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Northern Blvd (G, R, V)
61st St (7)
Tue-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 2:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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When I told my NYC friend i wanted to eat some good, genuine Italian food, he did not let me down! This place was absolutely the best Italian food I have EVER had. He found this place thanks to Zagat, and we happened to drop in during their opera night. It gets really festive in there with the tenor and his lady singing all kinds of opera hits. While they belted their lungs out, we enjoyed three cheese pizza, a lasagne type dish in a bowl, and to top it off they serve their alfredo or cheese pastas by taking a bunch of pasta into a carved out cheese wheel and melt/mix it right in front of you. The service is very attentive, friendly and impeccable. Well worth the money since its not exactly affordable. Definitely looked down an alleyway so walk in groups, especially if you're visiting.
I've been to Sapori about a dozen times I'd say, and I NEVER leave disappointed. The only time I didn't thoroughly enjoy my meal is when I ordered a squah "lasagna", which while very interesting, was too sweet overall for my liking.
My favorites:
Appetizers - Pureed Artichoke (may be my favorite dish on the planet), Bacala (unbelievably fluffy), Beef Carpaccio over Arugula
Pasta - Parpadelle with Sausage, and of course the dish that made this place famous, the fettucine d'al Antonio. Also had a ravioli special yesterday, Crimini Mushroom and Goat Cheese in brown butter...FANTASTIC.
Entree - I'm on a bit of a fennel kick lately, so I love the Fennel Crusted Pork Chop with Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes. The Briased Short Rib dish is also excellent.
Pizza - I only ever had the seafood pizza, but that too was great.
The wine list is also impressive for all the drinkers out there.
While many olks get lost trying to find Sapori for the first time, since it's in an industrial not commerical area, it's actually quite easy to get to. Because it's in that industrial area, there is always plenty of parking come dinner time. It's also just 3 blocks from the Northern Blvd. station on the G, R and V line, so even if you're not driving it's easy to get to.
Really I should give this place 5 stars, except for one minor mistake that was made a while back, but we will get to that later because this food is outrageously good, amazingly, impossibly delicious. When I go there I think that if I were to win the lottery I would only eat food from Sapori D'ischia, it's that fantastic.
I have not had a million different things at SD because once I had the special pasta served table-side I had to keep having it every single time i went back. I'm very loyal to a great dish and this is one I can't see myself forsaking. The flavors of cheese and truffle oil and the firm tangles of homemade fettucini are almost unbearably delicious, it's like, great sex watch out because this pasta is better than you!
My husband and I always share the artichoke puree with the little pieces of pancetta strewn around, sopped up with the crusty bread, it's painfully good and I'm craving it now just writing about it.
The deserts are delicious but not always consistently as good as the main courses, hence the 4 stars and the service does not live up the the quality of the food itself. A shame, however, the service now is way better than when I first ate there in 2008. It will get better I'm sure. Okay, get your butt out to Woodside and eat this food before you die, you will not regret it.
Amazing. This place is located rather obscurely, but once you find it, you'll be glad because it's a charming, cozy place. Their pasta is homemade, and it is too delicious. I had the rustic gnocci with muchrooms and truffles in a creamy truffle sauce, and it was so rich and creamy that I couldn't even finish it. But it was really flavorful. I also tasted the pasta a fuorimano, (homemade pasta sheets with spinach, ricotta and tomatoes) which was also delicious. For dessert, I can't remember exactly what I had, but I rememeber it involving crostini, nutella, banana, and a scoop of gelato. Can't go wrong there.
They have Opera Night on Thursdays, by the way. The singers are a bit older, sing fine, and are very friendly. Also, there are imported Italian groceries in the back of the store, and seeing all of them grouped on shelves reminded me of when I was in Italy. Lovely.
The tap water issue could be annoying, but, it's an excuse to get some sparkling water with your meal. Not the worst thing in the world.
still, just about as good as it gets. like so much about this place. it's location, the food, the service. authentic and sumptuous food.
still very good. still need to pay for water. Read more »
After reading all the good reviews my boyfriend took me out to this place.
If he wouldn't tell me that this place is a deli during day i would be surprised with all shelves and refreshment fridge in the back, kind of cheapens the experience. I would say with setting like that prices are way too high. The owner needs to decide either he wants the restaurant or deli, both don't go together.
Salad $10 with arugula and asparagus had some weird aftertaste. I didn't even finished it, which is rear for me. My boyfriend wasn't impressed with his salad either.
My dish was talapia. For $26 dish was way toooooo small: tasted alright. My boyfriend liked his pasta dish.
Service was not that great. We had to ask for bread because waiter didn't offer it to us, my boyfriend had to ask for his beer twice. Desert, not bad, but extremely tiny for the price. At last, when we got the bill they charged us $4 for water which we didn't have.
So, I won't be back.
This place located in some isolated, undesirable area but has hefty Manhattan prices. Besides shelves and fridge in the back is plain ghetto. Take your money and go to Bliss at Skillman and 46 st, much cheaper, food excellent and great atmosphere.
That's all.
Who would of thought that my GPS would lead me to such a wonderful place? I was hungry and lost in the area and couldn't handle another minute without getting out of the car and stuffing my face. I decided that the first place that came up would be is where I would gorge.
Yay for the GPS gods because I hit the jackpot. I was a little skeptical of the half deli/half dining set up (I went at lunch, I heard the dining room is set up differently at night). I had to sit on the booth side with my back against the wall because I am Italian like that.
Our server was awesome! So friendly and gave us great recommendations. All of our food was outstanding ( I don't use that word lightly). The meat and cheese plate was to die for, the salmon and artichokes were amazing, and the four cheese pizza was inhaled off my plate. For the amount of lunch food I ate, the prices were so reasonable, I almost thought that the bill had been totaled incorrectly.
The only thing I didn't absolutely love was my cappuccino. I can't really give a reason besides that I have had better.
Go, go, go!
Perhaps after reading all the glowing reviews I went to a Sapori D'Ischia in an alternate universe. I truly hated this place. First, the restaurant is so dark that I could not see my food. Also, you have to PAY for water. I should have asked the waiter for an empty glass and then fill it at the bathroom sink. There were no veal dishes the night I went. Could you imagine? An Italian restaurant with no veal? I ordered a pasta dish and was entirely underwhelmed. I wish I could have given zero stars.
I was looking forward to the 3-course white truffle prix fixe as soon as I heard about it. For some reason hopstop wasn't showing the V running so we took the 7 to Woodside (a little bit of a trek but not too bad) We excitedly ordered the 3 course meal, which changes every Tuesday.
First of all, it is a pretty cute restaurant/store. I head out to Queens often to visit relatives and was expecting the 2 stops difference on the 7 to yield a similar neighborhood. Instead its a lonely warehouse-y stretch with nothing else open at night. They use a lot of candles to make it feel less like you are dining in a market, but our table was a little cramped. When a large man sat at the table behind me I ended up with staff bumping into my chair the entire night, but I think I had basically the wost seat in the house and any other table would have been better.
The amuse (large enough to have been a full order) was chestnut soup - rich, creamy, with a hint of truffle oil. It was one of the best parts of the meal actually. I was pretty disappointed that the first course was not fresh pasta as others get in the past. Our dish was risotto, which I love but can easily make myself and their version, though good, was a bit boring. It was a basic risotto with onion and truffle oil and 3 shavings of truffle. I couldn't help but notice our portion was not large - appetizer size, and the table of four next to us that had also ordered the prix fixe had literally twice the amount of risotto - entree sized. (Not a big deal since I was full but interesting to note)
The last course was filet (although it was a thin piece). They did not ask us how we wanted our steak prepared and we forgot to specify so unfortunately we were served medium instead of medium rare. It was pretty flavorful though, and the vegetables were well cooked. The steak was good, but either the cut of meat or the degree it was cooked made it just a little less than ideal. 3 shavings of truffle sat on the steak.
I don't want to knock the meal because overall everything we had was very good and I would recommend the restaurant to anyone who was interested. The fresh pasta looked great and I wish we could have tried it. However, it is billed as a truffle dinner and instead of being the truffle bargain of the century it is rather a good meal with a hint of truffle. I knew the price was too good to be true! They rely more on truffle oil then actual truffle so it really lacks the truffle punch that we were hoping for. Truffle oil is not real truffle and if I wanted chemical enhancement I would just use the bottle sitting in my own kitchen. So if you are looking for a good Italian meal, this is a worthy candidate, but don't have expectations of satisfying a truffle craving here if you are like me and seriously love white truffles.
Two things that were annoying - no tap water and $4 for a bottle of still water. No prices for wine by the glass listed (seems to be about $10-12 based on our bill) but other than the water thing prices are fair. The service is just ok - no apologies for the bumping and a pretty inattentive waiter. The owner was nice, he ran after us to the door to wish us a good evening.
I stumbled upon this place a few years ago driving through on my way to Jackson Heights for some Colombian food. The first time I was there was one the most memorable dining experiences I've ever had!!! I'm pretty OCD with food and I've always had the same thing when dining there...Polpette and Fettucini which was recomended to us by the outstanding server, which was by far the best service I've ever recieved in NY! The octopus I believe is baby octopus with nice texture and consistency. Not sure if it starts out on the grill but it ends up in a terra cotta bowl with some giant capers, some radichio and canellini beans (I believe) with a sauce probably made from the cooking of all the above ingredients. Just great!!!! There is a little votive under the terra cotta keeping the dish nice and warm, nice:)
The best fettucini I've ever had was there!!! As you've probably read in other reviews they roll a cart with half a wheel of Parmesean cheese, break it up with serving utensils, mix it up and then top it off with truffle oil before plating it in front of you....Delightful!!! You'll need an espresso after that!
The place is pricey but very worth it. The place has a classy rustic ambience to it but can be a bit too formal for a casual bite(nothing wrong with that I supose) I've been there a total of about 5-7 times for more formal diners but since I don't live that far from there I popped in there tonight wearing a pair of shorts and sneakers ( I thought they would have a dress code but they told me I was fine) and enjoyed those two dishes and a glass of delicious white wine, pinot bianco...so I think I'll be stopping by for more informal bites at this fantastic Italian restaurant.
WB surprised me Friday night by whisking me off to...........Woodside Queens?! As it became apparent that we were in Woodside my mind filled with Thai possibilities. But Italian, i had no idea Woodside would have good Italian food. We started with the fried calamari, eating entire mini octopi made me feel extremely carnivorous. The artichoke appetizer reminded me of the vegetable souffle I had weeks earlier at Itzocan Cafe, both delicious. Most things were sauteed or fried in bacon fat which made me feel even more of a bad Jew since it was Shabbos and I left dinner craving ice cream. The Fettuccine Antonio was highly recommended by our waiter and seemed to be "the thing to get" when looking around at the other diners. The idea was more exciting than the actual dish-lightly buttered spaghetti tossed in a wheel of Parmesan with pieces of prosciutto and truffle oil. EVERYTHING HAD TRUFFLE OIL or truffle essence. On Tuesday nights they offer a price fixe truffle menu! We split a swordfish entree that was good, but nothing special. When WB went to the bathroom the owner came over to me and asked in a heavy Italian accent "Your first date yes?". I told him it wasn't, but it still felt like our first date. He insisted on buying us a drink at the bar. He proceeded to show us his hunting pictures while the bartender rolled his eyes like "He does this all the time." I love personal touches like that. One for the books!
This place is fantastic! I live in Woodside, so when looking up places in my neighborhood, and saw this place, I knew I had to try it - and it paid off!
My boyfriend is 100% Italian, so it takes a lot to impress him, and the quality of the food here was up to par. We shared the artichoke with peppers appetizer, which was good, but not my favorite. I got the lasagna with ricotta, spinach, and cherry tomato sauce - yum! The pasta sheets were clearly homemade, and delicious. Very rustic dish. My boyfriend got the pasta made in the big cheese wheel (seemed like we should try it, since everyone wrote about it) and it was to die for! It puts any alfredo sauce made with cream to shame.
It was a very romantic atmosphere, and kind of cute with the boxes of Italian goodies all around us. I can't wait to go back and try more things (pizza, octopus...and everything else!) and bring more people! This is definitely going to be my go-to place!
ps We went there this past Friday, and they took other credit cards besides AmEx.
Don't get me wrong, I like this place, however, here comes the but.....of many of the new places I have tried, I am not dying to go back tomorrow....maybe in a couple of weeks.
For an appetizer, I had burrata (a creamy mozzarella) with truffles and truffle oil on a frisee. The cheese was stupendous...but on top of the frisee was not very complimentary. My husband had the Budino di carcioffi, which is a paste of the artichoke heart on top of peppers and pancetta. It was very good, but not to die for. Our entrees, lamb shank over gnocci (not homemade) and rustic gnocci (definitely homemade) with muchrooms and truffles in a creamy truffle sauce was definitely good, but again, not to die for.
Lately, I have just become so spoiled by many of the places that I have recently found that it is taking a bit more than usual to impress me.
The atmosphere was interesting and very nice, but the food just needs a little bit more excitement for me to give it 4 stars.
I will return, and try something else and write back again. There is a chance that I just haven't ordered that dish that will leave me desperately wanting more.
This place is in the most obscure location but it truly is a find. This is my favorite Italian restaurant and everyone who I've taken here loves it. The food here is amazing. I've had the artichoke buddino, buffalo mozzarella, fettuccine Antonio (pasta from the huge wheel of cheese, which is crazy delicious), the rack of lamb...all of it is great. I usually dress nice when I come here but I think its pretty casual since it technically doubles as a restaurant (primarily a distributor). They had live piano when I went, which was very nice too. The service is friendly and knowledgeable. It is pricey but well worth it, IMHO!
WOW is all I can say. My friend and I had heard really good things about this place and its literally a 5 minute walk from our apartment, so we had to go. This was probably the best Italian I've had in a really long time. I had a glass of cabernet and it was delicious and went well with the unlimited salad and breadsticks...no just kidding, this isn't olive garden but there was unlimited bread with olive oil. I had the potato gnocchi with lobster and some other stuff and it was amazing. The portions are smallER than you're probably used to, especially at an Italian restaurant but honestly it was just enough to feel pleasantly full. My friend got the fettuccine alfredo thats served from a cheese wheel. WOW! We got dessert as well which was delightful and was a great ending to our wonderful meal. The service was also very good. Everyone was very friendly and appreciated our business. Its an expensive, go once in a while or special occasion kind of place but you should definitely go at least once. 5 stars!!
For those that don't already know the deal with this place, it's a wholesale food market during the day. My understanding is they sell to some pretty high-end Italian restaurants. At night, they shove the display cases aside and turn the place into a restaurant, cooking with the same ingredients they sell to others. The atmosphere and neighborhood are very warehouse-y and the waitstaff is awesome. Its sort of like they've converted one of those illegal factory apartments into a killer restaurant. The pasta is made fresh and I can only imagine the meat dishes are off the hook (I'm a veg).
They have an awesome prix fixe menu on Wednesday nights and they advertise live music on other nights. The "live music" is just a guy with a karaoke machine singing Rat Pack songs. Which makes me happy.
This is a fantastic out of the way find in the middle of Queens! The food is awesome! We had the spare rib on mashed potatoes, the gnocchi with lobster and the paparadella with a sausage ragu. All the dishes were splendid with great flavors and nice sized servings. Bon Appetite!
One of the best authentic Italian places I've been to. Many Italian restaurants are very Italian American, meaning very salty, heavy processed tomato sauces with the pasta drenched in nasty sauce. This place feels like you've just gone to Italy. Italian food in the US is so different than if you actually go to Italy.
For those who had a chance to go to Italy, they know what I mean. The food is totally different and also the pizzas.
They have really great fried artichokes, and the sausage Parpadelle is excellent! The Pizzas are also So SO good. It's not your average NY style pizza, it's the real Italian deal!
Go for lunch because if you go for dinner, the prices double.
It is located where a whole bunch of warehouses are. It is a restaurant/ food market by day and hoppin restaurant with live music at night.
For lunch, this place is a steal. The entrees are half the price of what they are for dinner, though the menu is slightly more limited. I am really obsessed with their homemade ravioli... they have different ravioli specials each day and yesterday I had the beat ravioli with browned butter sauce. The flavors were to die for! And at $10, I feel like I robbed someone...
People often seem to complain that you have to buy water here. I don't really find it a problem though. Large bottles of sparkling or bottled water are $2. It isn't that bad. Two people can split them.
Also the atmosphere of this place is so sweet and cute. Sure it is in the back of an Italian warehouse, but I love the rustic decor of the restaurant part. It feels very authentically Italian.
Apparently Monday through Friday between 5 and 7pm there are half priced pizzas and glasses of wine at the bar.... and outdoor seating! Sure you are looking out on the Wonder Bread or Tire factory on the street, but that's kind of what I love about the place.
Not what I expected. First of all, this little eatery is located in a quiet warehouse area of Woodside. Then I walk in and it's quite quaint and it's has all these tables set up by freezers. Yes freezers w/meats, cheese and other products lining the perimeter of the area. It's a store by day and a restaurant by nite. Talk about getting all your ingredients fresh!
We ordered this pasta dish w/a cheesy sauce and the waiter pulls out this cart with a big wheel of cheese on it. There's a big hole in it and he pours the hot pasta and chicken into the cheese roll to toss. This truly a spectacle to witness. It's a lovely ambiance despite seeing the refrigerated products draped w/clear plastic. It makes me want to do some shopping...
This place is awesome, get the Alfredo. I dont even like Alfredo and this place makes me want to beg for more.
Great owners too by the way. I remember sitting with the Clintons there about 3 years ago.
So I have been touring Queen's fine dining spots and happen to have this place recommended to me. Apparently, it's a grocery store by day and they open the restaurant for dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 in the evenings - they are closed Mondays which I found out the hard way.
The food was excellent, fresh, affordable, and romantic. They also have an Italian singer serenade the guests and at times it can be a bit much..
The food is the best part about this experience. Some of the pasta dishes are thrown together in front of you in a bowl hollowed out of cheese. What a site that is. Definitely, recommend it to anyone who loves Italian.
Update: I went back here last night and friends and I all shared several dishes:
4 course white truffle tasting menu ($75):
-frise salad with fresh mozzarella and white truffle oil and truffle shavings
-risotto with truffle oil, truffle shavings, etc
-veal medallions with truffle shavings, sauteed broccoli rabe, purple potatoes
-gelato with truffle honey
-Ravioli stuffed with quail and shitake mushrooms
-Fettucine Al Antonio: prosciutto, parmesan, truffle essence (prepared in wheel of parmesan)
-Short ribs with mashed potatoes, balsamic onions
-char-grilled octopus
The service was really good and I liked how the servers catered to our request to eat family style. I enjoyed everything except the meat entrees. They were good but not excellent. In the future, I would just come here for appetizers and fresh pasta.
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I don't usually go out for Italian food, not that I don't like it but most Italian restaurants are pretty much the same.
Last week, I came here with 3 other people on a Friday night (no reservation) and had a pleasant dining experience. We were able to find street parking with no problem. The place is in the middle of nowhere.
My only complaint is that they do not serve tap water here. You can't even ask for it and have to pay for water.
You can munch on bread with olive oil and olives while looking at the menu. The fried octopus appetizer was great, nice and crunchy and came with a tasty sauce with beans, onions, etc.
I had the pasta with leeks and prosciutto which was very fresh. I also tried a bit of the pasta with parmesan and prosciutto. They bring out a large wheel of cheese that is hollowed out, then place the pasta inside and toss it around. It was kind of rich but tasty.
They also had a keyboard player that serenaded the guests, kind of cheesy but enjoyable. I wouldn't mind going back to try some other items on the menu.
I first heard about the place when i was reading the back of my Mario Batali cookbook on where to buy Italian ingredients in NY. Of course I'd just heard about the shop- I didn't realized it was a restaurant. So of course I had to go there to eat (I mean why just buy italian ingredients from them when I can have them prepare the food too, right?)
The food was a-mazing. The atmosphere was really cute too, very quaint and kitschy with the meatcases and shelves of pasta lining the walls... the singer was fun too.
Yes, it's pricy, especially when you think that you have to schlep yourself through Woodside's vacant looking warehouse section. But it's not as skeevy of a walk as it seems and yes, the food makes it all worthwhile.
I had the gnocci, my husband had the osso bucco. I had a bite of my husband's dish so I can vouch that his meal was great as well (and I don't even like to eat meat!)
So all in all a great meal, would have given the place 5 stars except A) the location and B) the fact that the only credit card the take is american express (I mean really now...)
I always recomeend this place as it is so unique with high quality food. It's a gem tucked in an obscure warhouse section of Queens, yet a short walk from the R/V train. Unfortunately, I feel the place has become more Americanized lately and as a result quality has declined.
While the live music is a good idea in theory, it can be quite loud, drowning out conversation.
Service is great and I highly recommend the truffle pasta tossed in the hollowed out wheel of parmesan. This is best shared as anappetizer since its a bit rich. Don't forget to shop ofr olive oil and fresh frozen pasta on the way out!
I like it here. I like the way it looks: oddly romantic and cool looking when you walk thru the velvet curtain. Great pasta dishes. I love the olives and bread on the table. Good wines. And they have personal size pizzas. It's not the biggest menu but there are some dishes that always hit the spot! The last time I was there, a guy was playing the piano. Not so loud and obnoxious that we couldn't talk. Just right. I think this is a good date place and they have a sweet little bar up front that is open to the street in nicer weather. Also tables outside (again, warmer weather.)
If you've ever been to Italy and miss the just right gnocchi or the Italian rule about "no cheese on your fish" this is the place for you.
The food is phenomenal although prices are Manhattan style. The decor is romantic and personal-fairly quiet except for weekend nights when they have a live band. There's even a little grocery with tables for two in the back (this is where to sit-particularly if you want to feel like you're in Lady & theTramp). The Frutti-Di-Mare Linguini Nere or the house special "Fettucini Antonio" are amazing but so is everything else. oh and fyi they don't serve tap water (another Italian thing) so expect to buy bottled "sparkling or flat" with your dinner.
My bf and I came here for Valentine's Day and really enjoyed ourselves. The food and service were excellent. They had a nice little band playing to (soft, added to the ambiance.) They only glich happened at the end of the night when our bill came. ($188 {2 glasses of wine @$10 each, 2 entrees for $75 each}) Apparently they only take cash and AmEx! It was our own fault... we just assumed they took visa. The maitre'd was very nice, and said it happens occasionally and I popped out to the atm. All in all a very nice experience.
Tried for the first time tonight for a celebratory dinner, cant say enough good things about it. The atmosphere is super cozy and the food is some of the best Italian cuisine ever tasted. The menu is fairly priced and moderately limited, make sure to bring cash or American express only. Cant wait to go back, I already know what I'm ordering! I give this place 10 stars!!!!!
Neighborhood: Woodside
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