7/23/16 - We waited a long time to be greeted. It was 6:00pm on Saturday and the restaurant was only 1/3 to capacity. So I didn't understand the delay in being seated. And to make matters worst, the host was far from friendly and welcoming. In spite of this, Matteo's came so highly recommended that I needed to experience this amazing food for myself. I was excited and intrigued. My mouth was eager to eat the best Italian food ever! Bread was served hot & crusty. For our appetizer, we ordered baked clams. They were delicious & flavorful. Breadcrumbs were buttery and garlicky over a sweet juicy and tender little whole clam. It was cooked to perfection! My only negative comment was that the clams themselves were very small (my definition of small would be the size of a tiny bean). For our entree, I ordered spaghetti with white clam sauce and my boyfriend ordered the frutti di mare (assorted seafood in a red sauce). Both pasta dishes came to the table piping hot in a large bowl (portion size was very generous). I jumped in with my fork. My excitement was replaced by disenchantment. The pasta was "VERY DRY." There was little to no sauce on our pasta. With each bite, the saltiness of our dishes grew more and more intense. "Salt" did not compensate for the lack of sauce, moisture or depth of flavor. I had to take a sip of water after every bite. We thought a side of marinara would help the frutti di mare. Our waiter brought over a gravy boat of red sauce. It still lacked that "fresh" seafood taste and the extra sauce made the pasta even more salty. There was nothing we could do to salvage this dish. We left it there uneaten. I sat there feeling very let down, confused and even angry. My experience was so disappointing. Some of my close friends felt the same way, after the fact. I really wanted to love Matteo's. Nevertheless, I will not be returning to this establishment... I wanted to leave my personal assessment. I have come to trust YELP reviews to guide me to the best places to eat. This was not one of them. read more

Matteo's Bellmore - Baked Clams were very tasty but extremely tiny whole clams. - Italian Near Me - Bellmore, New York

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It's a place where local families come for Italian dinner but also bring their young kids. The dress attire is casual and do not reflect the menu prices; that is, the dinners usually cost more than the outfits seen here. Essentially, Matteo's is an upscale eatery with a family environment. I wouldn't suggest a romantic date here. Rather, you should expect a filling and delicious meal (be it at a steep cost). One of the other draws of the restaurant is that it is located in the center of the Bellmore Village on Bedford Ave which offers a few other evening activities nearby. read more

From sitting down it took 2 hours and 28 minutes to get, drinks, 3 appetizers, and entrees. When asked for bill however it took less than 30 seconds to drop it on the table. First and last time going there. Idk what was in the food but my Porceline throne isn't happy with me either. ‍ read more

I had high hopes for this restaurant...but it fell short. We spent over $100 in to go food and the shortfall could have been there but that's not my problem. Stuffed mushrooms were not good. Broccoli Raab tray, way too bitter and hardly no garlic which we requested more of. We ordered a tray of penne ala vodka, which was excellent. The penne was alittle too hard for my liking but the sauce was great. We also ordered a tray of chicken francese, which was tasty but the chicken was alittle tough. They said 30 minute wait for the food from the time we called in the order and my wife had to wait at least 20 additional in the store which is ridiculous. read more

Atmosphere was nice. Host was nice and accommodating twice during our dinner when our waiter could not be found. They may have been short handed on staff. Waiter looked like he could have been new but did his best. Was never explained while being seated that had to scan QR code had to be scanned for menu. After 10 min of just sitting there waiter came over to ask if we were ready to explain menus were never dropped off. I ordered a pasta dish with shrimp and clams. Must have been leftover small piece of shrimp and clams from another dish because I may have found LITERALLY 2 pieces of each. Asked for linguini and they brought spaghetti. May say give the place a shot but I tried it once and don't need to go back. I live in bellmore and my girlfriend has been wanting to try this place for years. Finally said let's give it a shot to be disappointed. read more

Wow..I must say this place is awesome. We had Steven as our waiter and he was very attentive and personable. My boyfriend and I had stuffed mushrooms for appetizers which were delicious. For our entrees, I had the Shrimp Wendy? I think that was the name..it came with Dijon mustard and shrimp over vegetables. My boyfriend had the stuffed Veal..forgot the name of that as well! It had prosciutto and Marsala sauce. We also had the homemade rigatoni pasta alla vodka. Omg, I know. So much food! We have the rest to take home even after we ate a good amount! It doesn't stop there..For dessert..we had coffee, which was very good, tartufo and fruit with homemade whip cream! Yum Yum! Amazing Experience overall..the owner is very friendly and walks around and greets all the tables. Very accommodating, which is very important and rare. We will definitely be back! read more

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I went to Matteo's last Friday October 18th. My son was home from college and it was his 18th birthday. We decided to take him to Matteo's. We have lived in Merrick for 21 years and Matteo's has always been our go to restaurant as the food is always delicious and the service is always great. We have celebrated many special occasions there including renting out the restaurant for our daughter's first birthday. During dinner my mom became ill and passed out. We were unable to revive her and so we had to call 911. Fortunately, a doctor was dining in the restaurant and aided my mom while we waited for the amblulance. He laid her on the floor and put her feet up. My father and I were answering his questions regarding my moms medical history. My husband was trying to comfort my son as he was visibly upset from seeing his grandmother pass out. Other patrons were helping us as well. The entire time never did our waiter or the host come over to see if we were okay. In fact, the host continued to seat people. After the ambluance arrived and my mom was brought out on a stretcher, my father and I left to go to the hospital. My son and husband stayed back. My husband told me that as they went to get up they were presented with the bill. I was not expecting a comp meal but I just felt that it was poor taste to hand the bill over to him while my son was sitting there crying and visibly shaken. If it was that important that a meal be paid for, they could have said please come back when things calm down and settle the bill. Never once did they asked for our names to check in and see if my mother was okay. In my opinion, they handled this all wrong and for these reasons, they have lost a customer. read more

I can only give this place a one. For the most part food was eh.... baked ziti was way under cooked. There are way too many tables and the wait staff and patrons bang into on another over and over. Service was awful. When I go to a nice restaurant I want some space.... the noise level was crazy. And what's with all the damn TV's this is not a sports bar... sad but there are many other places to dine! read more

Gargantuan portions of lousy overcooked, undercooked and/or bland dishes that somehow people think are "good." This place is a whole lot of hype for nothing. Service is awful as well. Been coming here on and off for years, always hoping it would be better than the last time, or wishing that it would improve. Never understood the hype and still don't. The owner/manager is. A do nothing nitwit who walks around and instead of helping an overtaxed wait staff, simply presents a dumb smile and asks, "how was everything?" Useless. What a scam they are running here. Awful. S read more

Always delicious! Never a disappointment! So lucky to have Matteos as one of my Favorite Go To places!

We came here thinking the establishment was affiliated to the one in Roslyn (which was great but they are, in fact, not). They don't take reservations but even though it was the holiday season, it wasn't so busy that they couldn't seat us. Much like the Matteo's in Roslyn, this one has a warm ambiance to it. We placed our order and here's what we got: Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato: My partner says the cheese wasn't fresh. I'm no expert so I couldn't tell, but I can say the tomatoes were out of season (yes, it was December, but I don't think they should be using produce that's not fresh)... Chicken Limone: Edible but meh... Penne Alla Vodka with Prosciutto: Edible. Tasted better the next day when the pasta cooked more thoroughly after heating it up... We're reasonable people but the service was disappointing and slow. We couldn't find our waiter and couldn't even flag down another server. Overall, probably won't be coming back. read more

Just had another delicious meal at Matteos. Food is always on point and delicious. The owner, Tony is always friendly and visible every time we go. During these trying times for restaurants Matteos is working hard and doing a great job providing a safe place for its patrons to enjoy a delicious meal. Tonight we ate inside because it was raining. The tables were spread out and the staff wore their masks properly above their nose. Although they have a new beautiful bar area, it was blocked off so there was absolutely no people by the bar. Weather permitting they have outside seating with heat lamps and planters to make it a comfortable and pretty. Most importantly, the food is delicious. Bravo to Matteos!! . read more

Most of the food was good. The bread was the highlight of the meal. Chopped salad was average at best. Service was very slow and unresponsive. I understand that there are staffing issues, so limit the number of guests instead of packing the restaurant. Overpriced. I won't return. There are better options for a night out for Italian food. read more

Never in my life did I think I would see a pitiful Italian joint in the long island area. But matteo made that possible. A full order of chicken francese for 26 dollars equates to three measly pieces of chicken. This is on top of not giving any pasta side dish. I do not care if it is a la carte, you make a chicken dish, you give it a bed of pasta end of story. Otherwise charging 26 bucks for a meal I could eat three times over at any other spot is just sad. Your bread was the only highlight, read more

I'm not a usual "poster" but I felt that it was necessary to post a HUGE thank you to my favorite "go to" never disappoints restaurant, Matteo's Bellmore. Mother's Day 2020 in the throws of a pandemic, Matteo's curb side service is second to none. Their food was hot, plentiful and as always delicious. Tony makes you feel as if your family. He knows your name, he knows what you want and he knows what you like. I've never once, in 20 years left the restaurant disappointed and last night was no exception. Bravo to this neighborhood gem ! read more

We stopped in on a Saturday night around 6:30 and got a table with no problem. The place has redecorated so the noise level, without the previous carpeting, rose as the restaurant filled up. The waiter came for our drink order. I asked for a daiquiri and the waiter said No, they couldn't make that. We asked the bartender on the way out later and he said yes they could make daiquiris. Someone should tell the wait staff. We had veal Marsala, veal francese, and a side of broccoli. Everything is a la carte. The full portions are very generous. Both veal dishes were tender and tasty as was the broccoli. A large serving of bread was provided as well. When we paid the bill we saw that each veal dish was $36 rather than the $29 on the menu. We asked the hostess on the way out. She said yes, prices had really gone up and they were waiting for their new menus with new prices. The menus were paper - maybe they could give someone the job of writing the correct prices on the current menus until the new ones arrive. It's a bit deceptive to have one price on the menu and charge significantly more. A Glass of house Cabernet was $13.50. We could probably have bought an entire bottle for less than that. Overall the food was good and the portions were generous. read more

Went here with my family for my nieces birthday. We had our own private room for about 20 people. Staff was extremely friendly and professional. Huge family style portions. I had the Penne all Vodka with fried chicken slices on top, delicious! Great for a large party, nice interior. read more

Ive eaten at this restaurant 17 years ago EVERY WEEK. There was no better (except for Il Classico in Massapeua). I was so excited to meet my friend and eat there this past Sunday. Martini was perfect, chopped salad was great. We ordered chicken Frances and rigatoni a la vodka (ran out of fresh made rigatoni). Chicken was so lemony it was almost inedible and the rigatoni was so cold like it came from the fridge. They brought another batch. Both of us were so disappointed. Giovani definitely was NOT cooking that nite!! This restaurant was such a part of our lives but i dont think ill ever go back. Kinda crushed. Didnt even stay for coffee and dessert. Took me three days to decide if i should post this. No pictures read more

A true classic, a taste of Italy. The service is excellent, you allows feel part of the family. The appetizers are amazing and the entrees are enormous. A true family style restaurant, bring your friends, bring your family. This place is top notch. And don't forget there fresh deserts. Giavani & Toni always make you feel part of there family, a must visit! read more

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So, we went here for my Dad's 75th birthday celebration and I have a few issues. The food was pretty good but I guess I have had a lot of good Italian food because nothing really stood out to me. First of all, we were a party of 13. We called earlier in the week and they said that they don't take reservations. In my experience, even restaurants that don't generally take reservations usually will do so for large parties. OK, fine. They told us to come at 5 pm because if we came any later we would have a 2 hour wait. Really? Well at 6:15 there were still empty tables. Although we arrived when they opened at 5 pm and there were plenty of tables, they seated us right next to the kitchen. It was NOISY because the waitstaff and cooks would come out and stand by the kitchen door talking loudly. It was rude! Also, because of our less than than prime location there was a TON of foot traffic back and forth to the kitchen. Our waiter was okay but he wasn't very good at serving a large party because he was constantly bumping us as he brought and cleared dishes. Finally and MOST IMPORTANTLY - the portion sizes. This is a family style restaurant and you would expect the huge portions that other reviewers have mentioned but clearly they have not gone to the same Family Style restaurants I have. The pasta portions were only slightly more than I get at my local pizzeria for $9.95 yet the average price was about $25. I envisioned the heaping platters of food you get at places such as Ciao Baby and Piccolo Bussola but they fell short. A full sized family style platter of chicken parmigiana had only 3 cutlets. Are they kidding?? Most Italian restaurants give at least two. I am pretty sure I will NOT be returning to Matteo's any time soon! read more

I expected a lot more. The actual place looks quite amazing. Service was all over. They ask you if you want the item on the dish and they happen to skip me twice. I only got food because my girlfriend gave me her food because: Food: not so great. Chicken parm: dry, rubbery, the cheese saved it The salmon was inedible. Really really inedible. The one good thing was the salmon tartar, it was done very well with great flavors. The rest was very bland. The pasta undercooked!!!! Why?! Would not come again. read more

Someone recently wrote to me to tell me that Sbarro does not own the Bellmore restaurant but all of the others on LI and in Florida. Makes little difference to me as they all stink! read more

Matteo's in Bellmore seems to be my family's go to restaurant when celebrating an occasion and it's obvious why. The food at Matteo's is always amazing and the service is usually pretty good. The fried calamari is always amazing and a great way to start any meal. The Veal Chop Valdostana (a thinly pounded veal chop with proscuitto, mozzarella, and mushrooms) is to die for. Seriously, if that was the last thing I ever ate on this earth I would be a happy man, it never disappoints. Most dishes are available both as an individual portion or family style, if you are not sure if you ordered enough (or too much) food, ask your waiter, they usually have a good idea on how much you should order for a given amount of people. Overall, if you are in Bellmore and looking for a nice restaurant with solid Italian food you can't go wrong with Matteo's. read more

Just had a fabulous meal .... Everything was perfect starting with our ROUND TABLE . . Food was amazing and service was perfect . I haven't been there in a while the new decor is beautiful . Thanks Tony it's great to be back . This night made my birthday complete . read more

We started with a pitcher of Sangria, we ended up going through 3 pitcher's of the delicious juice. Dinner was family style. Appetizers, Calamari and mozzarella and tomato, bueno! Pasta, Linguine and Clam sauce and Penne Pasta, so yummy. Chicken Parmigiana, veal scallopini wow! A big sausage salad, OK the sausage was scary but the red bell peppers and onions bellisimo! Last but not least dessert, biscotti and Italian donuts with the cannelloni cream. Great dinner, now I need to walk for a couple of miles to work off the carbs. The only question I have is what goes on behind the wall?? read more

It was my first time eating there in years. The wine list wasn't up to date , our server was very poorly trained. I ordered one of the fish and I was told 15 minutes after ordering that there was no more f the fish left. This is 8:15 on a Saturday night. We had to ask the manager to get us another round of drinks since our waiter wasn't coming by. And all of our food was unacceptable. Terrible veal , horrible calamari, Even another couple came over to a and told us their food was terrible also. I would never return. And then our waiter was rude coming by twice to see if we left money in the bill fold and the second time he came , he rolled his eyes and made a face because there was no money yet. And it wasn't late ! The restaurant was full. Absolutely horrible experience read more

I've been eating at Matteo's for over 20 years and I have to tell you by far it's the most consistent restaurant you can ever wish to go to.The baked clams are so fresh and so good that you're not going to want to stop eating them. Although there's pretty much nothing on the menu that I would eat the New York strip steak is as good as any major steak house I've ever been to. The veal chop on the bone with tomato and basil will have people fighting over who gets the brown and one of my daughters favorites is homemade fusilli ala vodka is amazing . The family-style menu makes it amazing to go with a bunch of people ordering as many dishes as can fit on the table . The chop salad with meat and cheese is a must enjoy. read more

Solid italian food in the heart of the Bellmore village. Great location right across the street from the movie theatre makes this a nice spot for a date night or dinner with a group of friends. They DO NOT take reservations which makes this an annoying place to eat dinner on a Saturday night. Even at 8 pm the wait time was 30 min and the place is cramped so there really isn't a good spot to wait without bumping into people. Food is good, but prices are too high considering this is Long Island. Family style dishes are the norm, but you can get a 1/2 order which is still way too much food for 1 person. So it's great that you get a large portion, but not so great when you consider that you are overpaying for it. Overall, it's OK, but I wasn't blown away. The wine list is extensive and interesting, although the lowest priced bottles are around 40 which is a bit much. Service was pretty good but a little gruff. read more

Prices are a little heavy for my family, but whenever we can afford it, we order from here. Their food is fantastic! Great portions and excellent staff! The bar makes a great drink! Their dish with the veal and proscuitto is amazing and will melt in your mouth! Oh, and my favorite part... They cook everything so well, so tender, that YOU CAN CUT IT WITH A SPOON!!! read more

Matteo's Bellmore - Grey goose martini, little dirty, extra olives Mmm Already had a few sips; made perfectly! ;) - Italian Near Me - Bellmore, New York

I came here for an early birthday dinner with my family. This was my first visit to Matteo's. It was quite crowded, but you can expect that on a Friday night. Waited around 30 minutes before we noticed several tables open and no one being seated. We had to speak up and we were seated promptly. The waiter was very nice. The service was quite slow, but they seemed pretty busy. Easy menu to understand, large variety. If you don't see anything you like, you can ask the chef for a special order (if it is reasonable, of course!) Pretty loud, two large screen TV's in the dining room. -Appetizers- Baked Clams: Whole, not diced. Excellent taste, cooked perfectly. Stuffed Mushrooms: Ordered on a whim, excellent stuffing. Mushrooms were tender. Stuffed Artichoke: Very yummy, cooked well. I would have preferred more breadcrumb stuffing, personally. -Entree- I chose a dish from the specials. It was your choice of the "Fish of the Day" cooked in tin foil with shrimp, muscles, and clams with a red sauce. I chose the sea bass. The shrimp was cooked so perfectly, I was dying for more. The muscles and clams were plentiful and tastes delectable. I personally have never had sea bass prior to this- but the first bite melted in my mouth, a lovely companion to the red sauce. However- some parts of the fish tasted like Windex (for lack of a better comparison). I'm not sure if I was eating it wrong, if it was cooked wrong, a bad piece, or what the heck was happening. I played Russian Roulette with my tastebuds and eventually just enjoyed the muscles and clams. -Dessert & Coffee- They brought out a lovely slice of Italian cheesecake for my birthday. It was truly decadent. Always feels light at first, but you know how Italian cheesecake fills you up like lead in your belly! I also had a cappuccino, I wasn't very pleased. It took 6 sugars and a small amount of anisette to make it taste better. Overall: It was an enjoyable dinner. I would only come here for special occasions, it's a bit pricey, but you get a ton of food- and it tastes pretty darn good. read more

Been to Matteo's several times haven't been though since around Christmas time went last week and the food has definitely changed for the worse My friends have never been there and we were all very disappointed I normally get chicken but decided on a pasta dish bakercziti to be exact No Ricotta , My friends had pasta's with shrimp maybe two or three small pieces in each but a lot of pasta. Must have a new chef to sauce had no taste Must have a new chef the sauce had no taste Cappuccino Was like regular coffee dessert awful I raved about this place had my friends come one of them sent an email I also sent an email and I've yet to hear back from anybody they were very busy with a very large parties but the food was awful and I probably will never be back there again but an email back would've been nice I feel like I wasted my money and my friends wanted to go someplace else but I insisted on this place I wanna see you said he really needs to look at his emails and respond to people it's very unprofessional not to read more

I've been here twice. The first time, we weren't ecstatic about our "seasoned" waiter. He seemed like we were a bother and he was doing us a favor. I was hesitant to return. Last weekend we revisited and had a waiter that just started there named Danny. He was amazing. Excellent service. Very friendly and attentive. The Maitre-d wasn't great. We had an almost 90 year old man in our party and were told we would be seated right away. We weren't seated right away. There was a party of 7 people staring at the maitre-d like us and wondering what the wait was. Tables were open and he was chatting up his friend while customers waited. The food was great. Baked clams are fantastic and portions are perfect for sharing. The food and the new waiter made things pleasant - we will return. read more

Excellent food. A bit overpriced, $40+ for chicken? But the food is consistently delicious.

Matteos of Bellmore has top notch authentic Italian food with fantastic service and awesome drinks! The owners are hands on, very friendly and run an excellent establishment. Try it once and you'll be hooked. Highly recommended! read more

I wish there was a way to give 0 stars. My mother got sick at this restaurant and had to go to the doctor that evening. She took 2 bites and vomited her meal. The restaurant still charged her for the meal. Never again!! This place is a bunch of money grubbing schmucks. read more

Awesome place. Great fresh pasta and Italian specialities. The Porterhouse steak is lights out and the desserts fabulous.

At what has become our go-to place for above average Italian fare we find ourselves waiting too long for a table quite often. I rarely drink so standing at the crowded bar is not appealing. Reservations would help significantly. The wait staff is attentive and well mannered. Two of my favorite waiters are Big Willy and Tyson. Food is consistently good. read more

Had business training in the city, the company that hosted the training recommended the location. Great atmosphere, good food enjoyed there hospitality. read more

Food is always on point. Huge portions perfect fried calamari and delicious baked clams as always. Never had a problem with the service nor the food. Been here about 20-25 times always a great time and atmosphere. Don't know how anyone can give this place less than four stars. Consistency is key. read more

Without a doubt one of my favorite Italian restaurants. This place is family style so go hungry!! Highly recommend Chilean sea bass toscana style which is not on the regular menu ;) the pounded veal chop and chicken parm are some other staples for our family!! read more