Grotta Azzurra

Really disappointed. Usually LOVE going here, been several times with no problems but not this time. My father and his wife came in from CA to RI and wanted to spend a day in NYC so I took them. Brought my husband, 2 kids, father and step mother. All of ordered something different. My poor husband ordered the Pre-​Fixe lunch special Spaghetti Bolognese & Basa Oregenata. We were quite shocked at how fast the food came out since there was so much (maybe 10 mins max) and he said it was delicious. We left the restaurant and got on our bus to head back to RI and one we pulled away, my husband became violently ill. We had an almost 4 hour ride home and he was soooo sick the entire time. He is positive it was food poisoning, not sure if it was the fish, veges or meat sauce. I emailed the restaurant to let them know but did not get any reply so I’m putting it here hoping no one else ends up sick. I’m now reading other reviews and notice that others had issues with the Spaghetti Bolognese.

I’m not sure why Grotta Azzurra has an ample amount of bad reviews — it honestly isn’t bad at all. I’ll admit, my girlfriend and I were a little hesitant to dine here at first due to the reviews, but given that we had a
coupon, we didn’t want it to go to waste.
Located in Little Italy, most of the restaurants have outdoor sidewalk seating, although we decided to sit inside.
Service was prompt as bread was brought out after we ordered and our water glasses were never empty. My girlfriend and I split the Fra Diavlo, their «signature dish since 1908!» It consisted of a whole 1.5 lb lobster, clams, and mussels served over linguine with a spicy red sauce. The amount of seafood in this dish was outrageous! It definitely feeds two as they didn’t skimp on the portions of seafood.
Don’t let the bad reviews scare you — Grotta Azzurra is worth a try, especially if you’re able to use a
coupon.

Solid place in Little Italy.
Over MDW my boyfriend and I wanted to relax and have a drink outside, so we thought what better way to enjoy the fine weather than sitting outside on Mulberry Street watching tourists?
We were on the hunt for Happy Hour, which is not easy to find in tourist ridden Little Italy. Grotta not only had a happy hour, but warmly welcomed us to sit outside to enjoy our half priced glasses of wine. We also ordered the arancini as well as bruschetta.
The food was very good, as was the wine. A no fills spot, but we appreciated their hospitality!

It is shocking when you walk into a place anywhere in Little Italy and can’t get half-​way decent Italian food. Garlic Bread wasn’t even browned (though the crust side has clearly seen flames, the side with the garlic had not). Cesar Salad was tasteless and limp. The clams and mussels that came with the Lobster Fra Diavlo were rubbery, and the sauce lacked taste. Etc. Service was good, but lacked the charm (sometimes rough charm) of Little Italy, perhaps because none of the employees appeared to be Italian.

The Best!!! Italian restaurant in Little Italy the food and wait staff are the best. ate there many times and each time better the the last can’t wait to go back. Keep up the good work guys

I recently stopped at little Italy and found the Grotto. The food was very good, I had the eggplant and fried mozzarella, very good. The wait staff was friendly and professional. I definitely recommend for lunch/​Dinner

Food was good except my husband spaghetti bolognese the sauce was sour.
The service was poor. The waiter would reach over our heads to pour water or put plates down and remove. Also took him a while before he asked us if we wanted anything else like dessert or coffee. Also when ordering a meat dish it doesn’t come with side of pasta, that’ll cost you another $ 9. Won’t be dining here again.

It was one of those nights where hubby and I didn’t really have any where particular in mind… was a last minute decisin… Plus we haven’t had Italian in a while. Was greeted by door and seated right away… started with bruschetta then had main course. We both went with the Hand made pasta …4 cheese ravioli and fettuccine Alfredo. I enjoyed my ravioli very much .was stuffed
From the looks of it the fettuccine mst have been good as well … his plate was clean… gone!
The waiter was nice and attentive to our needs… checked to make sure everything was good. Price was reasonable. Place is Spacious and clean. Overall no complaints and we really enjoyed

Went here for a birthday brunch today. Supposedly, they stopped doing brunch in February and this was their ladt brunch due to my friend having made reservations months in advance. The waiters made sure our water glasses were full, correctly fulfilled our orders and were polite. Minus one star since they aren’t serving brunch anymore. Cheap, tasty find in Little Italy.

Just had dinner, staff was great atmosphere was perfect. Family friendly, fair mix of walk-​in families as well as those having made reservations, probably recommended after 6pm. Food was good, recommend Veal Parm and the pastas wee great. Fruta di Mare was good. Steaks looked delicious, I will have to have one the next time.

I really liked this place. I think the outside seating was nice and it seemed like such a good area to sit in and enjoy your dinner. It’s a short walk from Chinatown. I thought the staff was great and on-​point. The food was very good and delicious. I just liked the feel to it how comfortable and «homey» it was. Although, our waiter was never anywhere to be found when we needed things. Other than that, this restaurant deserves 4 stars!

The food here, unfortunately like a lot of places in this area, was just okay. It wasn’t terrific that I’d come back and it wasn’t terrible either. The fettuccine pasta I had was a little bit too oily that it was heavy in my stomach. The garlic bread and olives we ordered as starters were average, the grilled octopus wasn’t impressive and wouldn’t recommend that (I probably should have ordered fried calamari instead). And the regular house bread was also just fine. Service was decent, but it wasn’t a busy evening on a cold Monday night. The one thing I really didn’t like was how the menu states there is a 20% service charge on all checks (regardless of party size). I don’t think that’s appropriate especially when our party was less than 6.

ONBOnly place we could find open and serving real breakfast. Was very good! Very reasonably priced.

Four of us went for Restaurant Week on a Friday night. It wasn’t overwhelmingly busy or loud, which was nice. The host at the door was kind and seated us right away. We all ordered the surf & turf entre’. We were all taken aback at the size of the filet — it was huge; the picture doesn’t do it justice. They were all overcooked, which was disappointing, but all couldn’t deal with sending that much meat back — it would be too wasteful. The food was all tasty, but there were hiccups in service. We didn’t see our server that often and ended up placing orders and getting a corrected desert order from the other staff. Also, we were shocked upon reviewing the bill; 4 people, split in two … gratuity was added. Don’t like that level of presumption; as his service didn’t warrant the amount. Hopefully he shared with his crew — they earned it.

I ducked in here one night in December while wandering around Little Italy without an umbrella.
The bar looked inviting, and my expectations were zero.
Although I’ve only tried the bar area, everything I’ve experienced about this place is surprisingly great.
I imagine the dining room may be more touristy, but the bar area exudes a laid-​back, effortless charm.
Intimate and well-​managed, the entire place scratches at something wholesome you didn’t know you needed in an otherwise aimless Manhattan experience.
Additionally, the martinis will knock you on your ass.
Will surely be back.

Did the two entrée dinner prix-​fixe menu since the menu selection looked enticing and portions were generous (we were starving after walking throughout Manhattan all day). Had the lentil soup for a starter, the meatball/​spaghetti for my first entrée course and pasta/​steak for my second entrée. The starter and dishes were flavorful, warm and filling. We paired our dinners with their house red wine which was less than satisfactory. The homemade baked bread were soft and warm. Perfect on a cold night. My cousin and I left the restaurant satisfied.
The décor was reminiscent of Italy and the menu closely parallel authentic rustic dishes from Italy. This was pleasant to see.
Not sure if this is customary in New York but be advised that this restaurant includes a 20% gratuity to each check. Tip should be subjective and determined by service and food. Minus 1 star for this.

I hold Grotta Azzurra close to my heart. It’s where we go when we’re feelin’ real real cheap. It’s where I first got to experience the pain of a sangria hangover (or maybe it was just the cheap vodka that they use to mix with grape juice). Regardless, Grotta is a testament to how far we’ve come as professionals in New York.
It’s a huge place and the two free apps are dangerous (not for calories sake but for the likelihood that you’ll get food poisoning).
Sometimes a guy will come around and take a Polaroid picture of you for 8 dollars. If he’s feeling nice, he may even give you a dollar discount.

Came here with an OpenTable reservation and was seated instantly. It was a Saturday night and wasn’t too busy. The restaurant is located in a area of little Italy which is located around many other similar restaurants. The restaurant is connected to a full bar which is cool. I can see this place getting packed. I really enjoyed how I had the option to view my check through opentable prior to the end of the meal. It made it extremely convenient.
We were seated right besides the open window which provided and excellent breeze. Server was friend but the doorman/​host was awesome. Food came out fairly quickly and the quality was good. The server recommend a preferred pasta dish and certainly did not disappoint. Bruschetta was good but the calamari did not blow my mind. The lasagna was fantastic! They automatically add 20% gratuity on the check which I had no problem with because the service was good but I can see how people will not be as accepting to that.
We ended with the flourless cake which came out warm and delicious! I plan on returning and already have reservations moving forward!

Came to eat during San Gennaro festival so we sat outside.
Ambience: Although we sat outside, we did get to go inside when using the bathroom. The place is spacious and has like a bar atmosphere.
Service: Nothing out of this world, but efficient. Busboys were nice.
Food: Mixed reviews
Calamari was okay but lacked flavor.
My friend’s gnocchi was actually quite tasty and light. My friend’s lasagna was good but nothing out of this world. My linguini with clam barely had any clams and it could had used more sauce.
Price: A little pricey for the lack of taste.
It’s hars to find Italian food that pleases me. I’m forever cursed after my trip to Italy.

Happy. This place is great. I found this place while looking for a place to eat with my Aunt. We wanted somewhere that was cozy, not too loud, and had good food. The prices were amazing; there was a happy hour special and food specials. We both had the 2 course meal deal. Mine was a Rigatoni with vodka sauce and my aunt had some sort of fish. We both were very happy with the way the wait staff and the appearance of the restaurant. The food was served and plated to perfection. The wine selection was good. We were not rushed but our drinks and food were served promptly enough. A great experience and I am sure to come back again. I completely recommend this place for good Italian food.

Le meilleur restaurant italien de ny. Ambiance très italienne dans un très beau little italy. Cuisine excellente. RAS.

Un très beau restaurant italien, le décor parfait du restaurant italien, romain par excellence, un petit comptoir en marbre pour l’apéro, une ambiance cosy tranquille, des pâtes et des pizzas au menu.

Serveurs pas sympas tout comme le patron qui n’est pas souriant. Pousse à la conso mais service rapide. Qualité des plats moyenne.