Becco

Becco was on our list for a while. This restaurant in the Theater District was always full around theater times, so of course, that’s naturally alluring. It was first opened in 1993 by Lidia Bastianich and her son, Joe, who you might recognize from the U.S. version of the MasterChef series. The Yelp ratings of the food seem surprisingly low compared to the Google counterpart, so that increase our curiosity. We were able to easily make a reservation the earlier in the day for 5:15 PM on a Friday night.

Ambiance & Service

The interior felt like all the casual Italian restaurants in the city. They sat us in the back, where there was light coming from the ceiling. The tables were not too close to each other, and the service was very speedy. Be warned that the food portions were pretty large. You can easily share the entrees between 2 people, if you are not heavy eaters.

Our server was very friendly, and while we ordered the trio of pastas as an add-on (not unlimited), he asked if we wanted more when we finished the plate.

Food

To start, they served complimentary bread with olives and some sort of olive oil and hummus-like puree. The puree didn’t have much flavor, so we thought it was a little strange. The bread was warm and decent.

The Super Tuscan Aragone ($22 - right) came from La Mozza, Toscana, Tuscany, Italy 2018. This was a blend of 40% sangiovese, 25% syrah, 25% alicante, and 10% carignan grapes. This was a pretty decent medium body red wine that opens up the longer it’s aerating. It has nice aromas of dark berries, olives, and spice.

My partner ordered the Mango Martini ($17 - left) which came with vodka, Moscato d’Asti, adn mango nectar. It was sweet, and the mango nectar flavors reminded me of those box fruit juices.

The entrees included a side Caesar Salad. This was pretty fresh, and fortunately was not drenched in dressing. The greens were very crispy and tasted pretty good.

I added a single ‘mid’ course featuring the three pastas of the day (+$16). They serve this from a communal pan that they cook each pasta. Optionally you can order this as an entree with unlimited servings if you’d like, but I don’t think I could’ve eaten that much pasta in 1 sitting along with my main entree.

This included the following:

• (bottom) Farfalle with tomato, fresh basil, and green peppercorn. This had the boldest flavor of the 3 pastas because the tomato was very forward. Despite those flavors, the pasta overall was on the plain side.
• (top left) Artichoke ravioli with marjoram butter. The ravioli was pretty good, but it was pretty plain since it’s just butter and artichokes.
• (top right) Linguini with Long Island clams, ramps, and olive oil. The linguini had a nice texture, but overall the flavors were also plain.

Was the mid course worth it? I probably wouldn’t get it if you’re not in a pasta mood or desire meat. The pasta is filler, and flavor was plain because the sauces were basic.

The Costoletta di Vitello Alla Joe ($53) came with “Joe’s Veal Chop” grilled with garlic mashed potatoes, shallots, asparagus, drizzled with aceto balsamico and extra virgin olive oil. The veal chop was ordered medium, but near the bone, it was still bleeding a bit. Otherwise, it’s a pretty thick cut, and the meat tasted OK. The one problem I have with this is that the veal was missing seasoning. It probably deserved some sort of sauce on the side. Surprisingly, the most memorable part of this was the mashed potatoes, as the butter and garlic really added seasoning to the tongue. This veal unfortunately was overall underwhelming and just lacked flavor.

The Galletto ‘Al Forno’ ($33) came wih Bell & Evans organic chicken with spring onion, asparagus, and pea risotto. The chicken had a nice crispy skin, but the breast portion of the chicken was very dry. The dark meat was moist, but it lacked flavor. In all, the chicken was just very bland, as if they didn’t season the meat at all. The skin was lightly seasoned. The pea risotto was underwhelming as it lacked seasoning, and the pea flavors didn’t really come out well. My partner normally likes all types of risottos, but they were disappointed by this one.

The Biscotti per Due ($12) came with Biscotti and an assortment of seasonal house-made cookies for two. These cookies were all decent and went great with our coffee. They pretty much taste like many store bought Italian cookies where the crust is hard but goes well with coffee or tea.

Overall Impression

The food overall was rather fitting for its Yelp review rating. The taste simply emphasized blandness to its extreme. The quality of the pasta was OK, and the price point was decent. I think there are much better Italian restaurants around the area, so you are not missing much if you decide to skip this. I did notice that a lot of people ordered the trio of pastas, so may be they like pasta without a lot of meat. It’s definitely catered to the theater going crowd.

Yelp Jabs

The lights are low, the scent of garlic lingers, and the Sinfonia di Paste, three pastas, refilled until you say stop, is the kind of meal that reminds you why Italy never rushes dinner… Becco isn’t about pretense, it’s about rich food, deep wine, and a warm, unhurried kind of indulgence. The kind of place you walk into for dinner and leave feeling like you found a little bit of home.

Much of the pasta they serve in the trio, you can make at home pretty easily. You would hope that there were some unique and notable flavors, but you just don’t get it. I don’t think it really reminded me of indulgence or rich foods, but more of it’s a bit of a tourist trap. I think of it a little as a slightly upscale version of Olive Garden. It probably is around the same level as Serafina, another very mediocre Italian restaurant.

Becco is part of my families New York experience , we come here whenever we visit New York. Everything is delicious!

Most of the Yelp reviews, like this Elitist’s, are from people that are not local and are unfamiliar with this area. They are mostly pasta fiends and really enjoyed that aspect. The people that did order off the normal menu were largely unimpressed and disappointed with the flavor.

Revisions

1. May 9, 2025 - Initial revision.