. Carbonara was great. Pasta with truffle also.
Antipasto was very good.

Delicious lunch! I became hungry while shopping on Madison :) I took a chance and stopped in. I had coffee and the grilled octopus. It was delicious! Nice and very cozy intimate atmosphere :)

Finally tried this location recently –
I regularly ordered takeout and occasionally ate at their previous upper east location which closed — I loved the vibe, clean décor and fantastic food and service. The atmosphere and food remain wonderful at this location but I was disappointed with the vibe and feel of the new location. The service provided by the maitre d was not very friendly and he was hustling back and forth too briskly and appeared stressed. (Calm down, relax.) He was also initially unaccommodating with a simple request to add vegetables /​chicken to a dish. The men sitting next to me — one was ignoring his clearly irritated date while taking a phone call half the meal and another neighboring man was with a woman and looking at many women passing by. I usually would not even notice my surrounding customers much more than a glance except the tables are spaced so tightly together you can’t help but be a part. I was so put off by the disrespect, attitude and rudeness of the maitre d and customers in my immediate vicinity I was wishing I had chosen another restaurant half the meal. That was the negative and the reason for one less star.
The positive: the other servers and hostess were wonderful, friendly and attentive. Atmosphere is clean and bright with modern décor. Lively.
The food is wonderful: my favorites which were outstanding this time as in the past are the grilled octopus over hummus — so so delicious, and beef carpaccio — one of my top appetizers, and they have an amazing one. Also had prosciutto with mozzarella which was great.
My favorite entrée which was great this time as well is the penne pasta with mushrooms and truffle oil. I asked them to add vegetables and chicken which was how I’ve always ordered previously. The maitre d was not accommodating initially which annoyed me.
My friend had a gluten free pasta dish with truffle oil which was also good … Another plus here is they actually offer a full gluten free menu.
In the past (previous location) the food was consistently good when I ordered to have it delivered — and the one time they delivered sub par food the owner Denis — who also does much of the cooking — was extremely accommodating and completely made up for it — making me an even more loyal customer there until they closed the location .
I would try once more to see if the vibe was better — but unfortunately they don’t even deliver anymore /​from this location — just offer pickup or

Came here on a whim after a long day in NYC sight seeing. Very crowded and small restaurant but the ambience is beautiful. We were lucky to get a seat without reservations.
All black and white décor and very chic and relaxing.
Server was wonderful, and courteous, and food & drinks brought out promptly.
Food was delicious — we ordered 2 pesto dishes and a plain pasta with marinara, as well as a bread appetizer. We gobbled it all up and left quickly.
We would definitely come back here again!

My boyfriend and I had an early dinner here after shopping on Madison avenue. The restaurant is très chic, and romantic. We had the Insalata di Indivia to start (which we shared), and the Tagliolini al Tartufo, which we also shared. Everything was Perfectly cooked, and well presented. My boyfriend and I will definitely return to the restaurant in the nearby future.

Lugar muy agradable y el personal profesional. Buena comida! Recomendable sin duda.

I have to say, the service was pretty impeccable. The restaurant was crowded, but the wait staff was on their A game. Our waiter immediately recommended a bottle of wine for us, which was delicious.
My boyfriend and I decided to dine here for restaurant week. The menu was varied (minus the lack of choice for dessert, Tiramisu was the only option). We were able to order 2 different appetizers and 2 different entrees.
Overall, the food was good, nothing better than good. Portions were full size which were very big, which is unusual to me for restaurant week, but in a good way.
We had the following:
— Crab Salad
— Prosciutto w/​mozzarella
— Short Ribs
— Risotto of the day (sausage and zucchini)
-
To my surprise my favorite dish was the risotto. It had a ton of flavor and was delicious. Everything else was mediocre and I was disappointed in the prosciutto/​mozz. It was so blah. The prosciutto, I believe, was just deli ham thin sliced and a ton it. Nothing special about it at all.
Again, the service was great. Would I come back? Probably not, as there are so many nice Italian restaurants in New York with tastier, and less pricey options.

I met friends at Bar Italia yesterday… here are my thoughts:
Ambiance: Very classy and clean. It reminded me of my favorite Beverly Hills Italian place, which is one of the few things I miss about living in L.A.
Service: Excellent. Servers are friendly and helpful, patient and quick.
Food: Here is where Bar Italia strikes out.
– Crab Salad — I ordered this expecting fresh crab on a lettuce with nicely sliced grapefruit and avocado. What I received was a lump of mayo with a bit of crab in it, «garnished» with limp pieces of grapefruit. I ate one bite and had to send it back — it was just nauseating. And for $ 32 I couldn’t politely force this dish down.
– Tuna Salad — Servers were gracious enough to replace my dish with the Tuna salad (avocado, tuna chunks, capers, asparagus). This was marginally better but to be honest the tuna appeared to be canned and for $ 20+ I thought this was disappointing.
– Chicken Salad — My friend had this and was happy with it. She’s a regular and only eats chicken salad in most restaurants. It looked decent.
– Corn Salad — Another friend ate this and appeared satisfied, although it was super simple and also overpriced.
Pricing: Here is where Bar Italia loses another star. I paid $ 36 for just my portion (the only additions to the above was one coffee and a side of asparagus). I understand supplementing the Madison Ave rent costs but I left the restaurant hungry and unsatisfied.
Overall: Maybe the pastas are good and that’s what I should have ordered? Not sure if I’m an anomaly since reviews are decent for Bar Italia. Still, I don’t think I’ll be returning.

My best friend in the city can be a bit difficult to please as far as food goes. She is a gluten free/​soy free/​sober/​vegan, and, whenever you have one of those on board, one must really take into consideration the restaurant to choose.
Now after all that being said, let me just tell you… she picked the place. Haha. We showed up on Thanksgiving for our annual «Friendsgiving» lunch.
DRINKS
She’s sober — Fear no more! This place has «Mocktails». It kind of sucks when we go out with a big group and everyone is drinking except for her. She doesn’t want to feel socially left out. Alas, mocktails. These tasty little drinks look and taste delicious! It’s everything you’d have in a «drink» minus the alcohol. She had some sort of minty mojito style mocktail and loved it.
FOOD
Gluten free — Again, fear no more! This place has a lengthy gluten free menu that can satisfy even the pickiest eater. They were extremely accommodating to any of our requests.
I had the Tagliolini ai Gamberi which was really good. The portions are spot on. You won’t leave this Italian restaurant feeling like you are going to just peel over and die or explode at any minute. The portions are Italian-​style, NOT American. My friend had the Penne ai Funghi which was yes, Gluten free and yes, I honestly thought it was tastier than mine. It was gluten free/​soy free/​and vegan so I am wondering how they made it so robust in flavor. I am definitely going to order this when I go back and it is clearly a much healthier alternative to the standard pasta.
DECOR
Very cute white modern décor. They have pictures plastered on the walls of Hollywood Icons such as Brigitte Bardot. It’s a cute and quaint little restaurant with an Upper East Side vibe.
PRICE
Yes it is overpriced. At pastas in the $ 30 range, one must really deliver something extraordinary. I felt that this pasta was definitely above average and deserving of the hefty price tag. Location location location! This place has it. Perfect little restaurant on the UES. Will return very soon!

The manager and the food saves the day. Very cool ambience too.
All of the food was delicious. The manager was a stately gentleman. Attentive and supportive of his staff. The waiter was awkward and didn’t mesh with our energy.
We opted for the Restaurant Week menu. All good choices. As the pictures I posted show, the Polenta w Spicy Sausage Ragu and the Salmon Tartare were very good, the Swordfish w Arugula Salad was our favorite, but the Spaghetti Carbonara was perfect.
I think the only downfall is the service. It seems spotty as there were other patrons having issues.