Bar Italia

“Following a stroll through Central Park Zoo, we planned to walk clear across the park to a coffee shop on the upper west side, but just when we though we experienced all the weather that the city had to offer, we felt a couple of raindrops as we began our trek into the park and fortunately we turned our butts right around up E 66th Street looking for cover and serendipitously found ourselves in one of our trip’s most memorable moments. Under an awning, escaping the downpour, the weather app told us we had at least another hour of rain ahead, so we knew we needed to tuck in somewhere. At the end of the street, beautiful window displays and designer corner flagships spilled out of repurposed late-19th-century limestone mansions - Madison Avenue. You don’t have to be a local to know that ducking in for cover around here, especially near dinner time, doesn’t exactly scream affordable or accessible. Still, everything seemed to pull us toward the warm, dry red awning across the street. Bar Italia’s white tablecloths, extra-long stone bar, and fresh arrangements of flowers created an elegance that made us quietly wonder if we were in over our heads - especially rolling in with a stroller. Those concerns faded almost instantly thanks to the big, beaming smile and perfectly tailored suit of Hassan El Garrahy, who greeted us by high-fiving our son and rearranging tables to make space. As our son giggled and goofed around, Hassan shared how he’d come over from Egypt all those years ago, had us guess his age - an impressive 68, fueled by good eating, marathon running, and chasing his four kids - and encouraged us, with a grin, to have a few more of our own. That same spirit and energy from Bar Italia’s owner and operating partner carries through every detail that makes the place special: the rain tapping softly against the accordion windows that open wide on warmer afternoons; the attentive server who brought calamari with homemade tartar sauce and thoughtfully split our single order of what may be the best spaghetti carbonara we’ve ever had - more than enough for both of us. By the time the rain cleared and the air cooled, we stepped back onto Madison Avenue full, grateful, and newly aware that the city still has a way of surprising you with its quiet treasures.”

“Easily the best Italian restaurant I’ve been to. We instantly felt at home, every dish was delicious, the service was outstanding, and Denis’ personal attention and hospitality were truly exceptional.”

“Absolutely Loved This Spot! Just walking by, you can’t help but notice how clean and inviting it looks inside. My friend and I asked to sit indoors—no problem at all. Right away, we were served bottled water and ordered two drinks called the “Verde.” You get to choose your base—vodka, gin, or tequila—and wow, the drinks were amazing. The food menu? You could close your eyes and pick anything and still end up with a great dish. The pizza is light, clean, and feels organic—super flavorful but not heavy or bloating. Our host, John, was incredibly informative and even told us about some off-menu specials personally prepared by the chef, Dennis. Huge bonus! The service was on point—no dirty plates sitting around, clean utensils, and an overall great vibe. We came during a bright summer day, and the place had such a lively, vibrant energy. Whether you’re in the mood to share or go all in solo, you won’t regret stopping here. Definitely a must-visit!”

“Bar Italia has a super vibrant atmosphere. The tables are definitely tight and it gets loud when it’s packed, but the intense chatter honestly adds to the fun NYC vibe. Service was great and started us off with a wonderful wine selection. We loved everything we ordered: the carpaccio di manzo, crab salad, and prosciutto crudo were excellent starters, and the pappardelle, vitello milanese, and il pollo were all delicious. To top it all off, we had three perfect desserts. Highly recommend!”

“There are four types of restaurants in the world. NYC has a lot of restaurants that are expensive and are good or those that are cheap and are good. Unfortunately, Bar Italia is expensive and awful. I was charged $39 pre-tax, pre-tip 19 pieces of chicken cubes (yes, I counted)! The manager had the GALL to say “well we made it already so BUON APPETITO!” Completely disrespectful, arrogant, and awful! If I get charged $39 pretax for “half chicken” (as stated on the menu), I expect a half chicken. And since it’s forty dollars, I would expect one whole piece cooked to perfection. Not some 100-gram one-dollar garbage leftovers from the local dumpster filled with mystery meat being added to a scoop of pilaf. The total bill came to $130 and I left hungry, angry, disgusted, and insulted. I don’t want to describe the other dishes because if I weren’t so hungry, I wouldn’t even finish anything. Imagine scamming your clients and treating them awfully. Just look at how sad and disgusting the plate looks (see image - note that the first image makes it look larger than it really is). It’s like something I would cook out of my college dorm room when I only had Costco chicken thighs, oil, salt, and some sauce. A whole piece of $4 rotisserie chicken looks a million times better. I’d rather have some Panda Express or Chipotle at this point.”