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Food is decent. Wine is good. Prices are crazy. But that's not what Nello's is about.....
You go there because it's funnn. Last time I was there, A-Rod and Kate Hudson walked into my cab while dodging paparazzi. The Daily News was reporting that Beyonce and Jay were there the week before and left a massive tip on truffles and champagne. It's definitely a great spot to spot celebs.
Honestly, my lunch was 3 hours and consisted of way to much wine and the staff left us alone. Nobody rushed or out or bothered us that it took us an hour to order. They were very polite about it.
You are not coming here because it's the best food in NYC. You come here for the experience and Nello's is definitely an experience.
I'm not really sure why Nello's gets such poor reviews, they have an excellent champagne and sparkling wine selection and the calamari fritta is to die for! I usually order at least two plates.
The truffle carpaccio is amazing, very tender and delicious, it gets my mouth watering just looking at it.
The tiramisu is on par with most places, I wouldn't say it's anything special, but at only $15 a serving it's a bargain.
I'd recommend Nello's to anyone who enjoys fine Italian food and knows how to fill out an expense report or has a little extra change to blow on a fine meal. Remember you get what you pay for, luckily Jay and them picked up the tab!
P.S. Gio will take very care of you as a server, he is highly recommended.
I was lucky enough to be a part of the party last Friday with Jay and the Roc fam, and just started recovering from the festivities this morning...enough for me to get up from bed and write this review.
I was shocked to see Nello's had some poor reviews. The Mare Monte Spaghetti was a throwback to the years I spent in Italy, when the wine flowed like water through sandbags and meatballs were made of meat and not just balls.
The truffle carpaccio was simply divine. If food were women, I'd stick my baguette into this carpaccio...no question and no rubbers either.
Of course, the service was great. Giovanni took care of us, up and down, left and right.
BTW, Gio, I dropped a $10 into that tip. Remember that when I come back with my breezy next week!
Cristal Rose for $5000. A bottle that you can buy at BevMo for $800. Sure, whatever, I get it, big markup. $20 for $2 worth of fried calamari, OK. I get the truffles would be expensive ... but spaghetti, which was asked for al dente, was overcooked, and at these prices you expect it to be done as you asked for. When someone is dropped a month's paycheck for dinner, I think the food should be as good as the service (which is excellent).
rip off, ate here and the food sucked, spent most of the time laughing at the people that thought they were important. One guy even asked why we were laughing at him, really?
The place is alright. If you're dying to have lunch next to a celebrity, it is probably above ok, but if you're just a foodie, this place isn't really worth the investment.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind shelling over big bucks for a meal, I've dropped $600 for a dinner more than once at Masa.
The difference between Nello's and Masa, however, is that Masa is undisputedly an exceptional experience.
Nello's is "just another" italian restaurant, no better than a dozen others in the city. Mind you, it's no worse either.
I don't have a problem forking over the cash for the quality of good food and service, but this place wasn't any better than your average italian joint. Its not bad, don't get me wrong, but its no where near as good as the prices insinuate. I would have given it 3 stars for food alone. The service was decent, but for how much they are charging i would expect more.
I went there for lunch on a recent visit to NYC. The seating was absurdly cramped. The service was slightly above average. The food was quite tasty, but the value proposition was absolutely ridiculous! Go there if you need to feed your ego....not your taste buds.
While I have always enjoyed dining at Nello and thought that it brought a reasonably sane token to the Upper East Side, I'd be remiss if I didn't share with folks here how ridiculous it has become.
Do. Not. Eat. Here.
A friend of mine was dining there last week with her niece (from Italy) and two friends (one of them from Italy) and upon paying her bill, she was, literally, chased by the maitre-d and accosted for what she'd tipped the waitstaff.
Let me just articulate that this woman is beyond generous and she tips accordingly. And that she was literally followed and scolded by a Nello staff member is galling. I mean, I can't. When did that become appropriate?
There's lots of terrific Italian food available in NYC and none of it should come from Nello. Peace out.
Eat here if you are a trust fund kiddie, touting a Rolex Submariner with a girlfriend who carries her poodle rocking Abercrombie and $300 Kanya West Nike's or a a retarded New Yorker who thinks this is the it place and wants to pay $85 for 4 Lobster Ravioli's tossed on a plate.
The food is ok, you're better off going to I Trulli, its the highway robbery of it all that irks me. Especially when the maitre d' is exactly like the cat callers in Little Italy begging for people to eat there since the rent is probably $50K a month.
I had lunch at Nello's with my husband and daughter this Saturday. We ordered one of the appetizers that was not listed on the menu. When we got our bill at the end of the lunch the special appetizer turned out to be $100! We were not informed of the price when the special was described. Mind you, this was a small portion of polenta with one porcini mushroom. I think it is outrageous that the price was never mentioned and that they charged such a price for an appetizer. We spoke to the manager who took the check but returned it with no change in the total price. What I find so unacceptable is the overt subterfuge in describing a special appetizer that no one in their right mind would order (unless they were Ivan Trump who was sitting at the next table) if the price had been revealed.
At half the price, this joint is four stars as far as the food. However, I must take price and service into account, both of which were fairly ridiculous. We sat for 15 minutes without a menu, until finally the "waiter" came over and delivered them. He never told us the specials, then tried to upsell us on white truffles - I stopped him in his tracks. There are more staff people - for lunch! - then I have ever seen in a restaurant, yet half are standing around doing nothing. Moreover, the place is severely cramped, along with a totally full restaurant. As fo the food, I must admit it was delicious. The Bellini cocktail was superb, with a pink tinge from a fresh fruit purée. The pastas were also well above average, at least for a lunch setting. The sea food pasta had amazingly plump and fresh shrimp, calamari and scallops, in a nice light red sauce. The green and white pasta had fresh shelled peas, proscuitto pieces, and a pecorino sauce, which they melted on the top. I prefer fresh grated to melted cheese, but the taste was superb. I am still amazed the high prices ($40 for a plate of pasta at lunch), and the sky high attitude of the waiters and customers, but the food was darn good. No value, that's for sure, but if you have the money to drop in this exclusive area, hey - why not...
My father is a wealthy business man and took me here and told me that he thinks this place is owned by italian mafia. Because otherwise he cant understand why they can maintain this restaurant. The price is incredibly high for not so great food. The service is average, and yes they charge 20 dollars for a bottle of beer, 30 for wine or something. ( a glass, not a bottle)30 for creme brulee!! how good can a creme Brulee be? it must take me to heaven but it didn't so much as make me smile
I have eaten so much better tasting food for not even half of this price.
if you think this is because I am cheap, your silly tongue must be deceived by the price. its really not as good as the price at all.
Don't come here. Worst restaurant I have ever been
I heard about Nello's in various celebrity pages in the newspapers and I didn't go because I thought I'd see a celebrity, but it wouldn't have hurt my experience. I had some friends in town who simply love this place and really wanted to go back. I decided to join them for a weekday lunch here recently and I think that Nello's has a few things going for it, and a few strikes against it (hence the 4-star rating).
First all the good things (and there are many). The atmosphere at Nello's is beautiful. Their brightly lit, but still charming and cozy dining room is filled with neat fresh flower arrangements at each table and the largest fresh flower arrangement I've ever seen on the front corner of their bar. It adds a sort of funeral homey smell to the place, but it creates a great deal of visual softness and improves the ambience.
The food was actually very good. Yes, it's exorbitantly expensive (I'll revert to that), but it's well-prepared, presented elegantly and the dishes are unique even for an Italian restaurant. I had a dish called Il Bosco which was a fettucine dish filled with various wild mushrooms including chanterelles (the reason I ordered it), and it turned out nicely with a variety of complex flavors and a pretty generous portion. Now I'm not sure if it was worth the $40, but it was something worth trying. Others I was with had lobster risotto ($45) and dover sole ($60), all of which were presented nicely, they raved about how good the food was, and you can see the prices aren't really on the low side at all. We accompanied our meals with martinis ($25) and cocktails which were well prepared and came quickly. Afterward, we even went for dessert and I had the creme brulee while others had panna cotta and creme caramel to finish the meal.
The crowd here was well-heeled, high-end, sort of celebrity, but maybe not and rather chic. During the lunch serving, it's very businessmen and ladies of leisure, although I could see it being pretty romantic for dinner too. I didn't feel that it was overly stuffy, but it does have a pretentious air to it, although I guess they prescribe that themselves with the price range and even the location on Madison Avenue for that matter.
I guess the only bad part of the entire experience is the issue of pricing and you can see that I've named numbers up there to give a general idea of what a diner would have to expect. We went with full disclosure and understanding of the price level, and they didn't really care anyway, so that was no issue, but even for lunch, one could probably expect to pay over $150 per person if they really wanted to enjoy themselves.
Overall, I'd say Nello's is more a yes than a no, although it helps to know what to expect and then you can go assured of the fact that you really will enjoy yourself.
What can I say, after reading a few of the reviews, I was a little speechless....maybe it was a good night for Nello's when I was there last night.
Sure it was expensive, but I've been to many expensive restaurants so I wasn't shocked. I barely remember what I had, but let me see if I can list it:
We had 3 champagne glasses, 2 cocktails, bottled water, 1 tomato/cheese/basil appetizer, lobster ravioli, fish dish, 2 cappucinos and the bill came to $300 w/gratuity.
$150/person for all of the above, is not horrible. Everything was good. Outstanding? Maybe not, but good, yes.
Service was Outstanding, it doesn't hurt that my friend frequents this place.
Why I gave it a 3 star?
1. Did someone say "family" owned? I guess I will survive if I don't ever go back there again.
2. There was a loud argument that took place right in front of me between a couple. That was drama I didn't care to see in a so called very upscale restaurant.
3. I've had more delicious food.
It was 9pm when we arrived, so the place was thinning out. Just how I like it. So as far as the scene-n-b-seen atmosphere, I haven't gotten a clue.
What do I know, I'm from Tennessee, not a local.
Ok. I'm a lifelong New Yorker and so have been to one or two overpriced restaurants in my day. There was the $300 lunch for 2 at Ono and various Jean George experiences.
But nothing, I am serious, NOTHING, can compare you for the INSANELY overpriced, extremely underwhelming food at Nello. I had a FIFTY DOLLAR soup and it was one of the cheapest things on the menu. And it sucked.
We had friends in from out of town and Nello's was near their hotel and was randomly chosen. It's terrible and the prices are like nothing you've ever experienced, ever, ever.
I don't know why Nello's got such poor reviews...I ordered the lemon-citrusy flavored scallops and it was absolutely delicious! Everyone enjoyed their food and the service was good as well, I'm still perplexed as to why this restaurant received such poor reviews.
Truth is, we liked meeting Richard Omanoff, actor Robert Wagner and wife Jill St. John. Fantastic staff, great food but boy a simple bowl of angle hair pasta will set you back 40 bucks. True story. Be ready for a great time!
Pleasure yourself on Madison for lunch.
I often find myself drifting off into a catatonic gaze imagining once again the sweet salty satisfying taste of Nello's ever so creamy and oh so "perfect" risotto. I imagine it making it's way onto my tongue and my brain begins to relax. My shoulders drop towards my hips, my pulse quickens, and my imagination does not fail to remind me that I have never tasted something (in a restaurant) that is this moist and this delightful.
My body quivers with satisfaction.
Oh to be in heaven... this must be close because I can feel every part of my body begin to come even more alive than it was before!
I slowly begin to come to my senses and awake from my dreamlike state and yet I can still taste the saltiness on the tip of my tongue. Mmmmm. *sigh*
Perhaps another trip to Nello's soon. I feel my body beginning to slip away from my control...
Date Rating: 7
Pick up Scale: 2
Strong Suggestions: before you come,or after you go, take a stroll on Madison and enjoy your day... also be mindful I hear that Nello is a ladies man...
Weeeeeeelllllll........
Been twice in the last couple months.
First time there were 4 of us, we had appetizers, pasta, and drank two bottles of wine. $1500. Wow.
Second time, 3 of us. Also appetizers and pasta. Beer and a couple cocktails. A far more modest $450. Ha.
Well, the food is real good. Can't say anything bad about anything I've tried.
Waiters are attentive. If only because it seems they far outnumber the number of patrons at the restaurant at any given time. Unfortunately, they aren't that bright. Most of them stare at you and check out your car as you pull up, than you have 5 people greet you on the way in.
Having been given the vast selection of 2 beers on offer the last time I went, I made my decision and was promptly brought the wrong one. Impressive.
Gotta give Nello's a big old eeeeehhhhhhhhhhh...
Great place if masturbating over a full wallet just isn't doing it for you anymore. At least at Nello's you can masturbate under the table over just how much money you spent on a delicious yet unremarkable dish. God knows there usually aren't enough other people in this place (at least come dinner time) to notice.
IN ALL FAIRNESS, must mention that Nello's in Southampton is a hell of a lot of fun. Also expensive, but perhaps actually worth it.
Latest from the home of the $750 steak, thanks again to the NYC Dept. of Health : Yikes!!!!
NELLO
696 MADISON AVENUE, MANHATTAN 10021
212-980-9099
Current violation points: 31
Inspection Date: 01/11/2007
Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.
1.) "Choking first aid" poster not posted."Alcohol and Pregnancy" Warning sign not posted. "Wash hands" sign not posted at hand wash facility. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks(adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted. Inspection report sign not posted.
2.) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
3.) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
4.) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
5.) Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
6.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
The food is terrible and the price is very high.
Terrible service. Take care with your personal belongings. A hundred dollar bill I had just disappeared inside the restaurant and I knew from the cab driver that was not the first history he heard about them.
I dont recommend.
Terrible service. I went here with my mother who was visiting from California. She was staying along Central Park South so I decided to walk her up Madison. I had seen this restaurant when it was packed during lunch and it looked cute. But appearances can be deceiving I guess.
I made a huge mistake by not consulting Yelp on my phone as I walked in. A rather debonair host pulled us in and sat us down at about 930 on a Friday. Then our waiter came over and started speaking to us in broken Italian -- it just seemed way too forced. They were really trying to force the authenticity of the place. He came to us several times because it took us a bit to order -- perhaps he was worried we would just leave the restaurant. He then brought us a a tray of truffles which had "just arrived" from Italy and offered it as an appetizer -- No thanks!
I ordered a filet mignon with peppercorn sauce -- I mean I have had a lot of steak and I felt it was decent -- but certainly not worth $65. I've come to expect filet mignon to melt in my mouth -- this one did not. And my mother, she ordered a veal milanese. That one was $66 -- she took two bites and then just didnt eat the rest because she simply did not like it. She said it was dry and bland -- and when you're at what's supposed to be a classy restaurant, you usually expect a classy meal and service.
What followed was just embarrassing. My mom has worked at Osteria, a popular Italian restaurant in Palo Alto for about 10 years and so she knows the ins and outs of the restaurant business. Not once during our meal did anyone even come up to my mother to ask why she had not touched the rest of her food. And it's not like the place was full either. There were like 6 employees hovering around the restaurant bar and they definitely could see our table. So, it took the bus boy to come and remove our plates. Then we sat there and just waited for them to come to us. Nope.
It literally felt like a war of attrition. Finally, another waiter came to us and asked what the problem was. My mother said she didn't like her meal at all. After some consultation with the rest of the wait-staff, our waiter finally had the cojones to come up to our table. My mom explained that she was dissatisfied with her meal -- he then tried to offer wine, dessert, another item from the menu. My mom refused and said that she just wanted to pay and leave. My mom was telling me that you never argue with the customer -- if he/she doesn't like the meal, you try to fix it as best you can. That's how she learned it working in the restaurant industry. This guy basically was doing that -- before offering some dessert, more wine, another meal, he was like "well our veal milanese receives many compliments." After that, they removed my mother's veal from the bill and that was that. I then texted a good friend right after who lives in the neighborhood. He was like "why would you even go there? -- there are way better classy places a few blocks up on Madison." Yup. Never again.
WHO THE HELL CHARGES $60 FOR AN APPETIZER-SIZED SALAD!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
and they're too cheap to turn on the A/C on a 90 degree night.
Enough said.
This review is not for the rich and famous. This is for normal people with normal budgets who don't walk around the Upper East Side throwing around money just to see which way the wind is blowing.
The food is alright- somewhat uninspired but well-prepared and tasty. Ignoring price and ambiance, I'd have given it a 4.
However: the service should have been good- they were bending over backwards to help us out. But the fact of the matter is that for what it is, it's just way overpriced and stuffy.
We walked in because my very Korean dad was hungry, we'd just gotten off the subway at 63rd and Lexington after looking at one of the new condos on Roosevelt Island and this was the first restaurant he saw. I tried to get him to wait a little until we got somewhere reasonable, but he's stubborn. We gawked at prices and were underdressed.
I admit my pasta was perfect if simple, the sauce on my dad's linguni with white clam sauce was deliciously seafoody, and my mom's veggie dish was pretty great too. But I've had better and for cheaper. Just a relatively simple lunch for three- cost us around $200.
Yeah the food was good, the service was good, but it was stuffy and a litlte too trendy. Why did there really need to be more servers than customers? Let's focus on the food people. Oh wait, I forgot, wrong neighborhood.
Complaining about prices at Nello is like complaining about sand at the beach. OF COURSE it's expensive ... that's part of the whole superficial, UES/Madison Ave, celeb-laden, there-to-be-seen scene. If you're playing or maybe really just are superficial and/or celeb-worshipful yourself, you will be right at home here.
The food is almost beside the point, although it is certainly tasty and interesting enough, if you put aside concerns about price-per-bite. Have no idea if they've resolved the Dept of Health violations cited in another review here. Maybe ask the maitre'd just before he seats you ...
err...am stucked...didn't know that Nello's is that much expensive...
I mean the chardonnay was delicate, the tuna tartar melting in the mouth and the napoleon unexpectedly airy...but there wasn't anything extraordinary about this place that put a mark in my brain...
would go back if don't have to pay the check again though will be happy if it stay away from it
I'm from L.A., so I had no idea about Nello's (and it's hefty price tag)...until we stumbled upon it on our way to visit the Whitney today. Of course, I tried to consult http://yelp.com before we left our hotel room for some recommended restaurants for Sunday brunch on the Upper East Side, but my boyfriend wanted to be spontaneous (and since it was his birthday, I obliged.) So, we took a long walk up Madison Ave. and agreed to stop at the first restaurant that seemed appealing to both of us. We came across a French bistro. Nope, not right. We had French two nights in a row. Then, we came across a crowded "cafe" with very well-dressed diners. It looked like fun and the perfect Sunday brunch place, so we asked the well-suited host if they had any tables for two and surprisingly he said he would have one for us in 15 minutes. Perfect! Off we went to the bar to have a brunch cocktail while we waited: One virgin bloody mary and one kir royale. My boyfriend put down a $20 thinking a tomato juice and a little bubbly could not possibly cost more than that. Wrong. The tab was $43.00. Gulp. That's Rachel Ray's entire budget for the day! And, we haven't even eaten yet.
The service was formal and attentive, and the food was actually quite delicious. The spinach/kale served with my boyfriend's halibut was simply sauteed with garlic, salt and lemon. However, there was something about how it was cooked to al dente, green perfection that really impressed me. I had the La Gratinata...green and white pasta with peas, proscuitto, and cheese. Again, simple yet full of flavor. And, they get points for serving both dishes to us very hot.
Ok now, what was the name of this place? And, why does the mixed green salad cost $26? Nello's? Even the Ivy in L.A. isn't bold enough to charge that for a salad. At one point, we joked to each other that we felt like we were in another country and that the prices were in some currency that we were supposed to divide by two. In the end, it was a special day that deserved a special meal, so cheers to Nello's for taking these two out-of-towners for a ride....albeit an enjoyable one.
Ridiculously Expensive Italian food on Madison avenue. Everything I have ever had here is amazing. The service is ok, but if you are on any type of budget this is not the place for you. However if you are out wasting your money on the upper east side this can be a great lunch spot.
Holy Cow. I rarely gripe at the cost of meals, but good grief Nello was absurdly expensive for what you get. Honestly, the food's tasty and the service is nothing out of this world, but not at all worth the money. My arugula salad alone was over $20 - resulting in a $100 lunch WITHOUT booze. I'm so far from being cheap, but good lord.
I brought some out of town people here because I worked around the corner and it seemed to always be busy so, my impression was "the food must be good"!
I had ordered a bottle of wine and the Dover Sole; my friends ordered lobster and pasta. I really liked the whole experience of Nello. The place was busy as usual. The weather was mild so the patio type doors were open. The service was professional in a "formal style" which adds a feeling of being in an exclusive "members only" type place. Everything was good. I tasted all of the food and it was cooked, seasoned and served to my liking. The portions were good but not huge. The dining room was bright. The facilities clean. And yes, busy enough to give you some privacy while you enjoy some conversation.
I gave the restaurant three stars because for all of the great things they do, you paid for it. Not cheap eats but not a bad value either for enjoying a special moment with friends or loved ones when you are shopping on Madison Avenue, have a handful of those designer shopping bags and need a place to eat and drink.
The food and service were good, but I was stunned when the check arrived.
A mere $300 (with tip) for two apps, two entrees and a modest Pinot Nero. The check was twice what I would have expected in San Francisco for comparable Italian fare. My conclusion is that I paid $150 for dinner and a $150 cover charge.
If you are looking for the best spaghetti carbonara and celebrities, this is the place to be. The food is excellent albeit pricey and the atmosphere is always tres chic. Sometimes the owner's Opera singer friends come in for an impromptu Italian opera performance which make the high prices worth it. The crowd sometimes is a bit old and stuffy, but with these prices, what do you expect?
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