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Arte Café
106 W. 73rd St., New York, NY, 10023
nr. Columbus Ave.
212-501-7014
| 6.0 | "Mixed Reviews" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
Arte Cafe on West 73rd Street
damrau from 10023 | Posted on 2/20/09
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This dear restaurant is a real treat with terrific food, a warm and charming staff and wonderful value! My guests and I were treated with respect and humor while other guests were enjoying themselves making the atmosphere very festive. The food is fabulous as the generous menu allows you to come back again and again! In this time of getting more for your money, this neighborhood restaurant reflects its inhabitants... the artists of the Upper West Side.
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Um, do we have a waiter?
brettshutson from 01915 | Posted on 12/3/08
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We sat at our table for 6 or 7 minutes before our server came around. What else is there to say? There is no excuse for such an oversight of basic service--this is Manhattan. We had to ask for bread; it arrived less than room temperature. I don't understand this. We had to ask for oil, though other tables had it. I will say the entrees were actually really tasty and satisfying. The dessert, despite a limited menu, was also good. Nonetheless, for all the great restaurants in the city, there is no reason for anybody to risk visiting this one until other reviews counteracting mine start to pile up.
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Rudeness with the Ravioli
geckoid from 98052 | Posted on 12/2/08
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Just returned from one of the rudest experiences I've ever had at a restaurant anywhere in the world. I was heavily patronized by the management at the top of his voice in the middle of the restaurant because i had not tipped the obligatory 20%. The service from the door through the meal was rather ordinary. A surly and impolite receptionist followed by an average waiter. I tipped 15% which was comensurate with the service. Not good enough for the manager who gave a booming lecture on pay structures in America and his restaurant, in particular, whereupon he divulged that he doesn't pay his wait staff any salary. He also suggested the "some people aren't good at maths". The Australian manager would do well to take a novel approach he was taught in Australia and pay his staff and perhaps the service would improve. Moreover, his patronising and belittling attitude is not necessary and certainly is not missed in Sydney. My advice. Stay away from Arte. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area of superior standard.
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Going Down
billncteach from 10801 | Posted on 10/31/08
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I had been going to Arte Cafe for many years and have noticed an erosion on many fronts; from the "front door" to the exit, the experiences are now less than wonderful. Suffice it to say, my expectations have changed. If I want an adequate to good meal and willing to put up with near rude service - I'll go - so long as my dinner partners are of the same mindset. As for specifics; the last three times the greetings were indifferent to hectic. The wait staff had to "found". The food was good on two occasions, but the last one was poor; food had to be sent back and wrong entrees were brought - and no apologies offered.
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Worst Night Ever
alexandrahl from 10023 | Posted on 4/27/08
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Last night we took our uncle to Arte Cafe. We had lazy service, Carpaccio with bugs on top, and a waitress who chased us out of the restaurant to berate my uncle for leaving an insufficient tip, which was only the second time we had seen this woman all night. Needless to say, we won't be going back and I doubt our uncle will come back to visit either. This place is a nightmare. Maybe my worst NYC dining experience yet.
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Warm? Unpretentious? Uh, no.
onthewater from 10023 | Posted on 12/28/07
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We tried this restaurant specifically because of the way the review characterized it -- as a warm, unpretentious, neighborhoody place for good Italian food. Upon arrival we were greeted with a chilly reception, followed by 1) a brusque attitude at the bar, 2) an irritable waiter who could barely be bothered to stay long enough to answer questions and take the full order, 3) a server who didn't understand the concept of serving dishes from BOTH sides of the table rather than shoving hot plates across, and 4) on top of all of that, a weak meal -- stay away from the baked cod with "carpaccio" of tomato. The only conclusion I can draw from this dismal experience is that the staff encounters a lot of tourists who they think don't know any better and will probably never be back. We live close by, and I would have loved to make this a regular place. PS... If you're reading this, Arte Cafe, we're the ones who left the $5 tip on the $120 check last night. You're welcome.
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Great food, terrible service
frankatuws from 10023 | Posted on 5/29/07
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The food and the place itself were very good. However, the service is very disappointing, to say the least. Most of the waiter did not speak any English. Even worse, they were totally unskilled, not trained, arrogant and not nice at all. (Don't smile at your customer, he could feel welcome!) - They removed my daughter's and my plate while my wife was still eating - They removed a glass half full of wine without asking, and didn't apologize when bringing back a new, empty glass! - They didn't check on us and how we liked it - They dumped a piece of bread directly into the butter on my plate when asked about a second piece of bread. - They didn't clean up the table before serving the main dish, and the waiter put the main dish directly into a BIG pile of bread crums. When we complained to the head waiter, he just said " its suppossed to be like that" dismissively. (This is a quote from another's guest feedback and I couldn't agree more) I would give it a second try though.
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wiil not go back
yvonne05 from 10032 | Posted on 5/16/07
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Most of the reviews are quite old so here is a more recent one. We ate there during the past week on a weekday with a rather large party, we had a very dissapointing experience considering the amount of money we spent. First the service was extemely slow the bread took more than 30 mins. to be served, when it was finally served it was soo cold and soo hard you could seriously hurt somebody with it. When we complained the waiter just said " its suppossed to be like that" dissmissively. To make matters worse, they forgot the butter that took another 30 or so minutes, after asking 4 people. When we finally got to eat the servings were minute, the dishes were not so bad taste wise , but at that point we could'nt care less anymore cause we were already starving. Also we tried to speak to the manager , and our requests were just ignored. In the end ALL of us in our large party,swore never to come back there again.
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right on
rock from 10023 | Posted on 4/8/07
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This is what I really like about Arte Cafe, no fusion, no pretention and no attitude. Just real Italian food and by the way the best outdoor space in NYC.
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bravo
caramia | Posted on 6/24/05
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a feel of a 5 star restaurant at 2 star prices. molto buono
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