Manganaro Restaurant & Catering

This venerable place disappointed mightily. Horrible Chicken Parmesan Hero with ghastly red sauce. The Cafeteria-​like atmosphere really suits the dreadful food and non-​existent service. Would never bother going back.

I went to the 9^th Avenue Food Festival today, It used to end/​start about 38^th Street so it went past Manganaro’s. Now it starts at 42 St. I was thinking that the crazy women at Manganaro are probably happy not to have people trying to get into their store. I didn’t know they closed because I stopped going there. The space was great and the father was always nice but I’m sure they had to close because no one would go in there anymore. I don’t think the father would have been happy to know they were actually telling customers to get out. Good riddance!

I’ve never had a bad experience here. I come here about once a week to splurge on a chicken parm hero. The chicken is always nice and juicy, yet perfectly fried. The bread is always fresh and the sauce is flavorful without one ingredient overpowering the next.
The one thing I really can’t confirm: how good the other items on the menu are. I strictly come here for chicken parms, but I think that’s the case with most people. Anyway, stick to the chicken parm and you won’t be disappointed.

My grandmother told me when she would finish work in the garment district circa 1940 – 60’s she would walk over to Manganaro and do her marketing… She then carried her bags on the subway up to the Bronx to prepare her meal for her family, of which i have fond memories of that Bronx kitchen table and homemade pasta, and sauce and meatballs… yummy!
Now, i have lived in Hell’s Kitchen for over 30 years, and went in to Manganaro’s hopeing to find a vestige of that soul… I had gone there years before and i found that soul but 30 years later there was no soul, there was nothing, empty vacant, spiritless, evil energy by some person claiming to be the owner.
Wow i complained to the Better Business Bureau about the caustic and near violent treatment i received and was asked to leave actually «get out get out!!» were the words spewed at me.
Where ever that women is may she reap that what she sowed… and for my grandmother whom I know where she is, rest in peace knowing i found that soul in my own kitchen and carry on that tradition of carrying my bags home to prepare meals that once you prepared for me…

Well they’re gone. I was walking by awhile back and they were gutting the store. Manganaro’s Hero Boy remains. I do not know why they closed, but I can probably guess or even find out.
But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. And I said in my prior review, I’m not surprised; the women who ran the place sure didn’t help either (my good experience aside). Manganaro’s Grosseria – a relic of a time when Italians immigrants lived throughout Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea – is gone. The food was good (not great) but the history was irreplaceable. If you got to go – whether you got the good, bad or the ugly from the sisters – then good for you. If not, then I’m sorry. And if you’re happy and planning on going to whatever opens up here just to stomp on the grave, then this place wasn’t for you to begin with and you should’ve known better to come here. The good news is that there will be much more of the cutesy, homogenized, cookie-​cutter food experiences you love to come. Gotta love people… not.

Like many of the previous reviewers on here, we too got the treatment. Now for starters and to be fair we were strolling by and decided to just peak in. The lady in the front was nice enough and when we told her we just wanted to check it out, for another time she said nothing. She did however walk out the front, there was no one in the store and I can only assume she knew we were sitting ducks, and was getting out of the firing line.
We a party of three, 2 New Yorkers, and one women from Montréal (so I guess I triggered her touristdar and she snapped). I was just looking when I heard the first assault from behind the counter something like «hey look at the F ing VIP we have in here today», I’m super chilled but really sarcastic myself so I just smiled and ignored the comment. So she upped the anty by saying, are you gonna sit, to which I replied not this time we were just curious, but this is a great looking place,
We were actually just talking amongst ourselves and looking around, this place was empty on a Saturday at 1pm, so we didn’t think we were bothering anyone. Then it started, I had already tuned out her F bombs clearly directed at me, but my hubby had enough and came to the back where I was and just started unloading on her, saying something like do you hear the insults she is hurling at you.
This led to a 1 min back and forth between Him and her stuff which, for PG purposes, won’t be repeated but I can tell you it was highly entertaining and just over the top unreal.
To be fair other tourists call this an example of a «New York experience», I say no way, this is just one bad-​ass crazy broad who likes the attention. Someone said she doesn’t know about the «Streisand effect», I say she perfected it. I probably won’t go back because, well why bother, plus she probably has a photographic memory and I would be worried about personal foul being the next level, but it does get a 5 star rating for entertainment and originality, oh and décor is very authentic, elas we will never know how good the «gravy» was.

This place is the worst! Musty, dusty, dirty, and overpriced. I won’t bother with going into how rude the crotchety witches who run the place are, as that’s well documented throughout the many negative reviews, but I will confirm that the abuse does happen (as it happened to me… AND I LIVE HERE… I’M NOT A TOURIST!)
The only reason to visit this hell-​hole is to meet a truly nasty b!%$h in person and appreciate that at least your life isn’t as miserable as these ladies’ lives must be. Then go next door to the «good» Manganaro’s and get a meatball sub!

Well, at least I feel better that we were not the only ones that that old bat of a woman yelled at. I feel like NYC is my second home although I live in Boston.
My boyfriend and I were in New York last weekend and decided to stroll into Manganaro’s to see what it’s like. We were taking a look at the catering menu when that woman came stomping over to us and yelling «if can’t just look around here, if you aren’t going to eat then get out!!!» We couldn’t even respond as she started yelling at another couple who had just walked in the door quite startled at the scene. I think they might have stayed but I wouldn’t have if I were them.
I know NYC and I know that the people are friendly and helpful and normal. That woman is not a New Yorker, she’s just a b*tch. She had no idea if we were going to place a catering order or become a great customer. It doesn’t matter. We would never go back, never recommend and clearly that is the consensus of most others who have visited this place.
I agree with all those others who had the same experience. What a shame.

Reading all of the previous reviews, I guess I was one of the lucky few that had a delightful experience at Manganaro’s, for which I’m quite thankful.
I didn’t know anything about this place before I walked in, but as soon as I did, it looked awfully familiar. My friend then informed me that this place appeared on Bourdain’s show. Eureka! That’s where I had seen this place.
My friends and I walk to the back of the restaurant, and there were 3 people. I’m not sure if any of them was the infamous «mean» lady, but there was no mean lady there when I went. In fact, they were quite friendly. They were loud and talkative, but they weren’t rude. In fact, they were mostly joking with us and treating us like we were their children’s friends or whatnot.
They gave us fresh bread and rice balls to start off our meals, and I thought they were delicious. My friends got the lasagna, which they said was delicious, and I ordered the linguini with clams and meatballs. The meatballs were good, in my opinion. Full of meaty substance, not fluff. My boyfriend nearly drank the rest of the linguini sauce and sopped up the rest with the bread.
As a nice end, they gave us some cookies that they had made, asking us for our opinion.
I think all of their ingredients and food is made fresh, but they microwave it to serve it hot. It’s like what your mother would do at home, and you don’t complain about your mother’s food, do you? As long as the ingredients are natural and fresh, and the food tastes good… what’s so wrong with reheating it in the microwave? I bet a lot more restaurants do that without people realizing because they do it behind closed doors.
If I were Italian… I’d say, «Going to Manganaro’s is like going to my aunt’s house.» They treated me like family rather than customers, and sometimes that isn’t such a bad thing.

Why doesn’t Unilocal allow 0 or negative stars?!? Because this store definitely deserves that. I’m sick and tired of people praising these foul people. I am a former store owner and grew up working in my folks’ shop, so I can appreciate being annoyed once in a while when customers come in and «just look» or spend a long time to decide what they want to order. But you know what? That comes with the territory. You are courteous to your customers because doing so is the right thing to do and it’s good business practice.
They’ve been around for 120 years? You bet your life their grandparents would be ashamed at how they treat customers with disdain. People who are saying «you give respect and you get respect»? Wrong you earn respect and these people have earned zilch in my book.
I have a few comments on a few terms I read on some reviews for this hellhole.
«yuppie douche-​bags»: Why the disdain for people that have more money than you? Have you ever thought maybe you are just a broke jealous douche? Here’s an idea. Live and let live, you dolt.
«don’t take –ish»: The most ridiculous thing I’ve read. This lady has made a shtick out of mistreating customers and you praise that? If this is you… you are a CREEP. If you seek this treatment out, you are an IDIOT.
«authentic Manhattan experience»: Are you insane?!? No restaurant or any type of store I’ve ever been to has been this disgusting to customers, potential customers or tourists. These people give New Yorkers a bad name. This is as far from authentic Manhattan as can be.
Manganaro: I can’t understand why you are still in business. Many better eateries are out of business, yet you have managed to survive. It’s just one more tale to add to the injustices of the world. It’s a crying shame that your register rings in people’s hard earned cash so that you may abuse them. Someday, (maybe today?) your behavior is going to bite you in the ass. Knock it off, lady.

My wife and I were walking around midtown today. We were hungry and saw Manganaro. It looked cute, so we decided to walk in and see what kind of food they served. While we were walking through the front door a woman with a sour ugly face screamed at us:
«We don’t allow tourists!»
We looked at each other confused — we’re both born and raised in Brooklyn. I didn’t know how to respond, so I tried explaining we weren’t tourists and we wanted to get lunch. The woman (who seemed like the owner, and after reading the other Unilocal reviews, I’m confident she was the owner) started screaming her head off at us. Really nasty, low-​class, soup-​Nazi, ugly behavior. Foul language. Just really disgusting.
Seeing a chance for a viral YouTube video, I took out my iPhone and started recording this Nazi-​esque, foul woman. She decided that she didn’t like me videotaping her and charged me. I don’t mean she started walking. I really mean charging. She was in a dead run in my direction, and I could see her arm was outstretched and aiming for my iPhone. It was pretty clear she wanted to grab my iPhone and make me stop videoing her.
Now, I’m not a small guy. I’m built like a Russian with big powerful arms. However, I don’t make it a habit of hitting old women, even if they intend to snatch my iPhone (and presumably throw it on the ground to destroy my video). Thankfully, I found a better answer.
You see, we went to Starbucks 20 minutes earlier and I bought a venti bold coffee (that’s a whopping 2.5 cups of coffee). I stupidly put way too much sugar and cream in it, and it was way too sticky sweet for me. I was carrying it around looking for a place to throw it away. You see where this is going, right?
When she was about a foot away, I moved my iPhone out of reach and dumped nearly the entire contents of my sticky sweet cofee (luckily it was cold by then) right onto her head. She was drenched with sticky sweet coffee from head to foot. Her hair… her face… her clothes… everything.
She stopped for a moment, stunned. I was still videotaping the entire thing and she tried to snatch my iPhone a second time. This time, instead of dumping my coffee on top of her head, I splashed the rest of my coffee right into her face.
That did the trick. I could see her weighing charging me again but decided better of it. She looked shocked. My wife started yelling at her, telling her all we wanted was to buy food and how people like her give New York a bad name. What if we really were tourists? We’d go back home and tell people about how disgusting and mentally ill New Yorkers are.
The woman got the clue that *everything* was being videotaped, and she looked like a mentally deranged individual, and she was just making things worse. She walked back into her store. and my wife and I walked away.
We then started reading the reviews of this place, and it all made sense. About how her family tried to sue her. About how she’s not on speaking terms with the rest of her family, about how rude and foul mouthed she is.
That’s pretty much all I have to say. To this minute, I still don’t have the faintest clue why she decided that we weren’t worthy of being in her store, so I can’t comment on the food (although pretty much all the reviews I’ve read said it’s overpriced mediocre food). She obviously has never heard of the Streisand Effect.
It really put a damper on our day, however, we ended up eating at Troy Turkish Grill, which was very cheap and EXTREMELY delicious. And the guy not only didn’t yell obscenities at us, he was extremely friendly and appreciated our business.
Closing Thoughts:
This place has more 1-​star reviews than 2-​star, 3-​star, 4-​star and 5-​stars added up. If you look at the rating distribution, *all* of the 5-​star reviews occurred between June 2011 and July 2011. Most of them were written by Unilocalers who have only written a single review. Personally, I think all the 5-​star reviews were written by friends and family of this foul woman.

I really wanted to love this place (I am an Anthony B. Fan after all) but I knew I was doomed when I walked in, empty at 1:00pm on a weekday. K. who originally asked to try this place pushed me from behind after I took 2 steps in, so by the time I wanted to turn back I was already more than halfway in!
All in all the food is over priced & bad. Meatball hero came with 3 meatballs and their pasta dish was like eating leftovers. They don’t make the pasta to order so forget about al dente. The pasta is pre-​made and it’s thrown onto a styrofoam dish and put in the microwave (I don’t even know if that’s safe to eat). The sauce was sour right out of the can nothing added except maybe a half cup of olive oil… The sausage bland, bland, bland argg. Why o why o why! cry… Worst of all, it was expensive for what it was.
1 meatball sandwich (that had 3 meatballs)
1 spagetti with sausage (that came with mushy pasta & bland sausage in a small styrofoam dish)
1 root beer
$ 26.85
If it were good food I wouldn’t complain about the price. but it was total crap.
By the way — The lady that works there is indeed rude, she was complained about another customer who walked in to look at their menu but didn’t buy anything for 5 min out load to us. Who does that out loud? Apparently her.
I did see on the wall pictures of what this place USE to be, and what it USE to be is not what it is now. hopefully one day, the owner (whoever that is) throws some money into the place and turn things around. Who doesn’t like a good Italian specialty shop in their neighborhood?

I’ve been here 2x before with some colleagues since the office was nearby. Like everybody said, the women who works the counter is a character, always seems to be in a crappy mood and serves overpriced food. The food I thought was ok. Forward a few years later… I read an article in the newpaper recently saying Manganaro was going to close because the owner of the building was selling. Anyway, some people have disputed this but I decided to come here with a friend from California since it’s been awhile.
My bf ordered the meatball hero, I got the spaghetti with clam sauce and the friend got the zuchinni parm (they said the eggplant was too expensive to buy) with pasta. The woman was very nice to us. The meatball hero was great although it only came with two big meatballs. The spaghetti with clam sauce was ok, the pasta a bit tough, my friend loved her food. Yes, the food was heated in the microwave and the food wasn’t fantastic but i think this place is more about the experience than anything. We also shared cannoli which was delicious.

I agree that tourists and foodies can be annoying. You shoo them away enough, the neighborhood folks and regulars start getting turned off. I worked in the neighborhood and out of the three times that I visited once I was harassed for taking too long to order and twice I observed these foolish proprietors chase people out of the store cursing at them. Someone told me that tried to break someone’s camera for taking a picture of the storefront.
Awful service and extremely overpriced food. Good riddance. I knew it
was only a matter of time.
I WOULD GIVE NEGATIVE FIVE STARS IF POSSIBLE.

Those tourists who saw this on Anthony Bourdaine’s No Reservations show and go in there thinking they are walking into an Olive Garden deserve the rude treatment they get. Manganaro’s is an Italian Grocery store that could be straight out of 1920. Everything from the décor to the home made cooking and yes … maybe even the dust on some of the shelves may be that old. This is a place that used to survive based on the locals who came looking for quality ingredients before you could walk down the street to Mrs. Fields and get mass produced cookies using immitation ingredients and baked by machines … or to Trader Joe’s for mass produced ‘artesian parmeseano reggiano cheese that costs $ 3.50 and is labeled as ‘authentic’.
I am always amazed by the tourists in Italy or other places who talk to the locals as if they are servants and expect other people from another culture to adapt to their culture because they are paying for the product. I suspect that 90% of the people who come in and say they get rude service probably deserve it.
Yes, I know the woman who works in the back cooking and serving spaghetti and meatballs and italian sandwiches. And yes, I know she isn’t always pleasant to those people she doesn’t know. Usually these are the people who compain that cookies cost $ 17 a dozen or cheese costs $ 17 a pound and that is why they get the wrath of this woman. What makes you think that when you go into a place you saw on television once and will never come back you should expect nice service after complaining that the prices aren’t the same as those at your local supermarket?
If you want authentic Italian-​American homemade kitchen classics such as spaghetti and meatballs, rice balls, Italian sandwiches, chicken cutlets, etc. there is no better place. The front end is a grocery store selling gourmet imported Italian products. If you don’t want to pay for authentic proscuitto and parmeseano and romano cheeses, go to your local grocery store and buy Sarrgento in plastic wrap. If you want quality, this is the place to come.
The restaurant doesn’t take credit cards but the items aren’t that expensive for New York City. Sure, a large sandwich costs $ 10 but where in New York aside from a pretzel cart will you find cheaper? And the large sandwich is made with quality ingredients and the size of a football. If you aren’t Italian and you haven’t had homemade Italian food with recipies that have been around since the 1900s … you should try the food here. Get a fried rice ball. Get the spaghetti and meatballs. Use paper plates. Leave a good tip and the next time you come back you will get better service.
The lady behind the counter can be a bit intimidating … but that is part of the culture. Its like the soup nazi at first … but after a while, she will give you an extra cookie because ‘you look like you might need it’ or tell you that you look attractive in your new suit. People today are way too comfortable with the mass produced, automated assembly line stuff that they forget how to get ‘local’. The cookies are good and made the old fashioned way, which justifies a $ 1 — $ 3 pricetag in my opinion.
Manganaro’s should be a stop for lunch if you want a real authentic New York experience outside of the ‘famous deli’s’ in Times Square. Just try not to be a jackass … and enjoy the experience.

I went here recently on a Monday in the early afternoon and arrived to an empty store. Nine years ago, I worked a block away and Manganaro and Manganaro’s Hero Boy were places we often went for lunch. I’m never up here, but I tell people about these places all the time and was hankering for a Manganaro special, which is a mixed lunchmeat sandwich on fresh bread with roasted red peppers, olive tapenade, oil and vinegar. Super delicious.
The same lady who has been there for years was there. She is nasty, there is no way around it. I am in the service industry, and it’s kind of tough to deal with her. It was also kind of tough to pay $ 12 for my lunchmeat sandwich. The sandwich was amazing, just as I remembered. But how does a place like this stay in business in the days of Unilocal

First Time I’ve Wanting To Give a 0-​Star Rating.
Anyone who’s given this Manganaro’s (not to be confused with Manganaro’s Hero Boy next door) a 4 or 5-​star rating, I just don’t get it.
As for why there are two Manganaro’s side-​by-​side and in direct competition with each other, Stewart W. sums it up nicely:
«Quick background. there are two Manganaro’s on 9^th avenue right next door to each other. There is the original Groceria which dates back to the early 1900s and the more modern HeroBoy, right next door. The two stores of the family business was divided between 4 brothers in the early 1960s and litigation between the families ensued, in part, over the claims relating to the 6 foot heroes. Apparently, the families still do not speak with each other. The Groceria store and menus are LOADED with the disclaimer that Manganaro’s is not affiliated with Manganaro’s Hero Boy. The Groceria is an old world store. salamis and sausages hanging from the ceilings and a turn of the century look. The Groceria’s sandwich operation is in the back of the store.»
First off, when my friends and I entered the store for lunch today, it was deserted. At 12:30pm on a weekday, most Midtown Lunch places already have lines formed. We were the first and only ones there.
We opted for the Groceria Manganaro’s because we went with the «original must be best» logic. Enter the store, it was empty for the first ¾ of it (it’s a railcar shape). In the back was the infamous lady and Moses (I only know his name b/​c she yelled at him a few times).
We ordered the Chicken Parm sandwiches, a Gnocchi with Pesto, and I had a Chicken Parm on a plate. The lady seemed okay at first. She gave us Macaroni Salad for dining in, but was very direct with her, «What do you want?» greeting.
I find it very untrustworthy when places reply to the «What do you recommend /​what are you known for?» question with «Everything is good.» No, everything can’t be good. Frankly, I don’t think anything here is good.
You can tell the lady (obviously the owner) can’t make up her mind. The menu had prices scribbled out. Her helper, Moses, doesn’t even know what to charge and has to ask her each time. Why? Because she randomly decides what to charge on the fly. For our friend’s Gnocchi, she randomly made up a price. When he pointed out the price on the menu, she made up some BS about why she is charging him more. Our friend told us about this very calmly. But at the end of the meal she decided to give our other friend money back to give to the Gnocchi friend by saying, «Give this change back to you friend. He’s having a nervous breakdown. And next time, come by yourself.» Guess she had a liking to that one friend, maybe because he was the only one she didn’t hear complaining?
For my Chicken Parm, I opted for the plate rather than the sandwich. Usually with a plate, you’re given a larger meat portion, or something in lieu of the bread. Nope, not here. It was the Chicken Parm sandwich with no bread, but at the same price (a rip off $ 12). The portion was meager. When I asked that’s all she’s giving me, she said, «Well grab some bread then».
The place doesn’t accept credit cards, and is cash only. Being a cash only establishment, one would expect they have at least $ 90 in cash on them. When I dropped a Benjamin on them to pay, the lady gave me a snarky comment about it and was reluctant to take it.
So, how was the food prepared? The chicken parm was placed on a styrofoam plate and into the microwave. I just paid money for microwave cooking. Minus many stars.
So for the friend’s Gnocchi, she didn’t have enough, so she threw in Tortellini. According to the friend, the pesto was basically crap. The oil easily separated from the sauce, and cheapo Parmesan was used instead of Pecorino. His portion looked sad and inadequate. He paid $ 13 for this wonderful experience. Oh, and when she indirectly returned the $ 1 to him, she said, «It’s for when you come back next time».
Sorry, lady, there will be no next time.
This Manganro’s has been open for 117 years, since 1893. Unless the property taxes are very low, I don’t foresee them making it to their 125^th anniversary.
Honestly, if the lady were my relative, I would have a family feud with her too, and not be on speaking terms with her either.
If you’re thinking of trying out Manganaro’s try the one next door, where they actually have some real business, and not a bunch of first timers being duped into it because of the retro store furnishings.
If you like being abused and eating crap, then try this place out.

I have found the most belligerent woman to work behind a counter in all of new york city– and she is here! She was mad at having to make orders, she was annoyed with any customer, she was upset with the staff/​equipment, she complained about everything. If there was a deli counter on the 7^th ring of hell– quite possibly she would be behind the counter. It was like a reincarnation of napoleon in an apron. The pasta was pretty good, although slightly pricey for what it was. I’ll never go back. I think if there was a need for a book on how to drive customers from your establishment screaming like their hair was on fire, this woman could write it.

Ahaha!!! I love this ol’ broad!
I’m boppin’ on 9^th Ave and I never understood what this place was for the longest time, a deli? a place to buy olive oil?
So here I am: Me, Myself and I walking towards 34^th and I see a sign: «Easter Wheat Pie». Whoa. Wait a sec. My mom sold the ranch and moved to Florida three years ago, I’m not get any Easter pies in Long Island or from my wife who manages two banks (and is a sucky baker. shhhh)
So I stop in and the place looks like something out of a Scorsese film.
Rustic, Old World, Italian. yeah.
I look and I see some fresh Mozzarella, blocks of cheese and in the corner of my eye, I look to the right and I see «RAINBOW COOKIES». (where do you go in Hells Kitchen for Rainbow Cookies? NOWHERE)
So, I poke around and I see what looks like an open kitchen with tables and chairs? Holy Sheet, they sell food here!!!
I see different «sammiches» with the meat & cheese being displayed in the front for your choosing. Then I see a HUGE pot of sauce simmering on the back burner.
After eating at places like Felidias, Jean Georges and Scarpetta, this place is really my core dive. Its like my Rao’s without Frankie No, just pistol packin’ mamma with her apron on!
I was trying to be good today for Good Friday so I knew I was going to get a Rice Ball with Sauce on a styrofoam plate.
There are bunch of trust fund babies at the next table. I can sniff em out, they’re all over the UWS. You know the type: Rugby shirt wearin’ dudes with hair that would be tough to comb. Anyway, they’re CHOWIN’ down on some mamma lovin heros. Hey, US college kids brought Reggae mainstream so hopefully they’ll bring some squid home for their mothers to try.
The part that KILLS me about this place is, I can make it a gold mine. They need to Yup it up, more displays up in the front with a coffee bar, more Italian cookies for street folks to see, seamless web, website, etc. All it takes is $$.
I don’t see this place going under like past Unilocalers suggested. I saw what looked like mammas daughter behind the counter. Passing the torch, I dig it. Make sure you bring the front display cases to reflect 2010 so the yuppies will get a warn & fuzzzy when they spend 10.95 for a «sammich» on a styrofoam plate.

I like what I ate there:
Spaghetti in olive oil and garlic, with clam sauce and since I was «enthusiastically» taking pictures of the calamari behind the counter, Seline treated me with some. Basket of bread, and a root beer. Yummy.
But, for $ 20?
Not Yummy!
I don’t like:
The food was served on a styrofoam plate, handled with the same fingers that just touched raw veal, then microwaved. Holykaw Lady!
I risked eating it, but then I don’t want her to chop my balls off!
I really don’t like:
The «real NYC experience» the ladies behind the counter was dissing out. I think it border abusive. I thought for few times I was in some kind of candid camera set up, unbelievable.