Cola’s

Delicious food and great service. Staff was very friendly! One of my favorite Italian restaurants in NYC.

Oh man, I just heard this place, with the best papardelle con ragu and lasagne in Manhattan, has closed. I thought they had a new place in Hell’s Kitchen but I can’t seem to find it now… First Bombay Talkie, then Blossom du Jour, now Cola’s, soon La Luncheonette … this neighborhood is going to culinary hell! Hafta update my Chelsea ChEatSheet yet AGAIN!

We picked Cola’s for convenience only, and found average food, left unimpressed. DH had osso bucco, which was very good, so perhaps I picked poorly. I had rigatoni with squash which was bland as can be. The wine list is unimpressive. The décor was unimpressive. Most noteably, the service was extremely pushy, trying to upsell and pushing us hard to order more wine, more plates, more expensive wine, more expensive plates. I have to say I never had this kind of pushy experience before!
We were both a little surprised to find this Italian restaurant run by… Indians. Don’t get me wrong, I am not making a racist comment in any way. I would find it equally odd to walk into an Indian restaurant and find it run by Italians.

Colas in Chelsea is a romantic cozy escape from the loudness of most NYC restaurants. It has an intimate feel due to the staff and hospitality — you are welcomed right away and the menu offerings are wonderful. The fresh preparation is one of the best — Italian restaurants are common in the city, but delicious food, and Caring service makes this stand out.

We loved the food, service, and atmosphere! All 3 of us had a different dish. We had veal, steak and fish and each dish was a generous portion and delicious! There’s something here that makes you want to come back… easy to enjoy and great prices!

I was in the city for one night and wanted to ask the bold question of «Where’s the best Italian food in the city?» I know, I know. Stupid question to ask. So I asked a buddy who used to live in Chelsea and he recommended this place. It wasn’t the best Italian by any means, but it was quaint, had that good Chelsea neighborhood feel to it and the staff was friendly.
The food was just ok, nothing stood out, but not a bad place if you’re close to Chelsea.

Horrible service
Not appreciative of customers
I ordered the Caprese salad when I receive the plate it’s an appetizer size salad for $ 6.75… Are you kidding me? And when I ask the waiter he said I think it’s fine to have 3 pieces of mozzarella cheese in a $ 7 salad. Never again. I will spend my money else where.

I «found» Cola’s about 4 months ago and have not looked back. This is a wonderfully small, authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of Chelsea with prices that only add to the honesty and integrity of this place. Whenever we’re looking for a delicious meal that won’t break the bank (or just a delicious meal), this is where we come. The Caprese salad is my personal favorite, but the bolognese is a close second. Terrific service, excellent pasta… what more could you want?

A good place for a business lunch or a first date. It’s cozy without being too romantic and the prices are very reasonable. Plus they serve their bread with a ricotta cheese side dish, it’s such a nice alternative to butter or olive oil.
A friend and I split the wild boar meatball appetizer and the gnocchi. The meatballs were good– the mint and pine nuts added an unusual touch. The gnocchi, on the other hand, wasn’t my favorite. The tiny little gnocchi were absolutely swimming in an alfredo-​like sauce that I only detected to be gorgonzola from the menu.
Good to know it’s here– if I need a place in a pinch, I’ll be back.

I recently moved to Chelsea and was looking for somewhere to grab a glass of wine and a bite on a whim. This place satisfied the convenience factor as it is 4 blocks from my apartment. It is a nice quiet place to have a drink and a very reasonably priced meal.
This is one of the most reasonably priced restaurants in the area. I think the Pinkberry up the street is more expensive. I was surprised by the limited wine selections seeing as this is a wine bar but for $ 8 a glass, it’s really difficult to complain.
On to the food… In a word, it’s solid. I think the quality of the dishes is a little inconsistent. We split the caprese salad. Mozzarella was good and I thoroughly enjoyed that it was not swimming in balsamic vinegar. I had the seafood spaghetti. The pasta was al dente and there was a decent amount of seafood in it. The calamari was a little overdone. My date had the tenderloin with string beans. Very tender, very good. Beans were also cooked perfectly.
Our bill was $ 63 for 2 glasses of wine, an app and 2 entrees. It’s very tough to beat that in NY.

Healthy portions and sweet ambiance, Cola’s is a comfortable respite after the hurly burly of the average NYC day. Attentive waitstaff and evening breeze entering through wide open windows add to the ease and flow of earned respite with a sidecar of chianti.

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.
I’ve passed the storefront of place so many times and have always wanted to go in. At long last, I plopped down the other night for a meal, and was… well…ambivalent about it.
The beet salad is fairly good. The gnocchi is interesting in that it’s the smallest little pillows of gnocchi I’ve ever seen, but the taste, texture, and consistency were great. I had a chicken milanese-​ish dish (lightly battered chicken cutlets with a thickened, tangy lemon/​citrus sauce), and that was all right.
Service was friendly, but very slow.
The room is really quite romantic and sweet, and for a special occasion where you’ve got the time and maybe a little wine in you (which we did not have), this might be a great spot… but I just wasn’t feeling it when I was there. Something was missing. The last thing 8^th Av in Chelsea needs is another Thai place, so I am grateful that this Italian staple is here… just not sure it’s something that I’ll go back to any time soon.

Every once in a while, simple is what’s needed in my world.
Nothing fancy, just solid down to earth cooking. Don’t get me wrong, standards are always first. It’s my hard earned money that I’m spending, Its not gonna be wasted on some slobby slob Italian restaurant. If I just want to «eat», I might as well eat in Long Island and order Lemon Chicken with garlic knots.
Italy is peppered with these types of trattorias. Recipes that have been passed down for a few generations. Just good, solid pasta dishes. This is what’s being served at Cola’s. (What’s with the name by the way?)
Cola’s is a nice, cozy Italian restaurant. If you want to avoid scenes and loud, busy places, this is the polar opposite. It’s just a small, chill spot tastefully decorated with warm Italian floor tiles.
I stopped in a few nights ago after work. I just wanted to relax, someplace quite to drink a glass of Italian wine and have a solid meal.
The waiter walked up to me, I didn’t need a menu. I wanted the Branzino special but with Rigatoni Bolognese.
Sir, the dish doesn’t come with a side of Rigatoni, just regular pasta.
Don’t give me a hard time skippy. I’m BillySalts and this is what I want. Charge me an extra dollar or two, just make it happen.
I’m reading these past reviews, don’t tell me about the poor wait service here. The waiter made it happen with no questions asked. That’s how I gauge a good restaurant. Receptive people serving me. I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass, I want to sample everything on the menu. It would be great to go to every restaurant in NYC, try all the food but that my Unilocalin friend is an impossible task. So? I make my own rules.
The fish was cooked perfectly but more importantly, prepared with attention to details. No bones, they took the time to give me a good dinner.
And the pasta? Oh yeah baby. Bang zoom, just the way I like it. Home made noodles that still have a firmness and the sauce was what I wanted after work.
Cola’s? Keepin’ it real

this food was completely shit
do yourself and find the closest deli around you, I will guess it will be cheaper and better.
enjoy children

Tried a special from the black board. It was some kind of veal wrapped with proscutto and salad. Sounded ok since I wanted something a little on the lighter side. First of all don’t order this if you go here. It was terrible. There was zero proscuitto in the dish. I definitely would have tasted it if it was anywhere in the dish /​wrapped around the veal. The veal was flattened and breaded and had no flavor at all. It was really bland and dry. Even the salad was barely dressed. I couldn’t finish it even though I was still hungry.
Bleh…

The menu is somewhat small and they only serve a handful of wines, but for some reason I like this place a lot. I ate here several times over ten years ago and just recently rediscovered it. I can’t say the food is ‘off the hook’ fantastic, but it’s very good.
I can’t really put my finger on it, but there’s an unmistakable charm to this place that makes the whole experience totally enjoyable. Add to that, that our dinner service was completely NOT rushed, there seemed to be only locals, and it was nice and quiet. It’s a little difficult for me to articulate, but another reviewer hit the nail on the head … «These sorts of restaurants are a dying breed in NYC».
Add all the things that make a restaurant a nice place to go to, and Cola’s as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts (so to speak). Let’s hope the ‘naysayers’ go somewhere else, and leave this little gem to those that appreciate it.
PS … Anyone that thinks this restaurant is expensive is a nincompoop.

After seeing their big billboard advertising great lunch specials, my co-​workers and I decided to try this little restaurant for lunch. My co-​workers ordered two different kinds of pasta dishes and I ordered Sicilian Eggplant Panini.
We made our orders soon after we were seated, however we had to wait 25 minutes for our meals on a 30-​minutes lunch break. As every minute clicked away in front of me, it was very frustrating to know that we wouldn’t have much time left to enjoy the meals. And we didn’t. We were about to ask the server to pack our lunches on the go, the server brought out our food.
As for my panini, the taste was not there. The panini was nicely toasted with grill marks but it’s the stuff between the bread made the sandwich taste bland. The filling was a very thin layer of mushy eggplant, celery, and other minced ingredients with tomato sauce. The dish also came with a small salad. I put greens inside my panini and it tasted better.
I don’t know about future, but it’s not a place I would recommend to my friends.

Have eaten here twice and been very pleased both times. The food here is very good, likely the best in the neighborhood, but not 5 star quality. The buffalo mozzarella and tomato caprese appetizer is amazing. I think it is my favorite thing on the menu. For Entrees, skip the whole wheat organic penne, it is dry overall and not very good. Last time I was there I ordered something from the daily specials, pasta with broccoli rabe, and was very happy with my choice. The dish originally came with sausage, but they omitted it at my request. I have had a few deserts here which were not memorable, but LOVE the tiramisu, definitely order it.
The wine list is also good, with a good number of $ 30 selections. One of the best aspects of Cola’s is the wonder staff. Everyone is so nice and friendly (and not in an annoying way) that I always have a good time here.

so-​so

From the exterior and the cheesy name, one would think Cola’s was a rundown diner. However, it is actually a traditional and affordable Italian café.
Upon entering the cozy dining room, I saw a large espresso machine and the Italian waitstaff, making me feel relaxed and at-​home. The service was as friendly and inviting as the calming atmosphere.
Cola’s offers an amazing lunch starting at $ 6.95. On my weekday lunch excursion, I started my meal with the Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms with prosciutto and pine nuts. It was deliciously cheesy, with a warm blend of flavors. The Grilled Chicken Breast Panini with pesto, tomato, and arugula came with a delightful side salad, adding a light touch to the large sandwich. The panini was crispy and packed with flavor. My brother’s Chicken Parmigiana was a full dinner portion covered with sweet tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella.
Cola’s is a little hidden gem worth trying.