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Vernon-Jackson Aves (7)
21st St (Van Alst) (G)
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This place reminds me of the Italian restaurants I used to frequent with my family in South Jersey, and that's a good thing. The decor is casually rustic, with a fire place (functioning?) and nice wooden tables. The middle-aged Italian waiter was very friendly and perhaps even slighty flirtatious with the lovely Shae C. The other diners were mostly families enjoying a weeknight dinner, and the place was fairly empty.
I opted for the pasta "fata en casa" with mozzarella and eggplant. It was a decent portion size, although I didn't have any leftovers for lunch the next day like I usually do when I eat out. I suppose I was pretty hungry that night, though. It was pretty tasty, but the pasta didn't really taste any different from boxed pasta to me. My dining partners had a pizza with artichoke and black pasta with shrimp, both of which were better choices than mine. Before the entrees came we were served some delicious garlic bread, and after the waiter gave us some top-notch biscotti, on the house, which I naturally wrapped in a napkin and took home for later snacking.
Although perhaps very slightly overpriced, I look forward to going back to Manetta's soon for the cozy atmosphere and good Italian food near my place.
My future wife & I were looking at places to hold the dreaded "meeting of the families" dinner. We looked at a bunch of places in the city, but nothing felt right. Plus, we weren't an easy table to book - there was going to be 20 + people.
Through some Yelp searching, we stumbled upon Manetta's and called up. Rose-Ann was more than accommodating and within an hour, we visited and booked the place on the spot.
Only problem - no one we knew had eaten there and we didn't have time to try it ourselves.
So with much trepidation we showed up with our future in-laws on a fateful Saturday night.... and we were wonderfully suprised.
The restuarant set up a private "room" in the front for us and all our guests (which included little kids) . They brought out a great sampling of all their appetizers - one after another & then let us each order off the menu for the entree. Everything made-to-order, Each one more delicious than the next. The service was amazing. They were attentive to all our needs and kept even the most "needy" relative extremely happy.
I owe so much to their staff and their food!... I definitely would suggest everyone try it out, The scene, the food & the people all get my vote up to 5 stars.
enjoy Manetta's. we did.
I have to say, I love the tacky decor, I love the ridiculous, loud families that come to eat here.
Our appetizer, the sauteed mushroom and arugula salad, was very good. I had the red pepper fettucini (fatta in casa!) with creamy roasted red pepper sauce, and it was really good. The pasta was fresh and well-cooked, the sauce was interesting and it wasn't swamping my plate. My dad had the rigatoni with ricotta and eggplant, which was good as well, but not AS good. For dessert, we shared the arborio rice pudding which, as rice puddings go, was solid. The bill was about 40.00 for the two of us. The waitress was very "chummy," and the bread they served was tasty.
This place isn't exactly "mind-blowing"--as one reviewer said, it's not Babbo--but most can't afford to eat Babbo all the time, or ever. This place is cozy comfort food.
I have been a fan of this resturant since I first moved into LIC about 14 years ago. It is a simple resturant with no airs, great food, and good service. I have never been disappointed in my meal or my wine. With all these new places opening up in LIC, it is good to know that the old staples still exist and have far better food then they ever will - no one can compete with Manetta's!
Absolutely the best Brick oven pizza next to johns in nyc..
The staff is always so friendly.and nice . Mannettas sets the bar
for what a authentic new york city Italian Restaurant should be..
I had heard such good things about Manetta's and I was really in the mood for some great old-school Italian food. The food fell far short of great, however. The house chianti was just okay, but the house white was pretty gross. For apps, the salad and stuffed clams were good, I guess. My girlfriend's seafood and pasta entree wasn't to her liking. My pasta with meat sauce was the high point of the night, and since her entree was lame, we split my pasta.
We agreed halfway into the meal that we would skip dessert and coffee and go somewhere else in LIC. The restaurant was really busy -- it seems like a big family destination. The waiter seemed rushed. If you're in the mood for LIC Italian food, I would suggest Bella Via, instead.
I don't understand why this place gets such great reviews. I ate here with my boyfriend, who mentioned that it was a well-known Italian restaurant in Queens. Of course, I'm always more than interested in trying a storied establishment with a rep. Even the reviews on Yelp were good, so I was looking forward to it.
The service wasn't quite up to par with the charm I'd heard so much about. In fact, the amount of time we waited to place our order was quite long. I had even made it known that we were ready and it still took some minutes before we were helped. I didn't think the place was particularly that busy, and I was on the verge of leaving.
The meal was completely underwhelming. The salad was just that - nothing too special about it, and the soup I had was rather bland. The pasta dish I ordered sounded like a dream but ended up being very average, swamped in sauce. By that point, I was pretty much ready to leave.
Considering the price tag, I was very disappointed with Manetta's and will never step into it again.
So let's just situate ourselves here. Manetta's isnt Babbo. Nor does it try to be, and rightfully so. Manetta's is exactly what you want when you crave Italian food - if I don't say so myself. My friends and I regularly make the trek out to LIC from Manhattan just to have Manettas.
In terms of appetizers, my hands down favorite is the calamari. Generally just right - not too fried, not too rubbery. The other options are solid but not life changing. i have at times had spectacular luck with the antipasti - good proscuitto and moz and whatnot though sometimes it just fine. never bad though.
next - pastas. i loooove the fresh pasta options they make. my favorite is the tomato and roasted eggplant with a simple dollop of ricotta. my friend always gets the smoked salmon cream sauce one which is also delicious. the specials are routinely worth trying.
the pizzas. i have come late to eating the pizzas here, since i loved the pasta so much but wow - worth trying. my favorite is the pizza mona lisa - mushrooms, greens, cheese, adn truffle oil. sounds complex, tastes like heaven. quatro stagione is also amazing and i like the specials without fail.
strawberry tiramisu. get it.
be careful if they offer you the homemade flavored grappas. only gets you in to (the best kind of) trouble.
also, the wine list is very reasonable. we always get a 23 dollar bottle of malbec that hits the spot and seems way cheaper for a bottle than anywhere else in restos. (ignoring as always the given many times over markup in restaurants naturally).
I have walked past this restaurant at least twice a day for the last year and a half. And I've probably thought to myself, "you should try that place" almost as many times.
Last weekend I finally did, and I couldn't have been more impressed. Like others before me have stated, the service was impeccable, if not a smidge too eager. We had planned on sharing a tomato & mozzarella appetizer and having lasagne and one of their coal-oven individual pizzas for dinner, but after hearing that night's specials we quickly changed our minds.
We started with the eggplant rollatini, which is easily the best I've ever had. I hope they at least consider adding this to the regular menu, or heavily rotate it into the specials, because this alone is worth coming out for.
For my entree I had the lobster ravioli, also a special that night, and that was buttery, fresh, creamy...everything you'd want and expect in the dish. My boyfriend had the mushroom pizza which was crispy and cooked to perfection; far better than Patsy's in my opinion.
Dessert was the flourless chocolate cake with mixed berry ice cream; again, absolute perfection. Next time I want to try their cheesecake or molten chocolate cake!
The best part though was the price. Two of us had appetizers, entrees, beers and split dessert for the low, low cost of $75, including tip. For a dining experience this nice, that's mere pennies, my friends.
In Long Island City, right by the Pulaski Bridge, this is the perfect spot for residents of Long Island City and Greenpoint.
The food is delicious! I am obsessed with homemade pasta. You really can't go wrong here. Every dish is delicious, but my absolute favorite is the fettucini with creamy roasted red pepper sauce. So delicious!
The prices are great. You can easily eat here for $15-$20 a person, not including wine. And it's also great for large groups and families.
I'm giving this place 5 stars solely for the food. I would probably never eat in there because I can't deal with the tacky interior. I really don't care about that because the food is extremely tasty and delicious. The in-house pasta is beyond good and the meatball sandwich is the best around. Their Ceasar salad is simple, clean and not over dressed like most places. they never over salt the food either (again, like most places).
Overall, very consistent and I count on them time and time again as one of the few places that holds up in this neighborhood.
I love the place and am glad they're rocking the great food.
Pasta is homemade.
Suggestions for you
Mix berry tart
Trimsu Tiramisu
Spinach Pasta
Stuff mushrooms
Heard good things.
Entered and was shown right to my seat.
Bread and water show up immediately. "Want some oil and vinegar with that?" Yes please.
I drop the menu and ask about the Gnocci. But I really want the Bolognese. He says, "How about 'Da Best of Both Worlds? Gnochi with 'da bolognese?" Yes please.
Glass of wine? Oh yes please.
Food comes and is hot and delicious. Definitely hand made Gnochi. Another glass? Nah, I gotta go, besides, I'm too full from the large plate.
I'm going back, but taking my family there next time. The bill was quite light considering the excellent experience and very tasty food.
This is a place you can take your Italian family and they will definitely be pleased!
I used to walk by every night on my way home from work (it's right off of the Vernon/Jackson 7 train stop) and it was always, without fail, busy inside and out. I figured that it must be good since it's pretty non-descript and in one of the boroughs so one night my boyfriend ordered take-out and picked it up on my walk home.
OH MAN! This is awesome food. We had an antipasta plate, a salad with arugula and grilled portabellas with shaved parmesan and a rigatoni pasta dish with huge eggplant chunks, a tangy tomato sauce and a fresh scoop of creamy ricotta. All of the dishes were seriously delicious and we couldn't seem to get enough.
I've been back so many times now that to describe every dish would take far too long...trust me.
Here are a few highlights. Anything that is a special that night is awesome, and I mean it, always sooooo fresh and flavors are spot on. The portabello and arugula salad is a must try as well as the calamari (not sure I've had it better in a long time!). Most all of their pastas are homemade and cooked to al dente (perfectly).
Also, cap the night off with a scoop of tiramisu and possibly a port flight and you've just finished an amazing meal!
I am having my rehearsal dinner for my wedding at Manetta's. The staff has been incredibly accomodating and the food is great. Excellent local Italian place.
The food is delicious and tastes like real home-made, fresh Italian that your immigrant grandma would have made. I live in the area and can safely say its the best Italian in LIC. I will even go so far to say that's its better than (gasp!) most of the places I've been to in the city. Also, its not a cheesy uber-hip place that can't decide if its a lounge or an eatery and there's no ridiculous fiber optic lighting- those places usually have shitty food anyway. Just true to the roots awesome Italian food. Service is great and the best part is that is really reasonably priced (under 12 bucks an entree). Love this place.
This restaurant saved my night. After venturing out into Long Island City for dinner our first attempt at a sit down was a miserable failure. The place we went to, their credit card machine was down. Only they failed to inform us of this until AFTER we had ordered a $30 bottle of wine with only $60 cash in our pockets. Lame.
Anyway, we had heard of Manetta's and found it easily...and it was great. They sat us late despite their kitchen being about to close, then stayed open for us and just one other table. The food was outstanding, and the service was great too...esp in Queens where ive had several bad service experiences. I was impressed with the fact that i was able to order veal parmigana despite it not being on the menu. Huge portions, good wine...just a great experience overall.
The decor is more old-school...this isnt a "hip" restaurant, but more of an institution that you can tell has been there for a long time. The kind of place that also sells meats and cheeses and pastries on the side...the kind of place your grandparents have been going to for 30 years. But if the food is as consistently good as what i had last night, how can i blame them!
we came here thinking we'd score a menu at the end of the night and get delivery. well, they don't deliver their food, but damn do they deliver!!
it was delicious. we had the greenpoint wine (sort of reppin our hood), david had the salmon pasta, i had rigatoni with a big hunk of mozarella and eggplant. they know how to cook eggplant, hallelujah!
then we also had some apple pie dessert thing with ice cream, which was on special that night. yum yum yummy.
the bathrooms were really nice, and the decor was gettin there.
great place to celebrate, they cater, too. if you have 20-30 people to feed ...
we got everything we had for under $70.
This is tough to write, because overall, I liked this Italian American style ristorante where everyone knows your name if you are a regular. Service was super attentive and pleasant. The baked clams were good with a nice parsley sauce to dip the bread in(more on the bread later). The homemade pasta with a red pepper cream sauce was sensational. The also serve brick oven pizzas though judging by those served the pizza it looked undercooked with no visible char and uninteresting at best. They get their bread from a brick oven bakery and one of those served is a biscotti like bread with nuts. What I will remember most about Manetta's is biting into it and thinking I found someone's tooth- guess whose it was?
Pizza is good but the pasta and entrees fall short. Go to Cono's accross the bridge for good italian food
The restaurant is great. The food is authentic southern Italian. The ambiance is nice without being too stuffy. The staff is attentative without being annoying. I only wish they were opened on Sundays!
A fine italian place near the Vernon-Jackson stop in LIC. I continue to explore this area and find more and more cute places to eat. This one is a definate must I has the Linguine Nere, (Squid Pasta with a spicy marinara and shrimp) fantastic!
Went here for a late dinner. (9:30) We started with some mussels in a white wine sauce and they were the highlight of the dinner. I had linguine with shrimp which was served in a white wine and garlic sauce. (sounds better then it actually was) My friend had a pasta dish with four kinds of cheeses. The food was ok, nothing too spectacular. As for the service it was also mediocre.It was not busy but the staff forgot a request for more hot water for my friends tea and left our water glasses empty until we had to ask for more. The time it took them to take our order was a little on the long side. IAlso our entrees took a long time to come our. (actually went outside to have a cig) I would understand the lack in service if the place was busy but there were only two other tables in the whole place and four waiters. There would be worse places to go eat but I would definitely not go out of my way to go back.
Fabulous Brunch now served…
Neighborhood: Park Slope
Lunch or Dinner & a movie $28
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Italian
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