I’ll start with the appetizers. I’m not usually a kale fan, but the kale Caesar was a standout. The Caesar dressing and croutons were so good—they really made the dish. I wouldn’t necessarily order it myself, but if someone at the table gets it, definitely try it. The hamachi with Granny Smith apples, cucumber, and horseradish was solid. It was fresh, light, and had a nice balance from the apples and horseradish. Nothing that completely blew me away, but definitely good. The focaccia was also really good—thick, soft, and just great bread overall. It paired well with the Wagyu carpaccio. This was my first time having carpaccio, and it was interesting. It didn’t have a huge flavor at first, but the aftertaste was nice. If you’re curious, try it, but it wasn’t something that stood out enough for me to order again. I didn’t try the roasted beets, but I heard they were great. For the main dishes, I think the rigatoni was possibly the best thing on the menu at L’Artusi. The pesto really stood out, and you could clearly taste the soppressata. I usually think pesto can be a little bland, but this one was really flavorful and balanced well with the rest of the dish. The braised short ribs were the only thing I was really disappointed by. As someone who loves meat, it just didn’t hit for me. The polenta was good, but polenta only really works if the meat carries the dish, and this didn’t. Honestly, it reminded me of something I’d expect from a fast-casual place like Wonder. After seeing the hanger steak in person, I’d definitely recommend going with that instead. For dessert, we had the olive oil cake, the pear napoleon, and the coffee sprout torta. The torta was very chocolatey—almost too much for me. I like chocolate, but when the whole dessert tastes like chocolate it can be a bit much, so I probably wouldn’t get that again. The olive oil cake is the one everyone raves about, but honestly I thought it was pretty basic. The pear napoleon, though, was really good and probably the best dessert we had. The service was phenomenal. Our waitress was really nice, gave us good suggestions, and made the whole experience smooth. I’d give the service a 10/10. Overall, I’d rate the restaurant a 4 out of 5. I probably wouldn’t go again on my own, but if someone asked me to go, I’d say yes—it’s definitely solid. 👍

Had L’Artusi on my list to try — it’s a must! Grabbed a reservation for 2 @ the bar on a Friday at 12:15 for 12:45pm. The garganelli pasta was incredible - I was hesitant about the mushroom ragu but it was so delicious and perfectly done. The olive oil cake was my favorite thing we ate — unbelievable flavor. A spoonful of cake w / the raisin marmelleta and mousse was absolute perfection. Highly recommend L’Artusi. Spent $150 including tip for 2 people - no alcohol.

Definitely one of the best Italian restaurants in New York City. I’m honestly not a big fan of Italian food outside of Italy but this one left a mark. The place gets very crowded so book in advance and be ready to sit pretty close to other tables with quite a bit of noise. The food is very good. We got the rigatoni the perciatelli and the branzino. All of them tasted very good and the portions were also appropriate. It’s hard to find pasta dishes in New York under $30 that make you full these days. For dessert we got the olive oil cake which I personally think is overhyped. It tasted good but a bit dry and just not special enough to have everybody ordering it according to the pics. Overall main dishes were excellent and felt like good value for money. I’d love to come back.