Pretty good reviews..Ha ha..here is someone too who says " I would give it ZERO stars if I could"--one of the articles I read about reviews on Yelp etc. said to ignore ones like this but I am including it anyway
La Giara
501 3rd Ave
(between 33rd St & 34th St)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Murray Hill, Kips Bay
(212) 726-9855
(between 33rd St & 34th St)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Murray Hill, Kips Bay
(212) 726-9855
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
33 St. (4, 6, 6X)28 St. (4, 6, 6X)Grand Central - 42 St. (7, 7X)
- Hours:
- Sat 11 am - 11:30 pmSun 11 am - 10:30 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
- $$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Brunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual, Romantic
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
94 reviews for La Giara
Review Highlights What's this?
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"Awesome brunch spot in the Murray Hill area." In 14 reviews
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"Not to mention a great selection of Brunch options to choose from." In 32 reviews
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"...I had the goat cheese and spinach), unlimited mimosas and the price." In 7 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
94 reviews in English
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Review from Christine S.
Manhattan, NYWhat a cute spot in Murray Hill. I've walked by here a thousand times and kept saying that I wanted to try it, so I finally did. I love me some italian food. Get. in. my. belly.
It was pretty empty when the bf and I came here on a sunday evening (but it was also a holiday weekend, so that kind of makes sense). The place itself is cute though. Not too big, not too small. Typical italian restaurant feel. A notch above casual though.
We were immediately seated and greeted. We both got some alcohol and they gave us some complimentary bread and olive oil as a snack. We ended up getting the calamari as an app and I got the eggplant pasta, while the bf got the steak with potatoes. Hungry boy. His steak also came with an arugula salad. We also decided that we clearly needed more food (we didn't), so we got the zeppoles as our dessert and I just kept on drinking more wine, too. Because, it's wine.
All of the food was delicious. And came out super fast, but that could have been because no one else was there.
The staff was super nice here. Very attentive.
I'd definitely come back here for dinner again or try out their bottomless brunch! -
Review from Erin D.
La Giarehhhhhhhh. Located in the very heart of Murray Hill (can a place without a soul have a heart, though?), it's a do-able choice for a large group of poor, desperate, starving procrastinators, but should probably not otherwise be on your radar.
The La G-ood:
- Great for AYCD groups, especially if there are dudes involved, and you don't want something as divey as Sunburnt Cow, and the guys don't want a classy chick spot like Sotto 13.
- Love the DIY Bloody Mary concept. They bring a bucket of Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt, pepper, seafood seasoning, and a huge jar of grated horseradish (the KEY here) for you to dump into the glass of tomato juice on ice they bring to you. Some garnishes would've made it even better (as would actual vodka - see below).
- It's cheap. Entrees are about $10, and the unlimited refills on a cocktail of your choice is $7.50.
- There are a lot of options on the menu, from frittatas and omelets, to burgers, pasta, and salads.
The La G-ross:
- Sure, the $7.50 unlimited refill deal ain't shabby, but there was NO alcohol in our tomato juice. As a proud lightweight, I was a bit wary coming on an empty stomach here; instead, I was super full on tomato juice by the time the food came. (I actually talked to my brother on the phone about the Syrian crisis right after I left - should NOT be possible after a "boozy" brunch.)
- Every order was wrong, and we had to continually ask for everything: water, ice, alcohol, the check, etc.
- The saddest, cheapest little bread basket I've ever seen. A bum would've turned it away.
- Food is fine, but not high-quality stuff here. I ate it all, but I can't remember it tasting like anything. -
Review from Elyssa J.
I've been wanting to try La Giara for some time now and to my delight I finally did for brunch with a few friends.
At 12:30 on a Sunday, the place was 1/2 full and we were seating quickly even though half of our party "lost track of time" and came late.
The price for this brunch special is great. You buy one full priced mimisoa or bloody mary for $6.50 and they keep refilling it. Compared to other places that charge you $20 or so for unlimited drinking, this spot is a bargain.
I had the french toast with berries and a side of bacon. The waffles were alright - so if you consider them, I would tell you that there are probally better items on the menu. If I were to go back, i'd try something else.
The waiter was very accommodating and my glass was never empty. Even after our food was cleared, he kept us drinking. It took forever for our bill but we didn't care. There was no rush at all. Even when they started changing the napkins over and we realized "OH! It's been four hour" there was no rush!
Overall, I would totally recommend this spot. -
Review from Danise F.
Washington, DCWhat a cute little brunch place!
Was here for a bday brunch (group of about 15 people) The waiters were so nice and made sure everyone was seated comfortably even though this place was packed!
Bottomless mimosas..bloody marys.. etc. The service is really great, the waiters filled up your glass no matter how much you drank and they were pretty attentive. Service alone just bumped this place to 4 stars. Food is 3 stars. Comes with a pretty good muffin basket. I got the salmon eggs benedict. The food is your typical american brunch...
Overall, a good place for a sunday brunch with friends after a night of going out. Might get super busy w/o reservations though..so walk-ins not recommended. -
Review from James O.
Manhattan, NYLet's talk about those bottomless mimosas and bloody mary's for a second. $7.5 for endless boozy brunch fun? I think so. Not to mention your bloody mary comes with a full bucket of condiments so you can build your own. Perfect spot to bring friends.
My party of 5 was lucky we came early for brunch, usually you need a reservation, so make one ahead of time.
You will be greeted by an adorable basket of muffins and breads with butter and jam. The chocolate muffins are awesome.
I had the Kale Salad, which was light and refreshing. And topped with bacon so it was awesome.
It gets loud and crowded, but after your fourth mimosa you stop caring. -
Review from Mel B.
Manhattan, NYCute little place in Murray Hill. We went on a Monday for the 9$ pasta special which is an awesome deal. Started us off with a lot of complimentary bread and mini bruschettas.
I had the whole wheat pasta with veal meatballs and really enjoyed it- big portion too, so I took leftovers. I tried a couple of the other pastas ordered- the red beet potato gnocchi had a great flavor and came in a really rich sauce. I also loved the fusilli with sausage and peas in a creamy pink sauce.
This was a cute place and was a really reasonable meal. I would love to come back here for their brunch! -
Review from Anne M.
Manhattan, NYI went for dinner and had a great meal. It was pretty empty on a Monday night. First, they brought some complimentary olives and bread, which I always love. Then we shared the bruschetta which was yummy but perhaps forgettable. I ordered the spinach and ricotta ravioli for my meal and that was amazing. My BF got ordered a special that was veal ravioli, I believe. It was also tasty. The pastas tasted delicious.
The service was good, except they had a coat rack and no one offered to take out coats. I would come back here for sure if I wanted to stay in Murray Hill. -
Review from Erica L.
La Giara popped my boozy brunch cherry, and boy was it boozy indeed. So much that it rendered me incapable of doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
My two friends and I found this place when searching Yelp for unlimited drinks brunch spots in Murray Hill when our original plan failed. We arrived around noon on a Saturday and were only one of two parties. We later realized that we came at the perfect time because it gradually became packed.
After we placed our orders, the waiter arrived with a bread basket filled with mini blueberry muffins, mini chocolate muffins, and slices of a bread with an iced crust accompanied by a container of hard slabs of butter. The best in the basket was the bread. The muffins were unimpressive, but the bread was very soft and just had a touch of sweetness. It was a nice start to our meal as we awaited our food.
Soon after, my entree arrived: porchetta italiano with shredded pork and a fried egg served with a "salad" and onion rings. The porchetta sandwich was satisfying but a tad bland; however, it was fixed when I added hot sauce. The "salad" was merely a piece of lettuce, two tomatoes, and a slice of an onion. This sorry excuse for a salad instead became filling additions to my sandwich. The measly onions were lightly breaded and fried and the actual onions were sweet but would've been nicer if the onions were meatier or sliced thicker.
When you buy a drink (for only $6.50) and an entree, the drink becomes bottomless (either a bloody mary or mimosa -- once you made your choice, you had to stick with that choice for your refills). I opted for the mimosa, and I later discovered that they put a 2:1 ratio of champagne to orange juice in each pitcher. The waiters were extremely attentive in refilling our drinks, which was a pleasant surprise. We wanted to take full advantage of bottomless drinks, but the waiters didn't force us to leave but instead kindly asked us to move to the bar to make room for more parties. We obliged and continued the merriment at the bar where the waiter continued to check back on us and even cheered with us.
We must've stumbled out of there around 4pm. Four hours of alcoholic bliss. I am not accustomed being drunk during daylight, but I have La Giara to thank. Great success a la Borat.-
mimosa
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eggs benedict with canadian bacon
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porchetta italiano with shredded pork and a fried egg serve…
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Review from April C.
Midtown West, Manhattan, NYIf I could give ZERO stars, I would and here's the honest reason why: went for brunch on a Sunday afternoon with a friend. Even from before she arrived (I got there first) I was being rushed to order and politely had to indicate to the server that my reservation was for 2 people and I was waiting on her arrival to order. He seemed annoyed. Mind you there were empty tables and no line waiting so no great need to turn the table at which I had literally just been seated. My friend arrived and we ordered and even when her food showed up and was not what she asked for we rolled with the punches. I had been here before and this was by far the worst experience we had had service wise but we tried to bear through it since we were catching up. The check came and we split it down the middle. The service was so horrible we both did NOT leave a tip. Being in the industry myself I have an even stronger conviction about crappy service and putting into a table and guests what you would like to get out. At the end of the day we are all people and want to be treated well when we decide to spend our money somewhere. The server helped himself to a tip which I discovered on my statement from chase a few days after our visit to the restaurant. Of course I was furious and contacted them. The only person willing to assist was Francesca, a server. A manager, Lolo, was told about the situation and never found it necessary to return my calls. Another manager, TierPaolo, was adamant that he would return the tip the server added for himself but nothing more as I ate the meal. To hell with the meal. These people are so shameless and downright dishonest that what they failed to realize is that the integrity of the restaurant just went down the drain! Who knows who else's money they have stolen! -
Review from Kristen C.
Queens, NYAwesome brunch spot in the Murray Hill area.
Bottomless Bloody Mary's and Mimosas? Yes please. They just walk around with pitchers so by the time you think you're about to need another, your glass is already refilled. They have a little bucket with Tabasco/horseradish/garlic and whatever other ingredients you might use to season the Bloody Mary's so they're exactly to your taste.
Staff is friendly. Gets a little noisy when it gets crowded and it took us a while to get our check but they kept refilling our glasses so I didn't mind much. Food was GREAT. I got the spinach and mushroom omelet, but the fried egg sandwich that my friend got also looked phenom.
I'll be back. -
Review from Allison C.
Manhattan, NYWent here for Sunday brunch, and it was pretty loud. Too loud, actually. We were almost yelling across the table. They have a nice brunch menu, and prices are fair. Their brunch menu is kind of generic, though. Their regular menu looks much nicer, and looks like it's for an actual Italian restaurant.
Had the kale salad, which was actually really delicious, with pancetta, fresh parmesan, and hardboiled eggs. Not sure if I'd go back. -
Review from Sadie H.
Manhattan, NYWent here after some Sunday Funday football and drinking. I was under dressed and the big family with children didn't seem to enjoy our semi-drunk state.
The staff however was friendly and the experience overall very good. As for the food, all I can say is the pasta I got was delicious. Homemade white cheese sauce. Great portion size. Just enough to feel full without feeling like a glutton. My only concern is that being the American I am, it was a bit pricey to not have lunch leftovers. -
Review from Krista J.
You might miss La Giara on your way to Cinema Cafe or Blockheads, but this diamond in the rough is worth a visit.
I stopped by with a friend for Sunday brunch, mostly because they offer free refills on dine-in Mimosas and Bloody Marys. They have an extensive brunch menu, with lots of traditional breakfast items (eggs, three kinds of pancakes, French toast with berries), as well as some great lunch options (burgers, pasta, sandwiches). And each brunch meal starts with a basket of fresh muffins and breads...yum!
I ordered the Kobe Beef Burger with Truffle Fries ($14) special and a Mimosa ($6.50), while my friend got the French Toast with Berries ($9) and a Bloody Mary ($6.50). Presentation of both plates was very nice, service was friendly, and the drink refills just kept coming. I loved my burger and the truffle fries, and I was full (and a little tipsy) at the end of my meal.
The location is great for people-watching, especially if you sit outside. I can't wait to go back for the Chocolate Pancakes!
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