Il Mulino

I wish I didn’t like this restaurant so much: I could save a lot of money if Il Mulino wasn’t this good! For better or for worse, though, it’s been amazing every time I’ve visited.
Everyone has described the mountains of pre-​appetizers at the beginning. They are as delightful as others have said, especially the hunk of Parmesan. I have dreams about that cheese.
The actual starters are also delicious, especially the scallops wrapped in bacon. OMFG. Words can’t describe how perfect these are. Order them. Mains, as you would expect, are also fantastic, and I love the option to try several different pasta dishes as one meal.
When a meal out costs close to $ 200 per head, I just can’t give the establishment 5 stars in good faith. The food is great here, and the service is too. But the markups on some of the items are literally eye popping. Let’s just say it’s a good thing they don’t tell you the prices of the verbal specials. And I know that good wine is expensive, but come on. An $ 80 bottle was the cheapest on their wine list.
I will continue to return to Il Mulino, and I’d love to try their Upper East Side location. But for the sake of my budget, this spot can’t be a regular visit.

came here for Valentines Day 2016…
not even sure where to start here. WOW! the minute you sit down you are brought out fresh parmesan cheese scraped off a wheel, along with a great, fresh bread basket with various breads, a plate of salami and roasted zuchinni slices.
now as for what we actually ordered, we started with a plate of fresh mozz (ofcourse!). it was deliciousss. so soft and delicious, and the balsamic glaze up top made it that much better as well.
I then ordered the chicken parmesan and my girlfriend got the veal marsala. the only words that were said during that dinner were «wow», «oh my god», «yum». we were simply amazed.
to finish we ended with the chocolate lava cake with cream. BEST FINALE.
we don’t usually agree on restaurants being the «best», but we agreed il Mulino is our new favorite and the best Italian — no, maybe the best restaurant in general, we’ve ever been to!
GO HERE :-)

I brought my husband here for his birthday, and we couldn’t have had a better experience! We were seated promptly for our 8:00 reservation, at a nice table, and were given the wine list to peruse. Right away the appetizers started arriving, which I knew about, but which my husband was not expecting, so it was a great surprise for him. The zucchini fritti was to die for! The bread basket, mussel, bruschetta, and garlic toasts were all divine. And of course, the huge parmesan wheel they carve for you. We didn’t feel rushed to order, and our server gave us time to look over the menu after reciting a long (I mean really long) list of specials. We decided to split the arrabiata pasta and the rack of lamb, which is my husband’s favorite, and why I chose Il Mulino for his birthday. The pasta course was excellent. They split the dish into two bowls, each of which was a generous serving on its own, and we didn’t feel rushed at all, with just enough time between courses before they presented the rack of lamb uncarved, and then carved it for us. The meat was cooked perfectly, and we really enjoyed it. Finally, even though we were stuffed at this point, we got the flourless chocolate cake, which comes with fresh whipped cream. It was fantastic! And the best part was that they brought it over with a candle, and several waiters sang happy birthday, while the whole restaurant clapped.
Our waiter, and the entire waitstaff, were friendly, funny, and attentive. Our food was divine, we basically had to roll ourselves home. And they made a special occasion feel that much more special for us. Recommend all around!

It is hard to be unique in New York City, but Il Mulino, on 3^rd Street in Greenwich Village, was and always has been. Its famous cuisine is south-​central Italian, Abruzzo region Italian, and in any event a singular experience. I remember coming here for the first time, in my twenties, not knowing too much about the restaurant, and I had to over-​eat, just to get past the wonderful big appetizers and enjoy my main course. And what a main course it was. Wines flow wonderfully throughout a meal, paired effectively (by recommendation), course by course.
If you come to Il Mulino, for lunch or dinner, my first recommendation is that it be one of only two meals that day. It really is a grand place. Magnificent!

Short version: service was too rushed, meat quality was mediocre, sauces and desserts were great, but the ambiance could use décor updates.
I made a 12pm lunch reservation during restaurant week, arrived on time with my full party and was seated immediately.
We were given wine menus and asked if we were ordering wine– it was lunch so we declined wine and asked for water. There was something odd about having to ask for water and not having water served to us before asking about wine.
Then a flurry of hands laid down restaurant week menus, a basket of breads, a plate of fried zucchini slices, two slices of salami, and some diced tomato salad with croûton on our plates. Unfortunately one of the cheese breads served was so hard I thought it would pull my teeth out by biting into it– but all the other amuse bouche were great.
Before we could even comprehend what had just happened, we were asked if we were ready to order, which we weren’t. We were literally only 3 minutes into sitting down and saying hello to each other. About every 2 minutes after that we were asked if we were ready to order until we decided to give up having a conversation and just order in the hopes that would help us have an interrupted conversation.
We both ordered a penne arrabiatta starter and chicken entrée. The food came out quickly, the sauces were very delicious with plenty of flavor and spice, and the pasta was great. The only problem was that we barely had time to enjoy it because 3 different servers tried to take our plates before we were even finished! After the third attempt we just gave up and let them take it.
The chicken cuts and meatballs that were part of this special entrée were merely edible– not the highest quality cuts of meat with many fatty or chewy parts. The sauce was good– but I’ll never order that chicken dish again and I was tempted to send it back because it was so undesirable. Instead I just let the over-​eager servers take that before it was finished as well.
The only time I felt like we got to relax and enjoy our meal was during dessert– when they had no more reason to rush us along. The flourless chocolate cake was amazing and the tiramisu was like a tasty cloud of air.
I really wanted to enjoy my meal here– but the pressure to keep moving forward during our meal really ruined that for me and overshadowed any of the experience that was desirable.
Honestly– I don’t know if I’ll come back to give it a second chance. I’m curious to see if it’s any better for the evening service– but the entrée didn’t make me thrilled to come back either. I’m a very high rater– so it pains me to give a low rating but I think there are a lot of improvements that could be made here, especially considering how many other amazing Italian dinner options there are in a few blocks walk.

Was all amped up for this meal and left annoyed and disappointed. First it is so dark you can’t read the menu with the script writing they use. The bread basket has 2 great breads but also a oily chewy toast of sorts. I asked for butter and it came 20 minutes later. The career salad had zero anchovy, or flavor from anchovy. It tasted like a lemon garlic dressing with mushy croutons.
My fiancé ordered the special rack of lamb with mutated and bread crumb crust. It was ordered medium rare. It came medium well and no crust. It came with potatoes diced, and over cooked floating in red wine sauce. FYI. $ 80. Ridiculously overpriced. I had the veal chop parmigiana and it was average at best. Doesn’t compare to il vagabondo. The service was fair. The waiter read the specials, took the orders, and dropped the check. He never checked on the table otherwise. When dropping the check he didn’t even say thank you. The service also struggles from a language barrier, and arrogance from a lot of the staff. I would never return.

I would have given this restaurant 4 stars if were not for a few things. Let’s start off with the good. We were a group of 13 — one table of 7 and one table of 6. We were warmly welcomed and promptly seated. The waiters were attentive and pleasant. I had the veal romano which was excellent. The restaurant is small and nicely decorated. It was very dark at our table, however. Without the flashlight on my iPhone, I would not have been able to even read the menu. There were times when I turned the flashlight on just to see what I was eating. We did not receive all the free appetizers that I see others on this site have raved about. Finally, I suggest that you carefully read your check. We were a table of seven and there were 3 things listed on our check that we did not order (they did not belong to our other table either because they had a different waiter). Those three things totaled $ 57 which with tax and tip added would come to about $ 75. They did promptly and with no question correct the tab when it was called to their attention. Other than the check mixup and the lack of light at the table, I enjoyed the meal and the restaurant very much and will certainly return when I next find myself in the neighborhood.

We went to Il Mulino on a Monday during restaurant week. We ran in to the restaurant at 1:19 for a 1:15 reservation and the waiting area was packed. We checked our jackets (you want to do this on busy days — the dining area is tiny) and waited.
We were seated at 1:45. After being showed to our table, little appetizers started showing up. They gave us a basket of soft and garlic breads, fresh Parmesan cheese bits, bruschetta, and zucchini chips — all absolutely fantastic and a welcomed surprise. Everything was very garlicky but quite flavorful and well constructed.
For our meal, we ordered two apps, two entrees, and two desserts, per the restaurant week menu (I am attaching a screenshot of the full menu):
CAPRESE SALAD — One slice of mozzarella, two slices of tomato. The mozzarella is extremely fresh and creamy. Excellent dish.
PENNE ALLA ARRABBIATA — Al dente pasta in a spicy, chunky red sauce. Another excellent dish and a reasonable portion for an appetizer.
SALMON — The salmon entrée came with capers, olives, and tomatoes in a red sauce. The portion was also quite big, being that RW lunch is $ 25 for 3 courses.
CHICKEN — Similar fixings to the salmon, with zucchini as well. Didn’t love this as much as it was a slightly fatty cut of chicken, but still had great flavors.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE — Very chocolatey/​heavy (essentially fudge); comes with some sort of whipped cream and some fresh blueberries and raspberries.
TIRAMISU — Also a hit. Same fixings as the chocolate cake. Very light and airy.
The food was extremely good and I was very happy with it. The only issues that we had were being seated a little late, generally being rushed (although, with the restaurant week crowd, this is what we expected), and how the servers treated each other.
Let me explain myself on that part. It was a little uncomfortable to sit back and enjoy lunch with the head server speaking rudely to the other servers and the bussers. Being in a hurry and being direct are one thing, but the way they were being spoken to was uncomfortable to watch.
Additionally, the check had both a line for the servers tip and the captains tip. During restaurant week, a lot of young people come out to try restaurants that they otherwise may not be able to afford every day. No one made an effort to explain to us who was who or how the breakdown worked. While we would have been happy to compensate someone, we were unsure who the captain even was. It made us feel a little awkward because we had no clue how much to leave each person.
All in all, it was a good experience. I think that if there had been a little more teamwork on the staff, this could have been a five star review. The $ 25 lunch special for restaurant week is an absolute steal for this place. Highly recommend.

We got seated at 4:30 Sunday afternoon for a party of 6 prior to seeing Les Miserables on Broadway. We were warmly welcomed. Our waiter George demonstrated the utmost in service. We were surrounded with complimentary appetizers immediately upon seating. We split bacon wrapped scallops as main appetizer– delicious! For our main courses we had stuffed veal chop, rack of lamb, Chicken parm, linguini Alfredo all awesome. The rack of lamb my wife had was off the charts delicious– melted in your mouth with no lamb gamey aftertaste. The portions were generous as well as delicious. The waiter George was like part of the family by the end of the meal. We felt more like we were eating at his house then a restaurant. Highly recommend this restaurant– wonderful dining experience

Meh don’t get the hype of why ppl would pay high prices for this restaurant that’s $$$$ (i barely thought the RW price was worth it)
food is more rustic italian instead of fine dining but nothing was amazing and presentation was lacking
servers were very attentive but we almost felt rushed and had to tell them to calm down! as soon as we sat down they were throwing complimentary appetizers to our table and clearing those plates before we were even done and ready to move on!
–complimentary: salame, fried zucchini, bruschetta, and parmesan cheese… nothing stood out although i liked the bruschetta the best
–bread basket: they’ve got a variety of breads in here including a croûton that is REALLY OILY & salty but if you get the right piece I guess it can be good
–caprese salad: i’ve had better mozzarella but not bad
–porcini ravioli: the sauce was already forming a film as it sat in front of me. nothing special. paid an extra $ 10 supplement to try their pasta too
–chicken parm: their version is very thin. again not particularly noteworthy
–flourless chocolate cake: although i loved the rich chocolate taste & texture, it literally looked like they just cut the thinnest sliver possible and slapped it onto the plate
don’t think it was the fact that we went for RW, although the regular menu wasn’t offered during this lunch
NOTE: free coat check, just tip of course; proper attire required

If you’re looking for some really fine dining, have a zest for Italian food, and want to be pampered away, this place is for you. It is worth the $$$$. The food is AMAZING, the service is unbelievable and the timing of when your apps vs entrees vs desserts coming out is timed perfectly and fluidly. Expect to lay aside 2 hours for the full experience.
The overall décor of the restaurant is very unassuming. To be quite honest, if I were to base it on looks alone, I would’ve never come here. It has a very old school charm to it which perfectly complements the servers (who all speak Italiano mind you) that are decked out in white tuxedos. Right when you sit down, a swarm of servers are at your beckon filling up your water, providing you complimentary bread, bruschetta, mussel, cheese (from a cheese wheel too!) amongst other things.
We ordered the tuna carpaccio which was ok but the spaghetti carbonara is a must have. Make sure you order it. Maybe even two. I got the chicken parmigiana which was very delicious and a VERY big portion so best to share it. I hate to say it but the venison my friend ordered was quite tasty too. And for dessert we had berries with some cream thing which was phenomenal.
Also, if you pay by credit card, there’s two tips you put down — servers and captain server tip. May be best to google what it means and proper etiquette for the percentage split before you get there :)

Cant say enough about this place. The food, the service, the WINE
One of my favorite restaurant in the city, great spot for after holiday shopping with my girls

Italian at its best! You will never be disappointed here. Tuxedo clad Italian speaking waiters, star studded clientele in a tiny tiny restaurant.
Had the Osobucco that fell off the bone the minute it was placed on the table.
Note, You will be served a meal before you order your meal… Free of charge, brought to the table will be: fried garlic zucchini, bread, bruschetta, mussels, Parmesan and then more bread before you even think about an appetizer or salad!
Great food, great experience and worth the price!

The 3 stars I gave this place is not based on their food which deserves 5 stars but overall experience.
I brought my wife here for our 1 year anniversary and the food did not disappoint. As you sit down they bring an assortment of breads, meats and cheese. It was all delicious. For appetizers we had the buffala cheese salad and an order of scallops. For main course I had the squid ink pasta it was incredible. My wife had the branzino which was cooked to perfection. Dessert was great also.
Now the service took away 2 stars. The waiter was arrogant and seemed annoyed taking our order. I asked questions and for his recommendations he was not interested in answering my questions and offered no help. He went through an extensive list of specials when he was done I asked him to go over 2 in particular that sounded good he gave a vague description and seemed annoyed. This was a bit frustrating. I ordered wine and once our glass was done the waiter never asked us if we wanted another. Overall the food is great but the service is way too arrogant for my liking. For a $ 350 dollar dinner I’d expect a little more class.

This is a review for a visit during this summer’s NYC Restaurant Week.
My wife and I live nearby and have been waiting to try Il Mulino for awhile.
Reservations were quick and easy through OpenTable. We realized we wanted to go one hour earlier. We called in and they switched our reservation without a hitch.
I echo prior reports that they are very well organized and quick with their service during restaurant week. Service was by far their strongest point. They were attentive to everything during the meal. Ambience was cozy and intimate but not overcrowded.
We enjoyed the truffle ravioli as our main course. The appetizers were nothing to write home about. All in all, a great experience.

KenScale: 8.5÷10
It’s been more than a couple of years since I last visited Il Mulino, a classy Italian establishment in NYC at somewhat odd location in the heart of NYU campus. I’ve been looking to re-​visit and finally had a chance recently. Overall, the rich flavor of Italian cuisine was still there, and I might say Il Mulino might be one of the best places for pasta in the city.
After the usual servings of complementary food, we shared three different pastas: black truffle ravioli, pappardelle and spicy sauce capellini. All three dishes were exquisite, especially the ravioli, which my dining companions couldn’t stop raving about. There was rich flavor to each pasta dish that was very addictive, and the texture of each noodle was also flawless. While I’ve been saying for a long time that Marea is the standard-​bearer when it comes to pastas, I think Il Mulino is not that far behind in terms of overall construction of the dishes and the balance of flavor and texture. For main dishes, I absolutely loved the dover sole, which came perfectly cooked and with minimal seasoning to my liking. I always find fish dishes that are seasoned on the moderate side to taste better (assuming they are cooked well), and dover sole really was just to my liking. On the other hand, veal parmigiana was a bit aggressively overseasoned and the meat was slightly tough. For desserts, both the silky smooth tiramisu and the tartufo gelato were pure decadence, showing how classic Italian sweet treats are done right.
Getting a reservation here is still a bit hard, and it was pretty packed in the course of my meal. There are some really nice Italian wine selections to go along with the intense and rich flavor of dishes here. I’m glad I made a return trip to Il Mulino, and strongly recommend this place if you’re looking for a classic Italian dining experience.

My husband and I came here for Summer Restaurant week and were very impressed. You are given multiple complimentary dishes before your meal and the service was very good.
We were actually quite full after our complimentary bread, tomato salad and zucchini chips. They were nice, but very oily. I did also appreciate the waiter bringing the huge block of Parmesan to the table to carve some off for you!
For my appetizer I had the pappardelle, which was delicious, ⁵⁄₅ for this dish! My husband had calamari, which he really enjoyed. For our main dishes my husband had the veal Marsala and I chose the chicken. The mains were fine, but nothing special. It was our least favorite of all courses. However, unless restricted to the fixed menu, I wouldn’t have ordered any of those dishes anyway.
For dessert we both ordered the chocolate cake, which was very good, it was rich and tasty. The presentation wasn’t too great and I think it was because we saw them stood out by the hostess table!
Our only complaint was the time it took to get the cheque. All service was prompt and efficient until that point. The décor of the restaurant is quite traditional and the bathrooms are very dated, but those things are minor to me. However, there is only 1 female & 1 male bathroom, so you could wait a while. You also have to walk past the entrance to the kitchen where the waiters are, to get to the bathroom.
I am glad that I finally got the opportunity to come here, as I have wanted to for a while, and even better at a cheaper price for Restaurant Week.

I went in for restaurant week lunch, so the prices were pretty decent (about $ 60 each including drinks and almost 30% tip). The drinks aren’t that expensive either, for such a famous place anyway, so I’m not sure about the 4 dollar signs currently on (I’m giving 3).
To start of, food is ready on the table when pretty much as soon as you sit. 4 people come around you setting everything up. Classic. The appetizers include grilled zucchini in oil, salame, parmesan, and really good bread (2 or 3 kinds in a basket) as well as bruschetta soon after.
I got the pappardelle to start, which was actually pretty filling and yes, delicious. Mushroom ravioli were perfectly cooked in an awesome creamy sauce, I just wish there had been more than 5 in that plate. The «perfect chocolate cake» was indeed perfect. Soft and bitter with whipped cram and berries on the side.
I asked for beer and the capitan just brought a Peeroni. Meh. I guess it’s not a beer place. The Italian capitan was friendly, loud, and funny. They took really good care of our table. p. s. You’re asked to leave separate tip for the capitan.

Wow! I came here on my birthday with my family. One thing that you should know about them is that they love Italian food, but are extremely critical of every restaurant that we go to. So imagine my surprise when my parents said that this was one of the best and most memorable meals that they had enjoyed in a long time.
Once you sit down, the attentive waiter asks if you want anything to drink, and an army of servers swoops down to deliver a multitude of free antipasti — garlic bread, fried zucchini, bruschetta. Then the tuxedo-​ed waiter returns, and delivers a delightfully theatrical recitation of the night’s specials and recommendations. Maybe bring a pen and paper, because there are a lot of them.
We went with the calamari fritti to share and a few caesar salads to start. The calamari was fresh and fried perfectly, not too chewy, oily or heavy. The caesar was interesting, definitely less vinegary and more rich than I was used to, and not too much of an anchovy flavor. The lettuce could have been a little crisper, so maybe you can skip this one.
I ordered the spaghetti vongole as my main, and wow! I normally prefer red clam sauce to white, but this one was very garlicky, herby and I detected some kind of strong umami flavor, like anchovy or sundried tomato. It came with plenty of large and small clams, and finished with a little cayenne pepper for a kick.
The black linguine with shrimp and scallops was also a big hit. My dad said it was the best pasta that he’d had in awhile. He never likes what he orders at restaurants, so this is unbelievably high praise.
We also enjoyed the lobster linguine special — it came in a rich, pink sauce. The person who ordered it couldn’t quite finish, as it was very heavy. For me, one bite was enough.
We were so stuffed that dessert was out of the question, but now I wish I had had some room for a bite of tiramisu. Guess I’ll just have to go back!

In the midst of following the latest and greatest openings in NYC, it’s important not to overlook some of the classics. Il Mulino is certainly one of the city’s most quintessential restaurants, a steadfast Italian eatery that has served up countless plates since its opening in 1981. Even to this day, reservations are nearly impossible to obtain, unless, perhaps, you’re a regular or know the right people. And certainly, the lunchtime visit by Bill Clinton and President Obama several years back only helped to boost their reputation. But on those days that you need a break from the modern dining régime, Il Mulino is a welcome respite.
My friend and I arrived for dinner on the early end of a Sunday dinner. From the moment I stepped in, I was immediately greeted, checked in, and led to our table. Even before our water glasses could be filled, our table was covered in a variety of starting bites, including a well-​marinated bruschetta, a garlicky mussel, and a small plate with various cuts of salami, and a basket nearly overflowing with bread. It’s certainly a surprising welcome, and an instantaneous way of making the guest feel at home from they moment they sit down. We barely had room on the table to place our menus, but after hearing the specials available that evening, opted to share a three course meal.
First to arrive was the Caesar Salad. It’s a simple plate by any definition, consisting of romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, Parmesan, and the optional handful of croutons. Il Mulino’s version, despite utilizing quality ingredients, was heavily dressed to the point that it became far too salty. It caused the romaine leaves to wilt with the heaviness of the dressing as well, and unfortunately, did not start us off on quite the right foot. Thankfully, the Squid Ink Linguine that followed was a much better plate. It was one of the specials that our waiter had read out to us, and it certainly lived up to the description. The squid ink linguine was cooked to a toothsome al dente and sautéed with shrimp, scallops and cherry tomatoes, resulting in light and distinct flavors. The clarity of the olive oil and garlic was also exemplary, a true testament to the roots of Italian cuisine.
We’d opted for the Scaloppine Pizzaiola, a dish that served veal in a rich tomato sauce with mushrooms in peppers. The veal was surprisingly tender, quite a feat given the leanness of the protein, and the accompanying sauce was a perfect blend of earthy, tart, and savory. A few capers thrown in made for a salty staccato in between bites, but our plates were nonetheless cleaned in short time. But how could we say no to dessert, especially when our waiter was so persuasive? I ended up with a Tiramisu, a delightfully moist slice of coffee-​infused ladyfingers, marscapone, cocoa powder, and the sweet edge of Kahlua.
Il Mulino doesn’t have to be quite as damaging to the wallet as one might assume, although I’d advise against getting more than one dessert, as each clocks in at an impressive $ 18 — a price we didn’t see until the final bill. Stick with the Italian classics listed across their menu and opt to share, if possible; portions are generous, and will fill you up otherwise. And while the restaurant may not be perfect, tasty plates, warm service, and a chance to step back in time are more than enough reasons to make the visit here.