On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Italian, Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhoods: Meatpacking District, West Village14th St-8th Ave (A, C, E, L)
14th St-7th Aves (1, 2, 3, F, V, L)
"One from Puerto Rico; one Tejano; and one from Oklahoma (but lived in rural Sweden for a few months). Add Smörgs Chef. Result, three very…" read more »
Loading...
Have been twice... once for dinner on a Saturday night. Had a great experience. Group of 8 of us that all loved our food and the atmosphere was awesome!
Second experience was Sunday brunch... total shit show. People take advantage of the all you can drink bloody's. The food doesn't matter to the patrons at that point and I have a feeling the kitchen doesn't think it matters either, cause our food stunk!!
I'll go back for dinner, but will skip the crazy brunch...
People always talk about bottomless mimosas and I wonder to myself "How the fuck do they have time to sit around all day and drink champagne?"
You know how I spend my weekend mornings?
I volunteer my Saturday morning, scooping shit, hosing down kennels, medicating dogs, and occasionally mauling Labrador retrievers. Don't get me wrong, I adore doing this, but I can't even think about alcohol consumption while I'm shoveling dookie.
You know what I do on Sunday mornings? The Sunday mornings I'm not looking for cheap, old stuff at the flea market? I'm doing all the household chores I didn't have time to do on Saturday.
I know, I'm a fun gal with a crazy exciting life.
On my recent trip to New York, my good friend La let me in on a little secret. New Yorkers love brunch. And so I found out, they also love to sleep in. The restaurant La had chose for us opened at 11 am, and we were some of the first people there demanding eggs and booze. And as we sat there, getting plastered and watching for famous people across the way at Pastis, crowds of stylish New Yorkers filtered in for coffee, brunch and bottomless libations.
I figured, these people must squeeze the crap out of their weekday schedules enough to have an entire day they can spend schmoozing and boozing without worrying about those pesky chores that would be swimming around my worrisome little head. Either that, or they're rich as fuck and pay others to do their chores.
I want to be one of those people. I would hire a cater waiter JUST to keep a bottomless pitcher of mimosas on hand for whenever I felt like I needed a sit, ponder and be glamorous moment.
The Sunday Brunching ritual is delightful and something I could definitely get used to if my paychecks were to magically double. But on that lovely New York Sunday, the brunch, drinky-poos and Denise Richards look alike server were all she wrote.
They ever so kindly omitted the ham from my eggs Benny, which had a surprisingly light hollandais sauce drizzled (not dumped) over the perfectly poached eggs. Wonderfully crisp, yet warm, mushy and potatoey on the inside, home fries accompanied my main dish. The plate was simple, elegant, with the right amount of food, meant to avoid weighing you down for the day and increasing your buzz.
The food was good. Not amazing. But good. As were the mimosas. The Bloody Mary was gross. Don't get that if you decide to do a bottomless drink. They mix it before hand, so it gets watered down while sitting in ice.
Our server was nice, helpful and didn't rush us, as we leisurely pecked at our food for two hours, slurring our in-depth girly talk.
All in all, the place isn't a stand out, but the location is killer, the price is reasonable (for NY), and the vibe is friendly (if you're not a jackass tourist). Oh, and the interior is quite pleasing on the eyes.
Two thumbs up for a weekend not spent shoving pills down dogs throats.
I beens here.
$25 + tip for prix fixe brunch and all you can drink screwdrivers, bloody marys, champagne, mimosas, and possibly other choices. I almost didn't believe the "all you can drink part" when my brother was bragging about how he liked the place, but it's true; they'll keep filling them till you yell uncle. (I stopped at around 5 or 6...it got blurry at that point.)
My brother compained his burger tasted funny that day, but he's a chef so he'd naturally be harder to please I guess. My chicken sandwich type thing was tasty. The food is fine, but you don't come here for the food anyway on Sunday. The scene and bottomless drinks are this joint's main draw.
I say "yell uncle" for good reason: this place gets rockin' pretty hard for Sunday morning. Mostly house and trance type music that I don't follow, but the dude was spinning some stuff that was good enough to have half the place dancing in their chairs at one point. It *is* a loud place though...don't go here if you already have a nasty hangover or want a nice place to take mom and grandma for brunch. (It's mostly 20 and 30 somethings anyway.) We were lucky to get a table for two right away, but it's a crowded place so you might be waiting if your party is larger. Or check if they accept reservations for brunch.
4-stars.
This place has a great brunch until 6pm. You get unlimited mimosas, bloody marys, bellinis and screwdrivers for 2 hours or until 6pm whichever comes first. Usually brunch ends at 4pm and this place serves until 6pm so that's always why I go here. For about $30 you choose from a variety of brunch items and get unlimited drinks. The food is decent, but the unlimited drinks are their staple.
NOISY NOISY NOISY!
But the endive salad rocks!
No, I don't like you (not you reading this, you the restaurant)...
Food was weak to very-weak, inside was loud and the side tables were too close together.
Given the poor quality and atmosphere, the prices are still high. Its a nice location, but that is about it...
Yeah, I'll give it 4 stars for the fact its all you can drink and the service is awesome.
Any place that gives you a drink + refill before even taking your food order is A+ in my book (or it means we are bordering on alcoholism... nahhh). The drinks were strong (I started with screw drivers) and the food choices were the most numerous I've seen among most all you can drink brunches.
I ended up hearing after missing my reservation (only by 40 minutes!!) to paradou - it was down the street and recommended by yelp.
The atmosphere was cute, the free bread was outrageous (and we ate two baskets full) and my pasta dish with meat sauce was great. But my friend got the french toast with fresh whip cream and that was out of this world - I will DEFINITELY get that next time (and this place was good enough for a next time)
And the service was super friendly to boot. I always like that. Because when I'm bleary eyed and rained on (as I was on sunday... heavy heavy rain) I just want good service.. and thats what I got.
The all-you-can-drink mimosa/bellini/bloody marys are the red herring: it's easy to give a place 4 or 5 stars when you're boozed up after 3 hours of non-stop drinking. But bottomless champagne glasses alone do not warrant giving this place anything more than 3 stars on a good day.
The food is mediocre, at best, with a steak and eggs that is nearly void of the critical steak component thanks to the miniscule portion of hanger steak that we received. The burgers were OK, but certainly nothing to rave about. There was a surprisingly-good set of pancakes on the menu that day, although you should be able to get some of those at any decent diner on this big island.
On a nice spring or summer day, the open windows and doors can make for a nice atmosphere, but I'm going to channel my father here and complain about the music: It's cool that they have a DJ spinning on any regular Sunday afternoon, but the volume is to a point where it is very, very difficult to have a normal conversation with people in your party.
Would I return back to this place if it was any ordinary restaurant: Not if my life depended on it.
Would I return back to this place for all-you-can-drink $30 brunch: Yeah, twist my arm, probably so.
Two stars for the food. One additional star for the early-afternoon buzz.
It's pretty much what one would expect from a brunch in the Meatpacking District - mediocre value for money, hipness over substance, adequate, yet not personalized service.
$29.95 is the brunch prix-fixe offering with unlimited champagne drinks or screwdrivers. My meal cost $5 more so that my hamburger could have one slice of swiss cheese and two pieces of bacon on it. I definitely noticed that had I not ordered these extras, the burger would have came absolutely naked. I wonder how much extra they would have charged had I asked for lettuce and tomato, or perhaps a slice of onion or a pickle spear? Bun, meat, cheese, bacon - that was it. There was a small side salad, which seemed to come with most of the savory entrees, and also some fries. I asked for the burger to be cooked to medium but it came out well done. Feeling too famished to bother sending it back, I just ate it as it was. The bun was pretty awesome actually.
The drinks do flow and the music is loud - think happy hour at a gay bar. Not that the crowd wasn't mixed. Be prepared to hear lots of Britney, Beyonce, Gaga and Rihanna.
It was sweltering inside, reminiscent of a hot barn. I don't know if the air conditioning was broken, or if they chose to not use it, but it was hot enough that sweat was beading up on my forehead and by the time the meal was done I was sticking to my chair. I told the poor waiter (who had on more fabric than I) how uncomfortable it was, and he acknowledged the warmth without offering an explanation or informing a manager, nor did he simply turn on the AC. The drinks were constantly refilled although they are too crappy to elevate the experience to anything more than it is... sadly not very chic.
So, I finally made it up to the city to hang out with a friend over brunch. We were initially going to PooPoo Padou (or something like that, I'll get it right if we ever go) but she didn't make reservations this day (which I take the blame for because I overslept the day before when she had made reservations and I had to cancel on her) and they were booked solid before even opening. So we went around the corner to Nero D'Avola, which had just opened and was empty and available.
I thought the place was cool; the front of the place very open = lots of fresh air + exposed brick, hardwood, and just the right amount of sun coming in, and decent music playing low. The waitress seemed cool, at first. We both got our drink on with the $25 prixe fix grand prix or whatever... her with her champagne (pinky extended,) me with a bloody mary and screwdrivers. Here's where a star gets lost - the waitress wasn't all that attentive, after much waiting my friend had to ask for a refill on her way to the rest room. When the waitress came over to fill her glass, I joked, "she will be SO happy to see that when she gets back," in an attempt at a hint to keep 'em coming. It did help, so I guess I'll give half a star back.
Looking at the menu there didn't seem to be much of a selection (minus another half a star,) and for me it easily boiled down to french toast or the fritatta... I got the french toast, she the fritatta. Both were bangin', espesh' the fritatta. Mad tasty, very flavorful.
As we were eating the music seemed to change into a more techno-disco-am-I suddenly-in-a-gay-bar-on-Saturday-night feel. And got louder. And louDER. And LOUDER. Wtf, Nero? Am I at the club at freakin' noon over here??? They actually had a half-ass DJ up in a booth doing this via laptop... really??? Yo, minus two points... I said, "MINUS TWO STARS..." I could barely talk to my friend, not to mention couldn't wait to get the ffff out of dodge... if it weren't for my good company it would have really ruined the entire experience. I definitely will not go back.
Oh, and then my friend unintentionally dissed me and all of New Jersey by saying (as *I* am paying the check,) "You know you can't tip like you do in New Jersey, right?..." Okay, you barely get a pass for that since you've never been out with me before there you, but I tip well no matter where I'm at... and back up off of New Jersey, you don't want shht to get ugly up in here... oh yeah, and don't forget, you used to live in Jersey too... =)
This place is pretty good for brunch. As others have mentioned, the $30 prix fixe brunch and bottomless bloody Marys/champagnes/mimosas/etc are a huge draw. The brioche French toast was tasty, but I was too buzzed off the champagne to really want to finish the huge portion I was served. The space is nice, with its exposed brick and industrial look, but I suppose that's standard for Meatpacking. As with most brunch places in the city, it pays to get there early -- the place really filled up by 1:00pm.
Okay. So. This review is long overdue. Perfectly located for someone who is so over the Meatpacking scene but works in Chelsea (601 - hello!) and lives downtown - perfect pit stop. Actually Five Ninth was the perfect pit stop with their 5-9 happy hour but the place was a zoo and the bartender was not friendly. And I still haven't gotten over the fact that at my 24th bday dinner, they gave my bday cake to a group of trashy bachelorettes and the sad excuse of a manager barely apologized with a lame plate of cookies. As if! Anyway, Five Ninth was a zoo full of uglies and so we went to One. We walked out immediately (psssh we're no Real Housewives of NJ) and went to Nero.
And so our Nero story begins. First time my friend and I had some drinks at the bar, some crostini and frittura, and made fun of some unfortunate looking girls staring at the ceiling. We clearly were way cooler. The bartender was very sweet, his name was Oliver. He since left for Rwanda? Ghana, maybe actually now that I think back. We miss him.
We came back a week later. Christiano was our new bartender and we just love him. He mixes some lethally delicious shots. For reals. And he's always happy. Always. Good thing, no?
The unlimited supply of cheese straw sticks at the bar is definitely a perk. Those things are addictive.
Let's quickly touch up on the food. I hate pasta. I think it's pedestrian and cheap. I'm weird that way. Weirder is also the fact that my boyfriend could live on pasta so I learned to eat around it in all places Italian. It may sound strange but I cannot get enough of the pasta at Nero. There is that fusilli dish with light cream sauce, scallions, bacon and... drum roll please... CORN. Yep, it's to die for. The penne with ragu and melted mozzarella that is baked at the end I'd like to say, is amazing as well. Meatballs are stellar as are the rest of the apps.
We love Nero. My friend and I bring friends to this place to hang with us at the bar, we meet new people at the bar. We ignore the strange crowd that includes people who are a) too skinny, b) too European, c) too needy.
If you ever see the two of us at the bar, say hello. If we have a third one with us that screams 'Patron silver shots! Chilled!!!' - definitely say hello.
Saving the best for last, I must mention how incredibly helpful it is to have Sasha running this place. He is always welcoming , super friendly, just chatty enough and will even change the music if we complain about some strange rendition of U2 in Italian (or something!).
Almost forgot - definitely get the chocolate mousse.
The first thing that struck me when I walked in here was how beautiful the space is. The restaurant feels like it's in an old farmhouse, and it's beautifully lit with exposed bulbs and candles. The old movie projected onto the brick wall was a fun touch.
The food was great. Both the arugula and endive salads were delicious. We both had pasta as a main course and the servings were HUGE. I loved my pappardelle and my companion enjoyed her baked ziti.
What I really liked about this place was how it tread the line between fancy and casual. The space was beautiful and romantic but not stuffy. On one side of us were a trio of Italian women who looked like they'd just finished a day of shopping, and other the other was a couple on a date.
As to the details: we walked in without a reservation on a Saturday night but were seated within 10 minutes (could have been luck, the place was packed). Our server was attentive but not overbearing. Prices were reasonable. Definitely recommend!
$25 prix fixe brunch for all you can drink mimosas & bellinis!?
Don't mean to sound like a recessionista here, but I've got 2 bottles of Korbel, freshly squeezed OJ, grapefruit juice with the pulp, and half a dozen Trader Joe eggs in my fridge. Head over to my place and I'll prepare a top notch brunch that's worthy of a yelp review!
Yes, I've dined here before. There is nothing to be impressed by the food since you can easily make the same quality dishes from home. If you don't know how to cook this stuff, shame on you!
** Disclaimer: My review of Nero may be biased due to the company I was keeping at the time.
This past Saturday I was lucky enough to brunch with my boyfriend, his roommate and his roommate's five friends from out of town (who came home at 5/6 AM and woke up on their living room floor). We headed (after reading a hate note from someone else in the apartment building aimed at said friends) to Nero because they had a 25 dollar prix fixe brunch menu with all you can drink mimosas and bellinis. Obviously that's where we were headed.
Now I did not partake in the prix fixe but the rest of my part did. I ordered coffee, tea and an omelette. The omelette was good but didn't stand out. I don't even remember what was in it. The rest of the table was happy with their food but I think they'd be happy with anything at the time due to the enormous amounts of alcohol they were consuming.
Don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed my brunch...I was very entertained to say the least. I just wasn't impressed with anything. I think the draw here is probably the all you can drink special for two hours. If that's what you want, Nero's for you.
It was the first lovely day of Spring. The sun was shining, the temperature was a perfect 66 degrees. I was in a cab with a bunch of hot ladies, loud Merengue music and a frisky cab driver who, although in his 60's, had all the smooth moves.
Seven chicks, decked out in night time clothes and make up at 12pm, pregaming with Champagne in an Escalade, now that's classy! But we had a purpose, we were celebrating a very special someone's birthday! (Shout Out to Christina!)
Celebrating made easy with brunch menu and unlimited bellini's. Man was I drunk. It was 2pm and I was sending drunken text messages out like it was 2am. But I digress. What you need to know is that their food was good and the earlier you go the better, if you get there past 1pm expect a long wait. We were there by 12pm and no one was there, after 2 hours I looked up and the place was crowded.
The crowd was fine, very, um... bland? Yes, bland is the perfect word. No one will stand out because everyone kinda looks the same... but then again aren't a lot of us carrying around Genghis Khan's DNA. Maybe that's why everyone looked alike to me. I'm just happy no one robbed me b/c I wouldn't know who to identify...
Was not particularly memorable and for the price, it's just not worth it.
$14 pre-fix lunch that is now sitting happily in my belly was absolutely delicious. They do not skimp out on taste, nor portion size. There is a HUGE variety to choose from - I would guesstimate 6 appetizers, 6 entrees and 2 desserts are in the mix.
My meal was the Mediterranean salad... man oh man. Hard Feta with cucumbers, black olives, red peppers, onions all in a delicious little pile. The entree, Petti el Pollo (or something like that) - Grilled Ckn with Mashed Pots and some veggies. This was good, but my mama's salmon was much better and finale was passion fruit sorbet (wooowza!)
Decor is wooden, rustic. At nights the lights dim down and it is majorly romantic. Nero is a winner.
NERO! Just when I was going to update my review to 5 stars!! WHY would you stop the prix fixe brunch?!? WHY would you add a velvet rope in front?? Are you serious with that?
You were my fave brunch spot, I've recommended you to so many! Did all the attention get to your head? Apparently since you were featured on that dumbass show The City, now you're too cool for school. I barf on your velvet roped brunch!
I came here for brunch and had a wonderful time. The service was so friendly I stopped to let the… Read more »
Like many places in the MPD, location is what is special and the food is secondary, if worth talking about at all. I love Arugula, but here, my love for Arugula took a break. The Arugula salad was boring and it is hard to make Arugula boring; its natural peppery and spicy flavors makes it exciting, but not here. The salmon gave me the feeling it had been frozen. The only part of my meal I enjoyed was the Proseco, but that won't bring me back here again.
I came here for brunch last August and we had a great time. It has a nice open floor plan and it kind of reminds me of a tapas bar in Barcelona with the long wooden tables and benches. The service was great and the mimosas were flowing quickly. One of my favorite brunch places!
wheee drunk brunch on sunday funday! ($29.95 prix fixe, unlimited champagne cocktail + entree). We got there around 2:30pm and it was about a 25 minute wait for 3 people.
Why I liked this place and why I will go back:
1) While we were waiting for a table, we were allowed to begin the prix fixe champagne drinking fun at the bar. Thanks to David, the bartender, who topped us off before our glasses were even 75% empty
2) Some lady randomly started karokeing - fun!
3) fist pumping music! yay! (even though it was a tad too loud to talk at a normal level), but still yay!
4) sitting outside on a glorious sunny day is one of my favorite things to do in NYC
5) cute waiter - yummy
6) food was actually tasty! The bread was juuust right. I ordered the smoked salmon benedict and it came with potatoes/carmelized onions - delish! My friends ordered the chocolate chip pancakes which were soft and fluffy, and my other friend ordered the chicken panini, but without the chicken, and added carmelized onions to it. Fries were good too.
This place is a great sunday funday spot to sit outside, enjoy beverages and people watch, and I will be back!
Finally, I would be rid of my LAST http://restaurant.com gift certificate! Out of all of the places I chose (slim pickings on http://restaurant.com), I thought this restaurant would have had the most promise b/c of all of the great reviews...
Service: we had an extremely nice server, but he hadn't tried the food and didn't seem very knowledgeable in general. I think he said he was new...the staff was very good about refilling water and wine glasses.
Complimentary Bread and Hummus: there was definitely something a bit odd about the hummus, maybe b/c there were olives in it? Let's just put it this way, there was no way I was going to fill up on this before my meal.
Le Polpettine (traditional mini-meatballs, braised baby eggplant): meatballs were kinda dry. Sauce was ok but not great, try dipping your bread in it.
Capesante (seared diver scallops, asparagus, baby carrots, white truffle essence): seared on the outside, nice and tender on the inside, I'd say these were tasty, but $24 for 3? I'll make my own thank you.
Linguine w/ clams in garlic and olive oil: Solid, but nothing out of this world.
Tiramisu: just ok, could've been "fresher". Tasted like it had been sitting in the fridge for awhile. The overall texture felt very solid.
Net net:
I wouldn't come back for dinner, but I'd be willing to try out this brunch everyone keeps ranting and raving about...
Following the closure of Guantanamo the CIA have been searching for new clandestine prisons and I think Nero D'Avola might just be one of them. All looked good at first with the sun shining outside and a breeze blowing through the restaurant but then torture began.
Once seated the music jumped in volume and I found myself listening to hard trance at 1pm in afternoon. You can call me cheesy but when sun's shining and everyone is chilling why would a DJ not play something a little more appropriate? But putting aside the different musical tastes a minute, the volume was so loud that you literally could not hear the person sitting next to you. I don't mind that in a club, after all clubs are all about the tunes, but having shitty loud euro trance as my main companion for brunch is not fun. Then the torture upped a notch.... apparently the music was so loud that that the restaurant need to avoid noise complaints by closing the open, breezy windows; the only feature of the restaurant that makes it inviting. Once closed several customers attempted to open them again which was followed by the management sending a bus boy around to lock them all! With the windows closed the volume of the music doubled again and the absence of any breeze soon made the restaurant uncomfortably hot. So there we were, having already ordered food sitting behind locked windows, sweating, and shouting at each other over euro trance.... But it didn't stop there... several tables complained about the music and the management's response was there was nothing they could do, ie they were not prepared to accommodate any of their customers. I have never walked out of a restaurant in NY before but this was the closest I come to it and certainly that's what I should have done rather than enduring the misery that is Nero D'avola. The place is run by young arrogant little shits clad in bono-esque euro glasses or ill-fitting suits who are exploiting the location to entrap as many brunch tourists as possible. Don't be caught up in this scam.
Oh, and the food was not good... very very mediocre.
So if you like euro disco with you eggs and want to be treated like an idiot this is the place for you, else I urge you not to make the same mistake as me.
I went to Nero on the recommendation of Yelper and Fashionista, Sara M. Excellent suggestion Sara, thank you! The atmosphere is great but yes, it is very cramped. More so than your typical NY restaurant I think. A few of our dishes were place on the table next to us to have more space and I could see how this would be problematic on a busy night. The first wine we selected was out of stock but the one our server suggested in its place was fantastic. There was some grit on my wine glass (ew) and I thought it was strange that our white wine wasn't placed in an ice bucket yet the next table over had their red wine placed in one.
So the food...oh the food. We started with what was basically a fruits de mare dish. (The actual name escapes me now) My husband selected the scallops for his entree which literally melted in your mouth. I chose the steak and it was fantastic and perfectly cooked. (Not to mention the portion size was very generous). Overall I would definitely recommend Nero and would come back for sure.
I really think this restaurant has the best vibe in the Meatpacking district. I like the people here (staff and clientele) and that counts for a lot in my book. Add that to the fact that the pasta is tasty and the wine selection is solid and we have a winner. Did I mention they have a $14 lunch! Honestly... when I walk past the lines at Pastis and some of the other joints in the hood I don't get it. It's ok... more Ravioli ai Porcini for me.
Also the place boasts some serious cuties (full disclosure: one of them is my wife).
I guess I am a sucker for Italian food and a laid back atmosphere before I go model watching.
The atmosphere's nice here. The decor makes it feel earthy and warm. The dim lighting in this restaurant is one of the few places where it doesn't make me sleepy!
The service was very good. The waiter was nice, the busboys were very attentive always asking us if we needed anything else (though sometimes that can get annoying too :))
Now for the food, I enjoyed the pasta I had, as per the waiter's recommendation and my friend loved the gnocchi.
I won't say it was the greatest pasta ever, it was pretty good but not above any others either. Still good Italian's pretty good anytime .
There's clearly a very logical explanation of all the great reviews of Nero: The 2-hour all-you-can-drink bottom-shelf booze has confiscated everyone's ability to judge the food with their usual keen sensibilities.
Only when completely inebriated and starving can an honest human being rationalize the motivation to award Nero more than 3 stars.
But to be fair, I'm a bit harsh in judging brunch food, since it's the most overrated meal. Listen, one out of every four self-respecting human being can whip up a pretty good brunch if they make an earnest effort to ditch the heavy cloak of laziness on weekend afternoons.
Yes, I can hear the collective sigh and uproars of "That's the whole point, stupid! Surely, the whole idea behind brunch is that you get to be lazy. And drunk in the middle of the afternoon."
Well, no shit. And when's the last time America came up with something intrinsically good that was solely based on taking advantage of slothful nature of its citizens?
Sure, everyone loves cheap booze, but I prefer good booze at cheap prices. You know what else I prefer? I prefer that a prix fixe menu to actually be prix fixe, not (add $3) or (add $5) for dishes that are not your basic eggs, potatoes, and salad. Do they even know what prix fixe means?
Even after two Bellinis (I actually couldn't even finish the 2nd glass because it was so overly sweet) and five Screwdrivers, it was clear to me that the food at Nero was rather pedestrian and miserly portioned.
The following quote from my friend summed up the low-end nature of Nero's brunch offerings: "I think they took my egg whites to make ____'s egg-white omelette."
Also, what self-respecting New Yorker hangs out in the Meat Packing District by choice, anyway?
While strolling through the area, the four of us found this place inviting and frankly there was no wait so we came right in. We are not the typical Meatpacking District crowd - but we were hungry and assumed this area is known for good food and hot people.
ok! to get to the good stuff.
I am a huge fan of italian food. And I must say this food was nothing special. I've had better italian at Carrabbas. I had the Gnochhi which was the first thing on the menu- boring, bland, and missing a distinctive taste. My friend had the steak which was the best choice of the night, if they could make anything it was that steak. We also had dessert, the chocolate cake was delicious while the cheesecake and the pastry were forgettable.
The portions were on the smaller side, the opposite of what I expect at an italian place.
One plus, was that the decor was inviting and warm.
Also, the waiter who served us was rude, and when we had a little misunderstanding about the bill, proceeded to raise his voice at us and assume we didn't want to leave a good tip - quite the opposite in fact.
To Summarize: Food was bland and uninspired. Prices were OK. Portions on the smaller side. Waiter was rude.
The crowd here is generally late 20s and older. The bartender was very friendly (poor guy was getting molested by some drunk older woman) and made sure our glasses were always full with the good stuff. I HIGLY recommend the Frittura (fried calamari, fried shrimp, fried zucchini strips and fried artichoke) which comes with this sauce that is soooo yummy.... kinda wish that the diners I hit up after a night of drinking carried that dish.
The main course wasn't anything special. I had the salmon which was served on sauteed spinach with sweet potatoes and my friend had some sort of pasta (I think it was the bolognese one) which was pretty good but nothing I couldn't make at home myself. It's definitely worth a try.
Oh and if you're not used to shelling out AT LEAST $40 for yourself (not including drinks, I wouldn't recommend coming here, dear.
Checked out this place for brunch after reading Parisa A's review. It IS loud in here but the vibe is great (although maybe not if you have a hangover that you're nursing from the night before). Most of the diners were youngish, 20 to early 30's - very lively, fun, upbeat. Host and wait staff were professional and attentive. No complaints at all.
it was warm outside (too warm for the patio for me) and they either didn't have air or the A/C just couldn't manage. But we had "all you can drink" Bellini's so who cared? The only thing I would gripe about here is that the Bellini's aren't made with peach nectar, but some sort of orangey peach juice. We switched to Mimosas and then straight champagne. You can also get screwdrivers or bloody Mary's. Yep, all you can drink in 2 hours. (I guess they cut you off after that?)
I had the eggs benedict - the hollandaise was pretty good but mine is better. My friend had one of the egg dishes (frittatta?) and it looked delish and if it weren't so loud I'm sure I'd have heard mmm's from across the table.
I spied another table's french toast and yearned for an order of that, but with the huge helping of gratis hummus and bread I simply didn't have room for another bite.
This is a *great* place for brunch and I'd return again and again. You can order a la carte, too, if the drink fest isn't your thing.
The restaurant itself has a nice chill atmosphere. We were there Labor Day weekend, so the weather was pretty warm, and all the windows were opened up, and the openness gave it a nice vibe.
We came here with my girlfriend's friend solely because of the unlimited libations (limit 2 hours), and man, we really took advantage of that shit. I ordered the mezze maniche (rigatoni with meat sauce and peas), my girlfriend ordered the grilled skirt steak panini, and her friend had the eggs benedict. The food was solid, nothing to write home about, but solid. Good flavors, good presentation. But really. You know what we were here for. C'mon na. Every time I said I was done....oh, just one more.....just one more. The servers also came by often with refills, which I thought was good, considering places that offer unlimited anything tend to not have the wait staff come by often offering said unlimitedness.
I probably ended up having five or six in the end. If your thing is being alcoholic on a Sunday afternoon, this is your place. For $25, considering what you usually pay for alcohol, not a bad deal, even if they're probably using the cheap stuff. Three stars because the food was decent. One extra star for the unlimited drinks.
I came here on Sunday night with a friend from college, after reading Steve M's review. I was looking for a mid-range Italian restaurant that wasn't too trendy and had good pasta.
Steve M did not steer me wrong. Nero's has an extensive wine-by-the glass list and both wines that I ordered were good. The bread was very fresh, and they had a spicy hummus to go with it (thank you so much for no butter!).
I ordered the shaved fennel salad, and my friend ordered the carpaccio. The shaved fennel salad had a bitter component to it, I do wish it was a little more balanced with a sweeter dressing, but I did like it. He really liked his carpaccio.
The pasta here was phenomenal. I had a penne primavera that was bursting with fresh roasted vegetables and a basil oil and garlic sauce. He had fresh linguine with baby buffalo mozzarella and tomato sauce. Both pasta dishes were so fresh and good, I could close my eyes and imagine I was eating this in Napa.
I had strawberry sorbet for dessert and he had tiramisu. The strawberry sorbet tasted exactly like I was biting into a fresh strawberry. There was just the right amount of acid and sweetness that I quickly devoured it. My friend seemed to also like his tiramisu, but he seemed to like my sorbet better.
I will definitely come here for brunch if I'm staying overnight in the city.
Since this is my first Manhattan Sunday Brunch experience keep in mind I don't have much to compare it to. However, I was thoroughly satisfied. Brunch on the East Coast is a bit different then brunch in the Midwest. Here you have all you can drink rather than all you can eat, which is just fine with me.
I had the French Toast which was pretty good and definitely filling. You get two slices of nearly an inch thick bread frenchly toasted to perfection. Was it the all time best French Toast I had, no not really, but it served it's purpose and was enjoyable. My co-yelper ordered the Portobello Panini and instead got the omelet I had asked about. She soon received the sandwich originally requested and seemed to enjoy it. That is her Yelping right though so I will not steal her thunder.
We both got the unlimited drink brunch deal and the Bellini's were delicious. I had three or four and didn't feel like I had drank too much, but felt warm and fuzzy inside. I am assuming that is the peachiness of the drink. They were small, but refilled constantly and not to strong where all you taste is alcohol, but not too sweet that you felt you just drank a pound of sugar.
All in all I would recommend the place. I would also recommend reservations.
You can Check them out at http://www.neronyc.com
Holy mother of a great deal! I wish we had a place like this in LA! A friend took me to brunch here while I was visiting NYC for the weekend. Prix Fixe menu (though some items ARE add $2-$3) & unlimited drinks for 2 hours for $25? Yes please!
We chose Bellinis (you can switch it up, but we didn't), which were tasty, and our glasses were refilled before they were completely empty (we sat at the bar because we didn't have a reservation, and apparently they were booked). I had a chicken pesto panini which was tasty, though nothing overly exciting. Friend had salmon benedict, which she said she enjoyed (but, it was an "add $3" item, which I thought was a little unnecessary). Since I don't care much for salmon, I had to take her word for it!
Though it's not a place where I would rave about the food, there was nothing bad about it...and the ambience is rustic & nice. Overall, it was a lovely setting to spend an afternoon with (tasty) bottomless drinks, catching up with an old friend. I would recommend this place to other friends in NYC, and maybe even go back the next time I'm in town!
One of my favorite drunk brunch spots, despite its location in the Meatpacking District.
Their $20 all-you-can-drink brunch is divine, especially when you order the meat rigatoni to accompany your mimosa/bellni/bloody mary.
The rustic wooden decor reminds me of Tuscany, too.
Again I am reviewing a place I was employed at. I am no longer employed at Nero so I am not biased in this review.
Let's first talk about the drunk brunch or as they call it, "Champagne Brunch" which consists of all you can drink Mimosa's, Bellini's (peach or guava), screwdrivers and Bloody Mary's. As many as you want, for as long as you want. At this point, do you even care what the food taste like? I really don't know how the eggs or french toast taste. I'm sure it's your standard breakfast fare.
I can comment on the lunch and dinner menu. The chef is amazing! The food is authentic Italian from Italy, chef is Italian...none of this Italian American stuff.
The space is gorgeous, rustic, romantic. Too bad it's in the Meat Packing district with all the wanna be's. Sorry, but you know it's true.
The food here was absolutely fabulous! I had the Tagliata, a sirloin steak, which was really good. The meat was cooked to perfection with its juiciness and smokey taste. For appetizers, we had this eggplant dish and fried seafood and vegetables.
This place would have received 5 stars had they had better waiters. We waited a long time between our entrees and desserts. How long could it take to scoop some gelatos and place a serving of Tiramisu in a cup? And once we put in our credit card payment, the waiter took forever because he was talking to customers instead of quickly processing our payment first. What's more, the waiter had an attitude when we showed we were pissed over how long he took to process our payment.
Waiters need a little work but I would definitely go back for the food.
sunday brunch... prix fix two hour tables and our champagne glasses were refilled regularly!
order the french toast and the bloody mary - it does not get tastier than this!
Nero is a nice alternative to the trendy, blatantly chic spots in the meatpacking. Unlike some of the nearby places in the neighborhood, Nero feels comfortable and inviting. It has a nice rustic vibe to it that made me want to drink lots of red wine (which I proceeded to do) and have a nice meal with friends (which I also accomplished). The service was very accommodating. We had a party of 8 where 2 of our friends were extremely late to dinner and left at one point during the night due to a sickness, and then came back! Through it all, the waiter was totally friendly and cool about it. It was amazing... I was shocked at how nice they were... I think most places, we would've been booted out or given the evil eye.
As for the food... the pasta selections were above average to delicious; nothing to blow your mind away but overall solid. I enjoyed my dish (oven-baked rigatoni... yum) as did the rest of our group. The skirt steak was also quite good. Nice wine selection as well. Overall, a great place for a group... nice, fun, easy, lively vibe and great service at very reasonable prices. Definitely would recommend it.
Free coffee or tea!
Neighborhood: Fashion District
Lunch or Dinner & a movie $28
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Neighborhood: Meatpacking District
Category: French
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: American (New)
Here the places that since I have moved to New…
Hungover? Hungry? Let these restaurants fill that…
Brunch places where you can get your drink on in a…
Drunk brunch spots. Paradou is just okay, but it…
The day after a hard night of partying, this is…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
behold my favorite places in my favorite…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
