Bocca Lupo

Elite '08

25

214

Andrew W.

New York, NY

Any place that does Italian tapas is suspicious to me, mostly because I think there's something fundamentally un-Italian and desperate about it (Ahem Vento). Fortunately, when debating places to eat at with firneds in Brooklyn last night, I kept my mouth shut when it was suggested.

I'd be a bit careful coming here on a busy night as there aren't many tables and it's a place geared to sitting, chatting and having many courses of small plates, so you may have to be prepared for a long wait (In our case, it was 40 minutes). It can also be a good place to come with a friend a have a drink and a couple snacks at the long bar.

Being that I was with a group of four, we were able to sample much of the menu. I highly recommend the bruschetta's which are large, well-seasoned and come with heaping toppings. There's quite a variety as well. The broccoli rabe, cured meat plate and lamb chops were very good. Their best offering is the Veal and Porcini meat balls, which should be tried on any visit.

We were steered away from their panini's which are allegedly a bit greasy, but I can't comment on them myself. They also were short on bread, which was a first for me.

Maybe it was because we were in BK, but I think Bocca Lupo gets the 5th star for being a good value. Dinner for four with wine came out to about $140 and we all felt quite full. Definitely a place to check out if in the neighborhood.

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87

57

Krissy G.

Brooklyn, NY

Heading to Bocca Lupo? You'd best brace yourself for a food bender that includes cocktails and carb-alicious Italian tapas and, if you're man (or woman) enough, Nutella decadence.

Before I talk about this restaurant's delicious ginger martini and its melt-in-your-mouth bruschetta, I have to discuss dessert because for the low, low price of $7:

a) the banana Nutella panini here will make you cry tears of joy, and
b) the banana Nutella panini here will make you cry tears of joy.

Picture it: a heaping pile of warm grilled bread stuffed with chocolate and bananas, covered in powdered sugar, and served with fresh whipped cream (a mound of whipped cream that's the size of your head). Are you with me? Yes? Tearing up yet? No?

There's the prequel, too. The bruschetta comes in nine varieties ($2.50 per serving). My favorites are the mozzarella/pesto/tomato combo and the butternut squash (in which "butter" is a key ingredient), but there's something to please everyone. Round out the meal with an order of veal meatballs ($11) for the table. The vegetable sides are on the oily side, but clearly this isn't a place to go when you're trying to lighten up.

I have yet to try Bocca Lupo's sandwiches, as the bruschetta sucks me in every time. I also have yet to save room for dessert but manage to order it every time.

Bonus points for the restaurant's strong wine list, interesting cocktails, incredibly nice waitstaff, and cool setting (I love the floor-to-ceiling windows). Oh, and have I mentioned dessert?

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0

7

Peter N.

Brooklyn, NY

Date Visited: March 31th
People: Megan
My tab: ~$45

Not my first time here at one of the neighborhood faves, definately not the last. We always sit next to each other at the bar or the window if it's just the 2 of us. The best thing about this place is that I know what I'm going to order before I walk in the door, I know it's going to be exactly the same every time, and that I'm going to end with one of my top 5 desserts. Megan and I split a bottle of 05 barbaresco, and started with the the beet salad (as always) with ricotta, and the meatballs: juicy goodness in redsauce. Next I had the sausage, telleggio w/greens panini, with aside of pickled cauliflower (as always)...I don't even remember what megan had because I don't share that sandwich with anyone. Finished off the meal with the banana-nutella panini w/ creme fraice (as always)...probably the best thing you can buy in this town for 7 bucks. This dish is not an option if you plan on eating here.

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Elite '08

15

97

Tony M.

Brooklyn, NY

Intimate, brick walls with plenty of floor-to-ceiling glass.  They have a bar as well as seating for groups of 2 or 4 people.

I love the small plates, and the fact that the kitchen is open until at least midnight (later on the weekends).  A great place to get some healthier food if you get home late from work.

They have plenty of wine by the glass, and they're all pretty good (and Italian).  The cheapest glasses are $6.

Menu--they have small plates of veggies, antipasti, an assorted cheese plate, an assorted meat plate (think prosciutto and sorpressatta) and something like 8 types of bruschetta for $2.50 a piece--a great way to taste different things.

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Elite '08

43

165

Joe O.

Brooklyn, NY

Ate here tonight and gotta say, this place is awesome!  From the ambient light decor to the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, we really enjoyed this place.  I truly dislike tapas (feel like I'm always missing something) but this place has made me rethink my feeble opinions. On a chilly Sat night we waited about 20 mins (or one cocktail) at the bar and were attended to quite promptly.  The waitress (named Allison, we guessed her name as Gail or Sarah) was very lively and also honest about the menu.  We chose 4 dishes: Sweet Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, Mushrooms & Taleggio panini; Sauteed Asparagus with lemon & thyme; rissoto with cheese and  a small arugula-pesto sandwich- my dear God were they great.  Add to that a nice Barolo and finish with an apricot smeared cheesecake and grappa - and you have the happiest couple in the 'hood.  Seriously though, if you're unhappy with this meal you're smoking something fierce and should get your taste buds examined.  We eat out a lot and for a place we found just strolling the streets, this spot easily gets the coveted 5 Yelp stars!

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15

37

caroline b.

Brooklyn, NY

Bocca Lupo became a neighborhood favorite shortly after it opened about a year ago, based on the almost-nightly packed room of happy diners.  Two entire walls of the corner restaurant are plate glass, and the streetlamps outside seem to provide much of the moody lighting inside.  Walk by on a warm night and you'll find the doors thrown open, the din of the laughing patrons spilling out into the street and beckoning passers-by.  

I'm a huge fan of dining at the bar (at least when I'm dining with no more than two other people), as I often feel closer to the "action" in the dining room, I sometimes like the more casual vibe than the formality of a dining room, and I like the interaction with the bartenders.  Our first time at Bocca Lupo we headed straight to the poured concrete bar, and we've been heading straight to the bar every time we go there, whether it's just for drinks or a quick bite to eat.  

I've tried almost all the bruschette, the salami plate, and the arugula salad, which I can tell you are mighty tasty.  Although I haven't explored the panini or the other entrees, they smell and look so good when the plates go by.  I really like the wine selection -- haven't been disappointed by a bottle or glass I've tried.  One night we were there, we saw that a birthday celebrant and her 1/2 dozen friends were really enjoying their raspberry (or some other berry) mojitos.  Round after round after round they ordered -- I would have tried it myself, if it weren't for the sight of the poor bartender having to make all those damn mojitos!  I'll have to go back and try one (just one!).    

Service at the bar is wonderful.  I've looked around the room of course and it seems like the table service is just as efficient.  No reservations taken, just wait when you get there.  Strike up a conversation with the owner or the other regulars hanging out.

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Elite '08

24

51

daniel g.

Brooklyn, NY

Food's a solid 3.5 but given two of us ate there for 50 bucks, with a drink each, I'll go with a full 4. The 3 bruschette were all very fresh and tasty. Chicken liver w/ cranberry, Mozzerella, Tomato and Basil and Warm mushroom w/ mascarpone. All 3 were satisfying yet simple. We also shared the Sweet Sausage Panini and the Taglietelle w/ Duck Ragu. I remembered the sausage panini being cheesier the first time I wen, but was still good. And the pasta was very tasty, the tagliatelle was al dente and the duck ragu was really tasty. Wil definitely check this place out again...............

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Elite '08

16

162

carl g.

Brooklyn, NY

With much anticipation I awaited this restaurant's opening since the location is a block from my apartment and the last thing there was a blue hair type salon for women over 65 (and my neighbor Paul).

The large windows let you see every bit of the action from the street but also probably is to blame for the horrendous acoustics inside. The vibe is very "scene" but also kid friendly early on which I'm cool with. The food is Italian and our initial experience had some unfortunate choices on the menu. I'd like to chew on artichoke hearts like a cow all day but I'm just not enjoying it. Luckily our waitress noticed our dislike and removed it from the bill. The sandwiches are a big hit and I highly recommend the sausage and broccoli rabe. Can't go wrong with that.
Get a cheese plate and if you're lucky they'll have your first choice wine  in stock. But don't count on that.

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2

13

Liz N.

Brooklyn, NY

We knew we were in for a treat when our friend took us there on her day off, even though she works and eats there almost every other day of the week.

Others have commented on the ambiance and welcoming floor-to-ceiling windows, so I will skip directly to the delicious and beautifully presented food.

I had a hard time deciding on the menu because SO many items sounded tasty and just unique enough that I probably wouldn't be making them at home. I loved that you could order bruschetta by the piece (at only $2.50 a pop!) so that allowed me to sample many of said combinations: melt-in-your-mouth warm mushrooms and marscapone, fava bean paste with olive tapenade, sausage with caramelized onions, yum!

The dude got the special risotto, which was perfectly cooked and seasoned--not bland, gluey, or too heavy.

The only disappointment for me was the beet, ricotta and pine nuts salad, which was very heavy on beets but very light on ricotta and pine nuts. Nothing special here.

Even though the menu consisted of mostly "small plates" we were sufficiently stuffed to skip dessert.

If you go in the summer, I recommend the special watermelon margarita--a refreshing treat.

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13

19

Ben D.

Brooklyn, NY

i've banned the entire cobble hill and carroll gardens areas of brooklyn. like, they don't exist. the other side of the gowanus canal is red hook, as far as i'm concerned. this wasn't a knee-jerk policy, but one forged from spending far too much time around bland, predictable, yuppie lames in man-capris. i'm tough but fair, you dig?

the preceding said, i will venture over into that limousine-liberalesque xanadu to hit up bocca lupo. the primary reason is because the kitchen stays open until 1am -- or maybe 2am. either way, it's one of the few places you can snatch up anything decent other than a hefty burger or oily slab of pizza after midnight in downtown brooklyn.

the sausage/broccoli panini was on point, as was the risotto (i can't recall what was in it, but it was a non-menu special). the tuna salad was decent, but if you're not in the mood to double-up on bread-related dishes, there isn't really a vast selection of salads to choose from.

i don't know anything about "laughing patrons spilling outside" or it being "very scene". the former sounds like a fictional memoir of a semester spent abroad in barcelona and the latter only could qualify as such thing in a neighborhood that doesn't exist.

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3

11

Stephanie C.

Brooklyn, NY

This cozy little spot has quickly become on of my  neighborhood favorites.  I love restaurants that have lots of snacky things - and good wine lists.  Not expensive wine lists, but good drinking table wine.  This Italian bistro has quite a bit of Italian wine by the glass, and what's nice is even the cheaper glasses are pretty good.  On top of that they have GREAT olives, vegetable sides, risotto, and paninis.  As far as the food goes, the only complaint I had was that the cheese plate is a little stingy - they could give you slightly bigger slices, in my opinion.  AND they serve their lunch menu (small sandwiches, olives, etc) until 2am on weekends, which is awesome - who does NOT want some tasty Italian treats after being drunk??

I love that 2 of the sides are plate glass - it's nice to look outside (especially when you're inside drinking a glass of wine and it's either raining or snowing out!).  I almost always sit at the bar, and when I first started going, the bartender was great - he knew a lot about wine (which I'd expect) and was interesting to talk to.  Since then, they've hired some girls (albeit very cute ones) whose usual answer to a wine question is "I don't know, haven't tasted it".  

Besides that, the only (tiny) complaint that I have is that the acoustics in the place make sitting in the tables in the middle impossible (glass makes echoes!)...but since I'm usually at the bar, I don't notice...

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12

27

emcee b.

Brooklyn, NY

First off, you should really check out this place before it gets the NYT Under $25 treatment, because once that happens it could be a challenge to get a weekend table (a black car from the UES isn't that far, as many in the hood know, i.e. Grocery, Chestnut, Porchetta). But I'm not bitter. Just a warning.

I've enjoyed dinner at Bocca Lupo three times now and the food can we qualified as fresh and consistent, if not a bit derivative. All the food press has equated this spot with 'ino, which is a fair statement. After all, the paninis are the main draw. I've tried almost every offering, and always go back to the sweet sausage, broccoli rabe, and Taleggio. The sausage/gooey Taleggio combo is incredible, as are the veal and procini meatballs, served hot over a slice of crusty bread (this is a serious clean plate club dish). Also, check out the seasonal cheese plate. For $13, the range and portion size makes this a great deal.

The other two sandwiches (bruschette and tramezzini) are just average, the later nothing more than a slice of white bread (though Blue Ribbon white bread) stuffed with a paltry amount of meat or cheese. And the lamb lollipops were fatty and cold, which seemed strange to me.

But overall the paninis are spot-on, and sliced perfectly to share for a table of 3-4. And don't skimp on out dessert. The Nutella panini should not be missed.

And I'm not joking about the Under $25 review. It's coming. The owner told me Peter Meehan has already made a few visits. So it's only a matter of time.

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1

32

Gina L.

Raleigh, NC

this place is so good!  my cousin and i went there and split a bunch of plates.  we liked everything we ordered.  i definitely will go back when i go back to visit my cousin :)  

the place didn't get 5 starts because i had to keep asking for refills on my water

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