Torino Italian

Another disaster from megalomaniac Andrew Silverman, this is the same owner that opened and closed Steak Frites near Union Sq. several times; he even moved it to Varick St. before moving it back to its original location. The man is bat-​shit crazy, no idea how he manages to continue perpetrating his bs on the citizens of NYC but this has to stop!

I’m torn here, as far as the star count goes. Two and a half is really more accurate, but I wouldn’t go so low as two. You actually might have a better experience than I did. Let me explain.
I came here before seeing a Broadway show. The reviews for Torino were pretty good, the price was fine, the location was fine. We came in, and I was already unimpressed by the décor. It seemed hokey, which was not the impression I got from the photos online We didn’t really need a reservation, as there were very few people there. We sat, and as the waiter came by with water I was telling my dining companions that I was torn between the gnocchi and the pappardelle bolognese. «We’re out of the gnocchi,» the waiter said. When my aunt remarked that this seemed odd, at 5:30 on a Saturday, he informed us the restaurant was closing the next day «for renovations.»
In addition to the gnocchi, they were out of bread. Bread! Bread. They were also out of paper towels in the women’s rest room; they had tissues available with which to dry your hands.
So that was all pretty bad.
The service, though, was pretty good; I was just drinking Coca Cola, and without being asked, when he saw my glass was nearly empty, the waiter came by with a side car glass and poured me some more. Our waiter was attentive, and the food was not rushed but came out at just the right times. I shared a Caesar salad with my mom, and our waiter had it split without us asking (he heard me say we were going to share); I had the pappardelle bolognese except… it was penne bolognese, and no one informed me they were out of pappardelle noodles (I didn’t think about this till later). I guess I should feel gypped, but the pasta and sauce were delicious. My mother had the seafood risotto and loved it.
My aunt and uncle checked out before ordering anything; they were through with Torino’s shenanigans early on. I wasn’t unhappy to stay, and the food WAS good, and the service was pretty good, but I think that if you’re going to stay open you have to have the supplies to do so; Torino sort of didn’t, and they should probably have shut down earlier for their renovations.
Dessert was not offered. I saw a cheesecake slice go by, and a bowl of berries; maybe that was their last order of dessert. I don’t know. All I know is that I hope Torino gets its act together after it renovates; it has the makings of a good restaurant.

I visited Torino Italian on Jan 1 before catching a Musical and this place is awesome!
Entering this hidden gem you’re welcomed by a beautiful hostess and a lovely, but not overpowering scent of garlic and Italian food. The hostess led my friend and I to a quaint little set table and handed us our menus. A+ hostess service.
Our server, Joe, was phenomenal. He knew the menu well and displayed excellent wine service. He informed us that all the food, including the pasta, is made in-​house. 5-​star personality, I recommend.
The highlight of our experience was definitely the food. I ordered the clam linguine to pair with our bottle of Pinot Blanc. The noodles were perfectly al-​dente and the clams were absolutely divine. I’m used to a slightly larger portion of pasta, but I have no other complaints.
My friend order the Carbonara and she absolutely loved it! I did have a taste, but it was quite salty for my palate. That is forgivable on account of the bacon and prosciutto. We would have licked our plates if we weren’t in a public setting.
For dessert I ordered the Gelato with a double espresso and amaretto. Perhaps the most delicious and succulent dessert I’ve ever had. I was torn between savoring it or eating it quickly to experience it!
My friend ordered the tiramisu for dessert. She loved it so much, that a ponderous break was required between each bite to take in the deliciousness. I had a taste as well, and it was heart-​stopping.
We finished off our meal each with a café mocha in preparation for the show and they were excellent.
The restrooms are located on a second floor, secluded from the rest of the restaurant. Very clean, and well-​maintained.
All in all, I would absolutely return and definitely request Joe!

Myself anf my friend visited this restaurant after seeing the beautiful Christmas windows. We stumbled over this delightful place, and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Food and service were great. I rercommend anyone who like cozy, warm, and a great time come here.

Terrific service and delicious food in a prime location! Who could ask for anything more?

Great friendly service, just like being in Italy! Great authentic yet approachable cuisine. Great spot to set the mood for seeing a show. Highly recommend the Cetriolo cocktail! Zach was wonderful! Will be back soon!

Good if you are in the area but not a destination. I wont go back there.
Here are the reasons: the fritta pizza is so tiny that it is not enough for a main course: they should at least offer 2 sizes or put it in the apetizers. Then and the worst: I ordered the tomato buffalo basil pizza: no basil on it but baby basil which has no flavour at all. When I asked to have leaves of real basil on top of my pizza the cook told me that there was basil in the tomato sauce, but this was definitely wrong. You can be out of one ingredient and tell your customer to substitute it by somethnig else but please dont lie.
The cocktail was not bad and we sat at the kitchen bar so the view of the cooks on duty was cool !

After a great day in Manhattan we were looking for an Italian restaurant and stumbled across Torino Restaurant. The ambiance was nice and the place was relatively busy so we assumed the food must be good. What a huge mistake. The service was awful, as was the food. I ordered a Caesar salad and received a slice of iceberg lettuce with tomatoes and a caesar dressing. My capellini was thick and mushy with a bland red sauce, my husband’s rosemary chicken was overcooked and flavorless, and my daughter’s gnocchi was starchy and gross. It was very expensive. We would never eat there again and would not recommend it. If I could give it a zero I would.

Anyone who has ever tried to find a delicious, non-​chain, affordable restaurant in the Theater District for a pre-​show meal knows that this isn’t always an easy feat. Ninth avenue has some great options but storefronts change seemingly every week so you don’t always know what to trust. Olive Garden is a definite NO. And Restaurant Row has become so overrun with tourists that you’d rather just avoid it altogether.
I was recently invited to try the newly-​opened Torino Italian (1700 Broadway, entrance on 53^rd Street) for my own pre-​show meal (we saw Side Show… highly recommended!!), and it did not disappoint. A contemporary Italian trattoria open for a few months now, Torino is the vision of David Sasson, known for opening both Marseille in Hell’s Kitchen, Barbounia in Flatiron, and the new Pavilion restaurant in Union Square. At the helm is Consulting Chef Carlo Bigi, a Torino native who most recently worked at Il Principe at the Hugo Hotel and Sant Ambroeus.
Walking in, I was instantly intrigued by the décor. Unique chandeliers and light fixtures bounced ambiance off of curving wooden shelves lined with wine bottles. That said, the tables are arranged in a way that makes it very easy to plop a fellow diner on the head if you are carrying a large bag/​coat (with my pack mule tendencies, that seems to ALWAYS be me). So just be weary of that.
For dinner, we started with two appetizers: Meatball Crostini served in a cast iron pan ($ 9) and the Insalata Torino with kale, ricotta salata, fennel, olives, and cherry tomatoes ($ 15). The meatballs were pretty perfect, and I loved how they were served, with plenty of melted parmesan and crispy bread to scoop everything up with. The salad was super refreshing. I recently learned from my boyfriend’s Italian family that fennel has a special palate cleansing place on in a meal so it fit right into this delicious salad.
For the main course, I opted for a classic. Cacio e Pepe ($ 16) is one of my favorite ways to have homemade pasta prepared as you can really taste the quality of the noodles without having to fight through a heavy sauce. This version was perhaps a little heavier than I would have liked (more like an alfredo sauce), but I enjoyed every last bite of the al dente pasta. My friend had one of our waiter’s favorites, the Lasagna di Melanzane ($ 19) with eggplant, tomato and provola. Talk about decadent! This dish came out steaming hot – and remained that way throughout most of the meal due to the insulation of the serving dish – and had a great balance of richness (cheese) and flavor (tomato).
We had to run to our show so didn’t get to sample dessert (although honestly I was so full, that was likely a good thing). However, if you leave a little bit more time and room, try their newly launched prix-​fixe menu.

Excellent food! I had the chicken sandwich with their homemade bread! Absolutely delicious. The staff was very friendly and both owners even came over to check on how our meal was. I’ve now eaten here twice and it has become our go to place to eat before a matinée.

4^th time here. Owners are so friendly! Food is wonderful! They make their own bread for the sandwiches, my daughter loved it. I brought my own gluten free bread and they made me a grilled chicken sandwich and salad. Love the salad dressing, very light and flavorful.

We chose this place because it was across the street from the theater we were going to and because we thought we’d have Italian. I had the pumpkin ravioli which was HORRIBLE!!! It was salty and had basically no flavor outside of the saltiness. Mom had the chicken parm which was dry and hard. We’ve had better at the Olive Garden, go figure. Even o

Great little restaurant and was very kid friendly. Gorgeous design and wonderful menu options.

Staff was so polite and friendly
Restaurant was across from my hotel so we decided to try it and reslly glad we did
Both vegetarians but quite a few dishes to choose from
I recommend the cabrese salad with mozzarella I confirmed they make fresh in house
Also the gnocchi is amazing

Pretty lame. A retread of the old crappy Maison restaurant that was here for years. Uninspired food that looks old and equally uninspired staff. I went here with some co-​workers and we were disappointed in virtually everything. Won’t be back.

If u like outdoor seating with local city view this is a place to be. Food was really good too. Complimentary focaccia to start with and caponata dip. Beef carpacio was superb and vitello tonato very tasty. They use fresh clams on pasta and linguini was done right aldente. Our waiter was quick and very friendly. Mojitos were well balanced and very refreshing. Torino it is.

The service was good, but we were really disappointed about the food. I gave it 2 stars only because my son liked the pasta, which I think it was soso compare with the price.

I don’t recommend this place. Pizza is simply pita bread fried with oil then some tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on top. Smoked salmon pizza is not a pizza at all. Drinks were not bad. I wished I ate at simple pizza place than this fake italian !!! restaurant.

just not the best. I had high expectations, knowing they were new. the location is great but it’s overpriced, the food was nothing special, and the service was mediocre. We got a bad batch of fries and in return we got free dessert which was nice. But overall, don’t waste your time. Go somewhere more authentic and classic.

This restaurant is a disaster, according to yesterday’s first and last experience at this horrible place. My family and I ordered appetizers and few entrees. First comes the soup without spoons, after few minutes the waiter brings them. The 2 pizzas we ordered didn’t taste well, we requested to add chicken on one of them when we first put the order and it came without the chicken. We asked the waiter, he took it back and someone else brought it back, still without the chicken. The lemon chicken entrée wasn’t the best and it was tiny. The lasagna was saggy and didn’t taste fresh. We ordered french fries for the child, it never came and when we asked the waiter about it, they brought it after few minutes and it was the WORST fries ever! It had black parts all over them, because they used bad/​rotten potatoes and it was bitter!!! I do not recommend this place to anyone.

Ensalte verde, fusilli pesto, and tiramisu were great. Clean & fresh atmosphere amidst the dirty jungle.

When I saw this place I immediately went to Unilocal to see reviews. They didn’t have but one so I took a chance and dined in. This place is but 2 weeks old and I was more then impressed. It is a very charming restaurant. Great service, different menu and nice feeling all around. The tapenade served with bread is AMAZING.

I wondered into this little gem of a place after leaving the doctors office. From what I was told by the staff this place was fairly new however the average midtown guest wouldn’t know as the staff didn’t skip a beat. I was warmly greeted by the hostess upon arrival. I choose the bar as it’s a great vantage point for people watching the bustling area.
I started off with the Terrina Di Polpo which had a nice smoky taste. This paired well with my glass Barbera.
I was in a particularly hungry mood so I choose a classic Malfade Ala Bolognese. Perfect texture and taste of the Bolognese sauce left me with a desire for more.
The inner fat kid voice was too strong for me to resist and went with dessert. That voice is never wrong neither was the choice of Tiramisu. Only one way to describe the end of my meal… perfetto!
Buona Fortuna Torino!