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All Reader Reviews of...

Perbacco

234 E. 4th St., New York, NY, 10009
nr. Ave. B
212-253-2038

Avg. Rating

6
Food: 6
Service: 6
Décor: 7
"Mixed Reviews"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

50% would go back.

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Exciting & Inventive Italian Cuisine

By BJJC on 12/3/2011

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

Perbacco offers the excitement if fine Italian dining at reasonable neighborhood prices. This is not your usual "red sauce" Italian restuarant. Don't expect meatballs drowning in tomato sauce or dry slabs of bread-encrusted veal cutlet. Despite the modest interior, Perbacco is a carefully crafted dining experience that focuses on serving freshly-made exciting dishes that exploit the natural flavors of fine ingredients. A wine list offers almost thirty wines available by the glass so you can mix and match your beverage to suit each course. A larger selection is also available by the bottle. On my most recent trip I had arancini rice balls as good as any I'd eaten in Sicily, followed by the most succulent honey-glazed pork bellies imaginable. Desert was an intense Tiramisu that must have used 100% cocoa ingredients. Overall an excellent dining experience.

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17 out of 27 people found this review helpful.

Never again

By eleftheria724 on 4/2/2010

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

Late night dinner on a Saturday, and the place was still packed, so I thought it was going to be amazing, if people were still waltzing in for 10:30 reservations. Maybe I went in with high expectations, but I thought the food was less than mediocre. The pumpkin ravioli was drenched in butter, with a wayyy too sweet amaretti foam and a wayyy too salty meat concoction. Practically every dish we ordered had mushrooms, why????? I like mushrooms, but not at every course and in every option! Won't be returning, sad because I really wanted to like it. The chef needs to work on his flavor and texture combinations.

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38 out of 77 people found this review helpful.

The difference between right and wrong

By DustDaBomb on 2/23/2010

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

The manager seemed really excited that we were first-timers, and expressed an eager interest in hearing what we thought about our meal when finished. So after the appetizers, when he asked us what we thought, we didn't hold back. In both consistency and taste, we all strongly disliked the beef tartare. He seemed surprised to hear it, and told us he was going back to the kitchen to find out why it was so unappealing. That was the last we saw of him. After racking up a tab of nearly $300 for three of us, it was upsetting to find that $13 excuse for a tartare still on the bill. Now I'm not advocating giving away free food, but when the manager asks for candid feedback, I think they should be prepared to try and fix what’s wrong. Why? 'Cause its the right thing to do!

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55 out of 108 people found this review helpful.

Bum Rush

By joep on 9/5/2009

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

Fine food. Not outstanding. Cramped. On my list a long time. Went for my birthday. 90 min. after the time my reservation we were told of a 2 hour limit and that the meal was over b4 dessert. Had wine, 3 apps & 2 mains. When calmly questioned the manager we got a REAL unprofessional bad attitude. Nothing like this ever happened in 30+ years of fine dining.

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60 out of 136 people found this review helpful.

For Anyone Who Wants to be a Top Chef Judge...Go Here.

By opti5650 on 12/16/2008

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

The food at Perbacco is inventive and inspired. It's classic Italian somehow transferred into avant-guard. Even if you don't love one or two of the dishes, you'll be glad you ordered it anyway because it will be like nothing you have ever tried, and novelty is always fun for a foodie (especially at their relatively inexpensive prices!). I come here A LOT, and I have introduced over a dozen people (of all different palates), and everyone is ALWAYS more than pleased with Perbacco and has gone back on their own. The Crostini, the Parmesan crème Brule, deep friend risotto balls, the basil salad, the pumpkin ravioli, and most of the pastas are just to die for. Dishes I found more interesting than delicious were the deep fried Gorgonzola with mango gelato, the gnocchi with duck, and the fried pumpkin and goat cheese balls. And for desert, you just can't go wrong with anything. I have never ventured into the meat or fish portions of the menu because the pastas are just too irresistible, so I have no advice there.

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69 out of 141 people found this review helpful.

Superbly Mediocre

By lparis on 11/13/2008

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

Honestly, a two-star review from Frank Bruni is so over the top, it's not even funny. This place is a great neighborhood staple for solid Italian, but it just doesn't hit that high. After a double recommendation from the bartender and the hostess, I got pumpkin ravioli, which tasted like dessert with an odd cloying aftertaste and a sad five slimly-filled pastas. Expecting big things from the tiramisu after the staff's raves, I received a big glass filled with the requisite layers. Unfortunately, the lady fingers were almost non-existent as was any espresso flavor. It seemed to be replaced with strange flakes of coconut and too much mascarpone. The atmosphere is convivial and the wine list, not bad, but I had just expected so much more.

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55 out of 120 people found this review helpful.

Started well but going down hill!

By FarielB on 4/11/2005

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 2
  • Service: 4
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

With its authentic food, charming staff and good wine selection, we always enjoyed going back to Perbacco. We recently went with a group of friends and surprisingly the experience was dreadful: very bad service and mediocre food. Our recent food experiences at Perbacco have been very inconsistent - Like many places in New York, Perbacco started very well however its going down the hill!!!

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314 out of 615 people found this review helpful.

Authentic snacking & more

By italtrav on 12/9/2003

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 6
  • Yes, I would go back!

Authentically, if eclectic, Italian recipes organized in such a way that you can either nibble, organize a steady parade of appetizers or put together a traditional Italian meal. Wine is more upscale than the food or the elegantino tables. Fellow from Padova owns the place and is a congenial guide to the menu.

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279 out of 586 people found this review helpful.

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