Fresco by Scotto

best pizza… midday resturant grilled pizza
the best… large pita on grill… great

Lovely place for dinner. Atmosphere is great… food very good although a little too heavy on sauces both on pasta and salads. Tasty and delicious. Excellent service.

The food was amazing. The service was not great. Our waiter had an attitude the entire time.

Literally amazing. The food is decadent and fresh, some of the best authentic Italian cuisine I have had in NYC. I will absolutely be returning for more, I highly recommend… EVERYTHING! Especially the lamb and those zucchini chips smothered in gorgonzola. A cheese lover’s heaven! Staff is efficient and very friendly, service was great. The owner picked out some unbelievable wine for us and was exceedingly generous with our dessert and after dinner drinks. Check it out, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Best food in Midtown always consistent the waiters here are super professional. I have the salads here which are huge portions. The drinks are so strong here you need a taxi to get home. They know the meaning of perfection here. So happy they have the place next door for lunch the soup is delicious if you want a quick take out and rush back to work.

We came to Fresco for my husband’s birthday & I’m so glad we did. I was last here in October with my friend & truly enjoyed it then (see my last review) & enjoyed it as least as much now. Both food & service are impeccable. Atmosphere is comfortable & elegant. The Scotto family really knows what they’re doing. Can’t wait to go back.

We had a lunch at Fresco with officers of our company who came to NYC for business trip.
We had some rolls with something like been paste and it’s good! Then, I had pasta with tomato source and meet balls. The sauce is pretty rich and meet balls are so juicy. It also had enough volume to fill us. Overall, it’s excellent!
Our office who is known for being particular about food also looked happy to have fine Italian and he praised for our choice.
I will visit here soon for business lunch!

It has it all — food, service, celebrities and the NYC price-​tag you would expect for up-​town dining. Was it worth it? Of course. This is a special occasion, business dinner setting. White linen table cloths, fabulous service and a buzzy, NYC feel. The food was amazing — the chips covered in cheese made my heart stop (literally and almost physically!), the pasta, bread — everything was elevated and wonderful. Can you get good Italian food at ½ the price elsewhere? Of course you can! But for an amazing dining experience that you’ll remember and cherish, break open your wallet and enjoy!

This place is very nice but I would have to admit the pricing of the dishes I don’t understand. I had the chicken dish and it was $ 41, so make sure you know when you come here, you’ll be spending a good chunk of cash, even for a salad. The staff gets very antsy and by the time your done with your meal ten people filled your water glass. I did love how the waiter went out of his way to plate our dishes with the appetizers. All and all an ok experience.

Attended Fresco by Scotto for your classic corporate midtown lunch. Would I go here on my own dime? Highly unlikely. The restaurant filled up in no time for the lunch rush. Due to the busy lunch rush, the waiter unfortunately forgot to bring us the bread bowl (which is allegedly typically a highlight of the meal) until we were half way through our entrees.
I ordered the «Whole Wheat Pappardelle with Duck & Wild Mushroom Ragu.» The dish was mediocre at best, likely needed a little more sauce and would have been great to have had some of their bread handy. The duck and mushrooms were delectable though. Needed an extra coffee to get through the afternoon at the office but that’s what I get for eating a large pasta dish for lunch.

Fresco by Scotto is an Italian restaurant in Midtown East.
I came here on a weeknight for a work dinner. The food and the service were fantastic. Right when we came in, I was greeted by Marion Scotto, the owner. I did not know where my group was sitting, and she quickly and calmly found where I needed to be. They have a coat-​check, so I left my jacket and bags there.
The food is really the spotlight of my review. I usually steer away from Italian restaurants since the vegetarian options are usually cheese pizza and baked ziti. I had the roasted vegetable piatto. What an awesome dish! Roasted butternut squash stuffed with polenta, yummy brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and crispy cauliflower… It was substantial, colorful, and fresh. For dessert, I had a fruit sorbet. It isn’t on the dinner menu, so I think it’s only on the menu for private events. In any case, that also was fantastic.
We had multiple servers come to our table and everyone was very attentive and kind. Service-​wise, everything was smooth and effortless. I was able to enjoy my food and focus on the good conversations with my colleagues.
I left Fresco’s fully satisfied. I would recommend Fresco for a private group event or work dinner. I hope I come back soon!

Fresco by Scotto is pretentious and expensive. Their uptight waitstaff and the coat check and handwritten guest list will all make you think that you are in for an exclusive dining experience, as you are waiting to be seated. But then you will enter the room with the annoying (wannabe surrealist?) paintings, the waiting room lighting, the overbearing servers hovering to take your order, and you may start to feel a bit skeptical.
Our party of 3 for lunch was narrated the specials, and we ordered 3 specials (1 pizza to share) and another entrée off the regular menu. The food came pretty quickly, in fact almost too quickly. The pizza was a little too salty, the crust a bit too crisp. The angel hair pasta special with chorizo and salmon sounded interesting but was overall quite disappointing. The best part of the meal for me was the espresso, which also arrived quickly.
Not sure any of that was worth the money. It looks like this place has history and definitely some influential patrons, but I am not one of them.

Native New Yorker here that works in the area. I’ve eaten at Fresco On The Go a bunch of times and I’ve always been very pleased.
A couple of colleagues and I went to the Fresco sit-​down restaurant right next door. The only two reasons that I am giving this one star is because I have to for the post and because the service was decent. The décor was pretty nice. There was a great crowd and the restaurant was very clean.
The food was terrible. I have eaten better at your standard local pizza joint. My friend had a short-​rib that was incredibly dry. It was so dry that it was easily noticeable from across the table. Another friend ordered the fra diavolo and that, as per my friend, was tasteless. My homemade cavatelli was sub-​par, though not terrible. It was a solid get. I’ve had better at pizzeria’s and, well, my own kitchen. For $ 32, it was doubly poor. I was going to write a scathing review of their pizza but then I realized it was a «grilled» pizza. Nonetheless, it was still terrible. The parmigiano became salty and overpowered the rest of the pizza.
As far as cost, it is priced as a high-​end restaurant. Unfortunately, the quality is far below. Just imagine a substandard pizzeria charging you 3 times as much. It’s also not Tuscan food. Trust me. Stay away.

My family and I have spent the last 4 Thanksgivings at Fresco. We love this place.
This year… We were seated in the small dining room upstairs.. This room with a few tables is as quiet as a library. No windows. Very claustrophobic. I never even knew they had a room upstairs.
By the time some of our orders made it up stairs the food was cold. Such a shame because the food is delicious! We tried not to be too loud… As the room was as silent as the grave…
Atmosphere can mean a lot. Especially a jolly holiday that Thanksgiving can be. We felt like we were sent up to the naughty room.
We will be looking for a new place next year.

Third time eating here… usually bring clients when meeting in the city. It’s a nice place, and you see actors/​actresses from time to time.
The food has been pretty consistent except for the last time we went. Got a homemade pasta special with saffron cream sauce. Pasta was overcooked and sticky. Kind of disappointing, especially for the serving size and price.
Was VERY disappointed in the charging of sodas. A 6 oz diet coke was $ 4.50, and they charged for refills. Very ridiculous in my opinion for a place of this caliber, and when the overall lunch bill is $ 350. $ 26.50 for 6 sodas seems a little ridiculous. No need to nickel and dime customers for that.
Summary: While I’ve gone here the last 3 times, I’m definitely going to look elsewhere for the next client meal. You most likely won’t be disappointed with your meal, as 2 of 3 times things were great.

Was invited here by my good friends from Borenstein’s. Everything was delicious. We shared appetizers of artichoke salad and burrata cheese with tomatoes. Main course sea scallops were cooked to perfection. I tasted my friend’s risotto with shrimp. Only sorry I could not eat everything got full too soon.
Dessert we shared the cheesecake and doughnuts. It was a memorable meal shared with friends.

I came here with colleagues for a work dinner. Once we stepped into the restaurant, we were brought to the back as they sealed off a section for us with panels. Dining options were based on a prefixe menu. The staff was quick to take our orders for drinks. The female who helped us was so nice! The man, not so much. They kept bringing out delicious homemade potato and zucchini chips smothered in gorgonzola cheese. This was dangerously good. If you’re not looking to eat your main entrée, eat all of this! The margarita pizza was the second «all you can eat» appetizer. It was just okay. The slice I had was fresh out of the oven but super soggy with oil and overdone. It taste more like a margarita chip versus pizza. Suffice to say, I only had one tiny slice.
On to the dinner portion! We placed our order for appetizer, pasta and main dish. They take your order for dessert at the very end. It’s a slow-​paced restaurant so if you’re hungry, you might as well fill up on that complimentary bread/​breadstick platter.
Homemade mozzarella with roasted peppers and salad — as a cheese lover, you can never go wrong with mozzarella. Two slices with roasted peppers along with the salad was just enough to keep you going.
Cavatelli with broccoli rabe and sweet italian sausage — this was delicious! I would recommend getting this as a main dish because I would have been a happy camper if they added one more scoop and I’d be good! The pasta was done just right. Sprinkle some broccoli (to get some greens in your system) and some protein with the sausage equals a well balanced meal. I cleaned the plate! It was well seasoned and didn’t feel too heavy for pasta.
Chicken a la limone — I was expecting a big chunk of chicken breast and am glad it didn’t come out that way. There were three, thinly sliced chicken breasts which appeared pounded down with a side of vegetables. The chicken was thoroughly seasoned, a bit on the salty side, but not bad! The sauce was good.
For dessert, I ordered a sorbet with fresh fruit and cookies. To clarify, it was one cookie — a biscotti! The sorbet was mango and the fresh fruit was divine. Very fresh and perfectly balanced with the sorbet. I think I enjoyed the fruit the most. Came in a cute presentation in a plastic wine glass.
Would I come back? Probably not unless it was another work function but nonetheless, it’s always good to try different restaurants in Manhattan. If you dine here, highly recommend the potato and zucchini chips and that cavatelli pasta.

I had the four cheese ravioli. It was very good. The service was impeccable.
My only complaint is the price. Drop the entrée to $ 20 instead of $ 29 and I’d order two of them. Also $ 4.50 for a small bottle of Pellegrino is outrageous.

The food was great, ambience beautiful, very pricey and it very was loud. I went.for.lunch as I work in the area. All was delicious, definitelu need a reservation, mostly business men, or with their wives. I felt like the wives were all from real housewife episode. They all had that look to them.
Back to food the duck, was moist, sauce rich and pasta tasted.fresh. The crab cake was delicious, and the tiramisu was ok.

I have to admit, I had my doubts about Fresco before going. Being owned by Rosanna Scotto and her family and being a restaurant where many big NYC figures and celebrities have visited, it runs the risk of being overrated and pretentious in my mind. However, upon entering the restaurant, it gave off a warm, welcoming aura but still maintained a NYC feel. There is a bar to your left upon entering and further down is the main dining area; it’s not huge but a good enough size to cater to a number of diners and maintain it’s intimate feel. The décor is no frills, with light colors throughout and Italian-​esque murals painted on the walls. I found the murals to be a conversation piece; they were funny without being silly or immature. I will say though the décor is a little dated, but I’ve seen worse.
The bread basked contained a variety of carbs — rolls, breadsticks, and crackers. It came with a white-​bean purée which was a nice alternative to butter or olive oil. We started our meal with three appetizers to share: fried calamari, the fried zucchini and potato chips, and a margherita pizza. The calamari was a good texture, and it came with a remoulade and lemon on the side. The pizza was good as well, it had a super thin crust, almost like a crispy pita in texture. The star of the apps tho was the fried zucchini and potato chips. They had a great consistency and were topped with crumbled gorgonzola cheese; the flavor combination was delicious — definitely worth getting. For my main I had the Fresco grilled sausage, which was served on top of roasted peppers and white beans and topped with broccoli rabe. The dish was flavorful, with my only complaint being the broccoli rabe didn’t have that bitter bite I’m used to. For dessert I went old school and had the ricotta cheesecake (a staple Easter dessert in my house); it had a lot of flavor and was a good consistency with a fresh flavor.
Service was great; they were very attentive to us and food came out at a comfortable pace, we really weren’t waiting too long for anything.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Fresco. The food was tasty, the service was great, and the overall atmosphere was very welcoming.