Small hole in the wall restaurant but delicious homemade pasta dishes. Despite its size we didn't feel crowded. Service was good and congenial. Nice find! read more

Honestly confused as to why the ratings are so high on yelp. The place was very cute ambiance wise, but the first thing I smelled when I sat down was cigarette smoke. It continued to carry in the bathroom too. As an Italian, I have high expectations for Italian restaurants, especially ones in NYC with this high of ratings. The pasta may have been the worst pasta I have had, and may be the worst food I have had in New York so far. It makes me sad to say because the service was pretty good but the plate of pasta I got was mainly chunky sauce (unsure if it was vegetables or what all was in there) and maybe 10 pieces of actual pasta. This was just a plate of red sauce. Nothing fancy. I would not go back and would not recommend if you like good italian food. Really unfortunate given the reviews I've seen raving about this place. read more

I stumbled upon your bar this evening with two friends. We came in and sat by the 4 top closest to the window. We ordered 3 glasses of house white wine. The server accidentally spilled the entire glass on me. My shirt, pants and brand new shoes were soaked in wine. It was a good thing that I had a second pair of shoes that I changed into. I understand that this was an accident. It happens. I was given a towel to dry off. What was disappointing was the reaction after. The server made no mention of restitution. I had to ask that the drinks be comped due to the inconvenience. The server came back out and said that only "my drink" was to be comped, per the manager. I looked at the server and said that all should be comped. I even told the server to feel my clothes to see how wet everything was. Finally, after the server conferred with the manager, our round of drinks were comped. My friends and I stayed for another round in the hopes that service would be better. Sadly, the manager did not even reach out to check on us paying clients. I work in customer service. Basic customer service etiquette states that the manager should've come out and speak to the client and address the issue. Unfortunately, besides practically asking to be compensated for my very wet clothes, the manager was nowhere to be found. This is such a miss by your establishment. Rest assured that I will not be returning and will make sure to share this abhorrent experience with everyone I know. Your customer service is absolutely abysmal. read more

Enjoyed the food at the brunch. The jazz playing in the background set the mood for my visit. And the service was so personable like I was at home. Must visit again next time in NYC. read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Pasta is good, sauces are ok. Nothing special, nothing spectacular. Minimal bread but that ok since it's a mediocre fascia with no taste. No HH specials on wine. We were the Only people in the restaurant! Now I know why. Wish I could have this meal to do over somewhere else. Just ok when there's sooo many good options in nyc. If you're the ONLY people in the restaurant, I recommend they treat them with some family love. Extra bread, a free dessert, a conversation...anything to acknowledge that we are spending $160 in your weak restaurant when no one else is. It's your time to shine. read more

I had a great time dining here. I like how you get to choose your own special combination of house-made pasta and sauce. I enjoyed eating the bolognese sauce and would recommend it to anyone. I can't wait to go back! read more

Came for brunch and was thrilled that they offered their lunch menu, not just brunch. We ordered the caesar salad, zucchini sticks and orecchiette with vodka sauce. We had read that the orecchiette was the pasta to order for this sauce and we are so happy we did. It was perfection... al dente and superb. The salad was dressed lightly upon our request and tasty. We expected the zucchini sticks to be cut shoestring style but they were more like mozzarella stick size... didn't matter because they were good. Service was great! We would definitely return. read more

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Just objectively pretty bad food. The lasagna tasted frozen, and looked it too-- and for twenty something dollars, even with NY prices, decent lasagna is a low bar to set. read more

Based on our takeout experience. The pasta here is delicious. We ordered the chicken parm and cacio e Pepe and both were delicious. Nothing was too salty or over seasoned. Just delicious pasta. We will order from here again when craving good pastas read more

Chicken parmigiana and spaghetti were both overcooked. Not worth the money. I can't speak on the other dishes, but I do not recommend the chicken parm. read more

I ordered Caceo Pepe, and It came with pastas floating in Cheese and sauce. Didn't look like its picture at all.

I would never go there again. Service was rude and the Bolognese sauce was terrible- very little flavor and poor quality meat. The waitress was pushy (she didn't like it that we turned down the focaccia). When we asked for Parmesan to add some much-needed flavor, we got a shaker bottle of Kraft-style dehydrated cheese. We asked if we could have fresh Parmesan and she told us we would have to pay extra. And the menu was not cheap. I had a $21.00 glass of Barolo that was pretty good and the tre color salad was the only really outstanding item out of everything we ordered. The limoncello pasta was also not bad. Overall, not worth the price. read more

Can't recommend this place enough. Homey vibes with a cute aesthetic and great service. We got the aglio e olio and mushroom ravioli. Both were AMAZING! read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - 10/10 recommend both the Aglio e Olio and mushroom raviolis. I can't even tell you which was better- they were both amazing. - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Originally found this place on Seated, and was excited to try it as a devoted pasta lover. The restaurant portion is a smaller area and may be really good for lunch. I unfortunately did not get a chance to see the back bar area that they recently added, but it seemed very cute and a somewhat different vibe. The pasta was very good and I would love to return in the future as well as order takeout or delivery. One star removed for limited drink options (mostly just wine) and the dining area maybe not being suited for a larger group. read more

What a lovely meal! It was our first meal back in NY after a 2.5 week tour of Italy and Greece. We had been spoiled with spectacular food throughout the trip, and our standards were HIGH. We were so pleasantly surprised to find such authentic, delicious food and attentive service. We'll certainly be back! read more

Went here randomly with a friend and had the penne alle vodka. It was DELICIOUS. Service was friendly however a little slow. It was late on a Tuesday so that could be why. Very small and quaint restaurant, would be great for a date or catching up as it's very quiet but space to have a private convo! read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - Alla Vodka - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

What a gem in Midtown East! Had dinner here with 5 friends on a weeknight. We each ordered different pastas and a glass of Prosecco to celebrate life. :) This restaurant is a bit narrow and has lower lighting, so this might be better for a date night as opposed to a large group outing, but the restaurant wasn't full so we were able to all fit. Service is very attentive and upfront about their recommendations - definitely ask them what they think! Portions are VERY filling and the online menu comes with pics so you know what you're getting. I myself got the penne alla vodka, which was delicious, and apparently the most popular dish (who knew? It was great). My friends who got the pollo capricciosa and pollo parmigiana had particularly huge dishes. No one had any complaints and everyone finished their food! We also shared Nutella tiramisu (good but very sweet) and the pistachio ricotta layered cake (excellent!) over decaf coffees. Price overall was between $50-60/pp, and it was well worth it considering the food, ambience, and service. Definitely one of the better Italian restaurants I've been to, and great for a nice romantic dinner out! read more

A little piece of Italy in Midtown East. It's hard to find good vegan Italian, especially in this area. I love coming here when i'm craving fresh Italian. They are so sweet and accommodating. I get the pesto (vegan when made with no parmesan) with the gluten-free vegan spaghetti (which exactly like traditional fresh pasta, I swear). I also get the fried zucchini which is out of this world. Love coming back here time and time again! read more

Cute and cozy restaurant. However, I made reservations for 8:30pm on an Friday night for 4 ppl. We went to check in and the hostess asked if we can wait 5 min to get the table set up. We said it was fine since we were still waiting on 2 friends. The rest of the party arrived at 8:40 and we let them know we were all here and they asked us to wait another 5 min which was fine. Eventually they sat us at 9pm which was a huge and unexpected delay and there was no apology either. The food was mediocre as well and I won't be coming back. read more

Delicious and priced well. They were able to take a large reservation the same day and everyone's meals came out out perfect. No complaints here! read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - Penne a la vodka - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Happy to see more mom and pop pasta shops. I got the pasta alla vodka with rigatoni and a classic tiramisu, all to go. The portion of the pasta was big but not super heavy. They have a lot of pasta options to pick from. The tiramisu was delicious too. Less sweet, perfect cream and biscuit ratio and a small/medium sized portion (perfect for 1 person) My favorite was how knowledgeable and thoughtful the staff is. When i asked about vegetarian, they immediately replied with the fact that they dont use chicken or beef stock (which is very helpful to know). Even the packing of food was great, they kept the cold box (tiramisu) below the hot (pasta) so that the heat doesnt spoil the dessert. All in all must go! read more

so good! tiny place with the best homemade pasta. currently BYO (no uncorking fee ) til they get their liquor license. staff is super friendly, everyone at the table was blown away with how good the food was. 10/10 recommend!! read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Great place for the pasta! They have only salads and pastas basically, but it worth to try. We tried 4 pastas for 4 people and shared. Everything was good! And not so expensive in Manhattan! I'll probably come back again when I come to Manhattan. read more

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Incredible fresh pasta. A very cute and small place on 53rd, but some of the freshest pasta I've had in the city. The service is also incredible. Recommend doing the dishes family style so everyone gets to experience all the dishes. read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - Alla Vodka Gnocchi Pesto Mushroom Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Excellent pasta and accommodating waitstaff. My phone died and the waitress was so helpful in letting me use a charger behind the bar. The pasta serving was substantial for the price and was just as fabulous as a leftover as it was fresh for dinner. Would definitely recommend and return. read more

Charming and delicious pasta place. The best and most sincere staff. the inside is just cute and small and like a friends home. the kind of small restaurant you want to support. I had Gorgonzola penne with salmon and I loved it. Salmon a bit dry but I didn't care bc at a friends house, you wouldn't care. That's how they made us feel read more

We tried this place mainly bc it was within walking distance of our hotel. Visiting from chicago for the weekend last year, we met a friend there and thought it was good. We came back this year and ended up there the first night after a long day of travel. We were delayed a bunch of times and missed our other reservation. The place was warm and inviting and delicious. It was better than i had remembered. We shared the chicken cappriciosa which came with a side of pasta which they allow you to customize by noodle and sauce. It was enough for us both to split. We split a salad each time. I preferred the caesar. The fried burrata was good and the octopus carpaccio was great. Portions are very big. Service is excellent. We went back our last night as well. Prices are reasonable, especially for new york. We will be back next year. read more

Our waiter recommended the fried burrata and it was amazing. The truffle fries and Caesar salad were great too. Our group got Vodka Pasta and Bolognese for our meals and it was fantastic and the homemade pasta was some of the best. So glad we went here. read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - Vodka Pasta - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Cozy spot but busy! Glad we had reservations. Pasta was fantastic. Limoncello fusilli... wanted to try something I'd never seen on the menu before. (Cross Alfredo with a lemon bar minus the sugar) was fantastic as was the vodka sauce. Add a glass of house white and a buzzy atmosphere but not too loud. Great meal read more

Super cozy and cute. Attentive service and pretty good food too. Keep in mind how cozy it is, you may have the whole restaurant to yourself.

The Service and ambience is amazing! The food is even better, especially when paired with live music.

We had a really late dinner, so the spot was very quiet. The food was excellent. The homemade pastas were delicious and cooked perfectly. The service was excellent - very friendly and helpful. It was a great experience! read more

If there was a way to give 0 stars I would. I was craving a hearty pasta meal so I ordered from here due to to its 4 out 5 stars rating. The penne alla vodka was $25 and then added chicken +$7. Shockingly, they also charged .$70 for parmesan cheese and $2.75 for focaccia bread??? To have a restaurant, let alone an Italian restaurant, charge you for a side of bread, one would assume you are in for a some sort of extra treat. My food arrived in a box the size of my hand. There was about 5 small chicken cubes in the dish, thankfully, as they were overcooked/flavorless and tasted like they were sitting on a buffet the whole day. The focaccia also had zero flavor, was not dressed with olive oil or herbs, lacked texture and tasted like dry air. Steer clear of this restaurant as any other option is better. read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - Focaccia? - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Came across this little gem. Came back everyday for lunch! The food is amazing! Try the pesto gnocchi it's sensational!

So happy this place opened up in my neighborhood! I tried the Alla caprese, Cacio e pepe, and Burrata salad, which were all incredibly delicious and something to come back for! The salad especially caught me by surprise - possibly the best burrata salad I've tried. Out of the two pastas, alla caprese was my favorite. The staff here is also great. I was greeted so warmly and left the place with happy feelings. Highly recommend! read more

This place is such a gem! Food, service, even the coffee was amazing. We ordered the pesto, arrabbiata, and Alfredo mushroom pastas. Our waitress was so sweet and helped us with ordering since we were all vegetarian. Would definitely return and recommend to all pasta lovers! read more

Cafe Luce Midtown East - Pesto, Arrabbiata, and Alfredo Mushroom - Italian Near Me - Manhattan, New York

I was there the other day, the staff had quite a rude snobby attitude to them. Especially the female server that was blonde. Who gave us a glare every time we asked a question. And then proceeding to getting my order wrong. I was even more surprised as this was my first time going there, the blonde waitress conveniently forgot to tell me that the bread that was served was actually an upcharge but phrased it like "would you like some bread for the table?". As most Italian places do not charge for bread?? It's a very small thing but I feel scammed and if I don't feel safe spending my money somewhere, why would I go back or recommend this place? read more

Very disappointing after all the hype. 1. Order was marked on DoorDash as ready when it was still 20 minutes out 2. Wait staff were rude 3. Restaurant was tiny and poorly decorated 4. Food was only so-so. Definitely not worth the wait nor the price tag. read more

Food was good. A bit loud though. There was live music on that Friday night. Nice guitarist. Would def go back there again .

So good. Best pasta in midtown. Been coming here since it opened and it just keeps getting better.