Saturday, October 19, 2013

Stella at Macy's

I found myself scratching my head when I saw this sign. I do not remember this place being at Macy's...

Well, let's see what Yelper's say...AHA, it is pretty new and on the whole people love it


Stella 34 Trattoria

4.0 star rating
86 reviews Rating Details
Categories: Italian, Pizza
Macy's 6th Floor - 35th & Broadway Entrance
151 W 34th St

New York, NY 10001
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 967-9251
Make a Reservation
Nearest Transit Station:
34 St. - Herald Sq (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R)
34 St. - Penn Station (1, 2, 3)
34 St. - Penn Station (A, C, E)
Hours:
Mon-Sat 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Sun 11:30 am - 9 pm
Attire:
Casual
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Price Range:
$$
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
Yes
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
No
Wi-Fi:
Free
Good For:
Lunch, Dinner
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Noise Level:
Average
Ambience:
Trendy, Classy
Has TV:
No
Caters:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "braised beef ragu, caramelized onions, parmigiano-reggiano 19." In 5 reviews
  • "Can't wait to go back for lunch or for another gelato." In 16 reviews
  • "not to mention the view of the empire state was spectacular." In 11 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites' | Facebook Friends'

86 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 10 friends
    • 80 reviews
    ASTORIA, NY
    10/18/2013 1 check-in here
    Not too shabby Macy's!

    Was super skeptical of this restaurant because of its location, but they definitely delivered. Service was exceptional and so was the food. A nice variety of Italian fare - had a Caprese salad to start and my mom and I decided to split a delicious Margherita pizza for lunch. Fresh mozzarella, juicy cherry tomatoes, basil and tangy balsamic - yummy, cheesy pizza!

    Enjoyed the airy, open feel to the restaurant space - especially since it looks out west onto Herald Square, Broadway between 35th and 34th. Great spot for a lunch meeting and I liked that they had a station in front with items to grab and go if you don't have time for a sit-down lunch!

    With its close proximity to the office and lack of great food options in the area, I'll be back!
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    10/14/2013 1 check-in here
    Why, oh why is this lovely italian restaurant in Macy's?  Because you know what this means...TOURISTS!

    I enjoyed a truly delicious lunch here on a rainy day last week.  I had a bowl of fluted tube-like pasta, smothered in a smooth creamy cheese sauce, with bright green peas snuggling up to long slivers of mushroom, cheek-by-jowl with pillows of ham.

    Perfect comfort food - all served by a cheerful Italian waiter who coached us on proper Italian pronunciation and generally waxed lyrical about the food options.

    If you are showing out of town guests the nearby attractions, make a booking here. You'll love the wonderful food and the bright and open space, and they'll love the fact that they can pop right over into the Macy's madhouse for serious shopping!  Feel free to sit at the bar and have a glass of wine and leave them to it.

    On second thoughts...maybe having this trattoria in Macy's is not a bad idea after all
  • Review from

    • 38 friends
    • 23 reviews
    Fort Thomas, KY
    10/14/2013 1 check-in here
    Decided to stop here for dinner after a long day of work and an hour of shopping.

    Thanks to reco's from other Yelpers , I ordered the meatballs as an appetizer .  best choice ever!  The meatballs were tender and very flavorful with just the right amount of sauce.  They were also on top of a "to die for" creamy cheese.  Yum!

    For my meal I ordered the long square pasta (can't recall the name, sorry!).   It was divine!

    Oh and of course the view was very nice.  I knew to ask for a window seat, thanks to fellow Yelp reviews :-)

    the only reason I'm not giving this place 5 stars is simply due to being charged $4/drink for a diet coke.   It's one thing to charge for refills, but nowhere on the menu did it tell me that.  Come on, folks - just tell me and I'd be ok with it (or at least know not to order 3 of them!!).
  • Review from

    • 74 friends
    • 62 reviews
    FLUSHING, NY
    10/10/2013 1 check-in here
    Made reservations for lunch at 1:30. Seems pretty busy which is a good thing. We were seated, but our menus came a few mins after. Our server was friendly and attentive as well. It is a little bit expensive for lunch. The restaurant itself was very clean and had a great view out the window.

    CALAMARI - It was nicely cooked, wish it was a bit more crunchy though.

    BRANZINO AL FORNO - This was really good. I loved the sauce that tasted like lemon (i could be wrong) The sea bass was laid over a bed of potatoes with olives, caper and cherry tomatoes (which i loved).

    BARESE - Pizza!!! def did not disappoint. It was very good, wish they cut it into smaller pieces since it was cut into four. The pizza itself was pretty big if your having a appetizer.
  • Review from

    • 39 friends
    • 46 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/27/2013
    Stella 34 Trattoria is a clean and modern styled restaurant on the sixth floor of--this is happening--Macy*s. (I know.) I was initially a bit afraid of the restaurant choice but let me say, IT IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!

    Love the ambiance--it's extremely refreshing! Amidst the chaos of shoppers, piles and racks of clothing, and--did I mention--shoppers. No really, tourist shoppers who blindly veer into walkways while looking in every direction but the right one. It's like being in Times Square where they are all looking up and drifting as they walk and, if you're really lucky, stopping out of nowhere. THAT (that = hellish chaos).

    And then, whew, air, breathing, it's not a mirage--Stella 34 Trattoria.

    Already worlds happier than seconds before, the night's experience continued to climb up and up.

    To start, we had a few vegetable small plates to share. Not only were they super delicious but they were presented beautifully.

    The plating of the food stayed much in the theme of the restaurant, there was a lot of white with vibrant pops of color. The white dishes emphasize the rich color combinations within the dishes, each one looking exciting and enticing--you just have to dive in!

    Once you do dive in, it's incredibly flavorful. Clean and flavorful. By clean, I mean every ingredient stands out in the right way--with purpose. It's impressive.

    The dining experience at Stella 34 Trattoria quickly turns from pure enjoyment to curiosity over every item on the menu. Each item that we ordered was so good it made me want to try all of those dishes that I ruled out in the decision making process. (I suppose that's what brings people back to a restaurant. But in the moment I felt like a four-year-old having a tantrum because I want to eat more than I know I am capable of and would result in getting sick. I literally almost ordered a pizza after finishing my meal because my grandmother's looked so delicious.)

    Beyond my obsession with the food plating, style, flavors, and overall deliciousness, is the service. THE SERVICE IS REMARKABLE. From the moment I entered the restaurant and was greeted, I knew I was in for a proper evening.

    You see, I was offered a table before the rest of my party arrived. I was also given the option of enjoying a drink at the bar, or relaxing in the large lounge. When two more members of my party arrived, they were directed to the lounge--"there is a pretty girl waiting for you in the lounge"--I believe that she made a note of my location in her system. (fabulous service and compliment--too sweet!)

    Wonderfully, that type of service extended to our waitress Sam. She was truly fabulous and extremely knowledgeable of the menu. She was able to have fun with us in a completely professional manner which only added to the exceptional experience that we had at Stella 34 Trattoria.

    And then there's dessert (yes, I'm back on the food. And while I'm there, my "Tortino Di Melanzane" was excellent. I want it again right now as I drool over the photo I took of it). THE DESSERT IS JUST AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE DINNER! It's composed and thoughtful--just look at those textures, yum.

    THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BEING TOO PREPARED--AND STELLA 34 TRATTORIA OBVIOUSLY KNOWS IT! Shopped too long and don't have time to cook for the family? Just don't feel like sitting down to a meal? Like a moth to a flame got pulled towards the lit display case filled with deliciousness?

    Yes, they have it all! Not only do they have a prepared food section--I know, "not only"--but they have a gelato counter, too. Amazing. Take it all with you--no fuss, no muss. What a perfectly thought out experience! I can't wait to go back. CHEERS!
  • Review from

    • 56 friends
    • 39 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    10/3/2013 5 photos 1 check-in here
    On the 6th floor of the Macys shopping building!  Great view! They have a specific elevator that you can take that directly goes there. It's near the coach bags side of the building.
    The food is really good. The ambiance of the restaurant is clean and spacious. You forget you're inside of macys. We had the octopus as an appetizer. Followed by the nicene salad, lasagne with kale, Margherita pizza, and sea bass. Portions were just right! We skipped out on dessert... Because...
    The waiter was friendly but took too long to come around. We had to keep looking for him. So we were running out of time.
    Next time!!

    They also have a to- go counter with sandwiches and gelato !!
    See you soon Stella!
    • Baby octopus....
    • Window view
    • Lasagna!!!
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 24 reviews
    Metuchen, NJ
    10/16/2013 2 check-ins here
    Impressed for certain.  Interesting lunching with the blue hair ladies (just kidding).  Good food selection and attentive service.  A place I wouldn't think of going, but glad I discovered.
  • Review from

    • 41 friends
    • 377 reviews
    Chatham, NJ
    9/27/2013
    Who would have thought this jewel is hidden in Macy's?  came here for dinner with the family as well as lunch.   this place is also great for a drink at their bar as well as dessert (ie...Vivoli gelato which is heavenly! --we've been to Florence to find this place and now we can get it here a hop skip away from my office!)

    View from the top is gorgeous, kids think we're in a mini- empire state building even though you do get the view of the empire state building.

    Expensive for lunch for an octopus salad and dessert - approx $30 but it's the experience of sitting there in beautiful ambiance and enjoying a good meal.

    They have a nice private room surrounded by wine bottle that looks could hold 12 people if you're looking for a private party

    Not all the pastas were great since I tasted my family members' dishes but they all agreed the one I had was the best which was cuttlefish ink pasta with some kicked up flavor.  this dish will lure me in if I'm walking near Macy's.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    9/17/2013 1 check-in here
    The ladies will have a really nice time here. Guys might feel a little out of place, as it's a shopping break--albeit a tasty one.

    A group work lunch brought me here, and just as I surmised, not looking for the proper elevator (33rd/Broadway side) had me taking the escalator up 6 flights and walking through the lingerie department.

    It's a bright, white-walled room with a private table in the back (I think we even had some drapes drawn for us). The appetizers were very good (kitchen sink salad with prosciutto, sauteed mushrooms, rice balls) but my pricey porchetta was kind of dry and disappointing. Maybe I just don't know the dish well, but I was not impressed.

    It's a good  option if you're spending a few hours shopping at Macy's, but I wouldn't make a trek here otherwise.
  • Review from

    • 5 friends
    • 2 reviews
    Tupelo, MS
    9/23/2013
    After seeing the reviews, I was expecting to not be disappointed. But maybe my expectations were too high?

    For this to be in Macy's, everything was excellent. If it were in its own little place out on the streets, I'm not so sure.

    I had the rotisserie chicken with escarole and crispy asparagus. The escarole was amazing... The chicken was average... The asparagus was burnt. My mom had the sea bass which she said was average. I tasted it and I would say it was dry.

    For what you pay here, the food should be better. Service was good, but nothing to write home about. We definitely won't be going back. The only reason I'm giving them 2 stars is for the brussel sprout/ cauliflower app... A. Maz. Ing.
  • Review from

    • 70 friends
    • 8 reviews
    Atlanta, GA
    10/13/2013 1 photo
    Great views of Empire State if you sit by the windows. Food was pretty good, I had Quattro Formaggi pizza and my wife Caesar Salad with anchovies and shaved parmesan. I liked the ambiance but I'm taking 1 star away because the restaurant wasn't easy to find and we had to walk all around the mall to find it.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 53 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    10/12/2013
    Beautifully decorated, a little overpriced for what it is, but with nice views of Herald Square and from the right seat, a close up of the Empire State Building. Nice mix of fancy folks and tourists who don't know there are other options. We enjoyed our meal.
  • Review from

    Tucson, AZ
    10/9/2013 1 check-in here
    What a gem! Don't get fooled by the location inside a department store, Stella  has an incredible view of the empire state building. Definitely reserve the window seat with empire views, you wont be disappointed! The service was outstanding and the servers recommendations won us over every time. We ordered the fungi/cheese appetizer special, which was small but packed with flavor. For our main course we each ordered a pizza that was perfect size for one person to enjoy and not get too full, mine had broccoli, mushrooms and spicy sausage and my boyfriend ordered the spicy pepperoni, very satisfying. We didnt save room for dessert, but as we left we lingered over the gelato offerings... Next time we will save room.
  • Review from

    • 13 friends
    • 16 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/9/2013
    A surprising addition to..... Macy's? I never expected to be blown away by food served in a department store, but the white pizza with cauliflower and preserved meyer lemon and garlic crumbs was pretty good. I'm rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 because of the atmosphere, prices and great service.

    This is my new go to place when forced to spend a day shopping with the girl.

    The bread and olive oil is also very good. They make a nice semolina bread.
  • Review from

    • 17 friends
    • 2 reviews
    Plano, TX
    9/4/2013
    This is the restaurant that made me obsessed with Octopus.

    As a native Texan always on the lookout for the best eats in NYC, this restaurant stole my heart. I had the best meals of my entire life here - and I say "meals" because I had a full 8 courses, and sampled all the plates of my dining partners along the way.

    This restaurant is ideal for tourists but also an undiscovered gem for locals. The chef has a focus on using fresh, in-season ingredients, which happened to be peas at the time of my visit. Every plate I hade melted in my mouth and was very clearly inspired. There was a starter bruschetta that included something I like to call (as a Texan) buttery pig cheek. Phenomenal! I was served a spicy pasta that was also clearly made in-house. I savored it.

    Then there was a salad course where my dining partner had octopus in hers. Try it - it's amazing. The following fish course was fantastic. Then I had pork that was served with a cherry sauce. I'd had the same pork cut the previous night at Lincoln Ristorante to much disappointment. This pork cut was...cherry heaven, and exactly what I'd been wanting.

    What made this experience so pleasurable was not just the high caliber of the menu, but also the care of the wait staff. Service can truly make or break any restaurant, and this one stands far and above most! I highly recommend this restaurant to tourists and locals alike - and that's a rare recommendation!

    Everything about Stella 34 from the greeting and entry, to the kitchen to the table service and dining atmosphere is five stars. It's not a Miracle on 34th street; it is well deserved and I can't wait to dine here again!
  • Review from

    • 20 friends
    • 68 reviews
    New York, NY
    8/17/2013
    I was very surprised to discover this amazing new restaurant in Macys. I have been frequenting Macys as far back as I remember but never thought about it having quality food, until now.

    If you head to the back of the 6th floor through the bedding section (as of 8/2013 that is what is there, with all the remodeling this might change), you will stumble upon quite a fancy restaurant. I arrived on a Friday afternoon and did not need reservations although there was a decent sized crowd.

    I ordered Chitarra Alla Pomodoro (long square pasta, san marzano tomato sauce, stracciatella cheese, basil) and had them add veal meatballs to it [which I think was an excellent idea, it definitely enhanced the flavor of the pasta]. Everything was cooked well and it was fresh and delicious.

    For dessert, I ordered Graffe Napolitane (fried brioche, pistachio, crema, and strawberry gelato, whipped cream). There were three pieces of brioche each filled with a different flavor of gelato. The presentation was lovely and it was flavored nicely.

    I sampled the Chicken Ceasar Salad (which came topped with a piece of sardine. I was not a huge fan of the salad, but the sardine was delicious. It reminded me of excellent sardines that I tasted in Spain. It was fresh and seasoned perfectly.

    The service was great. The staff was very attentive and had no problems making adjustments to our orders.

    I will definitely be back to visit this place and try something new on the menu. The portion size was good but the price is more of what you would expect at a higher end store such as Nordstrom or Bloomingdales. For three people, we paid about $95 (One starter, two mains, two desserts, two drinks, and tip + tax).

    I gave it a 4/5 because it is not the best Italian food I have ever had but it was quite delicious. Also the portion size, while filling, definitely left a little to be desired for the price. Regardless, I do believe it is worth checking out :)
  • Review from

    • 7 friends
    • 47 reviews
    New York, NY
    9/29/2013 1 check-in here
    What a happy surprise to find such a great restaurant inside Macy's. We were shopping on the 6th floor and stumbled upon this great find and stopped in for a light lunch. We tried the parmesano reggiano  and fennel salami, both were great. We also had the rissotto balls and roasted mushrooms. Yum! If you like mushrooms you must get them, delish!  Great atmosphere and service was good too.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    8/9/2013 3 photos 2 check-ins here
    When you think of Macy's Herald Square, do you think of a classic Italian trattoria??
    No?? Well it's here now and pretty awesome on the 6th floor.

    I'm tired of people trashing mid town, its like the little engine that could! If I want Ben & Jerrys before I head home on the LIRR? Damn skippy I'm stopping here first for a Cherry Garcia cone.

    Now, these folks aren't playing around. They don't have one, they don't have two but THREE wood burning pizza ovens. They import their pizza flour from Naples. We're talking hard core Italians baby!

    So we're talkin' pizza, they have grab and go sandwiches as well as a long bar with a great happy hour?? The hits keep coming. But what they have that's truly amazing?

    Gelato. And one of the best I ever had.

    So far I had Bacio as well as pistachio and they've been nothing but mind numbing.

    Wanna feel like Bruce Wayne?Take the elevator straight up to this place, when the doors open you'll be another world. A world that has great high views, great food and great wines.

    Did I describe Heaven? Maybe. If heaven has Gelato like this then I've arrived.
    • Creamy, Dreamy Gelato!
    • Italian hand gestures?? How about this one #middlefinger
    • Margarita pizza, soo good!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered