Pulino’s

Is it really closed? *cries*
I loved this spot. The mozarella burrata was always delicious. The margherita pizza was yummy but my favorite was the «salame piccante». The skirt steak entrée had an awesome flavor. The ravioli di carne was to die for. It was always a good spot for a late dinner. Excellent prices.
Can’t believe it’s closed. If you never dined here you missed out.

I love Pulino’s. I gave it four stars for the prices. Given the location, the prices are not absurd, but considering it’s just pizza, when the bill arrives it can be quite frustrating.
Currently, my favorite appetizer is the Mozzarella Burrata. The salads are always good, they seem to change seasonally. They removed the flash fried hot peppers (not the exact name of the dish, but that is what it was) which broke my heart. I don’t get it — they were amazing.
The Marinated Artichoke is extremely tangy… so if you’re into that then go for it. I didn’t enjoy it much. I also didn’t think the Eggplant Parmigiana was anything special.
I would recommend any of the pizzas that I’ve had, which include the Burrata, Prosciutto Arugula and the Salame Piccante.
The atmosphere on Friday and Saturday nights is always bustling, (although I wouldn’t describe it as too loud, perhaps because it is such a large space) and it can be hard to get a table. Reservations are a good idea. I enjoy this place as much for the food and as the atmosphere.

This place is in the process of closing for good because it’s so bad. I believe it’s barely lasted (3) years. A reasonable person must conclude that a majority of the «5 star» Unilocal reviews of this tourist trap were fake or from people who just don’t know any better. The food, for lack of a better word, stinks.
It always stunk. Since it’s closing, I imagine the worst is yet to come.
Pulino’s was modeled after something like Macaroni Grill, which can be found in any mall in just about any suburb in America. A new restaurant designed to look like it’s been in the same location for years. The entire place is covered in brick and subway tile and becomes ear shattering when occupied by more than a dozen people.
There are many better options for Italian food just a block or two away from this tourist trap.
Avoid, especially since they’re shutting down.

Way better than McNally’s other neighborhood spot, Schiller’s (which is atrocious), Pulino’s is pure average. The funghi pizza ($ 14) was decent, as was the cobb salad ($ 15), but the dressing for the salad was atrocious as it was apparently 98% oil. There are numerous other spots at which I’d grab pizza (near to and far from this locale), but it is tempting to sit out under the festive awnings on this almost-​too-​busy corner on just the right Spring or Fall day.

Pulino’s is definitely a solid restaurant choice. I know it’s an Italian restaurant, but the ambiance is kind of old-​timey, Western bar, with liquor/​wine bottles, wood shelves and high ceilings. We went in the late afternoon when it wasn’t too busy, and we sat at a booth, but I can see that it could feel a bit cramped if the place were full. The waiters all seem to be Italian, and our particular server had the tightest pants ever. Service was quick, so it’s easy to be in and out quickly.
The location of the restaurant is cool because it’s at a busy intersection with lots of foot traffic. It’s easy to see what’s happening outside, especially with their sidewalk seating. The bathrooms are in the basement, they’re tricky because even though there are separate doors marked for men or women, they both open to the same sink room, which feeds into separate bathrooms. I love the exposed piping down there.
Everyone in my party ordered the pizza-​salad lunch special. You get the combo-​sized pizza (about half the size of the normal pizza) and your choice of salad. I ordered the margarita pizza and arugula and corn salad. The salad was light and fresh, and the pizza was bomb. Perfect crust, traditional and simple, just the way it should be. Thin-​crust NYC pizza beats deep-​dish Chicago pizza any day. I was really hungry, so I ordered another margarita pizza, which I ended up sharing.
I would highly recommend Pulino’s to anyone visiting Bowery/​Nolita.

VERY good thin crust pizza, good drinks, good staff (overly friendly for my taste but still good), comfy atmosphere. Bathroom was a true watering hole, unisex sink area and the entrances to both the men and women’s rooms were right off the sink area loaded with huge mirrors, thus making it «rapey».i would go back for the food and drinks and in the future «bring a buddy» to the bathroom with me. Safety in numbers.

My review might be slightly biased because this was where my boyfriend and I had our first date. I will say that the décor was great and the ambiance was very date-​friendly, cozy and dark with enough space between the tables.
Despite the sexual tension, I was able to enjoy the pizza. It was good but by no means out of this world and not particularly memorable. Overall, I’d still say this place is worth a visit.

cool interior, looks all very original to the building, great thin margherita pizza, good mixed drinks, very nice staff. the bathroom was very cool, too.
Only suggestion, maybe some small plates/​appetizers?
Perhaps a bathroom attendant (it was awesome, ut a bit «rapey.» (mc))
They also had a brunch menu

When I first walked into Pulino’s, the sight of their décor filled me with awe. I like their location right on the corner of Bowery and E. Houston. Good spot.
I tried two different pizzas. First, I ordered Cavolo Nero (black kale, smoked mozzarella, squash, and walnut pesto) and I thought the taste was a bit too sweet (squash) for me but the pizza crust was perfect and crispy The second pizza that my friend ordered, I liked this one better than Cavolo Nero. It was Prosciutto Arugula (thin prosciutto, raw arugula on top, pecorino, and garlic). Next time, I’ll order Prosciutto Arugula.
I had Gothic Rose — Pinot Noir from Oregon and it was OK. I preferred to have wine in a wine glass than regular small glass.
The waiter was just fine but two busboys were sort of annoyed. They tried to take our unfinished foods/​drinks away without asking. The busboys kept clinging each other while worked. Can they work independently?
Pulino’s takes online reservations. When we arrived around 9PM, it was already packed. And… we had our reservation ready which was nice and efficient.

I never would have come in had it not been bitterly cold after the 9:30 PM showing of «Genius on Hold» at Sunshine Cinema.
But this place is really great. I don’t really eat pizza. Not since I was a kid was «pizza» ever the answer to, «What should we do for dinner?» I mean Trader Joe’s, goat cheese pizza for 3.99 is cheap so yeah, I used to do that on occasion
I never until Olio Pizzeria went out with the explicit purpose of eating pizza. I do like Olio quite a bit– gourmet pizza at the bistro version of the more pricey Olio e Limone (see my Unilocal reviews for both these outstanding SB eateries in Victoria Court) with plenty of meat and authentic, traditional toppings as well as truffles, calamari or unusual vegetables.
I lived and went to college in New Haven – world-​famous Pepe’s and Sal’s – and I think I ate pizza three times in college. But I do like razor thin crust pizza and the smell and look of the pizza here was so tempting I will arrange to eat before or after my next film at Sunshine, which is the most convenient of movies for me out of the UES as it’s just a quick hop onto the F train. At night, it’s a bigger pain to get to Lincoln Center (shorter but more expensive) than to this part of town.
The bar, as Emily L notes below, is really striking and you have no idea it will be so modern and nice inside. It looks like a pizza joint with the red awning. Boisterous, happy crowd at 11:30 PM on Saturday.
Eggplant parmigiana excellent and unusual. I saw a lot of food over the course of the evening and the aroma is quite something. I had no idea this was so well-​regarded. It’s not cheap: the entrees are high teens, low to mid-​20s and the appetizers in the 15 range as well. Mine – not huge – was 12 which is the cheapest of the appetizers though I think they have a few small sides which may be less.
I didn’t look at the pizza prices and I’m sure they’re less as pizza is always less than a veal or fish or chicken entrée. But if you eat non-​pizza food, don’t expect to get out of there for less than 30/​person, allowing for one modest glass or wine or cocktail. If you were to split an entrée – 25 – and appetizer – 15 – you’re looking at 20 /​person just in food. Throw in a single glass of wine at 7, and with tip, you’re going to break 30 easily.
That’s not a big deal to people who value food but since one reviewer called Pulino’s «Budget Friendly,» I felt obliged to note that it’s not really budget friendly unless you’re eating pizza exclusively (and drinking beer rather than wine or real booze).
Having spent 60 at Sarabeth’s post-​tip on my brunch, I didn’t want a big deal dinner but they have specials and it’s really quite eclectic and innovative.
Primitivo, the house red for 7/​glass, was perfectly adequate.
I will make this a regular part of my food life in the city after I see a film at Sunshine.
P. S. They had a special chicken noodle soup which I am sure was terrific, but the server adores the eggplant so I went with that. In NYC there is no shortage of great chicken soup but this probably had an interesting Italian twist.

It’s worth visiting Pulino’s just to get a photo with the bar behind you: all the walls are aglow with an interesting 3D-​wallpaper collage on the shelves. Nice dark, cozy café atmosphere, and totally cool bathrooms (converted from a commercial kitchen, I’d guess.)
Great cocktails. The Pulino’s Cup was a fun riff on the traditional British Pimm’s cup; I also enjoyed the Italian Summer, with gin and basil in addition to ruby red grapefuit.
Salad was HUGE for $ 11; a giant pile of dressed, fresh greens dotted with shaved Parmesan and slivers of fennel. Dressing was light and lemony.
Entrée: I really wanted to try their pizza, and feel almost certain it would have given them a fourth star. However, my husband was not in a pizza mood, so we had the baked ziti. It was fine, though the sauce was a little acidic, the meatballs were pretty plain and the ricotta not plentiful enough. Again, somewhere else I might have raved about it, but my New York standards are pretty high, especially for Italian food!
Portions were generous: we shared a salad and a pasta dish and didn’t completely finish either one. Our server was prompt and courteous.
Bonus: it was nice not having to wait for a table or pay in cash, both of which we did at the other places where we ate on this trip!

Delicious food with attentive service!
Went here with a group for dinner and the staff took very good care of us. The food was a bit pricey but did not disappoint. We had the calamari, artichokes, mozzarella burrata, a couple of pizzas, the corzetti, and dessert. Everything came out quickly and was quite yummy. Big fan of this place.
Would definitely come back for a date. Make reservations though! Only complaint is that the drinks are way overpriced. Drink elsewhere.

I tried Pulino’s this past Saturday night, and while the pizza was good, the atmosphere and experience were annoying enough to put a damper on it. We had to wait about 15 minutes past our reservation time in the crowded vestibule, and once we were seated, I could see why. Both adjacent tables left AFTER I had sat down, ordered drinks, ordered food, paid the check, and left. It was a serious camper situation.
The other complaint is the clientele is slightly annoying. Lots of yahhhhh’s, some first dates, girls with sequin shirts, all very loud… I’m too old for this. At least at Keith McNally’s beloved Balthazar you get some people in there over the age of 25. The service was average, and like I mentioned, the pizza was decent. But nothing remarkable, nothing above and beyond, and nothing to justify being jammed in, waiting past the rez, and shouting comments at your date so he can hear you. For me, Pulino’s just isn’t a fun place.

Solid 3. I remember dining here when they first opened and last night’s experience didn’t really live up to my memory.
The antipasti is amazing — huge with a ton of variety of delicious snacks. (see photo)
Unfortunately the the wine by the glass was AWFUL and the pizza was just average. I would not recommend the bruschetta pizza. I should have realized that meant everything would be cold except the crust. Cold cubes of cheese — ick.
Our waitress however was very good.
Plus, you can’t knock being able to eat outside in the final days of summer!

Our NY friends invited us to join them for dinner and I was completely blown away by my meal. My salad and eggplant parmigiana were exactly like my Italian/​Slovenian grandparents used to make for me as a young child.
Mind you, maybe I’ve become accustomed to the unsavory, soulless, Italian food that San Francisco serves up and haven’t had truly excellent Italian cooking since I was in the Cinque Terre several years back. but my taste buds were in heaven and I could hardly make conversation as I savored every bite and reminisced about my carefree childhood days with my grandparents.

Pulino is a good 3.5 star. Which may be a bit of a let-​down since I’ve always wanted to try this place and heard good things.
I appreciate the fact that the place is quite spacious and has Wood Burning Oven Meets Whiskeys of the Past décor (look up). I also appreciate that I popped in here at a malaise time of Friday at 3:30−4pm with 4 others and it wasn’t a huge deal. We were able to be seated right away and order off the full menu (or not. since we ordered lightly). We also got a great view of the projector, which was projecting the Olympics –ha ha.
Now, we didn’t order much and maybe that was part of the problem but I really didn’t think the pizza was that special. Well, special it was, but I guess just not tasty. If you love the thin crusts (Spunto, Vezzo. even Patsy’s) or the thick crust (Adrienne’s), then you won’t know what to think of Pulino’s. Pulino’s is a hardish, mediumish crust that’s got a dry layer of stuff (topping+ cheese) and a bunch of oiliness underneath. The crust is a bit on the dryer side. We ordered a basic Martguerita but instead of basil, substituted for prosciutto (now my choice was I love basil). It was tasty– a bit too much prosciutto, which is great if you loved the fatty cured meat. Perhaps the pie was too small to share among 5 people. It was definitely on the smaller side of normal pizzas but still rang in some $ 14ish.
All, in all. Ok. Would come back to try some others, and plus the waiters were so sweet. Since it was the middle of the day, our waiter kindly told us he was leaving and that our new guy would take good care of us. They did– always refilled waters and got us what we needed as we were there for SO long (over 2 hours chatting). They also got us great coffee (with refills), and me, mint tea (in nice china and all). I couldn’t complain on service, except that SOMEONE in the kitchen kept DROPPING stuff — pie pans and the like. It was really kind of distracting. So points off for that. granted it’s the middle of the day but no one wants to be startled 3 times by clanging.
Looks like they had some good paninis also…

After our late reservation at Milk and Honey, we were scrambling to find a pizza place that was open late on a Sunday. Thankfully when we were turned away from a different joint, they had suggested Pulino’s. Win.
We were seated right away at a nice booth. Grabbed a couple of glasses of wine, shared a Cesar salad, bowl of rigatoni pasta with margarita pizza. Everything was delish. Granted we were starving but I can say that I would go back in a heartbeat. The crust on the pizza was thin and crispy. Pasta was cooked to perfection. Piping hot. Salad was split and was super tasty. Great late night spot.

Rather typical of what I’d expect in the up and coming section of the New York Bowery area. Noisy, crowded, $ 58 (not including tip) for two simple, small pizzas a couple glasses of beer and some haphazard service. If there are two or more, you can expect to be served at different times with an uncoordinated, at up to a ten minute apart intervals. At least that was my case which I noticed didn’t differ from that of the other tables around me.
The pizza was good thin, crunchy crusted, nice flavored but even in other price comparable places I’ve had the same or better. So though the pizza was good, and it should be at the prices charged, I found it to be nothing to rave about.
Then, as with most trendy Bowery joints, they have their cutesy little touches like a interior walls loaded with various wine bottles along with a somewhat confusing men’s and ladies rest room, two separate doors leading into the same location with a common bathtub since then another two doors leading into a separate men’s and separate ladies room. Yes, it’s novel, cute and trendy but nonplusing to me.
Overall, I have to say, price proportional, I’ve had better; especially in the service part of my dinning experience.

Waited about 2 hours for a table. I kept checking with the host and he kept saying just a little longer. Not sure if the 3 desserts they gave us for free was worth the 2 hour wait.
The chicken liver mousse was creamy, a little spicy, and great. The grilled octopus was a little chewy and had a great smoky flavor. The rabe was a little sweet and a little bitter with a hint of spice. The polenta was cheesy, creamy, and thick. The Brussels sprouts had nice grill marks and the cheese on top added flavor, and the hint of citrus was nice.
The gnocchi had shredded oxtail and the gnocchi was a little undercooked in the center. The Margherita with polpettine pizza had great flavor, and the crust was thin and a little sour. It was a very good pizza. The prosciutto with arugula pizza had two things that went well together. The saltiness of prosciutto with the spice of arugula was a great mix and the crust was great.
The free desserts were panna cotta, tiramusu, and budino. The panna cotta had nice flavor and was not too sweet. The berries added nice touch but the panna cotta itself was a little too thick. The tiramisu had a great espresso flavor but the ladyfingers were too little soft. The budino was thick and rich, and was a nice pudding. Still can’t overlook the wait though.

Brunch pizza perfection. This popular pizza palace was a virtual ghostown on this past snowy Sunday. Popped in for brunch and the hostess sat me where I wanted– magazines are available like Shiller’s and the place is gorg.
I ordered a bitter orange, chocolate, cranberry scone– $ 3 baked in house– delish.
A half order of Spinaci pizza= which has a soft egg, spinach, marscapone, mozz, and grana. $ 9
There is a peppery olive oil on table– love that. The pizza was perfect– cooked well with an ever so slight char and absolutely fantastic flavor– the oil added a nice amount of spice. I also ordered a hot chocolate whcih was beautiful– though not rich enough for my taste.
The bathrooms are a dejavu to Pastis and Schiller’s spots.