Bar Primi
Bar Primi is a casual Italian eatery from the NOHO Hospitality Group and Chef Andrew Carmellini. We’ve been to several of his restaurants already (e.g., Locanda Verde, Carne Mare to name a few), and we’ve found the food pretty consistent. This one is less posh and more casual, located near Penn Station and across the street from the Moynihan train station. It was easy to make a reservation just a few days in advance for 2 for 5:30 PM.
Ambiance & Service
The front of the restaurant seemed very stunning, as it was both an outdoor and covered bar area. Because there’s a lot of shade in this area, it appeared to be a good location for an outdoor gathering. As you walk inward towards the doors, it leads you into the restaurant itself. There is yet another indoor bar, but you also see the main dining room.
The dining room felt very open and spacious with a very casual setting. The noise level wasn’t too loud, and the service was super fast as if it was optimized for quick turnarounds.
Food
The Chianti Rufina ($19) came from Fattoria Grignano, Tuscany, Italy 2022. This glass of Chianti was not the best I’ve had, but it was decently balanced for the food here. It had some oaky and earthy notes to it with very smooth tannins. It was a fairly straight forward dry, medium-body red with not a lot of punch, but at least it was better than some other Italians I’ve had at these types of restaurants.
My partner ordered a glass of Orange Juice ($10), which was surprisingly fresh squeezed probably from the morning.
The Sicilian Caesar ($22) came with toasted sesame and parmesan. This was basically large romaine hearts with caesar dressing and a lot of shaved parmesan cheese.
The Vesuvio Scampi ($35) came with spicy red shrimp and other things. The pasta was interesting and cooked perfectly. The shrimp was somewhat sparse, but the sauce was actually quite delicious. It had this red peppery aftertaste that brought just the right amount of heat with a little pickling into it.
The Spinach & Artichoke ($28) came with three cheeses and pomodoro secchi. My partner was not a fan of this, but I thought it was OK. The pizza was similar to Detroit style pizza, except the crust was very fluffy. I thought the spinach and artichoke was a bit sparse.
The Pistachio-Pistachio ($15) came with gelato and sauce. This gelato was quite nutty and full of pistachio flavor. It was definitely on the sweeter side of my spectrum.
Overall Impression
Bar Primi was a decent casual Italian restaurant near the Penn Station area. The food met my casual standards, but there wasn’t anything that really made a mark. If you’re in the area and looking for a fairly easy-to-get-in restaurant for a group or you don’t want to think about reservations, this may be a good restaurant to check out.
Yelp & Google Jabs
Vesuvio scampi lacked flavor from the pasta;
I’m not sure what this Elitist was attempting to convey. The pasta wasn’t going to have a lot of flavors to begin with. The sauce of the Vesuvio Scampi dish was actually quite aromatic and punchy, so this Elitist’s description doesn’t match our experiences.
The chitarra with clams was a huge waste of $34 as it smelled a bit too fishy + should be served in a more shallow takeout plate/bowl.
This Elitist was judging their takeout containers, as if that was important.
Revisions
- Apr 17, 2026 - Initial revision.