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All Reader Reviews of...

Covo Trattoria

701 W. 135th St., New York, NY, 10031
at Twelfth Ave.
212-234-9573

Avg. Rating

7
Food: 8
Service: 6
Décor: 8
"Recommended"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

100% would go back.

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great food, terrible staff

By mistermcgoo on 6/11/2011

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 4
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

The Good: Beautiful decor, low lit with candles, chunky wooden tables, open kitchen and bar. It says both 'casual' and 'classy' at the same time which is a nice mix. The food was great, we had the grilled rack of lamb, the lobster ravioli, swiss chard and hazelnut gelato for dessert and it was all very well executed, flavorful and delicious. The menu is reminiscent of Max Soha's with more variety and of course the brick oven pizza (which I will try next time) The Bad: Service is incredibly slow and irregular here, it was baffling to see the restaurant half empty, with dozens of staff but not being able to get a glass of water or a basket of bread, or anyone to come take our order, or check in on us, or bring us the check, the kitchen seemed on top of things since the food came out in a timely fashion but the supporting staff was just seriously lacking. The Ugly: Ghetto-ass staff, many who seem to treat it as their own personal playground by goofing off and just being outright obnoxious. It ruins the ambiance of the place when you have some hood rat server/busboy yelling to his buddy across the room at top volume, unbelievable. This same jackass then proceeded to grab one of the high-wattage lights where the servers pick up the plates and shine it 'spotlight-like' on his buddy's table nearby, problem is that this light is as bright as the sun so its lighting up the whole dining room behind and blinding half the customers trying to enjoy their otherwise romantic dates.

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16 out of 34 people found this review helpful.

Food, ambiance, value

By mledoux on 1/26/2011

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

Covo...here's what you need to know: >> On The Upside: 1. Quality pasta that would be double the price anywhere else. | 2. Thin crust pizzas for roughly $10. | 3. A fantastic wine list with a more-than-adequate house red that won't break the bank. | 4. It's huge and located on a seemingly forgotten strip in Harlem (a.k.a. 12th Ave) and it's neighbors with Fairway (the good one) and Dinosaur BBQ | 5. It's where you want to go when you want to get away from the norm. Off the grid enough that not everyone's been, but in-the-know enough that there's a steady patronage. | 6. When you bring friends there, for the first time, they'll never forget it. | 7. Your friends are automatically less cool than you if you've been and they haven't | 8. It's great for large crowd for any occasion (they're easy and accommodating). | 9. I've hosted 2 birthdays there. | 10. in the summer they have a large patio, that I defy you to NOT be able to get a seat at (no matter how busy). | 11. Friendly attentive staff. | A mixed crowd. >> On The Downside: 1. Parking is tricky, when it's busy. | 2. They can be a little slow at the bar in the upstairs lounge | 3. If you want your dining experience to be that of silence, it's not happening

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21 out of 45 people found this review helpful.

Yummy pizzas and nice ambience in an underserved neighborhood

By FoodMusiclover on 10/2/2010

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

I live nearby on Riverside Drive in the 140s. I wish there were more restaurants around here, but I guess it will take some time. Covo has great, thin-crust pizzas - I adore the ortolano (roasted eggpant, roasted pepper, fresh mozzarella). Nice, rustic ambience. Service is hit or miss. Good place to go after shopping at Fairway, just down the street.

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16 out of 35 people found this review helpful.

Great for summer nights

By HamiltonHeightser on 8/3/2009

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 6
  • Yes, I would go back!

Lovely outdoor seating and wonderful thin-crust pizzas. Service can be hit-or-miss, but I keep coming back for the food and atmosphere.

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60 out of 109 people found this review helpful.

Covo - New York

By miho01 on 7/14/2008

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 6
  • Décor: 6
  • Yes, I would go back!

Great place, great food and amazing prices! If you go there I highly recommend their Prosciutto Crudo pizza.

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47 out of 87 people found this review helpful.

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