Outstanding in every way. I was visiting from California and tried the restaurant in Beverly Hills so decided to go to the original restaurant near Central Park. I end up eating here two days in a row and the people sitting next to me were from out town too and did the same. It's that good!! read more

Just okay. This restaurant used to be 2 Michelin stars, but lost one in 2020, and another in 2022-- so it is no longer a michelin star rated restaurant. Nevertheless, I still wanted to try it as I have heard great things! Had a reservation on a Tuesday night at 7:30pm for my boyfriend's birthday and the place was relatively packed, so our table wasn't ready for a couple of minutes--which we didn't mine at all. The front staff was very friendly and hospitable! We then got seated at the side section and weren't greeted by our server or given menus for about 5 minutes. Our server eventually came and we ordered: 2 espresso martinis Fusilli -- Octopus and bone marrow pasta. One of the most popular dishes! Very salty, but pasta was cooked to perfection. Casarecce -- crab & uni paste pasta. I enjoyed this very much, there were a lot of large crab pieces. Ricci -- Crostini, uni, and lardo. I'd skip on this, the lardo overpowered the taste of the uni way too much. Polipo -- grilled octopus. This was my favorite dish! The flavor was great and the octopus was cooked to perfection. Loved the pickled onions! The service from the busser and food runner was great, our water glasses were never even close to empty; however, our server paid little to no attention to us unless we flagged her down ourselves even though she checked up on all the other tables around us regularly. Left a very sour taste in my mouth. For a restaurant that holds itself at such a high caliber, I expected a lot more service wise. read more

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The food is pricey, but it's absolutely delicious. The halibut was fantastic. Service was impeccable.

Quality and service have dropped off significantly, particularly for the price point.

Food: 4 Value: 4-5 Service + Ambiance: 5 Highlights: Branzino / Sea bass tartare, Foccacia Lowlights: Sides We went to Marea for a nicer date night & dinner, and I'll definitely be coming back. Several parts of dinner were excellent and worth the price, and I'll definitely have an even better meal next time. NOTE - If you have the InKind pass, Marea is an excellent use of the monthly $50 benefit. You can definitely splurge a bit to hit the $150 minimum for two, and with InKind's discount, be able to tip generously and still save vs. paying for it fully out of pocket. THE FOOD - * Branzino Antipasti: This is a sea bass tartare and might be the best tartare or appetizer I can remember eating. I've never had sea bass raw before with the exception of sashimi, but the mix of ingredients between herbs, nuts, radishes, a kick of garlic chili paste, and the fresh fish was mind blowing. Our host offered to split it into two for us and when he brought out the dishes, we thought we'd end up getting charged for two portions because of how sizable each of the halves were...we only got charged for one - amazing * Shrimp gnocchi: Not bad of a dish, but hardly stands out from a restaurant that used to have a star. * Octopus cavatappi: Ordered this because it looked interesting and honestly flavor wasn't bad, but it was a bit salty and felt too salt/umami all in one. Could've benefitted from some fresh ingredients to lighten it up. * Sides: Worst part of the meal. Didn't offer much and we should have gone without them. * Bread: Amazing foccacia. You do have to flag folks down to ask for refills...but it's worth it. The other breads were good but don't hold a candle. THE SERVICE - Staff is kind and helps make it a wonderful experience. We had a great laugh with our host about how it started pouring rain outside during our dinner...then promptly got drenched on our way home. Worth the pain for a great dinner. read more

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As foodies from New Orleans, this is always a stop for us, even if we were just in the city for one night. Ivan and his team are always on point! read more

Overrated. My husband and I left unimpressed, hungry, and not thinking it was worth over $300. We got the lobster burrata appetizer (astice), the shrimp gnocchetti, the duck, and the sweet potato dessert. It was all just fine. The best part was the dessert. It was creative. The duck was great, but it was so small that it felt like an insult. The pasta dish tasted average and didn't have much shrimp pieces in it. The waitress was sweet and the vibe is obnoxiously trendy, but the food just didn't blow us away like we were expecting. I will say that my husband did get a $50 cocktail and I got the elderberry drink and both were great. read more

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Very puzzled. What's all the hype? I guess the lack of hype is the result of losing Michelin stars- no surprise. That's should have been a clue. Shared the langostines- tasty but that's where it ended. $100 for 4 small shrimp. Then came dinner- scallops with truffle, pine nuts. Tasteless except for the ridiculously super powerful pickled apple? Ugh. And 3 on the plate- not seared and undercooked. Duck was tender and juicy but very basic in flavor- again 3 small pieces. Was never offered another drink after only having one while still having dinner. Then ordered the pear sorbetto. Even that was disappointing as it may as well been a ball of pear- not much flavor and very grainy like a pear. For $400 - we left hungry. Nothing was superb as we'd hoped. Service was mostly good but could use improvement. Lovely atmosphere read more

Food: we ordered Pansotti(sea bass),Lobster buratta, Spigola(squid pasta). First off, for being a restaurant that used to have a Michelin star and that is not cheap I was expecting the food to be mind blowing. That being said, the lobster buratta was simply drenched in olive oil and the buratta was not fresh. The pansoti was on the verge of being too salty. It had a nice crunch like the other reviewers stated, but way too salty. The spigola had an odd texture to it- very chewy. The best part of the meal was the complimentary bread. We did not order dessert because we didn't want to be further let down. Service: where do I begin? Firstly, they sat us outside and the waiters seemed very stressed and frantic. For being such an upscale restaurant, I didn't feel that the waiter was as attentive as he should have been. The check took forever to arrive. Ambiance: if you're able to sit inside do it. They sat us outside and multiple patrons, including us, were complaining about the above AC unit leaking water onto us. We were asked to be moved, but were moved to a table with a bunch of flies and pigeons on top of us. The servers were struggling for a while with the umbrellas covering us making the experience not feel relaxing. I did not feel like I was in an upscale restaurant at all. Will not be returning, but I'm glad I tried it out. read more

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We were underwhelmed given the prices, hype, and previous Michelin stars Some very nice "upscale Italian" dishes but none blew us away. Service felt rushed with a continual "upsell" for more food/drink than we needed. We enjoyed it enough but wouldn't come back. read more

The oysters for appetizers was delicious, and very meaty. I ordered the black shaved truffles pasta and it was very good - it's off menu and a seasonal item. We also ordered the lobster risotto which was very rich in flavor. We also ordered the tiramisu dessert which had a chocolate crust and was unique. The service was excellent and the ambience was on the medium noise level side. Great Italian dishes. I've been back multiple times and know the manager! Great restaurant, 5 stars read more

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***1 Michelin Star*** Our first meal in NYC was at Marea. We chose it for a few reasons, mainly because of their Michelin star, their proximity to our hotel, and their relatively affordable price point. We made a reservation roughly a month in advance. It ended up being a really great dining experience that I would highly recommend to all. To eat, we shared a variety of dishes. Alfonsino (smoked golden eye snapper), Merluzzo Nero (grilled black cod), Fusilli (house-made pasta with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow), and Casarecce (house-made pasta with jumbo lump crab, uni puree, basil, and calabrian chili). We also ordered a dessert, but I don't recall the name of it at this time. Overall, everything was excellent. The house-made pastas were definitely the highlight of our meal. I've had a lot of great octopus over the years (from top tier restaurants), but the one served here was the best that I can remember. It was unbelievably tender. At $42 per house-made pasta dish, I found it more than reasonable for the quality. The portion was satisfying, as well. Service was impeccable, and the ambience was on point. read more

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One of the best pasta in nyc! I love all the pasta dishes I have had in Marea Great vibe. Good service. Easy to book. Family friendly! read more

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The food and service here are amazing. I had the lobster burrata, fusilli octopus, and grilled sirloin, and the tiramisu for dessert. Highly recommend all off the above. The portions were surprisingly large so don't worry that you'll be leaving hungry. read more

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First time back to Marea since it reopened after the renovations. Marea is better than ever. Five stars! read more

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Tbh I am very impressed with Marea. I was a bit skeptical when my partner and I first booked a reservation here (especially after I'd heard they lost a Michelin star), but I do think this restaurant is well worth the price, both in terms of food and service. The branzino antipasti -- which is a sea bass tartare with chiles, chives, pistachios, and radish -- is honestly one of the best appetizers I've ever had. The radish on tops has a slightly sour, umami flavor, while the tartare itself is fresh and full of flavor. The pistachio and garlic pieces throughout give it an amazing crunch, and the chile packs a tiny bit of heat. I would literally come back here just to reorder this tartare, because I can't think of another app that I've enjoyed more. The main course was good as well -- I got the gnocchi -- but I think it was pretty standard in terms of pasta. The flavor was great and the pasta was well-cooked, but it was pretty much what I'd expect for a place like Marea. (Side note -- the bread service they offer is AMAZING. The focaccia actually changed my life.....and I ate at least 5 pieces). Overall, Marea definitely gives upscale business dinner -- somewhere you'd take your parents or a client that you want to impress. While it is a bit of a splurge if you're paying out of pocket, I would still try this place at least once, if not just to get the branzino app + the bread. read more

Good date night spot. Great service, great food. My favorites were the octopus fusilli, the puff pastry which I can't remember the name of, and the bombolini!! Shout out to the staff, very attentive and kind and explained everything to the tee! read more

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What a marvelous experience! We went there to celebrate our anniversary and were treated like royalty. We were given complimentary champagne and we followed the manager's advice when it came to the food. All the dishes tasted great. The waiters were attentive but not pushy. All in all, it was a memorable evening. read more

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I can't thank Marea enough for hosting our family gathering. The ambiance was perfect and the staff was so accommodating and professional. The food was delicious and the special touches really made the evening complete (it was a birthday celebration!) We will definitely return! read more

Phenomenal - all around! Great food, great drinks, great service, and nice ambience to boot. Highly recommend.

Loved the service. Staff was so kind and professional. Made us feel really special! it's a popular spot. It was crowded on a Wednesday night. Apps are amazing. Highly recommend the apps. The mains were a bit disappointing. I feel like for the price, I've had better mains. But the apps were delicious. Skipped on dessert since we were full, and our waiter brought out some complimentary chocolates. Thank you for a classy dinner! read more

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Excellent wine and food, professional service people, very busy restaurant you need to book ahead of time.

To enter you walk through the rotating door and you're greeted by the friendly front of house. We're asked if we would like our coats taken and then proceeded to our tables. The menu is concise which helped us narrow down what to order. For starters, we ordered the scampi crudi. Then the pan seared scallops, pan seared Dover sole, and salted baked Mediterranean Sea bass. The scampi, raw pacific langoustine is plated beautifully! The langoustine is sliced and served atop sliced cucumbers on this gorgeous ocean blue plate. This was the first time I had langoustine. Although the dish was beautifully plated, I didn't like how the langoustine tasted. This could be personal preference since I never had langoustine before and nothing to compare it to. To me, it tasted brine-y and the texture of the langoustine was gummy and chewy. It wasn't for me. The capesante, the pan seared scallops, came with pear, pine nut, endive, and a roasted garlic vinaigrette. We had a table of four so we ended up ordering an extra scallop for the plate, for a total of four scallops. The plate looks gorgeous, the scallops are nicely pan seared, and they're sweet and fresh! The sogliola, pan seared dover sole was delicious. The fish is delicate, mild, but slightly sweet. It's hard to describe the texture, but it's different from you're other fishes. My only complaint here is that it's played quite plainly. Although it was filleted perfectly with each quarter of the fish separated and made sharing very easy. This dish did come with a side. We choose the mushroom with herbs. I was quite surprised how delicious this side was. It's simply a mix of mushrooms, but the texture and seasoning here is phenomenal! Honestly, best mushrooms I've had in a while. The branzino, salt baked Mediterranean Sea bass, came out with the fish already filleted in half and served with a lemon. Honestly, I was a little disappointed here with the presentation and plating. The plating is plain, with only the two half of the filleted sea bass and a lemon. I was also hoping that we would see the salt crust since the sea bass was salt baked. I think this would've been a wow factor especially if the salt crust was cracked and fish served table side. The fish wasn't very salty despite being salt baked and I did find the sauces to pair pretty well. The two sides we got for this dish were the confit potatoes and sunchokes. The confit potatoes were crispy but soft inside and overall well seasoned. The sunchokes were crispy but they are oily. If I had to choose a favorite side dish, it'll be the mushrooms. For dessert, we order the tiramisu and the cioccolato. The tiramisu is a perfect square! They look amazing! They taste amazing. Take a look at the pictures! Overall, the food is delicious. The only thing I would hope for is better plating of the fish dishes. But moving away from the food, I have to say the service is phenomenal. We had plates and utensils changed, extra table clothes to cover up the mess we made, and just the attitude and the composure of the staff is one of the best I've seen. read more

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Went here for lunch this week with a client and it was the perfect pick. We had a 12pm reservation (they opened at 12) and by 1pm the restaurant was completely packed, mainly with people in business attire (a lot of suits). We had drinks, a few of the crudo dishes and other fish dishes. My favorite was the tuna crudo. Tuna crudo is a stample for me to order, and this was my favorite that I can remember. It was filled with pistachios and spices which made the texture and taste divine! Can't wait to come back to check out some more dishes and desserts. read more

Marea - Polpo (Octopus) & the Tuna Tartar which was one of the best I've had. It was filled with pistachios and spices - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Basically an elegant and expensive white tablecloth steakhouse that serves fish. The ambiance was buzzy and fun and the large staff was on its toes. If you wanted something, you could get it very quickly. The acoustics in the large room that we were seated in were very good and you could hear your dinner partners easily even though there were many people in the room. The Pinot Noir by the glass from Santa Barbara was not great but the Soave Classico by the glass was superb. The octopus appetizer was delicious and filling and had a bit of a bbq potato chip zest to it. Maybe a bit Guy Fieri-corny but I loved it. My lobster risotto was a disappointment, the rice was nicely cooked but the lobster was rubbery and overcooked. A group of finance types who were going to be seated in the area we were in let the host and everyone around them know that this table or its location wasn't up to their standards. So, pricey and pricey people but a well run restaurant and I would happily go again. read more

Oh my god. This was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. I went to celebrate a birthday and the entire experience felt special and upscale. The ambiance is classy and upscale without feeling stuffy. The staff was above and beyond kind and personable. But the food was the star of the night. The wine selection was excellent. I had a delicious Hall Cabernet Sauvignon. Our waiter helped guide us through the menu to curate the perfect dinner. The trio of crudo is the perfect way to start the meal. I got the spigola, hamachi, and sgombro. The spigola was my absolute favorite. The sgombro was a close second. I would have traded out the hamachi for something else. The scallops were an unbelievable entree and my second favorite bite of the night. The polipo (grilled octopus, smoked potato, radish pickled red onion, chili, tonnato) was recommended by our waiter and it didn't disappoint. The smoked potato was a highlight. The fusilli is a signature dish and for good reason. It did not disappoint. The texture of the pasta and the taste of the sauce was worth visiting the restaurant for. The Rocci is the only appetizer I would skip next time. It was incredibly unique and interesting to try, but it was my least favorite bite of the meal. For dessert, we got the tiramisu and the cioclatto. The tiramisu was the easy favorite. It's incredibly expensive but, in my opinion, worth the price. read more

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I came here last night with 3 other friends for a casual Monday night dinner. Marea specializes in fine dining Italian seafood. I did not come in with high expectations, but it definitely exceeded them. Let's talk about service and ambience. The interior decor leans towards more sophisticated and what you'd expect from a Michelin Star fine-dining establishment. I must say my party and I were definitely underdressed (it's a heatwave right now), but we were treated no differently than any other parties in the restaurant, which I very well appreciated. Service was excellent. Our server and sommelier were both very knowledgable. Drinks: We got assorted cocktail drinks. The drinks were decent, but prices were definitely on the steeper side. We also got a bottle of orange wine, Prima Terra, which was good. Our sommelier set our drink in a decanter which is something I wish more restaurants did. Food: Dozen oysters: beausoleil/sweet petite/kusshi Acciughe: Crostini /w spanish anchovy and black truffle Scampi Crudi: Langoustine Astice: Nova scotia lobster w/ burrata Polipo: Grilled Octopus Fusilli: red wine braised octopus, bone marrow Spaghetti: manila clams and calamari Branzino: served along 4 dipping sauces, and also with confit potatoes and mushroom. Tiramisu Our food came out in a timely fashion. The oysters were good, they were served with a cucumber mignonette. The crostini was a bit too salty for my likings, but I suppose that is the nature flavor profile of anchovies. Langoustine and grilled octopus were both good refreshing starters. The Lobster Burrata is a must get if you are consolidating your order. Their Fusilli is their signature dish. Highly recommend ordering this if you want the embodiment of fine Italian seafood cuisine. The flavors are rich and the pasta was cooked al dente. The clam and calamari spaghetti was also a good second pasta dish. No real complaints there. We ordered branzino which came in two filets, which was perfect as we shared it with the 4 of us. It was accompanied with 4 different dipping sauces; salmoriglio, livornese, limone, salsa verde. My favorite dipping sauce was the salmoriglio which comprised of olive oil and capers. Accompanied with the branzino was confit potatoes and mushrooms. Potatoes were well cooked. The mushrooms had good umami and were cooked well too. It wasn't in the description, but the taste resemble similar to maitake mushrooms, which is stirred fried and had a bit of crunch. Lastly we had the Tiramisu, which I thought was good, not the best tiramisu I ever had, but still not bad. I would recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a nice fine dining Italian styled seafood. This would be the type of restaurant I'd either go once to try it out or only come for special occasions. The quality of food was great, but I was not completely blown away. However the service is definitely outstanding. read more

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** It's not the same as used to be! ** ** Do not go earlier than 12 PM for your lunch appointment!! They do not let you in before 12PM eventhough its freezing outside! (점심: 12시 전에 가지 마세요. 추워도 문 안 열어조요 ** FOOD: 4 (It's good, but for my taste, pasta wasn't impressive. Appetizers & Desert was very nice!) SERVICE: 3.7 (Service not same as used to be) DECOR: 4 (It's nice... Need some upgrade. Have seen the same design for over 6 years.) Became more tourist sight and place got louder. Used to be quit relaxing & nice dressed cusomers. read more

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It was ok, for the price I expected better. They got my dirty martini wrong. I just wasn't impressed for the price of the food.

Came in with a Tuesday night reservation for 8 PM with my family, and shared an assortment of plates among the five of us. Appetizers: - SCAMPI ON "SCAMPI" ($38): Langoustine tartare, crispy rice, garlic, lemon. This was small but really tasty -- it's hard to go wrong with crispy rice, and I'm usually not a huge tartare fan but enjoyed it here - ASTICE ($38): Nova Scotia lobster, burrata, basil, eggplant al funghetto. Probably the most interesting appetizer, with a surprisingly tasty and refreshing combination of cold lobster and cheese. All the components just tasted really fresh - TARTARE ($36): Catalonian blue prawn, beech mushroom, prawn aioli, marcona almond. Tasted similar to the scampi on scampi, but with a slightly more complex flavor profile and a more generous serving of tartare Primis: - CASARECCE ($42): Jumbo lump crab, uni purée, basil, Calabrian chili. Just okay -- the dish had a bit of a kick to it from the chili, but otherwise the flavor was pretty muted aside from the saltiness. - FUSILLI ($42): Red wine braised octopus, bone marrow. I believe this is Marea's most famous dish, but we also found it pretty underwhelming -- there was a generous amount of octopus and the pasta had a strong al dente chew to it, but it was again way too salty. - RISOTTO NERO ($42): Lobster, squid ink, seppia, uni, n'duja. As with the pastas, this was also very al dente, to the point some in my party found it a bit undercooked. Entrées: - SPIGOLA ($56): Seared wild striped bass, potato, puntarelle, fennel, quince, red wine jus. The fish had a nice crisp sear to it, and I enjoyed the overall execution of the dish - ANATRA ($61): Long Island duck breast, fig mostarda, smoked mushroom. I wasn't crazy about the sweet fig sauce with the meat, but the duck itself was flavorful and not too tough - BISTECCA ($85): Grilled creekstone 50-day dry-aged beef ribeye, baby romaine, bone marrow panzanella. Nothing too memorable, but a very solid ribeye -- we requested this medium rare and the meat was cooked perfectly. Desserts: - TIRAMISU ($19): Mascarpone mousse, espresso sabayon, chocolate crumble, mascarpone gelato. This was quite good. - BOMBOLONI ($19): Doughnuts, chocolate sauce, mixed berry compote. We thought these were just okay -- the donuts were warm and crispy but lacked flavor on their own, and the dipping sauces weren't particularly interesting All of the appetizers were creative and flavorful, even if they felt a bit overpriced given the portions. In addition, my favorite part of the meal may have been the complementary focaccia that came with olive oil and a decadent bean dip. The focaccia was warm and fluffy, and the bean dip was delicious -- we requested seconds of both (the whole grain and sourdough bread are both decent but nowhere near as good). On the other hand, while I was most excited by the pastas coming in, each of the three primis we ordered were significantly oversalted and honestly blended together in flavor. I've derived far more enjoyment from many other pastas that were half the price, making these the most disappointing part of the meal. While pricier, the entrées were more flavorful and better executed, and overall felt like better value than the pastas. However, they took over an hour to come out after the second course, even though we kept (clearly falsely) being promised that they were on their way, to the point that we were already full on bread by the time they finally arrived, and our full meal took three hours. Overall, service was immaculate and there were some interesting dishes and excellent bites, but I didn't think the quality of the food justified the price point. read more

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Wow, wow, wow Marea absolutely exceeded my expectations!! Must order dish: Quadrotti !!!!!!!! 5/5 all around for everything! I typically assume if a restaurant is Michelin rated, it's going to exceed my expectations but that isn't always the case however, it definitely was here! The ambiance: an older, Columbus Circle crowd as to be expected. The service: on POINT! 5/5 did not miss a beat from changing out the silverware for every dish to never leaving our water glass empty- incredible. The food 5/5 We kept it simple and ordered two pastas and a protein (scallops) The Quadrotti Pasta with corn filled ravioli, black truffles, chanterelle, and parmigiano. UNREAL! Probably my favorite pasta dish (dare I say) IN THE ENTIRE CITY! This sweet and savory dish is just pure perfection. The truffle flavor isn't overwhelming but the perfect compliment to this incredible pasta. The PANSOTTI (pesto tortellini ) With ricotta ravioli, basil-arugula pesto, and pine nut was another great dish If you're looking for a healthy green vegan feel. The CAPESANTE (seared sea scallop, grilled white peach, fregola, and baby zucchini) was absolutely delicious. The scallops were massive and seared perfectly on a bed of fregola couscous was another outstanding combination! TLDR: order the damn Quadrotti, sit down & enjoy the amazing service, and live your best life! read more

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Ritzy seafood spot best suited for Central Park south locals. On a Friday night Marea was packed. The vibe inside is elegant but a bit crowded. The servers seemed to be stretched a bit thin but got the job done. It certainly was not Michelin level service. The food was hit or miss. The crudo are bite sized portions of fresh fish in thoughtful garnish. Unfortunately the portions are so small by the time you decide if you like it you are finished chewing. The Ricci (sea urchin lardo crostini) had such potential but the presentation was unappealing and flavor was just okay. The red prawn was fine but not as good as I have had elsewhere with this amazing ingredient. The insalata salad was a spin on a baby gem Caesar but less creamy and was very good. The highlight was the Fusilli pasta which had a unique flavor - I can see why this is the signature dish. The Mafaldini was also tasty with nice chunks of king crab and breadcrumbs for even more texture. The pan seared Dover sole was just okay and a definite skip at $92. The "whole scampi" langoustines were fantastic mostly on the merits of the main ingredient. The langoustine was tender and sweet. Finally the Tiramisu, if it can really be called that, was pretty terrible. The mascarpone was straight up salty while the tiramisu itself lacked any discernible flavor and housed a dry sponge cake inside. Overall I wanted to like this spot more but there were too many misses to ignore. read more

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Made reservations for this place since my friend and I are suckas for a good Michelin starred restaurant. Expectations weren't too high since I haven't really had the best time with western food starred places. The service was friendly and ambience is what you expect of a place this caliber, but the flavor profile didn't surprise me as much as I wanted it to. We ordered: * 6 oysters - 6/10: somehow I feel like I've had much fresher oysters elsewhere for nearly 1/2th the price * Acciughe - 6/10: I love anchovies, but somehow this one was extremely salty which definitely overwhelmed everything else * Assaggio Di Tre - 5/10: pass on this, the same flavor profiles you can get at a random poke place * Gnocchetti - 7/10: the pasta had an incredible texture and tasted really good just by itself, the sauce could be improved on though with the shrimp flavors not coming in as much as I'd like * Fusilli - 10/10: easily the star of the show, if anything, just get this dish and you'll be happy; the octopus was incredible * Tiramisu - 9/10: can't really go wrong with tiramisu, the layers in the desserts were awesome For drinks we ordered the altamarea old fashioned and the limonata. If this was just some normal Italian place, I would be satisfied with my meal, but not too amazed. Since there are expectations set in place due to the Michelin star, the food to me was not up to the standard that I had hoped for. read more

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Fine, finest dining. Beautiful room, expert service. Astice appetizer, delicate Fusilli-- octopus and bone marrow broth, was a spectacular win. That's the dish to go back to. And again. Don't know what wine we had, but the red was a spectacular match. A very high end dinner. Plan for expense and taste read more

It's been years since we've been back (they were closed for remodeling and recently reopened I believe) but the food, service, ambiance combined to make one incredible experience has continued to remain one of my top picks for Manhattan. I can go on about how amazing the dishes are (my top recommendation would be the uni crab pasta. It's a classic that's simply impossible to beat! The scallops entree is also delicious) and how you really do need to make a visit. But that would be underselling the restaurant. From the moment you step in, the when you walk out full, warm, and just happy, the meal itself is a mini transformative process that fills your belly and warms your heart. As a celiac, their house made gluten bread is awesome and I wish I could bring a loaf home. But what really made our night was having a waiter (not even ours) who noticed my GF bread and went out of their way to recommend and bring along gluten free goodies, like the truffles, and suggest I try the tiramisu. It made the experience that much more special and made me a lot more at ease with dining here, post-celiac. Definitely look forward to coming back, likely much much sooner than later! read more

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I cannot comment on the food, because I walked out of the restaurant, which is a pretty rare occurrence. But I am confident in saying my short stay was maybe the worst experience at a Michelin star restaurant I have ever had, anywhere in the world. We waited to be seated because our table was not ready. Ok. But we could not sit at the bar while waiting, because the bartender was reserving seats for other people. Then we were brought to a near empty secondary dining room off the bar that was literally like being in a different restaurant (and we were brought to a table that was open when we walked in, so if that is what we were going to be offered, I don't know why I had to wait 20 minutes to be seated). So we waited some more to be seated in the main dining room. Then we were seated next to a bussing station that was constantly being used by every server (it was like an end- table with drawers that waiters kept leaning over and opening and closing right next to us). When we asked the server if the busing station was going to be this busy like that all night, the waiter said "enough said," and got a captain, who said she thought she could move us. But then she came back and said while she had thought she could seat us in one of two empty two-tops in the back of the restaurant, the people at the front desk told her those were assigned for other people (I guess customers who don't want to be seated directly next to a busy busing station). So, since our only choice was to sit in a table with constant foot traffic, we called it a night and walked out. I thought restaurants with this kind of attitude went out in the '90s, but then I met Marea. No restaurant is good enough to treat its customers like this. And most people going to a restaurant like Marea pretends to be don't want to be punished by the front of the house. Do youself a huge favor and stay away from this place. Even if the food were good, the attitude is a killer. Michelin definitely needs to take a much harder look. read more

This restaurant has an EXCELLENT REPUTATION for a reason...every time I go I am impressed by the consistency of food quality, taste, and best wine selection! This time I felt compelled to finally express my feelings. I always bring my clients here since the staff from entrance to exit are all very friendly, professional and down to earth. They exude elegance and class without any attitude unlike other establishments I have entertained at. Had the pleasure of meeting Bill Paczkowsky, AGM, now I know why the staff are nice... it all comes from the top, and with a humble manager who cares about every customer, no wonder entire experience is always top notch! read more

Highly recommend this seafood option while in NYC!! Great for Catholics on Fridays during Lent (like my family). The location is superb since it's directly across Central Park! Very child friendly at lunch hour whenever we visited. We ordered the grilled octopus (POLIPO) as an appetizer. I couldn't eat it due to the dairy allergy. I munched on my gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free bread while my family ate the grilled octopus. I like how this restaurant catered to my dairy free and nut free requests. My spaghetti was impeccable and I kept wanting to eat more of it. My family didn't have any complaints about their plates as well. The sorbet was delicious and my family enjoyed the desserts ordered. Great 1 Michelin star earned! read more

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It used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but last time I was there 2 people in my party got terrible sick. I told this to the manager and she was unbelievable rude and dismissive. She acted as if we were lying, horrible experience!Never ever going back read more

Service is excellent. Loved the Hamachi, which was perhaps the star. The scallops were good as well. Marea really aced the desert. My sole quibbles were the limited selections of whole fish, cauliflower that had lost its heat and the white wine, which got was served in a glass I would have expected for red. I need to research this last point. Overall, it's a good restaurant. Great wine list by the glass, too. read more

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