New York Magazine

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Home > Restaurants > Nello

All Reader Reviews of...

Nello

696 Madison Ave., New York, NY, 10021
nr. 62nd St.
212-980-9099

Avg. Rating

5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Décor: 6
"Mixed Reviews"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

25% would go back.

 Write your own review

Ewwww, a must read for anyone who ever thinks of going there!

By finefoody on 3/27/2009

  • Overall Rating: 1
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 1
  • No, I would not go back!

First things first, I had a chance to go into the kitchen and let me tell you it is DIRTY. The counter and cutting boards were disgusting. Leaving cleanliness aside that Nello is nothing but a suck-up cheat. Overcharges for dishes that supposedly have truffles on them, you need a microscope to see those tiny peices. If you read about this "Nello" fake, he calls the paparazi as soon as half a somebody walks in through the narrow restaurant doors so the place can be dubbed as famous. He's so desperate to be known. The food? The food is okay. but just okay. I've had better at olive gardens for foodness sake. If you want to be treated with an ounce of kindness by the anyone in that restaurant then you better look like a somebody and dress up because otherwise they'll treat you like f*****g crap. Never going there again, just remembering that dirty kitchen, ewwwww.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
105 out of 171 people found this review helpful.

way overpriced

By rbesho on 4/28/2009

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

I stopped in for lunch alone on a weekday & ordered Pelligrino, & Dover sole ( special, no price quoted ). Service was adequate, sole was very good, price was $84 before tip. I realize Dover sole is an expensive dish, but prices are at least 30% too high. If I had ordered coffee & dessert I would have spent $175 for lunch.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
115 out of 197 people found this review helpful.

Hoodwinked

By memflyken2 on 9/22/2009

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 2
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

It was a beautiful Saturday pre-noon. The marigolds in large pots outside looked inviting; the chance to dine al fresco in such a beautiful spot seemed too good to pass up.... Big mistake. The food was actually passable -- or so the three of us convinced ourselves -- and what was not to like about the decor? But how was I to know that I'd be paying through the nose for the pleasure of enjoying it? A singular experience, this: lunching @ $100 a person at the most over-priced restaurant in the world. Don't be deceived as you walk by; Nello gives whole new meaning to the phrase "highway robbery."

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
100 out of 171 people found this review helpful.

A major disappointment

By dmdeans on 1/27/2010

  • Overall Rating: 2
  • Food: 2
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

I had dinner at Nello's expecting an excellent dinning experience. Was I disappointed! This place was outrageously expensive, stuffy and the staff arrogant. My associate had a small piece of fish which was $65 which came with 2 asparagus. The garden salad was $17. Their wines were marked up 4x to 5x as opposed to most restaurants at 2x times cost. The food was acceptable (not great), the service slow and everything so overpriced you felt taken advantage of. Would I go back... NEVER!! Avoid this "rip off" joint at all cost.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
89 out of 154 people found this review helpful.

$75 lobster salad

By marga on 2/9/2010

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

Went for lunch. Expected to overpay but for once in my life, was truly shocked when received bill for small salad with a SCOOP of lobster for $75! I have been to numerous restaurants in the city with important chefs and amazing reputations and have never ever paid this much for so little. My mistake was not asking the price when waiter introduced this item as a special but I really do feel that with such a hefty price tag, it should be something he should have mentioned. Oh well. Never ever again. Nello now holds the honor of being the first restaurant I've ever felt compelled to review online. I just had to.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
116 out of 197 people found this review helpful.

Horrible!

By helenka on 5/22/2010

  • Overall Rating: 2
  • Food: 2
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 2
  • No, I would not go back!

Was charged $49 for a tiny lobster salad. Terrible service. Asked for bread 3 times. Water arrived when was almost done with my meal. Pretentious and Overpriced. With so many wonderful choices to the left and right of this place, why would anyone go back?

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
76 out of 116 people found this review helpful.

A place for Pretentious Idiots

By ChesterMills on 7/8/2010

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 8
  • No, I would not go back!

Over priced and way overrated. Once you're inside, you will come to understand the attraction to this Restaurant and its not for their food, its for the Pompous Morons that dine here.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
59 out of 102 people found this review helpful.

I'd never visit again.

By hamabenouta on 9/19/2010

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 2
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

We usually have a dinner at Amaranth which is our neighbors.But that night it had a big party and no table for us. We visited Nello near there instead. It was our big mistake.What a price! It was really unbelievable.We could dine at Amaranth 3 times with it.We were disappointed at their service. We did not have a chance to see wine list.We were asked what to drink,and said Pino Grigio and had to pay more than $20 for a glass.It was an awful experience,but I've learned.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
71 out of 108 people found this review helpful.

Dinner at Nello's - What a scam!!

By NYparee on 9/20/2010

  • Overall Rating: 1
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

Nello's looked nice enough when we arrived, but my spidey sense should have been tingling when the distracted host: a) tried to seat us by the door to the kitchen and b) was perfectly indifferent when I asked to be seated near the front of the restaurant. Nevertheless, I held my judgment--big mistake. When ordering our appetizers, we asked for some bread. The response? The restaurant was "out of bread". How can an Italian restaurant run out of bread?! This and other mysteries would haunt and baffle us throughout the evening. The rest of the service was slow and callous and we frequently heard the host yelling at the highly undertrained waitstaff (granted, this was somewhat comical). It is difficult to imagine a work of fiction with a more disastrous plot. But what was worse was that it seemed as though other tables in the restaurant shared our terrible fate. Saving the best for last, Nello's grand finale was the bill. I should have known better than to order a special (pasta dish with no price mentioned by the reliable waitstaff), but still, the punishment was not exactly commensurate with my crime. The price for this little (perfectly mediocre) 2-person fiesta? $407.85! I have had meals in 3 michelin star restaurants for less than the culinary catastrophe that is Nello's. If only I could assuage the pain of my financial wounds with the knowledge that I had experienced high dining bliss. But no, this was not to be. I have experienced finer cuisine out of a Kraft box.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
151 out of 198 people found this review helpful.

Outrageous

By tanya606 on 11/30/2010

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 5
  • Décor: 3
  • No, I would not go back!

My husband and I were in NY for the weekend. We had previously eaten at Nello's and knew it would be expensive but have not been there in years. I ordered the special of risotto with truffels (no price given at anytime), a meal I have enjoyed in excellent restaurants in France, Italy and UK. The food was delicious but I can't describe the letdown when the bill came and we were charged $250.00 for the risotto ALONE. I can't ever eat there again or recommend it to anyone knowing what crooks they are.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes No Request Removal
72 out of 129 people found this review helpful.

Add Comment

You will be prompted to sign in with your NYMag or
Facebook account.

  awful average excellent
In determining overall rating, food and service are given more weight.
Rate
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Food
Service
Décor
Would you go back?

Some Hints:

  • The best reviews give a clear sense of why you liked or disliked a restaurant, bar, or store. And that means details. Mention specifics dishes, type of crowd, pros and cons...
  • If it's helpful to compare one place to another, go for it.
  • Come up with clever, funny, pithy subject lines, and write in the first person.
  • Don't forget to read the user rating guidelines and rules.
CloseUpdating your review
By
| Not you?
Advertising
Advertising