Skip to content, or skip to search.
Skip to content, or skip to search.
Home > Restaurants >
All Reader Reviews of...
Lupa Osteria Romana
170 Thompson St., New York, NY, 10012
nr. Houston St.
212-982-5089
| 7.3 | "Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
Prices are low, but such is reflected in portions.
TheForestEnds from 10003-4170 | Posted on 3/5/09
|
|
The food was not bad but to be honest, I feel a bit led on by the place. My first bite of ricotta gnocchi transported me back in time to when I was 8 and eating Chef Boyardee. Yes. I said it. And I mean it. It had the same blandness of flavor and lack of inspiration as my former childhood staple. The portion size of the gnocchi was dwarfed by the enormous white bowl it was served in. However, the bread served was excellent, as well as the brussel sprouts and the prosciutto di Parma I sat at the bar for a bit, waiting for my guest, and I spoke with the bartender. He was very warm and knowledgeable, and this was reflected in his selection of a glass of Barolo that pretty much blew me away. Being a Batali restaurant, needless to say, the wine list is very well tuned.
Did you find this review helpful? 
Spilt wine on my cashmere sweater and nothing comped...
achtung180 from 10003 | Posted on 4/27/08
|
|
We've been meaning to try Lupa for awhile now but don't like how it gets overly crowded. We opted to try the restaurant on a late Sunday afternoon and the place was not crowded at all. The meal went down hill when the waitress brought over the wine bottle and the entire bottle fell from the tray and onto my lap. The waitress was apologetic and the manager came over saying we'd have something sent over to our table. The entire meal passed and we got our check, nothing was comped, we didn't have anything "sent over to the table" and we had to ask the manager to get our dry cleaning billed paid for. To top it all off the food was mediocre. With service and attitude like this why would anyone go to Lupa?
Did you find this review helpful?
Talk about a disappointment....
shulerg from W1 | Posted on 1/5/08
|
|
After hearing so much about this place, we booked a table for 4 on New Years eve in the afternoon to kick off our celebrations. From the moment we walked in the restaurant it was nothing but disappointment. The staff were extremely dismissive & as we were waiting for our table we were ushered into a corner near the coat check only to be moved every 2 mins by the waiting staff walking through. Clearly the restaurant is too small for the amount of people they book for. My girlfriend was spoken to by the maitre'd in an extremely rude way. Really not acceptable. Don't believe the hype about LUPA as the food is average, overpriced & the service is awful. Get yourself to 202 instead, amazing food & service to boot.
Did you find this review helpful?
This place screams "We're important! You're not!"
Tomclash from 11215 | Posted on 8/12/07
|
|
If you like tasteless, soft pasta, bland fish, snobby, disinterested service and a limited menu you'll love this restaurant. Upon hearing that I did not care for my meal I was asked if I wanted something else, but never offered a menu or an apology. Having worked in several restaurants in my life and eaten in virtually every Italian one of consequence in NYC, I was taken aback by this development. There are hundreds of NY Italian restaurants better than this one. Don't waste your time and money.
Did you find this review helpful?
Go To August Instead
WVfoodsnob from 10012 | Posted on 12/26/06
|
|
The food was good, not great, but the ambiance was lacking. For a better "baby Babbo," try August on Bleeker... the chef came from Babbo, and the food, decor, and service are perfection.
Did you find this review helpful?
Mario Has Done It Again
Enricolon from 11222 | Posted on 12/5/05
|
|
I have been to several of Mario's Restaurants and to date this is his best yet. The staff was great very knowlegable and tended to our every need. Everything from the Bandolino Wine , the White Beans and Chard, the Papardelle Pasta with Chicken Ragu, the Vino Santo and the Biscotti. Thank you, you all do a great job.
Did you find this review helpful?
disappointed
nicolassa | Posted on 11/14/05
|
|
I used to like this place for it's vibrant food. On my last visit however, the special was undercooked, thick, rubbery papardelle doused with very overcooked tasteless duck ragu, unedible. A pricey seafood first was terrible, ugly and dry. It used to be very good. What happened to the chef??
Did you find this review helpful?
affordable prices for gourmet sensibility
chipper | Posted on 7/19/05
|
|
Lupa gives the novice to authentic Italian dining an affordable entree. The ambiance is casual and friendly. The menu is in Italian but the staff is knowledgeable and eager to be of assistance. There a plenty of Italian standby dishes, such as the spaghetti aglio e olio, but there are exotic offerings as well. The salad of tripe and spinach and appetizer of raw pickled sardines spring to mind. The pasta is heavenly, the ricotta gnocchi with fennel sausage is a must as was the orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sweet sausage. The pork shoulder combined the smokiness of Memphis barbecue with the sweet and sour flavors of which Roman cooking is so fond. The wide wine selection and dessert offerings only enhance the smart and diverse epicurean experience. Known as “Babbo on a budget,” this restaurant belies its affordable prices with amazing fare.
Did you find this review helpful?
terrible.
aklein | Posted on 4/12/05
|
|
I took a group for a $60 price fix Easter dinner and it was terrible. The service was slow, the food tasteless. Lupa clearly shows how Mario has expanded too far. We left hungry, out hundreds of dollars and went to pick up falafel sandwiches --- on Easter.
Did you find this review helpful?
Passion in every dish!!
serenity0055 | Posted on 1/17/05
|
|
This place is charming. Thank god for the glossary because it can be a bit confusing. Service was extremely attentive and kind. Each dish that came out was bursting with flavor!!! A great little spot to enjoy a fabulous affordable meal.
Did you find this review helpful?
Advertising
Latest News
Latest News Near
Popular Restaurant Guides
-
Where to Eat
Adam Platt picks 2009’s top dining destinations,
including Dovetail, Momofuku Ko, and Corton. -
Best of New York Food
The best that the city’s restaurants have to offer:
paella, coffee, grilled cheese, ramen, and more. -
The Cheap List
We live in a city full of small cheap-eats miracles,
including $1 foods, Korean fried chicken, and burgers.
The Transformation of TV Into an Art Form
The Draw of Dream Worlds in Film
Gosselin, Prince of the Professional Nobodies
A Decade of Defining Moments in Pop-Culture
The Invention of New York's Local Cuisine 
Thirty-Five Short-Lived Looks of the Decade
Two Views of a Swath of the Upper West Side
An Older Generation Moves Into Williamsburg
Ten Years That Changed Everything
A Generation of Overparenting
The Sports Rivalry of the Decade
What Is the Point of the United States Senate? 
