- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Positano Ristorante
Rating Details »
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Little Italy122 Mulberry Street
(between Canal St & Hester St)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 334-9808
- Nearest Transit:
-
Canal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Grand St (B, D)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
16 reviews for Positano Ristorante
I give things three stars a lot, don't I?
Ha.
Now people tend to yell at me for using the term, "very mediocre." Of course something can't be very average...then it wouldn't be average. But I feel as if "very mediocre" would be a good terminology for this restaurant.
The food was tasty...the chicken parmigana was good. And so were the spaghetti and sauce...but it was very...average! I guess it's because my dad's Italian, so I'm very picky in terms of my Italian food.
I'll go back if I find myself in the neighborhood, but I don't see much reason for me to go out of my way.
What happens when you combine a neighborhood over-saturated with mediocre food, staff and atmosphere with tourists and the rejected cast list of the Real Housewives of New Jersey? Little Italy!
Positano, like all of the other restaurants in Little Italy, is plagued with sub-par food, stiff and impersonal service and, therefore, is forced to employ people to hawk their fare on Mulberry Street. The only real benefit is that the prices are pretty reasonable for what you're getting, but that isn't saying much. If you're looking for good Italian cuisine in the city, please don't head to Little Italy, ironic but true.
Charming.
I'm a fan because it's a reasonably priced restaurant in Lil Italy. Good food and great service. Restaurant ambiance was Okay. Definitely would go back.
Great atmosphere, food was ok. We grabbed a quick glass of wine and nibbled a bit. Sat outside on the patio. Staff was wonderful. Service great. Ordered soup, moderate, but to be fair it was very cold outside and the soup became cold quickly. Possibly stop by again.
I don't have very high expectatioins in Little Italy just because it seems like most restaurants have pre-cooked sauce and pasta in the back that they just slap on a plate when you order. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Positano in Little Italy. It isn't as cute as some of the other places in the area, but the food more than made up for it. Dinner isn't going to win any creativity awards, but it is a great place on a fun street that is perfect for the night when you want to sit outside and do some great people watching while having some pasta and drinking a glass of wine.
We were lured in by the Italian hitman standing right outside the door while trying to locate another restaurant. He seemed slightly scary since he was so incredibly tall. His long black trench coat didn't help. But he was very charming. He assured us this was the best Italian ever, and the drinks were better. "You like ice tea? We have ice tea. You only pay once. You drink two, you don't pay. You drink three, you don't pay. It such a great deal!"
How could anyone turn down the lure of free refills?
So he took us in and gave us menus. The waiter was not as charming. He seemed to be in a bad mood and he seemed like he would rather do anything than actually serve us. How Italian. But since we're in the States, I don't appreciate that. Also, the person I was with is fluent in Italian. He loves speaking with waiters in their native language, and the waiters usually get a kick out of it and they talk for hours in Italian. Not this one. Whenever said friend would attempt to speak to him, the corners of his mouth curl and he would make a grunting noise.
We both ordered penne alla vodka. It was definitely good. I loved this sauce especially. But something held it back from being truly great. As I'm not even close to being a cook, I couldn't tell you what the pasta needed.
We came here twice before and had great food. It seems like the ownership has turned over since then, or some other type of change. On this trip, our appetizers were awful. I mean terrible. Main dishes were mediocre and one didn't follow instructions for "no anchovies".
This is very disheartening because we really looked forward to coming here.
I usually don't go to little Italy because it's touristy and nothing ever really stands out. This was a good shot in the dark though; I guess just because there are tons of italian places right there, it doesn't mean they can't be good. I got a fantastic pesto pasta here; it was simple and satisfying. Good bread too. The service was also nice and let us sit and chat without pushing us out.
From San Francisco area in town for a conference and hit Little Italy on the recommendation of a paisano that grew up nearby. Tried this restaurant vs. the others mainly because it was smaller and hopefully less touristy. It was also recommended by my dining partner in crime's mother-in-law.
Overall, I thought it was quite good. Perhaps my Italian standards are damaged from too much time in California. It was also election night, warm enough to sit outside, and just basically pleasant after a day on the plane to sit and look at the buildings and watch the world go by, so that might have heped.
Angel (the meeter/greeter who is actually Bulgarian and been there 2 years) and Willie (Mexican manager there 15 years) were quite chatty. I practiced a little Spanish and took Angel's recommendation for the calarmari salad and then the linguini with clams/shrimp in light marinara sauce. Finished with the tiramisu.
Definitely above average and I really can't quibble the quality of anything or how it was prepared. Pasta was perfect, sauce just right, nice flavor. I might have liked a touch less liquid in the salad, but I tipped the bowl and ate from the high side, which was fine. There was also a sun dried tomato garnish with the bread that was to die for.
I was actually looking for Luna cafe and was told by a parking attendant that they went out of business 3 years ago. I asked him for a recommendation and he pointed me to Positano because the food is good and the price is reasonable. The manager took our order and I did what I usually do is ask him what he orders, that almost always works the best. I got a tasty meal. Although the outdoor seating was a bit uncomfortable it's great for people watching and seeing the hustle and bustle of Little Italy.
Good solid Italian food. Not very fancy but reliable. Good place to take visitors.
Great place for a group dinner. We had 8 people and stayed for about 3 hours having a great time. The wine was tasty and they were always refilling your glass. The apps that I tried were the calamari and caprese which were both very good. I ordered the chicken parm as my meal and loved it and everyone else seemed to enjoy theirs as well. My favorite part was the sauce its definitly tasty and unique. After dinner we had some home made tiramisu which was dilectable. Can't beat the service and would definitly recommend this place.
A satisfying destination, mixed among the touristy storefronts on Little Italy's Mulberry St, Positano offers reasonably priced South Italian dishes without the desperation for customers put forth by most of the rest of this street. The prices are reasonable (most entrees are between $9 and $15 (cheaper at lunchtime), and half-carafes of house wine are $12. Try pasta with spicy sauce for a jalapeno-rich experience, or stick with more traditional dishes. There are a couple small outdoor tables, but they seem more of an afterthought, as the friendly inside decor, not tacky at all, has clearly taken some attention.
One of the better Italian restaurants on my street. Prices have gone up a bit since Chris F.'s review but its still a nice spot for lunch. Since its just south of Hester St it doesn't get as crowded with tourists as quickly and I think its reflected in the quality of their food. Don't get me wrong, all of Little Italy is basically fast-food Italian in my opinion, but Positano is high-end junk food. This afternoon I had linguine con calamari fra diavolo (great sauce, perfect spicyness, loaded with good calamari none of that fried stuff, $15) and a glass of house red, filled to the brim, for $9 (a bit pricey I thought, but once he found out I was a local I got a free refill).
small place but the food is to die for i eat here at least once a week.
