Babbo

Luca was impressive. He prepped the glasses and explained what he was doing to respectfully not have us think we were gettig dirty glasses. He had a very diplomatic way to address the fact that he was short one wine on the list, by saying that he didn't buy enough of it and that the last bottle tonight was already being drunk. It made it all more acceptable for management short comings. Food wise my only disappointment was not to have had the pasta tasting menu, but you need too much commitment in a non commited city like NYC to force everyone at your table to eat like you. It's a service thing, I get it, but frankly ridiculous. If someone wants to taste all the pastas for $70, they can present them at the same time as the other people eating their primi and secondi. Only a few pastas at a time on a plate. If Danny meyer can find cool dishes to serve bite size portions, I'm sure batali can too. The music, ridiculously loud. Not at all suited for the crowd which at 7pm is not rockin it. Weird. The rhubarb Crostata was amazing though! I think that more emphasis on local cuisine would suit Mario better. Wouldn't go back. Sadly a big fan of the batali potential, but let down.

I've been to Babbo twice. The food is quite good, especially the pastas. The crispy pig's foot is also amazing. I enjoyed the pasta tasting menu, but a better course of action is to create your own tasting menu by sharing various antipasti/pastas/main courses of your own choosing. From a food standpoint, nothing there has disappointed me, and many dishes have been amazing. The service, on the other hand, is awful. I'm usually not picky about service, but I found the service at Babbo both times to be incredibly lazy and un-accomodating, to the point it made the meal significantly less enjoyable. In my second visit, the service was so slow that the meal took over three hours in total, with way too much time between courses. We didn't even get dessert, mostly because we just couldn't bear another full hour of sitting at a cramped table. My first visit, they were incredibly un-accomodating in other ways--I returned because I felt like this may have been an aberration, but apparently it wasn't. Unfortunately, the inattentive and intolerably slow service put a damper on what would have otherwise been a great meal, especially my second visit. Babbo is worth a try, but I would suggest going in with an awareness and an acceptance of the fact that the service is not good.

The reservation process at this restaurant is absurd. My wife and I frequent many fine dining establishments in NYC. I was put on hold for 22 minutes and then they came back telling me how I can only eat dinner at 530p or 1045p. There is no consideration for the fact that people may be busy and I would ask that people do not frequent this place on principal. They only accept reservations for one month out and were very snobby about booking up in the first 10 minutes on the first day.

On a whym my fiance and I decided to give it a shot , being that it was only 4:45pm, we thought we would be in a good spot for a table. After waiting in the cold for 15 mins till them opened the doors we were quickly takecare of and asked to please have a seat at the bar. The Bartender barley noticed us and took her sweet time asking what we would like. As the night progressed the wait staff became much more friendly, but I do agree with the other reviews that you may feel a bit rushed and they can be a bit rude. When it comes to the Food, they are second to none. Go with the tasting menu (they have 2,1 for pasta and 1 for everything) you wont be dissapointed. Its a great value for the price of $75 for 8 courses including Cheese course. Don't even bother asking to change anything on the menu, you will just be told NO, Rudely I might add. Overall, the experience was quite enjoyable, with a few hic-cups in the service, other wise a well sent evening. This place prides itself on being a great FOOD place for true fans of the cooking craft, if you don't LOVE food, go somewhere else bc you wont appreciate what they have to offer and you could prob just get some good Italian food elsewhere for alot less money. BUT, if you want the experience and some of the most ric tasting food you will have in NYC, then you have found your place. We will def return,but not sure how soon. Its a very rich and heavy meal that is worth the wait, $$$ and even dealing with the rude staff..

My friend made reservations a month beforehand. She is always raving about Babbo. it was my first time. After reading reviews, I prepared for the snootiest staff but it really wasn't bad. Everyone was pleasant. The maitr'd was a bit disingenuous but not rude at all. Anyway, we were 10 minutes early but led immediately to our table, the perfect cozy last table in the corner. Waiter was pleasant, cocktails were good, and food arrived in a timely fashion. (A little too timely maybe.) I had the gulf shrimp appetizer which was served cold but delicious if you like tart. I had the beef cheek ravioli and it was wonderful. Not one bit was left on my plate. My friend's pappardelle was overdone, we really should have returned it. Other than that our meals were great. The waiter was a bit overattentive to the tables next to us but I guess it's understandable being that they prob meant more money for him. They were bigger and ordered heavily. We were absolutely stuffed with out orders and squeezed in the spumoni/ice cream dessert to share which was pretty huge. We didn't even finish it. All in all, a wonderful night. The bill was very reasonable and I would definitely go back.

I waited a month for my table, I guess that is normal. Had a 15 minute wait for the table but we saddled up to the bar and didn't have major issues. Got a nice table for two on the side, ordered a nice bottle of wine. Opted for a meat platter, pasta bolognese, and skirt steak. All were phenominal. Wife had raw scallop and a fish dish for the main course that she also enjoyed. Service was mostly very good, though I do understand the snooty vibe that some reviewers have felt, also we were charged for a drink that we did not order, but they fixed it quickly. Overall, a really wonderful meal.

Excellent service, the food was outstanding. The best cheesecake I have ever had!