Emilio’s Ballato

Amazing dinner last night. Place is perfect.
Keeping things old school. In the picture you have baked clams and tomato and burrata. Shared the fish of the day and the spaghetti and meatballs!!! Love the back you see the kitchen then hidden in back is another location for seating. Great for dinner date, the one you love, or with close friends or just great conversation with great wine.

The owner I’m assuming since he was fat and Italian is a real piece of sh*t. Was a customer prior to this experience but 5 minutes ago he just verbally attacked me for assuming I didn’t ask to use their bathroom when I asked someone in the back since no one was up front. DHe was sitting with his fat friends on a table next to the door, I didn’t know I was supposed to assume he was a worker instead of a customer. Jerk.

I have been coming to Ballato’s for over 20 years.
I have never been disappointed.
This Northern Italian cuisine never fails to amaze. The Service is phenomenal, as the waiters go out of their way to make each visit a special occasion.
If you are traveling to NYC, make sure you visit the Village and stop at Emilio Ballato’s!

The food is equivalent to chef boyardee. Buy yourself a can of beefaroni and save yourself the 23 dollars. Food wasn’t even that expensive compared to other NYC restaurants but $ 15 for a glass of house wine is by far the biggest rip off in my life thus far. Truly insulting. If the food had been good then maybe, just maybe, it would have been worth it.

Always a good experience. My all time fav. Food is ALWAYS satisfying and the service is to the point as well. Good job.

Came here with a group of work associates. You might walk by this place without thinking twice, but let me tell you — this is a fantastic restaurant.
We started off with a selection of appetizers. Got the caprese which was very good, however like many places the quantity of mozzarella left a bit to be desired. On top of this, we had the meatballs which were amazing. Hands down the best I’ve ever had. Melt in your mouth good. Next we got a linguini with clam sauce to split. I don’t normally go for the lighter pastas, but this was delicious. I’d recommend adding a bit of red pepper for additional flavor, but it’s not needed. Finally, we split the grilled octopus special. — prepared perfectly. Nice crisp on the outside, without a hint of that rubbery texture.
On to the main courses. Everyone either got the chicken parm or the veal parm, with one exception who ordered the rack of lamb. Second best veal parm I’ve ever had (I’m a little biased towards another one in midtown). Absolutely fantastic sauce, and a generous portion of quality cheese along with a nice presentation with the bone-​in. Generous sized portion as well. I tried the lamb also, and it was good, but I think you’d be remiss to go here and not get the veal parm.
Also very accommodating. Prepared a member of our party with a breading-​free chicken parm due to a gluten intolerance.
Will say I’m glad I didn’t have to pick up the check, but this place is the definition of a hidden gem. Would absolutely recommend to anyone in the area looking for a great Italian experience.

Ballato, past tense of ballare which means, «to dance.» Emilio is obviously dancing, all the way to the bank from ripping off his customers in such a shameless way. Emilio’s Ballato is not only a bad restaurant and more of a joke than anything else; it’s criminal. How can anyone defend their low quality food for such outrageous prices with unskilled service? Their slogan should read «Come to Emilio’s Ballato where you’ll be treated like you don’t matter, given cold crap on a plate to eat and then shocked when the bill comes at the add-​ons» and they’ll do so with a crooked smile.
I lived in many different provinces in Italy, worked there, traveled from the Swiss border down to the bottom of the heel where the Ionian Sea meets the Adriatc. If there’s one thing I know, it’s Italian cuisine.
Cheese filled ravioli for 20 dollars (the first warning sign) was room temperature, hard at the edges and had an overwhelming taste of nutmeg. «Scioglie in bocca» (melts in your mouth) is the way ravioli is supposed to taste and react in your mouth. The perfume of a fresh pasta and the subtle flavors of the filling were not present at all. The sauce had the consistency of a good quality can of pureed tomatoes. The best I can say is that it didn’t have an obvious flavor or consistency of tomato paste but this dish was neither home-​made nor worth the 20 bucks!
Wine, at fifteen dollars per glass was only drinkable. What tasted like a nine dollar bottle was probably purchased in bulk for six and advertised as the «house wine.» For people who don’t want a bottle, a good Italian restaurant always has a quality glass of red wine at an affordable price. It was served without the presence of any bottle, brought to the table in a one-​third filled glass and the waiter didn’t even know what it was. He offered us two different types of red. «One is Tuscan and the other is from Calabria» he said, but when I asked about them he admitted to not knowing. The taste, however, was the dead giveaway.
My friends had pasta with clams and it looked equally cold and spongy but I didn’t taste it.
The décor offers the feeling that you’re eating in a charming dump. At first glance the rough and raw finish of the walls covered with photos of celebrities and film posters looks quasi cute but you realize that it looks more like someone tore down the old wall-​paper and decided it was good enough for the paying customers who won’t know the difference anyway. The feeling of being a walking dollar-​sign and participating in their nightly profit-​margin is the most outrageous aspect of this quite awful place. It takes such little effort to create a nice atmosphere and cook up fresh, simple Italian dishes. When it doesn’t work and the restaurant does all they can to maximize profit while the customer pays such outrageous prices for so little, it screams «sucker! we don’t care about you and you don’t deserve anything better!»
When the bill finally arrived I saw that they had charged us for one extra glass of wine and a whopping ten dollars for a bottle of Ferrara sparkling water! I’ve paid 10 dollars for a bottle of fizzy water before. It was just as absurd but justified because it was in a 5 star restaurant with a celebrity chef and imported from Great Britain. Paying ten bucks for seltzer from Ferrara put the icing on the cake. These people are nothing more than scam artist criminals who think that they have the right to rip people off and their customers are nothing more than fools who will cough up the bucks and swallow a lot more than bad food. I can not justify this type of treatment by a restaurant. At what point do people not matter? When is profit more important than protecting your name and reputation? Real estate prices must be pretty awful if this is what it boils down to; bad food, criminal pricing and shameless behavior.
These family businesses that have been around New York for decades should set an example. Unfortunately, as I sit here belching up the acid from last night’s bad wine and canned tomatoes, I realize that the example Emilio Ballato’s restaurant offers is one that says «Hey sucker, you don’t matter! This is all you mean to me!» And we left the restaurant $ 170 poorer for three bowls of pasta, four glasses of wine and a bottle of water. If I could arrest these people and shut them down, I would.

I had the penne abruzzese. Wow! That was delicious. Very nice people here also. Found it by accident and I don’t have a single complaint.

Hidden gem, unnoticeable diamond, concealed restaurant, invisible place, you name it, you got it! Well, soonest I find out about this place, forget about all that, they’re all gone because I talk! Women talk, you give them one thing, they describe a million things. So no speechless here. Speechless is not the best expression to give in a review, it means people will be reading at your blank page *:p We need to talk, about this restaurant. «You cannot describe the experience until you try it» and this is not DiCaprio’s line, it’s my line. I gave 5 stars according to the amazing food (first and always), then down to the service, the ambience, the restroom, the cleanliness, bla bla bla. First, no reservation, so don’t try to walk-​in and say «we made a reservation» which I heard people say when we sat at our table near the front. Our app for the night was cherry tomato with mozzarella cheese. Stunning! The appetizer came out handsomely made. Who made it? A handsome chef? I tried it and I want more. Then I thought why not just have everything for myself and let hubby go on diet. I couldn’t get enough, didn’t realize I was conquering the entire region, like the Roman Empire. We also had the best caesar salad with anchovies. Perfecto! We saw the owner who sat at the very front table eating with his friend, I think because he needs to greet the guests. He recommended that I order spaghetti with chopped clam/​shrimp something like that and hubby ordered pasta Fra Diavolo with big shrimp because we asked what they had. My goodness, these two dishes killed both of us. We got killed! The thing with food, although I enjoy everything I do and everything I eat, I could tell the difference. I’d recommend this dish if you’re a pasta lover. Hubby came here few nights prior, for a dinner meeting with friends. He told me about the place but didn’t realize that he would take me back right away. It was hard to find parking but there’s a parking garage nearby but we prefer to park on the street, so we had to suffer a bit before we get to eat. It’s fine, it was worth it. The restaurant has 2 sections, front and back dining rooms. The place is pretty intimate but also a very good place for a group of friends especially the back dining area. If you’re lucky, you may encounter a celebrity while dining but who cares, better focus on the food while it’s hot. The restroom is tiny. Would definitely come back for more. Nice boss, nice staff, great food, great wine, hubby got killed at the end. But don’t panic! I’ve agreed that we visit the place once a while, not every week. Absolutely wonderful!

I came here with my godparents on a Friday evening around 6pm and found the front dining room half full. If you aren’t looking for this place, you can easily walk by it, but when you are in there, you feel like you are in a more old-​school Italian joint. The restaurant is inviting and casual/​romantic, but the room does get a bit loud later in the evening.
Getting to the food, we started with the grilled octopus (tender and flavorful), eggpplant parmigiana (simple but fresh) and the tripe alla marinara (light and excellent), all of which I would recommend getting. For our mains, we split the cacio e pepe (simple and not dry but al dente) and the tagliattele alla bolognese (fresh and enjoyable), of the two I would recommend the cacio e pepe even though you may not see it on the menu :) For satisfying our sweet tooth, we finished up with the tiramisu (light and refreshing) and the Italian cheesecake (creamy and not as rich as a normal cheesecake but great), both of which I enjoyed.
Overall, the ambiance was simple but nice, the food was very good, and the wait staff was friendly and we never felt rushed even as the line built up at the entrance. I would definitely recommend popping in but be prepared to wait if you come during prime time, even though there is a second dining room in the back, this seems like its a ‘celeb’ hotspot.
Buon appetito.

We had the best Italian meal before our night out on Broadway! The food was delicious and so fresh. Emilio was there and welcomed us to his place. The caprese salad was to die for, the freshest and best hands down we have ever had, the veal chop excellent wined and dined in an intimate setting we absolutely loved this place and if we visit NYC again it’s a must eat again.

This was my first time back at Ballato since the late 90s, when it enjoyed sleeper status and a very high Zagat rating, all at reasonable prices. Fast forward to last night, I had a work dinner in the back room with 10 of my colleagues. It all started well, we were early and had the space to ourselves for most of the time. But as it was a special occasion, we asked if we could bring in a single bottle of wine that someone had been saving. The owner grudgingly accepted when we told him that we’d be spending plenty on other wine.
The service was very good as we had two very helpful waiters. But frankly I was a little disappointed in the food. The space harkens back to my grandmothers basement so I expected superb red sauce, instead it was a bit on the sweet side and just not special. One of our group raved about the chicken parm, I thought the veal was solid, beyond that all was just ok, and a far cry from my favorites back in the day like Frank on 2^nd Ave.
So between the beautiful people, the sceney vibe, and the ok food, I’d have been a 3 – 4 star rater. But when we got our check we noticed that the owner had added a 90 dollar corkage fee. Now it would’ve been nice if he had mentioned the fee when we discussed that one bottle, but never have I paid 90 bucks to bring in a bottle anywhere. And maybe, maybe it wouldn’t have bothered me so much if we had only ordered a couple of other bottles, but we spent $ 1300 on wine! We actually complained and the waiter said it was a ‘mistake’ and cut it down to $ 45, but the damage was done. We told them to keep the $ 90. Maybe they prefer keeping the celebrity crowd happy, as opposed to a group of ordinary one-​percenters.

I was very impressed with this real Italian restaurant in NYC. The pasta dishes were amazing, they use Gerardo di Nola pasta from Gragnano Italy and it is the very best, better than house made! The meatballs were delicious, like no other in the city. We had some great appetizers and and the house wine that was very very good! The wait staff, hosts and owner were just the best! I can’t wait to return.

This restaurant is very good. They start you off with this great bread that you can dip into this ricotta cheese dip mixed with olive oil. I had the chicken parmagian which was good. I had ziti with it. The service was good and friendly and the atmosphere was your typical pizza gone italian restaurant.

A small hidden gem in NYC… you’d probably walk right by it unless you were looking for it. This place came highly recommended by a friend, so I figured it would be a good final meal before I left being stuck in the NYC Snowmageddon.
I walk in right when they open for lunch, and as expected at 11 AM, there’s no one there… heck, some of the vendors are still coming by and dropping off new bottles of wine, various produce, etc. It takes the wait staff about 5 minutes of looking at me, wondering if I’m going to leave, before sitting me at a table of my choice and bringing some menus.
As I skim the menu, I’m surprised by how expensive the prices are. I actually came to get the cacio e pepe, but it’s not on the menu, so I settle for a caprese salad and tagliatelle bolognese. I ask the waiter about the cacio, and he simply says it’s not available… but he likes the bolognese better. I skim around the restaurant and notice all the David Bowie signed stuff on the walls (he passed less than a week ago), along with pictures of various famous individuals who have signed photos with the owner (Emilio). Billy Joel, Lenny Kravitz, Rihanna, Justin Bieber… it’s crazy how many stars have dined here, and kind of kitschy/​cool that he has their photos up on the wall.
The waiter drops off some housemade foccacia… beautiful looking, and upon first bite, I realize this is probably the best foccacia I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously amazing stuff. I try to save some of it to enjoy with the upcoming caprese, but honestly, it’s hard to control myself… I’ve never had foccacia this good.
Caprese salad comes along, and again, it’s beautiful. Perfectly cut cherry/​grape tomatoes that are bright red, two fluffy balls of fresh mozzarella which are very nearly as creamy as burrata on the inside.
Bolognese comes next, with pasta that’s cooked just right and again, made from scratch.
I’m stuffed at this point, but my back and forth talking with the waiter has gotten him to open up and be a lot friendlier, so when he asks for dessert, I ask for his recommendation. Tiramisu it is, and it’s a doozy… gigantic piece, great flavor, and then that’s when Emilio walks in.
He joins me at the table, orders us both some espresso to finish off the meal, and we chat about life as restaurant owner (him) to future restaurant owner (me). He’s gives me some pretty sage advice, we talk about dough recipes, pizza, foccacia, and Rome while we enjoy our espressos, as I see his mind and focus constantly thinking about what else needs in the restaurant needs taking care of. No rest for a business owner. By now, I’m stuffed, happy, and needing a nap… so it’s time to head to the airport and make my way back to sweet home Chicago.
Verdict: This place is amazing. Quite possibly the best Italian food I’ve ever had in my life. This may become a regular spot for me to visit every time I come back to NYC… Honestly, I“m typically the kind of person that will order something different at a restaurant every time I go because I“m curious about the menu items… but that caprese may become my starter every single time. I’m definitely coming back here and bringing friends.

Great food! Everything else about this place is very mediocre… service, the owner, the ambiance.
Another plus is a convenient location, a few flocks away from Broadway-​Lafayette and/​or 2^nd Ave F train.

Everything here is excellent. This is simple, well prepared, tasty southern Italian cooking. The pastas are all homemade as are the sauces. The desserts — particularly the cannoli — are terrific. No reservations taken, but there is usually not a wait. This place gets more than its fair share of celebrities from major movie stars to the top rap singers. One can see why they are attracted to the place.

I lived here for 20 years and now live in Los Angeles. This restaurant is amazing… ol’ school Italian without pretense yet with amzing food and wines and service unparalleled anywhere. …we had the veal,…omg. …and the fra diavlo. .sweet jesus… the only hitch in my giddy up was the idiot complaining about the lack of price on the entre’ marked P. A…
Highly recommended. …

Small mom and pop Italian restaurant were you feel part of the family in your dining experience.
Located in the East Village of New York City. The minute you walk in you feel like your in an Italian movie scene. Nice size restaurant with two dining rooms.
We started off with grilled octopus and mozzarella carrozza. The mozzarella carrozza is a prosciutto and mozzarella cheese sandwich that is breaded and deep fried to a golden brown and served with marinara sauce. Simply Delicious! Then I had the spaghetti and meatballs. The spaghetti was al dente and the meatballs were lightly and airy and well seasoned. The sauce was also good. We also had focaccia bread that was very good. My friends had the chicken parmesan with roasted potatoes and green beans, Chilean sea bass with capers, lemon, and white wine sauce with roasted potatoes and green beans, and shrimp fra Diablo. That’s shrimps with spaghetti tossed in a spicy marinara sauce. For dessert we had a canolli. Which was delicious.
Our server was the owners son who was very friendly and helpful with the menu.

Ballato’s let me a make a reservation for around 15 people for dinner on New Year’s Eve, and with no pre fixe menu or minimum required. That’s no small feat in Manhattan!
We were seated in their back room which isn’t completely private, but only had a few other tables so still felt very intimate. In fact, the whole restaurant has a very romantic, intimate vibe. The service was on point, and they made it easy for us to order some stuff family style as a table. From the salads to the bread to the broccolini, all the antipasti was phenomenal. Next time I’ll have to be sure to order the octopus, as it seems to be one of their specialties!
And then of course there’s the pasta. I think we ordered every pasta on the menu, and each one was a hit. I went with the bolognese and it was flavorful, cozy, rich. the way it should be. All of the pasta was perfectly al dente, no matter what the shape. One person in the party went healthy and got a fish dish and didn’t love it. but wouldn’t you feel disappointed if you were eating fish at a table piled high with pasta?
I’m told that this is a celeb fave, but honestly I could care less about the photos hanging on the wall as long as I can still easily get a table at this neighborhood joint!