Bar Primi

In short, Bar Primi sells fairly well executed, basic Italian food at high prices. My service experience was poor.
I dined here with a few people this week. The wine list is notably expensive, with most of the the markups at or in excess of 3x retail prices. We shared meatballs ($ 14), a salad ($ 17) and rice balls ($ 11). The appetizers were tasty, but nothing exceptional. My companions enjoyed their pasta dishes (~$ 22) and I thought the branzino ($ 30) was well cooked.
Service: I would say this was 2 star service at best. Our appetizers arrived before our wine. I requested bread twice, but never received any. It appears that a restaurant which offers $ 25 pasta dishes and $ 17 basic salads does not provide a bread service. My wine glass sat empty for some time. One of my friends requested to see the wine list again, but instead just received a glass of the wine she had already been drinking.

Food was just mediocre. I came with my family and shared plates of the beet salad which had pistacho flavor but it was way too oily. Secondly, we had the spinach cavatelli and it was also extremely creamy. Usually I finish my plate but it was impossible to do so. It was just an OK experience overall and would not go back again.

It was ok Italian. I am half Italian and have lived in Rome and Napoli so I feel well-​qualified to make this judgement. Nice but not especially authentic. Great ambience though. Overpriced for the quality you get, as noted in other reviews.
I don’t know why any server thinks that they can act like they are above their guests– but that was definitely how it felt here. As others have noted, our server’s attitude stood out to me as inhospitable and somewhat arrogant. Certainly not Italian hospitality. I didn’t appreciate feeling as though the server was talking down to me or when he removed cutlery that I clearly needed to eat my meal. I have a feeling it’s because we were casually dressed (after taking my dad who was visiting NYC out for a day of sight-​seeing, we were just looking for somewhere to eat).
Would probably not re-​visit.

OK — first off — this is a BRUNCH review for their BRUNCH service.
I have to say — this was one of the best brunches ive had in a long while in NYC — and I eat out almost every meal every weekend!
The décor is great — sat upstairs — beautiful and AIR CONDITIONED — this is a key driver for me on the summer time — I must maintain cool during dining — or else im in TROUBLE.
Iced-​Coffee: Just so good.
1) the ricotta with truffle honey — this is a MUST order — I got one for DESERT too. Just perfect.
2) Split the following two items:
— a) «The Sandwich» — no words — just ORDER IT
— b) The Uovo Firtto — the mushrooms and polenta were just a perfect combo. Must order this as well — perfect portion.
I am telling you — order the following above — leave happy — get a taste of everything.
Again — this is a brunch review — and I have to say — I will be back MANY times to come.

Bar Primi is a really great spot for a catch-​up dinner, which is exactly what I came here for. It’s big, they take reservations, they even have ample outdoor seating. And the service is attentive but respectful and they’ll let you keep talking for hours after you’ve finished eating and drinking. My friend and I split the sicilian tomato/​rice balls (delicious, but the sauce they come in is even better) and she ordered the bucatini while I went with the amazing garlic linguine. Our portions were kind of the perfect size and though we each finished, I felt like I’d had the perfect amount. I thought about getting the very unique-​sounding fiore di carciofo but our waiter described it as one of the smaller portions and i was pretty hungry. One weird thing was that we tried to order a glass of rose each but our server misunderstood us and brought us a bottle. Of course we had no trouble finishing it so nbd but probably good to clarify that. I will definitely return, hopefully to eventually try more of the menu including the fiore and the amazing-​looking tiramisu!

Went here for birthday brunch and loved it. Great vibes and I knew I’d like it when the second we walked in the door we heard an Allen Toussaint song playing, maybe a first ever for me. Sat upstairs in a comfy booth and service couldn’t have been friendlier and warmer. Ordered bruschetta to start which was yummy. Dove in with a pair of linguini pasts with lots of garlic (both well liked). Perfectly al dente. Side orders of potatoes and bacon were yummy. Staff was perfect, attentive and on the spot with help. Terarmisu was perfect. Only small negative was asked for a Diet Coke and served a Boylan instead at $ 5.50. Tasted awful and if you don’t have Pepsi or Diet Coke, just say it. I’d go back in a second and give it a hugs thumbs up, great food, very comfortable and the vibe is so warm and cool and pleasing.

I’m pretty sure this tops the list as one of my favorite meals in Manhattan to date, thank you bar primi for a fabulous birthday dinner!
I came here last Thursday with my boyfriend, my cousin has been telling me I NEED to go so I thought this was the perfect occasion to indulge. We arrived and were seated after just a few minutes at a cozy booth upstairs — I just love the ambiance of this place and the fact that the tables aren’t on top of one another… there is actually some breathing room *gasp*!
We had 3 different wines, all were delicious and recommended by our waiter. I also had the diamanté passion fruit cocktail which was perfection, just the right amount of sweet and tangy! For apps we shared the burrata with eggplant caponata, the arancini, and the ricotta crostini with walnuts &…TRUFFLE. HONEY. Dear lord I could bathe in that stuff, and am clearly dreaming of my next encounter with it! The burrata and arancini were delicious as well and we cleaned our plates (but we licked our fingers after the truffle honey… no shame).
For dinner I had the fiore di carciofi and my boyfriend had the garganelli. Mine was very rich and just the perfect amount. His was decidedly larger and also fabulous, probably the best carbonara-​style pasta dish I’ve had… and I’ve had alllllll the pasta. Somehow we managed to order the affogato for dessert, don’t ask me how we managed to stuff another thing inside but we did and I don’t regret a thing. Everything was beyond expectations!
Overall our service was good, I think they make it a point to leave you along and let you enjoy your meal. It was a slower meal, but at no point did I feel like we were forgotten. The one time we needed our waiter but couldn’t find him, that exact moment a manager came over to say he stepped out for a minute and asked if there was anything we needed — I mean that’s wonderful! We enjoyed every moment and will surely be back, I’d love to try lunch/​brunch on the weekend!

I like Italian pasta here. This place is nice and cozy especially the table outside.
Every Time I’m thinking about good pasta in Manhattan I’m thinking about Bar Primi.

Primi has a beautiful space and enjoyable ambiance, especially its roomier upstairs, but the food isn’t particularly special for the price (~$ 50 – 60 for food pp, $ 14 drinks).
We had the:
— lamb amatriciana bucatini — tasty enough but the sauce was a bit watery and sparse
— broccoli appetizer — delicious, would recommend
— meatballs stuffed with fontina — which weren’t unique and didn’t have much fontina in them
— burrata with eggplant — I’ve had much creamier burrata in other Italian spots in the area; the eggplant pieces were quite small
— tiramisu — pricey at $ 12
Overall a decent spot for Italian with a nice open space good for groups, but the food wasn’t noteworthy, yet still quite pricey.

Came here for lunch, the food was 4 stars. My parents and I really enjoyed the linguine with garlic and the black pasta with crab.
The appetizers were just okay, we got the rice balls and kale salad. Not outstanding but not bad either.
The space is too small for the number of tables they had. I felt like I had no space and kept kicking the person in front of me and if I backed up my chair I wouldn’t leave space for the servers. Difficult situation.
Overall, id say this is a great choice if you want to just come here for a quick pasta lunch and go back to work.

This is an admittedly extremely limited review. I went last night and ate only one thing, the spagetti and clams. Verdict: the butchered it. It was packed with intense flavor, but the wrong flavors. heavily oversalted, heavily over chilie peppered, and laced with smoke (where di that come from?). There was some clam flavor in there somewhere, but it was smotherd and suffocated. I don’t even get the concept of the dish and can get over the inept execution. Smoky, peppery, bacony pasta with base note of clam?
This dish tries to get too cute, tries to take Batali’s Babbo clam pasta (with its non traditional pork) and flat out oudo Super Mario. Ambition here exceeded talent by a massive amount.
Also, the interesting wine list (Roero Arneis by the glass!) didn’t have a value item. wines by the glass, should have one in a low teens price point in IMHO.
Wonderful space, however, nice small bar, glitz and aspiration on the Bowery but in the kithen five fingers of one hand replaced with thumbs.

The food at Bar Primi definitely wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t impressive. We ordered various appetizers, such as the beets and the salad, all which were satisfactory. The pasta, however, was not Italian. It had way too much cream (basically too American to be considered Italian). Moreover, I didn’t really enjoy the atmosphere. It was kind of dull. All in all– Bar Primi was a mediocre experience.

First stop (and unfortunately, only) for NYC Restaurant Week!
A friend of mine had come here last year, and strongly recommended it so, since I love me some Italian… why not. On Monday when trying to make reservations, there wasn’t an opening on Opentable for Friday night until 10pm. Way too late. On Tuesday we called, no luck BUT the host did recommend we keep calling back because a lot of people cancel in the days leading up. Called back on Wednesday, there was a spot at 9:30 and we took it just to get our foot in the door. Thursday, called again and was able to change it to 8:15. Persistence is key!
We were seated right away, and our waitress came promptly thereafter. All the wines were Italian so I asked for a recommendation for a Sauvignon Blanc type of wine and she quickly offered 3 options. My friend and I went with the Verdiccho, which was perfect.
My choices for the 3 courses: Truffle Arancini, Fusilli and Gelato del Giorno (Hazelnut)
I LOVED the arancini. Perfectly crisp on the outside, creamy and cheesy on the inside. Yum, yum. Would definitely come back for this. I was kind of disappointed that were wasn’t a pasta with red sauce as an option because I prefer it to white/​no sauce but I went with the fusili. After the first bite, I was instantly reminded of a chicken noodle soup. It was homey and rich but ultimately, not my cup of tea. The hazelnut gelato was exactly as you would expect an just tasted like pure hazelnuts. Also not my cup of tea, but since I don’t like chocolate it was really my only choice.
Next time I’m in the area, I’d go for the bucatini, squid ink campanelle, aaaaand the garganelli bolognese among like 5 other things ;)P

I can’t decide whether or not I like the brunch or dinner menu better.
I have never received a meal I didn’t love in all of the times I’ve been here. The pasta is absolutely amazing :)
My favorite drink is the Paloma #7 with mezcal.
Can’t wait to go back!

Stumbled into Bar Primi around noon on Sunday post Jonas snowstorm. The restaurant was pretty empty (I’m assuming because of the snow) and none of us had tried it yet so we thought why not and I’m so glad we decided on this place. Our waitress was so friendly, checked in on us a bunch, swapped out the milk when she realized it wasn’t soy, gave good advice on what to order, and was really fast at bringing us coffee & food. Here’s what we ordered:
Ricotta Pancakes — the 4 of us split this dish as an appetizer. Lol. Ya gotta love us. The pancakes were incrdibleeeee. Really sweet and fluffy. Perfect pancakes. If you can’t decide on a few dishes then I recommend doing pancakes as an app. Genius.
Frittata — I ordered the frittata and loved it. The winning bonus was that it came with a goat cheese spread that you covered the frittata with. Sometimes I think frittatas are kind of dry but this wasn’t the case at all.
Spaghetti — My friend got this and I had a bite of it. I’m not a huge spaghetti fan but she loved it. My favorite spaghetti will always be the one from Nicoletta so I just can’t order spaghetti anywhere else (except for I was really wanting to try the breakfast spaghetti that was on the menu here)
My other two friends go the Pomodoro Baked Eggs and they looked delicious and my friends had no complaints. Our meal came with bread & olive oil, too. We didn’t order drinks (besides coffee) but the Bloody Mary’s looks bomb.

I liked Bar Primi. They’re a solid Italian join on the LES and are, frankly, teetering on the cusp of four stars but didn’t quite make it.
The great:
One of the best, if not THE best, negroni I’ve ever had. I wish I jotted down what they put in it, besides the standards, because I woke up thinking about it the next day.
The very good:
The ambiance. Cozy, warm, and just lively enough.
The meatballs. Four delicious little balls stuffed with cheese in a killer tomato sauce. They’re a pricey app but a good go-​to.
The squid ink pasta with fresh crab and pepperoncini peppers
The good:
The burrata. Your standard burrata but for the price, I would’ve expected something that’d blow me away.
The pasta with lamb ragu. Decent but slightly overly al dente and slightly lacking in robust flavor.
The wine. We ordered a $ 65 bottle of Montelpuciano and it was solid
The so-​so:
The service. It felt disconnected. It took 20min to get our first drink. There was always someone filling water or clearing plates but we didn’t see the same person consistently.
The price. I have had better Italian meals in NYC for much less.
(Everyone on here is talking about breadsticks… we got no bread, nor breadsticks)
Overall:
If I’m in the area again, and need a place to grab some comfort Italian food, I’d consider going back. I’d definitely hit them up again for just a cocktail. Other than that, though, I’m not sure I’d go out of my way.

Such a cute & homey atmosphere for a date or getting together with friends!
very Italian fare and heavy on the carbs so be prepared!
–complimentary breadsticks for the table: dry, nothing special
–complimentary italian bread served with olive oil: only if you request it
–stuffed meatballs: loved the tomato sauce but the meatballs were dry
–ricotta bruschetta: nice light toasty starter! the hazelnuts were a surprise
–bucatini: AL DENTE pasta just the way i like it, went well with the tasty lamb meat suace
–tiramisu: good but way too much cocoa powder on top! two of us choked on the powder while eating
–hazelnut gelato: MMmm nice light finish to a carb heavy dinner
–panna cotta: never had one with cherry syrup on top, i was a fan!
apparently upstairs is for RSVP only so make one!

Bar Primi= yummy! i just had my leftovers for breakfast and am yearning for more!
My boyfriend i came here after attending an event at the bowery hotel next door, so a bit later in the evening. place was still super lively with lots of people chowing down on delicious bowls of pasta under low lights and candles.
we started off with an order of the fontina stuffed meatballs. these were very tender and i liked that the meat was a more fine consistency vs. chunky. tomato sauce was also perfect.
for entrees we ordered the bucatini lamb amatriciana & fusilli nonna’s veal genovese. the pastas in both of these dishes were cooked and sauced perfectly with just the right ratio of noodle to meat/​sauce. the noodles were al dente, with a great chew. the lamb in bucatini was melt in your mouth. the fusilli had a lighter sauce with delicious toasted bread crumbs tossed in among the flavorful veal ragu.
service here was top notch, very friendly and helpful with wine and pasta recommendations and also keeping the water glasses full. will definitely be back soon!

KenScale: 8.0÷10
It’s been a while since my last visit to Bar Primi, a casual pasta-​centric restaurant from chef Andrew Carmellini. I’ve always been a fan of soulful pasta dishes at chef Carmellini’s restaurants and enjoyed Bar Primi’s straightforward yet hearty dishes as well. I revisited on a recent Friday dinner, and had another satisfying experience.
For the starters, I went with eggplant caponata bruschetta and calamari fritti that came with spicy aioli. Both dishes were delicious and weren’t overly salty to my liking. I could probably eat the bruschetta every day for lunch, and calamari was above average, with fresh seafood that was fried in right degree. For the pastas, I went with linguine with 4 cloves of garlic and breadcrumbs and spinach cavatelli that came with white Bolognese. Neither dishes would wow you in plating/​display, but I loved the rustic touch of both dishes. Linguine was more or less cooked perfect al dente, and spinach cavatelli had the rich Bolognese sauce that was addictive. I probably had a bit too much of both dishes and was stuffed even before the dessert, but there was no denying that I couldn’t stop digging them. For dessert, simple tiramisu was moist and smooth for a delightful bite to end the meal.
The restaurant’s scene was still vibrant, with a large group of young people looking to get their pasta fill before starting a night out on Friday. It was a bit too much loud at times, so perhaps an outdoor seating in the summer might be a better choice. Bar Primi still delivers as a no-​nonsense casual Italian joint that showcases chef Carmellini’s simple yet elegant approach to Italian dishes.

Loved everything about Bar Primi from the gorgeous setting to the excellent service to the great drink menu and of course to the unbelievable pasta! For a pasta lover, this restaurant is a serious dream come true… there are hardly any other entrees on the menu!
For appetizers, don’t miss the ricotta, honey and fig on toast. This was such a perfect bite — the ricotta was so smooth and runny it almost seemed puréed. The figs were perfectly ripe and the honey was just slightly sweet. Plus herbs were sprinkled on top… amazing! The calamari appetizer was nice, as well, served with blistered shishito and red peppers.
All three of us stuck to the traditional pasta section rather than the seasonals. My favorite of the three we tried was the paccheri (type of noodle) in a vodka sauce (sugo rosa) with shrimp. The noodle shape is unusual and very delicious. We also had the spaghetti pomodoro and the garlic linguine. All three dishes were perfectly al dente and breadcrumbs on top added a nice crunch.
Also — greatest tiramisu ever (so smooth and silky and just the right amount of alcohol) so don’t pass on dessert and their digestif menu was superb. Fantastic meal!