As a tourist who has been to both the Flatiron and Downtown locations, this Flatiron location falls a bit short compared to Downtown, but on its own is a great place for a pasta and pizza lunch, well with a trip.
This location is at street level, and a bit more casual (in comparison to downtown) though the decor was very clean and elegant. Our service was good, if a bit blunt, and our server checked on us several times.
My lasagna was very rich with many sheets of fresh lasagna. I liked it, and my daughter loved it. My kids were not presented with a kids menu, but there was a kids cheese pizza available upon request, which was enjoyed. My eldest daughter loved her four cheese pizza (and ordered it at the other location this same trip).
I appreciated there being a few craft beers on tap. I didn't love the fresh bread we ordered. It was only $3, and served with olive oil - it was soft with 4 big pieces, but a nibble of my daughters' pizza crust was more appealing, so I'll skip it next time.
We closed out our lunch sharing an amazing tiramisu - so creamy and delicious!
I have travelled the world extensively over 40 years. I ate at all restaurants ranging from pop & mom’s to Michelin three stars. This is my honest review of the restaurant La Pizza & La Pasta inside the Eataly shopping. Located in flatiron district, this is a true testimony to all the goodness of Italian food. You can combine food eating with food shopping similar to original Eataly in Italy. We had the carpaccio with black truffle, the tagliatelle with mushroom ragu and the spaghetti with butter truffle and an addition of shaved black truffle. All was very good but we had two let downs (why I put four stars):
- A little stone was found in the tagliatelle (probably due to insufficiently washed mushroom). The waitress/manager was quick to react and removed it from our table.
- One wine glass has small fingerprints stain.
Overall, I would still recommend to eat there.
I brought a friend here from out of town, and we visited on a Sunday at about 230 pm. There were no lines to get a table, and we were seated right next to a window overlooking the Memorial Pools. Absolutely breathtaking views! A great first impression.
Right after we sat at the table, we were greeted by a gentleman offering us water. (Love that!) After reviewing the menu for a few minutes, Jordan came over to take our order. He was dressed in a suit, which we found interesting. (There's a definite pecking order within the staff.) He was very outgoing and friendly and answered my friend's menu questions with ease. I ordered the spaghetti cacio e pepi with a truffle addition and my friend ordered the tagliatelle alla bolognese. I asked if I could change my pasta to angel hair, but that was not allowed. We didn't order appetizers. Several minutes later, Jordan informed me that the kitchen had run out of truffles, which was a bummer.
The entrees came pretty quickly, but not too quickly, and were served by Diego another person who is great at his job. Both were very generous portions, and neither of us was able to finish, though we really tried! We were offered freshly grated cheese shortly after we began eating. We shared our pasta, and both were cooked to perfection (al dente) and tasted fantastic. The staff was very attentive, but not annoyingly so. We didn't feel rushed, which is a treat in NYC. We didn't order dessert, though the gelato looked amazing.
Here's why I gave 4 instead of 5 stars. After we paid, we both went to the restroom. It was so shabbily done, almost as an afterthought. There was a line, and we waited in a very narrow but heavily trafficked hallway that had mops and a locker jammed into it. When we got to the bathrooms, we found a very poorly designed space with angles that made it almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with other patrons. There were social distancing signs which were pretty comical, considering the lack of space. They also only offer hand dryers, so I can only imagine how warm the bathrooms get in the summer.
Upon leaving the restrooms, we meandered through the market, which was well-stocked and beautifully arranged. We made a few purchases and headed to the exit. At least we thought we did. It took us 10 minutes of walking around in a complete circle as we followed the exit signs. We finally asked someone to show us the actual exit, an escalator down that proved very elusive. It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise wonderful experience. I hope they redesign those restrooms and provide better exit signage in the future.
The photos are of the dining space, our view, and the hallway to the restroom.
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