Cafe Fiorello

We have eaten here twice and it doesn’t disappoint! The food is fresh and delicious, service is always top notch! It is a bit pricey but share entrees, they portions are large. The lasagna is so tasty! Bucket of mousse is a fun way to complete your meal and certainly enough to share with a group!

Small serving sizes. Food tasted good, but pretty expensive for not a lot of food. Hard to fill up your stomach.

Wow, what a great find. You don’t have to go to a show to enjoy this place. Unbelievable antipasto bar. Do it.

I picked up pizza ToGo Monday night right before closing. I sat down at the bar to wait for the pizza to finish and the name plates on the bar ripped my formal gown as I sat down (I had just come from a gala). I had just purchased this gown and when I said something to manager and started crying he essentially just walked away and didn’t even apologize. Although your food is good, I believe customer service is just as important and the fact that you ruined my dress and it made me cry and the manager didn’t even say sorry or offer water and just walked away ruins the restaurant for me. Ironically, your wait staff was nicer than your manager. We had planned on coming back to your restaurant but we will not anymore.
Update: I went in again tonight because my boss wanted Italian food and I told the manager on duty, Amine, about my experience the night before and he apologized over and over for their sign ruining my brand new goen and apologized for there staff member the night before not having any concern for what had occurred. I really appreciated the apology from Amine. Thank you.

Close to Lincoln Center, and generally friendly staff. Very crowded, so get a reservation!
The food isn’t bad, and the staff were nice enough to split our single entrée order in two for us to share (we had the meatballs and pasta — can’t remember which). The mushroom pizza was also decent.
It’s all right.

This is a three star joint that thrives on the Lincoln Center crowd. The waiter did not serve us bread which was insulting because everyone else had bread at their table. The food was was not bad although portions were small. The outdoor eating in the summer is really nice. I guess Im just pissed about the bread. Oh and its a tad pricy.

Came here before watching a movie at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and it was a good experience!
My boyfriend and I shared the pepperoni and arugula pizza and got a couple glasses of wine while sitting outside. The tables were cramped (I guess that’s what you get for eating around Lincoln Center) but overall enjoyed the outdoor setting and super fast service.
Would recommend if you’re catching a nearby show! Not recommend if you don’t have to be in the area (it’s SO crowded)

Pricey– but you are getting your money’s worth– the food is amazing! Clearly homemade everything and put together with love. Staff is trained very well and great vibes. Casual to dressy attire, mixed.

A classic. Personally I had a nice time at this restaurant and the service was really good, but I didn’t hear such thing from other people. I ordered the spinach ravioli and they were delicious. It’s a good option in the area if you already been all over it.

My husband’s favorite food is Italian. So, every city we visit, Italian food is at the top of our list. This means we have eaten at tons of Italian restaurants. We stumbled upon this place tonight and, boy, are we ever glad we did! It was the best Italian food he’s ever had! I’m not a huge Italian food fan, but it was so good that I can confidently say it was one of my top three meals ever. The service was every bit as good as the food. Every employee is super happy to be there, super happy their guests are there, and fast when needed (we had a show to get to). My only complaint is their location; they are 700 miles from home. We are going back tomorrow.

This place is incredible. Ambience, service, food selection was all amazing. For the area, this is definitely one of the best Italian joints. The spaghetti lobster carbonara was my favorite but you need to try the chicken Parmesan with pepperoni… why aren’t more places doing this?! In any event, I can’t wait to go back soon!

Worst customer service I have ever had! I was expecting a $ 20 bill, but with a $ 20 lunch bill I expect some customer service. My waiter didn’t get to me for 15 minutes. The entire time I thought the person filling my water and who gave me my bread was my waiter, and when I told him my order he looked at me and said he wasn’t my waiter! If you want great food and great customer service go to The Smith next door!

Too crowded. Tables squeezed so close together one can even get up to use restroom. The atmosphere does not equal the overpriced food. $ 42 for a veal chop that doesn’t even include a potato. Really? The $ 15 cold antipasto plate was worth $ 5.00 tops. The stars are for the proximity to Lincoln Center and for the lobster dishes at least the lobster portion was generous

I was looking forward to trying this place for a while since one of colleagues love this place and I’ve heard good things about their pizza. Finally made it there last week. We got seated right away. While we were looking at our menus, a server came by with free truffle mini muffins. They were delicious and who doesn’t love free food!
The meal we had was not terrible but I’m not sure if it was worth the hype. It could also be what we chose on the menu. We ordered the goat cheese pizza and the cappelletti. I was not a fan of the pasta but the pizza was not bad. It just was not what we expected because instead of goat cheese crumbs spread throughout the pie, it was large chunks placed on certain slices. My colleague ended up picking the slices without cheese because she thought it was too much goat cheese for her. I think this is just personal preference though. If I come back again, I’d probably try their other pizzas.

Good Italian restaurant across the street from Lincoln Center, and particularly ideal for a pre-​theater meal (they ask when you are seated if you need to get to a show). Make sure to make a reservation because this place is packed. On a weekday around 7pm there was a 30 minute wait. Still, the host was very nice and accommodating and offered my party some complimentary prosecco while we waited.
The pizza and pasta are both very good here. I particularly like the pesto ravioli, which came highly recommended by the waiter. The tordelli bolognese and lasagna (a house specialty) are also delicious and were recommended by the staff. My friend also loved her veal osso buco. We also got fried calamari which was just ok. The prosciutto di parma & arugula is a favorite pizza of mine, though really you could stick prosciutto on anything and I’d love it.
One issue — certain tables are in less than ideal locations, so people kept banging into me all night. That discomfort definitely helped knock this review from 4 to 3 stars.
Don’t forget to take some chocolate on the way out! They have it in a container near the door and it is very unique — it has both salt and fruit inside. Honestly it’s almost worth going just to grab the chocolate at the end of the meal.

I agree with some of the other patrons who mention how this restaurant has lost something over the years. I have been dining in this restaurant for about 10 years now. I used to really enjoy it. My favorite dish was the Pear and Arugula salad. The lamb shank osso buco with homemade pappardelle was fantastic as well.
Either this restaurant has changed it owners/​chef or it is going through a serious identity crisis. My last 3 visits have resulted in practically 3 different menus. Some of the items have remained but many of them have changed.
I was very disappointed to find out tonight that the pear and arugula salad has been changed to a beet and arugula salad (which I tried but was disappointed). When I asked the server why; the only response that I received was that the pear salad was a customer favorite. If this was the case I do not understand why it was removed from the menu.
I understand that restaurants need to adapt in order to stay contemporary. However, I would caution this restaurant to not overthink their menu. If something is good (and popular) then keep it on the menu.
P. S. — My risotto was a bit gummy but everyone is entitled to an off night every now and then.

Came here for an office holiday lunch. Food was great, but before you venture here, see below…
1– $$$$$$ for dishes that are 3 bites.
2– Be prepared to have the servers act like freaking VULTURES. They’re nice, but c’mon, I HAVE MY FORK IN MY HAND, why do you keep taking (note I said TAKING, not ASKING) my plate away!!! I’m still eating???
3– This place can get very packed very fast because of location. But seriously. The portions are so small for so little (my dish was ravioli — I got 4 bites. Woophee).

I hosted a large party of about 25 adults and several children in Café Fiorello’s private space for Thanksgiving dinner. The process leading up was seamless. Communication was great and management was amenable to our needs. We pre-​selected wines and arrived early on Thanksgiving to set up. Service was stellar. We were served by Oscar, Fabrice and Alook. All three were excellent and took great care of us. They were patient with our large group and with our boisterous children. The food was excellent.
There was a mistake on the bill that went unnoticed for several days after the event. When I contacted the banquet sales department about this situation she rectified it to my satisfaction in less than an hour. I would not hesitate to host another large event here!

I hate having to rush into the City for dinner reservations on a weekend before a show at Lincoln Center. Hate it! The traffic never cooperates and the tourists clog main arteries worse than cholesterol. Which brings me to Café Fiorello.
It was Saturday night and we decided to wing it. After all — not everything in life is better scripted. Sure — the City was packed — as were all the usual local haunts, including this one. But the maitre d and an engaged fellow behind their cool food bar put two flutes of Prosecco in our hands while we waited for seating at the bar. A few moments later, with a wink and a nod, our flutes were refilled and we were seated at the food bar and yapping away with a Latvian/​Chilean couple (by way of Venezuela) sitting next to us – getting pleasantly buzzed on the wine and the atmosphere. The servers made sure we were fed in time to make our show and the meal was better than expected.
Serendipity works.
The lobster agnolotti was terrific — nice pasta with plump chunks of lobster — dressed in a lemony beurre blanc. I would eat this again. The tortelloni bolognese was less to my liking — under seasoned and under cooked — but I quibble. Considering the service we received, under less than optimum conditions, everything probably tasted better than it was had we spent 90 minutes picking at it. Even the bread basket — with seasoned focaccia and flat bread — tasted exotic.
Yes, the tariff was steep for pasta ($ 40 per with tip) — but expectedly so and worth it for the convenience of a two block walk to the theater.
It was nice, and because it was nice, I would try it again — maybe next time, with reservations, and a deeper look at their menu.

El antipasto bar es fabuloso. El mejor precio del area. Vegetales, mariscos, pasta y una copa de Proseco.

Schon mal eine Pizza für 35 Dollar gegessen? Wenn nicht, unbedingt im Café Fiorello vorbeischauen.
Waren relativ früh am Abend schon da, aber das Lokal platzte schon aus allen Nähten. Der New-​York-​Italienisch-​Liebhaber scheint auf dieses Lokal zu stehen. Sogar draussen sind die Leute gesessen, was für New York im Sommer eher ungewöhnlich ist.
Wir haben ebenfalls draussen einen Platz bekommen und neben der teuersten Pizza unseres Lebens (die allerdings sehr gut für 2 Personen reicht), köstliche Real-​Satire mit sehr anspruchsvollen New Yorkern am Nebentisch in der Hauptrolle serviert bekommen (sie liessen die Hälfte des bestellten Mahls mit dem Ausspruch «I did not order that» in die Küche zurückgehen).
Beim Besuch dieses Lokal bekommt man auf alle Fälle eine volle Dosis New York.

I had the Italian breakfast with prosciutto di Parma which was lovely! The bread was a bit of the HARD side… I wasn’t a fan of that (I prefer soft bread). But the eggs and hash browns were really well done; I just wish there were more hash browns on the plate. My husband had the Pesto Ravioli and I honestly think his dish out beat mine! It was very savory and filling (so he said).
We couldn’t get a seat outside (when the weather was nicer, of course!) but the indoor seating we just as nice and comfortable… with people watching restricted to people walking by and those coming and going from neighboring tables. Our waitress was charming and lovely… more than average (and I notice this!). Great place, but a bit of the pricey side because we are near Lincoln Center!