Pepe Verde

Loved this place. Nothing fancy, and I got the impression most of the business was takeout. But absolutely delicious grilled calamari, and a significantly tastier bolognese than I’ve had for a lot more money. I would definitely go back — not for the atmosphere, but for the food.

I get takeout here too often, ok, not «too» often, but perfectly often. It’s just great when you’re looking for a big bowl of pasta to eat on your couch at home.
Love their penne with vodka and pancetta. Also delish is their orrechiette (sp?) with sausage and broccoli rabe. Yum.
Eating in is fine, but nothing special. Just like their sister Pepe Rosso to Go.

THEY’RE CLOSED. Pour one out for Pepe Verde. This spot shut their doors earlier this month. On the bright side, Verde’s owner still has Pepe Rosso in SoHo. Consider the following their obituary:
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Time and time again, this hole-​in-​the-​wall has delivered consistent and delicious results. I’ve always enjoyed the hell out of whatever I ordered off their chalkboard menu. Reasonable prices all-​around.
Their dining room’s smaller than my apartment — my place ain’t big! — so seating is unsurprisingly first-​come, first-​served. Order from the counter, then prepare for a hearty Italian meal. Bring a friend or two, or make friends with the next table.
Verde keeps it simple with their drink selection, with only two house wines (one white, one red) and a smattering of beer[1].
[1] The red is quite quaffable. I might’ve gotten hammered here.

T & I wanted to grab a quick bite to eat before going to Really, Really, and after researching the neighborhood, we decided to try this place. And were pleasantly surprised! Pepe Verde is a charming, tiny, cozy Italian restaurant. And real Italian — they don’t serve coffee, just espresso. You can look at the to-​go menus before ordering, but they also write down everything they make on their blackboard wall, which I didn’t notice until we left. (So sad, there were so many good things to try!) It’s really cool how you can grab a table and then order at the counter — we could’ve stayed for ages and it was obvious they wouldn’t have kicked us out.
We went on a cold day, and sat right next to the door (in case we needed to run), but since the door either needed repairs (or people just didn’t know how to close a door), there was always cold air blowing in, so we were freezing.
Anyway, the food was absolutely delicious. It was really inexpensive (under $ 15 for all dishes, and it’s Italian food!) and the portions were huge. While they don’t warm the bread given, you can eat as much as you want, and you can mix your own oil & vinegar (which I adored). I got the Fettuccine Porcini Mushroom and she got the Penne Spinach & Ricotta Tomato Sauce. I actually struggled to finish my dish — I was full after eating half the plate. One dish is definitely more than enough for two people — it was just too bad that we wanted to finish our dishes so we didn’t bring leftovers to the theatre.
So basically, if you’re looking for a charming, semi-​hidden/​unknown neighborhood gem in the West Village (or for a place to eat before watching a show in one of the neighborhood theatres) definitely check this place out. It’s delicious, fast and cheap. And it’s not part of a fast food chain. What more could you possibly want?
*Just a note — they prefer cash, but they accept cards. But the dude at the counter was seriously bummed that I couldn’t pay with cash.

Went there with my son, last night. He has been there many times! I loved my penne a la vodka. My son loved his dish., as usual. I am going back on Saturday night with girlfriends. It is so nice that people don’t kill you every time you step in a NY restaurant. Very cute place, great feel, and food. Love it!

We had the chicken parmigiana (a special on the whiteboard) and the pappardelle with sausage. The chicken parmigiana was bland, and came with slightly overcooked pasta with simple tomato sauce. While it is standard for the pasta to be more of the background for the chicken, it could have some more seasoning. Luckily they provide a big pepper grinder, which we used a lot for this dish. The pappardelle was fresh and toothsome, and you could really taste the sausage in the sauce, which also had a bit of a kick to it. Very good, although they could ease up on the salt for the sauce. Overall, this place was good value considering it’s in the West Village, but I’ve had better tasting pasta in Brooklyn. This place is similar quality to Figo in Atlanta.

Super casual, hole in the wall, but yummy and cheap. Pop in here for a quick bite: order from the counter, pay, and voila your food and yummy, soft bread appears at your table within 5 minutes. And it’s freshly made to order.

My husband and I came here when we were craving a little pasta. Pepe Verde is a small, unassuming restaurant in the West Village. You order at the back of the restaurant at the small counter, have a seat and the food is delivered to your table where they first offer free bread.
I ordered the penne with tomato and basil and he ordered the papardelle with sausage in a spicy tomato sauce. Our food came out quickly and both were simple yet delicious. Also, super duper extremely affordable with everything around $ 10 or under! Definitely will be back.

This is a small, cute little place in the West Village that serves hearty traditional Italian fare.
The décor and setting is very simple in the most endearing way. You order at the front and seat yourself. The waiter will bring you your food when its ready. Ambiance is old-​school Greenwich Village with brick walls and all. Seating is wooden tables and chairs. Wine is served in plastic cups.
They have a fixed menu along with specials of the day. I have had salads and pasta dishes. They were all delicious, fresh and, prepared quickly.
A lovely place to pop into for a weekday night meal.

Many Italian restaurants claim to be authentic and casual, only Pepe Verde delivers though. The food is better than places that charge twice the amount for an entrée.
Pepe Rosso To Go might be a tad bit better though. There’s much more seating here (b/​c it’s not a stricly to-​go spot.)

I love that they are trying to provide value and simplicity in a relatively expensive nabe.
Kudos to them.
The only problem, however, is the food isn’t that special. It’s alright. It fills the belly. I’m not saying any of it tastes bad. Only that it’s alright and nothing special. The portion sizes are somewhat hearty, as is the menu selection. Maybe too many selections? i wonder if having a simple menu of 10 things, done right, is better than 40 things done o.k.
On the flip side there’s not a lot of choices when it comes to value eats in this nabe.

Olive Garden-​quality food, Olive Garden prices, sub-​Olive Garden atmosphere. The restaurant only seats a dozen or so customers at a time. Specials are on the black board, and you order at the counter. Wine comes in plastic cups, and water is self serve from a jug near the front. We happened to visit on a 100 degree day, and the lack of A/​C almost made us leave. The food itself is fine, relatively fresh and well not necessarily inspired, the flavors are balanced and clean. Ultimately, the dishes aren’t beyond the capacity of any fair home cook. That said, if you’re looking for a quick meal out and don’t want to spend more than you would on Chinese take out, this is a fine option.

This little place is a solid choice for take out. $ 20 will get you a good sized pasta dish (with a topping or two) along with a Caesar salad that’s just fine (and plenty of bread).
Not a place I’d go to sit down, but the quality is fine and the portions reasonably healthy.
Good onya fellas…

Two friends and I stopped by around 5:30 on a Sunday, and it was empty. The style is to go up to the counter and order food, and they’ll bring it to your table. We ordered the antipasto misto, which was pretty good although quite lacking in meat, so I felt.
I had the pasta with chicken and pink sauce, while another friend had a pasta dish with sausage. For all the hype about the pink sauce, I actually thought it was merely meh, as did my other friend who had the same dish. The overall meal, although fairly inexpensive, was very simple and just satisfactory for me, and I don’t think I’d make a special visit to come back here.

This is probably my favorite Italian restaurant. I used to go here every week and order Spaghetti and Meatballs with my co-​workers. It has a nice down-​to earth feeling, and the food is both inexpensive as a well as delicious.
I couldn’t recommend a better restaurant! (And I always send my friends here.)

With a bunch of places closed during Labor Day, we decided to check out Pepe Verde for some cheap eats.
«This is the place,» my buddy said. I looked at it. It looked like a run-​down almost shack-​ish place with three dudes inside chilling. Knowing that this could either be the sign of an excellent home-​cooked-​style restaurant, I said «let’s do it.» My buddy looked less than interested, but we gave it a shot.
Yeah, take a look and take a look again. That’s lunch for less than 10 bucks in the middle of the West Village. No, seriously. I know you don’t believe me.
The food was hearty and heartily delicious. The sauces were extremely flavorful and had a great combination of tangy, salty, sweet and a bit of spicy. (Someone give me this recipe!)
The bread was pretty decent, though I found it most optimal for finishing off the sauce after you’ve eaten the pasta.
This place gets you pretty full for not much at all. I wish this place was closer to where I lived, because it absolutely kicks ass and hits the sweet spot of good food and great value. I’m in.

Great food for a low price. The fresh bread at the beginning was tasty. Cute little nook if you want to dine in. Great service. We had the farfalle with peas and ham… and penne in a tomato sauce with ricotta… and they were both wonderful. Fresh, hot, and flavorful. Good enough portions to have leftovers if you want. Loved it.

It’s a tiny little eatery that I love. You order by the counter and you wait by your table. It’s not really a full service place but that is fine. The prices are very very affordable. I have been here a couple of times. I had the salmon and pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage. I loved both. This place was memorable enough to come here more than once. It was the price for me. I always had everything fresh here. It’s served pretty quickly. It’s way out of my way but if I am anywhere near the West Village, I would definitely come here. I love it.

Cheap West Village place on Hudson with unremarkable but competent service. They make many different types of fresh pasta daily, and the special board often is more extensive than the menu itself.
The antipasti plate is a big plate of various things, perfect for sharing. The caesar salad was just ok. For mains, I like the penne with prosciutto, the ravioli was nice, too. I’d say try anything off the special board.
It is astoundingly cheap to drink here ($ 15 bottles of sangiovese), but do resist the temptation to linger over a bottle of wine: there are customers waiting for your table!

Simple, delicious, and unbelievably cheap Italian food. It’s small and has only a handful of tables. Order at the counter and they’ll bring you the food.
The mussel appetizer was a big portion and came with a great, garlicy marinara sauce.
The apple, goat cheese, and greens salad with a balsamic vinaigrette was fantastic. The sweet acidity of the balsamic goes so well with the apple and goat cheese.
The bread was soft and unappealing, not the sourdoughy, crusty, warm bread that you desire with Italian. The bruschetta was also a bit disappointing without a real crunch to it.
The mussels, salad, and bruschetta came at $ 20. Ridiculously cheap. You can also order wine.