Babbo Ristorante, New York

Great service, good food, but nothing special.also a bit expensive.

Absolutely delicious! I have been here a few times. The restaurant's decor is traditional/minimalist. I prefer to dine upstairs in the second floor; however, the first floor is still thoroughly enjoyable. The dishes can range from innovative (using ingredients that are stellar that you would never think of: pounded pig foot, etc....that are superb), to also traditional. I had the best pasta bolognese of my life at Babbo. I highly recommend this restaurant for a date, impress a date, special occasion, fine dining with friends, etc. Nice subtle, soothing and beautiful atmosphere.

We had an exceptional evening at Babbo. All of the food we ate was wonderful. There were five of us. We all ordered different items for each course and were able to sample many of the items on the menu. By far, the Mint Love Letters and the Olive Oil Gellato were two of the biggest hits of the night. The sommelier was extremely knowlegable and able to help all of us decide on several nice bottles of wine from the extensive wine list. The noise level is loud. It is rumored to be less noisy upstairs. If you are looking for a quiet romantic dinner, this is not the place. If you want exceptionally prepared food, served without the New York attitude, this is the place! Go and enjoy. However, you must call way in advance (1 month) for reservations. It is definitely worth the wait.

I recently went to Babbo's for my birthday - normally a reservation should be made. And you have to do it a whole month to the day you want but they do take in walk-in's. From the moment my boyfriend and I entered, everything was great!! The decor is beautiful and its a casual atmosphere. The hostess was very kind, as well as the staff. We didn't wait long to be seated, which was a fear since we were walk-in's but we arrived when they first opened. So we did have an advantage.LOL! But the food was excellent - and the flavor was unbelieveable. Dessert is out of this world. And they have a great wine list as well. All in all - it is an experience that all must share. But please note - it is pricey/so make sure to save up.

Although it often takes 1 month to get a reservation, it is worth the wait. Babbo's food is absolutely delicious. Menu is a mix of pastas and game - a very unique dishes. Not a lot of selections for vegetarians. Portions are generous and make sure you save room for dessert. The service was very attentive and the sommelier gave excellent wine recommendations.

the best pasta ever

This is the restaurant that rekindled our yearning to go to Italy on a food & wine tour of the Tuscany and Piedmont areas. I couldn't disagree more with the review saying the food is normal. From the bucatini with cured pork cheeks, to stinging nettle pappardelle with wild boar ragu, to the traditional piedmont barolo braised beef, to the grilled quail with scorzonera (salsify), to pappardelle bolognese, there was nothing we got that wasn't absolutely perfect. The sommelier was the type of sommelier that all should aspire to. We told him we love super tuscans and big cabs and he suggested Tignanello, a reasonably priced super tuscan that we've since bought more and more of. A trip to NYC that doesn't include this and Union Square Cafe for a meal and Monkey bar for a drink is a failure.

Babbo is supposed to be this amazing restaurant, but its really just average at best. Food is good, not spectacular, and definitely not memorable. The best dishes at the table were a warm vegetable starter (...), and a whole sea bass, plain with some lemon (...). yeah, pretty standard fare. I had lobster spaghettini - pasta was slightly overcooked, but it was tasty. A starter of blush orange salad (average). Again, I dont see the fuss about the restaurant. Wine list is superb, and the service is great. We sat at a table right next to Coldplay's Chris Martin and his wife, Gwenyth Paltrow, who was joined at dinner by Jay-Z (Shawn Carter). So, yes, celeb sightings...but did not make up for a normal meal.

Despite people complaining how difficult it is to get a reservation, I walked in with my friend on a Friday night and luckily got a table after 30 minutes wait. The food was the best Italian food I have ever had, their ravioli and the complimentary side dish were still lingering around my head. Love it!