I stumbled into this restaurant because one of my partner’s favorite things is lasagna. We’ve tried a lot of different lasagnas in the city, and for whatever reason, this pasta dish always stick to the mind. They are not a fan of other pasta dishes. I read online and on various forums that around this area Barbalu had the best lasagna. Fortunately, I was able to persuade them to pick this restaurant to try at a very last minute. We walked in for 2 around 6:30 PM without any concerns for seating.

Ambiance & Service

The interior felt like a food hall, where there was urban rustic and industrial-chic decoration. Many tables are wooden tables with lamination. You see a lot of exposed brick, so it kind of reminded me of Chelsea Market to a lesser degree. You can get a view of the kitchen and pizza making station from wherever you sit. The noise level can get loud as tables are relatively close to each other, and the acoustics don’t really dampen sound.

The service was pretty quick with what we ordered.

Food

The complimentary bread came room temperature and on the dry side. The olive oil was OK, and the bread itself was fine.

The Antipasto Italiano for Two ($30) came with Italian cured meats and Italian cheese. This was a no-frills charcuterie and cheese board. The dry cheeses were all pretty good as well as the cured meats. I liked dipping the cheese in the provided honey.

The Homemade Pappardelle with Braised Short Ribs Ragu ($28) came with braised short ribs, red wine, and tomatoes. The pappardelle was cooked perfectly and had a very nice bounce. The ragu flavors were very good especially since the wine flavors were fairly prominent. The seasoning was pretty good, especially for the price and not being oversalted. Portion wise, it’s about comparable for this price point to other restaurants. I think the pappardelle here was thicker than other places and had a nice bite to it.

The Traditional Lasagna Verde with 3 Meat Ragu and Bechamel ($29) came as pictured here and super hot. The pasta for this was quite good, and I felt the meat to pasta ratio was good. If there was one criticism, it would be that this was extremely salty. Another minor nitpick was I felt there was not enough sauce. Many people in the area rate this one of the better lasagnas, but we felt this was just OK. Aside from the saltiness, the flavors were very typical.

Overall Impression

This was a typical New York City-type of Italian restaurant that steered towards “nothing-crazy” food. The seasoning for some dishes was a miss, but otherwise, I felt this was one of those reasonably balanced price and taste Italian places. It probably doesn’t warrant a special visit, but it’s a decent portion for a quick, cheap Italian option in the area.

Yelp & Google Jabs

Ambiance exuded PE-backed “upscale Italian” restaurant that had no soul.

I did not get this vibe when I ate here. Perhaps this Elitist from Washington felt that vibe compared to Italian restaurants from there, but I felt this was super casual like if you went to a slightly higher end Olive Garden.

My boyfriend had the house ravioli which was salmon and after taking one bite, I can attest that it was INCREDIBLY delicious!

This Elitist also does not have a gourmand palette, so take it lightly. I do not doubt that for some the food will be delicious to them, but compared to higher end Italian restaurants, the flavors are not anywhere close to being elevated.

Revisions

Oct 25, 2026 - Initial revision.