A hidden jewel near the U.N., Il Monello offers delicious Italian fare in a sophisticated, quiet setting. I visited on a nice September day and enjoyed fresh air wafting in from the open windows. However, I didn't much care for the odiferous smoke emanating from some neighborhood dude's cigar as he paced to and fro outside for over 20 minutes. But that isn't the restaurant's fault so... Il Monello is open daily from noon until closing, with one menu offered for lunch and dinner. I especially recommend the fettucine with veal ragu, a rich and deeply flavorful dish. The tartufo dessert was the best I've ever had, a large globe of chocolate-enrobed gelato studded with cherry pieces. I'd surely return just for that. read more

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When you first walk in, you are warmfully greeted. The inner decor was conservative but modern and filled with farm lighting. They brought delicious bread to the table, including a delightful focaccia, with olives and oil. We started with baked clams, they were good but a little salty for my liking. I ordered a Hugo Spritz, and it was a very generous glass, well made with a nice amount of mint. I had the pasta with clams in white clam sauce, I ask for it without butter and they were happy to oblige. It was el dente and delicious! It was pricey but offers a generous portion. Everyone else enjoyed the day's special lobster and speghetti in fra diavlo sauce. I was also pleased to find out, it held up as left overs. Overall, it made for a wonderful double date night and I would try it again. read more

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3.5 stars. I came here with a group of friends for a celebration. The food in itself was fantastic. I had the linguini vongole which was perfectly buttery and the clams were very aromatic and fresh. The dish was perfectly seasoned and super filling. For dessert, I had the tiramisu. It was absolutely delicious. This dresser was sweet with a side of whipped creme and strawberry on the side. This dish gets a 10/10 for presentation. The only downside was the level of service. My friends and I had expected faster service since there were not a lot of other diners on this night. However, it took 2.5 hours for our course to arrive. read more

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Beautiful restaurant with great menu and friendly staff. One of the top tiramisu in the city - a must try! read more

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One of the best Italian restaurants in Midtown East Manhattan serving delicious Italian dishes carefully prepared with fresh ingredients. Beautiful ambiance and great service. read more

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Came here for a holiday work dinner and it was a fantastic experience. Service was fantastic as our waiter was professional and attentive. Super Italian, but enjoyable to interact with. One of the managers decided to order Cacio E Pepe ($28) for everyone. They split each order into two, so we could have it as an appetizer. I probably could have had this as an entree and called it a day as it was delicious. A colleague agreed to share an order of the Tuscany Porterhouse ($72 pp) as it was a minimum 2 person dish. Might be one of the best decision made and I have to thank my company for sponsoring the meal. :) read more

Went to Il Monello for a birthday lunch with an old friend. The greeting and service were welcoming and professional, I loved the old school white tablecloth ambiance. However, we both felt the food was mediocre and unmemorable. My veal chop was large, but it had little taste. My friend's pasta he labeled bland. We had a great time, but that's because old friends always do no matter our age. read more

Il Monello - Happy birthday! - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Eddie and Steve run a great place, fresh food and great service, authentic and delicious Italian cuisine!

I happened to walk past here over the weekend and said "lets try this place next week" and boy am I glad I did today. I live in the neighborhood and I'm only sad I havent tried it sooner. I'm a new yorker with italian relatives, who also worked as a server for many years at a highly competitive emaculately trained and run restaurant - so trust me when I say, I am a harsh critic. That said .. I have no notes for my experience tonight from start to finish. We were greeted with a warm welcome, seated right away, had our drinks just as quickly as we ordered them, appetizers came out shortly thereafter, we were not at all rushed but also had entrees perfectly timed to come out after we were finished with apps. The service was impeccable. Highly trained staff who all worked seamlessly together with grace and warmth. Knowledgable about the menu and history. Very friendly, helpful, and efficient. Our server even comped our dessert for no reason other than kindness. Now finally for the food .. everything was perfectly executed. The flavors were delicious, temperatures perfect (pastas and soup piping hot, carpaccio chilled), fresh, clearly homemade. The doneness of the pasta was beyond perfect. Al dente perfection. Truly wonderful. Tasted exactly like pasta I had in Italy. I couldn't reccommend this place more. read more

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Pretty fancy restaurant that's kind of tucked away mid block. I was here for a small party and they accommodated it very nicely. Very nice staff all around. The lay out of the restaurant was small but nice where the tables weren't right next to each other. There's also a bar right by the entrance. The food was delicious. Everything came out a once and everyone enjoyed what they had. I would definitely return on my own again. read more

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Service is great - my waiter and bartender were very nice and gave absolutely great service. Charismatic and friendly I just got wine as I worked from the bar. They also gave me bread and oil. Great wine I went during lunch which was quite empty and I'm having a great time. I'll definitely return. Ambiance is cute. Very very clean , dimmed lighting and smells great inside read more

Il Monello - Wine and bread - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

The food is pretty good but the drinks and desserts are misleading. The espresso martini tasted like licorice and apparently didn't have any espresso in it. Their pumpkin pie dessert was a total lie. It wasn't pumpkin pie at all. Instead, it was a cheesecake with pumpkin paste on top. Their chocolate lava cake was another lie. It was a "warm" chocolate cake with no molten chocolate inside. Their chocolate moose dessert was pretty good but a chunk of the cake was missing (see attached). The service and atmosphere were pretty nice. I would recommend for big family lunches. They are very accommodating. read more

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Ok just finished at the dental surgeon down the block. I go to get my car and spot this place across the street. I've been a brave boy, so I'm going to reward myself!! So in I go! The Maitr'd tells me to sit anywhere I'd like I find a nice table and my waiter comes right over I recommends a half bottle of Brunello Ah this wine is just so perfect. Ok don't laugh...I go with the familiar pollo parmigiana. It comes and it looks just delicious. Which it is! And a healthy portion. Really perfectly done. This is a delightful experience. The only thing some people wouldn't like being on the street, with passersby gawking at their food. Not me I just smile and wave Especially greeting all the dogs walking by. One especially friendly Enzo a beautiful rust cavapoo So I'm just loving this experience. Vincenzo my waiter is the best!! read more

Il Monello - Delicious - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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I enjoyed my lunch here. The food was delicious and fresh. Service was great and prompt. I would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for good Italian food. read more

This is a terrific restaurant. Peaceful, great individual service, and really lovely food. The best restaurant we've found in the midtown east neighborhood. read more

Glorious venue. STEVE who had to close TUSCANY STEAKHOUSE on West 58 Street due to lunacy rent runs this gorgeously! A must for a superb meal. read more

What a great experience for our party of six enjoying the delicious classic Italian cuisine on the blistering cold Saturday night. Excellent service greeted by the gracious host & friendly coat check staff. Intimate ambiance, humming sound of 60s music , & our friendly & delightful server. His wine recommendations were excellent, attention to details were just perfect enhancing our dining experience to the fullest. We giggled & laughed whenever he cracked jokes in his delightfully accented Italian-English. The timing of the service was a piece of art , so effective & seemingly effortless. A true gem to enjoy the classic Italian cuisine . Highly recommend. read more

Il Monello - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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We were searching for something new to eat in the neighborhood, and found a Post article about this restaurant's history, and how a young man emigrated to the U.S., became a busboy at this restaurant (at its former location on 76th), and eventually took over when the previous owner returned. The restaurant closed back in 2008 because of rent hikes, but just resurrected at this new location! What an inspiring story! They're still ironing out some kinks in the new space, but everyone is suuuper friendly and helpful. We had a chance to meet with and chat with both owners. Down to earth, grateful and gracious, and salt-of-the-earth people. Even the hosttess made a point to introduce us to the owner of the article fame before we left (we had chatted with the other partner when we arrived). The food was delicious. Flat out, without exaggeration, the best orrechiete we've ever had. My ravioli were delicious as well, and all the pasta were perfectly cooked. My one point of pause (and only thing keeping me from giving a full 5-star review) was the wine list. It wasn't published online, so we had no idea what their offerings were, so we brought a bottle just in case. When we saw the printed list, it was fair, but nothing to write home (or to yelp) about. We were told that they'll spruce up the list and add to the collection and cellar as they're able. In the meantime, we figured we might as well open the bottle we brought, since it was going to be more enjoyable than most of the offerings on the list. What do y'all think is reasonable corkage? $25? $30? I typically balk and frown when it gets up to $35 and $40. But never have ao seen a place that charges $50 for corkage. Oof. The thought behind that? "We want to discourage people from bringing their own wine and to drink the wine on our list." OK, well, maybe you lean in that direction once you have a more palatable list. We'll definitely be back, and hopefully, the wine list will have grown (and/or) the corkage becomes more reasonable. Once one of those happens, I'll happily revise my review and add that last star. read more

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This place just wow . Had someone take us here for a large group graduation dinner. The ambience is beautiful . The music is light and romantic and the seating is cozy quiet and very elegant . I can't remember the name of the red wine we got but it was absolutely delicious . We got quite a few of the starters . I got the Il Monello salad which had arugula goat cheese shaved pears, grapes, toasted almond flakes, with a delicious lemon truffle dressing. I absolutely recommend getting this . My friend tried the wedge salad which was also quite good. The mozzarella and tomato was on point . They got the calamari and the carpaccio de manzo which I didn't try. We got a dozen of the east coast oysters on the half shell and they were absolutely perfect. For the mains I got their dover sole which came with a beautiful lemon white wine sauce and capers . But the star of the show was probably the filet mignon which came with this absolutely amazingly delicious peppercorn sauce which I still have dreams about . I'd go back just to try that amazing sauce . I wish I knew what was in it. It's so good. Their dessert although with a lot of choices was quite basic. I tried their tiramisu which was good and quite boozy. But their lava cake was better . I wish I had ordered their crème brûlée instead . I also tried a sip of their homemade lemoncello which was one of the best I've tasted . All in all I would most defn get the Il Monello salad , the oysters, the steak with the sauce and the lemoncello . You have to try these items . read more

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Food is always good but they don't believe in air conditioning. Several tables complained and they said it was cooler in the back but the tables were all in the front. We told the waiter at least twice. I can't eat at a restaurant that is not client friendly. Done with them. read more

Il Monello is my favorite Midtown East restaurant and one of my favorite NYC restaurants. The food and service are excellent! I love eating at the bar. Gabriella, the bar tender, is outstanding -- always attentive, service with a smile, super interesting conversation, not to mention her delicious cocktails. I'm a regular for good reason!! read more

Ridiculous that the menu is "Market prices" only. Might be delicious but you need at least one Michelin star as far as we are concerned to chance paying an outrageous price for food. Without a priced menu, we will not be dining here despite some positive recommendations. Do better Il Monello read more

I waited three hours for my food. Overcharged and it was corrected. Rude staff and sarcastic . Food was cold and ok. Anyway, will not be back there. C. D. read more

New restaurant with some good reviews so we popped in. We won't be back. First off host tried to seat us at a table by the wait station. We asked for a more romantic table and then he tried to sit us at a table by the kitchen entrance. Finally on the 3rd try he moved us to a more reasonable table. As to the food, it was meh. The eggplant parmigiana was flavorless. The bianca salad bland. The cacio e pepe pasta was nice, but plain. We ordered lava cake with ice cream for desert - but there was no lava. Just chocolate cake with syrup on top. No lava flowed out of the middle. Bottle of still water is $9 here. In a city filled with great Italian, I see no reason to return here. read more

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My husband and I come here fairly often and we love it. The food is always incredibly delicious and the service is always perfect. We've never had something here that we didn't like. Truly I can't say enough good things about it. read more

A true neighborhood gem. Great food and good vibes! The calamari was so meaty and delicious. I recommend trying the beet salad as well. read more

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First time at Il Monello and I will be back. Everything was on point. My Martini, the service, the look of the restaurant and of course the food! read more

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Wow! All I can say is Wow and how amazing it is to have this new restaurant. The food is outstanding. The service was on point! Great bar. Beautifully decorated. The place is gorgeous! Go! All food is made to perfection! read more

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Excellent neighborhood place! I live around the block and pass it often but haven't given it a try till recently. The food was wonderful. I had branzino that was seasoned and cooked to perfection. The asparagus were fabulous as well. My daughter ordered orecchiette with sausage and loved hers as well. The service was impeccable and the ambiance is what I love, dimly lit, white tablecloths and sparkling glassware. I am returning this weekend with my husband and both of us are looking forward to it. read more

I found myself in the Turtle Bay area last evening and I met the gf for dinner. I went based on the review's of others and my recollection that Il Monello was a popular restaurant once upon a time. The dining room is very handsome, and the tables are widely spaced. We both ordered a Wedge Salad to begin. It was very tasty, and the Bacon bits were cooked just right. I ordered Linguine con Frutti di Mare, and the gf ordered Branzino. Both were delicious. We skipped dessert, but we plan to revisit and sample everything on the menu. read more

Il Monello - a table set for a meal - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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What a fabulous meal. Food was terrific and the service was excellent. They also had gluten free options. A+

me and my girlfriend absolutely love this place the hostess is very professional and always has our reservation on time but we go in a extra hour early and leave a hour late just to drink some of the bartender Gabriella's delicious drinks they are to die for deff a must try, such a sweet girl to !! ( most times we just eat at the bar ) but the dining room is very nice aswell. a must try if your in the area we always get greeted and respected like family from the whole staff in general read more

For NY reasonable priced, nice ambiance, mature crowd, not loud, able to hear each other. Excellent burrata, mussels and fettuccine ragu. Authentic Italian vibes. Wife really liked her I'll Monello and linguine vongole. Would get all again. read more

We went there last Saturday night and we thought the service and food was average for the prices. The atmosphere was very noisy and could hardly hear my dinner partner.Also we paid by credit card and they charged 3% service fee which I think is ridiculous especially it not a cheap restaurant . We don't think we would go back there ,there are other good restaurants in our neighborhood read more

This restaurant is amazing and the service is great. You will be seated right away with time to enjoy the beautiful music and ambiance. The food is delicious. It reminds me of when I was in Italy. This is a must come to restaurant. I highly recommend this restaurant. A 10/10. read more

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First time at Il Monello and all I can say is WOW!!! The ambiance is very welcoming. The food, wines & service was amazing! Everything we tasted melted in our mouths. Very knowledgeable & friendly staff. They know exactly how to make the customers happy and give great recommendations. Do your self a favor and visit this perfect restaurant, you will not be disappointed!! Will be back soon. read more

Wonderful food, nicest service, great ambiance. They were very accommodating to us splitting plates. Will return!

We happened by here and made reservations. The food, service, and drinks were all top notch. We had salad, fish and pasta..100% recommend!

Honestly felt taken advantage of at this restaurant. Me and my friends live in the area and have been saving up to eat here. We are young and don't get to enjoy dinners like this often. My friend ordered a wedge salad and the waiter asked if he wanted to add protein but when we got the check he charged my friend $20 extra dollars. Actually in fact he charged him for a specialty pasta. Not even the salad. We didn't want to make a scene but my friend got a salad to avoid the pasta prices then got charged for the most expensive pasta. Seemed like the waiters where trying to fix the mistake by telling us it was the added chicken, but come on, $20 for added chicken in a salad! The main issue is that we weren't informed of it. Very disappointing because if it wasn't for this we would being giving a 5 star review. Crème brûlée slapped but don't add chicken i guess read more

I made a dinner reservation 3 weeks in advance for a very special "twins" 77th birthday dinner. We were called 5 days before our reservation saying that our reservation is cancelled due to the fact a huge party has taken over the restaurant for that evening. They offered up their sister steak restaurant which was totally unacceptable to all. I had gone to Il Monello when they were on the upper east side on so many occasions. Very disappointed that we were treated so off-handedly. read more