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S.P.Q.R RESTAURANT
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Little Italy
133 Mulberry St
(between Hester St & Grand St)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 925-3120
133 Mulberry St
(between Hester St & Grand St)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 925-3120
- 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:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
Sponsored Result
Special Offer Nearby
Trattoria Toscana
- Category:
- Italian
- Neighborhood:
- West Village
Sunday thru Thursday 10% off for Yelpers (cash only). Lunch specials all week for only $12.50, come join us and see what the Yelp is about
23 reviews for S.P.Q.R RESTAURANT
Yea, what he said.
I probably should have looked on Yelp. I knew Little Italy wasn't the place to go but I thought "how bad can it be?" We were in Soho, my GF said she was in the mood for pasta so we just walked over and picked a place at random. Even if it was just basic American Italian I'd have been happy. There was nothing gross or anything but it was just bland and tasteless for the most part. I think the only thing that wasn't was the dessert.
Pick some place else.
Ewww....Gross....Nasty....Disgusting...and I don't know of any better way to explain it. The ambiance and service make the place appear decent until the "food" comes along. We started off with the combination appetizer dish, which was a red flag on how disappointing my entree was going to be. The appetizer was tasteless, old frozen seafood, and I would have been better satisfied at Long John Silvers. So about ONE HOUR LATER, my entree comes, which was suppose to be chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and spinach. As I sawed my way through the first piece, I already knew that this was completely inedible and I was completely disgusted before I took the first regrettable bite. I have never in my life seen chicken so tough and hard in texture. Personally, I don't even think it was chicken...but probably some poor alley cat that the fake Italian accented waiters caught in the street weeks ago.
Simply put....I wouldn't eat here again if my life depended on it.
Came here with some family last night for a chill, Sunday dinner as we live in NYC and thought Mulberry street would be a nice place to get our grub on. The food was tasty and the outdoor patio provided a lovely ambiance. Here's my crappy little rundown of some of the meal.
APPETIZERS:
-prosciutto + melon = fresh melon but the prosciutto was pretty low grade. certainly edible but i could buy better at the grocery store.
-asparagus salad = my mom got this. the figs in it looked fresh and she had no complaints about it and ate it all.
MAIN (i'll only speak for myself here):
-Salmone= surprisingly well-cooked, crisped outside with tasty sauce and delicious mixed veggie/potato puree sides. I was very pleased with this and i was expecting it to suck.
i also had a bite of my sisters Calimari Marinara and the squid tasted very tender and fresh.
HOWEVER, i have not experienced service this bad in a long time. I drink a lot of water when i eat out and one bottle of Aqcua Panna for the table amongst 4 people during a 2 hour meal is in no way adequate. And we couldn't find our waiter to request more. 10 minutes after our appetizers were brought out, a confused looking busboy brought out our main courses, saw we were still in the midst of the first few bites of our appetizers, and brought them back to the kitchen (where i assume they remained for the next 15-20 minutes or so under hot lights. i wasn't so stoked about this since i ordered fish).
When my mom asked that our table be cleared after our appetizers had been finished for 10 minutes and we were left staring at empty plates, the guy looked offended and got very standoffish.
The biggest annoyance however, was when we were ready to get the check. We asked 5 different waiters a total of about 6 times to grab the check and after 30 minutes had passed, 3 of us left the table and began to walk away (to send a message) while my mom went up to the manager and MADE him write out the check.
WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT SHOULD YOU DINE AT S.P.Q.R.
hardly authentic (while tasty) Italian food, bad service, lovely outdoor ambiance, and an overpriced meal.
The service was very accommodating, the portions were large, and the decor was pleasing.
I didn't like the food here at all. I went for a party and the food and service were awful.
Man.. I got sucked into the hype. My wife always raved about this place when she ate at SPQR in the 80's...
I went to visit family in "the city" and I decided against better judgement to try SPQR with the kids. My 10 year old eats spaghetti with butter so there aren't too many places I can take him.
Walking down Mulberry St is like walking in Mexico. All of the restaurants are hawking people to come in. I walk to SPQR (which is a big place) and I'm shown to our table, The place must have the same rugs and drapes from the 70's.
I order Seafood Abbondanza, everything was mushy and overcooked. My teenager ordered Chicken Parm which he said was OK.
The bill wasn't too expensive but I traveled to "Little Italy" in the city. I should have made food at home.
Pass on this place.
NYBULLY
We came here with some friends and I was not happy about it from the beginning...
First, this place does not look like a restaurant at all. It seems that is more like a 'convention center' huge room turned into a restaurant when is not rented for special/private activities. There is no 'Italian' ambiance to it at all... just lots of tables and lots of waiters running around delivering meals and cleaning tables. However, surprisingly enough, the place was packed. What attracted us to it? The food display outside... I objected going in here but my friends say lets go in... so majority rules.
Second, Sal Anthony's is supposed to take reservations. We did not have one and we just stood to the side of the Host stand for about 15 minutes. A very rude Host took care of people and the list. I know it is a very stressful position trying to juggle large groups and making sure everyone is seated properly, but no need to be rude...
An example witnessed by me: three very pretty, Sex and the City, late 20's looking ladies came in with a reservation for 8pm. They walked in and this is what happened:
Host: "You have to wait for 15 to 20 minutes."
Pretty Lady: "But we had a reservation. Why do we have to wait?"
Host: "People without reservations are waiting longer. So you need to wait your turn!"
The pretty ladies looked at each other and just moved to the side in awe.
And then the 'host' told them: "Can you please move out of the way!"
I would have left by then. I kept trying to convince my other 3 friends to go somewhere else but they wanted to stay... darn!
By the way, we were seated before the pretty ladies with a reservation... so wrong!!!!
We ordered some drinks and surprisingly, they were good. Two "Sinatra" martinis were very tasty and the Chianti red wine was yummy too. However, lets go to the food...
Appetizers were eatable... well, how can you go wrong with tomatoes and and mozzarella... Salad was fresh and dressing tasty.
As for the main course... eeeeeek!
I had the pork with mushrooms, onions and peppers with white wine sauce. We also had the veal parmigiana and the chicken in white wine sauce.
The dinner plates looked pathetic... too much plate and not enough food. Half of a small baked potato and no veggies. My pork loin was so thin that I was wondering what the hell it was at first... never seen a pork that thin... The chicken was the same. The best dish was the veal parmigiana with too much breaded crumbs. I ate my pork, but if it was not due to the fact that I was hungry, I would have left it...
Lets just say that the meal displays outside were better looking (and probably better tasting) than the food we got...
As for dessert, this was the best part of the meal. We had a "sampler" which was a little bit of everything: cannoli, cheesecake, chocolate mousse and cake. The cannoli was the best I've had in a long time (hence the one-star).
Service was good even though our waitress was constantly running around taking care of a "million" people in her section, she was friendly and nice. We sat at the table for a while after dinner was completed finishing our coffees and dessert. At anytime, we felt rushed or asked to leave. She let us stayed for as long as we wanted. I think we closed the place down... with a private activity going on upstairs, we had some band music going on in the background.
The Final Verdict:
Restaurant Ambiance/Decor: 1.0 out of 5.0
Staff Service/friendliness : 4.0 out of 5.0
Seating Arrangement/Layout: 1.0 out of 5.0
Seating Comfort: 3.0 out of 5.0
Alcohol/Wine Taste: 5.0 out of 5.0
Alcohol/Wine Price Value: 3.0 out of 5.0
Food Quality/Flavor: 1.0 out of 5.0
Food Price Value: 1.0 out of 5.0
Bathrooms Cleanliness: 4.0 out of 5.0
Overall Price Value: 1.0 out of 5.0
Final Score: 24 out of 50 (48 out of 100% or F grade)
Final Comment: A place that should be left off the restaurant market and just rent it out for private activities only... even then, I would not do it. Food was crappy, rude Host, cramped and the only good thing to eat here is the desserts.
Do not be lured into SPQR by the external appearance of a fine Italian restaurant. You will be let down. Hard.
Have you ever heard of Baked Ziti Marinara without the Marinara???
The waiter tried to pass off a $20 'Family Style' platter of baked ziti with virtually no sauce and some rubbery mozzarella cheese melted on top as the SPQR 'style'. Um....does that sound a little like bogus BS?
Many Italian places define themselves by the quality and richness of their red sauce. Not SPQR - they just don't bother putting any sauce at all on the pasta. That 6 ounce Healthy Choice Microwaved entree I had for lunch was more edible than this platter of dry macaroni.
I also ordered Mozzarella in Carrozza as an app since my Aunt used to make a wonderful version of this dish having taken a Northern Italian cooking class, so I figured I would give it a whirl at SPQR.
The experience of attempting to consume this dish is one I would equate with taking one's 10 year old loose leaf note book paper and wrapping it in bread found after dumpster diving, then bathing a sandwich of these 'ingredients' in a deepfryer. My friend said this item was similar to the Mozzarella Sticks found on McDonalds 99cents menu. For SPQR this is the highest compliment.
I have to say for faux Italian fine dining SPQR does remind one of a mid level catering hall in New Jersey and I mean that as a positive.
SPQR gets 2 stars and I am being generous - one being for the relatively decent atmosphere and the other for the fact that yes, we did get fed and no one in my party got ill.
Just go somewhere else. Simple.
This was one of the rare places where the service was better than the food.
It was pouring outside on a Saturday night and we just wanted to duck into a place, ANY place, on Mulberry for dinner.
I don't remember much of the dinner - it was THAT forgettable - but the ricotta cheese cake definitely made an impression. It tasted like soggy corn bread!
If you're looking for something with character, don't go here.
With that said, S.P.Q.R. offers meals for affordable prices. Meals that are pretty good, but not great or memorable. This isn't the Italian food that you probably expect to have when you visit Little Italy. The service was friendly, but a little too attentive at times. For example, we were offered parmesan cheese by different wait staff at least four different times. We caved eventually, so they'd leave us alone. The restaurant is huge and would be good for groups.
I sometimes wonder if other reviewers have actually been to the same restaurants that I have. Yes, SPQR is a bit touristy but so is almost everything else in Little Italy so you can't hold that against them!
I think the food at SPQR is very good - if you can get there early enough, the prix fixe menu is a great deal for dinner. Appetizer, entree and dessert for $30 in Manhattan! I had the veal marsala and was excellent! I've had the pasta here too and it's also a good choice.
I dined alone while travelling on business and found the waiters to be very attentive - something that does not always happen when dining solo.
SPQR is definitely worth a try!
We wandered through Little Italy one evening and really couldn't tell the difference from one restaurant to the next. We chose SPQR since they had a table available outside to enjoy the Little Italy ambiance. The food and service was all enjoyable. We had pasta and pizza between us and it was quite tasty.
This place claimed to have 'world famous gnocchi' and it was good, don't get me wrong, but the service was soooo slow.
Also, it's not completely their fault, as it was a warm night and the windows were open, but there were some little gnats and flies - one of which landed in the wine, and one landed in the bread. A definite turn off!
The prixe fixe is a pretty good deal, and the house red wine was great, but I have never finished a meal of gnocchi ever, and I finished my dish. Portions therefore, are not that large.
It was decent, but I'd pick another place if I went to Little Italy again.
AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE BLACK PLAGUE!
I generally don't dine at Italian restaurants, especially the mediocre ones, because 99% of the Italian restaurants in NY suck big time. NY Italian food just plain stinks. No variety. It's the same garbage: pasta and tomato sauce. BORING!!!! Though, it's not hard to make spaghetti w/ marinara sauce but these places always mess it up. How? I am not a fan of NY Italian food and this place only validates my bias.
So I was forced to come here b/c a farewell luncheon was held for a co-worker/reservist who was being shipped to Iraq for that bogus and illegal war. When the email came out that the luncheon was being held here, I almost cried. I knew it wasn't going to be good. My coworkers agreed it sucked but it was cheap. Here's my take on this sorry restaurant.
1. Penne alla Vodka: barely edible. The sauce was absolutely not seasoned. This dish lacked any real flavor. On the plus side, there were small chunks of tomatoes and the pasta was al dente. Unfortunately for us, it was all downhill from here. Not good.
2. Veal Marsala: Funny taste. Not good.
3. Chicken Parmesan: Some people thought this was the veal dish. Horrible!
4. Salmon: Tasted slimy and had no salmon flavor. I know what salmon tastes like since I normally cook it at home. It's very easy to prepare. I'm a fan of Alaskan sockeye. This thing that was served to us didn't even taste like salmon. Plus, the skin was nowhere to be found. Who the heck serves salmon without the skin unless it's specified in advance? The real flavor is in the crispy skin! HORRIBLE!
5. Italian Cheesecake: Very, very gritty and the cake was not light in color. It was brown. Normally, Italian cheesecake is yellowish or light beige in color since it's made with ricotta cheese, eggs, and orange peel. Not this one. It was an ugly brown color and had no flavor.
6. Chocolate Mousse: This was a slice of yellow cake with light-brown frosting. NOT A MOUSSE. Not good. What a bunch of idiots.
7. Tiramisu: Tiramisu is supposed to have the lady fingers dipped in rum or some other liquer and layered with mascarpone cheese. What a surprise! This dish had neither of those. The ladyfingers were very dry. Again, no real flavor. Horrible!
Here's the kicker: I asked a waiter to bring us a peppermill. He brought a generic pepper shaker. He stated that the restaurant didn't have a peppermill. I didn't believe him and looked for one myself. Voila! I saw two of them on a table in the middle of the restaurant. Little Italy places are not very good. But then most, but not all, Italian restaurants in NYC are not very good. How the Italians in NY fL|cked up the cuisine is beyond me. Stay away from Little Italy if you want good Italian food.
And for those Yelpers who gave this place 4 or 5 stars, may god/allah/mithras/buddha have mercy on your soul.
BTW: how in the world did citysearch give this place 4.5 stars? so sad...
http://newyork.citysea...
To be fair my Nonna Hug would have loved the decor of this place- open, walnut walls, a zillion tables, just like an italian joint from 1955 except the service was embarrasing, I cringed on several occasions . That said at least the servers were very sweet and nice so I won't trash them personally...
The food was really really disappointing- two slices of honeydew with two slices of low grade prosciutto, hospital quality romaine salad, box linguine (forget about al dente) with canned clams, roasted garlic, etc...
There are a thousand other perfectly decent real italian restaurants in the city- chose one, any one...
Cheers,
Very standard Italian-American food that any tourist might expect. Caters to large groups (especially school field trips). Not intimate and lacking character since it's more of a banquet hall.
Pluses: fast service and FANTASTIC Italian wedding cake!
Admittedly I've come here only for corporate gatherings and not personal ventures for Italian eats. Despite that that I have neither paid nor chosen anything on the menu, of the 3 times I've eaten here its been a fantastic venue with friendly service, spacious seating, and incredibly decent food.
Each year as I've attended, I've been lucky to be situated in the private room upstairs and being subject to their wine bar and catered food. The options vary each year, but my favorites have been the ravioli al benevenuto, linguine in clam sauce, and spaghettini con polpette. I've also noticed how expensive these items are on the menu ($15-19 each for "pasta") and realized if I had paid I psychologically would not have enjoyed it as much. Service was classy and friendly without being overly pretentious. I think the 1st / main door is well decorated with plenty of outdoor seating.
My friends and I were seduced into eating here on a friday night at 7:30 by a sign posted out front: pasta specials. This place is in the heart of touristy little italy, where a plate of pasta costs at least double what it would anywhere else. However, it was a nice night and we wanted to drink sangria, eat outside, and people watch. This place allowed us to do all that, with reasonably priced but tasty pasta.
We got a table on the sidewalk, sat down, and were immediately assaulted by the first of our 5-6 waiters/waitresses. Our table was a flurry of activity all night, as one waiter repeatedly came over with fresh pepper and cheese for our pasta, another came by to refill our sangria glasses, and various other people came to take our order or bring bread or clear our plates. It was never really clear who our waiter was, but it didn't really matter because someone was constantly coming by the table. One waiter looked like he was about 14 and I thought he was going to cry when I said no pepper, please, the 3rd time he offered.
The sangria was deliciously fruity but it packed a powerful and covert punch, as we were all falling off the sidewalk (literally - my friend's plastic chair fell off the sidewalk and she had to grab the table to avoid falling into the street) after one pitcher. However, this was no ordinary pitcher -- it yielded 3 glasses of fruity goodness for each of us!
The pasta itself, which we all ordered from the specials, was average for NY, but anywhere else in the good italian food deprived country it would be fantabulous. But we weren't really there for the food, we were there for the neighborhood. I had the house special pasta (pasta sal anthony), which had a good pink sauce and a few bits of prosciutto. We all ordered from the specials, not sure what the real meals are like.
my issue with most italian restaurants is that i can make most of the dishes they offer; and even make them much better for cheaper. (that's my secret, i'm actually domesticated! shhhhh!)
anyways, i always tend to order gnocchi, if they have it. i feel as though it is a decent test. as easy as it is to make; it is equally easy to f up! in the spirit of that, i ordered the gnocchi. it was good and so was the bolognese. we also ordered calamari, which was pretty damn de-lish, and was actually the best part.
the prices were moderate, considering the location; and the staff was very attentive and friendly. ohhh and i mustn't forget to mention that the cappuccino was really really good too!
overall- i left happy, with a full belly and i didn't have to pay the bill.... that's really all that matters. :)
My boyfriend and my parents went here on my boyfriend's first visit to the city. We did a lot of sight-seeing type stuff because it was his first time there, and by the time we made our way through Times Square, past St Pat's, by the tree, through Central Park, along Canal St in China Town and to Mulberry Street, we were all really tired and pretty hungry. We walked up and down the street looking for a good place to eat. We went inside one place, I can't remember the name, but it had a pretty terrible smell, so (very uncharacteristic of me) I told my family I didn't want to stay and turned around and we walked out the door. We kept walking and the wind really picked up and some glasses blew off a table so we decided just to duck in the next place we saw... Sal Anthony's. It looked nice enough, not very charming or cozy inside, but clean and nice. We were seated by a rude host and greeted by an even more rude waitress. My first two meal choices were unavailable and it wasn't even late in the evening, I couldn't believe they were out of shrimp and out of fresh mozzarella - how does that happen at an Italian restaurant?? So I ordered my 3rd choice and headed down to the bathroom. The bathroom was DISGUSTING. It was so filthy. The trash can had been tipped over, its contents strewn about the room, wadded up paper towels on the sink (because the trash can was lying on the ground) and broken stall doors. I was so afraid to approach the stalls after seeing how the rest of the bathroom was, and turns out, I was right to feel that way. The stalls were in complete disarray....toilet paper everywhere, clogged toilets, broken latches. It was really terrible. After seeing that I did NOT want to eat there, but we had already ordered and my family was eating bread and sipping wine when I got back upstairs. I told the host that the bathroom was in bad shape and he just shrugged it off. When the food came, it tasted terrible. My pasta had this off taste to it like it was cooked in dirty water that had been sitting out. Normally I'd be disappointed that I didnt get much food on my plate for the cost of the meal. but I didn't care because it was so awful. I was disappointed that this was my boy's first experience in Little Italy. I will never ever go back again, and I urge you not to either.
Easily the best Italian restuarant I've eaten at in the city. The few times I've been here, I've never had a problem getting a table. I think the longest I've had to wait was possibly 10min. Of course, thats probably because the first floor is huge compared to the other restuarants in the area. Plus, there is a second floor which I'm guessing is used for parties & special events. The wait staff are very quick & courteous. I don't think I've ever had anything here that wasn't delicious. (Including the drinks!) My favorite entree is the boneless trout (Trotello al Rosmarino). The decor is very nice and near fancy. Its a great place to impress a date but keep in mind that the place is kinda pricey. You'll easily drop $100 if you're buying dinner for two.
what a tourist trap. and the group of us that ate there are all native to NYC, so i'm embarrassed.
it was me, my parents, and my husband. we were just walking down mulberry street on this fine summer evening and decided to eat here. and we saw the "specials" board which was boasting a prix fixe deal, so we sat. then we were told we didnt read the fine print on the chalkboard (which didn't exist). Apparently they were lunch prix fixe specials but still had the sign out. My dad convinced the manager to let 2 of us get the prix fixe since they shoud have taken the sign down earlier.
the table was ridiculously wobbly. and the chairs were too low for the tables. i ordered the swordfish that was supposed to be marinated and grilled. it came plain and broiled. when i complained, they said they would make me a new one right away. several minutes later, they brought me the same piece of fish i had sent back with some seasoning and fresh grill marks on it. i know it was the piece i sent back because it was missing piece where i had taken a bite. it also took 15 minutes to find a waiter to bring us some water.
i can't even remember the rest of the horrible experience except that i wqould never recommend it to anyone.
Nice restaurant in the heart of Little Italy! Had lunch there which was a Prix Fixe deal and I ate the fried calamari appetizer and the Chicken with tomato and basil sauce. Was very good. Was with my other half and we had the pitcher of Sangria, but it seemed a little watered down to me. I can tell cause I drink Sangria OFTEN! LOL! And this one was watered down no doubt. The staff was attentive and friendly.
