Morso
420 E 59th St
(between Sutton Pl & York Ave)
Manhattan, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 759-2706
(between Sutton Pl & York Ave)
Manhattan, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 759-2706
- Nearest Transit Station:
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Roosevelt Island (F)Lexington Ave./59 St. (N, Q, R)Lexington Ave./53 St. (E, M)
- Hours:
- Mon-Sat 12 pm - 4 pmMon-Sat 5:30 pm - 11 pmSun 11:30 am - 3:30 pmSun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
- $$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Classy
- Has TV:
- No
- Dogs Allowed:
- Yes
29 reviews for Morso
Review Highlights What's this?
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"They're a bit of an undiscovered neighborhood gem." In 3 reviews
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"...or spaghetti and meatballs for a main course, and the panna cotta..." In 3 reviews
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"We had spaghetti carbonara and pappardelle to start." In 4 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
29 reviews in English
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Review from KP D.
Manhattan, NYJust tried Morso last night for the first time, and was very pleasantly surprised. It's tucked away on a block that's a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of the upper east side, and the spacious feel of the interior, coupled with the very nice outdoor space in front made me feel as though I wasn't even IN New York. The weather was a bit cool and damp for outdoor dining last night, but on a nice summer evening, I imagine it would be quite pleasant to sit out front with a nice view of the Queensboro Bridge.
The service was extremely personable and friendly. Our waiter, as well as the host, bread guy and everyone else we encountered there, were all very attentive and welcoming. The food was delicious - the buffalo mozzarella with avocado (a special for the evening) was particularly good. And the thin-sliced ribeye, which I had for my main course was also extremely tasty.
All in all, a most enjoyable dining experience, and we'll assuredly be back again and again. I'm distributing 4 stars at the moment, though that could eventually be modified to 5 if every visit is as satisfying as this one was. -
Review from Shiori I.
Manhattan, NYI love Morso. It's such a hidden little spot right under the bridge, and coincidentally right by my house.
It has great, mid-priced Italian dishes in a chic atmosphere. It reminds me a bit of the space for La Petite Maison right by the MoMA that recently closed.
The crowd is very UES: older, elegant couples and families. It's nice sometimes to get away from the so-hip-it-hurts crowd.
I've tried mostly the pasta dishes but have never been disappointed. The small and large portion size isn't too different in size so spring for the large!Comment from Ezma S. of Morso 11/20/2012Thanks for your kind words, Shiori! We're proud to offer… More » -
Review from Alli H.
My experience here was complete ambivalence to the food was below mediocre.
I realized why there are so few yelp reviews at this restaurant: the clientele is not of the generation that writes reviews on yelp.
This place is located right across the street from Gustavinos (which is BEAUTIFUL inside if you haven't been).
I try to find places near the 59th street Bridge for my grandma who doesn't walk that well to get into the city easily. Morso seemed like a good idea, pretty good Yelp reviews, suitable price range, etc.
We get in and are seated outside in a lovely outdoor garden. The restaurant isn't as small as everyone made it out to seem. It has about 30 tables in it. We waited for my mom and brother to arrive and looked at the wine list, which wasn't very impressive to me.
We decided to stick with tap water and waited on menus, which came. Service at the beginning of our meal was great but as the meal progressed, service got worse and worse. It was hard to come by a waiter, they definitely looked under-staffed tonight.
We ordered the vegetarian pizzette with goat cheese, and the fried green tomato special salad to start. The pizzette was good. The fried green tomato salad was just ok. The ingredients were fresh, the tomato just ok (nothing like the real stuff down South).
We had some high hopes for the meal. I order the soft shell crab dinner, which honestly was probably the worst dish i have had in a long time. The crab wasn't meaty enough,, didn't taste very fresh and cooked in way too much better and chipotle sauce that was just kind of awkward. The vegetables with the crab tasted frozen.
My brother got a piece of bass with lasagna on top of it, which was easily the best, most creative meal on the table. However, my bad dish was enough to make me never come back here again.
My mom and grandma got the chicken dish, and while the chicken was cooked very well and was juicy, the topping was spicy. the couscous that came with it was creative though. which i gave them points for, however, i don't think it worked that well.
The kicker of this meal that annoyed me the most was that the hot water in my tea wasn't hot. I know waiters hate to make tea because of this reason but if you don't want to make it, don't put it on the menu.
And finally, the bill was expensive which was more annoying.
Don't go here. I was ambivalent, service wasn't good and there are far better places to spend your time and money and calories in manhattan. -
Review from Lissa V.
FFF and I came here for brunch. Although it was much more of a lunch than your traditional brunch fare. We started by sharing the artichoke salad and the mozzarella. Both appetizers were a decent size and quite tasty. I had the Vitella, which is veal medallions with potatoes, leeks, mushrooms and fontina. It was very good, but also very cheesy (even for a cheese lover like me). I tried the Morso cocktail and wasn't impressed.
The walls are filled with colorful pop designs and ad campaigns... something about it is a little Warhol-esque. However, even though the food was good and the service was excellent the main issue I have with this place is location.... it's at 59th between 1st and Sutton place!! Anymore east and you're IN THE RIVER!!!!!!! FFF had a Guilt City deal, so it didn't disappoint (also FFF said her short ribs with fried egg were super yummy) but that's quite the hike for me to come back again unless it was earth-shattering. -
Review from Akira O.
I had a dinner at Morso on a Friday night. I like the nice, bright, and airy atmosphere which brightens up your mood. Suitable for a group dinner, date, or with friends. The servers are friendly and helpful with recommendations. The bread is fresh. The food was good however had some room for improvement. All the dishes we had were a little too rich for my taste. We had spaghetti carbonara and pappardelle to start. They were both tasty however pappardelle was slightly overcooked and came lukewarm. For entree we had the veal and scallops with black rice. I found the sauce on the veal and the black rice to be again extremely rich and would have liked more subtlety. It did not leave any room for desert.
I enjoyed the overall experience here and would definitely go back again. -
Review from Adam N.
Manhattan, NYMy wife had several large group business dinners here and had recommended the place to me with great enthusiasm for both the food and the service. I just brought 8 people from my office and we had a very similar experience. They're a bit of an undiscovered neighborhood gem.
Cordial, welcoming service that was very attentive but not at all overbearing. Reasonably priced for excellent Italian food in a very pleasant, quiet setting. I wasn't wowed by the wine advice I got from the waiter, but they had a nice, albeit small, wine list. Loved the dish of ricotta they brought out with the bread at the beginning of the meal. Excellent Cacio e Pepe. Two of my colleagues had a lovely pasta primavera. A little odd that they were out of the fish special (snapper) at 7PM, but I had a delicious striped bass in a Sicilian preparation with olives, capers, and tomato instead. A terrific side of cranberry beans in garlic and (I think) tarragon (though the menu may have said rosemary). Tiramisu was like affogato - strong espresso and creamy mascarpone - one of the best I've had. They comped us several desserts to share.
It's not a cheap restaurant, but it's an excellent value. We have a lovely meal and very good service in a place that was festive, but quiet enough to have a conversation. I will definitely be going back soon. -
Review from NC C.
East Village, Manhattan, NYThis is my first Yelp review, not a pleasant one unfortunately.
Long story short - Went there for a friend's birthday with my girlfriend. A party of 18 people. Food was decent but waiters were obviously inexperienced and anxious to do their job, which I didn't mind because everyone has a first time.
However, the disaster came when the waiters accidentally hit one another while serving the food - Not only hit my girlfriend's head with a hot plate but pour half of the clam pasta onto her hair and all over the table...Pasta was everywhere..on our clothes...on my iphone...Yes, it's that bad.
We were all in shock but no one panicked, it was my friend's birthday after all. I got the linguine out from her hair, she washed her hair in the restroom an came back to eat. After cleaning, the manager then came out with a new plate and joked "at least the food is in a plate this time rather than on your head", but I couldn't laugh.
We received some free desert but still charged with service fees and for the pasta. We paid and left. I got home and realized my iPhone was damaged from the insertion of the clam sauce. I then called the restaurant ( with friends' phone of course) whom I thought holds the responsibility. Here's what I got from the manager: 1. She did not see my phone. 2. Assuming it happened the sauce shouldn't damage the phone, because "it isn't liquid" 3. Assuming it happened I would have to prove that my phone wasn't already damaged before dinning there, and the pasta was the exact cause of the problem.
Not really sure what I can do at this point but I am totally speechless with the respond, I guess its about time for me to upgrade to an iPhone 5 lol. -
Review from Jeff L.
New York, NYNovice service and meal prep. Mediocre food. Maitre'd unwelcoming. Bread guy distracting, came by at least 5x including once to place an empty bowl , once to take away empty bowl, once to rearrange salt and pepper, once to place olive oil on table, and thereafter, kept walking past us and looking at us as if to try to find something else to needlessly rearrange. Go away bread dude! Overpriced for what it is. Only thing going for it is convenience for those who live in the neighborhood seeking a place to eat in a land of few choices. -
Review from Deb R.
Max Meadows, VAThis is by far one of my favorite NYC restaurants. I'm working my way through the menu and everything is delicious! If you sit at the bar, Tues - Sat, Michael can help you decide what to order and pair it with the perfect wine.-
The trout special.
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Review from Dana R.
Went to a birthday party here for someone and it was very nice. The staff was very attentive to make sure everything was going just fine and the food was pretty tasty. We had a lot of appetizers which included rice balls with dipping sauce, meatballs and skewers with shrimp. I had a pasta dish that was linguine and had a lot of clams and a delicious sauce also which I quickly gobbled up. I forgot to mention the salad that was served as the first course was also noteworthy.Comment from Ezma S. of Morso 10/30/2012We're glad you had a good time, Dana! We always like hosting… More » -
Review from Steve O.
New York, NYI have been here twice now and both times have been highly enjoyable. The food is tasty, the service is excellent and the decor is cool.
As mentioned by others, they offer large and small portions which is great for trying more items than you would usually get.
This time I got the Osso Buco while the wife went with the Bucatini. The Buco came with a piece of bone marrow on top - score! The pasta was tasty - cooked to perfection with a nice buttery/peppery flavor.
At the end we received some complimentary cookies which wasn't anything special but still a nice touch. I only wish that they had a drink menu (although they do have a good looking full bar) and better dessert (we had the cheesecake the first time and it did not impress).
We will be back for sure.-
Osso Buco - big bone marrow on top!
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Bucatini pasta
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Review from Silvina G.
Astoria, NYBased on a Saturday night reservation from a group of 10.
The portions were sooooo inconsistent. While my parpadelle was filling, those who ordered the Saturday special (lasagna) had maybe 2 bites worth of food on their plate (and that was the LARGE/TUTTO). The poor friend that ordered the morso (medium) of the lasagna was the most unfortunate. Mind you, the lasagna was 19 bucks. And while okay we get it, it was "fine dining"... that title can only be justified if the small portion of food is EXCEPTIONALLY good, which it wasn't.( my advice is skip this place and go to Pescatore or something where the food is worth the money)
Also, horrible place for groups paying separately. -
Review from Lucy L.
New York, NYI've eaten here a few times and it is okay, but not great and definitely not worth the price. The pasta has never been al dente and some of the better seasonal items were recreated and came out worse than originally conceived.
Maybe it would be better if Luongo focuses more on what's coming out of the kitchen than whose in the dining room. Every time I have been there, he has spent more time sitting and smoozing with his friends (there are always some friends of Luongo at a nearby table), than in the kitchen. And, it is clear that the lack of attention is impacting the food. -
Review from Simona S.
Manhattan, NYIntrigued by the brunch offer on Gilt City I bought two vouchers so that the four of us could have a leisurely brunch.
Leisurely would be right. While the food is delicious, the service was just a step above abysmal. Multi-tasking is not really their forte. I understand a small crew in the kitchen on a Sunday but you could drop a few checks at the same time instead of going back and forth to all five tables.
Haven't you ever played Diner Dash?
2.5 stars. Harsh but so be it. I rounded up because the short ribs were truly delicious. -
Review from Jackie D.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NYCame here again over the holidays and it was even better than before. Their bacon wrapped pork chop makes my mouth water and the family style servings of pasta are great for larger parties.
Oh and I'm still dreaming about their ricotta cheesecake...the best I've had.
Can't wait to go back!-
Bacon wrapped pork chop
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/21/2011
Even though this place is a little out from the neighborhoods I usually choose to eat at, I'd say… Read more »
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Review from Simone W.
Manhattan, NYAfter searching Yelp for a nearby Italian restaurant for a family dinner I was kind of afraid of Morso after reading the "linguine in my girlfriend's hair" review, but decided to give Morso a try. So we made a last minute reservation and headed over, we were greeted by an enthusiastic hostess who checked our coats and sat us immediately. The decor is fun and modern but also very classic, the tables have crisp white table cloths and they offer tap and sparkling water. We ordered wine and drinks, they were kind of STRONG...one Cosmo had me feeling a bit tipsy. I ordered the Saturday special which is Homemade Meat Lasagna, it was delicious, I cleaned my plate. And our waiter, was from Italy and had the cutest accent, he gave everyone at the table Italian pet names and his menu suggestions were great. They offered about three off the menu specials that night including a very traditional chicken dish, a salad, and another that I can't recall right now. Definitely going back.-
Cosmo
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Saturday night special, Homemade Meat Lasagna
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Review from crystal b.
Manhattan, NYMe and my fiancé strolled in here Tuesday evening and were blown away by both the service and EXCELLENT food!! Very clean tasting, we had the arugula salad with homemade lamb sausage crumbles, and the beet salad, both explosively great. For main entrees they offer two sizes which is nice b/c we were able to share and clean our plates. We had the fettucini with bolognese ( very tasty) and pasta with fresh peas and pesto. I am eager to try the other items on menu which looked plentiful and thoughtful. The ambience is airy, CLEAN, & a real gem in the city. Again, Service was excellent, especially nice when we don't drink alcohol and sometimes servers tend to shine you on b/c you're not ordering $100.00 bottle of wine...not here, very attentive, never had to ask for anything, perfect amount of hovering!
Cudos Morso!! -
Review from Michael B.
New York, NYPino Luongo's new casual hip Italian has a lot going for it. On opening night the kitchen was in good form, turning out small and large plates of almost everything on the menu. The gorgonzola croquetts on a frisee salad were a wonderful start. The Polenta with Lamb Ragout was outstanding, as were the Gnocchi Verdi. The Osso Bucco was perfect, falling off the bone onto the perfectly cooked risotto below.
Service was warm and attentive, and the wine list, while not extensive, certainly had a wide range of very good selections in all price categories.
It is really great to have a high quality place like this in the neighborhood, and with good food, atmosphere and energy, it should attract a hipper crowd than most.
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