Lavagna Restaurant

Yum! I got the caesar salad to start and the rigatoni for my main. The salad was very tasty, the dressing was light, but very flavorful. The pasta was perfectly al dente and one of the best pasta dishes I have EVER had. The inside has beautiful brick walls and amazing light fixtures. It was a lovely experience, I plan to go back!

Stopped here for an early Father’s Day meal and was overall super impressed.
+ sat near the Open sliding Windows and there’s a nice outdoor seating area on a rather quiet street
+ the mussels were delicious, and the tomato sauce they came in were even better. We couldn’t stop dipping bread in it. Yummmm
+ the rigatoni is as good as everyone says. Perfectly al dente and very filling
— more of an older family vibe than a hip spot
— pizza was good but nothing spectacular… very thin crust and small for the price
Would come back soon for the mussels and pasta!

Great room, great service, great management. For grown ups – if u are looking for flash and buzz go somewhere else. Makes you feel like you are eating at a friend’s place – if you are over the age of 35 ;)
I had pizza, scallop appetizer and chicory salad, all excellent. My daughter had kale Caesar salad and spring pea ravioli which was also great. Can’t wait to go back the next time I visit her.

Had a nice meal here with the family. Service was attentive and friendly. We had three appetizers to begin with (for six people) — the scallops, octopus carpaccio and prosciutto. My favorite was the scallop dish, but they were definitely tiny and hard to share between 6 people. Oh well — that is to be expected.
For my entrée, I had the pappardelle in braised rabbit. I thought this was a really tasty dish with the paper thin pappardelle cooked perfectly, and really great flavors. I also had some of my boyfriends rigatoni which I enjoyed, but we both agreed the pappardelle was the winner here.
We had a birthday in our party and were brought a chocolate cake with a candle which was very nice, free of charge.
Overall, a cute place in the east village to get some good Italian food. I would go back if the situation presented itself.

Cozy neighborhood feel, carefully prepared food. Would return.

The food is great. Wonderful Atmosphere and nice staff. The prefix is amazing and moderately priced. Not sure I would go if it wasn’t for the prefix. Small menu, check before you go. If it’s your type you’re golden.

Cozy, old school Italian spot in Alphabet City. We were able to snag reservations 15 minutes before going via OpenTable. The host and staff are all super friendly. I ordered a kale salad and the rigatoni. The rigatoni here is one of the best pasta dishes in NYC, hands down. I would have given 5 stars if our food hadn’t taken so long! Otherwise, Lavagna is a classic Italian spot with one of the best pasta finds in the city.

Lavanga was delicious! A small little authentic Italian gem in the heart of the East Village. I came here with a group of 4 on a Saturday night sans reservation and somehow by the grace of god we got seated right away. It was packed in there but still the service was pretty quick considering how fresh the food tasted. I stuck with the Fedelini Fini, a simple spaghetti with tomato sauce, and isn’t that just the mark of a great restaurant? When you can order something so simple and it still blows your taste buds away. It was superb. I also tried my boyfriends Pappardelle with braised rabbit, and on the OTHER end of the simple spectrum, this complicated dish of paper thin papperdelle noodles and soft-​as-​butter braised rabbit was so phenomenal it had me taking 3,4,5 bites just to «make sure I really liked it». The wine menu is also great and our waiter was more than happy to help us make a selection. And the icing on the cake: when one guest in our party drank a bit too much of said delicious wine and fell out of his chair, the manager came over almost apologetically, and very, very, caring. A+.

A great atmosphere is what I first noticed walking into Lavagna
My group shared a number of appetizers and then went onto main dishes. For appetizers the pizza and prosciutto with figs were amazing. I had the ravioli as my main. It was good but I didn’t feel full afterwards.
The service was decent. We had a variety of people wait on us so that was a bit distracting. Especially as we tried to flag someone down for a second bottle of wine.
Speaking of wine it was so good.

This review is too long, but you can’t say it isn’t thorough (I hope)!
This place is a little gem. My bf and I were celebrating our 5 year anniversary and we were looking for a semi-​romantic ambience (umbeyonce) that wasn’t too stuffy. There is a very quaint feel here with the dim lighting, but a nice hum of noise since there are an abundance of tables. We were running a little late for our reservation so we called ahead to let them know and they were very nice about it.
When we got there about 10 minutes past our 8:30 reservation, they still got us seated quickly. It was about high 40s out, but it was warm enough inside to utilize coat check.
Our waitress had only been working there about two weeks, but she was already so knowledgeable and such a sweetheart. She read us the specials and put her own suggestions in there. She was pretty attentive at timing our appetizer with our entrée (I know because I heard the conversation with the chef). We were sitting pretty close to the kitchen, but didn’t even notice any excess noise. Although that may have been my entertaining company keeping me distracted.
Alright food time… we started off with the prosciutto with shaved parmesan, arugula, and cooked fig. It was delicious and it would have paired excellently with wine if I got a glass there. Now for the entrée, I got the rigatoni. If you have no idea what to get, then definitely get this. The sauce is flavorful and the sausage pieces were well blended into the sauce. Le bf got the fish that I want to say was mahi mahi. I wanted to devour that fish because the flavor was wonderful and the fish was so well-​cooked, but I was getting full from the giant portion of rigatoni I was not willing to sacrifice. We ended with dessert which was apple crumble (more streudel-​like) drizzled with buttescotch a la mode dusted with cinnamon sugar. It completely hit the spot in the second stomach girls save just for dessert.
In total, our appetizer, two entrees, dessert, and one old-​fashioned cost $ 82. I’ve been to far more expensive places for less flavor and smaller portions, so we were pretty happy here.
The only reason I left four stars is because, while our waitress was so sweet, the rest of the staff wasn’t quite on par. They definitely were not as charming even on an average comparison. When it came time to get our coats, nobody was even willing to take a moment so we waited about 5 minutes. Eventually our waitress helped us out and I stopped freezing my heiny off. There were a couple other instances with the staff, but honestly it wasn’t the end of the world. It certainly wouldn’t stop me from returning, but I’d probably keep my coat this time: P

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!
It was love at first sight.
After waiting 30 mins for a table at Supper (one of my favorite restaurants 3 blocks down), my boyfriend suggested we roll the dice and stake out a new spot with no wait. Lo and behold, up the street sits this chic candle-​lit Italian restaurant.
Large, spacious, and tastefully decorated. Intimate & romantic atmosphere. Soft music so you don’t have to scream over it to talk to each other.
On to the most important part — food. Everything was superb from the seafood to the fresh pasta dishes. Dishes weren’t fancy but just enough to accentuate all the fresh ingredients’ flavors. You know a chef is talented when he knows how to let the ingredients shine by not caking it with heavy sauces or flavors.
Our waiter (who I think is the owner) recommended a glass of 2014 Lechthaler which paired perfectly with our dinner.
DO NOT MISS:
Appetizer:
Zuppa di Cozze (roasted mussels in tomato & basil broth)
Pastas:
Fresh Pappardelle with braised rabbit
Homemade Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli in porcini sauce
Secondi:
Pan Seared Monkfish with roasted portabello mushrooms
Our total check came out to 108 + tax + tip. Not bad for a dinner for two with wine.
Also — rumor has it that their pizza is also very very good. They do have an old school pizza oven built into their kitchen after all. This is on my list to try next time :)
I recommend heading there before or after the dinner rush so you can fully enjoy the ambiance.

So I actually loved the food here. The rigatoni everyone talks about is worth the price of admission. And my pork chop was also absolutely delicious. It was deeply satisfying in so many ways and the flavor combination was spot on. But I can’t go more than 3-​stars here.
So we came here with a bunch of folks who really hadn’t made the proper reservation for such a large group. Not the restaurant’s fault at all, I know. But I can’t really excuse the «brusque» service that may or may not have been a result of our colleagues’ oversight.
That was the first thing. The second thing was the fact that we were pushed into an uncomfortable corner to wait until the table was ready (the only alternative being going outside in the cold) — bumped and jostled in this really small restaurant.
Finally, I didn’t have the seafood, but the folks who did said it wasn’t fresh– not the octopus, not the COD, nothing. No excuses– I could detect that «fishy» smell even from where I sat.
The ambiance– the place is small, very red, and very loud. Not a turn-​off for me in general, but just be prepared.
Given the seafood issues, can’t say we’d go back actually…

I love Italian and this is one of my favorite spots in the country. Amazing service, amazing vibe and some of the best food you could ask for with a great wine menu. Ensure to start with the mushroom pizza, I have had every pasta on the menu and can’t give a favorite just try them all. You won’t be disappointed in a sea of mundane over priced Italian spots this is a true gem.

Yes, this place really is as good as it gets. We have only a partial sampling, done during a special occasion (Valentine’s dinner), so I need to go back and check the place on an average night. And I definitely will! The food was delicious, prepared exactly as it should have been. And I mean (almost) everything (the partial exception is the bread, which could have been better): from the artichoke appetizer to the risotto with mushrooms to the monkfish to the chocolate dessert. And they have a good selection of wines too.

Went here on a date and had the spinach and ricotta ravioli in a porcini cream sauce, my date had the rigatoni with sweet fennel and spicy sausage, peas and tomato cream. I had white wine, he had red. This place is beyond words. The food, service and vibe of the restaurant is amazing. My date scored huge points with me for picking this place out. It’s small but intimate enough where you can speak in a normal voice and not hear others’ conversations. I definitely need to come back to eat and drink the rest of their menu!

My love and I went on our first night in NYC, and left giving the owner a hug!
After reading tons of reviews I made reservations a week before our trip.
We couldn’t have been happier. He had the lamb, and I had the ravioli (loved it), but our favorite was the delicious wine, a bottle of Prevostura Lessona (2010). Wow!
The service, the candlelight, the food, everything was so memorable. Including the dessert!
Next time we are in NYC we will be sure to go back.

I had a friend visiting for July 4^th weekend and I wanted to go out for a nice dinner to celebrate. I was able to snag a reservation at Lavagna last minute and decided to give it a try. I’m so glad to have discovered this hidden gem so close to where I live. The atmosphere is cozy and casual and the food was delicious.
Food: I started off with some steamed mussels in a light tomato broth. The mussels were soft and luscious and the tomato broth was very fresh. What a great start to the meal! For my entre I ordered the short rib pasta and my friend ordered a mushroom pizza. My pasta tasted homemade and the short ribs were very flavorful. The dish was very light for a pasta dish and I managed to inhale the entire bowl. My friend’s mushroom pizza was also quite good. I would highly recommend the pasta here.
Overall, an affordable, casual Italian gem that I will definitely be back for.

Cute cozy Italian place tucked away in the corner of E5th street. Came here around 9pm on a Saturday night with my girlfriends and we were seated right away. The seared scallops with parsnip purée and crispy pancetta was simply divine. Our favorite of the night was the Rigatoni with spicy sausage with a tomato cream sauce was so good! I had the Fedelini Fini which was very simple with toasted garlic and tomato sauce but yet very delicious. My other friend had the fish with risotto. I couldn’t remember the exact name of the dish because it was a special. It tasted quite bland. It could’ve used a little bit more salt or some sort of seasoning. Service was a bit slow, but we didn’t mind because we weren’t hungry and was busy chatting away.

We went here for Christmas Eve dinner and were absolutely blown away. The owner greeted us by name, and even though we were disappointed by the 25 minute wait (we had a reservation), he was extremely apologetic and gave us the first round of drinks on the house.
The restaurant is TINY but the ambiance is super cozy and perfect for a date or small get-​together with friends or family. The waitstaff was really friendly, putting up with our repeated requests to refill the bread basket and our annoying orders to share almost all our dishes.
The appetizers at our table included the mussels, the kale Caesar salad (a play on words that we definitely pointed out), and the insalata mista which I really enjoyed. We shared the rigatoni (a huge serving), and my brother and father both got the steak and said it was out of this world. I had the special veal — wrapped in prosciutto and covered in a creamy lemon sauce with sides of potatoes and spinach. It was the perfect size to follow salad and my share of pasta, and it was delicious. I would definitely only recommend going here if you’re ready for some unconventional Italian dishes — they don’t have your usual caprese, but they do treat you like family.

Lavagna is a very tiny Italian place Downtown.
Emphasis on TINY.
The food however was great.
We had a pasta dish with sausage and a creamy tomato sauce and it was bliss.
The food was so good that it almost made me forget how terrible the service was.
The host was incredibly rude right from the get-​go.
He seemed a bit overwhelmed, so I’ll give him some slack…
The food was so good it definitely warrants another visit in the future.

Es un restaurant chiquito, informal, con mantel de papel, nada especial. Es muy ruidoso! La atención no es muy buena pero tampoco esta mal.
La comida no es mala pero no hay nada especial en el menú como tampoco en la ejecución. Habiendo tantos restaurantes en NY, no volvería a este.