Bettola

I have been dining in this Upper West Side’s best-​kept secret since the change in ownership in May, and I must say it’s quite an experience. The restaurant buzzes with excited energy and is comfortably full. You have to try the scallops that the European chef Vlado prepares fresh to your plate.

Food was good but not great and was too expensive for small portion sizes. Service was solid. If they make a bit more affordable, they would be 4 stars.

Bettola’s food is a bit better than it used to be, and portion sizes are a bit smaller. Prices are fair, and all-​in-​all Bettola’s an enjoyable restaurant!

Nice atmosphere. Kind of kicking myself for finding the free wine offer on Unilocal afterwards, but the Pinot Grigio was delicious. Food is not so cheap, but they put out lots of bread which is nice.

very very disappointed with this place, went here for dinner with my morher and spend $ 50 for the two of us. her $ 11 glass of wine was clearly watered down. service was pretty poor. it was very obvious that we were unsatisfied and no one ever asked how our food was or checked in. all servers were dressed casually though the restaraunts décor was formal. they were playing generic classic rock songs the whole time. the portions were small. i still feel hungry. i got the gnocci and my mother got the pasta with sausage and greens. both were bland and frankly unacceptable for dishes that costed $ 15 and $ 20 each. i would not recommend eating her by all means. sauce tasted like preggo pasta was cheap. no garlic or garnish or anything redeeming. i couldve made better food in 15 minutes at home for $ 10. will be contacting managment.

Horrible service. One ‘waitress’ was wearing a hoodie and colorful leggings. The food had no ‘wow’ factor. No one asked how our food was. Definitely not memorable. Has potential; the décor is nice. But not coming back.

It seemed as we walked in that the place was warm and welcoming with a very nice ambiance. However, don’t, as they say, judge a book by its cover. I even took a picture before my meal’s arrival of the brick oven and posted it on Unilocal,being so excited about our dinning experience (based on said décor) But then the — it’s too good to be true — set in. Our dinner special of shrimp fettuccine arrived with a dismal 4 pieces of shrimp and a plethora of unadvertised calamari that made the whole dish taste like salty, salty sea watery seafood with not a hint of a nice subtle Italian, light creamy sauce one would expect to find with fettuccine and shrimp. To say the least, it was unappetizing and a dismal disappointment. Furthermore, we ordered a special pizza made in their nice pizza oven, but arrived with an undercooked, doughy crust and covered mostly with greens. To say the least, the pizza was underwhelmingly undercooked. Not worth $ 50 dollars. To sum it all up. Great ambiance — 5 stars, poor food — minus 3 stars. Total — 2 stars.

Great food, good service, price not small but fair price for their entries. I will come back. Got a free glass of Merlot for checking in with Unilocal.Will update review of entries after my second visit.

Lovely neighborhood spot. Cozy, lovely staff, delicious and authentic Italian. I had roasted fish with broccoli rabe and roasted potatoes made in the hearth oven. Divine.

One of the few places I could make reservations for brunch on the UWS. The menu is very limited and omelets only come with a side salad. Where are the potatoes? The service was not great given that we were the only customers. They got the drink orders wrong and complained when my fiancé asked to have one egg scrambled and one sunny side up. French toast was basically just thickly sliced toast served with fresh fruit (grapes and bananas). Would not go back here.

I am going to keep my review to the point. My fiancé and I went to eat at Bettola tonight. We were greeted by a somewhat abrasive hostess, who was wearing a bright pink bra and a skimpy black tank top. The rest of the waitstaff was dressed professionally and they were very kind. I ordered the fettuccine bolognese and my fiancé asked for the same, but with pappardelle. I loved my fettuccine and he enjoyed his dish too. However, we were charged seven dollars more for changing the pasta and this was never made explicit by our waitress. We questioned the charge with the woman in the inappropriate dress (pink bra, skimpy black shirt) who seemed to be in some kind of management position, and she said there was nothing she could do about it, because they put the meat sauce over the original sauce that came on the pasta, therefore the charge. But we didnt want both sauces, just the pasta change. The idea that there were two sauces on the pasta is very strange – who would want that? Anyhow, we have lived in the neighborhood for over a decade, and have come here many times, but were really disappointed by this experience. Bettola should think twice about who they pick to greet customers and manage the restaurant.

Do not ever go here. I went once and was hit on by the staff while eating alone. They thought that since I was sitting alone it was perfectly fine to disturb my meal. SO unprofessional. Absolutely disgusting– they would watch me while eating and make comments in Spanish when I actually speak Spanish. One of the waiters even asked my age and then another guy came up and asked me what the waiter asked me which was so inappropriate and then proceeded to ask «oh, what is your age?» DONT GO HERE. In terms of food –extremely mediocre & also there was a bug in my salad.

Excellent local trattoria that’s been here for a long time but seems somewhat off the radar (e.g. I tried to check in here but it couldn’t find it among the available check-​in locations).
I wouldn’t normally give out five stars on the basis of one visit but I came with a party of ten, and we shared many dishes, and all of them were excellent. And this is the kind of place the neighborhood needs more of – not insanely expensive, consistently good, friendly (the people who work there don’t give off that conscript vibe), family-​friendly but not family-«oriented».
A useful comparison would be Parm, which I also like — it too is consistent and friendly, and is similarly priced, but Parm has more of a loud, hyperactive, kitschy vibe.
Again, everything seemed great, so I don’t have any particular dishes to recommend.

This place is consistently delicious. We have come here multiple times on our way to the nearby movie theater and it’s always amazing. The food is fantastic. We’ve never had a bad meal here. The cocktails are also perfect. We are both from the area so we do know good Italian American food. Go here. Trust me. It’s good.

My husband and I went there on Saturday without reservation and we were promptly seated by a smiling woman who gave us the choice of the last three tables they had left. I
We dine out very often and it is very rare in a casual place like this one to find professional staff out there to make your experience a worthy one.
We ordered two appetizers Asparagi al forno and their antipasto special that were good but the pasta dishes were outstanding. .
The lasagna was delicious and my husband loved his Spinach Feftucine .we also saved room for their Nutella crepes that were delish.
Our waitress (Australian maybe?)was very warm. and courteous, she answered our questions about wine and on her recommendation we ordered two glasses of Malbec .We were a bit shocked at the size of a glass they charge $ 13 for. Then again It’s the Upper West so things tend to be pricey.
I would definitively recommend this cute spot with dimmed lights if you’re in a mood for Good old Italian food. The pizzas looked very tasty as well and being seated not far from the brick oven, we almost regretted not ordering any.
I guess we’ll have to return next time we’ll be wandering uptown.

Bettola, Bettola!
I’ve been here on a couple of occasions, once to celebrate my mother’s birthday and the next to celebrate Christmas with a nice brunch.
Both times were nothing short of a great experience, the first time I had lamb, which I could have done without. It was nothing out of the ordinary but it did the job. Their wine and their dessers are pretty tasty though.
The second time I went in for their brunch special, and that’s when I was hooked! Their lentil soup is incredibly tasty and their salmon with vegetables and/​or mashed potatoes were excellent. Their brunch menu was pre-​fixed and extremely reasonable pricing at $ 16. A great deal in NYC!
It’s got a very classy décor, very intimate, which makes it a great spot for a date also.
Last but not least, their service was great. Attentive and fast. Will definitely come back, again and again as it has become a family favorite!

First time here… Had a wonderful arugula Caesar salad and whole wheat white pizza with sweet sausage and mushrooms. FABULOUS!!! We will definitely be back
Great service too!

Came in for Sunday dinner. Nice, quiet atmosphere. I ordered a house type salad with fresh greens and a light tangy dressing. Good portion size too. Main course of gnocchi with mozzarella was a well done rendition of this staple. Also tried a margarita pizza. Flavor was good, I prefer a little more crispy crust but overall pretty enjoyable. An accompanying glass of the house Chianti was everything a chianti should be. A chocolate torta for dessert capped off this meal, rich and smooth in texture with a cool contrasting vanilla gelato.
Overall conclusion: solid local Italian joint.

Cute cozy place.
Came with friends and we enjoyed everything we had. Starters-​grilled calamari and barley salads were standouts.
Mains– Fettuccine and penne pasta dishes were good but portions were very tiny for the price. The pizza special I ordered was gargantuan and between the three of us, we couldn’t finish it.
High quality food, friendly service (although a bit pushy on asking if you want water you pay for). Portions could be a bit larger on pasta and the space is super tight, but those are minor quibbles.

divinely average, but the pizza is good. You come here for the pizza, as good as everything else sounds, stick with the pizza.
The sausage one with carmelized onions is divine.