Ottomanelli’s Cafe 86

I was in the mood for a burger and this place didn’t disappoint (ottomanelli started out as a butcher after all) I ordered the Texas steak ½lb burger (med rare) with bbq sauce, cheddar and bacon, with choice of fries or salad. The salad was ok, but the burger was perfection! Cooked perfectly medium rare, the bacon was super crispy, topped off with a tomato slice and lettuce on a Kaiser roll.
The old school Italian-​restaurant-​style décor was nice and intimate, but the place definitely had a «lived in» look, which I actually liked.
The bill came to $ 13.01 before tip. I’ll definitely be back.

Oh no the food is terrible. I had an eggplant parm with French fries? They’re not Italian and although I’d like to believe anyone can make Italian food I retract that comment now. My expectations were low but this was pretty bad.
The sauce was disgusting, burnt, and old, older than the standard few days you can keep homemade tomato sauce. The eggplant I think was ok but I was ruined by that terrible sauce. And the bread was not toasted. The sandwich is small which truly doesn’t matter because it was truly terrible.
I’m disappointed that this small restaurant has such terrible food. I truly felt sick the rest of the evening I’m not sure how this place is still in business.

So we decided to order in this evening while chilling. Scott recommended this Italian place which does grow and create everything in-​house, making it a very hard place for me to say no to. family owned for a very long time as well, so they have a steady customer base: my friend Scott is one of them!
I chose to go with one of their chicken dishes, chicken francaise which comes with spaghetti and is cooked in white wine and lemon. Man, what a treat. I know that New York is all about eating our or ordering in and I’m happy to confirm that if you know where to get it, the food is extremely good.
Positive sidenote; delivery is quick!

One of my aunts, a resident of the Upper East Side since the mid-​1970s, claims she used to take me here all the time when I was younger, followed up by a trip to the playground at Carl Schurz Park. I certainly can’t remember, as these trips happened when I was but a wee little nugget, but I can certainly say that I appreciated a trip there again when I was 31 and could remember it. Ha!
Recently, my aunt did take me there, again, for a simple Saturday afternoon lunch. It’s very old school and charming, down to the well-​worn décor and checkered tabletops. We sat, two of three customers at the time, and we made our minds up very quickly: two bowls of French Onion soup and a Caesar Salad to split between the two of us. The soup was close to perfection, with a rich beefy broth complemented by not too many croutons. The cheese on top was worth saving until those final few bites. The Caesar Salad was crisp and fresh, easily shareable between two people. Admittedly, it didn’t quite taste like it had a traditional Caesar dressing on it, but I liked it, regardless.
It was nice to go back to this little nostalgic place that I probably should have a little bit more nostalgia for. Haha. But, my aunt did sit there and tell me how she used to love taking me here as a kid, as I mentioned, so it was nice to make a new lunchtime memory there.

*Delivery Review Only*
I order personal pan pizza from Ottomanelli’s, and I honestly love it. The crust has some similarities to a bar pie, in that you get the lacey delicate crunchy edges, and it’s thin. The pizza is baked at a hot enough temperature to get those satisfying dark speckles on the cheese, and the sauce is good too. My husband is a fan of their burgers.
There is no delivery minimum, and with tax, 20% tip, etc… the whole thing rounds out to around $ 13, which is a good deal for a freshly made pizza dinner. So it’s really not surprising that I’ve ordered from there several times now, and will continue to.

The food was delicious and the service was impeccable. Dannie is the best server I’ve had in my 2.5 years I’ve lived in NYC. A neighborhood gem. Not fancy, but excellent pasta and best mozzarella sticks! Good waffle fries too. Either way, make sure you have Dannie take care of you and you’ll be in the best hands NYC has to offer!

I can’t tell you how many times my boyfriend and I have been here. This food is always fresh, the meat is top grade I assume fresh from their meat market and consistent.
The sliced steak sandwich is served over garlic bread and is delicious, I mean how can you go wrong with that combination?! The fettuccine al pesto, spaghetti primavera and chicken parm are all solid staples of ours.
Staff is more than friendly and you get that familial feel.
Great local spot for an everyday dinner with a loved one.
Oh and how can I forget they’re BYOB! Enough said…

A great little place for a sandwich or salad. Their made to order pasta dishes are ok. The service was very friendly.

Food quality has gone back down, so the rating goes with it. Sadly their main competition for cheapo Italian (Sotto Cinque) closed down this year, so they have no real motivation to stop sucking. Sadly though the prices recently went up, quality and portion size down, and my desire to continue patronizing this dump has gone with it. The pre-​made dishes at Fairway are better and cheaper (and probably prepared in less squalor) — spare yourself the headache and go elsewhere.

I’ve gotten take-​out from here a bunch of times.
It’s not the most life-​changing Italian, but when I’ve just done a 20-​miler that morning and at 4pm my body craves pasta, their spaghetti and meatballs does the trick.
Burgers are on point. I’ve rarely been disappointed by anything here.
It’s just a neighborhood staple for comfort food. The kind of mom-​and-​pop that is full of heart and makes you love living in Yorkville. Three solid stars.

After messing our delivery order twice, the manager «Paul» accused me of lying about how cold the food was. Instead of refunding an $ 8 burger, they ended up losing a customer. Mediocre food, burgers are always way undercooked or a hockey puck. Will never tolerate rude employees! Do not eat here.

I usually take out from here, the steak burgers are really good! The salads are great also, I give them 3 stars only because they refuse to give you raw onion Or CATCHUP with your takeout order. But it’s definitely worth a try!

Although this is a small and old fashioned looking place, the food is. awesome! We have been coming here for about a year and as native New Yorkers we have to admit that their lasagna is the BEST we have ever had!!!

Do not waste your money and time here. There are many better choices better than this including your own kitchen.
My pizza was sloppy and my gf’s lasagna was frozen and she had to ask the guy to reheat the food and they did not even apologize.
At the end when we left the place no one came and asked how was everything!
This place should not be in business and taking your money.

A friendly little italian café with a small town family-​owned feel. Sauce has the same homemade taste you might remember your italian grandmother making in her kitchen (like mine). However, they do not serve alcohol so be prepared. Good food at very reasonable prices male it perfect for a low key meal if you don’t feel like venturing over to 1^st ave for you York Ave folk!

Ottomanelli’s Café is a small Italian establishment serving up classic Americanized Italian dishes in large portion sizes for decent prices.
When it comes to this place it’s important to have your expectations in tact. Don’t come here thinking you’ll have cacio e pepe or an order of fried zucchini flowers but do stop by for an enomorous heap of saucy spaghetti topped with chicken parmesan the size of your face. And the garlic bread… GUYS THE GARLIC BREAD. Can someone grab my socks? I think they blew off when I had this toasty, buttery, garlicy slice of heaven. Their personal pizza has a nice, thick (er), crust and their sauce passes the test. I’d avoid the pizza primavera because the veggie selection is a bit strange… Otherwise, I totally would not mind stopping in here for tasty little pizza.
Their delivery service is fast and friendly, and the storefront although small, is homey and lovable. For a no-​fuss meal, I don’t mind giving Ottomanelli’s my business.
**Also for those that mention their cheeseburger – I’ve never personally had one at the restaurant, but I’ve purchased their steak burger at their butcher on 83^rd and was very satisfied with the quality! Perhaps getting a burger at an Italian café isn’t that much of a risk afterall?

Been here a couple times and enjoyed myself each occasion.
Had one of the burgers each time and really enjoyed them. They have a good selection of specialty burgers which all looked pretty delicious. I got the alpine burger and the meat was tasty, they cooked the meat to the correct temperature I wanted, and the ingredients were quality. Waffle fries aren’t usually my favorite, but the ones here are passable. Price is right too.
Atmosphere is very homey and clean. This is a place where you could really enjoy a meal and relax for a bit. Window is also great for people watching on a nice day.
Service is egh. Not great, not horrible. I’m not too big on service unless it’s horrendous so this didn’t really bother me.
Great neighborhood spot. I’d go again if I was crazy a good burger.
4 stars.

What a CHEESEBURGER !!! I’m not sure which one or what combination did it
for me, but… the great meat, the delicious cheese combo, the superb sesame seed
bun, the waffle fries, the romaine lettuce, rhe lengthwise fresh-​sliced ultra-​crunchy pickles or … in any case — it’s wonderful !!!

I’ve been seeing these great outdoor ads for this amazing burger courtesy of this great NY establishment and I was dying to try it. So here I walk by the café and I just had to try it. The place was okay, the service quite exceptional. My waitress was friendly and helpful. I ordered my bacon cheddar loaded burger with onions and mushrooms. Well done waffle fries were also ordered.
Within minutes I was enjoying a truly fine burger. Huge, meaty and fresh, with a charcoaled deliciousness, this burger did not disappoint!
Very good! Very good indeed. Truth in advertising.

Oh yum yum in the tum tum
The first amazing thing about this place is the BYO without a corkage fee. BF and I walked in with our bottle of wine and as soon as we sat down at the table, the server took the bottle and came back with it opened along with two wine glasses.
After doing the NYC bike marathon, my boyfriend was famished, so he really wanted to order mozzarella sticks. While he ate most of them, I got to try one and it was so stringy, cheesy, and perfectly delicious dipped in marinara sauce.
Your dinner comes with a big basket of warm garlic bread. You will need this soak up sauce on your main dish. I ordered the chicken and broccoli which was on top of penne pasta with garlic and oil sauce. The chicken was lightly breaded and after a good soak in the oil, my garlic bread was ready to eat. My BF got the staple Chicken Parm, which came with spaghetti and marinara. Now, he never finishes his plate, but not long after we were served, I noticed his entire plate (including the red sauce) was cleaned. We really enjoyed ourselves and the bill came to about 40 dollars.
The establishment is small and it’s not fancy, but for good Italian that is cheap, I highly recommend.