Otto

We used to live in the area years ago and we both ordered delivery and ate in the restaurant frequently. It was flawless. But the last three times we've eaten there, it has seemed like a factory. The waiter abandoned us after we ordered. The amatriciana was not good at all and the desserts were bizarre. The only thing that remained as good as before was the cheese plate and the appetizers. We won't be back.

I dont know what anyone is talking about in the previous reviews. Otto is one of the best restaurants in the city. i have dined at the most almost every restaurant the city has to offer, and otto is amazing food, for a great price, in a wonderful neighborhood. What could be bad? the environment is loud and packed at night, as with most amazing restaurants. if you want great food and to truly enjoy the envirornment, then go at an off hour.

With a name like Mario Batali, we would have expected a high standard of both food and service...and were we disappointed, most notably with the most horrendous service we've had in NYC in a long time! Our waiter took our order...and admittedly was helpful at the time...but was never heard or seen from again other than to throw our dessert menus at us (without a word) and later to drop the bill on our table (again without a word). The bus boys were lovely as were the service managers who were present in the room throughout the night and thankfully brought us our wine after we pointed out that our appetizers had already been served. The same service manager also did the waiter's job when she took our dessert order and was the only one to ask if there were anything we needed. The waiter came back once at the end of the meal to pick up our credit card and, when we had not yet put down our card, dropped the bill back on the table (yep, AGAIN without a word) and walked away. With unforgettable food and rude service, I do not intend to return other than to possibly have wine at the bar. Given the many restaurant options in NYC, the unforgettable food lackluster service, and current recession, hopefully Mr. Batali will note of this apparent trend before the restaurant goes down hill any further. Yes, Otto does set itself apart, but not in a good way.

Without a doubt, I won't be returning to eat here. The atmosphere feels almost like a food factory, where the individual does not matter. Seating was tight and service was incredibly slow. It took us 15 mitutes to be seated, even though our party had reservations. Bread is cold and so hard you need a jack-hammer to gnaw through it. The menu is limited and poultry is a no-go at this wannabe-swanky locale. We were seated for 15 minutes before our waiter took drink orders. We had to wait 45 more minutes for our food. Both in bringing us dinner and dessert, the waiter seemed rushed and made no effort to TRUTHFULLY answer our questions. Our table wound up with a truckload of gellato (11 large servings) when we agreed that he'd bring out "a few" to sample. Our waiter did not give us the time of day did not bring out a menu so that we could order the gellato that suited our tastes and did not offer to take back the two gellato that literally tasted like cod liver oil and grandma's home remedy to treat the flu. With all of the great NYC dining options out there, it is a shame I would up here.

I used to eat here a lot and order for takeout. The service has gone way downhill in the restaurant and the takeout is useless now. I have ordered from here many times and they have my phone number on file. But I had a bad experience a couple months ago and stopped spending so much money here. I tried again tonight. It's saturday night, 7:30 pm. I was going to order for about 6 of us and would have bought a lot of food. I was rudely greeted and put on hold for 5 minutes. Thats a long time on the phone. I tried calling back. Same thing. We will never order from there again, and I won't be setting foot in the restaurant again. It's mind boggling because I am one of the people who frequents this overpriced restaurant because I like the good. No more.

My husband and I have eaten at Otto many times. Our best experiences have been eating at the bar. The bartenders are knowledgable, the bar crowd fun and the food just seems to taste better there. Scoring two seats next to each other can be tricky - come early. Out of town guests have ranked the Otto bar dinner their most enjoyable of their trip.

i went here with friends one night & it was great that we had reservations, otherwise we wouldve waited an hour or so on a thursday night, but that wouldve been fine because the bar is large & the wine is delicious. All of our dishes were great (3 of us got pasta dishes, one got a salad & antipasti), & pretty reasonably priced. We all LOVED the ambiance. The one negative thing about this place is that the waitress seemed to really want to turn the table over a little too desperately. This was annoying, but on the whole, great food, great atmosphere, wonderful place. Just make sure to have a reservation.