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All Reader Reviews of...

Porsena

21 E. 7th St., New York, NY, 10003
nr. Third Ave.
212-228-4923

Avg. Rating

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

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

42% would go back.

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Unbelievably Rude

By AmeliaLM on 5/24/2012

  • Overall Rating: 4
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

I will begin this review by stating that the owner of the restaurant was so rude we did not stay for dinner-- I cannot speak to the quality of the food. I didn't make a reservation because the NYMAG site had it listed under "accepted/not necessary," but when we got to the restaurant (around 7:30), we were told it would be 2 hours to accommodate a table for two. The owner suggested we sit at the bar. The bar just wasn't what we were looking for -- we said the place looked great, we would make a reservation next time, couldn't wait to try it, we would come back another day. After making the pushiest, most aggressive sell to try to get us to sit at the bar, the restaurant owner returned my extremely polite refusal with a curt, "FINE. Look around, not our loss." I was floored. The food may or may not be fabulous-- but this place is in need of a serious personnel overhaul. Even if he's the owner, his front-of-house skills are atrocious. My first five minutes in this restaurant were SO unpleasant, I will not be going back to try again.

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21 out of 40 people found this review helpful.

great neighborhood spot

By stefnyc1 on 11/22/2011

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 7
  • Yes, I would go back!

great food, reasonably priced, low-key atmosphere. if you're looking for cozy and comfortable, this is the place.

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21 out of 44 people found this review helpful.

disappointment

By jweiss on 11/10/2011

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

crashing disappointment, in fact, after this NY Mag review. did i order....the wrong thing? pasta al ragu. it was generic, bland, underseasoned, flat. especially after raised expectations. i ate at the bar: the hostess was fine, but no one seemed to care if i was enjoying my meal. which of course i really wasnt.

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25 out of 49 people found this review helpful.

awful hostess, bad experience, food was just ok

By janedo_nyc on 10/21/2011

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 3
  • No, I would not go back!

The hostess was awful. She gave us a 4 person table bc we had a baby in a stroller with us and told us to make it a quick dinner. We could have waited for a 2 person table but she insisted. So we took it, not really taking her that seriously. She then told us that it was tacky to put our jackets on top of the baby stroller. The baby was sleeping so he was no disturbance. Once the waiter brought our dessert menus she rushed over to remind us that we needed to hurry up. So we told her we'll just take the check instead. So she ran the check over beating the waiter to it. He brought us the check and saw that we already had it and was confused. We paid and left. I'm never going back.

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27 out of 50 people found this review helpful.

Average Food, Expensive, Awful Attitude and Service

By r3card on 10/9/2011

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 2
  • No, I would not go back!

Waited an hour past my reservation time for very ordinary pasta. Save yourself the time and trouble.

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22 out of 43 people found this review helpful.

A great Spot

By aromang on 6/16/2011

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

I had dinner there last night with 9 other people. The meal was a prix fix because of our size. But it was outstanding. Everything we ate was worth every calorie - and there was plenty of it as well. The people were so nice to us and the night was a 10. I would recommend it to anyone.

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27 out of 55 people found this review helpful.

Lovely meal!

By Medusa100 on 6/3/2011

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

We went last night and had a delicious supper - I'm really not sure what the above negative reviews are about. Started off with salads - a fantastic seasonal salad of steamed local asparagus with fabulous, silky ramps (spring onions) and a lovely meyer lemon dressing finished with something creamy - creme fraiche perhaps? Just yummy! Also a fantastic fresh fennel, green beans, celery and roasted almond salad - all different kinds of crunchiness - very snappy and spring-like and a total contrast to the silky asparagus-ramp number. Some wonderful crostini as well - my only caveat would be that I wasn't expecting the mozzarella on the mozzarella & bottarga crostini to be melted - but then again, I didn't ask & the taste combination was fantastic! And finally, the pastas which were superb! We had the spicy lamb & mustard greens pasta - and yes it is rich - which may be the "oiliness" some of the previous reviewers referred to distastefully - there is olive oil and some oil from the sausage, but it is part of the sauce clearly, it slicks the pasta and adds to the textural contrast, particularly with the interior of the pasta being ridged, rather than the exterior. Just wonderful. And a very nice selection of wines by the glass. Plus they were very sweet to our five year old! All in all, a very pleasant dining experience - I am glad we weren't offput by the negative reviews, as we really enjoyed ourselves and will be back!

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28 out of 54 people found this review helpful.

worst pasta we ever got in NYC - who's reviewing the Italian restaurants on NYMag lately??!

By IlConformista on 3/16/2011

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

Our dining expeirence was a total bust: I went with an Italian (from Italy) group of friends, and we all got different pastas, and they were all mediocre to terrible (my spaghetti pomodoro in particular, and how can you not be able to cook those?!?). Menu is boring, really nothing interesting on it (but also not authentic in its simplicity). Also: terrible decor, and under-staffed restaurant

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40 out of 77 people found this review helpful.

Completely Underwhelming

By zachmattheus on 2/20/2011

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

Went with 3 other people, 1 dish was good. Every other dish was terrible...under-salted and over cooked + the service too forever. I will never go back.

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37 out of 78 people found this review helpful.

i love this place!!

By Eknowsfood on 2/9/2011

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

Porsena is awesome. its a true food gem. sara jenkins deserves all the hype surrounding her, she can really cook! the best part of Porsena is that its a perfect neighborhood fit. its a great place you could go to 3x a week and always order something different and love every dish. service is super friendly, awesome beer and wine list, perfect prices (especially for the quality and the chef status) im already addicted to this place and its a month old.

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36 out of 72 people found this review helpful.

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