Sandro’s

WOW! I seriously felt like I was back at my moms house in Italy. Ladies and gentlemen if you think chicken parm (they don’t serve that) is Italian food then stop right here and either don’t bother going to Sandro’s or go to learn what real Italian food is! To start we had burrata and beef carpaccio. The burrata was fresh and creamy. The beef carpaccio basically melted in your mouth. Then as our first course we had bucatini amatriciana and spaghetti al limone. The bucatini are hands down the best I’ve had in my life. From what I understand the spaghetti are a Sandro’s original and taste like an Alfredo sauce with a heavy hint of lemon. We were pretty full from all this but split a veal Milanese which was better than any Milanese I ever had in Milan. Too full for dessert but when we asked for the check we received a complimentary shot of vodka and butter cookies anyways. The prices are a bit high but we were speaking to the chef/​owner at the bar and he was telling us about his day; he does all the shopping picking out the best ingredients possible every day for the restaurant! With that being said the one thing that can be improved on is the service, but we enjoyed our meal so much that I’m willing to over look it. Good job Sandro, can’t wait to come back and try more of your specials.

This is the third Sandro’s location I’ve been to. Original restaurant was on 59^th street, then Sandro moved to 9^th Avenue in Chelsea (way before it was cool) after a hiatus and now is on the UES. In that regard, I feel the place has grown up with me.
Sadly (and hopefully where the metaphor ends), Sandro’s has gotten worse and not better each step of the way.
The good: Present (usually) owner, lots of specials and a focus on Roman food (most fine New York Italians are Northern). Used to be lots of comps/​freebies back in the day.
The bad: Prices don’t match experience and staff is ehhhh. Hard to transition from chef to owner, but given how long it has been you’d think the kinks would be out by now.
Pity because this place used to be awesome. I’m jumping off the train before the next move

A friend of ours in NY recommended this place to us they said look for the yellow awning, we thought it was chinese, but you step down the steps, ring the bell, they let you in, take your coat, seat you, and instantly bring out the drink menu… I LIKE THAT.
I am vegetarian, so i just wanted plain fettucini alfredo, and they said they didnt have it but he talked to the chef and the chef was able to make it for me– talk about noodle melting in your mouth because they are HOME MADE, best fettucini i have ever had and Im italian! haha, my fiancé had another dish with noodle greens and sausage it was amazing that night and because of the large portions we took it back to the hotel and he had it for breakfast the following day and he said that it was just as good if not better ! haha
I definitely recommend this place if you like a good atmosphere, dim lights, quiet enough for conversation but loud enough that not everyone hears it.
everyone is friendly, and we will definitely be back!!!

Sandros is simply great. It is authentic. It is delish and it is simple. I have been there on a date and the biggest problem is that the starters are so good you almost fill up before you main meal. The olive oil is pure and wonderful. The fresh made pasta takes me back to when my grandmother made it. It is firmly in the rotation of once a month restaurants.

The thing to remember about this place is they have more stuff off the menu. Found that out as we overheard a waiter going through their specials at another table. Well done our Italian waiter.
The pastas are great but wonder if the specials are even better!

Came here with husband and a friend for dinner on friend’s recommendation — we were incredibly impressed by Giovanni’s almost theater-​like presentation of the specials menu, which was certainly at least the length of the regular menu if not longer.
Friend had the mushroom lasagna, I had the fusili with sweet italian sausage and broccoli rabe, husband had the chicken parmiggiano. All were incredibly excellent — the lasagna, my friend and I agreed, was rich, flavorful, smoothed, perfectly delicious! The fusili dish was INCREDIBLE. The other reviewers’ notes that Sandro’s is no different that cuisine one would readily procure in Italy is spot on. Only true Italian cuisine has the unique ability to produce such a delicate, richly flavored, perfectly balanced, fulfilling pasta dish from such humble and few ingredients! The chicken parmiggiano I did not taste, but my husband said it was really good.
Everything we ordered was from the specials menu.
The atmosphere is cozy — and it definitely is a locals’ spot, which makes it even better! Nothing too pretentious though, just intimate and encouraging of good conversation and a good time. Now that we’ve discovered this incredible gem so close by, we will be back often! If the food continues at the standard it was on our first go, this will certainly be my favorite Italian place in the city.

What happened? We have been going here for seven years and in fact our first blind date was here in 2007 and we always thought the great meal kicked off our relationship, now marriage. But the last two visits have been disappointing, culminating this week with an utterly unimpressive meal. As other reviewers note, if Sandro isn’t there the place suffers. He was there last night but hanging in the bar… meanwhile they served food out of order… served me an utterly uninspiring, undercooked, overpriced pasta… I took a few bites and instead just split my husband’s dish with him. I told then it had been very disappointing — and they could see I hadn’t eaten it, but there was no concern, no care, nothing. Anyway after the first mediocre meal, we decided to try again because we have enormous sentimental attachment to it but after last night we agreed we will move on and find other Italian. Its a big city, No point in spending money when the owner seems to be halfway into retirement…

Awesome food! I had a carpaccio with Parmesan and truffles. Amazing! The 2 pasta dishes we ordered were also delicious. Fantastic service. We came in and got soup compliments of the house. We also got free drinks with dessert. The staff is super attentive and Sandro always stops by! I would recommend it!

Our favorite Italian restaurant in the city! With a family from Italy that owns Italian supermarkets — we know what good Italian is and Sandro makes THE BEST in Manhattan! The lemon pasta is a must have and don’t forget the fried artichokes! Always a perfect meal!

Our favorite go-​to Italian. They are super friendly and always make us feel like we are special guests. My wife swears they make the best cosmos at the bar. To start, the homemade pepper breadsticks are fantastic and addictive. The crispy artichoke appetizer is delicious, the lemon pasta is crazy good (yes lemon pasta!!! You have to try it). My favorite is the swordfish grilled with tomatoes and onion… best swordfish preparation I have ever had, it’s a special but a must try. And during truffle season I am a fan of the asparagus with sunny side up egg and white truffles.

My wife and I have been to Sandro’s a couple times since moving to the neighborhood last year. It’s certainly not the cheapest Italian food around, but we’ve enjoyed all of our meals here. The first time we went, we were the youngest in the restaurant by at least 40 years; last time, we were much closer to the average age.
The thing that jumps out is the list of specials. The waiter recited more specials than there were dishes on the actual menu. And, in our experience, the specials are the way to go… typically better than the regular menu items. They did get confused and brought us veal bolognese instead of veal milanese, but it was pretty awesome, so no complaints!
Definitely a good neighborhood spot.

The food is out of this world.

LOVED SANDRO’S!!! Intimate, comfortable restaurant with great Italian food. The service was excellent and they really made us feel welcome during our first visit here. We started with the Pan seared cuttle fish with artichokes, which was delicious, as was the Crisply fried artichokes. I loved the Bucatini Amatriciana and the Sauteed veal with lemon as well. All around great meal at Sandro’s. I’ll be back!

I was able to check out Sandro’s on Sunday night with some friends. My two friends were incredibly high on this place and it more or less delivered on the food front. While my one friends claims it is the best Italian in the city, I would definitely not go that far. The pasta dishes that were prepared were good and not overly expensive. The ambiance is similar to other smaller Italian restaurants you’ll find in the city: intimate, moderately loud because you’re packed in, and darkish. The waiter was jovial and the banter was fun. Overall I thought it was a decent Italian restaurant. I already know of three others in the city I like more and I’ve only lived here three months (just saying).
The crowd in there was really upper east sidey… turtlenecks, blazers, etc. I am pretty sure I never want to be like the people who were sitting around us.
We did some damage ($ 140 pp), but $ 80 of that was booze. You could probably drink much more moderately and get out of there at $ 75/​head.
Biggest disappointment… didn’t get to meet Sandro.

Food was good! however, had to walk to the bar to get another drink and I asked for a refill on my water twice. Also, the kitchen caught on fire and the dining room was full of smoke. I was told it was safe however the smoke was overwhelming so I left. Sandro the big chef is nice.

Best Italian I’ve had in NYC

I don’t understand the negative reviews. I have been coming here for a long time. The food is authentic Roman and very, very good. The attractive clientele varies from Italian chic to upscale neighborhood. There are lovely give aways with each course. The plates are beautifully composed. The pastas are excellent as are most of the other dishes. Service is attentive and sometimes overwhelmed. It can get noisy when the place is full. If you order knowingly and ask the price of the specials, which are many, the price is reasonable.
Sandro gets four stars because it’s a trattoria and not haute cuisine.

Used to have terrific food and great service.
This time had poor service. Not worth the experience.

The chef is great. Bartender was nice. Food was excellent. I know lots have complained about the health inspection. But it seemed on point. Ate there twice. Both times it was a great experience.

Lost its B rating. Now GRADE PENDING. I got sick. Read the violations from last health inspection reports. Avoid this place completely unless you want to get sick.
Violations recorded in the following area (s) and a Notice of Violation issued at the reinspection conducted on 07/​24/​2012.
«Critical» violations are displayed in red.
Violation points: 15
Sanitary Violations
1) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/​or non-​food areas.
2) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-​drying device not provided.
Violations recorded in the following area (s) and a Notice of Violation issued at the initial operational cycle inspection conducted on 06/​26/​2012.
«Critical» violations are displayed in red.
Violation points: 23
Sanitary Violations
1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-​contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
3) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
4) Non-​food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-​food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/​or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.