My husband and I ordered paninis from here two weeks in a row. The first two times they were delicious. The menu is huge and really has so many options, from salad to seafood, to pasta. All interactions with staff have been pleasant. Paninis are packaged really nicely, and served hot and fresh. I will say it seems a bit expensive--$30 for two paninis--but this seems to be the norm at most places nowadays and the paninis were generously sized. However, when we ordered last night we were super disappointed. I ordered the same panini (Potenza) I had the previous two times, but the bread was so crispy that it was hurting the roof of my mouth and it just did not taste fresh. My husband had the same issue with his bread, and it was not super flavorful, in comparison to the last two visits. We also ordered the bruschette, which we felt were WAY overpriced. These were 3/$9 and very small. They had no "dressing" or sauce of any kind, and they also did not give us the correct order. While these were okay, they were essentially just toppings piled on small pieces of Italian bread. Not impressed especially for $3 each! We probably won't be coming back here too often, but I'd be willing to give them another try, minus the bruschette. I'll share photos of my panini from the first time, as well. read more

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So many sandwiches and salads to choose from, so little time! I enjoyed the Anthony (grilled chicken/mozzarella/arugula/balsamic vinegar) panini. Every part of it tasted just right without being too heavy, and the bread had good flavor without being soggy. Friendly staff too. read more

La Bottega - Anthony Panini - Italian Near Me - Merrick, New York

Ive come here a few times, excellent paninis and salads. Fresh veggies and tasty mozzarella! Service is friendly and accommodating. Recommend for eating in or take out. read more

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This place never disappoints! Food is always amazing as well as the service! Takeout is great they are always early or on time. The seating inside is so cute small place. Love the theme/decor. Will be back! read more

Delicious little Italian bistro, but plenty of items on the menu, Edwin that was server was exceptional, everything was delicious vegetable soup was nice on a cold winter day, The meatballs with ricotta were excellent, We enjoyed the vodka, Parm, chicken, and the sundae sauce pasta was very good read more

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Under a new name now but almost the same menu. It's called Lou Tony's. Food not nearly as good. Lacks seasoning and just very ehhhh.

Very good, casual dining always fresh food. Very tasty. Always very friendly. I don't know what else to say. I need more characters. They tell me. read more

Ohhhhh this was a bad move. I ordered a salad with no chicken today since it's Lent and you'd think they would make up for no chicken being on the salad. NOPE! It's half the size but costs the same. Wow! read more

Wonderful Panini choices. I enjoyed the different choices of sandwiches they have. There are different locations so you have the option to find one closest to your neighborhood. I tried two different ones and the quality of food is about the same. read more

Very small in comparison to other locations but the food and service is great! Convenient location for my family. Simple lunch today and was happy to have half my salad to take home. My cousin n I struck out on two other places to eat - one just completely infinites us while we waited about 7-10 minutes at the counter for at least a hello! We were greeted with a smile here right away and the good service continued throughout! read more

La Bottega - Italian Near Me - Merrick, New York

Been working from home all week, and have eaten here every day for lunch, Mon-Fri. I'm literally maybe 50 yards from La Bottega. Did mostly pick-up, but one day did delivery (was on back-to-back conference calls, not because I was lazy). And everyday, the same things.... avocado chicken salad for her and a Beyond meat burger OR the new Beyond meat Italian sausage panini for me. Both are incredible. The sausage panini comes with broccoli rabe, fresh mozz and roasted pepper spread. The sausages are legit grilled and have a nice little kick to them. And if anyone tastes this and thinks it's not a real sausage, I might even reimburse you! The "burger" was really good, except one day, where the provolone wasn't really melted that well. Delivery was as good as pick-up, and I mostly ordered early (11:20am or so). Both Beyond sandwiches come with a side. I wasn't that crazy about the Caesar salad, the shaved reggiano had an odd taste and texture to it, the dressing wasn't my favorite, and it was covered in pedestrian croutons. The side house salad was great, and comes with that delicious balsamic dressing. If you don't specify what side you want, they'll get you the sweet potato fries, which were pretty good too. As a guy that "has to" :-( go to a plant based diet, I think I can make this work. The avocado chicken salad is a really well made salad too. read more

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Placed a delivery order at 6:40pm. Called to check the status at 8pm and was told, "the driver is a couple of minutes away". Didn't arrive until almost 8:30. Food is good, but next time we're picking up. read more

When a customer asks for extra tomato sauce for a panini they just ordered that already has tomato sauce, there shouldn't be a charge. As suspected it was bone dry. $15 to be disappointed when a simple cup of sauce would have made a world of difference. read more

Ordered a salad. Took it out of the paper bag it arrived in through Uber Eats. I was about to open it when I noticed something moving around in there. It was a fly. I called the restaurant and they barely apologized and asked if I wanted another one. I said no, I'd like a refund. They told me to call Uber eats and ask them for a refund. Clearly, they don't care and probably wasn't even surprised there was a fly in my food. Place is probably infested with flies. Terrible. Never ordering from here again. Too bad East Meadow closed, this never happened with them. read more

La Bottega - A fly in my salad - Italian Near Me - Merrick, New York

The food is decent here. It's not the best. Just a little bit pricey if you order a Panini and the side order of fries comes out to about $24. You would think the balsamic dressing would come with the Panini that you ordered it doesn't they want to charge you a dollar for the dressing. That's a little bit ridiculous. There are better places in the area that have better food for half the price. read more

Ordered catering for Mother's Day and the food arrived hot and delicious. Everything was great.

Ate lunch today and it was delicious. Huge portions. Loved the modern burger. I could barely finish it. The fries were crispy and a lot. I'll be back! read more

I've been going to this particular location for several years now. I order what used to be my favorite salad, Avocado Salad. Loved it. However, the last three times I ordered it, it failed terribly. This location obviously changed hands. Avocado was mushy, two cherry tomatoes cut in half, wilted greens, dried chicken, no cheese, and no almonds. As the saying goes, three strikes, and you're out. What a disappointment. Needless to say, I will never go back. read more

When I think of Merrick, I always think of La Bottega. I have a slight (more than slight) obsession with La Bottega and am not afraid to admit it. I discovered this gem several years ago and ever since their menu has grown and the food has stayed consistently outstanding. Most recently, I went for lunch with family. We ordered meatballs to start which were seriously mouthwatering. We all ended up ordering salads for lunch, but my husband got the Parma Salad, and I got the Sal Salad (both with chicken cutlet, mozzarella, red onion, etc.). The dressing for my Sal salad is something that I would be ok bathing in, it is SOOOO good! My husband loved his salad too. I'm holding out on the Pietro panini and the potenza panini for probably next week, and am already drooling. This place is amazing and if you haven't been you're missing out! read more

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The food is delicious!!! This is my first time ordering from here. I chose this place because the catering menu prices were not as horrific as other places. I ordered quite a few things from appetizers to entrees and I have no complaints about anything. Everything was fresh cooked, it was not salty at all and I was very pleased with their delivery service as well. Because of their great quality of food, customer service of the person taking my order, delivery service, and affordable menu prices when ordering catering trays, I will surely be ordering again from La Bottega for all my events. Thank you ! read more

The best paninis with TONS of different options to choose from -- literally something for everybody. They also do party boxes where you can order 5 paninis and they cut them I. Fours and out the in a party box. We got it for a family party and everyone loved them! Highly recommend and can't wait to try the pizza place they are opening next door! Been waiting to see when it opens read more

Friendly service, good prices and delicious food. We usually go for the salads, of which there are so many choices, and have not been disappointed once. During the pandemic, we only did takeout. When I was there, there was no one eating in the restaurant so I'm not sure if it was available or not. Everyone was wearing masks and socially distant. I am totally comfortable getting food from them. This is extremely important right now. read more

First time trying LaBottega after driving past its numerous locations. Did not dissapoint. Food and service were excellent. I had a panini. My friends had a pasta dish and a salad. Everyone thought their meal was delicious. read more

I've eaten at the Roslyn location several times and always liked it, so I'm glad Merrick's location measures up. It's much smaller than my go-to La Bottega, but for a casual dinner it's perfect. I arrived just before 7pm on a Saturday and snagged the last table. As per usual, their salad menu is enormous so I got the Susan salad and added fried eggplant. You can't go wrong with any of their salads or paninis, not sure about the regular Italian entrees though. The service was a tad slow but my friend and I didn't mind. We also shared chocolate mousse for dessert which was a nice little sweet treat. Was it the best, no, but we weren't expecting the best. La Bottega is great for a low-key meal. The prices are excellent too. Large, entree salads range from $11-14 and they're really big and filling! Ingredients are quality, food is good, and I keep coming back. read more

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We had take-out sandwiches from here on a recommendation from a friend who had rave reviews. I don't think that I'm too picky, but the sandwiches were only ok. There were 4 of us and 3 of us were "fine" with our sandwiches while the friend who recommended the place still enjoyed his sandwich. I would not come out of my way to get sandwiches from here, but I would try another sandwich if someone was going again. They have a lot of options and also have salads and pastas and other things as well so I'd be open to giving it another shot. read more

La Bottega - Pordenone - prosciutto, brie, tomato and hot peppers - Italian Near Me - Merrick, New York

Consistently forgets items. I order regularly from here at work and it never fails for them to forget utensils, etc, even when it's written across the receipt by the girl who answers the phone. Today I ordered a $100 full tray of salad and they did not even give one ounce of dressing! When I called, they kept me on hold for almost 5 minutes and the man who answered the phone didn't even offer an apology. Today was the last time. Way too expensive to keep ordering, sit and wait starving for forgotten items, and nothing offered for the inconvenience. read more

Love coming to this cute italian cafe! The service and prices never disappoint me. The menu has great options to choose from. So far I've been trying something new each time I go and I've been loving everything. The paninis and the salads (I always ask for them chopped) are amazing! read more

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I spent Thanksgiving in the ER thanks to La Bottega's shrimp. 100% confirmed food poisoning from my meal. Unacceptable and dangerous not to keep seafood fresh. read more

Just tried to order, someone picked up and then put me on hold again. I am hungry, but I'll call somewhere else.

La Bottega is a great establishment and this location where i live is one of the thriving shops for good reason,ALL the panini's and salads are fresh and delicious!they use the best ingrediants but it's that krispina bread that I love the most! That's what makes a true Italian Panini, the Prado is my favorite w chicken cutlet roasted peppers fontina cheese and onions with a spicy spread, we have never dined in but always order takeout and it's always super fast and the food is still hot as it should be, the only reason I left off one star is because I do feel their prices are a little inflated but you do get what you pay for and that's great quality food by a friendly staff, in conclusion, I am def a customer for life! read more

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Have given this place too many chances and recent visit sealed the deal that I won't give this place another chance. Unfriendly staff and mediocre overpriced food. read more

Stayed on the phone for 25 minutes and then was told it was too late for delivery, nothing Cory couldn't do. AWFUL. East Meadow location closed on Sundays. Awful service, no customer service. Order catering and dinners. Will never order from them again! read more

Order via GrubHub off of the GrubHub menu. Apparently they don't do delivery of pasta. I ordered linguine with clams and got a message from GrubHub saying that they could not deliver this dish. That they were going to deliver the rest of the order, except for my dinner. I called GrubHub and tried to cancel the order and they said they would not cancel it. La bottega is expensive, some would say over priced. But forcing me to accept an order without my entrée, is unacceptable. I feel as though these tactics are abusive. I will not be ordering from this restaurant again. read more

Moved out of state and am yet to find a place this good. When I went home for the holidays I went back 3x in 5 days, always for a Parma salad. Any chance you want to open up a location in MA? read more

La Bottega has well executed concept. It's an upscale bodega/deli. Instead of sandwich rolls and tall boy cans, la Bottega served paninis with wine. I had a chicken and arugula salad with hot peppers and a mustard Dijon dressing. I would recommend it. To steal a friend's terminology, the decor has a casual elegance. read more

Great paninis, love their accommodating menu including gluten free bread and lots of meatless options

I'll give the place two stars because the lobster bisque was very good. How ever it begin and ended there. A chalkboard and the special board announced that lobster was back lobster rolls and lobster bisque. If lobster rolls on the menu as a special and on the special menu I'm not going to look at the regular menu because that's what I want. After asking the waitress. What was in the lobster roll and if there were onions in it I was told I'll find out and I'll come back. She told me no there were no onions only scallions on the top. So we ordered the lobster roll to split which she said was $18 and turned out to be $19. Not a big deal. However the big deal was that the lobster roll had avocado in it. Being allergic to avocado I could not eat it. Nothing was said to us that they had avocado in it and yes it did say it on the regular menu but when you have a special menu and a lunch menu that's what you tend to look at first. The real issue was they would take it back pick the avocado out which was unacceptable and either way we had to pay for it even if we didn't eat it it was going to be taken back and they were going to charge us for it. Never in my life have I been charge for a video that was unacceptable and never in my life have I had a lobster roll that had avocado in it. For a small local restaurant not a smart way to do business. And it was either the owner or the manager who came over to the table to argue with us. Needless to say never going back!!!! read more

Unfortunately after years of patronage, we will no longer be ordering from this location. Myself and my co-workers ordered (3) salads 2 days ago and all three were wrong. This was not a problem as the owner so kindly rectified the situation in a timely manner and had the delivery gentleman bring the order. There was one issue that we felt was not handled correctly. We called back (after realizing the 3rd salad was wrong) I spoke to a women who was not privy to the order. She put me on hold and spoke to the chef, she than got back on the phone and said, "He said he definitely put Avocado in the salad". We doubled checked the salad. I told her there were no Avocado's; once again she said "well he said he definitely put them in, but okay we will send them AGAIN". She was very nice, no issue there. I was calling the owner or the manager to inform them that is not something you should say to a customer. It was insinuating that we were being dishonest about not having avocado in the Avocado salad. That was my only point and my only issue as someone who is in customer service myself. I would like to receive feedback (whether it be positive or negative). The conversation with the owner, not so great. He was not understanding my issue about how they were insistent that the Avocado was in the Avocado salad and then to say "okay we will send it AGAIN". This was my only issue, I just wanted to make him aware. In the conversation, he asked me not to tell him how to speak to customers and that he has been the owner for 10 years. He also told me not to speak to him like my son, in a condescending manner. Also told me where else I could go and eat and continued to give me a list of places. In the past week we have ordered the same salad 3 days in a row. We have been regular customers until now. I guess this location is doing well enough that they do not need our business. read more

My husband and I ordered delivery from La Bottega in Merrick. My husband usually goes to the one in Plainview and this was our first experience at this location. Overall I am giving it 4 stars. I got the 6 bruschette for $10 (which I think is a great deal!) and the butternut squash soup. My husband got the Sanremo panini and the lentil soup. The bruschette was incredible. I especially recommend the Verona and the Caprino Con Noci! The panini was also very good. Unfortunately, we were not fans of either soup. We called La Bottega to let them know about this (if we were eating there in person, I would have said something, so I think it's only right to let them know even though it was delivery). The person who answered, which may have been a manager, was so nice on the phone. Very apologetic and accommodating. He even went above and beyond to ask what exactly we didn't like so he could check in the kitchen. He sent the delivery person right back to our house with two new minestrone soups. We were really very happy with the minestrone instead. Overall the food is good and totally worth it (plus delivery showed up exactly when they said they would and everything was packaged nicely - so another plus there)! Thanks La Bottega! read more

I just moved to the area. The food is good but they rarely get the order correct. Every time I have ordered something gets messed up.