Barbetta

Was just there late nite. While the atmosphere is definitely old world, There are only 2 options prix fixe- $35 or $58. None of the menu items were tempting and we all ended up getting the same thing! Completely uninspired menu. Where is the caprese salad? More pasta options? Cold Chicken w/tuna sauce? We were very disappointed though were left alone and had time to talk..not noisy. Would not return. Overpriced and boring.

If you are looking for a dining experience, this isnt' the place. Despite making a reservation and telling both the maitre-d and the waiter that we were not going to the theater and didn't want to be rushed, our drinks, appetizers and entrees appeared within about five minutes of each other. But hey, they didn't rush us after that! It took a half hour to get a look at the dessert cart and then ZIP the bill arrived. This restaurant--once a top-line dining experience (I've been going there since the early 70s) is in desperate need of an updating--both physical and mental.

What a disappointment. We were looking for a tried and true restaurant and selected Barbetta. The maitre d' was affected. The restaurant was empty and when we asked for a particular table, we were told it was a table for 5, not 4. Not ten minutes later 4 people were seated there. There was no heat and the waiter was rude and "bothered" by questions. Sorry we stayed. Must say that the food was halfway decent. Never again.

We held a private party in the upstairs room for about 30 people on a Friday night. I was a little nervous based on previous reviews but I have nothing to complain about. The building is a brownstone and the room was beautiful and we could wander around the whole upstairs. The waitstaff could not be better from making sure our glasses were full at all times to providing the scores of the Mets/Yankees game. Additionally, when a guest commented he was a seafood lover the waiter provided him with a meal that was not on our pre-set menu at no extra cost. The food was excellent - the beef tenderloin like butter...no knife needed. The dessert cart looked heavenly and again the waiter allowed us to have more than one type of dessert at no extra cost. The baked pears were delightful with the creme zabaglione. I would definitely return to this restuarent on my own.

Our third visit to this lovely restaurant was unpleasant. We were dining for lunch prior to a theatre performance. Six tables were occupied. Our food was warm, not hot. We ordered along with our entree a pasta dish to share, we never got it. the coffee was old, and served with skim milk. Service was poor, poor, poor! We had to we had to summon the waiter continuously .Two of the six occupied tables got a lot of attention. The person passing out bread was very attentive. We were seated at a table near the doors opening to the porch, and they opened up letting in very cold air to an already unpleasant dining experience. After having been here before, this is not what we expected on our return to Restaurant Row.

The waiters were curt and the food was sub-par. The garden, on the other hand, is a lovely place for a bottle of wine on a nice day.

We had our company lunch here and everyone was very pleased. It was a beautiful day out so we ate in the garden. It transports you out of NYC for the time you have your meal. The garden is pieceful and very pretty. The food was excellent as well. The appetizers of octopus and also the peppers were very heavy on the olive oil but still tasted great. We all loved our entrees ranging from the frutti de mare to pesto pasta, crushed olives over pasta and the cod and swordfish. All delightfully prepared and a pleasant experience for lunch. I highly recommend this restaurant for the garden, atmosphere, food and decor.