Al Di La Trattoria

We had a lovely brunch. We got there just as the place opened and had no difficulty at all getting a seat. Bloody Mary wins out over Mimosa. Pasta was on point. Salad was refreshing. The donuts (made to order) were delightful with cappuccino. We hope to go back!

I was going to Barclays for a game and needed a place to grab a solid dinner before. After much searching I came across Al Di La. We arrived practically when they opened for dinner on a Friday, so there were only a few tables. Service was standard and food was pretty good — my boyfriend had the lasagna special and the portion was huge. I had a pasta with a short rib sauce, also very good. We were thrilled to arrive and see a full bar, since Unilocal says they’re wine and beer only. I’m rarely in Park Slope but if I find myself there again I’ll be sure to consider Al Di La.

Great atmosphere, fantastic pasta (loved the squid ink and the ragu ones). Really liked the carpaccio

great food and great location. like most ny restaurants, the tables are packed in the place pretty tight. the food was great but the selection was a little limited. this was my first time here, so maybe the menu changes???

Best food in the slope and worth going at off times. Thoughtful menu and more interesting than most slope family places. Service is good, at times slow. Specials are the best stuff on the menu.

The pasta dishes were good. The ravioli was really delicious. The Brussels sprouts were gross however. We couldn’t eat them. Overall, the food was good though and I’d come back! Service was okay too. It’s a nice spot.

OK, I originally said this was «a so-​so, quite nice neighborhood Italian (style) place serving quite nice (but unexceptional) food at quite high prices. Would have rated 4 if they clearly weren’t so in love with themselves, which made service a ‘we’re doing you a favor allowing you in’ affair.»
Went back and although they are still suffering from overly high self esteem, the food was actually very good indeed, so I’ve upgraded to four. Annoying place, still very expensive, but I have to say, good this time.

The food was amazing!!! You also get warm complimentary bread, the staff was really friendly, nice setting for a romantic dinner, the restaurant wasn’t too loud where you had to scream at each other, and the pricing was not bad at all.
I got the «Tagliatelle Al Ragu» dish. Trust me on this.

Such a staple in Brooklyn! I love everything about this place. From the moment I walked in, the hostess was very friendly and suggested to wait around the corner at their wine bar until our table was ready…10 mins, maybe less. They guy in the wine bar was very attentive and nice. Once we sat down, our server was amazing at explaining the specials which all sounded like YUM. My husband and I order a bottle of wine, and off the specials menu. Literally, everything was just perfect. LOVE LOVE LOVE

VEGETARIANS BEWARE!!!
I eat Italian a lot and we checked out this gorgeous place in Park Slope last weekend. I asked the waiter what he recommended for vegan. He suggested a salad. I asked about the tagliatelle and he said, no, that was a beef ragu sauce. Fair enough. I asked if it would be possible for them to do me a basic spaghetti and red sauce, garlic, basil, and make it spicy, no cheese? Absolutely. No problem.
Half way into the meal I noticed a larger piece of beef in the sauce, and when I looked more closely, many, many tiny flecks of beef, throughout the sauce. I called him over. I said, there’s beef in this, and he took away the plate. When he came back, he told me that the kitchen said small amounts of beef must have «jumped out of a nearby pan into my pot». I told him that the staff in the kitchen were lying. The truth is, they just didn’t care.
If you have dietary requirements, don’t expect this place to accommodate you — or be honest about it.
I’ve been vegan 25 years and I was nauseous for the rest of the day.
The fact that he «didn’t charge» me for the food I didn’t order didn’t make up for the disgusting treatment of a customer, the nausea or the underhand attempted coverup.
If you can’t accommodate vegetarians, simply say so.
What a sham.

My review here is not on the food, which I hear is very good, but on their inexplicable attitude in not taking reservations when there is clearly a need to do so. We (3 of us) got there at 6:30 pm on Saturday nite, and were told there would be a 2 hour wait. We headed to another great restaurant in the immediate area where we got a table within 25 minutes.
What is the big deal, AL Di La management, with taking reservations? We do not live in the neighborhood, and to have someone wait 2 hours is rude.

When people ask me to name my favorite restaurant, I tell them Al Di La.
This adorable Italian restaurant is doing everything right — from the menu, to the local ingredient sourcing, to the chefs and staff, to the business practices, to the restaurant’s charming, eclectic décor — literally everything is on point.
My violin teacher’s daughter is the chef and owner so I’ve had everything from birthdays to graduation dinners here.
I’ve tried nearly all of the menu’s staple items and several specials. My all time favorite is the Swiss chard gnocchi in browned butter. This dish is also served at Al Di La’s sister restaurant Bar Corvo in Crown Heights — it’s that good. I don’t care if you’ve never had Swiss chard or don’t like gnocchi. Put this stuff in your mouth.
Al di La also makes the most tender, juicy duck breast and of course, you can’t go wrong with the butternut squash raviolis (or any of the pastas) or salads.
Just go. Drop whatever you’re doing and go.

We had a baby shower event at this location in September for approximately 35 people. The staff was very attentive and helpful during setup, guest arrival and during the entire event. Drinks were never empty, the food was well paced and everything was delicious.
The staff was especially attentive to the guest of honor and made sure she had what she needed as she roamed around the space to visit with her guests. They also accommodated our activities and gave suggestions about timing and assisted with decorations before everyone arrived.
We had so many compliments on how smoothly it ran and how great the food and staff were. I would highly recommend using this restaurant for an event.

Interesting that my negative review is no longer on here. Visited in summer of 2014 and was some of the worst Italian cooking I have ever had — especially the overly salty, over cooked pasta dish. Lasagna looked incredible but in reality was by far worst lasagna we have ever had– mushy and no real flavor besides too much salt. Bread also was too hard and terrible.
Beet salad was decent, though anything you could get anywhere else. Hope this review stays up this time. A greatly disappointing meal.

Al Di La is famed as the essential «northern» Italian restaurant in Park Slope. Having spent a term in Milan, I was already smitten with the idea.
The restaurant’s devotees make it tough to snag a dinner spot. However, coming here for brunch was surprisingly easy.
We basically split three dishes amongst our trio and left feeling grateful for the culinary experience.
— Funghi and Polenta — This dish was straight up luxurious, with mushrooms and polenta that teamed up perfectly in terms of texture and taste. Served in a small clay pot, the portion size seems deceivingly small. My only regret was adding a poached egg to the dish, which honestly was overkill.
— Crispy Polenta Cake — Two poached eggs top off a moist polenta cake that is layered in perfectly seasoned tomato sauce and sauteed spinach. Oh and the bacon is a supreme addition.
— Grilled Fish Sandwich — I actually didn’t try the sandwich but my momma was very satisfied at the end of the meal. All I can say is that there was no skimping on the fish meat.
Very happy experience. Now onto their dinner!

My earliest visits to Al Di La predate Unilocal for me. This is the only (lame) excuse I can offer for never having reviewed what is arguably one of the best restaurants (certainly in my top 3) in Park Slope.
I can still vividly remember going to Al Di La for the first time (ages ago before I even moved to NY). Their butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter sauce was so delicious, I almost cried with joy (not an exaggeration). Return visits resulted in extolling the delights of other dishes, although none of them ever produced such an emotional reaction as that one.
Went here again with someone for whom this was their first time going to Al Di La, and I’m glad that this place remains unchanged, with their delicious food, cozy décor and hospitable service. It also remains as busy as I remember, but I see that as a good thing, so that it won’t go away anytime soon.
We shared a bottle of Montepulciano (one of my favorite wines) which was delicious and surprisingly affordable. It paired well with our meal of beef carpaccio, squid ink spaghetti with octopus, and saltimbocca. Carpaccio was very fresh and had a great mix of saltiness from the anchovies and tanginess from the capers. For the spaghetti, I’m such a sucker for anything squid ink, and I absolutely LOVED this dish. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly al dente, the octopus was tender, and the spicy tomato sauce was to die for (god I sound so basic). Saltimbocca was very yummy, but I couldn’t really get over that spaghetti, so it kind of got de-​prioritized for me.
For whatever reason, this is also a great place for people-​watching. Each time I’ve been here, the table next to mine has the most amusing conversation and this last time was no exception (a sweet passive aggressive girl and a douchey guy on a date). Girl, I feel you, that guy was total prick. Hope he isn’t your boyfriend.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to get to Al Di La. Like, let’s not even talk about it.
But the important thing is I finally made it!
There’s probably not much I can say that hasn’t already been covered in 530 reviews, but here goes — it’s a cozy Italian restaurant. They don’t take reservations, so show up early and cross your fingers. We were super early on a Friday (around 6:30) so we were able to snag a table. It was next to this annoying dude and his very patient date, but that’s a story for another time… and they eventually left. The tables are a bit close together, so get to hear all the conversations around you. It’s not quiet, but it’s Italian, so it really shouldn’t be!
For food, we started out with the carpaccio, which had anchovies and capers (all things I love). Delicious with the table bread, especially to dip into the salty oil.
The spaghetti neri (squid ink pasta) with octopus was just everything you could ever ask for. The pasta was so fresh. The octopus was cooked perfectly, and it just had the right hint of spice in the tomato and chili sauce. Would definitely recommend that dish.
Also shared the saltimbocca. Save room for bread, because the sauce is amazing. Can’t say it was the best cut of pork I’ve had, but it was definitely a generous portion. And what would an Italian meal be if you didn’t finish feeling like you ate too much?
My favorite type of wine is a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, which was actually very reasonably priced by the bottle (around $ 35, IIRC). Whether it was a good idea to drink a whole bottle is another story…
Service was great, and it’s definitely a great staple of Park Slope, and of the NYC food scene in general. Don’t make the same mistake I did and wait too long to go!

I’m Italian-​American, and grew up on pasta. This place blew my red, white, and green socks off.
I’ve been meaning to try this spot out for a while, but have been worried about attempting to come with their no-​reservation policy and wait for hours. I called at 7pm, no wait, got there by 7:30 and was seated immediately. Win!
We began with a cheese appetizer that was glorious — huge mounds of cheese and bread with a side of fava beans. The beans were good, the cheese was fantastic! Entrees included the chard and ricotta gnocchi (light and fluffy and divine), the Paccheri with a pork shoulder ragu and glorious mountain of goat cheese was just insane, and the squid-​ink spaghetti with perfectly cooked octopus, I mean COME
ON NOW it’s wrong how good it all was. I ate two hours ago and I am still drooling and craving more.
Excellent wine selection with good prices, dessert was a light tasty end as it should be — sorbetti and their house special, a polenta-​strawberry cake. Service was fantastic, attentive, and helpful. Basically this place is amazing, and magically has brought the rustic Italian charm into stroller territory. Brilliant!

A rustic Italian spot in Park Slope, that really knocks it out of the park.
They have two seating locations, main dining area which gets very crowded and may have a wait and an area around the corner which is a bit more intimate with about room for 15 people.
Everything on the menu here looked delicious, but then the waitress hit us with about 5 specials which made the decision process even harder.
They have a nice wine and cocktail list here, including one of m favorites, Pimms Cup
The food:
–Mussels: were really amazing, and pretty much on par with some of the best I had in Belgium, the broth was ridiculously flavorful and the toasted bread soaking at the bottom really added depth to the broth.
–Pork pasta from specials: in the top pasta dishes I ever had, cheesy from ricotta, hint of sweet and pulled pork
— Spaghetti neri: Good seafood, and pasta cooked to a nice al dente.
–Steak with arugula was cooked to a perfect medium, very flavorful
— Cheese and crosstini with leeks was the perfect app, huge piece of buffalo mozzarella and toasted crostini
–Marscapone cheese cake: Good amount of sweet and great texture
–Pear chocolate cake: best of the deserts, oozing chocolate need I say more
Great experience and a great spot for a night out, a date or whatever else people do now a days.

So good!
Not even sure how I came to find al di la but glad I did. We were visiting NYC for my 30^th birthday and I wanted an intimate setting for bday dinner. We weren’t seated in the cute front room but the wine bar was relaxed and cozy and just as good.
The bread was great, the tagliatelle al ragu was great (boyfriend said it was the BEST pasta he every had «don’t tell my [Italian] mom» that it reminded him of Italy) and my mother loved her pasta special (rigatoni with pork shoulder sauce and goat cheese). I myself really enjoyed my own TAR and the braised greens were amazing.
However, my moscow mule was a disappointment. Where was the ginger beer? It was more like an over loaded lime juiced vodka drink.
We went on a Saturday night around 9:30−10 and had absolutely no wait time (which I gather is rare).
A wonderful dinner experience.