Monday, August 19, 2013

Mediterraneo

This is another one of those places where all seems well from the outside...happy diners and a pleasant summer afternoon..

First we will do the recommendation from NY Magazine, --

Then, the grittier low down from Yelp --well, SO mixed that I feel obliged to give you more reviews than I ordinarily would

Mediterraneo

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

1260 Second Ave., New York, NY 10021
at 66th St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-734-7407 Send to Phone
Photo by Kate Appleton

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Official Website

mediterraneonyc.com

Hours

Sun-Thu, 11:30am-midnight; Fri-Sat, 11:30am-12:30am

Nearby Subway Stops

6 at 68th St.-Hunter College

Prices

$15-$31

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Dine at the Bar
  • Lunch
  • Outdoor Dining
  • Take-Out

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Accepted/Not Necessary

Profile

It’s worth hanging in and waiting for Mediterraneo’s simple, well-executed Italian fare. A wood-burning oven turns out crackly, tangy pizzas that make a great appetizer for a group. Salads too can be shared or ordered as a main dish; try the popular insalata Mediterraneo, which has shrimp, capers, and plum tomatoes over arugula served with a light lemon dressing. On a long list of delicious pastas, the linguine nere all’Arrabiata (black linguine with shrimp in a spicy red sauce) is a standout. For heartier fare, try the grilled Australian lamb chops or the sirloin steak with arugula and potatoes.
Recommended Dishes Carpaccio bomba, $15.50


Now for Yelp reviews

Mediterraneo

3.0 star rating
93 reviews Rating Details
Category: Italian  [Edit]
1260 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10065
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
(212) 734-7407
Make a Reservation
Nearest Transit Station:
68 St. - Hunter College (4, 6, 6X)
Lexington Ave./63 St. (F)
Lexington Ave./59 St. (N, Q, R)
Good for Groups:
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Attire:
Casual
Price Range:
$$
Good for Kids:
No
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
Yes
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
Yes
Wi-Fi:
No
Good For:
Lunch, Dinner
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Noise Level:
Average
Ambience:
Casual
Has TV:
No
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
$50 for $80 Deal
Alexis A. said: "I dont know what took us so long to come to this place. It was just one of the great staples in Brooklyn. Give me more, give me more.  Date night with…" read more »

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93 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 8 reviews
    Little Ferry, NJ
    7/11/2013
    I've been coming here for years and the food is absolutely amazing! The waiters are awesome! The atmosphere is fantastic.
    What you should know:
    If you plan on coming during dinner hours, you may be in for a wait, so come early and sidle up to the bar for a drink.
    Gets a little tight for groups over 6, but they can accommodate you if you call ahead.
    Chat with the waiters and they will become your friends - people are people and should be treated as such. You treat them well and next thing you know its like you just came to your family's for dinner!
    Hot summer nights, come a bit later for the outdoor seating. Or during brunch for the same.

    What I order:
    Brunch: Crostini Toscano - Pate on grilled bread. Grilled Calamari.
    Dinner: Carpacio con Argula - Beef carpacio with greens. Parpadelle al Anatra - shredded duck pasta with a pink sauce. Simply amazing! You must get this!!
    Desert: Tiramisu - Save room for this!!

    Hope you go and enjoy!
  • Review from

    Elmhurst, NY
    7/4/2013
    I've been meaning to come here for years. My friend used to live in the building adjacent and this place always looked cool. What will first draws your attention is the outdoor seating that wraps along the outside, its on the corner. There is plenty of outdoor seating, which is always nice. After having been, and siting inside, I would say this place has good ambiance, and a great layout overall. I really like the wrap around bar.

    Beyond the aesthetics and feel, I was interested in trying the food. Passing by it always looked good, but you never know of course. When I arrived my friends has already ordered apps, so ended up just getting a dinner item. On my friends suggestion I ordered the pappardelle with duck ragu.

    I'll say this, when I go back I will order this again, it was outstanding. Definitely get the duck ragu.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    6/3/2013
    I've had a lot of Italian in NY and NJ, and this place... well, it disappointed. The Italian-speaking waiters - authentic, but disengaged, more interested in chatting amongst themselves than serving us (one poor guy was the table guy who cleaned, refilled water, and generally handled all the work, the other 3 guys just took orders and handed out bills).

    Server came by to take the order, I picked out the Lasagne, my wife picked up the Tagliolini Al Salmone.

    Bread out first - no EVOO or balsamic on the table. Had to request it, so that tells me this place serves more Americans than Europeans. Water refills took a long time. Again, no bread refill, either when we were done. And flies... I don't know what it is about keeping the doors open in hot season, but they should really invest in some flypaper or similar to eliminate the buzzing during a meal.

    Dishes out fairly quickly, and hot. The Lasagne was underwhelming. The layers of pasta were so overcooked that they simply fell apart (not keeping the dish together at all). The meat sauce was decent though lacking more than just a tomato/basil/cheese flavor, though. My wife's salmon dish was excellent, though - the smoky flavor complimented the cream sauce nicely. Both dishes on the salty side, and again... water service. Eh.

    Mixed bag on the food - can be really good (other dish to try next time will be the black ink linguine) - or off, and the service suffers in the weekday afternoon that I went. But seating is plentiful indoor and out, and a bar.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 6 reviews
    Miami Beach, FL
    5/28/2013
    Here's how it went down:

    Monday evening around 7:30pm, we were looking for a place to grab a beer and wanted to sit outside. This area has a lack of outside seating restaurants, but we saw this place from a few blocks away. We were seated outside pretty quickly and ordered 2 beers. The waiter rolled his eyes at us and just had a really unfriendly/snooty vibe.

    About a minute later the man who sat us (who I think is the owner, after reading some of the other reviews) came over and asked us if we were ordering food. We said that we just came for a beer. He replied that we'd have to order something if we wanted to stay... So we said fine, (though we weren't so hungry). We picked out an appetizer and waited for our server to return. A few moments later he popped his head back out and told me he didn't have the beer I ordered (a Brooklyn Lager).

    So at that point, we felt that this was going pretty sour, pretty fast. We were unwelcome and we got up and left. I would never go there again. Terrible service!
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    3/17/2013
    We came here with a very large group for an employee going away party. When we arrived prior to the scheduled dinner time, we sat at the bar while they set up the tables. The two attractive bartenders were great!  They were able to get drinks for our group and never missed a beat. Prices were moderate.

    We finally were able to sit down. The service was good as the waiters, more than 4 of them, were keeping our wine and water glasses filled all the time. The food came in family style arrangements.

    First, the tables started with a variety of cheese and meats. Then, the fried calamari came out. So far, so good.  Then then pasta arrived.  The pasta in red sauce and gnocchi in pesto sauce was really good.  For some reason, we didn't get the ravioli our my side of the table was which kinda disappointing. The final course was the meats. Chicken and Salmon plates were given to the table.  Both were excellently prepared. We even got a small dessert but I didn't have any so I'm not sure what it was.

    The restaurant itself was dim lighted and perfect for a dinner crowd. They even had an outside eating area but it was cold and windy when we went so it was not being used.

    I will have to come here for dinner without the big group to sample some of their other food options but I have a feeling I will not be disappointed.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 2 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    6/18/2013
    Great food always. Never a long wait even when it's packed. I can't get enough of their estiva salad or their linguine nere with shrimp done extra spicy. Pleasant and professional. Then the awesome tiramisu to complete a perfect meal.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 77 reviews
    Phoenix, AZ
    12/11/2012
    I was so excited to eat here, mainly because it was recommended by someone that I highly admire, but it ended up being the very worst meal I can recall having in quite a long time.

    #1:   The atmosphere was great- adorable.

    #2:  I SPECIFICALLY asked the waiter if there were tomatoes on the Calamari appetizer due to a SEVERE tomato allergy.  He told me that there were only tomatoes in the dipping sauce, so they brought out a different sauce for me.   As we were eating, the bottom of the plate was covered with tomatoes.   I pointed it out to the waiter who seemed to have absolutely no interest in correcting it, apologizing, or even acknowledging that it was a problem.

    #3:  I ordered the steak and potatoes with a very fancy name, and it came out looking like a blue plate special and quite tasteless.  None of the dishes at the table looked like anything I would want to try.   No body made any indication that they enjoyed their meal at all.

    Nothing was said due to the occasion of the evening, but I would recommend you NOT going there.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 158 reviews
    New York, NY
    7/26/2013
    This was the worst food I have ever tasted in all of NY - and I'm not exaggerating. I was here years ago and wasn't impressed so I haven't gone back. However I needed a last minute local place so I decided to try it again. My date took one bit of his lasagna and left the rest untouched. I had a Mediterranean Salad which was awful. It was a cup of scallions, 1/2c of capers, a small piece of shredded lettuce, a few bits of tomato and then boiled shrimp with no taste, which was cut in strips. The house dressing (listed on the menu as coming with the salad) turned out to be oil and vinegar on the side. You would think with two untouched dishes that the waiter would have asked if everything was OK and would have offered to bring us something else (he didn't). If I wasn't on a first date (I'm sure my date felt that same way) I would have sent my dish back. What an awful experience at this place. I will never go back and after two bad meals here I am amazed that this place is still in business.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    FOREST HILLS, NY
    7/26/2013
    I have never taken the time to review a restaurant however the dining experience my friend and I had tonight compelled me to take the time.  We went to this restaurant since it was close to where we were headed.  What a mistake!  The service was TERRIBLE.  I know how hard servers work so I try to be very understanding of their jobs but this server was rude, argumentative, slow, and appeared to resent us sitting at his table from the get go.  I ordered a drink and my friend ordered a soft drink, my drink was terrible and his drink came after we had to practically beg for it.  Then the salads eventually appeared.  My salad had no dressing and when I asked about the the server looked at me like what is the problem and came over with oil and vinegar without asking what I wanted.  They gave my friend a dressing of course not the one he asked for.  The salads were awful but at least they were overpriced!  When the bus boy came to take our salads he completely cleared the table of all silver, bread and when I told him I still had something  coming he snidely said Ill bring you another fork then.  Eventually my pasta dish came after we asked several times and told some random person not our server since he was too busy standing at the door staring out at the street that we were in need of the food as we needed to be somewhere.  My  pasta was more than al dente and the sauce was nothing special.  The server never came to check on us or offer another drink or my friend a refill.  Overall one of the WORST dining experiences I have had and while it wasnt expensive it was not cheap and the service should have existed and been less served with a nasty dismissive attitude.  AVOID  AVOID AVOID!
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    12/5/2012
    Food:  Consistent.  It's great, really.  I am a pasta fan and the fact that they make their pasta fresh is great, it tastes wonderful.  I am always pleased.  The portions are LARGE, so there is no need for an appetizer.  My husband had ths steak a few times and was under-whelmed each time.

    Staff:  Great.  They used to have some really rude waiters there (all men, not a woman in sight).  BUT it seems as of lately, they are all sweet as ever.  It's nice to go to a place and be treated nicely, with no attitude.

    Decor:  The painted walls, the large bar in the middle, the wood everywhere....it's really warm and welcoming.  It doesn't feel like you're on the UES when inside and eating.  Their sidewalk eating area is perfect, it's on the corner and it gets a lot more space than other sidewalk eating areas that I have dined at.
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