Emilio's Ballato

This was the second time we stumbled across this wonderful classic Italian-American treasure! The first was years ago, before my Yelping habit, walking from the Lower East Side to the West Village via Houston Street. We made that same trek again very recently, and like before, we were feeling hungry and wondering where to eat. Che bello! there was Emilio's Ballato! It was fairly late on a Saturday night and we did not have a reservation, but there was no problem getting a table immediately. The owner was seated at a table near the entrance. He greeted us warmly and directed us to one of the two available spots.

We started off with one of the VERY BEST grilled octopus salads I have ever tasted, no exaggeration! Large enough for two, it consisted of grilled octopus on arugula with cherry tomatoes. The octopus was tender and flavorful beyond imagination and was perfectly paired with an exquisitely simple light dressing. Next came shrimp diablo with linguine, excellently prepared and delicious, and the all-time classic Italian-American dish, spaghetti and meat balls. I am always searching for a great plate of spaghetti and meat balls. It has been my ultimate comfort food since childhood. I would rate this one as being in the TOP FIVE of THE BEST EVER!

The service was excellent, polite and very efficient. Can't wait to go back for a repeat of this wonderful meal. Buon appetito!

Ummm but why is this place so good. BIG NOTE: This place does not take reservations so come early. I came on a Friday at around 5:30 and there were already 4 parties ahead of me. The restaurant itself is quite small and they don't mind seating 2 people at a 4-person table, so that's why the lines are so long. We waited around 30 minutes before we got seated which was not bad and we hacked it by going to Levain Bakery in the meantime and getting some cookies to wait in line with. I will say that if you came literally 10 minutes later, you would immediately have to wait 1+ hour. I think the best time to go is definitely weekday afternoon.

The restaurant itself is adorable as the walls are adorned with all these celebrities eating in the restaurant and the roster is pretty impressive. I think this place got famous after Taylor Swift came, according to my boyfriend, but don't quote me on that.
- Complimentary Focaccia - Why is this the best complimentary bread a restaurant has ever handed me? They made this focaccia in two different flavors - rosemary and olive oil as well as marinara sauce - and both options were so good. If you're familiar with Bread Ahead from London's Borough Market, it definitely reminded me of that bakery. Honestly I could just eat this dish by itself and be happy. We had to get so many refills on this because it was THAT good.
- Calamari - How good can calamari be? SO FREAKING GOOD. Um maybe the best calamari I've ever had? I don't even know how to start explaining it - the squid itself is fried to perfection as it is light but still oily. The marinara sauce was simply to die for. The portion sizes were huge as well. The pickled peppers on top were the perfect counterbalance to all the rich flavors. I seriously cannot recommend it more.
- Petto di Pollo alla Parmigiana - This is just another way to say Chicken Parmesan and it was SO DAMN GOOD. I genuinely feel like crying like hello? They give you this huge piece of chicken that is tender, just the right amount of breading, and extremely flavorful. Then they drench it all over with their amazing and fresh marinara sauce. Honestly two people could eat this and be happy. I have no clue what they put in here but it's so addictive and delicious I'm already dreaming about this place.
- Bolognese Tagliatelle - Don't order. Definitely you can skip the dish. If I only ate this dish here, I would give it a 3 star as it was not particularly outstanding and the portion sizes are quite small, but I did appreciate how much meat sauce they had in here.

Will definitely come back sooner rather than later and will 100% be getting the calamari and Chicken Parmesan again. Why is this place so good?? Sometimes the hype is not real but for this restaurant, the hype is very real.

Truly over-hyped spot. I'll give you this, the free bread and veal parm are well worth stopping by for without a doubt. The meatballs decent, everything else is just a waste. The pastas we had were so middling that it was hardly funny. I can't believe anyone is ordering pasta with such little flavor and thought after waiting in a line to get in.

Now there is a line to get in, always, they manage it that way and the service is horrible once you're inside. They think gruff italian vibes = authentic. Please, go to Torrisi, that's real fantastic instead.

The vibe is cool, I get it, but this is more of a spot to impress your college girlfriend than a real date night spot in NYC.

Get the Veal Parmesean, it might be on eof the best veal parmeseans in the city.

Old school italian restaurant frequented by celebrities. No reservations and it's difficult to get one of the 10ish tables for dinner but it's not hard to get one for a midweek lunch. Chicken Parm and Spaghetti & Meatballs were both excellent and the free bread with the table was also very good.

Keep in mind that while the chicken parm is really good, it's $40 for one piece of chicken and no sides. That said, it's worth a visit.

The food was delicious, but I don't think anything would've been good enough to justify the 4 hour wait in the cold, with the last hour spent at the front of the line watching friends of the owner/VIPs cut in front of us. Once inside, the service was spotty. At one point they didn't bring us one of the dishes we ordered so we gave up on it. So while the food was good, I wouldn't wait that long again. If you're going, I'd suggest going on a weeknight when the weather is nicer.

The hype is real!! We came on a Friday at 4:45pm and there was 1 person ahead of us.

We waited until 5pm and then were seated. Everyone was very attentive, kind, and patient with us. We were give complimentary focaccia bread that was delicious and hard not to fill up on. We ordered a bottle of the montepulciano wine which went PERFECTLY with everything we ordered.

We ordered the ravioli pasta, the amatriciana, the chicken parmesan, and the Caesar salad. We had a group of three that was plenty for us. We also ordered the cheesecake and the tiramisu to split between us. Everything was absolutely divine. The ravioli was simple but really stood out to me and the chicken parm was definitely the best I've ever had. Caesar salad was good too. The tiramisu was a must order, it was incredible, light yet filling, and so so delicious. Cheesecake was simple and fantastic. Cannot rave enough about the food, the party I came with also still talk about the food even though it's been a month.

Ambiance is also very cool! Old school Italian (I think?) and had a lot of interesting pictures on the walls.

Can't wait to come back!

Food 4/5
Ambiance 5/5
Service 4/5
Price 1/5

My boyfriend and I arrived at around 3:20pm on a Saturday and waited around 15 minutes before the owner's son ushered everyone lined up inside to get us seated before the kitchen closed 4-5pm. The place is small with only a couple tables and the wall is filled with pictures with celebrities and vintage decor.

I loved the complimentary bread - fresh plain focaccia and focaccia with tomato sauce. We ordered the baked clams, tagliatelle bolognese and veal parm with vodka. Everything was delicious but not life changing enough to justify the high price tag. The tagliatelle was thick and homemade and bolognese was flavorful but I wish there was more sauce ($36). The veal chop was huge and very thin but wasn't worth $85. Our meal for 2 just with those 3 dishes and no drinks was $98!

Overall, I'm glad we tried this place but probably won't return given that it wasn't a good value for the expensive price.

I know what you're thinking... is it worth the wait? Absolutely yes. Coming from someone who waited an hour in 32 degree weather at 5:30pm on a Tuesday of all things; Yes, it is worth the wait.

There is a reason the line is long, and it's not just because of the celebrities sneaking into the backroom causing the wait time to seem longer than it should be. It's because the food is like an Italian grandmas homemade Sunday dinner AND they don't rush you, like a proper Italian meal you can take your time and enjoy the company of the people you came with. When you step inside, it's immediately cozy and warm with a homey non-pretentious ambiance.

The staff are all incredibly kind, friendly, attentive, and professional. They maneuver through the tight spaces between tables effortlessly to bring you the best service possible.

The Backroom is much more spacious, but I have a feeling you might have to be somebody to sneak on back there to dine. Unfortunately, I am not a someone, but they did let me peak back there!

Ok should we get into the food review now?

They start you off with soft bouncy focaccia bread with olive oil and parmesan cheese in a bowl. I've never tried parm and oil to dip the bread in but it might have been life changing.

Apps: Not to over exaggerate... but I can't explain how heavenly those tiny potato appetizers were. The rosemary was divine on it. The caprese was very fresh with great mozzarella balls. The fried zucchini was nothing special, very thin shoe lace style.

Mains: The veal Milanese is very popular and was pretty good just thin. It was massive though so you could probably split this with someone. The chicken Milanese might've been better as it's a thicker meat and was more tender. The ravioli tasted VERY fresh with the cheese filling. The spicy penne was good and not too spicy.

Dessert: now, the REAL STAR of the show, the cheesecake. The simple slice of cheese cake may not look like much, in fact I'd goes as far to say it looks underwhelming, but it is quite literally the best cheesecake I have ever had. The three other people with me agreed. I can't explain how or why, but damn was that's a phenomenal slice. It was fluffy and light. Not too sweet but the there was a toasted sugar dusting on the outside. It was unreasonable how stand out it was. I don't normally cheesecake, especially recently I've been burned a few times, but this cheesecake got me back on board with the whole concept. Is that enough description to convince you try this cheesecake?

Bonus note, I always pass by here on my way back from work and there's always a group of men smoking outside sitting in some chairs and something about it feels so genuine in the mix of the bustling sidewalk.

It was good food, albeit overpriced but you know that going in. $40 for a piece of chicken with no pasta is kind of the price of admission and why you only go once.

My issue is that they got the order wrong and thought we ordered a salad. We corrected it before we got our food and that's fine, it happens. But when they brought out the chicken Milanese we actually ordered, instead of making it the way it says on the menu they just dumped the salad they thought we ordered on top. We didn't realize it until later after we left. Very disrespectful--they're mistaking old school for poor service. Probs won't go back.

At first I was a bit ennh about the service . Bc the waitress and I were just staring at each other lol. Anyways , very old school place which I love . Good archive pictures on the wall. Ok food , the bread is to die for so darn good! For my entree I chose the Gamberi Fra , so good! Best I've had honestly. Eventually the waitress and I ended up chopping it up lol. This place stays busy sometimes a line . Happy dining !

Came around 530 on a Saturday - waited about 20-30 mins for two.

Ordered the potatoes, chicken parm and bolognese..... chicken parm may have been the best I've ever had. Bolognese was deeeelishhh.

Bread to start is also great. House red is a good house red.

Service is to the point and as expected but still nice and quick.

Would recommend and can't wait to come back lol