Il Felice

Gertrude is fantastic food is great make sure you put this place on your list as good an Italian Restaurant on Long Island there is.

Il Felice is a warm and inviting place to find delicious Italian food. It’s common to go in and have a full blown conversation (not just a passing quality check) with the owner. Even if you choose to just sit at the bar, the servers constantly check in on you and are all extremely personable! Last time I was there they had oyster specials and they were absolutely delicious. Taking my mother here for her birthday by her request!

I came here with my mother and grandmother for dinner tonight. The food was excellent! I especially enjoyed the eggplant parmigiana which reminded me of how my grandmother makes it. This place is truly a hidden gem! Great food, environment, and service! We will definitely be visiting again soon!

My wife and I moved out to the area around 11 years ago from Brooklyn and we were struggling to find a good solid Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. This place is as good as it gets. I’ve been here quite a few times for holidays and special occasions. The veal Osso Bucco may be hands down the best that I have had in a very long time. Their seafood dishes are also very good. They are very accommodating and will even cook dishes that are not on the menu. Gertie, the main hostess, is awesome… Great dining experience. Always ate well here.
PS. This place literally saved my Christmas Eve after a very bizarre experience beforehand at another restaurant.

Il Felice
We had no plans and ended up at this place for no reason whatsoever. I knew there were a handful of Italian places we hadn’t tried down Merrick Road, we parked in the back and walked in. There is another Italian place in the same strip, we made a left instead of a right, and boy did it work out.
We came at an odd too late for lunch but way too early for dinner time so the place was empty. I think we caught the waitress off guard because she asked if she could help us. We asked for a table and began to review the menu.
Started out with the cold appetizer, above average when compared to what other Italian outfits consider to be a cold appetizer.
And here comes the part that’ll keep me coming back — Gertie. I originally wanted this veal dish they had on the menu. She told me I would definitely enjoy that dish, but maybe she could recommend something else even better. She begins to describe this veal chop type thing that they will flatten until it’s as thin as possible. It gets a light coating of parmesan cheese and some sauce. This thing, whatever it was actually called, was spectacular. It was so tasty, and as a bonus it was the size of one of those long dinner plates. She must have stopped by our table a half dozen times making sure we were taken care, whether refilling a wine glass or making sure everything else was to our liking. And she has the best accent, I want to say German. She was so polite and so helpful; I wish more places had a Gertie. You just wanted to give her a hug.
In addition to the flattened out veal, we also had this lobster seafood special over linguine. Sometimes the lobster at these places isn’t the best because there are one or two rogue pieces of lobster, and a lot of other seafood. This was not the case here. A good hour was spent working through the lobster and the rest of the seafood, all of which was cooked perfectly and not overdone as can be the case with other places. I would get both these dishes again if they were available.
We had some dessert with our Italian coffee and that wrapped up a wonderful meal. Definitely found a neighborhood gem here. Someone else already said it on Unilocal,but it probably doesn’t get old, Gertie is the best.

Definetly not worth the ridiculously high prices for inferior Italian food! My fish was totally frozen & salt cured. The texture was rubbery & not fresh at all. The broccoli rabe was steamed with mushy canned beans. I have never had it served this way in an authentic Italian restaurant. My husbands osso buco was just as terrible! There was no sauce to accompany the dish. Actually it was served with over cooked, bland gnocchi. Again… a first in an authentic Italian restaurant. The dessert was just as disappointing. My crembrule was curdled & ice cold! We will not be going back to this place ever again! Absolutely not with the price.

Super Italian restaurant. The specials are the way to go and the portions are generous. The wait service was attentive and service was prompt. The veal chop parm. is a special treat and eggplant rolatini was perfect.

I been eating at felice’s restaurant since the early 90s when he was in woodside, queens. Never had a bad meal and you can always count on fresh seafood and great Italian! The gnocchi in veal sauce could be my favorite dish ever! Start off with the baked clams and end with the apple strudel and you will go home happy. Lunch specials are a good value as well. Make a reservation on Friday and Saturday nights as the place is always full. They have a nice bar so even a little wait for a table goes fast. If you get Gerty as your server you are in for a treat!

By far my favorite restaurant! Absolutely fantastic food! I knew the restaurant when it was in Woodside, Queens and it is even better now! The service is always as exceptional as the food! If you dine there you will not be disappointed. Great prices for the quality of the food. They also have terrific desserts for your sweet tooth! I try to get there at least twice a month!

Felice is the man. Trekked from NYC at least 3 times a month for his feasts. His Osso Bucco is top notch, especially when you get it with his homemade noodles. Everything on his menu is a winner. Am very excited for boys lacrosse season to start. That means we get to stop for dinner after every game/​tournament at one of the many fields in Massapequa.