Gradisca

Exceptional homemade pasta and a great experience. The space has a bit of a rustic feel, with exposed brick and a bar in the back. Everything we had was great and the service was top-​notch. Highly recommended.

Came for an early dinner (7PM on a Thursday) with family. It started to pick up by the time we were leaving but generally pretty quiet. Service was excellent, food was as well (tortellini, tortelli special, pork chop, and lasagna were at the table). I mainly had the tortellini.
My only gripe is portions were too small to use either primi /​secondi as the only course, but too big to get both. The pasta dishes were also a bit pricey for the portion size. I get there’s a line to straddle between people who want several courses and those who just want a nice pasta dinner, but there’s room for improvement on the management side of that one way or another.
Food was great though, so I’ll keep the 5 stars.

In late May my husband and I celebrated a graduation dinner for 25 family members at Gradisca. All elements of the evening were outstanding: the staff; the excellent food; the charming atmosphere. Isabella was easy to work with and helped us choose a menu and wine in advance of the evening. Lasting beautiful memories were made that night. We are grateful to the talented folks at Gradisca.

What a great experience. The food was fantastic. Everything beginning to end was perfect. Our server Luca recommended a perfect bottle of wine. The food is what Italian food should be. It makes the next night special. After eating here we want to move to Italy.

Such a solid neighbourhood go to. Staff are attentive and friendly. Dining room is super cozy.
The pasta is delicious! So fresh. Salads are below average as was the crostini. But stick to the pasta. Both carbonara and lasagne was delicious.
Good solid wine list too.

We really like this place and eat here frequently, perhaps 10 or 15 times in the past three years. We don’t eat meat but the salads and pastas are excellent and the service is consistently good. My wife is Italian (well really Italian-​American) and is very fussy about her Italian food and she approves. The owner’s mother is sometimes there in the dining room making pasta by hand and my wife and she chat in Italian. This is not an inexpensive place, but it’s not particularly expensive for Manhattan and the portions are more than reasonable.

Food is a 5 and it was exceptional. Mama’s pastas were delicious.
I gave a 3 because they tried to cheat us with cheap plastic bottle vodka for their $ 15 martinis. That would be fine if they didn’t brand the list with expensive products, but they list the brands and then give you something else. The bartender said that’s what they always do. SHADY!!! Give people what’s advertised not cheap plastic bottled well vodka.
Our waiter was amazing and the food was incredible. Next time we will just stick to wine.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. This is my first and most likely last post on Unilocal just so I can save you your time /​money and most importantly a night out. The only + was the décor. I eat a lot of Italian food in NYC and I have never been so dissatisfied with a meal. Long story short we had a table of 4 and each and every one of us were disgusted by the food. In addition to the nauseating food we had to wait 2 hours to get served. I would NEVER go back and would not recommend this place to anyone. STAY FAR AWAY.

Had an 8:30 reservation on Saturday. We didn’t sit until after 9:15. We were told to go to the bar, but there was nowhere to stand and only 1 bartender so we couldn’t even get a drink. Then, we ordered but didn’t get ANY food until after 10:30. The food was average, I didn’t finish my steak that cost $ 46. Worst brussel sprouts I’ve ever had at a restaurant. The waiter was very nice and kept apologizing on behalf of the owner, who was there but never came to the table himself. The owner should be ashamed of his restaurant and his behavior. $ 85 dollars per person for a horrible meal I could have bought at the Whole Foods hot bar. Will never go back, not even close.

The meaning of fine dining is this place. We were originally supposed to eat at another Italian restaurant that was recommended to us but found out it was closed when we got there. We were disappointed and super hungry so we hurried and Unilocaled an alternative. This place was just down the street and had some pretty good reviews. We hurried on over and got sat really quickly. It is a super dim place located underground. The service here was amazing but sadly, the food was decent. I was recommended the Pork special of the day and I was not too fond of it. It tasted way to salty for me and I could not finish it. We ordered the appetizer sampler which came with bread and different types of spread. That was delicious but I found myself eating bread the whole night. If I come back, I will try something different and hope it turns out better!

As soon as I walked in I fell in love with this place. I felt like I was just transported to Italy. The food was excellent as was the service, ambiance and drinks.
I had the swordfish carpaccio and the gnocchi with truffle. I felt like the gnocchi just melted in my mouth, they were very fresh. My husband had the lamb ravioli, which he said was excellent. He also had the gorgonzola salad, which he didn’t particularly care for. I didn’t try it, so I can’t say. We also had the panna cotta for dessert, which was just amazing.
For cocktails I tried the Giulietta — excellent. We also had some wine and they have a nice selection of wine.
I would definitely come back here and recommend this restaurant.

The fresh pasta here is so good. Once, when we walked in, there was an actual Italian grandmother rolling the pasta that would soon become my dinner. Legit.
The pasta is fresh, the ingredients are seasonal, the sauces are delicious. It’s pricy but portion sizes are reasonable. The gnocchi here is to die for.
I also love the ambiance. It’s very classy and romantic, not too stuffy or trendy. The service is very good — the waiters always have fun Italian accents and are very knowledgeable about both food and wine. And they’re never pushy, which is important to me.
Such a hidden gem!

From the moment we stepped inside, everyone at Gradisca treated us like family. Everything from the check-​in area, to the bar and to the dining table was seamless. The food was amazing, but the service was even better! Will definitely come back!

It is a hit or miss here. There’s an older woman up front who is making fresh pasta– so you know your pastas are going to be fresh here at the very least. The tagliolini with shrimp was very good. All the flavors worked well in this dish. However the spaghetti with clams was gritty– the clams were sandy. Hate when that happens– it ruins the dish. And the lasagna tasted more like a meat dish than a pasta dish– good if you’re looking for a very hearty dish but not if you want fresh handmade pasta. As for the appetizers– the scallops were excellent (loved the puréed peas) but do not get the flatbread (tastes like a really badly dried out quesadilla) or the meatballs (salty and cardboard-​like tiny balls of meat).
Portions are a bit on the smaller side which I don’t mind because it prevents overeating and prices are typical city prices. Service was good and quick-​was asked multiple times if we could be helped. Liked that they seated us even without whole party being there. Nothing stood out so much that would make me return to the place though if I had to be honest. Just ok.

We liked all four pasta dishes we ordered. That being the case, I won’t bore you with details — you basically can’t go wrong with pasta here. Will mention that the meat tortellini being hand-​made up front by an Italian grandma out of central casting were, in fact, wonderful. (What was that subtle seasoning? Carraway seed?)
Ambiance-​wise, it seemed like the kind of understated congenial place you might find on, say, West 13^th St.
Since they charge Manhattan prices I feel obliged to note that not everything was perfect. Their Barbera d’Alba by the glass was kinda acidic and weedy. The panna cotta had way too much gelatine … maybe that sounds prissy but panna cotta is all about texture, amirite?

Great spot that has ample seating in the back for larger groups. Came here with a few friends for dinner. Everyone loved their food and cleared their plates. Service was great as they were attentive and friendly and even threw in a birthday dessert on the house.
For starters we enjoyed the Tartara di Tonno (sashimi-​grade yellow fin tuna tartare).
For mains the carbonara was delicious albeit a little on a salty side. Lasagna was a sizeable portion and also a solid choice. Papardelle handcut lamb ragout stood out and was very flavorful. My favorite of the night was the Maltagliati al Tartufo Nero which they describe as «‘badly cut’ egg pasta, light creamy black truffle and mushroom sauce». It was perfect and I would definitely go back just to have that again.
For dessert the make sure to get the tiramisu!

The first time I was here, it was a group of us celebrating a friend’s birthday. Food was delicious & service was impeccable as always. Came back the second time and still the same. I had the mushroom Tagliatelle. Delicious!!! One of my favourite Italian restaurants in the city!

This was absolutely amazing… Just amazing…
I ate the «badly cut» pasta with truffles and I can’t believe how delicious this tasted.
This place is a must have! The service was great and all of the people were very nice.
It is a tiny place but intimate and the food is completely delicious.
Must have!

I came here with my fiancé for a romantic dinner date. On my ongoing hunt of homemade pastas, Gradisca came to my attention. Reservations made being seated upon arrival much easier. Several tables had already been marked with a «reserved» card, so it seems like a good idea one would want to make reservations. Walking into Gradisca, the wooden ambiance and red walls with exposed bricks were nicely composed.
The pastas are all homemade. We tried their Carbonara which had gragnano bronze die spaghetti, farm hen egg, parmigiano, guanciale, black pepper. Light and flavorful, the spaghetti’s fresh egg mix is brought out with the fresh crushed black pepper corns. We also tried the Pappardelle al Ragù di Agnello made from
pappardelle, hand cut lamb ragout with san marzano tomato, parmigiano. The lamb ragout was well balanced and cooked with little to no gaminess. The pappardelle was nice and wide and thoroughly covered in the ragout. Both were excellent choices.
Not necessarily the best pasta I’ve had in the city, but it makes it on the list of places to return to for a romantic evening out with the little lady.

The food was excellent, but the service was kind of strange. [The server expressed his bad temper on us, and it was not very professional. ]
Before 7 PM on Friday it was a nice and quiet, but around 7:30 we were forced to escape, because our pleasant and quiet dinner was ruined by the noise from other customers. The place was packed and everybody was screaming.
I do recommend this place for a truly Italian cuisine.
I am not recommending this place for an intimate dinner on Friday night.

Authentic taste of Italy from the lasagna to the tiramisu. Nice cosy feel yet tables far enough apart that you’re free to talk and share without your neighbors adding their own comments.

Gradisca is a wonderful find in manhattan! The food was delicious and portions were manageable!
The pecorino crème brûlée with rosemary marmalade was AMAZING! You must order this! The gnocchi in Parmesan with truffle oil was to die for! Bread was very good as well!
I was a little disappointed by the octopus — it was a little too chewy for me but still good– I got the octopus and quinoa salad — I think this dish should be served warm rather than as cold (considered a salad).
The reason I gave 4 rather than 5 stars is due to the service. It was rather slow — 3 out of 6 apps came out and were followed 10 min later by the other apps — not sure why they would bring salads without the rest of the apps considering those are cold and can wait to be brought out. All the dishes were also not brought out together. Our waiter was very nice I just think that there needs to be better communication between the kitchen and the wait staff