Great menu; flatbread was delicious; mushroom risotto fantastic, best broccoli rabe
Outstanding
Had dinner here before a show at the Beacon, it’s super convenient to the theater. Started with the mushroom flatbread app, it was to die for. Main entree was spaghetti scampi, outstanding!! Others had the duck and branzino, both excellent. Desserts were all delicious too!!Can’t wait to go to another show at the Beacon so I can eat at Tessa’s again, will definitely return!
We ate their mostly because it was close to Central Park and to the Beacon Theater. I eat organic and grass fed so I chose the venue for those reasons. The food was very good. The servers did their best to accommodate us.
Quintessential New York neighborhood restaurant. Excellent food, creative menu, nicely plated, and professional staff. Great bar and pleasant ambiance. We stumbled on this place for lunch and liked it well enough to go back for dinner when we were staying in the neighborhood. Would definitely go back.
ASB
Annapolis, MD
When I think of dining on the Upper West Side, what comes to mind are Old School Italian spots, Jewish Delis and satellite locations of places that opened downtown five years ago. Original, modern spots are few and far between. Which means when you stumble into a place like Tessa on West 77th Street, you know you’ve found a real gem.
Bonnie Tandy Leblang - BITE OF THE BEST
+4
Many restaurants offer small plates, but as a reviewer I often get perfectly sized tasting plates so that I can have room to sample much of the menu, as I did at Tessa recently!. Tessa — another Upper West Side restaurant worth the trip — offers modern Mediterranean offerings served with style and a smile.
The Restaurant Fairy
+3.5
Tessa is a gorgeous spot on the Upper West Side, serving beautifully plated, modern Mediterranean food. I was recently invited in for a press dinner and was wowed by just how charming everything about this place was from the ambiance to the service to ofcourse the food!
Tessa is a beautiful restaurant with a clean Mediterranean decoration and the right amount of light and noise level. Our waiter was professional and passionate about the restaurant's food. I loved my entrée - the Duck! - and dessert - the Chocolate Mousse but my friends weren't very thrilled about their pastas.
Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own! . Tessa, Upper West Side, NYC, New York. Tessa, Upper West Side, NYC, New York. The Upper West Side is an interesting neighborhood that is changing as time passes. It does not have the same appeal as others like Soho, Chelsea or TriBeCa and its crowd is often associated with moviegoers, theatergoers and tourists. It is in this mix of hungry people that we tasted Tessa, a restaurant serving mainly Mediterranean cuisine. Taking its name from the daughter of one of the owners, this place has a fantastic decor that is a mix of rustic, with its exposed whitewashed bricks, and industrial, with the double layered blackened steel security gates that cover the entire ceiling and can be found all over the restaurant, wrapping around the bar for instance.
Great addition to the neighborhood! Menu is diverse and interesting. Food was all delicious. The atmosphere has an energetic but not too loud vibe. I had razor clams and cavitelli with rabbit. My date had the cod salad and risotto. All was great. I saw what looked to be an awesome thick burger being walked to another table. Will have to try that one soon!
Place was cute, the old was delicious and staff was friendly and attentive. Overall, no complaints. The bar even made me a drink that was on last seasons menu.
This was my 2nd visit to TESSA. I absolutely love this spot. Great staff, delicious food, wonderful atmosphere, and fantastic service. Highly recommend. Make sure to ask for Ike! He's fantastic!
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We had a destination micro wedding reception at Tessa for lunch on a Saturday. Originally our wedding was at Gapstow Bridge. We needed a place walking distance from there. It was sprinkling so we got married at Grand Central Station and took another Uber. Tessa was awesome. The spot was very us. Chill, small, not insane prices for semi private event. Food was great. We had 16 people for a semi private event. Its pretty private because its all the way in the back. Tessa offer up to 18 in the room. I dont know how they get 2 more people in there because 16 was like max. By the time lunch was done the rain stopped and we walked to Bethesda Fountain. Chef decorated the cake exactly like I asked - beautiful! Only thing weird is the event team cant ever talk to you on the phone as a policy to record all communications. Lots of messaging back and fourth. I couldnt ever check it out beforehand as we are from Tampa Bay. But it worked out. We all loved it. Unforgettable lunch. Thank you so much! I do highly recommend for micro wedding reception for the more low key chill bride and groom especially central park micro weddings. We looked at lots of places.
The atmosphere is very calm and chic, the service was great and all the items I tried were delicious. Great cider too
Cute little place with good American food. Cute aesthetic but pretty large space. Nice place for bfast - enjoyed the shrimp roll. Overall good
This place is totally worth it for the Happy Hour drinks. The cocktails are amazing and the bar tenders make it with a lot of passion whether HH or not. The food is also great. We ordered the cauliflower appetizer (delicious), also I have had the pastas before here and they are great as well. Happy hour is only at the bar from 4-6 and gets filled quickly. I would recommend getting here around 4.30 if you want to take advantage of the HH
Great French toast, would've liked some cream on top but was delicious nonetheless!
Beet salad was nice and refreshing with the hazelnuts on top and the cheese on the side of the plate, presented beautifully. Great service. Want to try this place for dinner!
August 18, 2023 at 12:30 pm. My server whom i called my love/lovey cause i completely forgot the name was absolutely amazing 🫶 even our busser that served us our waters was amazing!!
We had a reservation here for my friends wedding they took good care of us! Even gave us a vase for the bouquet 💐
Loved my cacio penne (completely forgot how to spell that) and fell in love with burratta!
Overall experience here was 11/10 ☺️
Note: their strawberry mimosas are fire.
The food was quite good as was the wine. On the other hand, the server could have been more attentive. The decor was not atypical and the crowd was as expected for a Sunday night; so fun if not perfect.
Cute and trendy but still cozy. Good variety of wines by the glass. The snap pea salad is tangy with a hint of sweetness on top of a light, creamy cheese that you hope will never end. Delicious. Shrimp scampi is yummy and satisfying. Good neighborhood spot.
Great ambience and atmosphere. Beautiful restaurant that makes you feel like you're in a wine cellar. Romantic vibes. Inside and outside dining avaliable.
The waitress was great and very informative. Attentive staff.
Loved the watermelon salad. Loved the Cacho E Pepe.
I wasn't a fan of the espresso martini, the risotto was alright, no my favorite either.
Reservation recommended. Overall Highly recommend.
Exceptional food and service! Came for a quick dinner and ended up spending 4 hours here.
We had the Cauli Fritto (👏), the beet salad (superb), the shrimp scampi pasta. And the best….. the mini-donuts with coffee sauce! Yum! 10/10 chefs kiss!
Food was delicious and amazing quality! Met the general manager and he gave us top-notch service on what was a tough day originally~ Certainly will be back to this establishment soon!
Recommend making reservations because we came here on Saturday night for dinner and it was crowded. Because this restaurant is amazing. Service is fast and the staff is so friendly. Great UWS restaurant where locals dine and good to bring friends or go for date night. The dinner was kind of pricey but delicious delicious!
One of my absolute favorites on the UWS for happy hour, and meeting friends for drinks. Sometimes we just stop in for a nice evening glass of wine. They close at 11 and all-day Monday. Happy hour is Tuesday - Friday 11-6.
Tessa, owned by the same people that own Asset this location is on Amsterdam. Same cool vibe, same cool ambiance, and same great food and drinks.
Truffle fries are to die for. Bursting with Flavor and topped with fresh parmesan.
The octopus was fabulous, so moist and tender.
Green Mussels are cooked in a cilantro, tomato garlic, and white wine sauce with a touch of coconut milk.
I hear weekend brunch is very good too. Just a cool local place.
Looking for a great Mediterranean bronzino and delicious salads try Tessa! Delicious fresh and moist bronzino served with fingerling potatoes and a cauliflower mash. Also try the Pear Arugula Salad. Fantastic. Don’t forget to pair the tasting with a nice glass of the Montepulciano. Enjoy! 🍷
Terrific Mediterranean food at TESSA! We really enjoyed our meal and the service at this Upper West Side restaurant. Knew nothing about it when we went in the pandemic. But were happy with everything from the burrata appetizer to multiple desserts. Can’t wait to return.
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