Primola

I go there at least once week with friends and it never disappoints. The food, wait staff and the atmosphere are to look forward to over and over again.

having their chicken parmesan is an experience not to be missed! It is pounded thin and then baked with cheese and tomato sauce so that when it comes out of the oven it looks like a pizza and tastes like heaven~!

Solid old school Italian UES restaurant. Food was great. Specials were tasty. The veal was a standout — super tender great flavor. Service was polite and professional. Caters to an older crowd. Gets crowded but never felt rushed.

I have not been here for a while living on west side now I use alot of west side restaurants, we almost forgot how wonderful food and service is in this place. We came to celebrate a birthday and wanted it to be super special. First place that came to mind was Primolas. three if us had to have Lobster and Linguini with fra diavolo sauce. Birthday girl had Steak, We all left there very happy and just promissed that we will be back soon.

try it you will definetly like it! pricey but the italian fair and be seen crowd are regulars. definetly a staple place for dinner on thursday night
top quality italian!

Excellent service. Food is very good and well presented. A very enjoyable evening!

Overpriced and pretentious. Portions were a decent size, but for the price the presentation was lacking. Worst of all: ungracious and downright rude head waiter (or owner?) This is one diner who will not be returning.

Great food and the service was impeccable. Very authentic Italian restaurant. Visited by many locals I would highly suggest reservations.

Terrible experience! Spent $ 350. had an enjoyable dinner with my three daughters and were just laughing when the man at the next table starting yelling at us. The 2 women he was with apologized for his behavior. They told us he had «issues». When we complained to manager he berated us that was one of his regular customers. He started yelling at us. Bad experience and will not return. The wait staff was very nice and accommodating. Also sad to see it downgraded to a B status. The manager could have saved the experience but will not return and will definitely share the experience with others. Next time the Manager should be kinder.

In 2008 a dear friend of mine took my wife and I to Primola for dinner. We drank entirely too much and we had an absolutely outstanding meal and enjoyed everything about the restaurant very much. In June of 2015 we were in town visiting and happened to park the car and decided to walk the area of the mid 60s on the east side. Half a block away under a bunch of scaffolding, was a nice old school Italian restaurant. We looked at the menu in the window saw northern Italian food which was exactly what I was in the mood for and went inside. It was astonishing that we walked into the same place that my friend had taken us those eight years ago. Again, this is an old school Italian restaurant, the kind of place I used to go to with my father back in the 1970’s and 80’s. The service is excellent, the atmosphere is cozy and upscale. It is smaller sized and gets packed with locals so make a reservation or come early. Free appetizers and yummy bread are brought to the table and the food is more of a northern Italian fare. We had Calamari which was perfect as well as a couple of other appetizers which were all delicious. As the main course we had Veal chop which was absolutely fantastic. with melted mozzarella and a brown gravy. The desert was outstanding as well, My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I highly recommend it. If your in the mood for new style light Italian fare, salads, pasta and bright and airy this isnt the place. For me, when visiting NYC, I will surely make a reservation. PS. Its expensive but considering the food and neighborhood, between 64 and 65 street on second ave, its worth it. Enjoy!

This is one of our neighborhood favorites! Definitely attracts an older scene. The food is amazing! When you sit down they bring you a platter of cheese, veggies, meats, and olives. Become a regular if you live in the area, you wont ever need a reservation.

We popped in here around 8pm on a Wednesday evening and found this place packed with all locals and regulars. The crowd was a bit older as it is more old-​school, but it had a good vibe regardless. The wait staff was a bit disorganized to start as it seems like prime-​time is a bit much for them, but they were nice otherwise.
Getting to the food, we started with a fresh house burrata that was good. We also ordered a prosciutto and fig plate that worked well together as it always is nice to mix the sweet and salty. For entrée, we did a mixture of veal scalloppine that was a tad bit under seasoned and covered in fontina but good, the spaghetti with pomodoro sauce that was a little bland and overcooked but ok, but the best thing I ate was the risotto with asparagus and spinach that was cooked very well and had an excellent balance of flavors. For dessert, we had a tiramisu like dessert that was good but I don’t think I would order it again. We finished it off with a digestive and café.
Overall, the meal was good. There were a couple things I enjoyed more when it came to the food, but I would order differently if I come back. After tax, tip and a bottle of red, it came out to about $ 100/​person which I thought was a bit pricey for the average food. This is definitely a regulars kind of spot but I am happy I tried it.
Buon appetito.

A review of Primola Italian Restaurant, Upr East Side
Saturday, Mid June, late afternoon:
Wife and I continued our trek from midtown. Came across Primola. Despite the sidewalk bridge scaffolding, it appeared inviting. As we entered, another couple mentioned that they had been dining here for over 10 years. We then decided to stay for dinner.
Very few patrons were seen due to the early hour. We were seated promptly and drink orders taken. Complementary dishes of sliced Italian bread, bread sticks, veggies, and Italian cold cuts were immediately placed on our table along with our drinks which were well mixed. Taking in the fixtures and décor, we knew this was a genuine old world Italian restaurant and good things were to occur.
The very first positive aspect I noticed was the seamless service; polite, friendly, not over imposing, and welcoming. Consolidating my comments: our entre’s were of ample portions, extremely delicious, and served in an old world style. My wife had the Risotto and I, pasta with seafood, cooked aldente as requested. We both had these dishes many times before yet, it was obvious that Primola’s chef prepared them with care and artistry. Their taste stood out and we thoroughly enjoyed every bite. For dessert, we shared fresh strawberries with freshly made whipped cream; delightful.
Although somewhat expensive, considering the neighborhood, the city, and the quality of ingredients, plus the preparation, it was a fair value for the price. My only negative would be the trip to the rest room area. One must walk past an open door to the kitchen, an area that did not appear consistent with the restaurant’s interior, descend a long flight of stairs, then enter a somewhat dingy hallway where the restrooms are located. Sadly, the rest rooms are in need of upgrading.
Remembering the taste of our food, combined with the wonderful service and comfortable ambiance, I would visit Primola again and highly recommend this restaurant.

I love it they have the best food in nyc I love the chicken marsala, the crabmeat and specially their desert ;)

The atmosphere is inviting and warm. The table came with complimentary fresh vegetables and cheese and pizza bread and a variety of other breads. It was an impressive start to our meal. The old world Italian fare was better than average although quite expensive. The server was knowledgeable and attentive and accommodating with our many requests to split entrees and change around ingredients. I would go back.

My review needs more detail: This is a classic UES upscale Italian eatery. As noted, the prices reflect the neighborhood but the food is excellent — quality ingredients prepared with skill.
This is NOT A red-​sauce Italian joint by any measure (although their ragus and other sauces are spot-​on).
The menu is quite extensive: 15 – 10 pastas; an equal number of assorted and fairly sophisticated veal, chicken seafood and meat dishes; plus daily specials that are always a hit.
If you don’t see something on the menu? Say… veal picatta? They’ll make it for you if they have the ingredients in the kitchen.
Portions aren’t family style but I’ve never left less than fully satisfied.
The service — led by Jacko — is friendly, efficient, professional and attentive.
It has many well-​heeled local regulars in a neighborhood crammed with restaurants so that speaks volumes.
It’s perfect for a quiet lunch and in the warm weather the tables are outside are very nice if you don’t mind the constant and loud Second Av traffic approaching the bridge. I say put in your ear-​buds, block out the noise, order a white wine and enjoy probably the best food within a 5 – 6 block radius.

I had a lovely dinner with friends last night at Primola. I can’t rave enough about this place. I arrived first, my first time there, and was greeted like a regular customer, so I don’t understand other reviewers complaining that only regulars are treated well. This is definitely an old school place, in the sense that service is professional, seating is comfortable, tables are large and covered with tablecloths. I’m so tired of trendy «foodie» places where you’re crammed in, balancing plates on postage stamp-​sized tables, and sneered at by servers if you make a special request.
Dining at Primola is a pleasure. Each of us had special requests, everything was perfect. We started with an appetizer of homemade pasta in Bolognese sauce. It was so delicious we asked for another order. For a main, I had a chicken paillard topped with sautéed mushrooms and truffles. It wasn’t on the menu, but was no trouble for them to prepare. This was really divine! My friends had another chicken dish, also wonderful, and soft-​shelled crab, which she raved about. For dessert (in addition to the lovely biscotti brought to the table), we had an Italian cheesecake and an apple pie. I didn’t taste the pie, but I loved the cheesecake.
I can’t say enough about how wonderful the service is. As one friend went to the rest room, the server removed his plate to keep it warm. We didn’t ask him, he just did it. We never had to look around for our waiter, all we had to do was raise our eyes, and he came right over.
I can’t wait to go back, and work my way through that lovely, un-​trendy menu.

Yes… this is old school Italian.
Friends in town who once lived in the neighborhood. It was quite obvious they frequented the restaurant as they were greeted with handshakes and catch-​up small chat. Lunchtime empty save for one other table. The quail, fish, veal were absolutely done to perfection.
On our way out, more pats on the back and laughter.

A great Italian spot on the Upper East side filled with locals.
What to expect: simple atmosphere, a busy restaurant, tight spaces, delicious food
Reservations are HIGHLY recommended, as this place will get crowded any day of the week. If possible, ask for a table away from the front bar… otherwise, you will have people standing over you and staff bumping into your seat all night long. Depending on how often you go /​which waiter you have, the service can be rather iffy and slow.
The food was delicious: we started with the burrata special and the mussels in white wine. Both dishes were flavorful, although the burrata was on the small side.
For entrees: Orrechiette with brocoli rabe was very tasty and not too much garlic. The lobster fra diavolo special had good size chunks of fresh lobster over linguini and your preference of hotness for the sauce. The linguini with clams came loaded with baby clams and was very good but said to be salty. I had the veal special, which was on the smaller side but extremely good… thin veal with truffles and mushroom in a marsala sauce.
For dessert: fresh ricotta cheesecake and apple cake, both very good.
**Don’t fill up on the bread or the cheese /​meat /​olive plate that comes to start the meal**
Will be going back for another visit!

I came to Primola last night with my boyfriend, his friend from college and his friend’s wife. Normally, if I were going to make the reservations for a double date with another couple in their 20s, I wouldn’t jump to the UES for my list of possible restaurants.
My boyfriend’s Father loves this place and always gets the highest quality of service, so he made a reservation for us, pre-​paid for one of the best wines on their wine list and made sure we got one of the best tables in the house. To say the least, this review may be a bit biased because establishments like this truly do favor the regulars.
Our waiter was amazing. He helped us choose all of our courses and brought out plenty of food for everyone to try.
They start the table off with a nice selections of breads, cheeses, cold meats and olives.
We ordered the clams, roasted asparagus and tuna tartare to start. I had a bit of all three and each dish was well done. I especially liked that the clams were baked with some breadcrumbs. I like mussels, but not really clams or oysters, but this dish was easy to eat.
For our next course, we had pastas. Our waiter brought out plates with two options: a whole wheat linguine with broccoli rabe and a fettuccine with mushrooms. Both were very good — but by this point I was already starting to get full, so I didn’t finish either of the options.
The wine was superb! All Italian varieties and we picked two very nice bottles of red that were smooth and still flavorful.
The boys finished the meal with lamb chops, potatoes and broccoli rabe. I had a bite of the lamb chop and it was medium rare and tender.
My boyfriend and I ordered the apple pie (not really Italian, but, heck, still good!) and had a few bites. It was also well done.
The service was great, but the atmosphere could be a little dull for young people. There were mainly families and older couples in there on a Tuesday evening and we even got «shushed» by one particularly upset older lady. Well, too bad for her because guess what? We are preferred customers :)