Sam's Place

I rarely leave a review. This gem had to be acknowledged. The owner Massimo greets every single person at every table. He is genuinely kind and truly cares about your dining experience. The service is impeccable. The waiters are funny and also oh so kind. The atmosphere is on point. Cozy spot. Great vibe. The wine is the most generous pour in NYC. Now let's move on to the food... glorious food. I ordered my absolute fave dish to not only order out, but make at home as well. Im a pretty savvy home cook. The chicken picatta was delicious and as I have a dairy restriction, they made mine without butter. Dishes are made to order. My dear family member ordered the tortellini. She was in heaven with each bite. It had a Heavenly Alfredo sauce on the delicate lil tortellini. Now let me tell you the kicker... the entrees are @ $20 a plate. Sans the veal chop of course. You cannot get this level of food or this dining experience anywhere ive been in NYC. The scrumptious desserts are just $10. I love Italian food and have been to many delicious spots but not at this price point. Do yourself a favor and head on over to this fantastic hidden gem. Massimo has owned this place for 36 years with the same 5 waiters. That speaks volumes to me. They are a family by choice.

A great neighborhood, traditional Italian restaurant. The food is delicious. The calamari in red sauce was delicious, perfectly cooked, seasoned and complex. I had the veal marsala with linguini which I also thought was perfect. The meat was tenderized, subtly coated and bursting with that delicious marsala sauce. The portions are large so definitely expect to take leftovers home. Their homemade, traditional cheesecake was the perfect way to finish the night.

This place is so cozy and lovely. Looks so much more beautiful on the inside than what it seems. It is pretty expensive for what it is, but a lovely option for an Italian date night. Been here a few times and seem to always gravitate to the chicken parm because it’s so good! We got a lovely house pinot grigio too. Can’t wait for my next time back!

A joy! Just across the road from our hotel, but sadly, slightly obscured by scaffolding! We received a warm welcome on arrival and were shown to a table in the corner, very cosy. The staff were very friendly. We ordered a bottle of Chianti, excellent, and were given bread and butter to enjoy while we awaited our starters. Soup and Portobello mushrooms on seasonal greens. Our mains were Veal Marsala and Veal Forestiere, which came with fresh vegetables. Both dishes were delicious. Desserts were Lemon cake and Canoli, which we accompanied with Limoncello! An excellent evening in a charming Italian, much can be recommended and we hope to return next time we're in NYC!

Cozy, friendly, a place that feels like and tastes like family. Very quick and attentive service, immediately made me feel like home. The food was tasty and comforting - fantastic calamari. My only “complaint” was that the food felt a bit too much on the salty side for my taste - but it didn’t take away from the flavor at all. Makes for great leftovers too!

Wow! So happy to start my New Year dining experience at such a great establishment. All around a fantastic experience. I made a reservation on Google Assistant and they prepared a four seat table for us. The seating was comfortable. The napkin art was a nice touch. We couldn’t be under the tent but they moved two heaters near our table to accommodate so we weren’t cold. They treated us very nicely. The bread for the table was fresh and crunchy. We started with the calamari which had a fantastic sauce - more on the sauces later. I ordered the special clam stuffed with crab meat and shrimp. It was the large size because the small comes with two. It was toasted to perfection on top and I could see the real lumps of shrimp and crab! The clams sat on top of a LOVELY lemon sauce that put the dish on top. All of the people at the table live together and tried each other’s dishes. The mussels were tender. The risotto wasn’t overpowered with too much pesto. And the chicken portobello sauce was tangy and rich. Every plate was delicious and you wouldn’t go wrong getting any of these. We also drank some nice wines and finished with the ricotta cheesecake and cappuccinos. I can’t wait to visit again for the cute indoor dining one day.