Trattoria Il Mulino

Great little gem in the busy city! Quiet, romantic, excellent service and delicious fare! Grilled Octopus is amazing but their Chicken in Crosta is RIDICULOUSLY delicious! Bharat Sancerre choice also. I’ll be back!

Ridiculous wait. Restaurant was empty and service was too slow. We ordered our food 1.5 hours after our reservation. The host forgot to give us menus-​we asked for those after we ordered our wine. Food was great-​just a gap in the service. The server seemed competent-​just like he forgot us.

«trattoria» typically brings to mind… a simple Italian eatery. i’d say nothing about Trattoria Zillow Mulino is all that simple or designates it as just an «eatery.»
i had the good fortune to be taken to Trattoria Il Mulino during a tour of great bars and restaurants throughout my birthday weekend. and Trattoria Il Mulino deserves the adjective of «great» as well.
the layout is spacious. generous space between tables as well as high ceilings provides a welcome relief from the typical cramped lifestyle we endure in the subways, city streets, or even during our morning coffee before workday. however while the restaurant’s footprint is large… the space has pockets of coziness that are well-​designed from the front to long bar that has seating in front of fiery pizza oven to the back of the space which has a relaxed-​formal vibe. the space itself has a modern edge to it, using a lot of whites, black, beige, and lighting to achieve a balance of space, ambience, etc. tbh, the restaurant itself works for many purposes: birthday celebrations, family/​friends in town get-​togethers, business meals, date night, pre or post theater meals, or even just drinks and a bite. lots of flex here.
PRO TIP; seats at the beautiful bar in view of the pizza oven, a bottle of wine, one of the aromatically-​enticing pizzas, \would probably make for a perfect date as long as you provide the fun, flirty conversation. try and prove me wrong… you won’t. ;)
the food… excellent. part of going to a restaurant is exploring… and there’s much to discover and enjoy on this broad dinner menu. i’d recommend the ricotta meatballs: well-​spiced, savory, melt in your mouth… and that tomato-​basil sauce ties it all together. fans of grilled octopus are in for a treat as the dish has the right amount of char and kitchen magic to make it a constant standout on the menu. spaghettini with crab and the gnocchi, which i both tried, hit all the right tastebuds and buttons… as the dishes are not overly complex (the chef and kitchen team understand that keeping it simple is the way to go) and sate your want of comfort foods with elevated ingredients. as i stalked other tables’s choices, i would say the pizza is a must (and will be for me on my next go)
the drinks. boozy and well composed. the signature cocktail list has a lot of breadth to it. cocktails tend to err on the stronger side, so you were warned, lightweights! lol before you order your usual «vodka soda» — take a whirl through some of the more interesting cocktails… like the Gentleman’s Vesper or the Double-​Cut Old Fashioned… these drinks are not for the tame of heart or stomach… so eat as you drink.
the service is attentive without being stalker-​ish. the staff knew the right cues to come to my bday table to take orders, refresh drinks, run through the menu, answer q’s, and in general make the night memorable without hovering around too much. there was a small issue with a drink and our waiter swooped in and got a replacement cocktail to the table moments later.
i rarely do this, but i read through some of the other reviews of said restaurant. tbh if you find Trattoria Il Mulino too pricy for the quality of ambience, food, service, etc. then maybe you need to make different choices in life… like make more money. it’s not as if this restaurant hides its menu or its prices… it’s all on their website and this is a $$$, so bills are going to be higher than your typical restaurant. just sayin’. now is this the most amazing Italian food I have ever had? no that was in the Cinque Terre in Italy… that said, Trattoria Il Mulino has a lot going for it, and that’s hard to say about many eateries in NYC.
special occasion or not, treat yourself to a great experience at Trattoria Il Mulino.
drops mic because it’s rude to shout in a nice restaurant.
i out.
zzz

My bestie and I went for our monthly dinner date and we loved it. Our server was the nicest guy ever. The food was perfect and the wine was good and super reasonable. Their bottle list had a lot of good stuff, mostly Italian of course. Our server offered advice as to where to venture for after dinner drinks as well. The hostess/​manager touched the table and was extremely pleasant as well. I will defiantly return.

This was my second time at this restaurant and my experience was in stark contrast to my original one. First, service really blew it — they spilled wine in my purse, one of the bus boys hit the wine glass into my mouth as I was sipping while he cleared off a plate.
Also the branzino we ordered was one of the worst I’ve ever had. It was slimy and not well cooked. It actually made me feel queazy — and I generally have a strong stomach. Both my boyfriend and I suffered food pains all night and I think it has to be because of the fish. They also charge $ 10 for their sides, one of which was three slices of eggplant with salt (at least dress it up a little)?!?
That said, their calamari in spicy sauce is really tasty. And really the only redeeming thing about this restaurant.
I don’t think I’ll be back.

We ordered margherita pizza and clams oreganata off of the post mates app and I live on 21^st and third in Gramercy Park just a few blocks from the restaurant. I have been to the restaurant for lunch and dinner and enjoy the food. When the delivery arrived cold I called the restaurant and asked for a manager and spoke with Carlos and when I told him that the food arrived cold he told me to «screw myself «and hung up. I called back and spoke to Michelle and she did not offer to make this right. Skip this place — although the food is good they apparently do not care about customer service or the people they serve. I am a business woman and eat in this restaurant with clients– never again and I will follow up with their owners. Go to Gramercy Tavern where they take pride in their service.

I was at this trattoria for a private event, so this review isn’t totally applicable for the restaurant. The main restaurant is a nice space. There’s a private dining room downstairs. The service was really attentive. Our water glasses never got too empty. The waiters aggressively poured decent Pinot Grigio and Chianti. We were started off with good warm bread and an amuse bouche of caponata. We had very good rice balls, rustic pizza and salami for our appetizers. We had a mozzarella and tomato salad with basil next. The main courses included salmon, rigatoni Bolognese and Parmesan encrusted chicken. Everything was very good. Desserts were excellent. There was tira miss that was insane, a very good Italian cheesecake and a dense chocolate cake. The manager was all over the staff and it was a very pleasant evening. Based on this meal, I would definitely check out the restaurant.

Here’s the thing, if you’re gonna be much more expensive than other Italian restaurants you better make sure that:
1-​your food is outstanding
or
2-​the place is really special.
Although some of the things I had were very good (fried calamari and chicken Parmesan), nothing was outstanding and the dessert was very underwhelming (tiramisu).
I can think of at least 3 Italian restaurants where the food is better yet less (a lot less?) expensive.
And with only two single bathrooms for probably 120+ seats in the room causing a continuous line to satisfy the most basic need, it’s hard to argue 2– is met.
A good restaurant to take your family if they live outside NYC and don’t like the smaller NYC restaurants.

We came here for restaurant week. The décor and service is nice. The food is just above average. The desert was great. Lobster pappardelle is a total rip off and very little lobster. Grilled octopus appetizer tasted great. Basically appetizer and deserts are good, not the main. For the price, it’s less than imaginative. I would rather go to BlueHill or Babbo for Italian. Not coming back.

Trattoria Il Mulino was recommended by a friend, but we thought it was ok. We ordered the specials suggested by the waiter, but in hindsight should have ordered from the menu instead. However, we did have one dish that was absolutely amazing and probably the best part of our meal … the limoncello tiramisu was out of this world! It wasn’t sweet or tangy and we found it to be just right (plus the orange peel was a nice touch to the entire dessert!).
Here is what we ordered:
Linguine Positano Special with tomato sauce
— linguine paired with lobster, mussels, clams and tomato sauce — was good
Branzino
— not sure how they messed this up — but when they brought back the cut fish, the dish had an excessive amount of oil on it, so much so that I think it ruined the taste of the fish and probably smothered the herbs that were on top of it. This should have been an easy dish to prepare, but was an epic fail.
Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
— nothing to write home about
— think they should have presented it better than leaving it on a plate (put it in a bowl instead if you’re going to serve it like that)
Limoncello Tiramisu
— as mentioned above — totally worth it and don’t hesitate to order this. You won’t be disappointed with the limoncello tiramisu
Décor: actually felt very fancy; good quiet place for a date !
Enjoy your meal!

I don’t recommend eating here. The food was delicious but the wait staff spent the evening chatting with each other at the bar. The never asked if we wanted an other glass of wine or another cocktail.
The noise level was very loud. It was difficult to have conversation. With all the great restaurants in New York don’t waste your money or time here!

Tonight was incredible. Waiters were attentive and always around to fill our glass and ask for bread willingly.
The octopus appetizer was incredible. That sauce is something else!
The lobster pappardelle tasted like heaven in a lobster bisque sauce. My boyfriends veal parm was incredibly pounded thin and absolutely amazing.
Worth every penny! Great night.

Atmosphere– white table cloth, modern Italian, crisp and clean. Friendly and clearly well-​trained servers.
Brunch:
Food– burrata is so milky and fresh; Plop it on French toast and you’re in for a rich breakfast that is better off shared so as to leave room for other delicious options. Make the sacrifice and move onto their classic meatballs or an omelette.
Drinks– paying one price for unlimited breakfast beverages (mimosa or Bloody Mary) left my husband feeling the effects.

Came here the other night for restaurant week and loved everything! My dad and I arrived earlier than my brother so we sat at the bar and each had a glass of delicious rose. When my brother arrived the hostess seated us promptly. Wanting to try as much as possible, we all ordered different appetizers: arugula salad, charred octopus, and spaghetti and meatballs. The arugula salad, although by far the most «boring» appetizer, was delicious: fresh bitter arugula, a light vinaigrette, and wide shavings of parmesan. The spaghetti and meatballs was also great — the meatball was extremely light. The octopus was easily the star appetizer: served warm with potatoes and olives — a fabulous combination.
We also ordered different entrees: the funghi pizza, the mushroom ravioli, and the chicken. I actually thought the chicken was forgettable, but the pizza and ravioli were sublime. The pizza had a very thin crust that was perfectly crisped and charred. It was actually pretty light, as far as pizza goes. When my ravioli arrived, I was a little disappointed to see only 6 or so ravioli, but as soon as I began eating, understood why the portion was small! The ravioli were extremely rich, not in a gross way, but rich enough that the chef clearly understood that a small portion was better. I nearly licked all the truffle cream sauce off my plate — it was amazing!
Dessert was quite forgettable, but the wine, ambiance, and food were very memorable. I would love to come back soon.

We went around 2pm on a Saturday and there was no one in here, maybe 2 other groups of customers. The service was good, they were very nice. They give you a complimentary eggplant basil dish, which was nice and tasted good. They do have all you can drink with your meal, i think it is mimosas but I didn’t order it. I ordered the Mimosa #7 and it was really tasty.
I got the sweet crêpe and this is where I was disappointed. It said that it had some kind of chef special with the berries or something that came in the crêpe but it was literally just a crêpe with strawberries and blueberries. There wasn’t anything else in it! No sauce, nothing. It was so pricey and I was still hungry after I left. Usually a crêpe would have sauce, nutella, something! Anything! But no– it was straight up berries. I gave a lot of the berries to my baby bc she can eat it and there was no sugar or anything sweet. Maybe if I got something else here, I would give it more stars.
Also, no changing table or counter space. Had to change the baby standing up.

We came here after not being able to dine at Mari vanna across the street because they were fully booked. Il mulino was quite empty so I was sort of skeptical but the restaurant’s interior was beautiful and the place smelled really delicious so we decided to just sit down.
We were welcomed with some complimentary basil eggplant dish and some cured meat. Then offered these delicious focaccia bread with cheese. We weren’t that hungry so ordered one appetizer to share (mussels in red wine sauce) and an entrée each (the pork chop and branzino in white wine sauce: butter and lemon). The mussels were great but a little too salty. The entrees were really delicious and the portions were huge. Couldn’t even finish half of my fish. The waiter gave us a tip for our next visit, order the half size pasta. We had two rounds of wine and left the restaurant happy.

EXPENSIVE, BAD AND UNKNOWLEDGEABLE SERVICE, AVERAGE FOOD!
If you are looking for this triple threat combination, then this is the restaurant for you. In their defense, I was on the verge of 1.5 stars.
We go to the restaurant for restaurant week and were greeted nicely by the host for our 8pm reservation. The restaurant was so cute and having been to other Il Mulino’s before, I was really anticipating to eat at this restaurant.
We were sat down and given a choice of bread from the bread basket. I love when you get to choose your bread! However, the bread wasn’t good. It was a cold piece of focaccia. Whatever, no biggie. We then get a plate of salumi and eggplant on the house. People, enjoy that eggplant because it is very tasty and probably the best thing they serve!
We looked through the menu and decided to not go with the pri fixe menu and go with the regular menu. We ordered a bottle of wine and two sodas. We put that in with our order for appetizers and dinner entrees. May I add, we asked the waiter the differences between the sauces for the fish and he had no idea! He had no idea between his right or left hand. My friend and I got our sodas and then the appetizers came. My other two girlfriends still didn’t get their wine. Unless they were hand picking the grapes and stomping them themselves, there is no reason why it should take 35 – 40 minutes for wine. We finished our appetizers and told the waiter and wait staff on 2 different occasions that they still didn’t receive their wine!
As time passes, the waiter is walking aimlessly around the restaurant. My girls finally get their wine. Meanwhile, we are still waiting for our food. We had a 8pm reservation, ordered our dishes by 8:20 the latest and didn’t get our food until close to 945! Again, we asked our waiter about the arrival of our food and he claimed the place was really busy. Half the tables were vacant. The problem was not only everything being delayed, it was the fact that there was attitude given by the wait staff whenever we would ask about our food. Like I said, thank god for my girlfriends, or else I would’ve walked up and left.
Food comes… yay!!! Not! We ordered the pappardelle w lobster. The lobster (or lack thereof) was way overcooked and the pasta dish itself was cold. The branzino was the size of my hand and wasn’t scaled properly, so every bite I was taking a scale out of my mouth and also not hot. Lastly, the prime rib. That was my favorite dish in a pile of mediocre food. All these dishes were $ 40 and all were not hot and not that good. They were edible; but then again, what isn’t when you’ve been waiting over an hour for your food and starving? I forgot to mention the octopus app wasn’t great. The watermelon Burrata was good, comparatively speaking.
Finally, we flagged down the GM Christian. We told him our issues and he apologized. He did comp our wine, apps, and dessert. He definitely was the best thing at the restaurant. He apologized and asked to give them another try. Unfortunately, there are too many good restaurants in the city to waste my time and money to go back here. Sorry!

Amazing food and staff was super friendly. There private room is located downstairs which is great for an event or party. No cell reception in the private room but their very nice servers gave me there WiFi password.
My experience is based on a private event!
I had a great experience and the food was amazing. I will have to get some of my friends together to dine here. A+ in my book

Fact: I did not choose to dine at Trattoria Il Mulino. I’d heard enough preliminary reports about the mediocre food, and when the restaurant recently decided to hike up menu prices in an attempt to appear more upscale, I’d already formed a firm opinion of the business. When a friend of mine eagerly shared a Gothamist post featuring their burrata-​topped French Toast, I grudgingly gave in… Well, some sacrifices must be made for friendship, no? And thus, the three of us found ourselves inside of Trattoria Il Mulino on a weekend afternoon.
The space itself is lovely; the interior plays off a white-​beige color theme, accented by two murals on the end walls. There’s a lengthy bar area, perfect for guests looking to enjoy a drink or even dine solo, and plenty of well-​spaced tables throughout the room. It looks even better in the daytime, as the sunlight makes any artificial lighting unnecessary, making it an initially attractive spot for brunch. I was initially swayed too by the tasty Caponata amuse we were presented with, a well-​seasoned portion of roasted eggplant complemented with tomatoes, parmesan, and basil. It was an appreciated starting bite as we went through the brunch menu, and after deciding on a shared order of Truffle Fries for the table, we each went with our own plates.
At the recommendation of our waiter, I went with the Meatball Benedict. It seems difficult at first to mess up the tried-​and-​true combination of ground meat, poached eggs, and tomato sauce, but Trattoria Il Mulino was certainly able to. The «meatball» was the furthest thing from it, with a density and texture that bore closer resemblance to meatloaf; clearly, far too many breadcrumbs had been used in the mixture, which may or may not have been in effort to cost cut. Most benedicts have a carbohydrate component as well, but here, there was only a dense «meatball» topped with two poached eggs, doused in a tomato sauce. There was no balance to the plate and in hindsight, I can’t justify the $ 18 price tag for such a paltry dish.
Guests may have better luck with the overly generously-​sized Burrata French Toast, but I’d recommend dining elsewhere for a better (and wallet-​friendly) meal.

Il Mulino is one of my favorite dining establishments. The original resto is on W 3^rd St and has expanded to multiple locations outside of NYC: Las Vegas, Japan, Florida, NJ, Puerto Rico and a more modern version Trattoria Il Mulino opened recently and wanted gave it a try. In the evening when we came, the air was romantic, nice candles, perfect vibe for 4 foodies craving a meal, LOL. But no fret, there was a business meeting behind us and a Euro business visitors to the left of us.
Verdict?
Loved it, Loved it. Consistent with Il Mulino standards on delivering superior food and experience in a modern vibe. You come here not to be seen but to eat serious food and not goo goo gaga over a celeb chef. Instead of the usual cheese off the wheel and salumi from West 3^rd St, we got an eggplant caponata (which one of my buds wanted an order togo) and salumi for palate teasers. These items are on the house. If you’re an Il Mulino fan, there is a section on the menu for 3^rd Street favorites and we ordered some from there and also some from the Trattoria menu. Here’s what we had. We ordered 2 bottles of Prosecco and one Amarone to go with these awesome plates.
WEST 3RD ST Menu:
Veal Chop Milanese. This is one my tried and true favorites at Il Mulino. While breaded, it’s not oily, but rather it tasted like a pankoed butterflied veal chop, on the bone and it occupied the entire plate. It was capped with a toothy arugula salad with a light citron dressing. Crusty with a milky quality, the veal was fresh off the pan, still hot, piping hot and ready to be enjoyed. This combination makes you feel like you’re eating something plain until have the arugula salad and you’ll go bonkers. This version did not have the fresh reggiano shavings that the 3^rd St location has done for me but it was genuine, clean… a superior veal chop. This plate for me in its delicious simplicity is probably my favorite at Il Mulino.
Porcini Ravioli:
From the simple to the sublime, this is the grandest of opulent plates at Il Mulino. You take a spoon to the sauce and you are doused in luxury: the taste of white truffles with porcini ravioli in a plate so well executed, your palate confirms you’re eating from a plate served to royalty. The flavors of earth, mushrooms, cream butter, and champagne truffles in a sauce; sent my dining buds to Cloud 9. Didn’t have much of the sauce but I picked one raviolo and said «You guys have the rest since I know this dish really well» I didn’t I had 4, 5 ravioli and fought for it.
TRATTORIA Menu:
House Special: Stuffed Squid with Mascarpone and saffron rice: Cooked just above sashimi, the squid was soft almost fragile to the tooth (so good), when you bite into it, melted mascarpone oozes out and teases your palate. Immediately you feel sublime. The plate came with saffron rice, a tad well done but melded with the squid and mascarpone.
Mussels in Fra Diavolo: We fought over this because it was so delicious so different and the FD brought out the sweetness of the mussels that a standard white wine preparation would in comparison, fall short.
Funghi Pizza
Wanted to try their pizza, so we ordered one. And true to style, like a Roman trattoria pizza, the crust was uniform throughout, knife and fork tender, the crust enveloped the freshly harvested wild mushrooms in your palate with flavors of olive oil, cheese, mushrooms, truffles gently reminding you that you’ve Never had anything like this but in Italia. But in NY you can have it. Only in NY.
Chicken Scarpariello
This plate was a large plate enough for two really of savory delicious chicken in wine sauce, with a slight tart dimension to that sauce that made my palate wake up. It was delicious and very popular with friends.
A Simple Dessert:
We were too full for dessert but was tempted to try the lightest item in the gelato: a lemon/​basil sorbetto that clearly, hands down, was one of the highlights for the night. It was crisply lemon flavored (tart but you’d think Meyer) with a jab of basil to the palate that made us smile every bite. Went back the next day and ordered it to go and savored it while running around the city. So impressed with this dessert.
Taking off 1 star only because we came when the Trattoria just opened for the evening and the service staff was chicken without heads disoriented. It is still a superior dining establishment with flawlessly executed plates.
Want to try the Vegas Il Mulino sometime soon.
Tip: Expect to pay about $ 100 – 150 sans wine. A good way to enjoy this Trattoria if you come with friends is do it family style. If you’re a couple, eat half the plate then swap plates with your partner. The plates are large enough. Lighting is not conducive to photos.
Visits: 1 at Trattoria, about 10+ at Il Mulino, West 3^rd.