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All Reader Reviews of...

Via Emilia

47 E. 21st St., New York, NY, 10010
nr. Broadway
212-505-3072

Avg. Rating

8
Food: 8
Service: 8
Décor: 8
"Recommended"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

84% would go back.

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One of the best

By LucaLC on 12/22/2012

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

I'm young but I've travelled a lot in my life. I am italian (a true "Modenese") and love Italian cuisine. I have tried Italian restaurants wherever I have happened to be and obviously compared them to the ones I used to go with family/friends when I was much younger and was still living in Modena. Well, the experience of "Via Emilia" was shocking: one of the best restaurant where I have ever been, certainly the best Italian (and "Modenese") restaurant outside Modena. Truth to be told I have only tried "gnocco fritto con prosciutto crudo", "tortellini in brodo", "caramelle", "cotechino in galera" and "pannacotta". The "gnocco fritto" and "tortellini in brodo" were even better than the vast majority of other restaurants in Modena, pretty similar to those my old grandma used to cook for us. The "pannacotta" deserves a note, as well: tender, sweet…way above the average pannacotta you usually eat at restaurants. The chef, a true Modenese emigrated in NY more than 20 years ago is kind, willing if you have questions and always present. In conclusion, a great restaurant with lots of tasty (yummy) courses. Needs a visit if you are in search of true, genuine, authentic Italian food.

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4 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

Excellent!

By bc961 on 7/8/2011

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

Since I studied in Italy for a few months (and am of Italian heritage), I wanted to find an authentic, not overly priced Italian restaurant in the city. This is the place to go! I've been here twice, and my friends and I love it. The tortelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach was delicious, as well as the black pasta with squid. I tried my friends' ravioli stuffed with pumpkin and the lasagna, and those were amazing too! Just remember to bring cash, because they don't accept credit. The decor is great too. A+!

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14 out of 29 people found this review helpful.

Authentic Food

By hmclark on 6/14/2011

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

As someone who was born in Emilia Romanga and lived there for a good part of my childhood, this food is authentic to the region. This is as real as it gets.

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15 out of 31 people found this review helpful.

Very impressive

By Andrew101 on 4/28/2011

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

Via Emilia is a very relaxing and a romantic restaurant. The people who work there does not want you to be unsatisfied, they want u to be amazed with awe. I also love this restraumt because their interior is very colorful, and it's not a loud restraunt, like others are.

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14 out of 29 people found this review helpful.

Beautiful, tasty and a good value

By jarret on 10/7/2008

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

I love Via Emilia. Just like Cafe Asean, I take all my friends there and they all fall in love. Clean, simple meals focusing on good ingredients -- just like in Italy. The simple pastas: pomodoro, ragu, etc. were all killer. Beautiful interior referencing Gerhard Richter, cute friendly waiters and a relaxed atmosphere only add to the dining experience. Go now! Plus Scores is next door so you can watch desperate men go in and leave which is always fun.

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55 out of 103 people found this review helpful.

The real thing

By RiccardoNY on 8/9/2008

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

To those who believe maccaroni and cheese (BTW, it is maccheroni) is a popular italian dish, there are plenty of TGI Fridays to pick from in New York. Please avoid going to Via Emilia - it will shorten the waiting line to the rest of us. To those who actually want to taste the real thing, this is probably the best option in NY aside of getting on a plane and flying to Italy. Have tried a few, have also been to 'Del Posto' and other fancy so-called Italian restaurants in New York - taste has nothing to do with what it is supposed to be. Which is fine, as long as expectations are clear. To the uninformed, the original tortellini receipt has them actually "floating in chicken broth". Tortellini alla panna is a popular but modern interpretation.

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53 out of 99 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Italian Food

By IngeNYC on 8/9/2008

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

The person who wrote that Via Emilia has horrible food and wouldn't survive three days in Italy - doesn't know what he/she is talking about. My husband is from Bologna and we have been more times than I can remember to get our 'fix' of food from his region. Especially the lasagna is very good and authentic (even if possibly the portions are bigger than you would get in Italy - but that is simply because they cater to the average American big appetite), the tortellini alla crema are to die for and certainly try the gnocco fritti. All our Italian friends in town love this place and we even took my husband's mother there when she was visiting & yes she loved the food as well ;)) Service is very good, everyone is always very friendly and helpful. The decor is maybe not what you would expect for an Italian restaurant but the food more than makes up for that. Highly recommended to anyone that appreciates real Italian food.

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58 out of 112 people found this review helpful.

no no

By pki on 2/14/2008

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

No longer than 3 days a place like this would survive in Italy. Food is almost inedible. (Although you could eat it if, you ask them to heat it up for you.) All in all one of the worst italian food we had in the city.

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101 out of 215 people found this review helpful.

A bad visit

By marillahiltz on 12/4/2007

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 4
  • No, I would not go back!

I hated the decor- the bands of bright color on the walls made it look like candyland. We tried the tortellini in brodo and the gnocco frito. The tortellini had a suprisingly tangy flavor but the suprise was muted by the murky chicken broth in which it was floating. The gnocco were good but I would have been happy with more prosciutto. The Chicken Tortelloni was awful. The tortelloni were dressed with truffle olive oil, which was diluted by an extra helping of pasta water on the plate. The tortelloni was filled with minced chicken, which reminded me more of a bad chinatown dumpling than anything else.

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144 out of 280 people found this review helpful.

Lovely Emilian food

By speedskater on 7/23/2007

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

After reading the NY times article on Lambrusco, my wife and I stopped by for an early meal. The selection of Lambrusco, a thoroughly underappreciated beverage that I grew to love from time in Parma & Modena, is fantastic. We tasted 6 different wines and all were excellent. The food felt classically Emilian, with the emphasis on meat products and parmigiano. I particularly liked the Gnocco Fritto and the Borlengo, which was like an Italian dosa. the service was excellent. Being there early, the place had a family feel, with the owners kids running around.

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270 out of 529 people found this review helpful.

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