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Living on the border between Chinatown, the LES, and Little Italy means that I often end up trying the restaurants in the Little Italy hood. My wife and I keep giving Mulberry Street restaurants a chance but typically end up not returning to them a second time.
Puglia is good for what it is. Red-sauce Italian at totally reasonable prices. After lots of salty little bits at the Pickle Festival this Saturday, we were hungry for a full meal.
Salads are very large, next time I'll share one instead of ordering two. I got the arugula-gorgonzola-pear. Yummy enough, though I could have done without the canned-then-grilled pears. I ordered the spinach-garlic ravioli and the red sauce was simple, but clean. My partner happily chowed down on a speghetti bolognese.
The house red is totally drinkable and just $16 a (unlabeled, uncorked) bottle. Sketchy, but smooth.
I'll come back next time I want some red sauce basics.
First of all I have to ask myself what I'm doing in Little Italy at a bachelor party dinner (not mine own). This neighborhood has become such a stereotype of Italian food and Italian people, that by just going, I feel I am encouraging something I don't agree with; after all, I love *real* Italian food and *real* Italians. This is where tourists who call themselves Italian-Americans come to learn about their heritage and where Goodfellas loving middle-Americans come to further fictionalize their understanding of things Italian.
Do you like "Penne a la Vodka"? Do you like it when people "promise to take good care of you, eh?" Then you might like this place. Incidentally, it was Rigatoni, but who cares when you're drunk on cheap house wine and listening to "Vinny" ask if "family style is ok with you"? The "Pollo Valdostana" tasted like a Chinese chicken curry dish; the garlic bread, a stereotype of garlic bread making fun of garlic bread. Let's be clear... this may be "Italian home cooking", but this is not Italian home cooking.
Which leads us to the redeeming factor named Jorge Buccio aka "One Man Jorge", who surprised us with many, many songs that we hadn't heard in ages and were very excited to sing along to. "Get up, get up, get up and shake your napkin". I don't think I'll ever get that silly song out of my head and will never look at a napkin the same way again. Bravo Jorge - thanks for the wonderful entertainment!
Had our wedding "Welcome Dinner" at Puglia and I cannot say enough about the service that we received at Puglia. It is what it is in that it's not gourmet Italian or super-nice service, but the food was quality and the waiter (Vinny?) and the other servers really went out of their way to serve our 40 guests in a timely and cost-effective manner.
They brought food family style, suggested an approach to drinks that saved us lots of money, and charged us a fair price. Again, if it was just me and my fiance, we might choose somewhere else for a nice dinner, but for a group you just can't beat it.
Call them about a week ahead of time and tell them you have a large group. Look at the menu before you go and plan how much food you think you'll need. When you get there, hand them a printed list of what you think you want. Let them bring house wine by the bottle and tell your guests to ask for more if they want it. The bottles are $16 each, so much cheaper than buying by the glass.
Thanks, Puglia, for making our Welcome Dinner in Little Italy a BLAST!
My father has always mentioned to me that he went here ages ago and how he really liked the food and wine, so my brother and I decided to take him here for Father's Day. I had the Rigatoni alla Vodka, which was good but not as flavorful as I expected, since it is one of their "famous" dishes. My parents enjoyed Puglia's house wine. It was nice to sit outside on a sumer afternoon and enjoy Little Italy. Not the best meal I've had in Little Italy but my father liked it so I can't complain.
Main reason to come here (other than being a tourist) is if you have a large group, which I did. The guy singing is more annoying than anything, but I do like how casual and festively loud the place is. The food is nothing special whatsoever, but they will cook an entire goat's head for you if you wish (don't ask how I know this), and they will also allow you to eat said goat's head while standing on a chair in front of the entire restaurant. Don't go expecting great food, but instead funny crap like that ;)
Mistake #1: Suggesting Little Italy for food. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? Can you say TOURIST TRAP CENTRAL? I won't compare it to the "food" (and I use that term liberally) you find in Times Square but it was a close second.
Mistake #2: Little Italy does not equal Pizza.
In my quest to find something relatively decent, I asked a restaurant host where to find the best pizza in Little Italy. He directed me across the street to Puglia. He must have really hated me.
Mistake #3: Stepping foot inside Puglia. The décor was awful. Think communal seating, outdated décor, and a live keyboard player. The inside echoed and there were several big groups, making the entire place feel like an outdated bar rather than a restaurant. I asked the server how long the keyboard guy would play, and he assured me only a few songs. LIES I TELL YOU! He played on and off the remainder of the evening.
Mistake #4: Staying. Had I not been so hungry, I would have left immediately.
I began the evening with a glass of white wine. Not only was it warm, it took forever to arrive.
Next came the appetizer of stuffed mushrooms, mediocre at best. I secretly prayed the food would get better. I followed the mushrooms with fried zucchini and asked for a side of ranch dressing. The waiter brought bleu cheese instead. Barf! I might have thrown up in the restroom had I not been cautioned about the disgusting condition beforehand from dining companion.
Finally came the pizza. It was undercooked, raw, and doughy. The sign outside claiming "brick oven pizza" should have read "raw dough with toppings." We barely finished half before asking for the check.
When I think back on the evening, I laugh. I've been to some pretty awful restaurants in the city, but nothing like this. If you want to ruin your evening, come to Puglia. If you're craving pizza, walk a few blocks to Spring Street and eat at Lombardi's.
I think this is one off the best Italian restaurants in Little Italy, if not the best. The lobster ravioli was great.. the gnocchi with pesto was good too. The fact that the bread comes out warm is a plus too. I saw some people at the table next to us with the pizza.. and it must have been good since they order 3 pies for the the 5 of them.
Went here with a friend who doesn't eat egg products, as some of the pasta is made without egg (manicotti). I ordered the spinach ravioli with roasted garlic - and this was okay. Not bad, but not the best pasta I've ever had. The bread was amazing and I may have eaten the whole loaf. The ambience is very italian kitschy (in a good way), but I don't think it's a good date spot. It would be good for friends or a family. It was $16 for my share, with no dessert or wine.
I agree with Daniel H. - I could very easily have gotten pasta from Amish Market and sauce and fed myself for a few days for the same price, but you never know till you try!
It's touristy, the food isn't very good, the wine is cheap and the interior decor is old. That said, you can have an AWESOME time if you come here with a big group or have a big booze fueled work event and people are willing to let loose. It's funny to see people get so "into it" here but somehow they always do. Jorge (the singer) fits perfectly. He's not that good, is trying to sell his own CD's, but is entertaining enough and everyone gets into it so thats pretty funny.
My family and I have eaten here twice, basically because we were walking around the very crowded Little Italy and there were tables here with no wait.
Puglia is pretty decent for Pizza, but I wouldn't rate it as number 1 in my favorite NYC pizza establishments.
Their pizzas are a little on the small size so we usually order 2 Pizza Margaritas for our family of 4.
If you are "lucky" the Mulberry Street Singer will be making his way around the tables at Puglia....haha! He will offer to sing you a song by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, or Johnny Mathis. Best thing to do is kindly decline his offer....he will want money after he sings.
The best pizza I've ever had.
Maybe I should moderate and clarify. Which I will do in the upcoming paragraphs. But it was damn good pizza and while I was eating it, I wouldn't have traded it for any food in the world.
I was in New York for a weekend with friends. Friends who had never been to New York before. One friend who I had become more than friends with the night before... and would only be friends with again by that night. C'est la vie. Was there to go to a comedy club, see a broadway show, walk around the city... basically do New York as it should be done.
Except I was sick. I was trying to deny it, but I was really sick. And it was raining. So, after seeing Spring Awakening (wonderful singing, decent music, depressing plot, and occasional boobies) and walking by Ground Zero (like Spring Awakening, but without the singing, music, or boobies. I really don't like that it is some kind of de facto tourist attraction) I was feeling really miserable. Cold, wet and barely able to speak, no less walk. We wanted to eat some place 'New York', and we were relatively close to Little Italy. Now, Little Italy barely exists anymore, which is very sad. Worse, I couldn't think of a place that was 'the' place to go. So we picked one that said brick oven pizza.
Puglia. Cute little restaurant with a guy playing accordion and singing songs you might find on the 'Mob Hits' albums. Awesome. At one point he stopped to walk around and get people to put money into his hat. Less awesome. I'm very uncomfortable in those situations. I wish they'd just pay him to play nice music and not have the weird awkward guilt. Especially because he only looped the same two songs. Whatever.
No energy to be fancy - we ordered a pizza. I think it was plain. I know it was unbelievable. You know when you're sick and feel like you can't eat anything even though you know you should? That's how I felt. You know how if you force yourself to eat, suddenly it's like your body wants to eat its weight in brick oven pizza? That's what this was like.
We didn't order any other food - no appetizers, no pasta... but I still recommend Puglia with 5 stars. My one friend was moving to New York for the next year, and he got to go having a favorite pizza place. And everyone else got to learn how New York really is the best place in the world for pizza.
And I apparently got Italian penicillin... chicken soup has nothing on this pie.
Worst restaurant experience I have had in NYC. I went a couple weeks ago so I will try to remember everything that went wrong:
We walk in and the busboy asks how many of us there are (4) so he told us to go sit at the 8 person table. We sit down and someone else gets mad at us for taking a big table. We say that the busboy told us to sit here and the server scoffs and says "he is just a busboy." Whatever so we move to a 4 person table. Side note, they seated a family of four at the big table a few minutes later.
We order food and a round of beer. They never brought our appetizer and took forever to bring out one of the pizzas even though we saw it sitting inside for 10 minutes. We know it was one of our pizzas because it a margherita pizza, no cheese. Not many people order that so it had to be ours.
I remember the food was okay to not good. I ordered ravioli that tasted like I could have made it myself. I also remember we had to ask for water refills four times before they came to refill. I think we just grabbed a pitcher ourselves.
The worst part was that the server seemed to recognize how crappy the service was so he brought us an extra round of beers for "free." We didn't order them or particularly want another round since we wanted to get the hell out of there but if they were free why not. Well after we asked for the bill he said his manager is making him charge for that round of beer. WTF?? No biggie we took it out of his tip. What kind of moron establishment gives you drinks on the house to make up for shoddy service and then charges you?? I wanted to leave no tip but we ended up tipping 10% which was far too generous.
Green astroturf and flickering flourescent lights above = tacky and dirty feeling.
Only cool part was seeing Pudge Rodriguez walk down the street looking totally lost and touristy.
I will never be back, I don't even understand how this place has gotten this many good reviews.
This is one of the most fun places to go in the city. If you have a large group, want to get drunk and eat some great food, come here.
It's a party atmosphere, fostered by Jorge belting out classics like "Volare" and "Get up and shake your napkin". I was there with my girlfriend at the time, standing on my chair shaking my napkin, and an older man that worked there, motioned to my girlfriend to "Get on the chair" as well. It's encouraged pandemonium and I love it.
The food is actually very good as well and very well priced. House wine is DIRT cheap, and usually after buying a few bottles, they'll throw one in for you. This is my fav in Little Italy!
Although very much a little Italy tourist trap, I still found Puglia's rather endearing. In the heart of little Italy on legendary Hester Street, its a big noisy kind of place that requires you to give yourself over to the spirit of thing. If you do, You will have a fun time. If not, you will find it rather obnoxious. It is best experienced with company or a group of friends.
The food is big brassy red sauce Italian with a very credible version of a many traditional specialties. Don't bother going if all you want is pizza. On the other hand fine dining it ain't either.
I particularly like the Arancini (rice balls) and the the pasta dishes. Acceptable versions of Chicken and Veal Parmesana and Pugliese Meat dishes are also served. During and after Dinner there is entertainment and singing of Italian Songs, again fun if you are in the mood to give yourself over to it.
The service is very in your face New York (meaning surly and pushy). Just remember your are in New York (they talk to each other that way)and push back...
The only reason to come to Puglia is for their lunch special. For about $8 you can get a full plate of chicken parmesan with a side of linguini. No complaints here.
Totally fun place in Little Italy. The food is good- esp their pesto and the stuffed artichoke app- and the house wine in super cheap. I went with a pretty big group of about 10, and I think it was $22/person for entrees, apps and about 4 bottles of wine (maybe more? they keep it coming)!
The crowd is hilaaarious. Midway through dinner, a woman in a sequined bustier gets up to sing songs like "Let's hear it for the boys" cabaret-style. Every time I'm there, people start dancing on chairs at some point in the night. "Get up and shake your napkin" is the Puglia theme song, so be prepared to sing that at least 3 times during dinner.
Good food+ cheap wine+ bad renditions of 80s pop? I'll be back.
I enjoyed the overall ambiance of the place and the communal dining arrangement. However, I was not impressed with the food we ordered. The two dishes I tried tasted like something I make at home. There's no need to spend $20/entree for something that I can make at home and feed myself for the next few days for less money. Therefore I will not be returning to this restaurant.
Puglia's is like an old friend....you can always go back. I have been eating at this restaurant with my family for as long as I can remember. We celebrated milestones there (birthdays, graduations, etc.) and it never let's down. Jorge is the "in-house band" and unless you're drunk, you'll probably think its too loud. If you're looking for good food but a quiet evening, request to sit in one of the back rooms. Jorge doesn't play back there. The house red (Puglia's makes their own wine!) is absolutely delicious. No need to spend $$$$ on a fancy-shmancy bottle here.
I recently when with some old friends. We shared some calamari (sans the pepperoncini) and it was so good. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside...not chewy like a rubber band. Among our dinners were veal parm, chicken parm, stuffed rigatoni in a pink sauce, and a pasta primavera of sorts. Nothing disappointed us. I can't wait to go back.
Puglia's was once MY Italian joint, well back in college. I haven't been there in ages . . .I've mostly grown away from the "loud kitschy singer" style of Italian, but I remember really liking their Lasagna.
One night, no shit, I was about to go in with some out-of-town guests when a large man in a suit and turtleneck (and large chain) said it was closed for a "Private party." We quickly skeddadled, certain guns would start shooting soon.
This place was the worst place I have ever eaten in...Top to bottom, cleanliness, service, food ,all HORRIBILE. Only the Rice Ball was "OK" Funny thing about it is we didn't even order it , but we ate it anyway.
Eat here if you want stomach pains.
P.S. The Riceball got 1 star.
The food was warm on a cold day and the service was pleasant. That's about the only positive thing about my lunch here. The food was nearly flavorless and overpriced for what we got.
My fave place to come when I visit home. I ALWAYS have my group homecoming dinner here and I have dreams about the carbonara and seafood angolotti. The fried cheesecake is alse delish. Plus, Jeorge is the man! I have been coming here since I was a baby, my dad is painted on the wall and I simply cannot say enough about the atmosphere and food. Nothing fancy or over-the-top, but simple, great American-Italian food and fun for all! (Plus the house wine is like moonshine - a few glasses and you're cooked!)
Aside from the stunning street-side view, the ambiance that is Little Italy, and the possible eye candy walking the sidewalks, Puglia is your run-of-the-mill Italian restaurant.
The only dish I would recommend isn't really the dish but rather a snack is the bread they provide to all patrons. It's tasty and the oil that accompanies it is already mixed and amazing. I couldn't stop eating it after having a big meal of gourment pizza and other things I couldn't remember.
I just know that there was a fine dime breezy sitting next to my table, and I was acting too meek to talk to her. Damn!
The spinach ravioli with marinara was excellent as well as the fresh bread served with our meal. The family-style seating was a nice touch that encouraged an old time sociability. We sat outside for an hour and a half and were not bothered or rushed in any way. It was a great, leisurely meal with tasty fresh ingredients.
I love this place. The pizza is right on. The dishes are great, even the garlic bread is delicious. Its big so there's always a table ready and although they don't sell pizza by the slice, the pies are perfectly sized and reasonably priced. In my opinion this is one of the few real pizza places in the city.
Not your most memorable Italian restaurant. Food is ok, priced good but the atmosphere is a bit crammed. They also have a keyboard singer "One Man Group" or was it "One Man Band" Sorry, I can't remember this guys name but his posters are all over the place.
Service was good though, people are nice and the bar area was good too. I guess too many people in one place is exactly how and Italian restaurant should be.(I dont think so).
If it was bigger then it wouldn't be so crammed....
This family owned and operated restaurant, a Little Italy landmark, has been feeding the masses with hearty Italian fare at this same location since 1919. This is the place to come with the entire family or a crowd of friends. The atmosphere is similar to that of an Italian wedding - loud, boisterous, and lots of fun. There's even live entertainment to add to the party mood. The food is as good as it is plentiful - portions here are huge, and everything is meant to be shared. You can start with either a hot or cold antipasto, or for something unusual, sample a Rice Ball Angelina. The Pasta e Fagioli is a thick soup overflowing with beans and other vegetables. The menu features more than twenty pasta dishes, ranging from $7.95 - 14.95. Especially good are the Penne and Shrimp alla Vodka, the Spinach and Roasted Garlic Ravioli, and the Gnocchi Marinara, thick pillows of potato dough in a simple tomato sauce. Seafood entrees are priced from $15.95 - 23.95. Try the Lemon Sole Casanova, a hefty fish filet pan seared and sauteed with lemon and butter, and served with potato and vegetable. All poultry dishes are $13.95; the standout is Chicken Iscchitana, a large breast overstuffed with eggplant, olives, tomatoes, asparagus, and mozzarella cheese, and served with potato and vegetable. Meat entrees range from $14.95 - 28.95. Steak Contadina, a huge platter of rib steak, chicken, sausage, peppers, potatoes, and onions, is intended for two, but could easily feed four. Brick oven pizzas range from a simple Margarita with fresh tomatoes and basil to their renowned Rigatoni Vodka, an unbelievable combination of pasta and pizza. If you can manage to find the room for dessert, try the spectactular Banana Avalanche, a combination of vanilla ice cream, bananas, banana liqueur, triple sec, port wine, and brown sugar.
We went here after reading reviews of several nearby places on Yelp. The food was great, and the prices were lower than comparably rated places. The portions were also generous. It had a fun atmosphere, but with the singing it was too loud for us to talk.
I love Puglia's. Amazing Italian bread, fresh authentic Italian food...I go there whenever I'm in the city. It's cozy and comfortable and the Italian lounge singer dude (Jorge?) is hilarious. Great red house wine, too. One of my fav restaurants in NYC.
get up. get up. get up and shake your napkin!
best pizza that i have had in eons. loved it. found by chance while wondering around little italy. next time i am in nyc, will definitely hunt it out.
great food and lots of fun. nice place to go with a large group
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