Let us see what Yelp says about Rossini's in Midtown...well, I saw the words "good but pricey" there, and a few dissenters...but it looks like a pretty good place overall-
Oh, here is a killer-- a number of complaints that "people here are TOO OLD." And that there are not more Yelp reviews because " a lot of Rossini's patrons don't know what the internet is"!
Well, it aint for the swinging young trendy crowd, that's for sure...we can see that!
Rossini's Restaurant
28 reviews
Rating Details
108 E 38th St
(between Park Ave & Lexington Ave)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Murray Hill
(212) 683-0135
(between Park Ave & Lexington Ave)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Murray Hill
(212) 683-0135
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
Grand Central - 42 St (4, 5, 6, 6X)Grand Central - 42 St (7, 7X)Grand Central - 42 St (S)
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 11:30 pmSat 4:30 pm - 11 pmSun 3 pm - 10 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
- $$$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
28 reviews for Rossini's Restaurant
Review Highlights What's this?
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"Great pace love he opera singers." In 4 reviews
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"They are always super nice and very attentive to our requests." In 3 reviews
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"and, I enjoyed the old school decor/feel of the place." In 3 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
28 reviews in English
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Review from Jay D.
- 1 friend
I just read some of the negative reviews and the old age related insults and decided to put in my two cents. I like the place, but I'm from NJ and old, so what do I know?
I have been there quite a few times over the years.
I was there yesterday after a Broadway matinee. I love to bring new people to the place and usually they are impressed. It is an old school Italian restaurant. If you don't like manners, courtesy and being catered to, then this place is not for you. The tuxedo-ed staff was constantly filling our water glasses, refolding our napkins for us when we left the table, holding the chair as they seated us and just pampered us.
The place is deceptive from the outside. If you peek in the window , it looks like a bar with a few tables for dining. But there is a long hallway, and on the other side of the hallway are two giant dining rooms with a piano player. The food was excellent. I had veal saltimbocca and it was delicious. Also, I was surprised to see that it was served with hard boiled egg on top of the veal and spinach. I have not seen that in decades. (I told you I'm old )
As for decor, the other reviewers may be right when they say it is old fashioned. I don't usually notice stuff like that so I am not in a position to say. But if I were to say, I would say it is more elegant than old fashioned. Not all restaurants will opt for the decor of an Applebee's just to get a more hip crowd. I do know that everything was super clean, elegant, and the food and service were top notch. Even the hand towels in the rest room were monogrammed.
Our dining companions were in their late twenties and loved the food and the old school dining experience. They said that it was a little pricey, but they will be coming back.
Between the wonderful Broadway show and the Rossini dining experience, it was a wonderful day in NYC. -
Review from Christine S.
- 22 friends
Went here for Valentine's Day, and when we walked in, I realized that we were the only ones under 75 years old. Get it gramps!
I felt like I stepped into an Italian restaurant straight out of The Sopranos. Old, tacky decor from the late 80s, bright lighting, weird carpeting. It's definitely catered towards an older crowd. I decided to give it a chance though, since I didn't want to ruin our night. Here's what I thought:
Pros:
Hearty Italian comfort food, hefty glasses of wine, polite staff, live piano music, fairly decent prices for what you get
Cons:
Outdated, low service; took at least 25 minutes to get our menus and water, SO bright!, ambiance is not their forte, not for 20-30-somethings
My boyfriend seemed to LOVE the place though (old at heart?), so I'm sure he'll drag me back here, but it's not something I'd come back to on my own. -
Review from M R.
- 1 friend
We had a great time tonight at Rossini's - a definite old school Italian restaurant. For starters we had the Mozzarella di Bufala (fresh mild curds of mozzarella cheese served with prosciutto di Parma, sliced tomatoes and roasted peppers) which was good. I had the Tortellini alla Rossini (stuffed pasta in a cream based sauce with a meat and sherry wine sauce) which was so good and my husband had Costoletta di Vitello Milanese alla Giardiniera (veal chop breaded and topped with tre colori salad) which he really liked. Service was exceptional. Wonderful time and we will definitely return. -
Review from Francois L.
- 0 friends
*cue 'The Godfather' theme song*
First thing that strikes you is the prompt, attentive and most importantly, friendly service.
We had the appetizer clams with stuffing and lobster bisque and they were amazing.
Next we had a tortellini and chicken livornese and they were some of the best in town, and since we are from Chicago it was better than anything from Chicago, too.
In any Italian district you gotta have canoli, and this place has a homemade one that is unbeatable. Their chocolate mousse is also delicious.
Again, attentive and fast service. The live pianist has a lovely repertoire, and he played an arrangement of les miserables songs, which was really nice.
Don Corleone would be proud. -
Review from Tara D.
- 26 friends
I absolutely LOVE Rossini's!
My boyfriend and I regularly eat at Rossini's! We've been here for birthdays, anniversaries, and just get togethers with close friends. They are always super nice and very attentive to our requests.
The food is awesome! I usually get the fish special or the ravioli. I'm always very pleased with the amount and quality of the food.
They have live music every day and live opera (songs also by request) on Friday and Saturday nights. So fun!
I also recommend this place to anyone and everyone I know. Please try this place, you won't be disappointed! -
Review from Nina R.
- 16 friends
Was introduced to this place a couple of weeks ago by a close family friend, and I'm looking for a reason to go back. The service was stellar, the food was good, old-fashioned, delicious and hearty Italian food. The kind your Italian grandmother (if you had one) would make.
Ray, the maitre'd, was wonderfully accomodating. Hillie, the pianist, was a star. All of the staff were very attentive...and, I enjoyed the old school decor/feel of the place. You know exactly what you're getting when you walk in...and you feel like family by the time you leave. -
Review from Michael C.
- 504 friends
My wife and I went here earlier this week for a business dinner. This is an old school NY style italian restaurant with famous people's autographs (presumably patrons) framed and lining the hallways. The service is very elaborate and the place itself is comfy and dark (maybe not cavernous, but something approaching that).
My spaghetti cabonara was refreshingly not of the americanized heavy cream sauce ilk, but just with ham, egg and pepper (and some broth). The bread is served with an oily pesto and there was a bruschetta amuse buche. I also had a forgettable gazpacho.
The house cabernet was ok, but served in those short, thickly glassed mini wine goblets which I have a personal problem with. Getting a great review for being an Italian restaurant is a lofty goal in NY, but this joint is a solid place to get pasta and sit next to old people. -
Review from Evan W.
- 13 friends
There's a reason why this restaurant, despite having been around for centuries, only has 11 yelp reviews. It's because a majority of the patrons of this establishment likely don't even know about yelp... or the internet. Ouch!
If your idea of casual Sunday attire is a white button down, salmon-colored cashmere cardigan, and a professorial tweed blazer with suede elbow patches, this place might knock it out of the park for you. If you're only spending $0.50 per subway ride, you might run into someone here that you knew from way back when. If you carry around a flashlight to help you read menus, that flashlight might in fact reveal that this is the menu of your dreams! If none of these criteria seem to fit, I would choose another restaurant.
In this dungeon-like windowless dining hall, where soft jazzy piano music and the smell of garlic fill the air, there are, however, some redeeming glimmers of hope. The shrimp bisque ("What is the soup de jour? Mmm, that sounds good, I'll have that") showed restraint and poise. The mixed greens salad was fresh and nicely dressed. The spaghetti carbonara was also very well-conceived. Had the prices not exceeded the nymag review's menu's listed prices, I would have been a little less put off from the get go, and the solid mediocrity of the actual food might actually warrant 3 stars...
That being said, this is New York, and you've come in search of nothing but the best. Look elsewhere, my dear yelp friends, I implore you. -
Review from Bebe M.
- 1 friend
I went to this place because there is the restaurant week and I was curious to try it, even if it was not very well noted.
I have to admit that the pasta was good, but I don't think it deserves more than 2-3 stars in the complex, especially for the range price. I checked the menu and I found it quite expensive for what it offers: the service is not very good (our dishes and glasses where completely wet and we had to wait a bit to get the menu), the level of the noise is high, and the other courses were nothing special.... The Profitterol was terrible: it looked like it was perepared a few days before and the taste was insignificant. As I am italian I am very picky with italian restaurants, that's why I think that there are a lot of better restaurants and less expensive that this one in the city -
Review from Mark H.
- 2 friends
Overall good experience. Decor and wait staff was generally, "tacky", and felt like I was on a cruise ship. Food was good, service equally good, and atmosphere was good. Don't expect a 45 minute dinner, this is more of an experience (1.5 - 2 hours). Dinner will add up fast with some wine and dessert, so bring your plastic. Nothing special to write home about and probably won't come back again. Better suited for the older crowd, not for 30-somethings. -
Review from Sarcastic T.
- 32 friends
This restaurant has received rave reviews in Zagat and a NYC review page I saw. Unfortunately, something has changed since those reviews were written.
We had a party of four and met at the bar for drinks. One star for making good drinks and one more star for very friendly staff. After that. . sorry. The calamari was undercooked and came with a marinara sauce that was too watery to stick to the rings. The pasta dishes were bland, but not offensive. My friend's scallops - now THOSE were offensive. They smelled overly fishy and were super-salty - in other words, they were not good. They were sent back and she decided to not get anything to replace it.
When the bill came, the final straw was seeing the $27 charge for the funky scallops. We protested and it was removed, though you could tell the staff were not happy about it.
I would rate this as a "no-go" on all accounts. -
Review from Michele P.
- 7 friends
I don't even know where to begin.
My sister and I walked around the corner from our hotel to have our first meal in NYC--it was recommended by the concierge. Listening to her was our first mistake.
We ordered 2 glasses of the house red, and decided quickly on our meal choices because we were starving. I ordered the shrimp risotto, and sis had penne with sausage.
My risotto was undercooked, and the shrimp were not edible: they were fishy, cold, and undercooked. I pushed the plate away immediately for fear of getting sick.
The penne was nearly as bad, and when we called the waiter over to complain, he began cursing under his breath in Spanish as he walked away with our plates. He was still going when he brought us a $50 tab for the 4 glasses of (cheap) wine we drank, and my sister proceeded to let him have it in his native tongue. No, he didn't see that coming.
We left angry and hungry--never a good combination. I'm not sure what kind of kick back our hotel "earns" for recommending this dump, but the manager of the hotel was given a first-hand account of our horrible experience and a request from us that she never recommend such a horrible restaurant again. -
Review from Ashley B.
- 36 friends
My parents came into New York for the night and invited me and my boyfriend for dinner. I live extremely close, so I've walked past and always wondered whether it was worth going ... overall, very solid place.
The service was very attentive and helpful. The piano player adds a nice touch. The atmosphere is very old school. My fish was delicious, flavorful and perfectly cooked. Everyone else was very happy with their meal.
We had a great time and I would recommend, but its pricey. Glad daddy was picking up the bill :)
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