Florio's Grill & Cigar Bar

We were doing a walk about in Little Italy and heard the MUSIC. It was like magic drawing us to a place I was not familiar with, Florio's. What a find. The space was comfortable, and the menue was reasonable...But the food and the added Music blew us away. I had stuffed Veal Chop and my wife had the Seafood Plater. There was a really vibrant crowd enjoying the Music and even had the waitresses and owners up and dancing with the patrons. Needless to say it was a pleasant evening and certainly a surprise. I learned that the Music was the Ramo Trio. They played everything and kept the place alive...Cudos to the owner of Florios for putting together the right formula for a memorable evening.

Florio's is about a thousand times better than any of the other tourist-trap, so-called "Italian" restaurants now disgracing Little Italy. If you like your spaghetti out of a can, go to one of them. If you prefer Italian food the way it's supposed to taste, then Florio's is for you. The food may not be spectacular, but it's very good. Service is always attentive and friendly -- the inner space, behind the cigar store, is very nice and has an authentic, private feel, like the Italian restaurants I remember from my youth. So few Italian restaurants in NYC even bother to make braciola any more -- what would we do without Florio's?

I had the calamari and the bracoile. I think it's fairly accepted that this is not a place for mind blowing food. The fact that you can finish a good dinner and be able to sit back and smoke really does it for me. Gotta go back and try the pizza. I'm making this a regular spot. Bar crowd is pretty good. Very relaxed and without the pretension of regular cigar bars.