Cibo

We stopped in for a drink and ended up staying for dinner unexpectedly in December and we were pleasantly surprised. Great service, amazing food and reasonable (on a NYC midtown scale) prices.

Had the pleasure of holding 2 large memorable events here: our wedding shower and our daughter’s baptism lunch. Team was amazing, but I passed by the restaurant today and they closed for good after 21 years as posted on the windows. Good luck and thank you!

My boyfriend and I decided to go to Cibo’s for dinner last night. I can’t say enough great things about this place, from the food to the service, it was by far a «Yelp-​review-​worthy,» top-​notch dining experience.
I pretty much won the lottery the day I met my man, but before that, I did what most single women do in the city — we date! I’ve wined and dined at the «best of the best», e.g., Le Bernardin, Jean George, Per Se, just to name a few, so I definitely have the experience to make a fair comparative analysis.
My boyfriend made same-​day reservations for us at 7:30 pm. When we arrived, we were greeted by a very friendly front-​end staff and then promptly seated to our table.
The semblance of the restaurant was perfect! It was quaint and romantic, and exactly the kind of ambiance I was hoping to encounter for our date night out.
Our server’s name was Jimmy, who I must say was excellent throughout the entire evening. Not only did he know the entrees and specials as if he prepared them himself, but he also guided us through the specials, taking his time, and thoroughly answering all our questions with a genuinely pleasant and professional demeanor. Throughout the entire five course meal, we never had to ask for anything; Jimmy was consistently spot-​on with anticipating our needs. If Jimmy was busy with another table, another gentleman, I believe his name was Diego (?), was there to continue keeping us happy and content!
Now…onto the food… omg the food!!! Soooooo delicious! Every single entrée was of sweet perfection! We started with the imported Burrata Mozzarella – and in case you didn’t know, Burrata means «buttered» in Italian, and there’s no doubt about it, this little divine cheese certainly lived up to its name! It was so soft and creamy and intense with flavor; it literally melted away in my mouth! Add in a few gooseberries – naturally sweet and slightly tangy, mixed throughout the salad and sprinkled in with the juiciest balsamic tomatoes bursting with flavor… OMG! What a way to start out the evening!
Next, we ordered the Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes —ohhhh myyyy!!! I lived in Maryland for a few years before moving to the city, so I know a quality crab cake when I taste one. There’s no doubt about it my Unilocaler friends, these crab cakes definitely represented! They were so flavorful with a mild smoke-​like taste… soft, and moist on the inside, contrasted perfectly with a sweet and crunchy outside! MM MM MMMM perfection people, absolute perfection!
Up next, we decided to order the organic baby green salad for no other reason than to cleanse our palette before our main course. There were no real high expectations for a basic salad, but seriously, even the simple salad tasted more special than a simple salad should taste! (Try saying that five times, ha!)
Now onto our main course. My boyfriend
chose the filet and I chose the sword fish. The cut of filet was so juicy and tender, my butterknife sliced a piece with incredible ease. He requested medium rare and it was prepared to perfection… as was my sword fish – so tender and flavorful. Everything we were hoping for in our main course.
Finally…the dessert!
One of my favorite desserts is cremè brûlée. However, more often than not, I’m disappointed because most places serve crème brûlée cold rather than warm. Crème brûlée should be freshly caramelized, leaving a sweet crunchy topping and a warm layer of sweet crème underneath. I thought for sure Cibo’s would serve their brûlée cold like most restaurants disappointingly do; however, my new friend Jimmy assured me this would not be the case with Cibo’s almond cremè brûlée. Thankfully he was right! Jimmy brought out that warm sugary dish and within my first bite, it was pure love at first taste. I was seriously in food heaven at that point — DONE! Happily fed and fattened with my handsome sweet amazing man next to me. What more can a girl ask for!!! (-;
So…after considering the important elements, i.e., the service, ambiance, pricing, and of course the food, my overall conclusion is this: Cibo’s is a restaurant force to be reckoned with, not to mention a refreshing break from an oftentimes pretentious city. With its intimate appeal, Cibo’s briefly took me back to my time in Verona and Nice… I mean who wouldn’t want to experience a date night like that in the city?! Cibo’s for two?! Uhm… YES please and thank you!!!

My son and his girlfriend took us here for our 54^th birthday (s). What a great little restaurant this is, however, on this particular evening they were having a (very important) meeting for educators. The restaurant is small and while I appreciated the purpose of the event that was being held, it was noisy and not conducive to diners being able to enjoy a little bit of peace.
The service was exceptional and our waiter and wait staff were more than attentive.
Let’s discuss the food.
Me: Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes which were exceptional and delicious. Perfection.
Wife: Seared Sea Scallops which were not so exciting. Sadly, they are not taking lessons from Gordon Ramsey. They were not seared on both sides and they were sparse. 6 (or was it 4) small itty bitty scallops which were more like bay scallops and a bit slimy.
Son: Crisp-​skinned Long Island Duck Breast which was prepared to perfection.
Girlfriend: Beef Short Ribs (or was it Braised Beef?) I am not a carnivorous being, but did taste this and it was heaven. The meat was butter in my mouth and the flavors were layered. YUM!
Of course a birthday is not complete without desert. We had the desert of the day, a caramel cake that was pure heaven, Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, Espresso Sauce, Vanilla Gelato… I want more of this and one of my favorites, Homemade Apple Cobbler, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream which did not disappoint.
I probably should have given 3 stars based on the noise and those slimy little wee bit of scallops, but I really liked this place and I adored the staff.
On a final note to the four women who came in during our desert. Must you bathe in your perfume and if so… Could you pick something other than Roses a plenty de jou?
Bön Appétit

Awesome prix fixe brunch deal for around $ 19.99. I get the fresh fruit for an appetizer and the egg sandwich, which comes with salad greens and a wedge of potato pancake on the side. The prix fixe also comes with a basket of fresh-​baked mini-​muffins and banana bread for the table. The professionalism of the servers and management is impressive. I have brunch there about twice a month, and they’re highly tolerant of picky people like my friends and me. The only drawbacks are that they don’t have fresh-​squeezed orange juice and they do a lot of baby and wedding showers, so it gets a little noisy if you’re stuck at a table close to the gala.
CLOSED Feb. 29, 2016

I live around the corner from Cibo, and every time I walk by it’s never busy. And now I know why.
I decided to try this place out for dinner, and honestly, it’s nothing special. I ordered the short rib (over-​cooked and almost dry) and my friend ordered the fish (she said it was too oily/​greasy.) A bottle of wine and two entrees cost us $ 125. I have no problem paying $ 30 for entrees, but I would like the food to be worth it, and this isn’t. The service was good, but the overall crowd and atmosphere feels very corporate and stiff. There are far better places around the city.

The concierge in my hotel invited the front desk to Cibo’s reception while back. This was when I first started working at the front desk at Hilton. Also not sure if this review is accurate since I havent been there since. But to share my experience, during the reception we were served chicken fingers, quesadilla and french fries. I am not a picky fried food person however the food was extremely stale I could not chew any of it. The gentlemen working at the bar was nice which adds the second star.
Hopefully second time would be better. So I can start recommending my guest to go there. I always walk by when going to work and they have a sign for meatloaf. Being a meatloaf fanatic its definitely something I would like to try. !

Came across this restaurant when I was visiting my dad in NY this October. It was surprisingly amazing. Pictures say more than words…

I have been to this restaurant many times. In general, the food is delicious. This last trip, however, included with my salmon, was a nice sized metal hook. The server offered to replace my meal, which I declined; who knew what new surprise I might find. He did remove my meal from the check. We were over 10 people. I would have expected an apology from the manager, a round of drinks for the group. When you think ab out it, it was a pretty scary dinner.

Had a great server who made fantastic recommendations for us! Prices are reasonable for portion size and quality. Would definitely go back.

There is no better setting in New York for a quiet, intimate dinner, a lively birthday celebration with a dish decorated with the honorees name and fabulous dessert, or a fantastic party where one of the three rooms, or the whole restaurant is dedicated. Being at Cibo’s is like being home insofar as you feel part of the family and treated with incredible care where every wish is attended to. The food gets better and better as Chef Joe does everything in his power to have his kitchen please you. The Managers, particularly, Arif, remember you and your preferences. The flowers, the paintings, the bread and most importantly the staff never fail to serve. In this busy City of ours, with restaurants coming and going, Cibo’s is one that one hopes stays forever — a staple — always excellent, always reliable-​yet always surprising with novel tastes to try. It will become your favorite place too!

This review is way overdue. I went to this restaurant with my girlfriends for my birthday August 2014.
Everything was great from the ambience to the service. Our server David was the sweetest guy, and the manager on duty that night was phenomenal.
The food was delicious, and I especially loved their bread with the ricotta cheese. Yummy

Few restuarants in midtown can pull off the trick of a fine dining experience at a reasonable cost. Cibo does that, plain and simple. I had passed this restaurant (by) for years. Everything about Cibo’s exterior underplays its strengths: Interior ambiance is uncrowded and relatively serene, waitstaff are well trained, hospitable and responsive, and the food is prepared by an actual chef –it shows.
Partly Cibo is a victim of location. A restaurant in midtown on an avenue often speaks to a mid-​tier destination, good enough for the corporate credit card, but not otherwise a deliberate destination. Cibo clearly gets its share of corporate –and they deserve that, because clients will never walk away disappointed. But the food here is good at any time of day: Dinners include an excellent prix fixe menu, and brunch is among the best in midtown to my mind. It’s good for couples, friends, families and business. I can recommend any pasta or fish dish. I have some less-​favorite items, like the duck breast –but really, that’s just personal preference. I find it too tiny a portion, even though well cooked (I prefer an American-​style half duck).
There is a barroom at the restaurant. Also a winner for a decent dinner at the bar when you are alone, and there are also a few very comfortable tables in that room, I sometimes get a drink, walk around the room, but eat dinner at the table. I find the pours somewhat ungenerous –more european than Amrerican, and there are never any ‘buybacks’ –which is a mistake, since it means I often only have one drink wine/​beer/​cocktail with dinner. But these are minor concerns. The truth is that this place is a quiet, refined restaurant in midtown and a cut above virtually everything else around at its price point.

Wow, what a change! From «good not great in 2011» to great not just good in 2015! I attended a party here today and everything was done right. The food and service were outstanding, the set up for the party was very well organized and I think the restaurant was remodeled since my last visit because it looked great!
The party was for my 85 year old aunt and there were over 40 people The food was warm, the drinks were cold and the attention to detail was there! I also learned from my aunt who gave the party that if you book them during a slow time (Saturday lunch), the price is very reasonable for Manhattan.
We had a choice of about six things for each course. I had the antipasto salad, the hanger steak (see photos posted) that was cooked medium rare as I had ordered it and sherbet and decaf coffee for dessert.
It was truly an outstanding meal. Thank you everyone at Cibo!

We were a party of 9 for brunch here.
Pros: really good brunch deal. 20 dollars for a pre fix menu with coffee, bread basket, appetizer and entre, 1 drink. The food was fairly good. Ambience was really good, very chilled and calm.
Cons — the service !! I don’t know if the service was out of place due to the number of people we were. But these are the problems
— we had to ask at least twice for every time we needed water
— the food came at random times
— they forgot mimosas for 2 of our friends. Had to ask them 3 times
— in the end, never got the coffee I asked for
I hope that the service was better! But I will come back to this restaurant to check it out

Was here recently for two close friends of mine reception. Never knew about Cibo prior to coming here but glad I was introduced to it. Nice spot to go to with a large group to celebrate a job promotion, a going away party or of course… a wedding reception.
Nice bartenders and spacious enough for big groups. Big bar selection and good seating. Definitely will attend here again sometime.

This is not my usual place when visiting NYC but I was pleasantly surprised! I had dinner at the bar which was lively with locals eating, reading books and watching the NY Rangers game. Andre the bar tender is fantastic. Will go again.

Cibo, man oh man, I really want to give you a better rating since the service was great, but the food was just confusing and not appealing to my pallets at all.
I was there for a work social event so I do realize that part of my comment will not be relevant to everyone, but they served spring rolls, tuna tartare, gyoza, chicken tenders, cocktail shrimp, and mini corn dogs. Like how is this representative of a «Tuscan-​American» restaurant? I guess I am in NY, the melting pot. Aside from the variety of random appetizers, they didn’t taste that great. These tasted like straight out of the freezer into the fryer kind of food.
As for my meals, I had the mussels, seared scallops and tiramisu. Great presentation first off, however, I found my food to be EXTREMELY SALTY and couldn’t finish anything. In particular, the eggplant + potato mashed was off putting with a sourness to it. I didn’t feel like any of the plates had distinguish character that would make someone want to come back, but that’s just IMO.
Sad to say, this really isn’t my place. But great and friendly service!

My mom and her friends really like this place for brunch. Servers here are personable and solicitous! $ 19 prefix is amazing and great value ! I don’t know why they are not so busy? (But it’s also good for us) classy but quiet and easy to talk .
We are looking forward to see the menu for thanksgiving !

Cibo is phenomenal. We went there one Friday night in the middle of a torrential downpour, but forgot about the rotten weather very quickly after arriving. Arif, who I believe is a manager, sat us down at a curtained booth, after taking our drenched coats and soggy umbrellas. The food, service, and ambiance made us completely forget our harrowing experience getting there. Not only would I recommend it for a date night, but it would be perfect for a private event – small wedding, shower, birthday party, corporate event, etc.