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77th St (6)
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My wife and I have enjoyed a few meals at this cozy Upper East Side italian restaurant. While the decor is a bit understated, the inside of the resaturant has a nice intimate feeling while the outside porch is the perfect place for a spring/summer meal.
We have tried the salads, homemade pastas, and a few other items on the menu and have enjoyed everything we ordered. If you are not able to find a dish you like on the you can put together your own pasta, protein, sauce combo. I am partial to rigatoni carbonara with mushrooms and sausage myself.
This little Italian restaurant is truly a hidden gem. A friend took me to Buon Gusto the other day, and it is the most darling restaurant with the BEST food. I devoured my pasta entree and only wish I hadn't had too much wine beforehand so that I could try a glass of their house Chardonnay.
Bring a friend or a date! And if its warm enough, request to sit outside.
Had my staple chicken marsala that I'll get for the first time at pretty much any Italian place. Had tons of mushrooms, which are my fave, and it was good overall. Went with a friend with a peanut allergy and the waitress had NO IDEA what was going on as far as any ingredient in the kitchen. though a lemon sorbet might have peanut dust in it. Sureeeee. Had to talk to someone a bit more 'informed'.
Nice place overall, saw two celebs there.
Good experience on the whole.
The UES isn't really known for the best food,but this italian is not authentic at all,as i think they use frozen & tinned foods,the service is fairly reasonable however the main courses were of quite a low standard,undercooked pasta (not al-dente) and over cooked bland meat,the worst part was when complaining,i was offered our meals to go?!I would have to give the thumbs down to this place and say i'm not going to ever go back.Cafe no me gusta
Yes, the East 70's are a bit of a culinary backwater, but as I walk on 77th many a day to-and-from the subway, I had always looked into the happy, charming dining room of Caffe Buon Gusto and wondered how it was inside.
Tonight, P and I were walking home having only had a few bites elsewhere and in dire need of wine and familiar food. Having remembered a pleasant meal at the Caffe a few years ago, P suggested we stop in.
Ack! The servers were quite nice, and the atmosphere is warm and charming, but the food... Oh, the food! They have big portions and it's easy on the wallet, I'll give them that. But they clearly just have big vats back in the kitchen -- one for each sauce and one for each pasta -- and whatever your order is, they just slop up the right combo. My roasted eggplant with mozzarella was cold. Slimy, cold eggplant. Ick. P's pasta was fine, if pretty bland.
The kicker, was the wine. We weren't feeling like a full bottle, so we decided on a half bottle. What I noticed (and should have been more alarmed by) was that for *all* the wines by the glass or half-bottle, all they listed was the type of grape and the country where the bottle was from. No information on the producer, etc. We ended up having a terrible, saccharine pinot gris that had only been listed as from "France." I'm pretty sure the server was in on it -- when she poured it, she only remarked "it has a lovely color." And, indeed, it did.
On my sister's last night in NY, she claims that she had always wanted to come here ever since passing it by everyday on her way to work.
This place didn't disappoint. My sister and I both had pasta. She made her own and I chose one of the specials. Was so delicious and flavorful.
-1 point for chocolate souffle that was just ok..
This place rocks! After passing this place almost daily to and fro my walk to the subway and noticing that this place had a backdoor garden, Ive wanted to try it. And what better way to try a resturant when the rents are in town and paying :)
We had my parents dog with us, so we just sat in the front outside (not in the garden), but it was such a nice evening out, it really didnt matter. The bread was great and all 3 of our meals were perfectly cooked. I got the chicken mushroom porcini and honestly...the best meal I've had in awhile. The rents both got chicken dishes and after sampling theirs...I cant say there was a bad meal had by anyone! I felt the prices were fair..and trust me large enough that you will be brining half of it home for lunch/dinner the next day! We decided on the hazelnut gelatto with espresso and ended up getting a tiramsu on the house.
The service was great...none of us had empty water glasses at any time..and they even gave our dog a doggie bowl of water. All in all an awesome meal.
Btw..my mom and I decided to check out the garden just to see what we missed out on..it looked pretty darn cute..but it was such a nice evening the front of the restaurant outdoors I felt was just as nice!
We came here a few times when I lived in the nabe - for a quick pasta fix. the gnocchi here is a little on the heavy side - very filling and not the best I've ever had but good. I have also tried other pasta dishes here both eat in (unimpressive digs - but not awful) and take out.
It's an OK choice - but even Bardolino (same type of restaurant) is cheaper and better.
It's a veritable pasta Choose Your Own Adventure!
Here's a list of homemade pastas
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Here are the different sauces
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A few other things you can add in for another three bucks
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Aww, yeah.
I chose gnocchi with pesto and vegetables. (I'd just updated my Yelp profile a few hours earlier and described this as my "last meal," so clearly was already in the mood.)
H went with whole wheat linguine with vodka sauce and mushrooms.
Both were delicious. Mine was better. Because I'm not a fan of mushrooms, per se. And because the gnocchi were AWESOME.
Nice Sauvignon Blanc, but I don't really understand Buon Gusto's wine glasses. (Is this *really* my grandmother's kitchen, with all glassware in miniature? Dear god, I hope not.)
Service was excellent and easy-going.
Cozy, warm atmosphere. Normal folks here... mostly families, friends. Neither crowded nor painfully empty on a Monday evening.
All up: This was my first visit, but Buon Gusto seems to be a good place when in the mood for plain old (yet nothing "plain" about it) delicious pasta.
Thanks, H, for the introduction.
My favorite place for "piping hot" italian dishes.
You can "count on great service" and the menu is
straight forward italian like in the godfather.
None of this risotto, steak Tar Tar and things you cannot read
and are scared of.
The staff is great and food gets to you quickly.
The wine list is pedestrian, but you can bring your own.
Not sure if they have a corking fee.
Also inexpensive by neighborhood standards.
This gets a strong to very strong in my book!
Bummed that the one on 54th closed earlier this month since it was much closer to me.
Service and food are great. The crab ravioli topped with shrimp in a pink cream sauce is to die for!!
DELICIOUS! The food was to die for... I got the crab stuffed ravioli which was yummy, and my friend got the seafood soup (I think?) which was full of fresh seafood. The atmosphere was great and the wait staff was excellent. They never rushed us and always made sure we were satisfied.
Two cons:
1. We ordered an appetizer described as having smoked mozzarella and were surprised to see smoked gouda on the plate instead! We didn't say anything and it was still insanely good, but were shocked they didn't say anything.
2. They "apparently" only take AmEx!!! There was no signage around the restaurant or in the menu. BUT they were so nice and allowed us to use our debit cards after we told them we had no idea and didn't know where an ATM was (plus it was snowing, so that helped).
After reading the reviews on Yelp, and following some friends' suggestions, we decided to make the 15 block hike in the freezing cold to try it out. Overall, we were happy with what we got. Good food, good atmosphere, good wine ( a tad over priced ) and good staff. Excellent setting, actually. I would love to come back during the warm weather.
The negatives?
- the staff was so persistent that it bordered on annoying, especially the owner/manager
- they only take American Express...which is absurd. We had to send some one to the ATM down the street!
We'll be going back for sure
I've eaten here 3x in the past week. Ordered delivery twice, ate there with family once.
The homemade pasta is great... I had fettucini with marinara and shrimp. They de-tail the shrimp, yay!!!
I've also had the potato gnocchi with pomodoro...the sauce was a little plain, but the gnocchi are so dense and filling, it didn't matter.
The chicken parmigiana is really good... annoying that sometimes its served with pasta, and other times its served with string beans, and they charge you $6 for a side of pasta.
They gave us two tiramasus on the house, which was nice. Nothing extrodinary, but they were good enough.
The wine list is eh... we had some italian merlot which was pretty good. Maybe a bit overpriced.
The staff are really nice, and accomodating. I definitely recommend!!!!
So I met my friend Sheila for dinner, and background: we hadn't seen each other in about, oh, 5 years? Friends since kindergarten, we used to have a tradition of dinners at Cafe Buon Gusto in midtown. We decided to give this one a whirl, and while it was nice, I think my love of the original one (for us) keeps me from giving it a full 5 stars.
The eggplant rollatini was really good, especially doused in parmesan (it's a weakness of mine, I couldn't resist). The house wine was fine.
The key thing here is the garden, which is fantastic. Otherwise, I'd stick to the Buon Gusto of my childhood (ok, more like teenage) days in midtown!
PS - They only take Amex, or cash! Beware!
A quick call at 5pm for a 6:30 reservation for 7 people on a Friday night was all it took to get a great spot in the garden seating at this little restaurant. Despite the eerie trek though the service area of the winding brownstone, the garden was a pleasant and relaxing spot for the evening with mosaic table tops and hanging vines overhead. The carpaccio of the day as well as the crab cake appetizers were tasty, but the plate greens were too much to eat with the scant meat. The scallop appetizer had the proportion and the cooking just right!
Pastas were all subtle and delicious. Crab meat ravioli well-accompanied by a creamy cognac sauce, Black linguine with marinara great despite the overcooked calamari, Spinach and ricotta ravioli was delicious as the kitchen allowed my friend to indulge with a little goat cheese addition.
Between the group, we made our way around the desserts...Tartufo, Chocolate Souffle with vanilla gelato, tiramisu, biscotti with port...no complaints as we fought to snatch the last tastes while listening to 90's Christina Aguilera play from the garden speakers.
One star is missing because of pay time. The restaurant, which only "officially" accepts American Express cards couldn't process the table's 4-5 debit cards and asked us to stick the balance on one card...all told it was about 20 minutes before we managed to sign and leave.
"Do you want to sit outside, in the back?" *quick nods*
Over the step, through the restaurant, down some stairs, past the kitchen... through a door, down more stairs... where are we going?!??!
Finally, we got to the back and sat down. Catching up with an old friend is always great! Portions are huge, the bread is pretty good... didn't try the dessert. Good location. Take advantage of the nice weather and dine outside. Warning, tables are small when you sit outside - it is hard to manage the plate of pasta, bread, water, and wine...
I love Cafe Buon Gusto! My boyfriend and I order in dinner from them on average 2 times a week and we always come back for more! Pasta is yummy and fresh albeit even when requested, they won't make the pasta al dente. Where can a girl get quality al dente pasta in this city?! Anyway, Cafe Buon Gusto's awesome. Delivery is super quick, they always add fresh yummy spongey bread and parmesan cheese with your order. Never send utensils though so be aware.
If you're dining at Cafe Buon Gusto definitely get a table in the garden in the back! Very small and cramped but adorable and romantic. Service is very slow and spotty but the food makes up for it. Go for the Caprese Salad Appetizer, Portabella Tower and any of the pasta's!
FYI they have select homemade pasta's including whole wheat linguini and fettucini!
Shockingly exceeded my expectations
We had the lunch special which came with a salad (excellent light but flavorfu) and two homemade pasta dishes.
We had the tortellini with cheese in a pest sauce, very good.
Also had the carbonara with linguini, excellent! Creamy and the pasta was well done.
For dessert we had a tartufo (chocalate and vanilla ice cream in a ball with a hard dark chocolate shell) The chocolate crust was tasty enough to eat on its own.
We went here last night because I was craving gnocchi and I was sorely disappointed. The gnocchi came to me like raw dough... I literally couldn't eat it with my fork bc on the way to my mouth one half of it would just slop off and back into the plate. In my mouth it felt like raw bread dough. It was horrible. I talked to the manager/owner and he said that's how gnocchi is supposed to be. Umm... I don't think so. I tried to continue to eat it, but it was just so disgusting. I finally told my waitress that it was inedible and she acted annoyed, but replaced my dish with linguni and tomato sauce. I will not come back here.They never apologized and they made me feel like I had a problem instead of their food. Poor service and AWFUL gnocchi.
Lucky for me, I live right on top of Cafe Buon Gusto. When the weather is warm, I open my windows and let the smell of sauce waft into the living room. That, my friends, can be dangerous.
Cafe Buon Gusto, is there anything you lack? The pesto over home made ravioli is decadent. My mother's chicken marsala was so good, I discovered a new love for marsala sauce. Even penne pommodoro, a quite simple sauce of riccota and tomato, was incredibly tasty. The bread is served along side a bowl of olives soaking in oil, and the water is left on the table in an old wine bottle.
While Buon Gusto has tables outside, inside is just adorable. Located on 77th between Second and Third, it feels off the beaten tracks of the tired Italian spots lining Second ave. The inside is small, but comfortable, with warm light and dark furniture. The place feels incredibly genuine and authentic, with a precise waitstaff with Italian affected accents.
I highly recommend Cafe Buon Gusto. But please, stay away from my stoop.
A lovely little place for hearty, flavorful Italian food. It's great for a warming meal in winter, though summertime visitors have the advantage of being able to sit outside. Of the starters, I'd recommend the Caprese, Beef Carpaccio, and Insalata d'Citrus. As for the pastas, they do a particularly yummy Bolognese, as well as Puttanesca, and the homemade gnocchi makes for perfect comfort food. All the chicken and veal dishes I've tried have been satisfying, too. The service is very friendly, the candle-lit decor romantic yet unpretentious, and the prices are very pleasing: under $15 for just about every entree/pasta on the menu.
Having eaten there about half a dozen times, I do pass on one warning: if you order pasta, there's a 25% chance that it will arrive a tad overcooked. Maybe they're going on the assumption (sadly accurate, often) that Americans like their pasta softer than al dente. Still, the flavors are so appetizing that I recommend taking that chance. And you could try stipulating 'al dente' when giving your order and cross your fingers. Nonetheless, one star off.
My beau and I LOVE it here. The staff is great. The food is even better. I have yet to have a dish there that I don't dream about. The best part, fresh pasta! You pick your pasta, then your sauce and you are 20 mins away from heaven. Not to mention that you can personalize your dish pretty much anyway you want.
The wine list is excellent and the desserts are to die for. All of the yummy goodness wrapped up in a cute little restaurant. This is truely a hidden jewel. You get all this for a surprisingly low price.
I have but one complaint....on a saturday night it can be very loud so go when it's less crowded and you will have a much better time.
Interesting place... I wonder if the owner lies awake at night, wondering what shady trick he could introduce next to maximize revenue while minimizing expenses. The following tricks are currently in use:
- the "fresh squeezed orange juice" is 1/3 water + 1/3 oj (not sure if it's fresh since there's so little of it in the mix) + 1/3 ice cubes and ultimately tastes like water into which somebody accidentally threw an orange
- the "fresh made lemonade" is 1/3 fresh lemonade + 1/3 water + 1/3 lemon soda
- the octopus salad comes on a big salad leaf which is cushioned on a few slices of tomato, to make it look a lot bigger than it actually is
- the prices on your bill are higher than what was stated in the menu (e.g. $4.50 instead of $3.50 for the watery orange juice). The waitress responded: "Sorry, the menu still has the old prices". Is this even legal?
= total damage: $40 + tip for: average sandwich, decent but expensive ($13) salad, nasty juice, louse lemonade, bad espresso. Wow!
While the food is actually not that bad (I'm not saying it's great, either. It's average), the shady rip-off scheme will definitely keep me from ever coming back.
But since they are in a touristy area, they will probably get away with this, since most of their customers will only come once anyway.
One of the things I love about NYC is the amount of random gems you can find all over Manhattan.
It was a wet, windy and cold (for a Californian) night after a long session walking all over the Met. The troops were verging on mutiny as a result of the weather and their hunger. My crappy "smart" phone connection wasn't helping much in our food search when all of a sudden, I blurt out desperately "let's eat over there!" pointing randomly at the closest Italian restaurant in the hopes to avert any burgeoning cannibalistic thoughts.
Lo and behold, after the welcome blast of central heating and savoury bread with flavoured virgin olive oil, I find out that we've stumbled into a 4.5 star culinary oasis. Even the coffee was incredible.
In a nutshell, we found the most delicious and homelike Italian cooking that I've ever had in NYC. It was so good that we went back for more (with the rest of our crew) the next day for lunch. Everything tasted amazing (I'm running out of acclamations to use) but a must try is the mussels in garlic white wine appetizer.
Totally average. Hefty portions, good service, decor is intimate-hole in the wall esque.
Prices have gone up to about 15 for pasta, 17 for fish. No al dente here, pasta is mushy.
Free tiramisu at the end almost won me over.
Good homemade pasta, reasonable prices considering the neighborhood. A nice, intimate feel that I like in Italian restaurants, but at the same time not so packed that you feel uncomfortable. A safe bet for any meal. Wait staff was friendly and attentive without being suffocating.
One item of note was that they only accept American Express, cash and checks. I didn't know this until I got the bill, and had to run to the ATM to get more cash. This should be posted somewhere (or maybe it was and I didn't see it).
This is an amazing local authentic Italian restaurant. The food is spectacular- just like being in Italy. Light, fluffy breads and pastas and very friendly staff. The setting is intimate but Perfect for a Saturday night out with friends.
Service could have been better, but the food was really delicious. Decent wine selection but be forewarned, they only serve beer and wine, no hard liquors. If you can score a seat on the back patio, do it.
The back patio was nice at lunchtime and the food was good, although not knock-your-socks-off. I ordered a pasta lunch special that came with a salad. The waiter brought delicious focaccia to start. Prices seemed reasonable for UES.
There was something strange about this place, though. At 12:40 on a weekday, we were the only people in the restaurant. And for the 2 hours we sat there, we remained the only people. The waiter (perhaps also the owner?) seemed annoyed when we weren't ready to order the first time he asked. The 2nd-in-command waiter who brought our food and the bill seemed indifferent at best. I was surprised, considering that the place wasn't exactly busy. My friend and I decided that the food was good, but we're not sure we'd go there again.
I first "Got together," with my girlfriend after a meal at Buon Gusto a little more than three years ago. Let's say it was Thursday Aug 7th 2003 for arguments sake... and let's say if I ever forget that date I am in big trouble. Anyway, I had gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce and it must have done something for me because apparently my romantic charms were heightened. Reccomended as a homey neighborhood spot to bring prospective significant others.
This has become one of my favorite restaurants. The food, setting, and service are all impecable. Their bread is to die for. I haven't tried one thing I didn't like. They also have great lunch specials and make your own pasta options. I can't say anything bad about this place, honestly.
I hadn't even finished my plate before I was planning on coming back again. This place is SO GOOD! I had the veal marsala, and it was incredible. Paper thin, with a flavorful sauce. We had sauteed broccoli on the side, and it was perfect. I had a bite of my friend's homemade fettucini bolognese, it was divine. The place is a little cramped, and there's nowhere good to stand and wait, but the staff were accommodating and moved things along (without rushing anyone), so we didn't end up waiting long.
I love this place just as much for being on a side street as for living up to the side-street, secret great restaurant only the locals know about. It's small, making it perfect for a date, but not overly pricey and very very good. The calamari isn't fried, the salads are amazing and the pasta, yes, the pasta is good. I often bring my out of town guests here and they always love it. Friendly, sweet staff, and also good on the take-out.
Delicious homemade Italian food. We walked in around 745pm on a Saturday and we didn't have to wait for a table. We shared a bottle of Merlot, had the mussel appetizer and the spinach gnocchi primavera with chicken. By the time we were partially finished by our table the manager was hovering and clearly wanted our table. They asked twice if we were finished with our meals and finally the third time we let them clear our plates. The pasta was homemade and delicious, but I didn't appreciate being rushed out of the table. I know it was a Saturday night and they wanted the table, but I'm not used to Italian restaurants rushing me away from finish a nice bottle of Merlot. I'll still go back, but maybe on a weekday when the tables are not in high demand. On a really positive note the prices are really reasonable for homemade delicious Italian food.
the food here is actually pretty decent, competitively priced and the owner seems to be a pretty nice chap. however, the two waitresses that work here are absolute biatches and can totally spoil your night out. Even though the food is good, i don't know if i'll be back. the good: all the stringy pastas. the bad: ravioli -- avoid at all costs.
Great restaurant! Its a nice little place in the middle of the block. Its quiet with prompt service and great food. Perfect place for a low-key dinner.
Buon Gusto has a wonderful atmosphere on a great residential street. The service is impeccable and the the food is even better!...even down to the bread and olive oil. Can't get enough of that stuff! A place not to miss on the UES.
Just for Yelpers!
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