Antonioni’s

It had such great reviews so I was expecting something amazing. I gave 2 stars because the service was so great, but the food was mediocre at best. I order a pasta dish and I couldn’t finished it because it was so salty. Yes it had olives in it, but I needed a gallon of water after I finished. My partner ordered lasagna that was kind of blah. It was covered with nothing but cheese and lacked any flavor. I feel guilty though leaving such a poor review because the staff was so great. Extra bread, lots of filtered water, warm and friendly. They took us quickly without a reservation. But the food tasted like something from Olive Garden.

Came here on a monday night for a little GNO with a group of friends. The place wasn’t crowded as we were there around 6. The waitress was super friendly and informative when we were ordering and asking questions of how big the portions were.
I don’t remember what the names of the dishes the other people ordered but i ordered the pesto pasta and it was delicious! Full of pesto flavor and the pasta was cooked al dente. My friend had the seafood pasta and it smelled wonderful! Another friend ordered the pizza (not sure which one she had) but i was pretty much eyeballing her dish the whole time. It was a good size… wasn’t too small or huge. And then she finally asked if I wanted a slice. WIN! Now when i had this slice, it was about a half hour since we got the food, and the crust was still crispy… CRISPY!!! I would’ve thought the slice would’ve been soggy by then but it didn’t.
Would definitely come back again!

I wish this place had been better. But unfortunately, if you charge $ 9 for a cannoli crush dessert, it better be good, or at least, edible.
The burrata salad was good. Everything else was okay. Not quite as bad as a tourist trap place, but almost as bad.
Despite the fact that it was empty, they brought out our pastas cold, like they’d been sitting there for awhile, and then the waiter finally remembered to bring it out to us.
If this was the only Italian place in a town, it would be okay, but it’s NYC, which means, I’m spending my money elsewhere. Sorry!

Wonderful. I decided to do dinner at Antonioni’s given how close it is to the speakeasy I was having drinks at afterwards. Upon entering I noticed that it is truly a throwback to the old school Italian, with red and white checkered tablecloths. It was crowded however we were seated immediately, it definitely pays off to make reservations here (the party ahead of us was unable to get in). My sister and I started with a glass of Prosecco which was refreshing — and perfect for our meal. We then both opted for the Kale Cesar salad — I love Kale and it was a nice change to a typical Cesar for once. It was healthy and light, which I can appreciate.
Our pastas were delicious and I could tell they were homemade!
The kitchen was taking a little while however our waitress was upfront with us about this (which I loved) — and they comped us two additional glasses of Prosecco which I thought was extremely nice.

Amazing off the beaten path restaurant – not ostentatious from the outside but the interior is charming and was surprisingly empty on a Saturday night. I imagine not for long when the word starts to spread.
Service is very friendly – the host and our server were both very personable and helpful.
Got the Parma pizza. The pizza crust is at the same time light and chewy, reminds me of a hole in the wall pizza place I used to go to in Italy. The pecorino was amazingly flavorful and went well with the slightly cooked prosciutto and baby arugula. I’m not a prosciutto or arugula fan in general but this was very well done.
The pasta in both dishes we ordered was satisfyingly al dente, second only to Eataly where it is made in house. And the gratuitous cheese grater made us happy. I got the spaghetti and meatballs: the sauce was the right amount of tomatoey, but the meatballs were a bit ordinary. The sausage in my friends fennel dish was amazingly flavorful, and the fennel was just the right amount of garnish. The only thing I would say is the use of lemon could be brought down a bit for that dish, but my friend found it perfect. Overall a very happy experience.
There is also a fancy bar despite this being a small joint – manned by dapper men in white jackets, and with many jars of accoutrement lined up for what I imagine is a wide variety of cocktails. Did not partake this time but definitely interested in seeing what they concoct on my next visit here – which will be soon.

What a great little spot for very delicious pizza and pasta. Everything we ordered was perfect, and the service was very friendly. The prices are very reasonable for the quality food you receive.

3 solid stars. I wasn’t blown away but it was good, but not good enough to come back.
Sausage and fennel pasta was the better option over the pesto pasta which was just very lacking in flavor. The deep fried potatoes strings were interesting on the pesto pasta but I can’t say it complimented the dish… Just added a salty decoration.
As for the entrees, the seafood was well cooked and well seasoned. The chicken marsala was a hugeeeeeeee portion and delicious, nice and salty. The mushrooms were absolutely delicious in this dish. One entrée can definitely be shared between two people. Entrees are easily $ 25.
Excellent service, and the cutest decorations and bathrooms. I just wish the food was better…

Antonioni’s opening earlier this year was a quiet one, a little surprising given that the owners could easily have utilized their success with Café Gitane. The restaurant is situated along Chrystie Street in the LES, and although the entrance might be easy to miss, the interior has a character of its own. When I first entered, I was greeted by a walls covered by a bright orange wallpaper featuring a variety of circus animals. The theme became even more predominant when I took a seat at the bar and the coaster had an image of a ringleader underneath the restaurant’s logo.
Once my friend arrived, the two of us were seated against the perimeter of the dining room, which sports a few booths and banquette-​style seats. The menu is surprisingly lengthy for a restaurant promising «casual, Italian-​American cuisine», but after a our server recommended a few dishes that we’d eyeing, we opted to share a pasta and a pizza.
The Sausage and Fennel Pappardelle is one of the better recieved dishes at Antonioni’s and with good reason. A generous serving of flat pappardelle pasta is served with diced sausage and fennel, which are highlighted with additional chili flakes, shredded parmesan, and lemon zest. It’s a relatively light pasta, thankfully not doused in heavy amounts of tomato or cream sauce, that’s a laudable example of simple food, done well. The Parma Pizza, sliced into sixths, had a light layer of tomato sauce topped with prosciutto, mozzarella, and a healthy serving of arugula with a few shavings of parmesan. It was a surprisingly balanced dish, probably better described as a flatbread. The crust had a good chew and the balance of ingredients allowed the flavors of each addition to shine.
And no meal is complete without dessert. We couldn’t help but finish with an order of the Tiramisu, which was generously portioned (and perfect for sharing). The layers of espresso-​dipped lady fingers, zabaglione sauce, and whipped cream were built to perfection, and finished off with a dusting of powereded chocolate. Each spoonful hit just the right notes of sweetness and covered a surprisingly wide array of textures for a dessert. In a surprisingly short time, the entire plate was wiped clean.
Antonioni’s succeeds in what it set out to accomplish: simple, unpretentious Italian is served in a truly unique ambiance. The service is friendly and prompt and the price points are just right for the neighborhood and cuisine. It’s a restaurant that caters to the community: a place to enter during the afternoon for a drink or later in the night when hunger strikes. As long as busier evenings are avoided, it’s a place that welcomes lingering and conversation, both of which are best complemented by good food.

We decided to go here after a friend told us about antonionis being a «sister» restaurant to café gitan! (Gitan is one of my fave brunch spots in the city.) Thoroughly enjoyed our time here at antonionis and especially the food!
Michael seated us in a corner which was cozy and comfy. Loved the orange zebra wallpaper mixed with the gingham tablecloths and the tiny lamps trimmed with poms.
We split the arugula salad with parm, fennel and a lemon vinaigrette. It was refreshing and had a fairly strong fennel flavor — pretty dominating so I’m glad we split. The pastas dishes were our favorite. I ordered the pappardelle which was amazing– drizzled with olive oil, peppery/​spicy sausage topped with fennel, chilli flakes and parm. The dishes were nicely portioned and most of the entrees ranged from $ 13 – 16. The wines by the glass were around $ 11. My husband went with the bolognese pasta twists. You can’t go wrong on either of these! Oh, and you can substitute any of the pastas for the whole wheat version.
Btw, Michael is the best host and quite accommodating!

This new Italian spot that feels like it could have been used to shoot scenes in Goodfellas (minus the animal figures adorning the wallpaper) is serving up some really excellent pastas and pretty good pizzas.
We arrived quite early at around 6 PM, so it was still empty and we were able to score a sweet, large round booth table. The place was pretty much packed by the time we left at around 7:30 PM, after a very satisfying meal:
— Beet, Orange, Bufala, Basil Salad ($ 12)
Looking for something lighter since we were about to have pure carbs and cheese, we were very happy with this light, refreshing choice. It’s not really a salad like you would think of with greens and leaves, but rather consists of just beets, orange slices, bufala mozzarella and plenty of hazelnuts (mostly like the name suggests). It sounds like it might be a strange combo, but it works well, especially delicious from the added crunch of the hazelnuts.
— Calabria Pizza ($ 15)
The pizza came out next, and was of a decent size, not particularly large or small. This one was topped with some deliciously salty salami along with chili flakes that added a good amount of spiciness. The pie was light on cheese and heavier on sauce, which is a ratio I typically don’t favor, but it happened to be delicious. I’m definitely interested in trying the other pies after enjoying this one so much.
— Chitarra Pesto ($ 13)
The pasta is where it’s really at here. This excellent bowl intrigued me once I read the description and saw that it was topped with shoestring fries. I always like my starch topped with even more starch. The pesto sauce was slightly bland for me, but the pasta was nice and al dente and had an excellent texture. The dish as a whole was quite tasty, aided by the fun factor and crispiness provided by the shoestring fries. I would definitely recommend trying this, especially if you like pesto.
— Maccheroni Dome ($ 16)
This was the clear MVP of the meal. Another very unique pasta creation, this consisted of a large mass of macaroni, meatballs, ham, tomatoes and bechamel sauce, all baked and encased in a delicious shell (the dome). It’s hard to explain exactly how impressive and delicious this was, but just look at the picture, in which you can still see the steam coming out of the piping hot interior (
). This is a definite must try.
— Tiramisu ($ 9)
For a perfect end to the meal, you must try the excellent Tiramisu. It’s a very sizable piece, with a strong, coffee flavor and is really milky smooth. It’s definitely up there with the best I’ve tried.
Service throughout the meal was pretty good, though it did get a bit tough to get attention once it started getting crowded toward the end. Still, the food was good enough that I would definitely return to try some of the entrees and more of the great pastas.

The place had a very funky vibe but does get really loud due to several group tables. Staff were nice and friendly.
I shared a seafood salad and Parma pizza with one other person. It was a perfect portion for two. The salad was just a lot of chopped up seafood with lemon juice and whole radicchio leaves, which was hard to eat. The pizza had amazing crust and the arugula was amazing but the sauce wasn’t as flavorful as I would have liked.
This place is very affordable for its vibe and portion, but the food can be somewhat lackluster.

Quelle belle surprise!
Antonioni’s se situait tout juste sous l’appartement que nous avions loué pour la fin de semaine, donc il s’agissait d’une solution simple pour notre premier souper. Nous avons tout de suite remarqué le joli papier peint en passant devant. Nous nous sommes présentés sur l’heure du souper, sans réservation. Après à peine 2 minutes, nous étions assis confortablement. Notre serveuse était gentille et professionnelle, sans plus. J’aurais aimé qu’elle nous fasse part de recommandations concernant les plats et les cocktails, mais non. Bön…
Tout sur le menu avait l’air délicieux! Mes amis et moi avons pris quelques assiettes à partager et personne n’a été déçu! Les pizzas étaient délicieuses, les pommes de terre également, mais j’ai particulièrement aimé les artichauts frits avec la mayonnaise au citron… Quel délice! Les prix étaient tout à fait «normaux «pour New York: environ 14 dollars pour une gigantesque pizza, 12 $ l’entrée d’artichauts qui était également copieuse et une douzaine de dollars pour les cocktails et les verres de vin.
L’ambiance était absolument géniale. J’ai déjà hâte d’y retourner pour essayer d’autres plats… Miam!

I really liked so many things about this restaurant: the delicious and well priced food, the homey neighborhood feel, the almost kitschy round tables with checkered table cloths, but most of all, the kick ass animal print wallpaper. I love, I want.
I found the food to be extremely good value for money. The mussels, listed under the salad/​starters section was a meal within itself. I also took the seafood salad which was loaded with fresh oysters, octopus, squid and cupped in leaves of radicchio. My friends had an assortment of pastas and pizzas which they seemed very happy with.
We had:
4 starters (roasted fennel, fries, fried artichokes and mussels)
4 entrees (meatballs, 2 pastas and 1 seafood salad)
2 bottles of wine (a surprisingly delicious chardonnay, which is not a what I would usually choose, and a Pinot)
The damage was 50 bucks each, including tax and tip for 5 people. Not bad for a hot new NYC restaurant! Will definitely be makign this my neighborhood go-​to.

Saw that the owners of Café Gitane were opening up an Italian joint, so I figured I had to go visit. Dropped by here for brunch and it was relatively empty, guessing just some time before it starts to catch on.
A few dishes that I really liked, the spaghetti carbonara, rome pizza, and the frisee salad. Their tiramisu is also really solid. Also tried out the puttanesca and genoa pizza, both good but not something that really sticks out as a must get.
Overall, a solid 3.5 star spot I’d say, definitely looking forward to coming back for dinner.

I went there on a recent Thursday night with a friend.
They had a very solid wine list, and both our wines (Sancerre) were very good. The atmosphere is pleasant; warm and comfortable. The restaurant is mid-​sized. The 2-​top tables against the walls are very tight spacing, so we waited for one of the 4-​top tables to open up, which are in the middle of the space, and give a bit more elbow room.
Just about everything on the menu sounded tasty to me, and I was very impressed with the presentation of some of the entrees that I saw coming out of the kitchen, delivered to a adjacent table. Beautiful. I decided on the scallop special which was absolutely delicious, and prepared in a way I hadn’t seen before. It was over some greens, with white beans I believe, and some sort of purée, which was quite tasty (I can’t refer back to the menu, as it was a special that night). It’s not the most filling entrée one could order, but when it’s that good, it’s tough to complain.
My friend had the Braciole and Meatballs, which she thought was very good. It looked great. I had to take her word for it, as I don’t eat the piggie.
The host was friendly and accommodating, and the server was very friendly and attentive. The bus boy was super polite as well. I saw a few other reviews that mentioned they didn’t get great service, and I suppose it depends on which server you get. Ours was great. We didn’t catch his name, but he was male, roughly mid-​20s, and very happy.
It also probably helped that we dined around 9pm. Less of a crowd.
Overall, great food, great service, and comfortable atmosphere. I will visit again.

I found out about Antonioni’s when Bön Appetit’s EIC tweeted from there. There were about 800 things that looked good to me on the menu, so my 2 girl friends and I decided to go on a Friday night.
I called to make a reservation a few days in advance, and the hostess told me they don’t take reservations. But she took my name, party size, and time. And then they called me the day of to confirm. And then when we got there, our round booth table was waiting for us. Sounds a lot like a reservation to me, no?
The atmosphere was great. My friend loved the fun orange wallpaper with little safari animals printed on it. I loved the nod to mid 20^th century NY metro Italian joints. And it was definitely lively for a Friday night before a holiday weekend.
Our waiter was a little pokey, but well meaning. However, the food was really great. We split a huge appetizer portion of mussels in tomato broth, which we couldn’t finish. Then I moved on to the lasagna. It was served in a little crock dish, with broiled cheese on top. A very satisfying meal. I had a bite of the bolognese too, and that was delicious. By around 10:30 pm, it was starting to clear out, so if you want to try this place before it becomes a smash, head over now while you can still get near it. Prices are extremely fair, and the food is approachable.
I can’t help but compare Antonioni’s to some of the Torrisi concepts. I have to say that I much prefer Antonioni’s just because of the accessibility in pricing, and the resistance to just photocopy old nostalgic favorites like Torrisi does. Antonioni’s tweaks the red sauce favorites just enough to make them current.

A shame but this no longer exists :(
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Definitely one of my favorite Italian dinner spots in Manhattan!!! The restaurant has little touches of sophisticated décor on the wallpapering – think Hermes print, intimate tables, candles and cozy checkered table cloths. We made a reservation for 7 people a few days ahead for a birthday. Here are my recommendations:
Several people on Unilocal have raved about their pizza so to share, we ordered the Parma pizza with prosciutto and arugula. fresh, simple and delicious. We also ordered the mussels in tomato broth and beet/​orange salad. The mussels were well-​made and the crusty bread was absolutely perfect to soak up the delicious broth. The beet salad was refreshing and light.
For my entre, I ordered the Pappardelle with Sausage and Fennel, which was the waitress’s first recommendation. Really fresh wide noodles that you could tell were hand made, delicious fennel flavor with hints of dill and flavorful sausage –yum!
For drinks, my friends and I ordered Negronis (gin, Campari, Vermouth, Amaro) and Livorni Fizz’s (rum, Galliano, egg white). Of course wine would be great with your dinner but I definitely recommend those cocktails to sip on!
The service was genuinely friendly and welcoming.
The restaurant is sophisticated with an upscale-​feel from the décor and bartender in uniform but a cozy, intimate, casual ambiance as well –great for laughing with your friends and sharing each other’s food. A really wonderful place!

Antonioni’s some how achieves the perfect combo of homey and cool without being boring or pretentious. We sat at the 2 person round table in the corner with the banquette– the best in my opinion for two because it’s comfortable and you get a nice view of the restaurant. The host, bartender, and servers are all extremely hospitable. It was a Sunday night and it was pretty quiet, maybe because the place is still relatively new and undiscovered?
The food– we ordered the Pappardelle Sausage and Fennel and Spaghetti with Manila Clams. Both were delicious! The Pappardelle was especially tasty and zesty. The ingredients were fresh and cooked perfectly. Definitely coming back to try the other dishes on the menu. There is also a fancy cocktail menu for fancy occasions. The bartender seems very capable and whipped up two great drinks. A great new addition to the neighborhood.

Loved the vibe and the food; Fully enjoyed my pizza with salame and the tiramissu for dessert.
It’s my new favorite spot in this neighborhood.

I no longer need to venture above Houston for great pizza! My girlfriend and I were planning to go to Freeman’s and was received by the usual 45 – 1 wait for two. Since it was nice out, we decided to take a stroll and ran into Antonioni’s. it was open for about a week and had no wait so it was worth dropping our place in line at Freeman’s.
What a find! We ordered a bottle of wine, the lobster fettuccine and primo pizza. After our first bite, we knew this was going to be our regular spot. The pizza we a perfect thin crust with just enough toppings, the pasta was hand made with a great sauce. I can’t think of anything I would have wanted changed about the food.
The only reason Anotonioni’s isn’t getting 5 stars is because of the service. I’m sure it’ll get better since they were only open a week and probably still trying to get into their rhythm. I can’t wait to go back for our next meal.

oh how grateful i am for Antonioni’s.
I have been crying to my boyfriend, yes absolutely not figuratively crying… literally, how LES needs an amazing pizza/​pasta place that isn’t some rip off. coughGoodFellas!
we had the lobster pasta, primo pizza, and anti pasta.
WHAT A TREAT. The pasta was amazing. It was the good stuff– FRESHLY HOMEMADE.
sounds like a plan.
The water girl could do with a little help, as she doesn’t understand ‘no ice, please’. We asked that of her three times and gave up. Ice seems to be a must when it comes to water here.
Service is a tad slow as well. However, that could just be because they opened just a week ago and are still working out the kinks.
however displeased i was over my ultra cold water and slow meal arrival, I will gladly return in the coming days for more of that amazing pasta (the sauce was divine to boot) and solid pizza