Cacio e Pepe

We have been going to Cacio e Pepe for about 7 years now. It certainly is not the "sleeper" it once was. On this Thursday night, I went there at 7:30pm, no reservations, and had no problem being seated at a table for 2 since the dining room was empty. We ordered a bottle of wine, 1 appetizer (the meatballs) to share and for main courses, 1 cod and 1 tonarelli cacio e pepe. The food took much too long to be brought to us while we had been served our wine much earlier. I wondered if that was intentional so that we would have to order more wine. An hour later, we were served our main courses and we were assured that if we wanted more wine, our bottle came by the glass. We did order an additional glass to share and no less than 5 minutes later did the waitress swing by again asking if we wanted another glass. My suspicion felt validated. By 9:00pm, it was intolerably loud. I really like Cacio as a neighborhood Italian serving quality food but I really take issue with the glacially paced service and the intensely loud atmosphere.

Come here. Sit in the garden and eat the perfectly al dente penne with tomatoes and pesto. You'll be glad you did. The Montepulciano is pretty good, too.

My boyfriend and I have been frequent customers at Cacio e Pepe for over two years. The food is absolutely delicious, the service always attentive and the experience always memorable. We recently moved from the East Village to the West Side and still find ourselves taking the trip to Cacio – that is how good this restaurant is! Cacio e Pepe has been such a special place for me that just a few weeks ago, I selected Cacio as the restaurant to celebrate my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary. I knew that the staff would guarantee a wonderful experience for my 30+ guests. I spent lots of time with Christine (the manager) to ensure we had a well-balanced menu; she was extremely accommodating when it came to what dishes we would serve. We decided on a five-course meal and she was absolutely excellent in pairing wines with the food. (We ensured the Cacio e Pepe, their signature dish was on the menu – a must have; and the presentation really excited our guests.) The garden is absolutely beautiful and made a wonderful backdrop for the party. Until this day my parents and their guests still have not stopped talking about how special the evening was. The food, the service and the experience couldn’t have been better. The kitchen staff even went out of their way to make the tiramisu cake in the shape of a heart – it was these unique and personalized touches that made the event one I will always remember. Thank you Cacio e Pepe for doing such a wonderful job at my party and for your continued dedication to your customers!

My Mom, my girlfriend and I spent a girls' weekend in NYC and were unable to book a table for Saturday night anywhere. We managed to get a 9pm reservation at Cacio and we had a great time. Although we had to wait for our table, the food and the service more than made up for the wait. Our waitress was great and we loved her heart sweater! Although it was very loud, we each enjoyed our appetizers and pasta dishes. The artichoke ravioli with ginger and lime was delicious as was their signature pasta dish. Next time I'm in NYC I will definitely be back!

Charming atmosphere, fine food... 3+ hours for a quick dinner? TAt the end a complimentary bottle of wine did nothing since we were so starved after our order had been forgotten for over an hour. Menus, bread, water, wine everything -- delayed or non-existent. Go for the scene.

We had heard a lot about this restaurant and decided to celebrate a birthday early Friday night for a group of 6. The birthday girl is from Rome and she kept raving how this place makes her feel like she's at home. For starters they play a lot of Italian music and the staff have accents. Plus, they put a candle in her dessert and sang Happy Birthday in Italian. There's not much space in the restaurant, so we were happy they could take our larger group. We didn't have a reservation, but we got there early which was good because they were booked up later. The dinner started with us sharing 4 appetizers and a order of cacio e pepe (a signature roman dish) and it was to die for! After we all ordered a main course and ate family style, which was great idea because it was really a treat to try different things. A few of the standouts were fettuccine with the beet puree, pappardelle, salmon and the chicken. I think my favorite was the fettuccine, I am a beet lover and the pasta was tossed in a beet puree over a cheese fondue. We had 2 wines one white and one red (well couple bottles of each...)from the region of Lazio, which is where the food is from. They were both great and really did compliment the food. So, great food, service, wine and atmoshpere...what more could you ask for in a small east village restaurant ?

My girlfirend and I took my mom and her boyfriend (from Italy) here for an early Sunday dinner. We were the first table seated as they just opened. The waitress (who was gorgeous) had a cute Italian accent and was very knowledgeable about the wine (we drank two bottles) and entrees. We ordered the fennel (small portion) and arugula salads to share, which were great. The ladies got pasta: one Bucatini All Amatricana and the other Paccheri in quail ragu. I tried both and thought they were exceptional dishes, especially the latter. I ordered Petto di Pollo con Proscuitto E Fontina Salsa al Tartufo Nero Patate E Broccoli Saltati and the final dish was lamb shank. Overall, this meal was fantastic. The service was right one. I’ll definitely be returning…