Padre Figlio

This was a great new discovery for my wife and I. We had dinner reservations for 9PM and even though it was super busy, we got seated right away. The server was very attentive. Dinner was absolutely delicious and the wine recommendation was great as well.
After dinner we indulged in an amazing cappuccino with Cannoli and Tiramisu.
We will be definitely going back there.

We had a groupon and came here for dinner on an early Friday evening and the place maybe had two other diners. Once we were at the table, I let the host/​server know of the groupon, he acknowledged and we were brought a separate menu — it read ‘prix fixe’ at the top. As the deal states, you get to order 1 app, 1 entrée and 1 dessert. I had the baked clams Oreganto or casino, Spaghetti Ai Fruttie Di Mare and sorbet.
The baked clams, i ate one and immediately noticed it was not fresh. Maybe that was just a bad one i thought so i had another and this time i gagged and had to spit it out. The taste was so foul, it reminded me of the smell of rotten eggs, or the time when you drive over a bridge and you’re hit with that sulphur like smell. The host/​waiter noticed my plate to the side and came by to ask if I didn’t like it — i obviously said no and he asked if he can bring me something else. So i asked to have the Crespelle Napoletane (eggplant with ricotta etc). He probably returned with the dish 3 – 5 mins after, which made me pretty suspicious on the cooking time. And to my suspicion, i realized that it was just reheated in the microwave. I could see the browning of the cheese on top which tells me it was probably baked at one point in time, but at the bottom of the casserole thing it was served in, was running liquid and the outter area of the food was very hot but the center was lukewarm — telltale signs of microwave cooking.
The spaghetti, had a jumbo shrimp, calimari, mussels and oh nooo clams… toatlly forgot i had ordered this but i figured there was no turning back and went on to try it anyway. The clams, to no surprise were again foul and were quickly removed, the mussels, i just went with my intuition and discarded, the calmiari was ok, the jumbo shrimp, prized at the center of the pasta, had this kind of soapy like flavor. I can’t really explain the taste but it was not pleasant and i suspect was not fresh. The pasta however was al dente which was good, and the sauce was ok.
The sorbet, it’s sorbet ice cream and it’s frozen and can’t go bad for a pretty long time.
My overall experience with this place was pretty terrible and i find it ludicrous they will even serve food with stale ingredients, especially for a place posing to be a high end restaurant. Who knows, maybe it’s because we ordered off the «groupon menu» and MGMT thinks they can get away with serving mediocre food. And to think the whole point of this promotion is to lure people into enjoying the food so you can build repeat customers, and not scare them away. If you must eat here, avoid the groupon deal, even if you have it as a gift. It may be a different experience.

I cannot believe the amount of whiners using this Groupon deal. The fees are all layed out for you before you purchase the package.
I went here on a Saturday night for two with a Groupon deal. We had 2 beers, our appetizers, filet mignon for two, dessert and coffee. Our bill was 20% gratuity of $ 147 which comes out to $ 42, just as stated on Groupon and the pre-​fix menu handed to you. No surprises.
The customer service was excellent and the food was mediocre, 3.5
The décor feels outdated for my generation but im sure it was very elegant for the more mature groups dining there.

We got a groupon as a gift here. Ughhhhh. The pre Fixe was like all seafood and like one option of steak. We had lobster bisque (which tasted more like a plate of penne alla vodka sauce) with no lobster in it. I had steak which was decent with potatoes and veggies. Not my first option in choosing, and my boyfriend ordered spaghetti with seafood. It looked like a hot mess. On top of the groupon we ended up paying like $ 50 for «service» which was mediocre. The place is nice and we had a little bit of live entertainment.
Maybe the regular menu is better I wouldn’t know, nor would I like to.

Walked into this place today after visiting the UN, and we were pleasantly surprised. It seemed very empty at a late lunch sitting, but over the course of our meal the dining room completely filled up with what seemed like conventioneers. Everyone seemed pretty happy with the experience.
The restaurant offers a $ 25 prix fixe lunch with a staggering amount of substitution options. For example, there were about 10 standard main course options and 10 others with an additional fee.
The rigatoni appetizer was perfectly cooked, and my skirt steak entrée was quite good. Nice flavors, very tender without being under-​done. Well-​proportioned sides of garlic mashed potatoes and a green been medley were also included. The desserts were also high quality: husband had one of the better restaurant cheesecakes he’s experienced, and my chocolate mousse cake was delicate and fluffy, with quality chocolate.
The service was top-​notch, and the food was excellent for the price. A great place for lunch.

Usually the old school places that look like tourist traps tend to suck. Usually lots of atmosphere but crappy quality. Padre Figlio is the exception. The food is actually good! In fact its very good. So good that Padre revitalized Italian for me. The burata as good as the best I’ve ever had. Who would have thunk it? Prices are reasonable too. At first Padre had all the markings – and trapping – of a tourist trap. My party and I were pleasantly surprised. This was very 180 degree turnaround for me since I went in with a very negative attitude. I liked it so much that I returned in a short time four more times and I can’t wait to return. I strongly suggest the broccoli rabe and the burrato if you happen to be there on a Friday.

I went to this restaurant with my friend. It is right across the street from the UN Millennium Hotel. I see a lot of one star reviews due to Groupon Coupons. I don’t know anything about that because we didn’t use any. We just made a reservation the same day and came that night; no hitches and no problems.
On top of the excellent meal we both received (pictures attached to this review) the thing that made us fans was the service. Our waiter was very attentive and helpful when it came to his knowledge of the menu and helping us make choices.
After we finished and indulged in a lime sorbet to relax, we actually met the owner Antonio and had a nice conversation with him. He introduced us to his daughter and his son, who both work at the restaurant. He was a very nice man and had a beautiful family.
I would definitely recommend this spot for dinner dates, since it was just the two of us.
We went to this spot on 2÷15÷14, the day of that last big snow storm. Antonio and his family made this dinner so comforting and relaxing that braving the weather to get there didn’t even matter.

PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE, PARTICULARLY WITH GROUPONS
I wish I could give minus five stars, as this is my first WORST experience in Groupon dinner deals. (In fact Owner Mario Cerra and waiter Nick, both extremely rude, claimed that I was the first person who complained among 350 people with Groupons. But see other reviews ! everyone had equally bad or worse experiences).
I know this restaurant, dined once in two years ago, and was not impressed at all, with their very oily, low quality food and I never come back since until I bought the Groupon deal (I thought I should try one more time — which was my mistake). First of all, food is terrible, I knew.
The place is usually empty, so they offer $ 43 pre-​fix. The Groupon deal is $ 59 for two, it seemed not bad so I tried, again mistake. The choices and quality of the Groupon are much less and lower than the $ 43 prefix. But the Groupon is less money, less choices I accepted.. But what I hate is their business practice that they charge full tax and 20% of the price of $ 147 (their inflated total «value»).
In fact, what we paid to Groupon was $ 59 not more not less, the tax should be 8.75% of $ 59, which is $ 4.7 (all other Groupon vendors are doing). But they charged $ 13.05. They also charged 20% gratuity of $ 147 which was $ 42.45. We ended up the total of $ 101.59 for low quality meal.
In fact I calculated actual consumption price of each item we ordered, which was only $ 112 total (if their pre-​fix, the price is much lower) and complained why they charge more if we order Groupon pre-​fix for each item. Waiter Nick and Owner were extremely rude, saying «this is a package of $ 147, even if you items were less you are charged this much, like a cruise meal!» Their justifications are not convincing nor acceptable. I simply requested to pay 20% of actual consumed price (which was already inflated), they accused me of trying to walk out without paying it (com’on, I left my bag and court in our table and arguing with the management at the reception area, how can I leave???) Their attitude as business owner/​waiter are not acceptable.
Of course, I will not return to this place in my life, I swear. Their deceptive business practice if they continue, together with their low quality food and rude Nick and Owner Mario Cerra, I am sure they will be out of business soon (they claimed they were already for 6 years, but the place is always empty and resorting to the predatory Groupon customers). I just warn all Groupon users on this so they can be mentally prepared to be cheated before going there. Never, never.

Sarah and I dined there tonight using a Groupon. After reading some of the negative reviews I feel very lucky that I didn’t prior to purchasing it.
What we received tonight instead was experiencing a very nice restaurant with waitstaff and food to match. Every dish we had from their prefixed Groupon menu was plentiful and very enjoyable. I looked at other Groupon diners seated near us and their entrée portions were equally large and by the looks on their faces were quite happy with it. Same with the cocktails Sarah ordered. Sarah ended up taking home about half of her entrée so she can save room for her dessert. Seeing that my Sarah was a little under the weather, our waiter brought her out a little pot of herbal tea which she really appreciated.
Not surprised though. From the moment we walked in tonight we felt that everyone was very pleasant, friendly and attentive. They even refilled our breadbasket (really good mini rolls) without even a blink of an eye. If this is considered a downgrade in service for Grouponers then maybe our expectations of good service is lower than the others.
Some others have complained about the automatic tip added to their bill and at least one on problems when booking through Open Table. I guess they did not read the disclosures before buying because they are stated there. I also know that Open Table charges the restaurants a fee for their service which is an added cost to their Groupon deal. I personally have no issue with a restaurant adding an automatic 18−20% tip on the retail value to our Groupon bill and as long as it is disclosed. Short of horrible service, this is what I normally would tip anyway and it assures that the staff does not get shortchanged by Grouponers who mistakenly use the discounted value to calculate the tip.
This was really a good find for us and look forward to eating there again. It was a most pleasant experience.

I purchased a Groupon prefixed for 4 for $ 109 and made reservations on Open Table for my sisters birthday dinner. These open table and or Groupon deals are a great way to discover new restaurants, but sometimes they end up being a huge disappointment. This one by far was the biggest disappointment and embarrassment ever!
When my sister, my friend, and boyfriend got there we purchased and enjoyed some pre dinner cocktails at the bar which included 2 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc totaling around $ 150 (including tip). At 8:15 when we checked in to be seated for dinner, the owner Antonio C. canceled my Open Table reservation because I had the groupon voucher. This was the first time that happened as I have used a groupon and made an open table reservation many times in the past.
The place was really empty, especially for a Thursday night. There was a couple next to our table, and a table of 6 on the other side. After the table of 6 left, there were no new customers for the next 1.5 hours while we dined.
We asked if we could please substitute dessert AND coffee that came with the prefix meal for a cocktail or dessert wine instead. His response was a firm no (From experience, most places would accommodate for my request, apologize and politely decline, or mention we could do so by paying an upgrade).
When we were ready for dessert, Antonio came over (the owner who wasn’t even waiting on us the entire time) and started listing off all the desserts available. We couldn’t keep track of them due to how fast he was listing them, so asked for a printed menu to look at. He said they didn’t have any dessert menus and continued to list them off again while raising his voice in a rude manner. We apologized that we didn’t understand what he was saying and at this point, I felt he was a little frustrated and stormed off to the back. This really left a bad taste in our mouths and it was quite embarrassing — especially because I thought this would be a great birthday celebration (which I noted on my opentable reservation)
As for the food, it was ok. A little on the salty side, nothing special.
After all this, we paid the 20% tip off the retail price which was around $ 135.

Disclaimer: Dined on a Travelzoo Voucher.
While making the reservation I was informed that «voucher» holders are seated at 6:30 or after 8;30 (Saturday). OK, I go with the flow. Husband and I arrived at 8:10 and the dining room was half full (or half empty, you decide.) We were seated immediately.
I wish I could rejoice in the nice spacing of the tables, or the dimly lit room, but I can’t. The memory of the food is fresh on the brain. My appetizer was clams oreganata… served room temperature with a cold sauce. Obviously they were cooked earlier and hanging out.
Next came their signature dish, the Chateaubriand for 2. I requested medium, it came raw. I sent it back, husband cringed. He hates when I make special requests… but I won’t eat meat raw… not going to happen. The ‘medium’ cooked chateaubriand was tender and tasteless. BLAND, The sauce served with the meat had NO taste or flavor. Do I sense a trend? I asked for A1 steak sauce…:-)
Dessert was cannoli, tasty, and gelato, icy.
The bill was $ 30 for 2 glasses of wine + $ 51 for tax + tip and the cost of the voucher. Excessive for a forgettable meal, no wonder the waiter shook our hands as we exited.
Don’t, just Don’t…NYC is filled was fine restaurants… or come over and I’ll cook for you. Remember Papaya King is open.

This review is not really about the food, which on the whole, would be 3.5 or 4.
We entered to a very empty restaurant with a very friendly hostess. In all, the décor and atmosphere have a 1980’s fine Italian dining style — dark, a bit heavy, but actually very very clean and somewhat inviting.
It is the management attitude that is so frustrating and unnerving. We came to Padre Figlio with a Travelzoo deal. We had an experience that sometimes accompanies the program — a frustrated and disapproving manager who, with a barking voice, removed our menus and replaced them with a more limited menu for Travelzoo users, while chiding us that we had not informed them during our reservation placement (this was all present in his tone, and in his slamming down our menus at the hostess stand).
Note: This is a misguided and somewhat common merchant-​reaction to Travelzoo — we added over 180.00 additional dollars to our dinner, which is not uncommon for our experience dining with Travelzoo. Scolding patrons who learn of you through Travelzoo and making them feel uncomfortable is really not a savvy business practice — we understand the frustration of failing word-​of-​mouth recognition, but if a merchant utilizes Travelzoo, they should do it with the core ideas of hospitality still in place.
The food was fine — again, belonging to the 1980’s era of the establishment, but not bad. The real issue is that the restaurant showed all the hallmark signs of any Kitchen Nightmares episode — a rude and begrudging manager who drinks during dinner service and hovers too closely for comfort; décor that is 20 – 30 years past its time, a well prepared menu that nonetheless belongs to the same era, and a massive dose of ego for a business that is no longer relevant to the market. Refreshing the menu, the décor, and investing in an attitude adjustment would be wise.

The food was quite good and the service was impeccable. Probably won’t go back because you can get good Italian at a better cost elsewhere, but it was a nice spot to try and know about.
I used a Bloomspot certificate and I knew there had to be a catch, but I didn’t figure it out until the next day. We were charged tax and 20% gratuity on the amount of the voucher ($ 147), but when I added up the items we ate based on the regular menu prices and the total came to $ 109. So essentially management gets to pocket the city tax and gratuity on the difference. I would hope the full gratuity is getting passed along to the servers. The extra charge totaled just over $ 10 for our bill. Not enough to make a fortune of off, but an interesting way to pocket a bit more off of each table.

If I had known about the mouse problem that another reviewer had referred to in their review I probably would not have gone here but oh well.
Came here last night on a Thursday night. It was not busy at all, the main dining room looked rather empty.
I came on a deal voucher for dinner for 2.
When I first came in there was no one out front to greet us. I had to wait a couple minutes for the maitre’d/host to show up and check us in/​seat us. I didn’t exactly think that was a great sign.
Our waiter was nice though. He came right away to talk about our menu since it was a special one for deal vouchers, and take our drink orders.
They were pretty fast with preparing/​bringing out the food which I appreciate. I ate somewhere else earlier in the week and the service was a little slow and the food didn’t come out for a long time, that annoys me.
Anyway, we had the following: fried calamari, crespelle (baked stuffed baby eggplant w/​ricotta), veal parmigiana w/​a side of penne pasta, and Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare. for dessert we had the chocolate mousse cake and cheesecake.
Everything was pretty good and the service was good. I just think after looking at the bill and considering what we had that their prices are a little inflated even after the voucher. If I hadn’t come on a deal coupon and thought about exactly what we ate and how much they charge for it, I agree with a lot of the reviewers that for what you get, it’s a little pricey.
I could have equally good food elsewhere for less.

This place is terrible. We met some friends for dinner there on Saturday evening. The hostess was rude and the management was terribly offensive. He was speaking with a member from his staff and said to home «I make fu##ing money the minute they sit». That comment is all well and good when it’s not made in the middle of the dining room. The food was ok. The service was subpar at best.
Before we sat down to eat we had some drinks at the bar and observed the bartender drop a lemon on the bar and then he picked it up and threw it in a drink. Just plain gross.
Overall a poor experience. But like the manager said he makes money when people sit.

I bought a Living Social deal for this restaurant a few months ago.
This place is on 1^st avenue, ugh ok kind of in the middle of nowhere, but ok. When I walked in I thought oh wow what a cute place kind of a cozy feel, it wasn’t packed. But the woman at the door checked me up and down which I (and no one does) like; that’s fine moving on.
So, we had a reservation for 2 but I got there early so I just sat at the bar and waited for my friend at arrive. I ordered a glass of wine and started to read the menu that is posted above the bar, the only thing is some of the choices were spelled wrong… I mean really wrong. Like Broccoli Raab or also known to be spelled Rabe, was spelled Broccoli Rape, YIKES! Hum ok clearly a mistake but when i told the bartender he told me it’s an Italian word. Since I speak Italian and its also my background I can assure you its not an Italian word, but it is a universal word (lets not get confused, LOL).
Ah now my friend gets there and we’re seated, THEN at the table were offered the coat check, ok a little strange but ok.
and now we meet the owner? I guess. He was very nice really passionate about the food and the restaurant and I especially like and appreciate the fact that he is well aware of how everything is made and what is in it. He’s defiantly an Italian for one and two he knows whats going on in his business (now if I could only get him to spell Rabe correctly, LOL, ok I’ll leave it alone now).
The appetizer were surprisingly good we both got the Calamari to start and a bottle of Pino which was included in my living social deal (I’m not a fan of low end wine but whose arguing here) I love that the waiter asked me to try it before pouring each of us a glass, which also says to me he knows what hes doing and has been for a while (this is good).
If you dont know this I’ll tell you, Italians take their food very seriously. So our main course comes and although «Frutti di Mare» (which is an Italian for fish, and usually refers to shell fish). Its kind of difficult to screw up although I have had some really bad versions, it was also very good. The portions were enormous for both of us. My pasta was cooked al dente and her Chicken Parm was good according to her (she took a doggie bag, clearly I did not). They has choices of non-​dairy desserts which for me was nice usually i don’t get to have dessert and we were stuffed anyhow. But I must say the dessert was also very good.
I think I would go back to this place its a good restaurant and they have quite a few different choices on the menu.

Padre. You know I want to give you BillySalts love. What happened?
This is what I want you to do. Watch your video on your own website. What I ordered yesterday didn’t resemble what I ordered the last time I was here.
I was so excited to come here and this time I brought my kids. Italian organic beef is all they heard for years.
I didn’t have a reservation for Saturday night (I never do, I want to eat when I eat) The four of us arrive when the restaurant opens.
We order the following:
Caprese with Bufala mozzarella, tomato & basil —
That’s it. The tomato was a little tough and on the video they have peppers? No balsamic vinegar? I don’t understand, its June. You should be serving the freshest and best tomatoes? For $ 15 bucks you better walk to the Union Square market and get some outstanding tomatoes on this dish! Wait a second, we’re all Italian?!? You don’t know about tomatoes? What The EFF!!!
Potato Croquettes with prosciutto and mozzarella —
I ordered two dishes, was the prosciutto in the croquette? This is always my favorite, it was pretty good
Homemade Gnocchi Napoletani —
Doesn’t look like the video and the gnocchi wasn’t right, The texture was off, there wasn’t any sauce, it was disappointing
Rib Eye Steak for two —
This dish SHOULD make me friggin cry! It didn’t, the meat was fatty and bland.
Fort this type of money, there are so many great choices in NYC.
Epic fail last night, I’ll be back… Never

The problem when you begin to approach 50 is that your memory starts to fade a bit. So here it is a month after visiting Padre Figlio and I am finally remembering to write my review. Unfortunately some of the details have become fuzzy.
Such as — what was the song that the piano guy sang in our honor? what was the special drink which the bartender made for our niece? And the name of the waiter that I swore I would remember? gone in like a summer breeze.
But it is probably ok that I don’t remember those things because do you, dear reader of my review, really care about those details?
What is important is that we really enjoyed our evening here. We dined here on a Friday night in early March (after a drink to start the evening at McFaddans). We waited in the little bar area for our friends to arrive. The drinks in the nice little bar area were well made and service was very good. To be honest, I was surprised that there was only 2 other persons in the bar area — it’s a nice little spot. As our friends showed up we stayed in the bar for a bit. The host came over to check on us and was very polite about not rushing us to the table.
When we finally moved to the table, the service was excellent. They were a little busy and had part of the restaurant divided off for a private engagement party. They were having fun, but didn’t disturb us. In fact Louis and I want in there to give the couple our best wishes, and in return they gave us a glass of champagne for our wives.
Louis and I had it made — the two of us were sitting at a table with four lovely women. Maybe that is why the service was so good.
The list of specials was amazing. They all sounded great and the list was long.
The wine list is fairly varied also, and some of the wines were pretty pricey. I wanted an Italian wine and worked with the waiter regarding style and price point. He came up with two very good recommendations and were right in the range I was looking for (one was actually lower). They were both very good.
We ordered a few appetizers as well as our entrees and a couple nice bottles of wine. Throughout the evening service was prompt but not rushed, attentive but not overbearing, and interactive without taking center stage.
The singer started up and I thought he was great. We were at the far end of the dining area so it wasn’t too loud for us. He looked a bit cheesy (like a 70’s lounge singer), but sounded very good.
The entrees were served and every one enjoyed their dishes — and much sharing was occurring. everything has a very good flavor and was cooked just right. The seafood dishes I tried were definitely fresh, the beef very well prepared, and the pastas had nice flavor and texture.
As we were finishing up our meal, the engagement party broke up and left — hugs and well wishes all around — including from us and to us. After they left the wait staff asked if our ladies wanted another glass of champagne from the leftover open bottles form the engagement party. I’m sure that breaks some sort of NY state liquor law, but we accepted and it was very nice of them to offer.
We wrapped up the evening with a nightcap in the bar area, a few requested songs from the piano man, and a dance or two in the limited space.
I would definitely go back here again. The price was a bit up there — the bill with tip for 6 persons came to about $ 650. But that also included 2 nice bottles of wine and a couple of glasses of a different wine. SO overall probably not that high for a nice meal for 6. And we had leftovers for the young niece to take back to her apartment.
So I give them a solid 4 stars. When I go back we will see if they deserve the 5^th one. If my next visit is as good as this one, I’l probably give it to them.

I really should’ve planned a bit better for these reservations to use my coupon than during the week the UN has high security for the delegates visiting. But! This is me we’re talking about, and I had NO idea it was literally across the street from the UN! We had to have a police escort us to the restaurant after showing her that I intended to use my coupon with my food partner.
We got there on Friday at 6:00 PM or so, and it was very quiet except for one table taken in the «garden» area. I fully agree to the previous descriptions of the garden — it was a bit narrow and was nervous my boyfriend would feel too enclosed, but once the waiter told us that if we sat there, we’d see the FBI and delegates walk by, my boyfriend’s face lit up like Christmas. Needless to say, we ate in the garden. It was comfortable and had plenty of AC going on that humid day, and it was lit fairly well.
We started with the buffalo cheese with tomatoes and basil which was heaven with a touch of balsamic vinegarette.
I had one the specials of the day which was black linguini with a fra diavolo sauce with lobster pieces. I was absolutely delicious; my boyfriend really wished he got the same thing. It had just enough spice to it to make it really mouth watering. He got the chicken suprema which was a HUGE rollitini stuffed with sun-​dried tomatoes, sliced almonds and I think cheese. It was a man’s dish for sure as to how big it was; I couldn’t finish it.
Without the coupon for $ 50, our bill came to $ 80 in change and thought that was incredibly reasonable for the high quality of food we just shared. Yes, with the coupon 20% gratuity was added, but that was fine with us. It was well deserved.
I will be back for sure! Wonderful staff, presentation superb, and not rushed. I’m a fan!

Went to this place for a business lunch, reservations were a breeze. Upon arrival we noticed the bar area was a little dark with no windows. They have an outdoor deck enclosed in glass so that allowed a decent amount of light into the dinning area. The décor was a bit dark but the indoor lighting was sufficient.
For a business lunch I would have expected more business but it was empty so we had three waiters and management serving us which made service top notch. I’d be curious how service is during a busy hour when they are under pressure.
Food was great though my filet mignon looked ugly when I got it the looks were certainly deceiving because that steak was amazingly good (better than many steakhouses I’ve been to). Portions of food were plentiful for the price.
Overall a really great experience and I would definitely come back and recommend this place to colleagues. I do wish they had better coffee mugs though as they were child size and I couldn’t hold it properly. They seemed like «tea» cups based on the size.