Aleo Restaurant & Bar

Best meal I’ve had in years. Seriously the best meal I’ve had in YEARS. I am very upset reading the reviews for this Restaurant.
Firstly I would like to confront the snobby comments putting down the décor and flavors of Aleo.
The décor is charming, I like an old fashion and intimate place to have a meal. Muffles the acoustics and gives privacy, best for focusing on my company and my dinner. The city needs diversity. Not every space can be blindingly bright and contemporary.
I’m not a long time customer but even in reading the bad 3 – 4 star reviews you see that the restaurant cares about quality and consistent quality. Apparently the restaurant remade a pickup order after an in considerate customer showed up hours late, my thoughts are that they cared enough about their reputation and providing consistently good food that they suffered the cost and remade the order.
The quality of the ingredients in my meal is what really impressed me the most. The flesh of the fish, squid and shrimp I ate was so clean. I am very sensitive to sour seafood so these fresh textures, scent and flavor really stood out to me and impressed me.
The flavor combinations were rich and sophisticated yet reminded me of my fathers cooking. Especially the perfectly balance of the tomato soup, salty yet refreshing. This reminds me of another snotty comment I read calling the flavors predictable.
This is not true, unless are you are predicting good.
The deliveries are great as well. Fast and thoughtfully packed. Very cute hand writing on the lids by the way ;)
Thank you for wonderful food. I hope you don’t disappear. Please stay in business.

They were nice, they did not rush us, the food is delicious — and we got there right in time for the opening for dinner so we got to sit in the breezy open doorway… Beautiful good spirits all around. My one complaint? The four-​cheese ravioli seemed like a half serving for $ 20… Delicious! I wanted more! Thank you for a beautiful experience.

Tried via MealPass. Came hours late of my pickup and yet they still accomodated me by making my meal again from scratch! That was so legit. I apologized and felt so bad, I even decided to buy a beer for their troubles. They were super polite and let me eat at the bar. Since it was exactly 4pm on the nose, they included my beer in with their happy hour. The beer (a peroni) was a mere 3 and change because of this. Beats ⁸⁄₉ at clubs! That was so solid. The food itself was good and though nothing out of this world, it was perfect. I got the veal parmesan /​pasta dish. Overall, very friendly staff and attentive while to me the rest of the restaurant seemed perfect for a romantic /​dim-​lit evening with white-​tablecloths throughout.

I wish I could give 5 star to the server that served us at the first time we went to dine at Aleo, he had an Italian accent and he was very professional. Overall experience went so well at the restaurant (party of 5 people) that we decided to buy Groupon and decided to use it on Mother’s day which according to state gov website is NOT a Federal Holiday. We have checked on groupon fine prints and as stated you are unable to use Groupon only when it’s a federal holiday. (again Mother’s day is not a federal holiday). We have called the restaurant, made reservation and confirmed that we have Groupon and we would like to use it for mother’s day. The manger had told me since they have pre-​fix menu for The mother’s day we wouldn’t be able to use that menu but we could order items on the regular menu. Next day I called again to confirm and verify since the manager seemed very unprofessional and rude, surprisingly SAME manager told me that we wouldn’t be able to use Groupon and that he was sorry and to call Groupon and get the refund. I Have called groupon and made sure to reach out to managers team so that they could take out Aleo restaurant from their groupon list, also they had given me full refund. Too bad that the restaurant manager doesn’t know how to provide good costumer service and is unprofessional because we would definitely planning to come back several times to this restaurant since it’s near our job but unfortunately his rule/​unprofessional answer was enough to never go back there again!

I don’t get all the bad reviews. I thought this restaurant was great and exceeded expectations. I wasn’t expecting there to be absolutely no one there on a Wednesday night but around dinner time there were still a few tables. The service was fine and the food came out promptly enough. We started with the baked clams which was really good. I ordered the papperdelle while my boyfriend got the lamb shank. The lamb shank was AMAZING. It was perfectly tender and juicy and had great flavors. It wasn’t overpowering or bland. My pasta was pretty good too and the portions for both were good sizes. I wouldn’t mind coming back again!

I tried the place with a groupon. Menu items covered by a groupon were upto $ 26, nothing appealed to my friend and I so we agreed to surcharge and got rib eye steaks were just ok. Groupon was for 2 drinks and 2 entrees, got salads on top of it. Mediterranean and Cesar ones both were fresh and pretty good. Place was clean. Doubt I will be back, even with a groupon with surcharges + tax+ 18% tip + salads it came a to be not cheap yet very very average food. Hostess was very cheerful and super nice but I think given that us were the only customers she was bored.

We went to Aleo to have a birthday celebration. Overall it was a great dining experience and I would recommend it. I had the shrimp risotto which was absolutely delicious and flavorful. Everyone at our table finished everything on our plates. The tiramisu was excellent. The manager and waiter was most accommodating and pleasant. He even added a candle to the dessert of the birthday girl. The décor was basic and reminds me of what New York restaurants used to look like before the very modern aesthetic that is so prevalent.

The atmosphere was great. They had all the dining options I wanted. They explained the voucher that we used thoroughly. Their drinks were superb! The staff was very attentive.

Enjoyable atmosphere; excellent menu with wide variety of choices; friendly, courteous, knowledgeable staff; meals deliciously prepared and presented and served. Do definitely recommend to others and will return when in the area again.

Lovely place, great drinks and food!

I had a nice dinner there on a Saturday night. The place had a lot of open tables. It has a pretty nice atmosphere. The food was tasty as well. The service was pretty good overall. The only thing I didn’t like was at the end when the waitress wrote on the check +20% tip. The tip should be whatever I want it to be. I asked to pay with debit card and she even filled in the tip amount and what the final bill should be. I find that rather rude and a bit aggressive. Im surprised she didn’t sign the receipt herself. Even though she was friendly I find that behavior to suggest she was pretty desperate to enrich herself at the expense of her restaurant reputation.
Probably would not go back.

After reading some reviews I was nervous about the Groupon I had purchased to dine here with three of my friends. I went in expecting to have some trouble using it and being very limited in terms of selection. We were seated immediately after reserving a table on opentable and immediately were welcomed by our waitress. She was fantastic and was very on top of what we needed and when we were ready to order and pay, etc. even though the place was rather busy.
They started us off with tasty Italian bread and olive oil as well as our wine selections (I had the Rose and tasted the Riesling, both fantastic!). We ordered an appetizer on top of our Groupon entrees and had no trouble whatsoever. I split two entrees with my friend: we ordered the Pumpkin Ravioli and the Gnocchi, both of which were delicious. The pumpkin ravioli is definitely sweet while still savory and the gnocchi, although a relatively typical gnocchi, was delicious as well. My other two friends ordered the Penne and the yellowfin tuna. I tried a piece of the tuna and was pleasantly surprised; I didn’t expect the fish to be as fresh as it was! And I couldn’t try the Penne, unfortunately, as I watched my friend spoon up the last bites of sauce. We all left very full and VERY happy.
We will definitely be visiting again as there were so many fantastic dishes that we didn’t get the chance to try and the food and service were both top notch.

I don’t know why this place has 3 stars because not only is the food good but the service is amazing! They have a cute garden that makes it nice and romantic for those going on a date but also good for groups. I got the paper plane martini and it was STRONG but that’s never a bad thing ;)
My partner got the chef special pasta that was amazing and I got the chicken paste. We were both extremely satisfied and the waitress was very funny and friendly.
Will recommend this place to friends and family.

Aleo is a diminutive restaurant in a rather dead street. We walked in, and the place was completely empty other than ourselves and the servers at a 5:30 arrival. Setting is that of a bland, ubiquitous establishment stuck in the 1940s. Bar to the right, a row of plain white clothed tables to be the left, dated floor tiles and a few frames to cover blank walls. A little wider and it would be like the fictional Louis’ where Michael Corleone shot Solozzo and McCluskey. They had the curtains drawn in the rear so you didn’t get the normal flood of light, just the conspicuous yellow of artificial ambiance.
Started with wine and an appetizer, oven baked clams. Not bad.
Wasn’t a fan of the pasta. Flavors were… expected.
Main entrée was the veal chop. Had a great sear on the outside, but soft and tender on the inside. Great size, larger than the ribeye steak even after you remove the bone. Definitely worth the order. Chop came with the obligatory mashed potatoes and mushrooms which were also well done.

They offer a menu at the bar during happy hour. Loving their chocolate martini!
Dinner selection is a nice variety of Italian fare.
Will continue to come back.

Had dinner here with my girlfriend recently and had a great time. The ambiance is nice as it is a little quieter and more spacious than most Italian restaurants in the city. It is also clean with good music during the meal.
The halibut was fresh and cooked very well. Flaky but not dry. My girlfriend has saltimbocca which was also excellent.
The bartender Anthony was also our server and he did an excellent job. He was quick and attentive, and he even gave each a shot of the homemade Limoncello with our dessert.
I will definitely go back.

Cute restaurant, but it is in the middle of one of those dead, quiet streets in Chelsea you never want to find yourself in at night.
A friend and I were in the area and looked up food deals around us and after 20 minutes of relentlessly going on every deal app we could find, we bought Groupon for 2 entrees and a 2 drinks. We came on a Saturday night and it seemed like a quiet night for them – they were only serving 2 other tables. I had the Veal Scaloppini and it was very tasty. I loved the crispiness of the bread crumbs and the sauce made this twice as good. Was it filling? It won’t leave you so bloated, you’ll have to sit in for the next 10 minutes to digest, but it was delicious.
Kind of sad this restaurant is pretty dead on a warm Saturday night. But then again, maybe everyone just flocked to the rooftop bars. I’ve been to my share of Italian restaurants, but this place was not mediocre, by far. Polite staff, especially our Italian waitress who had a cute Italian accent.
Oh, and we also ordered drinks so strong, we can’t even remember their names.

Make sure to use the Scoutmob deal when you go here for 50% off your bill (max $ 25 off). My friend and I paid $ 12 each for our dinner, which is pretty sweet.
The atmosphere at this restaurant is dead. I could totally see Ernest Hemingway sitting at a corner table in the dark all by his lonesome writing away. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I do wonder why there were no more than 6 people here even on a Saturday night, 2 of them at the bar. Methinks they need better marketing.
While I waited for my friend, they seated me and brought bread and butter, which I stuffed my face with. We ordered an appetizer of baked clams, she got the linguine with clams, and I got the insalata and asked that they add chicken. I enjoyed my salad and the baked clams were great. We sat there for 3+ hours chatting away, and the wait staff didn’t seem to care.
Waitresses were also very helpful and attentive. Overall it was a solid dinner experience!

I had a lovely dinner at Aleo Restaurant & Bar earlier this week, which is a cozy adorable spot in the Flatiron/​Gramercy area that showcases innovative Italian cuisine with traces of Mediterranean flavoring.
For the entrée, I chose New Zealand Lamb Chops, which consisted of grilled lamb chops, roasted potatoes, asparagus, cumin-​marinated carrots, au jus and taziki white sauce. The lamb was cooked perfectly and had amazing flavor. I enjoyed it with the taziki sauce which had a strong yogurt and dill taste, and was slightly tangy. All the vegetables were wonderful, especially the carrots and potatoes. The carrots were incredibly flavorful and just the right texture. The potatoes were underneath the lamb chops and had soaked all the delicious sauces and spices from the lamb.
My friend and I shared a dessert of chocolate molten cake with vanilla gelato, which was wonderful. The chocolate was rich and delightful. I would have liked it if the chocolate inside was a bit more warm and melt-​y but overall the cake had a lovely sweet and deeply chocolate-​y flavor. The gelato was incredibly delicious and a nice change from the boring old ice cream accompaniment.

After work Tuesday night calls for drinks which Aleo was in my party of two’s line of sight. We imbibe to:
* Mellon Ball $ 10.00 (disappointingly there was no ingredient for Hurricane so Mellon Ball was my substitute)
* Long Island Ice Tea $ 12.00 (my second’s default bar drink)
Staff is extremely weird as upon our entrance until our departure they gave us very sketchy looks and demise attitude.
«…the atmosphere was oppressively cold» — «Journey To The West 西 遊 記» by Wu Cheng’en
Patrons mostly sit at the bar who are very rowdy and loudly coarse spoken as they intervene at my private conversation with my second. Décor is very dated and facilities are clean. No comment on food as we did not intake any to eat our fill.

sehr leckerer Edelitaliener. Der Chef war zwar skeptisch wegen unseres Gutscheins, aber trotzdem eingelöst und sehr nett gewesen.
Ist zwar schon ein paar Tage her, dass ich dort war, aber es blieb mir in guter Erinnerung.