It has been at least 12 years since I've dined at Rafele and although I wanted to return sooner, time just flew by. I had the opportunity to dine at Rafele earlier tonight for a birthday dinner. The stakes were high since the birthday person has never been to Rafele and I hoped it was still as good as when I last dined there. Rafele not only met our expectations but exceeded them. Our server was hospitable, charming and helpful--answering questions or making recommendations. I started off with the Hugo Spritz, similar to Aperol but made with Elderflower. The other drink order was Southside of Razz made with Gin, Mint and fresh Raspberry puree. Both cocktails were 2 thumbs up delicious. For appetizer we shared the Arancini which was vegetarian and extremely delicious. It was prepared with Arborio Rice and four cheeses. Excellent. But it was the Cauliflower salad (hot) that stole the show. Infused with Sicilian ingredients and unlike anything I've tasted. It was a warm salad with caramelized onions, currants and pine nuts. Generous portion, excellently prepared and highly recommend. Every table was given complimentary Caponata with delicious homemade bread. It was as though we had 3 appetizers. I loved their menu since it had a variety of selections. For main, we both chose Spaghetti Frutti di Mare which was made with Vongole, Shrimp, and Scallops in a light, flavorful, tomato broth. Very well made but at this point, the rest was packed to go. We settled on a delicious Lambrusco during the main. Dessert was an Affogato--Vanilla ice cream with hot Espresso. Can you just taste the deliciousness of this entire meal? It was oh my God goodness. Our server extended two mini Espresso Martinis for the birthday gal. And it was delicious. Seriously, forget the rest and run to Rafele. You will not be disappointed. read more

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Calamari large portions 5. Barata and fig arugula special. 4.5. . Caesars salad. 5. Penne carbonara. 4. Red snapper with spinach and capers special 5. Lemon sorbet 1 to share. $14. 5. Service 4. Free water $99 per person with tax & tip. read more

This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city. My partner and I have been coming here for years. We love coming here on dates and it's also one of our favorite spots to take friends from out of town to. Every dish we've had has been exceptional and the service is always wonderful. If the stuffed zucchini blossoms are on the menu...get them as your antipasto. I'm already looking forward to our next dinner there already! read more

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This is what American-Italian in New York is all about. Enjoyed all of our dishes and the service was great. Would recommend. read more

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Food was good overall, and the inside was very ambient! The service was slow to start out for our group of 5, which made sense because they want you to order everything at once when they are ready for your order. I would recommend the pizza over the pasta dishes. And for appetizer the side of Brussels sprouts were amazing. read more

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The service was fast and super nice, they put us in the basement at request because one of my friends is super loud and thinks sound travels in one direction. Food is great too, for an Italian spot I'd say it's on the lighter side because I felt good after eating a lot. Not too salty. Great spot! read more

Rafele Ristorante - Pizza - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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This is just an amazing Italian restaurant. The food was made fresh right in front of us. You can see in the photo I tagged the chef is making the pizza fresh. The eggplant rotini was amazing. The ricotta cheese was so soft and creamy. The sauce was perfection, and then we also got fresh focaccia bread. The service was so good I loved how it's an open kitchen concept and you can watch the chefs cook. Everything was also super fast. read more

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The lighting sets a cozy atmosphere, and the tables are spaced just right--close enough to feel the energy of the room but not so close that you're eavesdropping on your neighbors. We ordered the Tonarelli Cacio e Pepe and the Tagliolini al Funghi. The mushroom pasta captured the essence of the dish; if you appreciate al dente pasta, this place won't disappoint. The Cacio e Pepe was enjoyable but could have been a bit creamier to meet my personal preference. The service was commendable; our waiter checked on us several times, ensuring that we were satisfied but not interrupting the meal. read more

Rafele Ristorante - Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe Tagliolini al Funghi - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Found ourselves in the West Village and stumbled upon Rafele's. Unfortunately weather was terrible but made it a perfect time to stop in as it was not too busy. Food was fantastic! Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina was a table favorite and perfectly cooked. If you find yourself in this area definitely stop in you won't be disappointed. read more

Rafele Ristorante - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Went here a couple weeks ago with some friends...was supposed to hit Rosemarys but they wouldn't seat our whole party so we landed at Rafele and I wouldn't change a thing!!!!!!! We were so pleased with our entire experience from the minute we walked into the door to the minute we walked out. Amazing service, amazing food, amazing environment! 10/10 and will definitely be coming back! read more

Great service and drinks are top notch. Let not forget about the great food. Nice small spot with a lot of attention read more

Rafele Ristorante - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Came here for restaurant week. They have a great deal of 3-course for $30 and there's a lot to choose from. The restaurant is super cozy and we never felt rushed even though we sat around chatting long after our meal. I started with a Hugo spritz which was made perfectly. They also serve complimentary bread that was still warm. I had the arancini which was very crisp on the outside and delicious on the inside. It came sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese, just so good. I went with the paccheri all amatriciana after ready it was really good on Yelp. I think I liked my dish more than others did theirs so I definitely recommend going with this option. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the flavors were awesome! But the real star of the show was dessert. The cheesecake was SOOO GOOD, definitely the creamiest cheesecake I've ever had. read more

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We were on our way to photograph the Greenwich Village Halloween parade. To beat traffic, we took an early train and hoofed it downtown. My friend wanted Italian and, as if by magic, we passed Rafele Restorante. A quick glance at the menu told us we found dinner! We sat in the airy street side outer dining area and watched the world pass by...traffic, people in costume and, ahem, more traffic! Our waitress was prompt seating us and taking drink orders. A tray of perfectly toasted bread arrived with a cup of tapenade ... quite tasty. I always ask the wait staff for recommendations and our server, without hesitation, said the pasta bolognese was her favorite. My friend and I had already zoned in on that offering and we both picked it ... we each chose different pastas to go with the meaty ragout ... yum. We picked a tray of mini pizzas for our appetizer and the perfect crust and sauce as good as my mamas ticked the review into 5 star heaven. With the steaming, generous dishes of pasta and meat sauce in front of us, our waitress heaped Parmesan cheese on as we grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. We dug in and made yummy noises until we saw the bottom our plates. We stopped up sauce with our second helping of that excellent bread. This was the perfect start to our Halloween adventure and if we weren't in a hurry, the dessert menu help temptations worth exploring. Service, a talented chef at the helm and a date night quality atmosphere racked up 5 stars ... something I seldom do on one visit but here, well earned. read more

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Gorgeous, delicious food, impeccable service, and a classy, approachable ambience perfect for friends, family, or date night. I ordered my first cacio e pepe and it absolutely blew me away. You can tell they make their own pasta, oh my word. Divine. The focaccia they brought out at the beginning was divine as well, although I will say I didn't touch the topping they brought out with it, as I'm not a bell pepper fan at all. If you are, though, I'm sure you'd love it. I just made reservations for my whole family when they fly out for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Absolute gem in NYC! My fiancé and I got engaged the day before and he planned a surprise here with a party of 16 people, which you know is extremely difficult to find in the city. The staff were extremely warm and helpful and made our celebration so amazing. The great thing about Rafele is they have a downstairs area which almost feels like a private seating room. Besides our table of 16 people, there were only 2-3 other parties there, so it felt like we had an intimate space to ourselves. We started with some cocktails and everyone loved what they got - I personally recommend the Paper Plane if you're into bourbon drinks. We also got a few bottles of wine, and the servers ensured that everyone's glasses were always full! They sure know how to host a party! Everyone also loved the appetizers and food they ordered. If you're looking for solid Italian food in the city and a place that can host large groups, Rafele is your spot! read more

Rafele Ristorante - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Absolutely amazing Italian food! Waiters and staff were amazing and the food was to die for. Such good Italian food. The inside was so cute with a lot of tables and they have bread for free. Decorated for Christmas but you will not go wrong here. So good! Recommend the soup and chicken parm as well as the clams. Can't go wrong! read more

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The food here is great. Lots of nice vegetarian options. The service is good. Solid spot to share small dishes. Good date restaurant.

Classic spot. Great neighborhood. I've been before and was so glad to come back many years later and reconfirm the starter complimentary eggplant dip is in fact phenomenal. Seriously so good and just as I remembered. We ordered cocktails and decided to share a few items. We ordered Tagliolini Con Funghi (mushroom pasta) so good and the special, which was a Spaghetti Puttanesca. Very good, little spicy but my friend loved it as I knew she would! We also split pepperoni pizza. Everything came out all at once which was a little overwhelming but everything was hot and quality was good! They do have both indoor and outdoor patio seating and service was good. You can also make a resi! I would recommend, great for groups! read more

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Food was OK at best, portion size was extremely small, literally a few paccheri-style noodles in the Amatriciana and seemed like bacon bits that they were calling pork shoulder. Dessert cheesecake was a sliver, not even a full normal slice. Really disappointing based on the other quality italian options in the neighborhood. I've never seen such a small slice of cheescake! read more

Came here for restaurant week & was pretty disappointed. While I think we got a good amount of food for the price, I think the food was very average. We started with some glasses of wine, which were priced well. For our appetizers, we got the layered eggplant and the cauliflower. The eggplant was good but lacked salt while the cauliflower was really tasty but had too many raisins(?) For our entrees we got the carbonara and mushroom pizza. The mushroom pizza was actually not good. There was no taste and the mushrooms were not cooked down. The carbonara was fine but not excellent. We loved the tiramisu & gelato we had for dessert though. read more

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Solid Italian restaurant in West Village on Seventh Ave South with lots of seating and delicious food. I used to live right around the corner from here so I've been to Rafele many a time and even had a birthday dinner with a pre fixe menu (which was a huge hit with my party guests). I've gotten a bunch of different items over the years and during the pandemic I made it a point to order takeout every few weeks. I love the food here and if I ever needed a restaurant reservation in a pinch (which sometimes is tough in that neighborhood, especially on the weekends) it was usually easy at Rafele. All the food on the menu is well made and tasty but my favorite dish is the Tagliolini Al Funghi-- it has truffle pate which is so aromatic. If you like mushrooms, I'd recommend trying this dish. The service is usually spot on and the restaurant has a nice homey vibe. I actually sometimes miss living around the corner from here but I'm sure I'll be back soon! read more

Got a reservation here for a last minute girls night out. The ambience was great, service was good and my entrees were yummy. My friend got the seafood squid ink pasta and it was terrible and had no taste. But I will say the seafood is super fresh. I got the truffle pasta which was really good, and the Arancini, Caesar salad and calamari were for sharing- which were all good as well. I liked how the bread came with a unique tomato dip! Overall good experience and great drinks as well :) read more

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Enjoyed the pappardelle bolognese and prosciutto. However, the cheesecake was thin and disappointing. :) Service was so lala ... read more

Rafele Ristorante - Pappardelle Bolognese - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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What a fantastic find this restaurant was! It's currently NY Restaurant Week. I was looking to find a place for brunch that I haven't been to before. Their Restaurant Week menu is the most diverse out of 90% of the offerings so we chose to come here. I'm pleased that we did. Had reservations on Sunday for 1 PM. Street parking was fairly easy to find. Parked right across the street. Rafele has a huge enclosed outdoor dining area, a decent-sized indoor dining area (with safety shields for tables right next to each other), and a chef's table. Because of all this seating, it was busy, but not crowded. We were seated promptly and given cocktail, wine, and restaurant week/regular dining menus. Seasonal, rustic decor and furniture. One glance at the wooden seats and I thought it was going to be uncomfortable but they were quite cozy. The vibe was to my liking. For drinks, I started with the Southside of Razz cocktail which was Half Moon Gin, lime juice, mint, and house-made raspberry puree. It was $16. Delicious and refreshing! They brought out a wooden plank with focaccia and Italian bread with savory olive oil for dipping. It was so good that we even asked what kind of olive oil that was and our very kind waiter took a picture of it to show us what brand it was. For an appetizer, I had the Melanzanna. It was a very tiny portion but that comes with the Restaurant Week territory. Nonetheless, it was fresh and yummy. It's basically eggplant rollatini, but without the ricotta and not rolled up. For the main course, I had the STRACCETTI DI MANZO. It's grilled, pounded beef on a bed of arugula and drizzled with balsamic. The beef was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The bitterness of the arugula paired well with the sweetness of the balsamic. Good portion size as well. We had two options for dessert. Italian-style cheesecake or Tiramisu. I opted for the Tiramisu. It was well-balanced and ended the meal on a high note. Although the 2 people at my table who chose the cheesecake said it definitely was not Italian cheesecake. The consistency was custard-like. Two clean bathrooms. One on the main floor and one downstairs. For a 3-course brunch menu, which is very RARE for restaurant week, you get a very good bang for your buck. I would definitely come back again. The food was fantastic, service friendly and the place was spotless. read more

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I would rate it 4/5 chefs table. The bread was great, prosciutto and mozzarella appetizer great , arugula salad was fresh. The Cacio e pepe was good 3.5/5. I think the vibe of the interior could be improved. They need to bring in an interior designer. The dessert was good except the strawberry sauce on top of the vanilla ice cream threw the dish off and I don't think paired well. Good date spot tho or business meeting read more

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We stopped by on a food tour and had a margarita pizza, an eggplant pasta dish (Rollatini), and a sangria. Everything was really good. They have a coal burning oven for which new installations were outlawed years ago but all existing ones were grandfathered in. I liked the vibe in the restaurant. read more

I honestly think this is the best Italian in NYC. The veal ragu pasta is one of the best things I've put in my mouth, and I could've drank the clam broth straight from the bowl! The carbonara was excellent as well as the pizza. Great portions as well! The service was excellent, and the ambiance is fabulous. I love this place! read more

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Always love a solid Italian restaurant owned by Italians. This restaurant is conveniently located in West Village. The decor and the setting reminds me of Italy, which brings back great memories. The servers were great, attentive and chatty. The place is very spacious and can fit a lot of people. We started with a few rounds of drinks since we were waiting for a few friends to arrive. They offer cocktails and a LONG list of wine. I wish I understood wine, otherwise, I can probably enjoy it more. We stuck to the cocktails which were well made. For food, we shared the Calamari and the Arancini. We can taste the freshness, they were freshly served right after they took them out of the fryer. The marinara sauce for both complemented well. I got the Orecchiette Friarielli for my entree. The pasta was al dente and the sauce was flavorful. The sausage and the broccoli rabe added the perfect crunch. Overall, amazing experience and would definitely be coming back! read more

Great restaurant week find! Nice and quaint, great decor and vibes. We sat at the chefs table on a Wednesday and it was pretty packed. We ordered the Melanzana, Arancini and salad to start. For my meal I had the chicken parm with potatoes. It was well breaded and the sauce was great. read more

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A little disappointed. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants. Waiter had no personality, very abrupt. Drink orders took very long. I always had the shaved artichoke salad and pappardelle. This time I decided to try something new. I had the arancini and the chicken parm. The arancini was just okay, chicken parm was very greasy and the spaghetti accompaniment had no flavor. I don't think I need to return. AND, having people constantly bumping into my chair throughout the night was extremely annoying. read more

We came here to celebrate an engagement for a close friends of ours. They were able to set up a large table downstairs for our group of 16 people. The waiters were great and brought us all drinks as we arrived. The restaurant was very accommodating and I would highly recommend it for a small party. The food was great! We had a variety of different appetizers. There was a fried zucchini, calamari, meatballs in a tomato sauce(which I enjoyed the best), and so much more. My entree was a spaghetti carbonara. I enjoyed it maybe a little too much. I don't live in New York and unfortunately the cravings to eat this again are going to have to go unanswered for awhile. If anyone happens to be flying from New York to Houston please bring me some of the spaghetti or even the meatballs from here. I'm desperate and will be trying to find an excuse to go back to New York and eat here soon. read more

last-minute find after a nearby spot didn't work out. we made a reservation and the restaurant was pretty packed when we arrived. the place was cute and we were quickly seated. we got the following to try: -POLPETTINE: beef and veal meatballs that were really tender and meaty. it was pretty good with the complimentary bread (but the real star here is the CAPONATA! it was sooooo delicious!). -PACCHERI ALL`AMATRICIANA: paccherri with pork cheek in a tomato sauce. the pasta was cooked al-dente and the pork cheek had an unexpected, but pleasant chew. it was a very hearty dish. -SALSICCIA E BROCCOLI RABE: white pizza with sausage and broccoli rabe. it was pretty tasty too. the bf also had two glasses of the MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO and seemed to enjoy it. i'm not huge on wine so i didn't partake lol. service was really attentive but not intrusive. the food was pretty tasty and executed well. will return when i have a pasta craving. read more

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AMAZING! If you're looking for a great Italian spot, this is the place to go. Everything I ordered was spot on and was not a disappointment, especially the pasta! The service was great and we were able to get a table inside. Things I ordered: -CAVOLFIORE with Roasted cauliflower, black currants, caramelized onion pine nuts, breadcrumbs - PROSCIUTTO E MOZZARELLA with Buffalo mozzarella with 24-month Black Label Prosciutto di Parma - TAGLIOLINI AI FUNGHI with Tagliolini, mixed mushrooms, truffle pate`, Grana Padano read more

** if you are gluten-free do not come here ** Upon arriving 15 minutes early to our reservation, we were brought over to the 'Chef's Table' which is another way of essentially saying you're going to sit next to the toilets and be shoved into a high top in the corner of the kitchen. The heat was so aggressive above where we were sitting too. I'd like to note that we did not book this table and offered to wait until our reservation started (8:00 PM) for a proper table, which they said they could not accommodate. Anyway, this is just a note and isn't as important as what's to come. First, we ordered a round of cocktails, and my glass was *extremely* sticky around the stem and mouth - I sent it back for a new one. Typically, this is not a big deal, but it was another 'flag' of poor experience. We ordered a handful of appetizers, ranging from $15-20, that all came out in the smallest portions. But again, that's OK, it's New York what do you expect? However, what I didn't expect was to have two of our dishes to have gluten in them when I specifically shared that I'm gluten-free and requested no gluten contamination. For example, if you've ever made or had eggplant rollatini, you know it is not breaded. However, this was in fact breaded and there was no warning from our waiter or any statements on the menu. As someone who has Celiac Disease, this is an absolute nightmare. I ate a couple of bites of the dish before realizing 'hmm that doesn't taste right' - the waiter THEN shared that it was breaded. We also ordered a Caesar Salad with croutons on the side, for the gluten-eaters at the table to enjoy. When the salad came, we assumed that the croutons were not in the salad since we didn't see them and that they forgot to bring them on the side; however, we were wrong! After continuing to eat the salad, there WERE croutons inside and I ate gluten, again. For entrees, the lamb ragu had **bones** in it, and was NOT in a ragu. it was extremely dry, same with the short rib special - both of which were disappointments. The waiter comped the eggplant rollatini on the bill and asked if we wanted free dessert to make up for the mistakes made, but at this point, we did not feel comfortable eating any more food from this restaurant. Highly disappointed in this dining experience and hope that the staff take more precautions for those with food restrictions and care + respect for patrons. read more

Lovely lunch. What a nice surprise. We had 2 courses for $19.95 each. I WILL BE BACK! Waitstaff was also very welcoming. read more

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Decent Italian place, similar to other west village Italian places, nothing super special but nothing bad either. Came here for a birthday and our group of 10 ish was seated in the basement which was good for large group. Price was around $20-$30. Dishes: Pesto - fragrant, can taste pine nuts, delicious Ravioli- if there was ricotta you could not discern it Funghi- very good but could use a dash of salt to bring out flavor and some acid to balance the fat carbonara - it was okay, not amazing, wanted to see egg yolk but couldn't read more

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The food was delicious, and the GF options were amazing. The team did a great job caring for those of us with allergies. Thank you! Try the meatballs!!!! And eggplant app!! read more

I ate here on the day on which I "found" my West Village apartment. I thought it would be one of those afterthought Italian places. In actuality, more than three months later I can say that this is one of the best Italian restaurants in the neighborhood, especially for those looking for something a bit more high end. read more

I've been here 5 times. The Italian food and wine are very authentic and very good. Service is prompt and attentive. Unfortunately on my last visit on 3/16, my date and I were charged $9 for sparkling water which we neither ordered nor drank. It was partly our fault because we didn't check the bill before paying and leaving. read more

Very poor experience. Long wait between sitting down and having an order taken when the restaurant was basically empty. Food was very subpar. Gnocchi too chewy, cheesecake was NOT Italian cheesecake. Champagne was flat. I can keep going. Do not recommend. read more