We recently celebrated a family member's college graduation at Barbalu in Brooklyn, and we found…read morethis hidden gem. This cozy, family style Italian restaurant offers a warm atmosphere and an impressive bar. We enjoyed refreshing drinks, including peach spritzes, classic old-fashioneds, and Aperol spritzes, all while soaking in the inviting vibe. We ordered burrata and shrimp / calamari to start. Our meal featured a variety of entrées, and everything was delicious. The bronzino was a standout, while the ribeye steak earned rave reviews. The lamb chops and roasted chicken also delighted our taste buds, and we wrapped up with their delightful tiramisu. Barbalu truly made our graduation celebration special. Special thank you to Adriana and the staff for great service.

Celebrated my father in law's birthday here. We were seated promptly for our 6pm reservation and…read morethey were accommodating of our kids with high chairs readily available. In fact, it seemed like practically every table had a baby or young child so it feels kid friendly. We ordered fried calamari and a Margherita pizza pie and a Parmigiana pie to share as our starters - all were tasty. FIL tried the Ribeye Steak and my MIL had the Wild King Salmon which they liked, but I thought their highlights were their homemade pastas. I loved my order, the Tagliolini with Maitaki Mushrooms and Tiger Shrimp in Cream Sauce - delicious without being too heavy. My husband enjoyed the Squid Ink Tonnarelli Allo Scoglio which had a spicy kick and my SIL liked the gnocchi. My daughter has an egg allergy and I appreciated how the waitress made efforts to double check with the kitchen which menu items were safe. They were able to accommodate with a spaghetti with ragu sauce for my kids to share. Dessert was alright. They were very sweet with birthday candles and singing a song for my FIL. My husband loved the affogato. The tiramisu was decent. The crème brulee was an interesting chocolate orange flavor. The kids didn't care to finish their chocolate cake though, which was pretty dry. All in all, it was a great dinner. The pasta portions were smaller than expected but they were delicious and feels just right if you get some appetizers and pizza as well. Would return again for the pastas.

I've been back multiple times since my first visit and always get the Reginette and another pasta…read moredepending on my mood for our entrees. We came for dinner today and got lucky because the Sunday only special (Chicken Parm) was available so we ordered that and I decided to switch up my usual to the Spaghetti. My boyfriend loved the Chicken Parm and it comes on top of Vodka Pappardelle which was also delicious and the Spaghetti wasn't too heavy even though it was cream based. I wish they sold the Vodka pasta separately as an entree because I would order that as an entree on my next visit. Another fabulous dinner at Ammazzacaffe!

- good service - good drinks…read more- small portions - all the dishes were had were good - nice courtyard

Had reservations for a Thursday at 7:45pm and it was very busy. Very quaint restaurant. There is…read moreindoor and outdoor dining but snug seating. The food was very tasteful. I recommend scheduling a reservation to be seated. The complimentary bread was delicious good size portions. I would come back again.

Piccola Cucina Casa is a charming, modern restaurant, and overall I had a pleasant enough dinner,…read morebut there were enough small issues that the experience landed closer to average than exceptional for me. The first issue is the arrival setup. There is very little room to wait inside, aside from a small area near the entrance, so depending on how busy it is you may end up waiting outside. More awkwardly, there did not seem to be a dedicated host stationed at the front during our visit. The people handling seating were farther into the restaurant, so you have to walk partway through the dining room to figure out whom to speak with, only to then be directed back toward the entrance. It is a relatively minor design and operational issue, but it makes the arrival feel less polished than the room itself. The restaurant is otherwise attractive and has a lively, intimate feel. My cocktail was fine, but not particularly memorable. For dinner, I ordered the paccheri ai tre crostacei with langoustine, lobster and shrimp. The seafood itself was enjoyable, but the pasta struck me as undercooked rather than simply pleasantly al dente. The food also came out extremely quickly, to the point that the meal felt rushed. I cannot say whether the speed directly caused the pasta issue, but taken together, the pacing and the undercooked pasta made the dish feel as though it could have benefited from a little more time. A practical note about the dish: it is very much a shell-on preparation. There was shell with some of the lobster as well, so anyone who dislikes dealing with shells should know that before ordering. Also, although lobster is included in the description, I would not order this expecting a particularly generous amount of lobster. It is better thought of as a mixed shellfish pasta rather than a lobster-forward dish. We did not order appetizers, so I cannot pretend this was a comprehensive survey of the kitchen. That is one reason I would not make sweeping claims about the restaurant based on this meal alone. Nothing about the evening was disastrous. The restaurant is appealing, the meal was perfectly edible, and there were things to like. But between the awkward check-in setup, the rushed pacing, an unremarkable cocktail, and pasta that seemed undercooked, I also did not leave feeling that I had experienced something especially memorable. For me, this was a solid three-star dinner: pleasant and somewhat above average in atmosphere, but with enough execution and pacing issues that I would have difficulty rating the experience higher based on this visit.

Split the the zucchini blossoms with my partner, mozz, capers and cetara anchoivies were delicately…read morefried and delicious. An umami bomb in a very pleasant way. Oxtail pappardelle with a healthy dose of grana hit the spot. Just the right portion size. Black sea bass with corn puree, asparagus, roasted mushrooms, radishes, salsa verde was incredible. It's obvious there's talented people in the kitchen. Just go if you are in the fort greene area.

I recently had dinner with friends at Evelina and had a nice experience. We started with the…read morezucchini blossoms, which were okay, and the fritto misto, which was delicious. The calamari and shrimp were perfectly crispy, although I wish the portion included more than two shrimp. For drinks, I ordered the Lavinia, and it was excellent--a refreshing blend of tequila, lime, orange, and a nice touch of honey. For my entrée, I had the grilled pork chops, which were cooked perfectly. The pistachio gremolata added a unique burst of flavor that really elevated the dish. My friends ordered a variety of pasta dishes, which I tried and tasted good, and everyone enjoyed their meals. We ended with dessert and tried both the traditional tiramisu, which was very good, and the budino--a butterscotch pudding with pistachio gelato--which completely stole the show. It was absolutely amazing. Overall, a great dining experience, and I'd definitely return.

I have been on a quest for tripe -Italian trippa specifically -and I have been through lots of…read morerestaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn. And this one -by far -in terms of service, ambience, and especially food-is number one so far on my quest. Tripe was meaty and firm -not mushy wonderfully sauced. I will come here again.

Belated birthday celebration for Mom at Michael's and as usual it does not disappoint! Some entrées…read morewere the usual some were new. Chicken franchise, spaghetti Bolognese, chilean Seabass with Cipollini onions and sweet mashed, short ribs, ravioli. Desserts we ordered were tiramisu, spumoni, warm apple crumble and affogato. Food and Service were outstanding as always. A great big thank you to Enzo, who always takes such great care of us.

Cute and heartwarming authentic Italian restaurant on the 6th Ave! They offer some outside tables!…read moreWe were two people around 7pm, that spot is a hidden jam! It was lively :) They have some today's special menu you should definitely check out. Their wine list is awesome! & The beer came ice cold! We started the beet salad and grilled calamari- both are excellent!! The salad was so refreshing! Also grilled calamari was marinated with basil- flavorful with hint of lemon juice. I want to have them againnn! And we got the gnocchi with oil. It was rich and creamy, flavorful and peppery. We were so filled with happiness ･:*+.\(( °° ))/.:+ was already planning to come back xxxx there were only two servers who were working hard, friendly! Thank you so much!!

3 stars. Overall, there were some genuinely good parts of the meal, although the experience was a…read morelittle uneven. I started with the fig jam, prosciutto, and gorgonzola appetizer. Overall it was good, but the combination needed better balance. The gorgonzola had a pretty aggressive bite, and paired with the saltiness of the prosciutto it became a little much. There were some greens underneath, and once I incorporated those into each bite, they mellowed everything out considerably. I actually think the greens needed to be treated as part of the dish rather than essentially garnish. For my entrée I had the special, a risotto with clams and octopus. The octopus was easily the best part. The clams were extremely small and pretty average, to the point that I'm not sure they added much to the dish at all. The risotto itself was also surprisingly bland and not particularly enjoyable on its own. Mixed with the octopus, however, it worked much better and became a genuinely enjoyable bite. That's ultimately where the dish felt a little uneven: the strongest component was carrying the rest of the plate rather than everything working together. Service was fine when I arrived, but became noticeably slower once the outdoor seating filled up. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor sections, but appeared to have only two servers, with the hostess also serving and a barback supporting the operation. Once the patio got busy, most of the staff's attention shifted outside and the indoor dining room received considerably less attention. Nobody seemed lazy or inattentive individually. It simply looked understaffed for the number of tables they were trying to cover. One additional server during the busy period probably would have made a substantial difference. And, admittedly a minor thing, an Italian restaurant having limoncello but no amaretto was disappointing. Nothing here was terrible. The appetizer had good ideas, the octopus was quite good, and the meal had several enjoyable moments. The food and service were just inconsistent enough that I couldn't quite call it a strong three-star experience, but it was close. I'd put it around 2.75 stars, which I'm comfortable rounding to three.

Lilia has been on my Brooklyn bucket list for a long time, and I finally got to try it -- and…read morehonestly, it was incredible. Of course, we did what we always do; showed up without a reservation haha... It was packed, and the hostess told us the was no way they could seat us. Defeated, we went outside ans sat on a bench trying to figure out our next move. Then the unimaginable happened. One of the people running the floor passed us outside, started chatting with us, and said, "let me double-check". A few minutes later, he came back and got us a table! He make sure we understood that we only had it for a short window bc they needed it back at a certain time -- but we got at least hour and a half to enjoy it so we were THRILLED. To us that was more than enough. He really went out of his way to make it happen, and honestly wish I remembered his name so I could give him the credit he deserves. And the service from there was outstanding. Even though we knew we had a time restriction, we never felt rushed or hurried for a second. Everything felt relaxed, attentive, and perfectly paced, which made them whole experience even better. Once we sat down, we started ordering as quickly as possible. The grilled clams were insanely good -- flavorful and with just the right little kick. The Nduja & sungold tomato toast was surprise favorite. The tomatoes were so juicy, and the flavors were perfectly balanced. Simple, but SO good. The little gem salad was fresh, crunchy and exactly what we needed in between all the richer dishes. For pastas, I had the mafaldini with parmigiano, one of their signatures, and it was delicious. BUT... I have to give the win to my husband's pick, rigatoni alla diavola. I know they are completely different dishes, and Im usually a white-sauce kind of girl, but there was something about that bold, spicy flavor that just HIT THE SPOT. And dessert... The vanilla soft serve gelato and the warm rasberry tart together were the perfect combination -- creamy, warm, fruity, and just the right way to finish our lucky dinner. Lilia was absolutely worth the wait and definitely lived up to the hype. Another Brooklyn spot checked off the list -- and one I'd happily go back to.

I managed to get a reservation for 4 at 6:30pm when my friends were visiting. I'm not sure why this…read moreplace is so hyped because I found the experience to be good, but definitely absolutely not worth having to snag a resy not at 9pm via priority notify. For starters: the bread was good (hard to mess up though?) the squash was fine, and I wish the tomatoes had been heirloom or thicker cut. For mains: the sheep's milk agnolotti was not for me, it was oddly sweet, I'm honestly not sure why it's so popular. The rigatoni and gnocchi were very good - the rigatoni was perfectly al dente paired with good flavor and the texture of the gnocchi was perfect. Highly recommend ordering these. Dessert: they definitely don't skimp on the dessert, we each got our own but the gelato options were definitely shareable. They also had amaro options which I always appreciate but didn't get this time. The space was a little cramped indoors though that didn't bother me as much as the temperature. It was a really hot summer day and I don't think they had air conditioning? Or if they did it definitely was not at an ideal temperature as I didn't feel like there was much air circulation.

Overall rating: 4.8…read more Admittedly I was expecting to hate this place. There were so many positive reviews and TikToks, it's hard not to think it's overrated. When I went, it's very small. Seats at max 10 maybe less. Being a single person, it was hard to seat me. But they sat me at a table of 4 and told me if the two seater opens up they'll move me. They were very transparent which I loved. When a couple came, they said they're seating with me and I was fine with it. No complaints. The artichokes were just okay, but the lobster ravioli was delicious. My only point or two off is when they asked for water they didn't give any options. So with the question I said still water. They served it and it was sparkling. I should have said something but I chickened out. And then! I realize everyone around me is drinking tap water! I didn't know that was an option wish that was clear. Will definitely come back when I'm craving lobster ravioli.

This cute little Italian restaurant is pretty awesome in a quiet little neighborhood. The staff was…read moresuper nice and made the vibe feel like a chill place to hangout and enjoy your meal. I got the cacio e pepe which was great. The fresh cracked pepper and the pasta was very fresh and more al dente the way I liked it. This place takes cash only so make sure you have some on you to pay.