Saggio

I’ve been going to Saggio steadily since moving to the Heights two years ago and have never had a bad experience! The atmosphere, service, food, and drink are all enjoyable and, really, a surprising value for any neighborhood in New York. My girlfriend and I have had many dinner dates here and I even took my family when they visited the city. You generally can’t go wrong when ordering, but I usually can’t resist the kale caesar and whichever ragu (veal, lamb, boar) with handmade pasta they are rocking on that particular night. The complimentary kalamata olives, bread, and oil at the onset are a lovely touch. Make the «saggio» choice and go!

This is a fantastic place to eat in the neighborhood. The food is fantastic, they have a good wine list, and the service is pretty good. Sometimes they can be quite crowded so things can move a little slowly (understandable). But if you’re in the area, this is definitely the spot.

When writing a review there are many things that must be considered. For instance, I do not think Saggio is a five star Italian restaurant relative to some other Italian restaurants in Manhattan; however, for Washington Heights and probably north of 125^th it is he best, hence the five stars.
I think that their food is consistently good and their desserts delectable. I cannot say that anything stands out or has a WOW factor, but I appreciate they consistently serve above average food. That my friends, is apparently quite difficult to achieve.
The price point is also fair. Etc etc. Five stars. If you go here you won’t be disappointed, nor will you be blown out of your mind, but that’s less relevant to me.

Saggio is a wonderful, romantic and cozy place to eat great Italian food. My husband and I were there last night and as always had a wonderful time. GREAT Service, Great Food and Great prices too!

This. Place. Is. Awesome. I’ve lived in the neighborhood for 3.5 years and just had my first experience here last night. Seriously kicking myself for waiting so long to try!!!
My boyfriend and I were going out on a Saturday night for a Valentine’s Day date. They do not take reservations, but we arrived around 10:30 and had no trouble getting a table. To start, we ordered a delicious bottle of Sauvignon– yum! For our entrees, I chose the Spaghetti Al Limone with chicken and my boyfriend ordered the Tagliata Toscano (skirt steak). The spaghetti was absolutely delightful! So light and fresh– I ate almost the entire plate of it with no shame. My boyfriend’s skirt steak was cooked the *perfect* medium well. We also chowed down on not one, but two, sides of garlic bread. Veryyy garlic-​y, but we both love garlic so no complaints there. For dessert we had the Ricotta Cheesecake– which was served with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and strawberries.
Afterwards we made our way up to the bar and enjoyed some St. Germain cocktails that the bartender whipped up. Overall we had a wonderful experience and exemplary service! We will be back SOON!

Eaten in the restaurant and gotten take out! If you’re looking for some good Italian in the Heights, this is a nice choice (not that there are many). I’ve had the gnocchi and the rigotoni– both very good. The burrata always looks so tasty but the portion is huge for just two people to split.
It gets packed on the weekends but the service is good; the delivery was also quick!

So good. So friendly! New to the neighborhood and this was our first time eating out… picked a winner!

One of my favorite Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. The food is delicious and the price is fair. I’ve been here for both dinner and brunch and both experiences were great, however the service is a bit slow.
For dinner I got the black pasta with calamari. The pasta comes in a tomato sauce which is a but spicy. My brother had the steak which was sliced pretty thin and comes with some arugula the. The steak was okay but the black pasta was great! I suggest getting that for dinner!
For the time I went to brunch, I got baked eggs ragu. It was huge and I couldn’t finish it. It was a tad too salty for me but great for someone who wants a meaty brunch!

The food is delicious, great flavors, authentic Italian food, good size portions to fill you up ! Romantic due to the candle lightning and intimate space area. The servers are very attentive and want you to have a pleasant experience. definitely a must try if you’re craving Italian food in Washington Heights!

Very good food! The stars are based on menu and delivery.
My gripe is that the menu does not change and it has the same items on the menu since I’ve moved here 3 years ago. That’s too bad bc I would think the chef would be bored of making the same items for brunch and dinner every day of the week.
The other gripe I have is they do not take credit cards for delivery. It’s cash only when they deliver bc they have some agreement with the delivery guys where cash is only accepted. They used to have an account with seamless and you were able to by-​pass this cash only business but they canceled their account and have gone back to the cash only for delivery.
My last gripe is that they take forever to deliver. I would hope they would better this but it normally takes 45mins at least to get your food. How annoying!

Two stars because the atmosphere and lemon pasta that I ordered were quite good. I would give one to two stars if I could for the hostess and bartender/​waitress though. Not welcoming and not patient with questions about the menu. I understand if it’s a busy night and you’re overwhelmed, but having worked in customer service, your *job* is to conceal those emotions. Will not be returning here. Such a shame since I live so close.

This is my second review, I still do enjoy the food and atmosphere, the only reason why I don’t give 4 stars instead of 5 is because they overprice the wine (bottle). Other than that, I really like it here.
We again ordered from their special menu of the day, and they always deliver excellent food. From their appetizer to pasta, seafood, and of course their desserts, they are pretty delicious. I like that they have a different special menu each day (addition to their regular menu) so that we can always get something different if we want to. The service is pleasant, even though we couldn’t get a table (for 3) so we sat at the counter seats. We were well taken care of during the entire time we were there. Read my full review of this restaurant and food on my food blog, foodlovergirl.

This place is a real gem in the midst of all the other places up here, I had a great homemade pasta with sausage and meatball, cooked perfectly and a glass of nero. I really the like vibe of it, cute small and just a nice quite place to eat.

I truly enjoy their specialty menu. The best part is that it is changed every month, I love seeing what they come up with! Their mixed drinks were good, nice selection of beer and hard liquor. We ordered the Squash Raviolis and the Scallops and Zucchini Risotto. Both dishes were very tasty, the risotto was absolutely perfect. The raviolis would have been better if they were made w pumpkin instead and the pasta itself was a bit dry. I read a couple of the previous reviews and must disagree with the service complaint. I think the server was top notch, our drinks and food came out in a timely manner and the server was very sweet. I agree the lightening is a bit on the dim side, it was a little difficult to see the menu.

The worlds most obnoxious hostess really ruined this place for me. The place is tiny and cramped with people knocking into you constantly even while eating. There is no ventilation so it gets uncomfortably hot quickly. Mood lighting and poor contrast made the menu nearly impossible to read. The food was tasty, but not tasty enough to overcome an overall negative experience that left me eying the door for a quick exit the entire time. I would not recommend bothering to stop here.

Finally stopped in on a weeknight with the gf and checked Saggio off of our list of restaurants to try.
I have some mixed feelings and teetered between 3 and 4 stars.
First, the décor is very romantic and welcoming with dim lighting, warm colors, a welcoming marble bar area, a cozy dining room with candlelight, and a hand written specials menu. The hostess, waiter, and busser were all very friendly.
The menu and specials menu feature a lot of pasta, but are definitely lacking in meat dishes and full entrees.
Now for the food:
The crusty bread and olive oil to start were nice.
We ordered the sautéed calamari appetizer in a white wine reduction. The calamari were a bit tough and while the sauce was very good, there was simply not enough of it and it lacked salt.
For entrees, I ordered the special ricotta cavatelli w/​wild boar ragu and the gf ordered the pasta al limone. The flavor on the boar ragu special was good but not ground breaking as I was hoping for. The portion was a bit below average, accentuated by the presentation, served in a casserole dish that was unfortunately cold and really brought the temperature of the pasta down very quickly. The gf’s spaghetti al limone was AMAZING. While very simple, it is one of our favorite dishes and is not on many menus. They nailed it with a super light buttery and lemony sauce and fresh parmigiano cheese.
For dessert we ordered the warm chocolate cake w/​vanilla gelato. The presentation here was great and the flavor was top notch.
With all that said, we had two glasses of wine each, an appetizer, two pastas, and a dessert all for under $ 90!
We will definitely be back.

Es un lugar bien trankilo para las personas que le gustan los lugares asi las pasta esta bien fresca me gusto la comida lo unico muy callado para mi gusto pero para las personas que quieren un lugar callado sin musica esta perfecto

I wish I could give 3.5 stars. The hostess who seated us definitely left a bad first impression. When I politely asked for a table for 4, she acted like I had just asked if my entire family could move into her apartment. Reluctantly she put us on the list.
Once seated it took a while for any of the servers to notice us, let alone order drinks. The waiters are very surly and kind of dumb. They’re all reasonably attractive though so at least you’ll have something nice to look at while you wait 45 minutes for a salad!
But the salads were barely tossed, so every other bite was either bone dry kale or overwhelmingly dressed. Someone else at my table got a fennel salad, which you’d hope would he light on the fennel since it’s such a strong flavor. Not so.
The entrees were tasty though, if not a bit too rich for summertime. Serving sizes are huge! I’d suggest sharing unless you’re absolutely starving. Which you probably will be by the time your food arrives.

Came here for dinner and wanted to try something a little different than a local diner. Saggio is located down the hill from the 181 A train stop and is totally worth the trip to the Upper West Side. I started out sitting inside which was a little crowded, but then noticed the outside patio area. A word of caution about sitting out in the patio are though, be careful not to sit under the apartment AC units or you’ll be getting dripped on.
For an appetizer, started with some calamari and not the fried calamari, just the regular made with some delicious seasoning. Gotta have the mussels as well. This isn’t like some places that serve you up mussels with empty shells, cooked to perfection, these mussels are tasteful and can get you full quick! My main course was the chicken with homemade potatoes and gravy. I know, I was in an anti-​pasta mood and needed some meat, but it was good! I highly recommend it if you’re not in the mood for some pasta.
There are plenty of homemade pastas and the menu is simple with one page to look at. Not like those other places that give you 3 pages of pasta and you can’t make up your mind of what you want. Friendly staff and great atmosphere.

Great place in the neighborhood. Extremely accommodating. Beautiful décor. I love their cappuccinos. They have a great pale ale in a can called Pork Slap. I would definitely recommend this place. They have a brilliant salmon on the menu. One time I came here and they had game meat. It was a wonderful rabbit stew. I also love their skirt steak. I usually get it medium rare and substitute the arugula salad for a creamy mash potato and tasty gravy.
Julissa is a beautiful and very bubbly and warm young lady that will make you feel very comfortable with her charming smile and witty side banter. She is a rockstar bartender and is really well versed in her cocktail knowledge.

What a fabulous Italian restaurant!
Upon arriving, it was a bit crowded yet a happy vibe all around. The hostess was sweet, forgot to let us know that our table was ready so we waited around for a bit longer, but if you go, just make sure to remind the hostess :) I made arrangements for outdoor dining and wondered where that could possibly be since the restaurant is so small and there were no seats out-​front. It’s located in the back area, so we walked through the restaurant and entered what I consider to be a very romantic setting. There was a tent covering with globe string lights, adorned with gated frames alongside each wall containing plants in them. We were seated and greeted by a very nice waitress who surely aimed to please.
BEST PART was the food! We were a party of five and each of us had either salmon, chicken, ribs, or steak. We tasted each others food and there is not one dish that I did not find delicious. Lots of flavor and perfect combinations. They have a large selection of wine for your choosing. Lastly, we ordered a Tiramisu to share and it was the perfect consistency– not too sweet or plain. Mind you, I’m not a dessert person and I almost finished the whole thing myself!
I highly recommend this place if you have out-​of-​town guests, a celebration, date, or a nice night out.

Very cute Italian restaurant in the middle of Washington Heights, the food was delicious.
My favorite is the black linguini.
The burrata is a must!

Imagine-​a sunny day you’re sitting on the back patio of a restaurant, waiting for your food to arrive and then, out of nowhere, a gallon of water gets dumped on you from above. I did feel bad for the folks that it happened to. Waitstaff was nice enough, the sorry’s, the comps, etc. It seemed pretty disgusting.
But then, it happened to me. About two gallons of water that was festering along with the bird shit and god knows what else on their back patio canopy came falling down ON TOP OF ME. My whole left side was soaked the festering storm water was in our drinks, on my pants in my shoes. Again, the staff was nice about it, comped our drinks. But, at least you could replace my coffee (and maybe the cup) after saying you’d comp it. Not like 2 gallons of festering storm water just landed on our table. Not like there is any diseases or anything that you could contract from standing water in NYC.
The waiter/​bus person said that «it’s ok, it’s just rainwater» and that «we can’t control it.» I get it accidents happen. But you can control it… how about you figure it out, before, I don’t know, before you open? The most frustrating thing was it seemed sort of commonplace and acceptable here.
Then, fuming about all this and waiting for our check (which was generously reduced), it happened a third time to another party seated on the patio. It really felt like I was on candid camera.
Never again, Saggio. Never. Again.

My girlfriend and I live in the Heights and we recently discovered this place and love it! I’m a huge fan of the bar area and the happy hour (which is 7 days a week and features half beers). They also offer $ 2.50 crostinis and they’re all delicious. My favorites are the mushroom and the liver pâté.
Julissa (forgive me if I’m misspelling) is friendly and cheerful, as is the rest of the staff. The dining room is also nice and we have had great table service as well. Last time I had the lasagna special and it was excellent. Came out piping hot and tasted fresh and delicious. Rotating specials, from what I can tell.
One of my favorite places in the ‘hood!

If Disneyland was an Italian restaurant, it would be called saggio because this place is downright magical. You must eat here!
I know the menu very well and have eaten here on many occasions; it’s a great place for family, friends, dates, and just to hang out at the bar. The atmosphere will make you never want to leave, it’s very relaxing and cozy. The food is the center of this place’s greatness. Everything is so well done, order whatever you are in the mood for and you will enjoy it! Even ask your server and they will recommend you the best!
Some standouts are; the special menu is fantastic with two or three large featured entrée dishes (I.e. Risotto and Scallops), homemade pastas with incredible sauces (pappardelle veal ragu or the Lasagna), has a unique selection of appetizers too (try the Burrata Mozzarella or the Steamed Mussels).
Some standouts from the regular menu; fried calamari, any crostini choice, the saggio Ceasar with kale, rigatoni, spaghetti alimone, black linguini, and the Salmon is perfect for a summer meal! Portions are perfect. For those with a sweet tooth; try the poached pear with fig gelato smothered in a port wine reduction sauce, phenomenal.
This place is exceptional, I love it and so do many other people. The staff are always excellent, well trained service and if you’re lucky you’ll get to hear one of them sing, they’re all talented performers! They also have Saggio Serenades where they have a live music event at night and the staff performs for the customers. It’s incredible!
Hands down my favorite spot in New York City, this place would kill downtown, it’s worth traveling for!

Great local restaurant, always packed for dinner and brunch on weekends.
They have big portions, be prepared to eat, a lot! During the summer they have an outdoor patio, which greatly expands seating capacity! I highly recommend eating out there. The indoor seating can be a bit tight depending on where you are sitting and how packed the restaurant is.
Brunch menu is good, but mostly heavy dishes. All the dishes are Italian, so expect lots of sauce and pasta based dishes. I haven’t had a bad dish here yet, but I haven’t managed to eat an entire plate once, huge portions!
I wouldn’t recommend this place for a group larger than 6 people, not enough space inside. If you can snag outdoor seating it might be ok.
Nice to have a solid choice in the neighborhood, great go-​to spot on any day.