Arte Cafe

Met 4 girlfriends for dinner on a Friday night. Waitress was a bit bothered by the fact that my party showed up late. The appetizers, entrees and dessert were delicious and we're still raving about it. We can't say the same for our waitress. She definitely came off as bothered by waiting on a table of all women. I'll definitely go back for the food but will probably look out to not be seated with the waitress again.

Agree with previous reviews. Good food; very good prix fixe value; lousy service.

I have been going to arte for a long while. While there were terrible service problems especially with the reception staff, I have noticed a slight improvement overall. I believe they have a new manager who seems to be fairly responsive. The waitstaff has also started to get it a little more. I know my friends and I love this place, but, hope to see more improvements. The food is still good and the value terrific for lunch (dinner is not as good of a value).

I came here quite frequently with large groups but stopped coming after facing numerous problems. Pros: the food is pretty good (great for the price). If you sit outdoors, it's a great location. Cons: The waitstaff is clueless, the manager absent, and the hostesses are, well, snooty and rude. They give away outdoor seating to whoever walks in first (it doesn't matter if you reserve it days, weeks or months in advance). I've asked to meet the manager 5 different times to express my concerns with the service and the policies. Never once has anyone been able to find the manager. (He is always on the phone or unavailable). Phone messages have gone unreturned as well. also, their brick oven pizza isn't very good. The rest of the food is. As much as I loved their $10 prix fix lunch, the service problems and attitude left me no other choice but to vote with my wallet and find a new hang out. It is unfortunate for them, because I would bring large groups of people there 3 times a week for lunch and eat there at least once a week for dinner.

We ate here on Father's Day and all I can say is what a huge mistake. Upon entering the place, we dealt with the hostess who told us we couldn't sit outside because we didn't reserve outside but when we made the reservations they told us outside seating was first come first served. Even after making a reservation over two weeks ago, we were shown one of the worst tables in the place. We then proceeded to have our menus and utensils thrown at us, the muffins served upside down, half the food came out cold and then when it was brought back it was still cold. The real kicker was when I asked a woman (not a waitress but another employee) for some salt and pepper (I would have asked our waiter but he was no where to be found.) The bus boy eventually came by with the pepper mill but no salt. I asked the same woman I had asked five minutes before and she came over and slammed two salt shakers down on the table and made some nasty comment. Its at that point I asked to speak to the manager who apologized and did finally get the food right....which was pretty tasty. Our waiter apologized as well and said it was the busiest the restaurant has ever been, but after reading other reviews about the rude service I'm not so sure. I do know one thing, I won't be back.

I don't know...I was rather disappointed with this place. I went here for brunch with my two friends; we remained menuless for quite awhile, and when we brought this up to our waiter he rolled his eyes and grudgingly bought us some (as if we were the cause for this hapless mistake). I ordered the penne puttanesca, which contains anchovies *my favorite*, olives, tomatoes...it was quite good, and while I'm a fan of small portions for the sake of the waistline and the unspoiled appetite, I was a bit unsatisfied with my portion, especially for $11 (which is a lot for a student I think). While the food was indeed brought out very quickly and we weren't rushed, I was irritated by the waiter's obnoxious statement that we did not double the tax for his tip exactly. With the service he gave us, and a comment like that, he's lucky he received anything. Oh well...you live and learn.

Okay, I've lived in this neighborhood like forever and I took my new boyfriend here and his teen daughter thinking she would have a fabulous NYC experience. The waitress was sullen, but the atmosphere divine. We ordered our lunch which took forever to arrive. My appetizer salad was okay, until I bit into something hard towards the end. I was embarrassed and pulled it out of my mouth. It was a piece of box. I guess I should have been grateful it wasn't a piece of something else by the way management treated me. The waitress then became more attentive and tried to negotiate between me and management. They offerered us coffees on the house. It was 3 in afternoon and I didn't want coffee, nor did I want to pump coffee into a 15 yr-old. I asked in return for 1 dessert for the table. "No Go' I was told. So we had 1 coffee (cause 2 of us did't want one). I didn't finish my salad because I was turned off. Then we waited 3/4 of an hour for our entree which wasn't very good. WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE?