Gargiulo’s Restaurant

This place reinforced the stereotypical east coast shitty service reputation. We had already ordered and paid for 4 drinks when the «jersey shore» owner tossed us out for wearing tank tops. Maybe don’t open a restaurant in the shittiest beach town in America. Super rude and aggressive assholes run this place.

This restaurant is a hidden gem in Coney Island. My wife and I came here on our first date 6 years ago and have been coming back frequently ever since. The one thing that many restaurants fail to master is consistency. Usually most of the restaurants that I frequent will have an off night where the service is off our the food is sub par. I’ve had excellent food and service everytime I’ve been here. The portions are generous and all of the food is cooked to perfection. The staff is also very hospitable and the owner Anthony is usually the first one to greet you when you arrive. I highly recommend this place, especially if you are looking for a romantic dinner for two.

I was unimpressed with the lack of customer service I experienced walking in, I was shocked to be turned away with my fiancée and friend. The host was incredibly rude, and made it very apparent that we were far to ethnic to be seated.

Visited for 1^st time this past Saturday to celebrate our HS reunion from Bishop McDonnell Memorial. What a memorable day it was from beginning to end. The restaurant was well decorated very inviting. The food was deliciously prepared. From The fish to the pasta to the veggies and chicken. All great! Flavorful chicken Marsala, pasta dishes, eggplant and much more. I would recommend a great dinner with family or friends at this establishment!

Costco meatballs. How anyone can say the food in this place is good is beyond me, from the Costco meatblls, the absolutely disgusting mush they call eggplant rollatini that looks like a little kids science project gone wrong, the fried calamari with all of the coating off of it, the other stuff in their buffet table that I still do t recognize as food. If anyone says the food is good here must be accustomed to eating out of dumpsters because that’s exactly what this place serves.

I wish I could give this place zero stars. The experience starts with the greeter smoking at her post outside the front door. Her and the host, the next person you meet, wouldn’t let a 5 year old girl in our party use the bathroom prior to ascertaining that we definitely had reservations. When our discontent was expressed to the manager, (Anthony I think), he said «I can’t let people in off the street». He was unable to explain whether the majority of his customers come from the street or are bred inside the restaurant. Overall, I would say this is one of the worse service experiences I have encountered in Brooklyn. There are so many great neighborhood restaurants, that there is no reason to go to one that behaves in such an un-​neighborly manner.

The atmosphere and staff is great ! The restaurant is beautiful and everyone is so accommodating. The fettuccine, pasta with meat sauce, & ravioli are some of my favorites along with their desserts. Very convenient valet parking !

Came here today for Easter.
Absurdly expensive fixed menu, extremely mediocre and bland food.
The hot antipasti had five different elements to it: spinach pie (a square of microwaved spinach) eggplant rollatini (canned sauce) a stuffed mushroom, a stuffed pepper, and some unidentifiable cheesy puff. However, each was all so tasteless that I couldn’t distinguish one from the next.
The veal marsala was stringy, the sauce thin and not tasting even vaguely of wine. The mushrooms were like rubber. It might as well have been a microwaved lean cuisine.
The chocolate cake was still half frozen when I got it.
To add insult to injury, almost $ 80 per person and we didn’t even drink alcohol.
Utter trash.

What a gem! In 10 years I’ve eaten here, I can’t ever think of a less than stellar experience. The food is absolutely delicious. It’s not the most cutting edge Italian menu on the planet (Babbo or Marea it’s not), but they get by just fine producing solid classic fare.
What sets them apart, however, is the stellar service. It’s always nice to be greeted by any of the several waitstaff that I’ve seen there over the years. They are formal to the hilt but are never overbearing or snobbish. I can walk in at any time and I know that I’ll be taken care of perfectly.
Here’s to another 100 years.
PS: The food tastes even better when you win the Tombola.

I took my wife to Gargiulo’s for Valentines Day and what a marvelous time we had together. As always, the staff performed their task perfectly and with cheer. The ambiance was perfect for such an occasion including live music which was appropriate, engaging, and talented. My wife and I were both pleased with our experience even before the food arrived. Speaking of food, the seafood here is incredibly delicious. I took photos of our dishes but they do not give justice to the presentation, aroma, and palette enchanting experience my wife and I had that evening. The atmosphere, the staff, the food all were exceptional and I highly recommend for any occasion.

Best Ever… can’t miss!
For so long my family and I have spent Mothers Day and Valentines day at Gargulios. We go every chance we get, and make sure you order the Mozzarella Coroza. love this place and you will too. PROMISE

My family and I ate here this past weekend.
1^st off the onsite parking was very convenient.
The restaurant did a great job catering my menu to my gluten allergy.
And Although the service was amazing my veal chops came to the table rare and had to be sent back– that’s why I’m giving only 4 stars.

I had never been to Gargiulo’s, but I had heard about their amazing food for years! Recently a friend picked up trays of food from Gargiulo’s for a Christmas party.
We went for dinner tonight and found both the food and service were outstanding at Gargiulo’s! I love this place!
From the outside it looks like a regular catering hall in Coney Island. Inside it is beautiful, especially since the room was decorated for Christmas with garland and giant red ribbons. A Santa and large soldiers adorn the foyer area of Gargiulo’s. (See picture).
Lance, our waiter was fantastic. He was pleasant and attentive to us the whole time. Lee asked him questions about the food and Lance even went into the kitchen and asked the waiter about something specific for Lee. It’s obvious that Gargiulo’s really cares about providing outstanding service to the patrons. Besides waiters, there were also bus boys attending to the tables in a quiet way. We couldn’t ask for better service!
I ordered the seafood risotto — OMG it was so good. The risotto was creamy and delicious. Clams and mussels surrounded it, while shrimp, calamari and scallops covered the risotto. It was fantastic. The fish was so tender and flavorful, especially the shrimp and mussels. It came with a potato croquette. I usually put pepper on everything I eat. I didn’t even reach for the pepper and realized afterwards that I didn’t use pepper because the food was seasoned well (see picture).
Lee had the veal marsala which was served with a plate of mixed vegetables. Lee is a former restaurant chef and thinks he makes the best veal marsala, so he hardly ever orders it. After eating Gargiulo’s veal marsala, he said it was fantastic and he would order it again! He ordered spinach and a huge plate of spinach cooked with garlic and oil was brought to the table.
Across the street from Gargiulo’s is a large parking lot with an attendant which is fantastic, especially for a weekday evening. As we were leaving Gargiulo’s, Lee said that we will be returning with our extended family in the Spring because he wanted them to see Gargiulo’s as well.
If you decide to go to Gargiulo’s order the baked clams as an appetizer — they are amazing! Also dress up a little — you don’t have to wear a suit, but a nice shirt and shoes are appropriate guys. This is a nicer place so you want to dress for it — the waiters are wearing tuxedos so you will look weird if you are under-​dressed in the the typical cushine outfit (sneakers/​t-​shirt).

The food was excellent but the waiter was a horror. Because of this experience I will not return. He got annoyed because we wanted our take out food on a separate check. We were 6 women and I didn’t want my food to take home on the same check.

We came to Gargiulo’s because of the 4 star overall ratings on Unilocal.We were impressed as we came in the space and the restaurant is grand. Once you get through, there’s a bar on the right and a private room on the left. You then walk in and a set of stairway leads to the dining room. The ceiling is very tall and the dark wood wall panels are clean and made the restaurant even more cozy. There are also two fish tanks towards the back of the restaurant. I would say that the tables can be upgraded so that it’s not wobbly. But overall, this place looks beautiful.
Now comes the food. We ordered the linguine with clam sauce, fettuccine with chicken and mushroom sauce, seafood risotto, jumbo shrimp risotto, shrimp marinara with vegetables, and mussels marinara. The food overall was good for everyone but nothing overwhelming great. The shrimp in both dishes were a tad overcooked. The fettuccine was a bit too thick. I think it could’ve been rolled out one-​two more times more. The seafood risotto came in a nice portion with the typical mussels and calamari. At the end of our meal, we also ordered the chocolate mousse cake and cheesecake made with ricotta. The slices were super small (and super expensive — the chocolate mousse slice is $ 9) considering the price. The cheesecake was super dry and crumbly.
I’m not sure if this is a Garguilo’s tradition but when presented the bill, the waiter came with a container with small number pegs. We were to pick a number between 1 to 90. If the peg comes out as the same number, then the meal is on Garguilo’s. Unfortunately, we didn’t win.
As we were having our food in Garguilo’s, we couldn’t help but compare their food with Ortobello — a small hole-​in-​the-​wall kind of Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. Even though Garguilo’s décor is impressive, the food doesn’t compare to Ortobello. The portion at Garguilo’s is much smaller than most Italian restaurants. I would say come to Garguilo’s if you want to impress someone with the space. If you want to enjoy fully some good Italian food, then skip this pricy place and head elsewhere.

Gargiulo’s is both classy and classic; because of this, dining here is a special experience. It is a respectable place, where you should take care to bring your manners, yet at the same time, warm enough to make diners feel welcomed.
For these reasons, plus the obvious – delicious authentic cuisine – I choose to celebrate life’s occasions here: Family dinners, date nights, my daughter’s christening and first birthday…
All carried out with such care and professionalism. I’m profoundly impressed by their fine attention to detail,
their warmth, and expertise.
I have so many wonderful memories here, and I look forward to creating many more, in this beautiful, beautiful place.

This place is like a hole in the wall joint, but it isn’t. It’s a catering hall and a restaurant in one. The dining area is very spacious and quite elegant. You are expected to come in dressed nicely with the pants only rule in play. The food was priced just like other italian restaurants to my surprise. Each dish was presented nicely but I wish the portions were a tad larger. I would recommend the baked clams here.

I hosted an event at Gargiulos Restaurant last weekend.
It was a memorial for my brother who passed away suddenly a few months ago and it was a perfect event.
The food, service, room and location were all exactly what I was looking for. It was easy to arrange, only 2 phone calls and it was a great value too.
The last time I was there was for my brother’s 16^th birthday around 1975 and it is bigger and more grand but the food is still exceptional.
I highly recommend… Everyone that attended was in total agreement that my very picky brother would have approved. THANKS Gargiulo’s for helping to make what could have been a somber day much better. We will be back!

When I was growing up I hardly ever went out to eat because my grandmother made all of our meals. On rare occasions when we did go out to eat this was the only place that would do.
It’s an old-​school Brooklyn Italian food place that makes some of the best meals you’ll ever have.
I can’t believe people who have given this place so many bad reviews like the guy who gave one star because he didn’t like the construction that it was undergoing after the terrible tragedy of Sandy. Or the people who think they should pay less for a great meal because it’s in Coney Island and not Manhattan. Or the guy that couldn’t be bothered to wear pants. Or the four people who couldn’t be bothered to wait 30 minutes for their reservation. None of you should have left Manhattan in the first place.
Real Italians from Brooklyn who are looking for the best Italian food know that this is the place to come to.

C’mon. You want good Italian food? Come here. You want waiters who care? Owners who care and want you back? look no further.
It’s an institution. That hopefully will last forever!
Salute!!!