Came here for Christmas dinner on Thursday. I searched for a restaurant semi-close to me that had…read moregreat reviews and was Italian. This was high up on my search, and with reviews like what they have, we decided to give them a shot. Its very easy to get to with a decent amount of street parking. Seems a bit out of place next to a deli on a residential block. You can kind of miss it if youre not paying attention. We were a party of 6 and had a 5 PM reservation. You have to pass through this dark curtain and go to the middle of the bar where the host will greet you and bring you to your seats. We were seated promptly with no wait. The restaurant is VERY small. So much so that at our table, all I had to do was reach my hand out and I would have been touching the kitchen counter. It does get a little crammed/crowded, but not in an annoying or unbearable kind of way. The vibe is actually really cozy and rustic. Very dim lighting so either whip out the flashlight on your phone or hold up one of the real candles they have on the table to read the menu. The food menu is straightforward and simple. They have an extensive wine list. I love how on the food menu, next to each dish, they tell you the region of Italy that dish gets its roots from. They have lovely dinnerware here. They brought out a foccacia bread for the table with a tomato dipping sauce. Absolutely delicious foccacia. The sauce was a tad too salty for me. I started off with the mocktail Luisa. It was passion fruit, lemon, agave, ginger beer, and mint. It was $10 and very fresh and mouthwatering! For my appetizer I had the Calamari alla griglia. Grilled calamari with guacamole and carasau bread. I've never had grilled calamari before. Only either marinara or fried. I also thought pairing it with guacamole was an interesting twist. I was so pleasantly surprised by this dish. The calamari were perfectly fork tender grilled. The guacamole went well with it. The carasau bread was more like a tortilla chip. They give you a decent amount for $24.95. That app slid down my throat effortlessly! For my entree I had the Maccheroncini alla Norma. Maccheroni with eggplant in tomato sauce with ricotta cheese. The pasta was so fresh and perfectly cooked. The sauce reminded me so much of my Calabrian grandmother's. The ricotta made it rich and creamy. Filling as well. So much so that, even though it wasn't a huge portion, I had to take home half of it because I was verging on being stuffed! My mother had the Cotoletta alla milanese. Keep in mind that if you get this chicken cutlet dish that it serves about four people, even though its for 1! HUGE portion. About 4 enormous cutlets that gave my mom 3 days of leftovers! All of the desserts were $12.95. A nice selection to choose from, but I had the classic Tiramisu. They make it here tableside. He made it with such care. Loved watching him put it all together. Let me tell you, that was the BEST Tiramisu that I've EVER had! Wow, just amazing. Very balanced, quality ingredients. The marscapone was so decadent, creamy and fresh. I could have easily taken down 2 of them! I tried some of my mother's chocolate cake. Delicious and decadent. Service throughout our dinner was above and beyond. Attentive, kind, concise and our waiter was such a cutie! Smooth sailing throughout the entire meal. We barely had to wait for anything. Amazing restaurant and staff. Prices are just fine and the quality goes way beyond. Can't wait to come back. Highly impressed and recommend!

Charming Italian restaurant with a rustic vibe. Came here for dinner one night, and was lucky…read moreenough to be able to sit outside on this not too busy street. This place does get busy so recommend making reservations if you can. They have a pretty nice wine list to choose from along with different cocktail options. From the start, the food was delicious starting with the house bread which was warm and soft but still felt light. For dinner, I ordered the special for the night which was cacio pepe ravioli, while my husband got the tagliatelle verdi con ragu. Both of our pasta dishes felt extremely fresh. The ravioli was unlike anything Ive had before, with flavorful cacio pepe filling and a butter sauce with pancetta complementing the flavor. The tagliatelle was also delicious in a more ragu centric way, still offering a good balance of flavor. Both dishes were pretty filling and so neither of us could finish it. We ended the night with cannolis, which was a pleasant surprise to find 3 came in 1 order. One side is pistachio while the other had a coco dusting. These were again delicious but pretty filling and sweet so we could only eat one. The staff here was also very friendly and service was quick with food coming out much faster than I expected. Overall I would come back and try even more on their menu.

An authentic Italian-American restaurant in Brooklyn with authentic Brooklyn vibes. How can you go…read morewrong? The food isn't five star quality but it doesn't need to be. Sometimes, something simple is all you need. Their rice ball special is my personal favorite. The service can be a little crazy but it gets the job done. Been coming for years. Feels like home.

When your hear, your family . Come experience Sicily right here in Brooklyn . Get it all Fish…read more Pasta Wine Meats The options are endless

L&B Spumoni Gardens is sort of a weird version of a Sicilian Pizza, but I absolutely loved it. The…read morecheese is under the sauce here so some bites you are wondering is that cheese or slightly undercooked dough. Just fantastic. Up there with Frank Pepe's, Lucali's and O'Scugnizzo Pizzeria in Utica as my favorite pizza joints. There is heart and soul in this pizza, and history. I could eat this pizza literally 100 times. Is it a 'classic New York slice?' No. Is it absolutely outstanding? Yes.

You want old school NYC Sicilian Pizza? Come here…read more You want fresh Spumoni? Come here. Sometimes you park close, sometimes you don't. You can eat there, go to the park, or take it home. This is where I go when I want these things. No longer living in NY, it's an hour+ trip, but always worth it. Many pizzas do not reheat well due to rubbish cheese- not L&B- pop it in the oven around 400°F, and let it crisp back up! Also- the Spumoni- it keeps at a nice consistency in the freezer, unlike rubbish American ice cream- which gets like a rock. The only other Spumoni I buy is from Corona. They're both phenomenal in their respective rights. When asked by non-NY'ers which pizza is my favourite- this is number one for Sicilian- not heavy at all. The crust is light, airy, and flavourful. The cheese to sauce ratio is perfect- not swimming in greasy cheap cheese. I have the same standards for Neapolitan Pizza. We can discuss that elsewhere. Please never close shop- at least let's celebrate the centenary!

Came here for a quick dinner. Four of us. Restaurant was very busy but accommodated us nicely…read more Staff was attentive and knowledgeable, good and not obtrusive service. Sicilian theme with selection of wines to match. Nice ambiance and good people in and out We were served some bread and olive oil poured table side - nice show....and tasty olive oil. I had the pasta pommodoro and it was super. Pasta cooked aldente and the sauce had good acidity but balanced with sweetness and the salt from the parmesan. Worked well...it was a small portion but I shared some and the others loved it. Pizzas were the other mains and an arugula salad was the starter. The arugula was OK...standard fare. Good pizza with thin crust and really nice sauce and cheese well balanced. Anchovies were a little scarce but tasty... Overall a great experience. I highly recommend this place.

The place was very nice - great atmosphere and service was good . I got the sardine pizza and a…read moreCaprese for starters - the Caprese was very fresh and yummy . The pizza was big and the flavors were great- generous amount of pecorino and sardines . They also serve some free bread w olive oil which was very good . Recommended !!!

Overall rating: 4.6…read more I stumbled by this place when I was in the area. I got the burrata & a cappuccino, because I wasn't expecting to come in. I liked the space and the service was so friendly. I went last summer so things could have changed. But it was a bit awkward that they had an empty stage and they haven't had any live music in awhile. They also had something on the menu that I wanted to buy & they said they stopped selling because of covid. It was just kind of a let down. An updated menu or signs would have been helpful. Covid was 5 years ago... The owners were really nice though and I would visit again if I lived in the area.

Food A1 Service A1…read moreAmbiance A1 Been loving this place for many years owners are the best people. See y'all next time thank you y'all.

We had an amazing meal! The shrimp scampi and the pasta in a spicy shrimp sauce were both…read moreabsolutely delicious. The homemade cheesecake was to die for, and the sangria was perfect. It was a wonderful experience all around. Our waitress was lovely, and we even had the pleasure of meeting the owners--very nice young men. Wishing them much success! Looking forward to coming back again soon.

Have been dining at Cavatappi since it opened and have not had a bad meal yet! Every time whether…read morewe're a big group or small, we have had a phenomenal experience. The price and the portions are perfect, we sometimes even leave with leftovers! Each pasta is better than the next. The linguine with clams and the "cavatappi" with pesto are favorites and must tries. The Calamari agro dolce (not on the menu anymore but sometimes available if you ask) is the best of the best and I will literally make it my meal it is so so so good! Keep up the amazing work, so glad you're still going strong! Can't wait for our next meal there!

Overall: I went here with my wife on a friday night. I tried to make a reservation but mistakenly…read moremade it for the wrong day. Even though it was peak time on a friday, the host found a way to seat us. The food was awesome, especially the green tagliatelle. Would definitely go back! Food: 5 Service: 5 Value: 4 Atmosphere: 4 Food: We ordered the bruschetta, lasagna, and green tagliatelle with boar ragu. The bread for the table was a single focaccia about 5" in diameter and maybe 1.5" tall. It wasn't the dense, oily focaccia you typically see, but a moist and fluffy bread almost like a dinner roll. The bruschetta was very flavorful, but slightly disappointing because it used the same foccacia. The lasagna had great flavor and texture. The tagliatelle was the highlight of the meal - the pasta was cooked perfectly and truffle oil and shavings shone through. Service: Service was awesome. In addition to helping resolve our reservation issue, the staff were helpful in suggesting dishes and were prompt and communicative Value: The pastas are in the $25-$30 range and the bruschetta was $22. Thats pretty standard for the area for good pasta, but maybe a little much for the bread. Atmosphere: Even considering we were here the night before valentines day, the place was surprisingly subdued and laid back. Tables were a little crowded but not on top of each other and the noise level was reasonable.

The menu seemed to be a little confused and not at all the authentic Sicilian fare I was expecting…read more Guac and shrimp is definitely not a local staple. Neither is the hummus with feta cheese, although props to the Greek influence in that area for hundreds of years. Our server was lovely at making great suggestions and helping us pick out a good red to enjoy with our meal. The music and crowd made it hard to hear and chat with my friend, but I don't blame people for turning out in droves given the amazing weather. I may try their other location in midtown to compare, but this was not at all what I expected given the reviews.

This place was such a cozy little gem. Beautifully decorated with that warm Italian neighborhood…read morefeel where you immediately feel comfortable. It was busy but not so crowded that we could not get a seat which was perfect energy wise. We were actually sent here by the hotel concierge and he absolutely swore by it. He was not wrong. We ordered the lasagna and the wild boar bolognese and both were outstanding. Rich flavors, perfectly cooked pasta, and the kind of food that feels like it was made with care, not rushed. Service was friendly and attentive without hovering, and the whole experience felt relaxed and authentic. This is exactly the kind of place you hope to stumble upon when traveling. We would absolutely come back and would recommend it without hesitation.

Solid place. Welcoming service. Excellent wine list…read more Rice ball ragu appetizer was great. House salad definitely worth getting; enough for two. Cavatelli and cacio Pepe pasta entree very good. Generous portions.

Sandwiches are insanely good! I absolutely love this place. The composition of the sandwiches are…read moremade the perfection. Definitely a place to travel to. The pastas are made fresh and the sauce is amazing. They never fail.

We stopped into Carmenta's and tried a little bit of everything: vodka pasta, the spicy eggplant…read moreparm sandwich on garlic bread, and the rice balls. We overall had such a great experience. They accidentally charged me for a side of garlic bread and made the sandwich incorrectly at first, but the staff was incredibly kind and proactive about fixing it. They remade the sandwich, refunded the extra charge even though I had already paid, and really went out of their way to make it right. I sincerely appreciated that & don't think most places would go that extra mile. The garlic bread deserves its own shoutout...some of the best I've ever had. Perfectly seasoned, crispy, buttery... just amazing. The rice balls were also a star of the table: super flavorful, cheesy, and garlicky. My brother loved the vodka pasta, and while I was a little bummed there's no vegetarian option for it, he said it was delicious. I got the spicy eggplant parm sandwich and really enjoyed it. The flavors were bold and had a nice kick. There were a few bites where the eggplant breading got a bit soggy, but overall it was satisfying and unique. Affordable, flavorful dishes, great people, and a cozy vibe. Despite the small hiccup, I appreciated how attentive they were. I'll definitely be back to try the pesto pasta!

Really great service, food, and ambiance!! I especially…read morerecommend the calamari appetizer as well as any pasta on their menu. I will be coming again!

Drinks are good. Recommend the ribeye and carbonara. The carbonara is exceptional. The service is…read moreexcellent. The ambience was great for dates.