Medici21

This restaurant opened up a couple months ago. The food I had wasn’t that impressive but I really liked that the happy hour goes until 7:30. The happy hour however is limited. I think I’m going to try to go here some other time to see how it is but I wasn’t blown away.

My husband and I ate dinner at Medici21 last night, after going to the theater nearby. What an awful restaurant! It was reasonably attractive, with a prominent bar at the entrance and a second level of dining visible from the ground level (apparently the kitchen is upstairs as well, which is unfortunate for the waiters and busboy). The menu was disappointingly short, with a tired list of old Southern Italian standards. We hoped that perhaps the execution would belie the uninteresting menu. No such luck. We shared the Medici21 caesar salad, which was plentiful, but perfunctory at best. My husband then ordered an entrée sized portion of the eggplant parmesan, which arrived undercooked and warm. He asked for it to be heated further. When it returned some time later, it was warmer but still al dente (not the way to serve eggplant!) and pretty tasteless. The tomato sauce it was cooked with seemed to have no seasoning whatsoever in it. Traditional eggplant parmesan is first fried in olive oil before being baked with tomato sauce and mozzarella. This eggplant did not seem to have first been fried.
I ordered the tagliata, which was billed as a steak with rosemary (none to be seen on my plate), served with «homemade mashed potatoes» (as opposed to what — freeze dried?). This dish turned out to be two of the thinnest slices of some kind of indeterminate steak that I have ever seen. I had asked for the steak to be served rare, but that was clearly impossible given how thin the slices (cooked sliced — not sliced after cooking) were. They were overcooked and utterly tasteless, no matter how much salt and pepper I put on them. The steak was served with the potatoes, which were ok, and steamed and undercooked cauliflower, broccoli and carrots (how creative). It was all tasteless. In this day and age it is hard to imagine why anyone would open a restaurant like this. There are so many good Italian restaurants to chose from in NY. We selected this one only because of its proximity to the theater we had just gone to. Feels bad to pan a restaurant, but never again!

Overall, this was an ok meal, but pretty good service. I thought the wine list was good and reasonably priced. The very salad was awesome. I wasn’t thrilled with the homemade gnocchi (although the sauce was really good), but the manager came over to discuss with me and was really focused on making it right. I’d try other things here, some of the entrees looked great. Stick around for dessert.

I was excited when this restaurant opened in the neighborhood since my husband and I are always on the lookout for new places to eat out in the neighborhood. From the menu, it’s seems like it would be a middle to upper range Italian restaurant. However when you walk in, it’s a hodgepodge of styles. There are TV screens (ostensibly to show sporting events) and loud rap playing. But then they have white table cloths and wine glasses on the tables. Like, if it’s supposed to be a nice restaurant, don’t blare rap. But if it’s supposed to be a bar/​lounge, get rid of the white tablecloths.
The person who greeted us seemed to be in the role of bartender, hostess and waitress, and at one point despite being the only table occupied in the restaurant, she was so engrossed in her conversations with patrons at he bar, that despite waving our hands, I had to get up and ask for assistance. Also no one came to check in on us and see how we were doing.
The food was good, but came out in strange waves. I got my food but then had to wait a while for my friend to get his food.
While everyone here was definitely nice, based on the price point, weird ambience and poor service, I won’t be coming back

Very friendly staff, unfortunately when the bar tender is the hostess and waitress, you definitely miss something… Like service, items on the menu, and checking in on patrons. Decent food, but when they’re blasting that deep down south hip hop music; any elegance or class goes out the window. Hoes; m*tha****, and gun shots with your Frutti Di Mare? Lol
So sorry; decent food but bad service; bad ambience (not the white table cloth italian restaurant we thought it appeared to be from outside). Also no bread?
If I came for drinks & dancing for hip hop yes; white table cloth italian 10 000% not they need to choose who they are catering to; and go with it.

It’s probably tough to compete with a beer garden right across the street, and I’ll admit it took me awhile to try this neighborhood spot. But, what a gem in Battery Park! My review is based on the service and my happy hour menu experience. First of all, everyone here was so nice, friendly, and attentive to everything. You will be taken care of here! Even a snafu in the final bill was easily seen to and amended. Next, the drinks. What a cocktail menu selection! The bartendress even came out to ask about one of the cocktails I ordered, because it was her first attempt. She had made a slight adjustment which had made it even better than I expected! Stellar. We were also informed that a new chef was on staff, and I have only amazing things to say. If you go, definitely try the meatballs! (My friend and I had two orders because they were so good.) The place may seem quieter as far as the crowd goes, but this is an excellent place to go if you want amazing food, cocktails, and service. The happy hour prices are especially enticing and the staff is so friendly.

Ill start off by saying this review is not based on the food here but their kindness for people. After enjoyong a long walk along battery park on a rather warm day. It took its tole on me all of a sudden. Given I am six months along now. I stopped at a cornor with my hubby, our friends, we saw this place. We were gonna politely ask if I can sit down for a few mins.
This lovely staff member came to us and quickly understood our situation. She said it was no problem and even brought us all waters. I was really taken back, such kindness. We rested for a lit bit and surely enough the ice cold water helped me feel better. It was nice to see a restaurant rather do good for someone than say sorry got to order to sit or what not. This is why I am writing this review. I will definitely recommend this place to others. Not only just what they did for me, also for the fact that its a really charming spot and very reasonable prices for drinks& food. Please give this place a try:)

I really enjoyed my dinner here. The visit started out not so great when one of the people in my party wanted Chianti… a wine that you would typically find in an Italian restaurant. I ordered the spicy mac & cheese. It was delicious! There was a variety of cheeses in it including blue cheese. It was a surprise but it was tasty and not overwhelming. The bacon really added a nice touch. Everyone in my party commented that they enjoyed their dinner.

Took a few friends here for dinner bc it was across the street from our hotel and we were really hungry. Our experience here was subpar.
A) Whoever designed the place was utterly confused. It’s like an Italian restaurant meets a club/​sports bar. The ambience was off putting.
B) The waitress was really pushy about getting our order right away. A party of 5 and she expected everyone to know what they were ordering after 90 seconds when we sat down. She kept coming back until I told her I would call her over when we were ready.
C) It looks really unprofessional when your waitstaff does not know the menu. One of my guests who doesn’t dine out much asked her what is Branzino. Her reply, verbatim, was «I really don’t know». In shock I quickly explained to my guest what type of fish so I didn’t make the waitress look like too much of an idiot.
D) The food is not terrible but it is not good either. Mediocre at best. We were all really hungry so we ate everything regardless. The menu really needs to be changed or updated with more flavors. Also one of my guests got his appetizer and entrée at the same time when he asked it to come out separate.
The only reason this review gets two stars instead one is bc the bus boys and food runners did a great job. The busser was very attentive to the table. But I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Went there for lunch with friends. We had several dishes and three out of four did not make the cut. The décor is nice, given that there are two floors, and the bar looks cool, but for food it’s a no-​no.

The food was excellent, and complimented by the manager who took the time to make sure this weary traveler was taken care of.
The noodles in the bolonese were very well done, and the balance of the meat and sauce was well executed. Dont be put off by the construction outside, the interior is a combination of warm and modern.
Highly recommended

A new vendor in town, and their mac and cheese and fries from their *currently-​limited menu won me over already! Definitely willing to come back to experience their full menu. Additionally, with all their big-​screened TVs, this could be a good sports bar.
— — — Experience/​Venue:
My friend and I came here on a Tuesday around 1pm. We met our wonderful server, Chris, and bartender, Katie. Katie made us a sweet, fruity «lunch» cocktail with pineapple peach and vodka. Being that it’s a new restaurant that only opened about a month ago, the place was empty except for two other patrons.
The venue gives off a classy yet casual vibe with their snowflake-​type light decorations and big-​screened TVs on the walls. About 14 people can sit on the bar and more people can seat in their relatively small dining room.
— — — Food:
My friend and I sat on the bar and ordered from their «lounge» menu as they didn’t yet have their full menu available that day:
— Spicy Bacon Mac & Cheese (sirracha baconand four cheese combo): amazingly crunchy and creamy! The cheese pasta was cooked very well ^_​^. This is also very filling as my friend and I shared half and were satisfied.
— Patatas Bravas (paprika, dill aioli and chipotle mayo): good seasoning
Definitely would come here when I’m craving mac and cheese!
— — — Footnotes:
*I believe their full menu should now be available

Great place, European inspired and a great place for an event. The food is great with great happy hour as well. Brunch is also available the chef is very well known: Executive Chef Allen Dann

Great restaurant. Love the Italian meatball sandwich. The service was great. Very cordial and very generous.
We ordered a Margherita pizza, fried mozzarella and a mushroom soup that was amazing. Recommended it.

Great new restaurant… great atmosphere… delicious octopus… cocktails absolutely divine!!! try the medici mule cocktail… Will go back over and over again

Stopped here one night when I didn’t feel like hanging with the 20 something crowd in the beer garden across the street. I was warmly greeted by bartenders Noël and Vicki and served an excellent duck appetizer which was perfect for a light dinner. Was allowed to taste different wines to my liking and I’m certain my glass was refilled several times without charge. It was very good. The vibe was good for 30 something and up.

I’m giving this place 4 stars because there is potential here. It’s newly opened and still working out the kinks. I stopped in after work with coworkers and wasn’t in the mood of anything too rowdy. The space has and upstairs and downstairs sitting area, loft style. Very bright overall. Music was basically all my pandora stations from The XX to Florence and the machine played in the background.
Happy hour was $ 4 beers, $ 5 mixed drinks and $ 1 oysters. I sipped on two gin and ginger ales my coworkers had Guinness. Noël made a good drink. The drink was made perfectly and was happy to be sitting all night.
Food: I had two dishes the grilled octopus and fried calamari ($ 13-​$ 15)Upon talking to the manager we agreed there needed to be more pasta dishes on the menu. The prosciutto wrapped figs was a contender. I gave them fair constructive criticism. The octopus dish left me in such distaste. Too much going on but nice presentation. The octopus barely had a char and was too soft in the middle. The pancetta was perfectly crispy. I like the tangerine with it for some acidity. I loved the fingerling potatoes, that can be a dish on its own. Where the dish missed its mark was the eggplant. It was soaked in balsamic vinegar. I coughed so much it was inedible. I made Noël try it and he cringed. Without it, the dish would’ve been fine. Management took it away and brought me over the fried calamari. That was DELICIOUS. It wasn’t oily from being fried. The marinara was topped with chili flakes. I thought I died. My pallet was almost destroyed. That should’ve been stated on the menu so I can request without it. It was an easy fix I picked them off. The sauce was great and sweet.
Management was so accommodating, they removed the octopus from my bill and didn’t charge me for a glass of wine (Moscato). The chef came out the kitchen and brought me a pumpkin gelato. That was delicious I liked the berry sauce and it tasted like there was a hint of spice (I thought nutmeg) in it but it was ginger, I did recommend side of berries and cinnamon as the spice. They really care about their customers and open to feedback. That’s smart, I wish them success.

Came here with a Living Social. Must have been our servers first day as she lingered at our table far too long every time she visited, asked us how our meal was 3+ times, and served our white wine warm – taking another 10 minutes to bring a chiller for the remainder of the warm bottle. Ordered the black risotto with seafood. Risotto was flavorful but the seafood was extremely bland, some of it being exceptionally salty. Don’t recommend. One star because the décor is nice and the loft seating area is unique and fun.

This is a beautiful space. The vibe is great and the bartender Noël was fantastic.
I really enjoyed the octopus with fingerling potatoes and eggplant. The octopus was tender and the eggplant was amazing — how ever the eggplant was seasoned/​marinated/​pickled was outstanding.
Upstairs is awesome! Definitely coming back, and excited to try more off the menu. Who wants to split a 34oz porterhouse steak with me?!?