My husband and I love eating here when ever we get a chance to dine out, and of course I just love their pizza as take out. The service is excellent and everyone is so welcoming. A very good dinning experience read more

Always consistent food and friendly service whether eat in or takeout. Their pizza is the best in the Binghamton area.

This restaurant was my mom's favorite in the Triple Cities area while she was alive. So, my wife and I and my brother went there for a late meal on Sunday evening. We wee pleased to find what is usually a busy restaurant to be pretty quiet, and parking easy to find. I had a beef and barley soup, which was delicious. Then, I ate an antipasto, swapping blue cheese dressing for the Italian. It, too, was pretty good and ample. My brother had a sub and fries, which he ate part of and took to finish later. He's not that picky an eater but told us his food was tasty. My wife is the picky eater. She ordered some pizza squares, which she felt were not as good as some of the other options in the area. We didn't order drinks or dessert because we were tired and wanted to get to sleep. So, our comments reflect a limited set of selections. However, all of us have eaten there over the years. Our experiences have usually been that the fare is average to good, but not great. Cortese's does carry a nice wine list if that is on your agenda. Service was friendly if a bit distracted. read more

I come to Binghamton once a year and I can't leave without Cortese cheese pizza and a fun night out with friends at Cortese.

What a find. In town for one night and one night only, my father-in-law and I glanced at the list of restaurants provided by our hotel, dialed some of them up on Yelp, and threw caution to the wind. Assuming most "legitimate" places are in "downtown Bing" is definitely a no-no. Cortese's a little out of the way, but sometimes you gotta stray off the beaten path to find the gems. This place reminded me of a restaurant my father used to take us in the North End of Boston, Joe Tecce's. It's dark, the tables and silverware are appropriately heavy, and there's a creepy painting of Jesus on the wall by the door. Just what the doctor ordered. And the food! We weren't starving, so we ordered off the "lighter fare" menu, which isn't what it sounds like -- it just means the portions are smaller. I opted for the chicken parm, which came with pasta and a fresh side salad. My father-in-law got the chef's special pasta, which is spaghetti mixed in with sauce, peppers, and hot Italian sausage. Both were preceded by a loaf of hot fresh bread. Washed it down with an Ommegang Abbey Ale, a Belgian-style amber from Cooperstown. I can't believe how lucky we were to find Cortese. This is a classic old-style Italian place that brought back some sterling memories. read more

Got a pizza to go, absolutely terrible burnt and cold. We also got wings that were supposed to be medium but no flavor to them at all tasted like butter read more

Cortese Restaurant - Pizza - Italian Near Me - Binghamton, New York

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I'm strictly reviewing the pizza. Some of my friends who grew up in Binghamton swear by their other dishes, me I'm a Little Venice man. However, the pizza at Cortese is off the charts insanely awesome. The crust is something that only Cortese has perfected. Combined with the cheese and sauce it's heaven on earth. Binghamton is big on its pizza (also called Hot Pies locally) and lines are drawn between Cortese, Brozzetti, Grande, Nirchi, and the list goes on. Every time I go back to Binghamton for a visit I bring back 3 pizzas in my carry on when I return to California. It's that freaking delicious. I always pick up the pizzas in the back of the restaurant. That area is strictly for takeout. It's a great scene to see the goings on in the kitchen. Try the pizza, I'm partial to the fresh sausage or mushroom Hot Pie and be prepared to have a incredible experience of the tastebuds. My favorite pizza in the world! read more

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Saint Antoinette. That's who waited on our party of ten tonight, a Friday night, when four adults and six children piled into Cortese at about 5:30 pm. Antoinette was as patient with the adults as with the kids ages five through sixteen and got every order, from soup to salad to beverages to entrees to desserts exactly right. Throughout our two and one half hour dinner time during which we talked and ate and laughed and ate some more. Bless her. Our first visit (and likely our last based on how far away we live) revealed pretty darned good Italian food, old fashioned Italian restaurant atmosphere - complete with great aroma di garlic and nice lighting- and a place equally at home for as diverse an audience as large family groups like ours to couples on dates to all combinations in between. The menu was extensive from pastas to veal and chicken and seafood and salads and pizzas. We'd recommend sticking to the simpler of the pasta dishes for best result based on our experience tonight. As example, the mussels with red sauce and lnguine was very good. So was the manicotti (homemade from ricotta filled crepes) said the 'eater in charge' of that dish. Other dishes, like the entree salads, were less successful it seemed. The bread is terrible...avoid it. Well, you don't really need my warning about that as you'd not likely to be tempted. (This sure would not be considered Italian bread in Brooklyn, my hubby's native turf.) Save room for dessert though because some are homemade, like the canolli and cheesecake, and we sampled several desserts around the table with all getting "yummm" responses. . Wine list ranged from a $16 range (bottle) Chianti to a $120 Amarone with lots of choices in between and several wines by the glass. With sodas all around for the kids and a less expensive bottle of wine for the adults, several mini and full size desserts, and meals for the ten of us - with portions large enough to need take out boxes for several - the total tab was under $200. A bargain. The tasty food, pleasant ambiance and good value prices may help explain why there were about a dozen people waiting in the lobby for tables to open up when we left just after 8 pm.. But for our money, one of the very best things about our evening was the service. While this may not be the best Italian food we have ever eaten, it was good food and all the components together work to bring this up to four stars for us. Thumbs up. Oh, PS ...a great thing about Cortese is their BIG parking lot. LOVE ample parking! read more

Excellent pizza!! Their small, crammed takeout room is a testament to how good their food is. However, I will forever be disappointed in this restaurant's lack of societal responsibility in the early days of the Covid pandemic when some kitchen staff wore mask correctly, some wore it under their nose, some wore it under their chin, and a woman that looked like an owner (casually but authoritatively walking around kitchen in street clothes with her small child) wore no mask at all. Worse yet, restaurant actually went out of their way to post a sign in the small, cramped, very high-traffic takeout room stating that people have a right to not wear a mask. This was way before any vaccines were available. 5 star pizza! 4 star food 1 star disregard for public safety read more

Amazing dinner on Saturday October 12, 2019. Shockingly good baked clams oreganata. The broiled sea scallops entree was fantastic. Excellent wait staff. I wholeheartedly recommend this classic Italian gem. read more

We came here for our anniversary and although we had a reservation, we were seated at a high top in the loud bar area. We ordered clams oreganato for an appetizer which were basically tiny butter bombs. My husband ordered 2 draft beers and a veal parmigiana. The veal was tough and the beers were extremely overpriced. He buys the same beers at the golf course for $4.75- here they were $8.75!! For a draft beer?!? They also charged for the incorrect beer and wouldn't change the price. To top it all off, they had a half off pizza special tonight so we ordered one to take home. When the bill came, we were charged full price! When I questioned that, the waitress said the 1/2 off was not for "to-go" orders. I replied that we could have ordered it for an app and taken the rest home- she just shrugged. Wow! She said "well next time"... to which I replied "there won't be a next time. We will never come back!" When she gave us our bill she pretty much threw it at us- the same way she served our meals. We felt like we were in a diner- certainly not a fine dining establishment. What a disappointing anniversary dinner! :( read more

This food was beyond disgusting. Mushrooms tasted as if they were from a can, my chicken Marsala was so bitter and I'm not sure my chicken was cooked all the way! I'm Gluten free and not sure my flour as requested was gluten free.. Very upsetting. I complained to the waiter "Chuck" and was told "oh" ... My children all had stomach aches after eating their entrées and immediately had to use the bathroom when we went back to our hotel room. Called the manager "Sarah" and she was very nice, and made sure to ask questions regarding my gluten intolerance.. But did not offer a fix for the poor quality. Would not go back... I was here visiting with family and they said their food was greasy and below standard... Not good! Only went here based on past experiences from years ago and yelp reviews. read more

Cortese Restaurant - Pic of my Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Binghamton, New York

We traveled from the Syracuse area to meet my son for his birthday lunch. Salads to start with house made Italian dressing. The dressing was pretty strong with vinegar but I thought it was really good. Warm Italian bread and also Italian bread served with sesame seeds. It was soft and fresh. I had eggplant parmigiana which was absolutely delicious. They give you a good amount of sauce which is hard to come by in Italian restaurants. I also had a side of meatballs that were tender and flavorful. My son and his girlfriend had the spaghetti and my husband had ziti. All amazing! I'm Italian so it's hard to impress me with food at an Italian restaurant. Our server was attentive and very pleasant. I will definitely visit again! read more

I love going to eat at Cortese , but today I was a bit dissatisfied. I ordered Alfredo and every bite tasted like salt. My Ranch dressing was the same. Not sure if the cook likes salt , but it was a bit to much today. Kind of scared to go back and order that again. read more

I have given this place a chance a few times. Every time the food I had here is underwhelming. And I mean the taste. The portions are huge, but the food is just so filled with butter and unhealthy stuff, it is like their notion of good food is the more butter we put the more customers will like it. I won't be coming back anytime soon. read more

Would leave zero stars if possible. Food was inedible, would not give to my dog. Service was equally horrible.

Cortese is not the same as it was when the original owners offered amazing food. Always loved the pizza. It was unique. The crust was amazing. I went there for years. Something changed. The new owners. The last couple of times I went I ordered pizza. It was aweful, inedible, what else can I say? I'd rather have toast with ketchup. The last time I went, I ordered I had eggplant parm. Again, a terrible disappointment. But the servers are great, don't get me wrong. But the food offerings have gone way down. I know this because I have enjoyed Cortese for over 35 years. Please new owner, get back to what would make the original Cortese family proud. read more

The maranara sauce taste as if your in Italy! Wings are truly the best kept secret! If you order tortaline you will not ever be able to eat any where but there its that good nothing & no1's can compare! We did experience a hiccup best to avoid Colleen Cortese a bit gruff & no patients to grow or improve service! read more

My friend and I went to Cortese's on Friday, November 15. The hostess was fairly likable, as was the young man who poured our drink. Unfortunately, our waitress was ho-hum. I had spaghetti & meatballs, while my friend had a shrimp and pasta combo. My friend ordered a Ginger Ale, while I ordered a hot tea as a beverage. The bill came to a whopping $53 and change. This seems like a 2031 rather than a 2019 price. My friend said that we shouldn't quibble about the unusually high price. While the food was high quality and the venue was visually alluring, it otherwise struck me as a pricey yuppie hangout. I had also ben there on August 4, and the server that day (a guy) wasn't very friendly either. This restaurant has to become a little friendlier and less expensive. Please don't take your customers for granted. read more

Do you guys still mail them out over dry ice? Live in Vegas now and craving some Cortese pizza.

This has ways been a favorite of ours both growing up here and visiting town now that I live elsewhere. I don't think a member of the Cortese family runs this place anymore because service is horrible. Waiting nearly 10 minutes for a server on a Friday afternoon at 2:30 with 4 tables occupied is unacceptable. It is unfortunate that this restaurant is going the way of the area. read more

Went here for birthday dinner with a friend. We both ordered the eggplant parm from the "light" menu. We chose salad over soup, pretty basic standard for Italian restaurants. Iceberg lettuce and a couple of vegetables with way too much dressing. The garlic bread was very good though. Then we go to the entrée. It came covered in a massive layer of burnt cheese and sauce. I had to dig deep to find a few pieces of soggy eggplant. We opted for gnocchi as our pasta side, which was light and fluffy, but hardly resembled actual gnocchi. They were really just tiny blobs of potato starch pasta in various shapes and sizes. Which like everything else, was drowned in way too much sauce. Way, way over priced for what we got. read more

I just read other reviews here and apparently it may not be a racist issue entirely--perhaps they suck for everyone but that's not to discredit the inappropriate statements made by staff and customers noted in my review. With that said, here's our opinion of the visit: The service might be better if you are not black. We were shot at--but not shut down by a few odd, rude, and inappropriate remarks made by the (White) server and (White) patrons sitting near us. The entire atmosphere at Cortese Restaurant reeked of icy cold robotic-like human sweat. The restaurant was bustling with approximately 99% white consumers. Typically, this has never been a challenge to us as a minority couple. My fiance and I are professional, educated, cheerful, and well dressed, we are always greeted fondly in social circles. In fact, we often are complimented for our appearance and fashionable savoy sense. One of us is a former model and the other has been featured in a National Geographic documentary. We went out to celebrate my birthday at Cortese on Saturday January 28th, 2017 and had reservations to do so. Despite the reservations, we had to wait an additional 35 minutes to be seated with no apology nor smiles. To start our evening, the "hostess" was very unfriendly and unhelpful. She commanded us to wait in the entrance area which had no television, music, appetizers, drinks, etc. They merely provided a few of us with fold out style chairs for our lengthy wait. During that wait, the main door opened and closed bringing in the icy cold winter air. It only when we were leaving that we saw Cortese had a sizable and beautiful bar area with several seats available. We would have gladly spent our black-people money there while awaiting our table had the egotistical hostess informed us of the luxury. When we finally did get our table, it was in an add-on type of room; the construction and decor was not anything close to the elegance of the main dining area plus they seated us next to a huge group of teenagers. The waitress was very slow (I suspect it was a passive-aggressive behavior due to her dislike for blacks).The main dishes were excellent but the bread (which we had request several times before she brought it) and appetizers were below average compared to Cortese's local competitors. I will refrain from elaborating on the incredibly ignorant and rude statements made by the woman serving us and the group of individuals seated next to us because it's not worth my time and energy to repeat such arrogance and abuse. This review comes from upper-middle-class world travelers who are quite familiar with fine dining in many cultures and circles. Also to be noted, we have frequented Upscale, authentic Italian restaurants throughout the Triple Cities, NYC, and Upstate, this was the absolute worst social experience to date! Shame on you Cortese and also shame on the arrogant patrons who reinforced hostility for minorities. read more

One of my favorite places in Binghamton NY a simple great Italian restaurant . Can't say anything negative food , service, and of course just a very nice spot.A good hint is to have the half portions on lunch menu . They have the best blue cheese like ribbons not chunks. The pasta is house made and very good. I have had the veal and peppers as well I have never had dessert the meals are large. But I am sure it's great. Large parking lot vans easy to get there. Enjoy great spot ! Chef will travel read more

Actual Rating: 3.65 Location: The place is really out of the way to get to so it can be hard to get to when you don't have a car. The Broome County Bus 28, I believe takes you there. Place: This place looks pretty great for an intimate meal which is why I chose this place to eat out with my colleagues during Restaurant Week (happens beginning of every fall n spring semester). Service: The people who served us there were great!! They were very attentive to us such as asking about how we were feeling and refilling our drinks and remained to do so, even after we were done and went to hang out a bit with another group of friends who were at another table. Food: For those who are not yet aware of Restaurant Week, it is a weeklong event where for a good set price, you get to order a choice of an appetizer, an entrè, and a dessert. For lunch, I ordered the mozzarella sticks, the shrimp scampi and the canoli (hopefully I spelled that right err) The mozzarella sticks were great! They were soft and the hot cheese felt smooth to taste. The canoli was also pretty good, sweet n simple. However, I was disappointed with the shrimp scampi...When I received the entrè, I was turned off to see so much oil in my bowl. The noodles and the shrimp were basically drowning in the oil. I swear I could have fried multiple eggs with the amount of oil in it. The shrimp, though, was pretty tasty and the noodles were alright. Conclusion: If I had a car, I would give this place another shot. Since I don't, I most likely won't But for those who have a car or live nearby this place, I would suggest giving this place a try since their other stuff was great and the people here are so nice. read more

We placed an order on Valentine's Day, waited 40 minutes OUTSIDE, then received gnocchis that were raw dough, they had NO garlic bread, and the meatballs were underseasoned. Their response was they were "overwhelmed" ! Then Colleen had the audacity to say we all had COVID because we said the meatballs were tasteless ! How long have they been in business ? There is no excuse for this ! read more

This disgusting dump will never see my face again. Our server with his ridiculous tattoos all over his arms had an attitude problem. I ordered spaghetti with marinara sauce and specified no cheese, which should've worked out fine as long as they didn't put cheese on top. I found a white chunk in my sauce so I bit into it and it was definitely cheese. The server somehow noticed this and came over and I said that there was cheese in it. He had it remade, surprisingly quickly as well, and the second dish had the same issue. Later he came to the table and confirmed that the marinara sauce is made with cheese in it. Totally unacceptable for someone who doesn't consume dairy products and specifically asks for marinara sauce which should be the safe choice. This outdated, unfriendly, overpriced dive was filled with customers who didn't look like they cared what they got served as long as the wait staff would flirt with them a little while they got drunk on cheap wine. Just thoroughly sad. read more

One of the best restaurants in the area. My experience has always been a pleasurable one, regarding the staff and food.

I went Saturday and had chicken parm with my husband. It was good as far as the chicken goes but the bread was not fresh. He told me not to eat it.We both ordered water to drink to not add to the cost of the bill and actually that's usually what we drink anyway. The bill was 46 dollars without the tip. I think it's pretty high. little Venice and Tony's is both cheaper and both are better in my opinion. Next time folks. read more

Ill start by saying the food is good. Classic Italian. Pizza is different but their main dishes are enjoyable. Now thats out of the way. HORRIBLE SERVICE. WATER CUPS ARE 2 OZ. DONT COME HERE IF YOU ENJOY FLUIDS. read more

I have had better dining experiences at Cortese. Last night's was not one of them. My daughter had to alert a staff that she had dirty silverware and her father in law found lipstick on his water glass. NOT acceptable. My $23.00 petite fillet was cold. I made the mistake of not initially alerting our server. When I did tell her at the end of our meals, she offered me free dessert which I declined. When our checks came, she told me she removed a drink from my bill. She was a great server but otherwise I was very disappointed with Cortese. read more

Food made me sick. The food is disgusting and management does not care. I heard this used to be a good place, but on my very first visit I got sick from the food. After complaining to the staff and requesting a manager and waiting 15 minutes I left because no one came out to address my concerns. Additionally no one contacted me to show concern. read more

I went here for my anniversary and the food was amazing! Particularly the oysters, and I thought i never liked oysters before this! We didnt call to reserve a table but we didnt wait too long for one. I definitely recommend calling ahead as it always seems to be packed, which is not a bad thing! read more

Unfortunately I can only give this place a three to four stars review (3.5). I'm a long time customer and basically grew up here as my grandparents took us here multiple times a week (I'm now 28). Back then the food, staff, and atmosphere was amazing and it was my favorite place to go! Since then it seems like it is slowly going down hill and other than the pizza it seems like it is a gamble if you are going to get a good night or off night. (I say off and not bad because it's still okay food on a off night but not quite what you hope for, just OKAY). I still go here, but sometimes it seems like it's more out of nostalgia than anything else, unless it's a good night (which seems to be fewer and far between as time goes by). I also would like to point out that I have always considered this place to be casual dressed but, IMO, you need a minimum of a POLO and not a t-shirt. The staff is always well dressed and even the bussers have button ups and slacks. What I'm saying is I wouldn't go in gym shorts and a t. The last time I was there it was a bunch of new faces out front (presumable from covid hitting everyone hard) that were goofing off and wearing non profession clothes ( I even think the one had gym shorts!). It just did NOT at all fit into the atmosphere of the place and them goofing around when the place was busy was unprofessional and somewhat of a disturbance to the people seated near the entryway. Also to the staff who was there last time I was there, I apologize to you for the lady across from us who was a complete B word. You all handled the situation phenomenally and in this case the customer was WRONG read more

I went to Cortese once with a small group of people, and in that lone visit I discovered several things: - The wait staff is very patient and treats you well, regardless of who you are (read: broke college student). Even if you and your friends are young and talk at high volume, as we unintentionally did, they will serve you with dignity and courtesy. - This place is packed. Extraordinarily, astoundingly packed, and everyone is a local. Be prepared to wait for a table. - The food is pretty decent, although is it authentic Italian food? No. Can you find higher-quality Italian food elsewhere? Yes, of course. Does Cortese serve BETTER Italian-American food than some other Binghamton restaurants (I'm looking at you, Little Venice)? Yes, it did, or at least it did when I dined there, and that was some time ago. - The local neighborhood is nothing to write home about. It wasn't great when I visited, and I don't know that it's improved in the years since. I never felt unsafe in the neighborhood, but I got the distinct sense that the area had seen its day and then some. Based on my experiences with Cortese, I would recommend this place over one of the chain restaurants on Vestal Parkway. You'll probably pay the same amount anyway - Cortese is not terribly expensive - and the food will be a definite cut above a place like Applebee's. Binghamton doesn't have a wide variety of amazing restaurant choices anyway, and Cortese is definitely one of the better options in the southern tier. read more

One of our family favorites! Excellent food and service, reasonable prices, and a welcoming atmosphere with an attentive staff. We love the prices on Mondays, and we have come here for special events like birthdays. read more

Server: Dayne We were there early last night. We were seated immediately. The initial drink order was timely, and accurate. The followup water services was also timely. For those of us who ordered drinks other than water, the service sucked. The non-water drinks were not tracked, queried, or refilled. We had to flag down someone and specifically ask for a refill. Where do servers go when they disappear for 10-15 minutes at a time? The dinner order was finally taken (it seemed to take forever). The kitchen was slow even though it hadn't filled up yet. The food arrived and tasted great. The presentation on one of the meals wasn't that good, but it didn't affect the taste. I ended up swapping with my wife because she wasn't aware which sauce was coming with hers, and she didn't want to get a migraine. We had one desert, although it was a close call because of the speed of service whether I wanted to make the time commitment to place the order, and wait for it to come. SUMMARY - SERVICE - 4 (1 .. 10) FOOD QUALITY - 8 (1 .. 10) SPEED - 3 (1 .. 10) 15 out of a possible 30 points. read more

1 and done... Not impressed... the food was mediocre at best and the wait staff rude by trying to rush us out. I don't see why this place is so highly rated... we tried it and we won't be back... read more

I was frankly disappointed. Don't these people know how to scallopini veal? Do ALL of their sauces contain too much sugar? And, lastly, don't the local know any better? From the crowd at this place, you would THINK that you were going to get the best Italian meal of your life. Although the service is extremely good, it couldn't save the fact that the food was mediocre at best. In fact, I almost had the feeling that they were copying the bland sauces of those chain restaurants. I ordered the veal saltimbocca (which, strangely was spelled "sOltimbocca" on the menu..), which, in any DECENT Italian place would come with a wine based sauce, on a THIN (a.k.a., 'scallopini') piece of veal, and served on a bed of escarole. These people took a thick cutlet, poured the sauce over it (which was decent, but had far too much sugar), and....just plopped it on the bare plate-no escarole at all! Oh, they also put far too much dried garlic pieces in the sauce.. My partner's veal picatta suffered from the same maladies, but was also over-salted. The salads were very plain (at least they used romaine lettuce, though..), and the pasta sides were pretty bland. The bread came to the table cold. The neighborhood of this restaurant could only be described as 'run-down', being near a rail yard, sharing a parking lot with a cab company, and down from an intersection where it seems narcotics are sold to those who are looking. I certainly wouldn't walk in this area after dark. In the end, i would give probably 4.5 stars for the waitstaff, 3 stars for the front-end (who made us wait 15 minutes after our reservation), 1 for the location, 3 for the decor (despite that over-wrought 'bleeding heart of Jesus' painting on the wall), 1.5 for the food, and probably 2.5 for the price. You could do better for less money at any of the Italianesque chain restaurants, but the service won't be as good. In summation-not worth looking for. You'll do no worse eating at the malls. read more

I haven't eaten at many restaurants in Bing but i can say that the food was mediocre at best. I feel like they try to make things flavorful by adding extra garlic which doesn't make the dishes "authentic". The chicken piccata is made completely wrong. The food at Cortese wasn't good but the service and decor were decent. The place is off the beaten path so that is probably why there aren't many reviews. I guess for Bing, this restaurant would be a decent date spot since I noticed there aren't many fine dining restaurants in Bing. The decor is old fashioned and the layout is like any restaurant/bar but has a nice feel to it. The only plus side is that our waiter was a Will Ferrell lookalike just on the heavier side. He was attentive, tried to make jokes (terrible fail which made it funny), and very friendly. I probably wouldn't come back for dinner but i hear the pizza is pretty good. read more