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I really hate it when a fabulous, consistently packed restaurant skimps on the staff. Al di la's inventive, delicious cuisine, and charming authentic atmosphere would be worthy of 5 stars if it weren't for the lack of staff. Especially in the wine cellar. I would be happy to wait and hour waiting for table, putting extra money into the restaurant by ordering wine at the wine cellar, if it weren't for the fact that the service is so incredibly slow and distracted. I feel for the young woman who works the bar- it must be impossible to keep up with constant requests from the 50+ people waiting for table upstairs. HIRE MORE STAFF. Seriously. If you could be serving everyone more efficiently, we'd all be ordering more wine and adding that much more to your profits. An extra $20 an hour for two servers does not seem like a huge investment to make, considering the constant patronage this joint makes.

Throughout NYC all restaurants have taken a slide in food quality as owners are squeezed by regulations, higher rents, higher food costs, etc.,, I have been going to Al Di La for 5 years, and yes it has succumbed, like all other NYC restaurants to above mentioned squeeze. But it is still the best restaurant in Park Slope by a wide margin. Hint to Al Di La...less Salt !!

We've simply loved the presentation and the taste of the dishes. Usually the specials are amazing. The seating can be a bit cramped, but the food never disappoints.

I went to Al Di La a year or so ago and didn't write a review because I gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe they just had an off night. I went back this weekend and can't really think of any excuse. They serve bad food. Between my two visits 3 out of the 7 dishes we tried were practically inedible. The calf liver ala venezia is delicious, but one good dish is not enough. The side of escarole we ordered was sitting in about a half an inch of oil. I had to squeeze each leaf out on my plate before I ate it. I also love salty food, and everything we ate was ridiculously salty, even for my tastes. To add insult to injury, our $45 bottle of wine was not even comparable to Trader Joe's three buck chuck and the description our waitress gave was completely inaccurate. It was an unacceptable dining experience, especially compared the must better better (and much cheaper) meal I recently had at Fornino's which is right down the block.

Food-snob food without the snobbery. Artfully cooked meals, a wine you can trust, well chosen & looked after cheeses etc. Really excellent. No point in recommending a particular dish as it is all so good - just go for what sounds best to you. The service was pitch perfect - friendly without being obsequious, unobtrusive but efficient. I'm saddened that there are negative reviews here - perhaps ADL has off days; more likely some people prefer sugary artifice to the real thing.

Love the wine, love the wine knowledge, even love the food but the stools in the bar are so uncomfortable - I won't go back simply for that reason - my back is aching. The stools are obviously meant for people to sip and run - not lingering!

I was disappointed with the restaurant. I had the leek/parsnip soup and it was nothing special. For my main dish I had the young chicken with fennel salad and mashed potatoes, the potatoes arrived in a separate bowl, that didn't make sense to me, it was part of the dish. My husband ordered the liver with onions and polenta,he requested a side of pancetta and the waiter actually said they' don't do that here'! Not sure why he wouldn't serve it..... it would have brought the liver up a notch.