‘Cesca

Neighborhood fave, good food, great staff, and fabulous regulars.

Service is pretty horrendous. They didn’t give us the table reserved for us, and as a result my OpenTable check kept showing someone else’s order. Our waitress Yael was obviously annoyed we didn’t order alcohol or appetizer or dessert. But my yellowfin tuna was flavorful and cooked perfectly rare as I requested. My friend enjoyed his veal milanese too. I left a decent tip to redeem my Amex offer but the service itself was not enough to justify that.

Used to be a great place, not as nice now.

Came here for a work event and got to try a variety of things on the menu. Definitely a wonderful place for a nice group dinner or date — more of an older crowd. Here’s my take:
Hypes:
— Cauliflower fritters: ordered this as it is a popular on Unilocal — and they did not dissapoint. crunchy, large portions, and a good dipping sauce
— Beet Salad — fresh and a mix of sweet and savory. We shared it at the table and have no idea where it went.
— large portions: the dishes we each ordered were huge. Had trouble finishing.
— Who doesnt like unlimited bread before the food comes? High quality olive oil and herbs served with it
— Arctic Char — recommended by the waiter. It was delicious. Light, refreshing. The lemon riso melts in your mouth.
— Pasta is cooked well. I think the reviews that hate on the pasta may have come on an off day.
— Desserts — warm chocolate cake — i mean where does this ever go wrong?
Marscapone cheesecake — light, airy, great texture and flavor
Gripes:
— a bit on the pricey side, but you can tell this place has its regulars
— Short Ribs in Brodo — it was aiiiighhtt. More on the heavy side. The root vegetables and the soft ribs were cooked to perfection. Save this for a really cold night when you are really hungry.
— Vanilla panna cotta — wouldnt get it again

This UWS gem is one of the only places in the area that people come from all over for just the food. I love the dining area in the back. It has great ambiance and is great for a client dinner or a nice romantic meal. I’ve also had a great time bringing family. The menu selection is excellent and so is the service. The bar is also very nice and has a great wine selection.

to be honest, I recall a better first encounter with this restaurant. It is my neighborhood joint, I wish I could have liked it more to rate it higher. But no way. If an «italian» restaurant messes up orecchiette — how can one go wrong with broccoli rabe, sausage and garlic? well Cesca can — it really does not deserve any star. but hey, they are my neighborhood dudes, so there goes two stars :) well ok, mushroom arancini was not bad. .
In fact, this was the blandest pasta I have ever had in my life — there goes a life time achievement award to Cesca, and unlike the two stars above, no nepotism here, this one is really well deserved –.
PS: write orecchiette on google, it will start giving you almost the full recipe, this is how classic the dish is.

3 of us ate at Cesca last night for the first time and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the experience. I’m gluten free and dairy free and the waitress (thanks Stephanie) was amazing at knowing every ingredient in each dish, and what could or couldn’t be prepared safely for me. I really appreciate that. My friends had pasta dishes they loved. I had the best roast duck ever. Also the fried brussel sprouts. Fantastic. And we shared a seafood salad which was so fresh and perfectly cooked. Plus, the restaurant was beautiful, clean, you can see the kitchen, and the staff was just the right amount of attentive. Definitely a special neighborhood hidden gem.

‘Cesca used to be a culinary beacon in an otherwise foodie wasteland that was the upper west side. It was always my go-​to fave pre-​show at the Beacon. Not anymore. Tonight’s meal was decidedly mediocre. The beet salad, while showcasing all the ingredients as described in the menu, was as subtle as a bag of bricks. The beet pieces were huge, and there were just way too many of them. I followed this with a personal favorite, Linguini alla Vongole. The pasta was over cooked and flavorless, with a soupy dishwater flood at the bottom of the bowl. So disappointing. Given the ever-​increasing competition in the neighborhood, the folks at ‘Cesca have some work to do. Either bring back Colicchio or hire some chefs who can handle these simple dishes that any home cook can master with ease. I am going to need some incentive to make a return visit.

Very good local Italian joint. Elegant atmosphere but casual works just fine. Polenta is yummy. Had the salad with the pistachios and wiped every drop from the bowl. Bread comes with olive oil and a delicious tomato mashup (that is not the right culinary word). Grilled attic char was fantastic. Crispy and salty and served medium rare. Delicious. Happy hour beer prices only made it better. Place sure got busy ahead of the Mark Knopfler concert. Come in at 5 and you’ll be fine.

Had dinner here last night before seeing Steely Dan at the Beacon Theatre. Service was terrible but if you eat here you must order an appetizer of Cauliflower fritti. So good!

This is a perfect restaurant — everything is delicious and great service. Sit on the banquet its velvety and so comfy you won’t want to leave. Try the polenta appetizer and pasta for yummy carbs. Great salads too. What can I say I’m a huge fan!

Place was very nice inside and staff very attentive.
I went with another couple and the other person said «this was the best swordfish I ever had». My wife had the salmon which was excellent. My only disappointment was the duck. The waiter said it «falls off the bone» no way it was dried out and needed a steak knife to cut it.
Stay away from the duck otherwise Very good place

My parents have been going to Cesca a for many years and the people there have been incredibly kind to them. Thus I must admit that my review is in no way unbiased.
So first off is service, which is essentially impeccable. They are attentive and generous, kind at every moment.
I’m not a wine connoisseur, but I’m told that their wine list is excellent. Also notable is the staff’s knowledge of said list. I’m pretty sure they have a sommelier as well.
Appetizers are great, particularly the calamari. The Farro salad is also a hit every time.
I was not feeling very hungry soI got the spaghetti with cracked pepper, which was fine. The pappardelle and the lamb shank were big hits.
Finally I must point out that, while many have marked Cesca as not «kid friendly,» I think it depends on how you define that term. Is there a kid menu and crayons? No. Are they kind to kids and solicitous of their needs? Absolutely. They made a Shirley Temple and spaghetti with red sauce for my daughter without batting an eye.
To Cesca: may they thrive on the UWS.

Best thing we had was the fried cauli… absolutely delicious! Other items we ordered: Escarole salad — It hit the spot but could pass as a glorified bagged salad with some fresh pecorino. Grilled octopus was ok – came out cold and I wasn’t a fan of the kalmata aioli.
The service was friendly and attentive.
I don’t think I would go out of my way to eat here again but I would definitely go if attending a show at the Beacon.

Very few Italian places in Manhattan are worth the price. This one is one of them.
The pastas aren’t overcooked, the ingredients are clearly very good, and the menu isn’t just a glorified pizzeria menu (chicken parm, veal parm, etc)
Their breads are great, and the fried cauliflower is a must.

This cute little restaurant on the upper west side is such a great addition to the neighborhood. We had a large party of 10 – 11 people and we had a table tucked away to the side, almost in a little alcove.
The appetizers were phenomenal. The fried cauliflower fritters and roasted carrots were just delicious. My colleague and I split the roasted duck and the agnolotti. The duck was a little bit tough to be quite honest… think it was a bit over cooked. The agnoloti was done well with lots of spinach flavor.
Wine was plentiful and it was in good company, so still a very enjoyable dinner.

We had a good dinner, they accommodated our group of 6; service was excellent, noise level very high but seating comfortable. Would come back here for nice dinner w family or friends; good bar too.

The food was very good… the service was fantastic… overall a great experience!
highlights were the bolognese, the brussel sprouts and the sweet jesus oysters.
Highly recommend this place, especially if you are headed to a show at the Beacon.

The food was very good, bordering on excellent. The setting was comfortable for two couples. The noise level was always good, except around 1050 PM, when the background music strangely switched to some louder rock.
The wine list was fine. We had a nebbiolo that was reasonable at $ 46.
Here’s the deets (12÷13÷14):
Wellfleet oysters, half-​dozen, 16
Slow roasted duck, 30 — among the best duck I’ve ever had. The half-​duck was served split-​side down on the plate on a bed of kale, with a roasted half-​pear. The skin was golden and crispy.
Scallops, 29 — fine, said the GF
Veal chop, 40
Swordfish, 29 — as good as that could be
’Tuscan’ fries, 8 — good
Polenta, 8 — rich because of the added cheese. How could you go wrong with polenta with tasty cheese?
Fig old fashioned cocktail, 14 — the flavors didn’t merge well. Made with Bulleit Rye.
TOTAL for 4, 347 (yeah, there was some more stuff)
BONUS — crush-​worthy bar area
TIP — dining room feels a little old because of the décor, which was fresh but conservative
TIP — food can arrive super-​fast
TIP — there was one oyster available as a starter, Wellfleet. Unclear how much oysters’ll be available.

Got to try this place for a work event and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn’t know this place existed. Would come back! especially for the cauliflower. Here’s my take on everything:
— Meat and Cheese plate: good but I’ve had better Proscuitto
— Prosciutto and Parmesan fritters: nice and airy but too much dough for me
— Cauliflower fritters: Maybe my favorite thing here! Fried, savory, and had the right crunch!
— Mixed green salad: nice and light. Why does salad taste so much better when someone else makes it?!
— Cavatelli: freshly made pasta. Delicious with every bite. A simple red sauce to go with it.
— Chocolate Truffle cake: rich and creamy. Perfect with the ice cream.
This place has freshly made pasta, which easily warrants four stars!