Falai
68 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10003 (212) 253-1960
- Nearest Transit:
Delancey-Essex Sts (F, J, M, Z)
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
20 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Little Italy
"Mmm. Very nice, elegant atmosphere, authentic Italian waitstaff, spacious place, back room has a skylight that makes you feel like you're…" read more »
22 Reviews for Falai
I went on New Years Eve. They did a wonderful tasting menu...very inventive but delicious food. Very attentive staff, and we walked away with new best friends from the table next to us! Those Italians know how to make you feel at home!
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I would give Falai three stars but it is so incredibly overrated in Zagat and in various magazine reviews, that I feel I need to make a statement.
The presentation of the food was gorgeous; they put together very complex plates with a lot going on. In the Italian style, they serve several extra bites to taste along the way between courses.
However, the food falls flat in the category that should matter most: flavor.
The menu is inventive but really "hit or miss." Don't get me wrong. I LOVE creative food and trying unusual combinations but at these prices, I expect to be surprised and delighted with almost every plate. The amuse buche of a rice cracker with Japanese caviar (ikura) was a tasty idea but seemed a little plain. Ricotta flan came adorned with various herbs and nuts, but lack of acid or salt left the cheese without any interesting counterpoint... it became unmemorable mush. Fish "soup" was tasty but again underseasoned for my taste. By contrast, profiterols were so heavily flavored with anise that it ruined what otherwise would have been a refreshingly lite version of the dessert. Baba was heavy and syrupy.
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I was a bit taken aback by the prices at first, given the location and the slightly lower priced menu on nymag.com. After the amuse-bouche and multiple complimentary desserts, I was over it.
The food certainly leaned more in the direction of interesting rather than delicious but everything was spot on. I prefer small, perfectly constructed portions to large, unruly ones and Falai delivered here. Presentation was exquisite.
Gnudi was delicious. Polipo appetizer was slightly hard to navigate, reminiscent of a Top Chef concoction, with four different stations fighting for attention. All tasty, though.The black trumpet dish did a lovely job of incorporating egg into a non-breakfast item, something I think is very difficult to do. The panna cotta dessert was quite imaginative and original. Loved it.
The space is gorgeous but I imagine it works to its full potential when there are more bodies in it. Being one of three diners in the restaurant, we felt a little like the first person at a nightclub. Not that the space is large. It's just a bit needy of attention.
This review is getting long but let me get to the best part: the service. By far, the most attentive service in a restaurant I've experienced in a while. While at times slightly overbearing (do I need an encylopedic explanation of the bread I'm about to put in my mouth?), it was totally forgivable. Everyone, from the hostess to the waiter to the busboy, was a complete delight.
Sure, the portions are small but if you look on the bright side, it keeps you from being a total porker?
My saffron pappardelle was delectable. The other dishes were good but not anywhere near as yummy as the pappardelle. I tried the hyped-up gnudi and that was also pretty tasty.
Service was surprisingly good (in fact, our server was delightful).
Nice space. Good date spot.
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This restaurant has a very interesting take on modern Italian, and it is able to pull it off. I went there with five other people, and we were able to taste several of the dishes: the beet risotto was a highlight for me (and believe me, I don't usually like risotto) as well as the foie gras trio. The rabbit was very tasty, as was the steak. I dont' quite remember the rest of the dishes we ordered, but it was excellent!
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Falai is a mixed experience. Food is generally good, but not particularly adventurous or flavorful, tending to be an exercise in mixing suprising ingredients that rarely deliver on their promise. Space is tiny and often crowded - not a great place for a date. I would recommend getting a glass of wine - excellent list - and snack at the Bar on the way to somewhere else.
This restaurant is adorable - all white, with a true "window" seat. You can choose to sit in the window, which is elevated like a shop window. I think the food is great - very tasty Italian with a tiny twist.
Went at nine - we were seated right away and sat in the back in a corner table (it can get crowded) and service can be on the slow side..
but if I give this place marks based on design, ambiance and quality and food, then it's a safe bet.
I don't go to the LES often, so unless they're offering the pasta with truffles again, it's not the type of place I would usually travel to.
time passed.....
I went again this past Feb (08) and it's still really good food. Really.. yummy, especially the past dishes, also the chef/owners dessert training background comes out - definite influence in the cooking..
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This white jewel-box Italian restaurant on Clinton can be amazing but watch out on a crowded night. The staff is easily overwhelmed, reservations or not. So, pick a slow night and enjoy the offerings from the small, well-edited menu. The pastas are excellent, especially the gnudi and anything they make with chestnuts. They do a nice job of remembering what season it is, the meat dishes are delicate when appropriate. The wine list has both moderate and more "special" choices. The crowd is a mix of local young people with clingy knitwear, over-polished outsiders, and some wizened foodies.
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Not fabulous, not terrible. Food, decor, and service were ok. Probably wouldn't come back again for the only reason that there are plenty of restaurants in NY that are above "ok".
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The food is gorgeous: a menu that sports new/contemporary Italian, with luscious food combinations and interesting molecular gastronomies like foams and purees that are buttery smooth and sooooo good...
We had the the venison strip steak with celery root, brussel sprouts, grapes, and venison truffle, and the sashimi of nairagi, avocado aioli, lemon dressing, and fried shallots, among some other dishes. Everything was mouthwateringly excellent, and the wine that the server suggested was right on the spot. I can't wait to go back. I've been wanting to try the passion fruit souffl...
I'll have to be in the minority here with my rating & review of Falai. This is yet another case where I could use a half star since it's more like a 3.5 on the Yelp scale but I'll go with a 3 due to a few factors:
- Had 9pm reservations; checked in with the hostess at 9:05; she said it'd probably be another 15-20 minutes for our table to be ready. She suggested I wait with my friend at the bar. Now, unless she wanted us to sit on top of the bar or sit on other people's laps at the bar, there was no space anywhere. Luckily, we got our table only after 10 mins.
- The place is cute and though some would call it cozy, my friend and I found it more cramped than anything else. My friend said she felt as though the people at the bar and anyone walking behind her were literally on top of her as there was a lot of foot traffic back and forth through the tiny little place.
- The waitress talked me out of ordering the pasta special (thin spaghetti with clams, mussels, and spicy salami) and instead suggested a few other pastas on the menu. Went with the chestnut garganelli with celery pesto and wild mushrooms. After 2 bites, could not eat it... the pasta had a grainy and bitter taste to it and left a bad aftertaste.
Despite the negative factors above, I have to give props to Falai for the following:
- Great selection of home-made bread; loved the slightly salty foccacia rolls
- Delicious appetizers: polenta bianca (chicken liver) and the polipo (grilled octopus with bean puree topped with candied celery... never has celery tasted so damn good!)
- Good service; when I complained about my dislike for my main entree, the waitress kindly took it back to the kitchen and got me what I had originally wanted... the pasta special, which was excellent
All in all, I'd go back to give Falai another try. There were definitely several items on the menu that were tempting and the desserts looked fantastic. And most people dining there last night seemed quite pleased with their meals. Next time, I will not be taking the waitress' suggestions though.
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I thought this place was totally overrated. It got hyped in some magazine, NY Mag I think, and a friend of mine who I believe follows those sorts of reviews far too religiously, insisted that we go there. My main gripes were that a half pasta and main come out to about $30 or more (with the pastas generally being $12-$15 and the mains $18-$25), and that the food was really just ordinary. It had received acclaim for its pasta dishes (if you read any of my stuff on here you'll know that I'm something of a pasta fanatic) and they were underwhelming. I had something with black truffle and it just tasted like truffle - no layering of flavor or sophistication of preparation. I had a venison dish for my main which was OK but nothing to yelp about. They did have a good selection of homemade breads and a concise, cool & affordable wine list.
My main gripe was the service which was very poor. We had made a reservation for six (probably not the best idea as the place is quite small) and waited for 45 minutes past our seating time. No one apologized or offered anything, and the slowness continued. Some people ordered pastas only, and those were served with our pasta courses as opposed to the mains in spite of specifically requesting the opposite. Again, little to no apology and no offer of reparation. The time between the pastas and mains hitting the table was inexcusably long, and the food wasn't even hot when it got there despite the blatant use of heat lamps. Classy.
I'm quite surprised to see all the glowing reviews here, maybe we caught them on a (seriously) off night. It just screamed of all hype and no substance to me.
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Ahhhh the white restaurant. This place always stands out because of the all white decor and that damn table that sits up in the window. I've continually seen this place walking around the hood and Friday night I finally had the chance to eat there for my good friend's birthday. Guess where I sat, up on that table. It was cool though. It's fun to people watch up there. So let's get to the reason people really come hear, the food. We started with two appetizers the octopus and the special which was the squall. The octopus was perfectly prepared. Not chewy at all, it had the texture of chicken but with amazing flavors. The squall wasn't as good, but still OK. I also had ravioli stuffed with three meats served in a broth. It was good. My friend had the fillet, which looking back, I wish I ordered. Over all the experience was good. There were a couple of flaws in the service area but nothing worth writing about because the staff made up for it with kindness. I would recommend this little ristoranti to anyone in area.
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I ate here with a large group and had their wonderful tasting menu, it was an expensive meal (approx $150 per person with drinks) but worth it.
Their wines are all Italian, and the price points are pretty high, but the three wines we had were amazing (2 were red and one was white, though I can't remember the labels of any at the moment).
Our servers, yes multiple, were wonderful. We never lacked for attention whether filling a glass, clearing a place seating, bringing a new place setting, or a new glass for a new bottle of wine. Although every course was a surprise, a thorough description of the ingredients and the preparation was given with each course. And when presented with the dietary restrictions or allergies of our group they were pleasant and went the extra mile to accommodate.
The bathroom is unisex and tiny, but since the restaurant probably only fits 40 at max it's clean and accessible.
We did have to wait, but as our whole party hadn't shown it wasn't a big deal. The "bar" area was a little cramped with a couple dining at the bar and the front door being right there, but the entirety of the experience made up for this minor inconvenience.
I would go here again and would recommend it to my friends.
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Truly one of the best Italian meals that I have ever had. The homemade breads are fabulous, especially the black cabbage roll, and the gnudi is lusciously rich and impossibly tasty. My friend had the chicken liver appetizer, which was so flavourful and silky....I have no words. All I can say is that I absolutely adore this restaurant. The location is so not pretentious - I love the open kitchen and friendly waiters and I will return again and again.
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Falai is a great place to go for something good and unique. The restaurant is beautiful...it's amazing how white can seem so warm. You'll love being there and the food is a bit on the fancy side, but not pretentious. I just wished there was more of it. To be honest, I can't remember the names of anything I ate, it was last April but I was searching for a place to take an out of town date and I think this is it. Perfect!!
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I had some of the best, freshest pasta I have had in a very very long time. My dish, the saffron parpadelle, was lovely to look at, delightful to eat, and not weighed down by a busy sauce. I must admit, however, that the portion was a bit small, even by my conservative standard. The wine list is broad enough to allow for a little experimentation. The cheese selection was fun, but I was underwhelmed. On the positive side, the place is hopping! You will not walk out of this place disappointed, either with the food, or the overall experience.
This place has a bread menu, which shows how serious they are about the small things. The toughest thing about eating at Falai though, is demonstrating moderation - don't fill up on the bread, or you'll ruin your entree, and don't eat too much of your entree, or you'll miss out on dessert. This is a full-course experience, and you should be prepared to commit to the whole nine yards if you are going to eat here.
The menu is brief, with very few mainstream items. I'd recommend taking more adventurous diners here, rather than the typical meat-and-potatoes folk.
But every dish is prepared very well and presented beautifully. I'd recommend the pasta rather than the meat dishes, but everything was done well.
And although you can get out of here for less than $60/person, you probably wouldn't want to miss out on the wines. Unfortunately, they don't have a full bar (or even beer), but there are bars all along Clinton Street, if you want to go for round two.
This was good for a couple or maybe a group of four, and they also have a large table on the patio for groups of 10 or so. Reservations are definitely needed, and it can be difficult to make last-minute changes.
i was sorely disappointed with this establishment when i took an out-of-town friend here for a business dinner.
this establishment represents what typical tourists view all nyc high end eateries as: over priced with meager portions and snobby service.
although our server was well knowledged with the menu, i was disgusted that while we were ordering, a fairly decent sized cockroach had made it's way onto my friend's business relation's back.
not only that, but after we had ordered two "scallop" (note: singular) appetizers (each at $15), we were served with two scallops (each an appetizer) that spanned about 3.5 inches in length and 1.5 in width.
my friend didn't mind spending an extra $30 for two more, but seeing as how he's a texan and loves his seafood, was disappointed by the size of the scallop.
the food was delicious. i can't write that off.
however, when it came dessert time, i had never seen a more ludicrous spectacle. a plate larger than my head filled with three teeny, tiny scoops of ice cream.
needless to say, i won't be returning there anytime soon. however, i will continue to direct all my business for coffee/tea/pastries at the panetteria. interested in why? read my review on falai panetteria then!
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Oh, Falai is truly the jump-off!
On a romantic 'date' with my best friend, we really enjoyed the incredible service and clean white atmosphere, beautifully accented.
The chef is often willing to share samples of his latest creations, and I had an amazing squid ink lobster ravioli and a barley salad.
The complete experience is one not to miss!
Located in the heart of LES restaurant row on Clinton Street, Falai rocks!! They serve new Italian food. The restaurant is long and narrow with a courtyard in the back. The best table is located on display in the window. My friend and I ate here and felt like we were live mannequins. I had the branzino fish and my friend had the pasta special...both were delicious. The staff is friendly and they have a huge wine list by the bottle, although they only had very few wines by the glass.
I love dining at Falai. The food is excellent, the ambiance is nice (there is an outdoor garden in the back), and the service is good. Out of the several entrees I have tried, I would recommend the pork. It was very tender and flavorful- the fennel seeds and cocoa nibs are a nice touch. For an app, I like the gameroni, but make sure to save room for dessert. The prices are reasonable as well. I am looking forward to dining there again soon.
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