Pasquale Rigoletto Restaurant

I went this past evening with my parents and a friend who is visiting from out of town. First off, good for Pasquale for taking reservations, especially reservations on weekends, unlike some other restaurants in the vicinity, which will remain nameless. The private parking lot also makes going here much easier if coming by car. Unfortunately, this place slipped from great to good. I have been eating here for almost 15 years, and my parents for almost 25. They used to bring you a variety of breads and a bowl of chunks of fresh parmeggiano reggiano upon sitting. Well, not anymore, as informed unapologetically by the server. I ordered eggplant parmigiana, which was decent; the sauce was delicious, but scant, and there was no side of pasta offered with the meal. When I inquired about this, the server, again, unapologetically informed me that pasta only comes with meat dishes. Honestly, a side of pasta, salad, or vegetables is standard with parmigiana dishes in SO many Italian restaurants, and this was disappointing. I feel like this restaurant is cutting corners like the ones I mentioned; they might seem like little things but they would make the dining experience so much better and restore the image of this restaurant to the glory it had.

Just as delicious as I remember! In the late 80s and early 90s I ate here many times and loved it. We ate here tonight after the Train Show at the Botanical Gardens, dinner was awesome. We had the Mozzerella en Carozza, fresh Mozzerella with peppers and tomatoes, salads. Then we had the fresh fettuccini primavera and with pomadoro and eggplant parm. Service was great good was great! Next time I will make reservations for dinner to coincide with the entertainment.

Disappointing as a «destination» Italian restaurant in an Outer Borough. I was expecting especially great food and it was average at best. The casual atmosphere was fine, and what you expect on Arthur Avenue, and the service was decent but unexceptional. It does have off-​street parking, which is a big plus in a neighborhood where parking is difficult. We visited after a visit to the Bronx Botanical Gardens. In reading other reviews, the range of opinion — good and bad — is striking. If it was a joint in my neighborhood, I’d probably rate it average. But my higher expectations, thinking that I was going to get really good and authentic food in a traditionally Italian neighborhood, were unfulfilled.

First off my husband and myself love going out to eat. We’re big on service and of course the quality of the food. When we arrived nobody greeted us. We picked where we wanted to sit. A server did not come until we had to ask someone to get us a cup of water. When we were ready to order the waiters were all walking by us, meanwhile the place was not busy. Although the place seems pretty, the service was not up to par. The food was not flavorful. My stomach began to hurt once we left. Usually restaurants would serve bread but we did not get it. There were two young ladies that sat down about two tables away from us and they were provided with bread and water immediately. Eventually we received bread but that was after my husband had to ask for it which was after that seemed to have annoyed the lady, which we assume was the owner or a relative. Not once did a server come up to us to check if we needed anything. To retrieve the check I had to stand up to get someone’s attention as well as to pay it. Id hate to think this place payed more attention to Caucasian clients but that was exactly how it seemed unfortunately. Best of luck to those that chose to eat here. Hopefully better service is provided to you. The service here was disgusting.

The absolute best restaurant in NYC in all 5 boroughs.
Patsy is a gentleman who runs the Rig like it was 1955. My family and I have eaten there for 30 years the best veal in NYC the best carbonara in the world. If your on the avenue and you want to eat a real authentic meal with real red «gravy,» the Rigoletto is the spot. When your in the city go see Patsy.

Six of us had lunch today. The place was fairly empty. The bread was great but no bruschetta. I was disappointed. My chicken scarperiello was pretty good but the sausage was subpar. The wife didn’t care for the texture of the chicken. The kitchen was slow, surprising since the restaurant was fairly empty. Prices are moderate. We have dined here many times, mainly because of their parking lot.

If you want to experience authentic New York Italian food and ambiance come to Arthur Avenue. If you want to experience the last bastion of what life was like to to be an Italian born in New York come to this incredible delight. Patsy and Riggy thank you for the delicious food and the sweet singing.

Absolutely nothing to brag about!
The staff was miserable, their main concern was money, not their customers!
They charge for every small glass of soda filled to rim with ice, the place was empty and food was nothing like their advertisements or pictures was just… terrible!
WILL NEVER GO BACK… EVEN IF IT WERE FOR FREE!

The food and service is great! Pricey though!

Awesome meal. Vacation here 2 years ago with my friend, girls vaca, found this place & was impressed. Brought my husband here to experience the real Italian meal. He also loved it. Hope to be back for another Kodak moment.

One of the most delicious restaurants on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. They bring you some parmesan and bruschetta while you wait to order and everything on the menu is wonderful. You can not go wrong here. You will receive very attentive service from the minute you sit down until you leave. This is an old school red sauce Italian restaurant with a menu of delectables.

After getting my family excited about going to Little Italy for brunch, I had to make promises to make up for it afterwards.
I used to eat here a lot many years ago. I even had large parties here for my office. So it was very shocking to me that the food was so disappointing.
We ordered lasagna and chicken cutlet dishes. The ingredients were definitely fresh. The issue was that the food was flavorless. The stale bread should’ve been an indicator that we were in for a less than pleasant experience.
At $ 25 per plate, and so many options on Arthur Ave, I’m not so sure about a second chance here.

My family and I have been coming here for years but my most recent visit was probably my last. The experience of eating at Pasquales used to be impeccable, from start to finish; when you sat down you’d be greeted with warm bread and olive oil for dipping, and big chunks of salty parmesan put right down on the table. The food was all fantastic, especially the pesto, which I remember as creamy and savory and very fresh. We were there on Mother’s Day, which I know is not a great time to visit any restaurant, and Pasquales was predictably swamped. We had a reservation and they were great about seating us early but after that things sort of deteriorated. Our waiter seemed overwhelmed and we had to ask several times for basic things like silverware and parmesan. We ordered two appetizers, a tri-​colore salad and one of the specials, stuffed artichoke. The salad was pretty tasty, very fresh and crunchy, but the artichoke was watery, and somewhat bland. Even worse, if hadn’t been cleaned properly; we could feel grit in our teeth. When our main courses arrived things definitely improved – if there is an area where Pasquale’s excels it’s in their pasta dishes, but even so my pesto didn’t live up to my first impression (though it was still good, and the portions are big enough for 4 meals). My boyfriend’s carbonara was fabulous though, I had order envy when I tried his dish. Pasquales, I have some awesome memories but I think it’s probably time to move on and try some new spots on Arthur Avenue.

After a lovely time enjoying the orchids at the Botanical Gardens how can you miss not enjoying some good Italian cuisine on Arthur Blvd?
We were hungry and it was early so many of the restaurants weren’t open yet for dinner service. Luckily Pasquale was open and menu satisfied everyone.
The restaurant looked much bigger with the mirrored wall and pleasant interior. Our peppy server was funny and ready to take our order. We had the veal and lamb shank entrée and my other friend had the pasta and calamari. The pasta cooked al dente and the shanks was tender and well seasoned.
All the entrees could easily be shared by two people.
It was a good day in the Bronx. Lots of flower photography and a satisfying Italian dinner. Now it was time to get back on the train head home.

Our parents loved this restaurant the first time we went and the second visit was even better. This place is Arthur Ave at its finest. The food is amazing and the service is very attentive and generous. Our servers brought us out several plates of the bruschetta and cheese appetizer with no complaints. At the end I asked to buy one of the delicious loaves of bread and was given it on the house. We had wonderful wine and my parents’ Osso buco dinners were quite a spectacle. I am never disappointed with this area which is really the gem of the Bronx. You won’t get better Italian food anywhere.

As we were eatting there was a roach that came on the table. Told an employee and he didn’t seen shocked or cared. Noone even Apologized he acted like nothing happened and asked do you guys want to stay for coffee or dessert?
Never again.

What a disappointment… We were quickly seated, and they brought over bruschetta and cheese that were delicious. Then, we were left hanging… Instead of someone coming over to introduce themselves as our waiter, they came over confused and asked if anyone took our order. We order the beef carpaccio appetizer, it was good, but the beef was served too cold, almost frozen. Then we shared the Gnocci and the Veal Marsala entrees. The Gnocci was good, the sauce was a bit bland. The Veal was served cold. No one came by to ask how the food was or if we wanted anything else. We would have had another round of drinks, if someone took the time to ask. Then we were stuck waiting for the check!
With so many Italian restaurants in the area, I will choose another one the next time I go to Arthur avenue.

My favorite place on Arthur! I went to Fordham and first ate here with my parents six years back on accepted students day. The bruschetta and chunks of Parmesan they bring to the table are a really nice touch. Mozz en corrozza is delicious. I typically don’t deviate from chicken parm when I eat at Italian restaurants, but I’ve tried their chicken rigoletto and it is decadent. It’s breaded chicken topped with prosciutto and mozzarella — yum! It’s a great, authentic experience.

Came here for dinner with friends and was not impressed with this restaurant. I know Arthur ave is known for its Italian restaurants so I was definitely expecting more. After we were seated, the waiter brought over bruschetta, cheese and a basket of bread. I enjoyed all three. For dinner I ordered what I read as fettuccine with tomatoes and basil but what I got was fettuccine with red sauce smh. I did not enjoy it at all. I ordered grilled chicken with the pasta and the grilled chicken was extremely dry. I must say that my entrée was an utter disappointment. For dessert I had pumpkin spice cheesecake which was absolutely delicious, I want to buy the whole cake for the holidays lol. The service was extremely attentive even with an engagement party in the next room. I probably am not going back though unless I just go for the pumpkin spice cheesecake lol.

Nasty, unfriendly service. I’m not sensitive & don’t need my ass kissed, but they’re just rude & mean. The only one that acts decent is the blonde lady with pink hair.
I liked my chicken parm but my friend got the ravioli and it was nothing special. The sauce was very watery. I enjoyed the baby calamari but the baked clams were NOT good.
Entertainment was fun, but service was one of the worst places in the outer boroughs. I am born & raised in Brooklyn & the outer boroughs restaurants are usually nice & genuine-​not here.