Crispin’s

Had a perfectly lovely meal with delicious food and wonderful service. Went with a girlfriend and a groupon. When I use a groupon at a restaurant I’m always cautious in case there are unspecified restrictions and/​or sub –par service. The meal at Crispin“s was a wonderful surprise. The lobster appetizer was a full lobster tail with potatoes in an amazing sauce. I had the red snapper with mussels and clams for an entrée and was thrilled to see the fish cooked to perfection. The brussel sprouts and broccoli were delicious sides to fill out a terrific meal. This is one of the few occasions where having been introduced to a restaurant with the lure of a groupon I can definitely say I will return. Be warned the portions are very generous so be sure to go hungry!

Just had dinner here. Groupon deal.
Had fantastic service. Not sure why others complain.
I had the calamari appetizer (excellent) which had some fried zucchini in the mix. Nice addition.
My friend had the lobster ‘salad’ — what a misnomer. It was actually a cold chicken lobster with a ratatouille style accompaniment. My friend loved it.
We both had the red snapper for the main. Well cooked (not dry) and nicely presented.
We also got some roasted Brussels sprouts (awesome) and broccoli (ok, not mind bending).
Wine choices were fine. We got a Tempranillo and were satisfied.
Recommend this place.

First timer here using a nice deal from Groupon. The place is nice and the ambience is also good. Nice bar too. The service was impeccable as the highly attentive staff was on point. They spoiled us for sure! Thank you! I ordered the seafood fettuccine which was very good. My wife had the sea bass which was even better. The calamari appetizer was excellent and is a huge order. We were already full just from that. Will definitely return to try menu items. Wow!

I should have left this place as soon as I walked in since it was completely empty. Worst meal I have had in New York for sure. I had linguini and clams. Waiter said they had home made noodles, but it did not taste like it and it was spaghetti. Totally bland! And I ordered a side salad, which was brought out with meal (which I hate) and it was a huge entrée salad for 12 dollars, and it was lettuce and apples. My bfriend had chicken parmasian, which he seemed to like. Wine was nice and waiter was adorable, but I regret waisting a New York night at this place!

Good food, but the service is terrible. 2 or 3 people were involved but no one was on point. Just a small, thing, but the iced tea, one of which came only after 3 requests for it, came in 2 different sized glasses, one twice the size of the first one. I must say, the short ribs were outstanding.

If you order the right thing, your dinner at Crispin’s comes with live entertainment.
For example, last night my man, his mother, and I ordered the cheese plate as an appetizer. The server set down a selection of four cheeses on our table and walked away without an explanation of what any of them was. We think we sort of figured it out: ricotta, taleggio, something with truffle, and some kind of bleu. Forrest Gump’a momma might as well have been talking about the service at Crispin’s when she said «you never know what you’re gonna get” – and nobody’s gonna bother to tell ya.
Service aside, the food was mixed. I liked my tender grilled octopus with red potato salad and celery. The hubby enjoyed his braised lamb shank, but didn’t care to finish his grilled polenta (even grilling couldn’t make polenta appealing, I guess). His mother was disappointed in the crab cakes, which came with threads rather than the preferred lump crab meat.
The ambience of the place, likewise, is a little off. The interior is decorated like an Old-​World taverna, but the «untz untz untz» music – which was loud enough when we first sat down that, against our inclination to be «those people,» we asked them to turn down – gives it an oddly club-​like feel. Maybe they’re trying to fit into the gayborhood? This gay prefers not to have to strain to hear the dinner conversation.
And, if I want to play guessing games, there’s always Pictionary at home.

Visited this place on a Friday night and didn’t have to wait for a nice table in the back. The food was great as was the wine and beer. Good sized portions that left us satisfied without feeling stuffed. They even included a nice dessert for my grandfather at no additional cost and sang for him. It’s a little out of the way in my own day to day but will definitely make an effort to go again!

I finally got to try Crispin’s. It has been a thorn in my side since it opened but my picky reluctant boyfriend stood between us. I decided to go with a friend this past week and was happily encouraged. We went with pasta, and some wine. It was delicious and cooked very well. I am sure there are better things on the menu to try next time, it lacked some variety in the flavor but probably an error on my choosing. I have to say, the biggest thing for me is customer service. If a place has great food but terrible staff, I am not coming back. This was not the case, great waitstaff and a wonderful place to catch up with a friend. Great atmosphere.

I absoultely loved Crispin’s the atmosphoere is amazing. Candle and dim lighting with any wine you can think out everywhere. Perfect for a date night or a night cap with a group of friends. Food was tasty too!

The place was unreasonably loud due to a large party that was literally screaming the whole time, and was not contained by the staff, which isn’t at all my reason for the rating, but it didn’t help. My fish was overcooked and over salted. My boyfriend’s dish was bland. Service was slow. The cheese plate was served unceremoniously without crackers. Ever try to eat soft cheese without a cracker? We live around the corner from this place and have been meaning to drop by for months. Definitely regret the decision. There are a ton of better options, especially at that price point. I gave it two stars. The second one is literally just because the restaurant had cool ambiance, which drew us there in the first place.

My wife and I recently celebrated our anniversary at Crispins. The service was good and the food, as usual, was excellent and arrived promptly. This is a great, genuine neighborhood place with a very diverse menu and excellent specials which are always perfectly prepared. We’ve eaten here a number of times and we’ll be sure to come back! BTW… I love the Ribeye!
Only negative is the varying service quality. There are great servers, and bad ones. Your experience will be impacted with that flip of the coin

Had a Great time here last night… Service and food was Great. Can’t wait to go back!

Fav Italian place in Hells Kitchen, great staff and such a complete list of wines !!
The Burrata is an excellent special as an appetizer, also the Seafood Risotto you really need to try it.
Good place if you want to feel a real New Yorker.

HEALTH CODE VIOLATION!!! Came here for brunch on a Sunday. Although there were only about ten other people in the restaurant, service was painfully slow. Took over an hour to get our food, which was puzzling. And the food was not very good (maybe 2 or 2.5 stars). But the real problem was that the staff does not comply with the health code.
After we got our food, my friend told the waiter that her toast was missing. From my seat, I could see a few minutes later that the toast came out of the kitchen onto the counter for the waiters to pick-​up. However, the waiters kept walking past the toast and didn’t bring it over for several minutes. Oddly, they seemed preoccupied with cleaning up around the restaurant. During this time, someone wearing a ski jacket (who appeared to be the delivery person) was hanging out by the counter chatting with the chefs. He eventually picked up a piece of the toast with his BARE HANDS, appear to smell it, and then put it back on the plate!!!
I immediately flagged down the waiter, but he tried to convince us that it didn’t happen even though two at our table clearly watched it happen. Eventually, after complaining repeatedly, they brought different bread. Considering the sub-​par quality of the food, and the poor service, I would strongly recommend going somewhere else. Would never go back myself.

Nice food here at the right price. Staff is attentive and the food is delicious. I asked the waiter for some pasta not currently on the menu and he was able to accommodate my request. Also, the dining room is comfortable and the bar is a nice place to have a glass of wine and watch the game or wait for your table. I just moved to the neighborhood and will be stopping by again.

Stopped in here for lunch with mine and my boyfriends family because it was convenient and looked cute! Overall I’d probably give it 3.5 stars and another try, but here is a bit about our lunch!
It was very empty on a Saturday as in we were the only customers at 1pm. Very cute cozy décor inside, and they serve exclusively wine (hence the wine bar!), no beer or mixed drinks. We shared a bottle of Pinot Grigio as well as a few individual glasses, they have a good selection for sure. I started with a glass of the sauv blanc, delicious but my pour was about ²⁄₃ of my boyfriend’s dad’s who was sitting next to me. Hmm. Anyway, wine was great!
We started with a meat and cheese board and some bread, very good and came out quickly. Here is where we waited, however, and our meals took maybe 25 – 30 minutes after that to emerge from the kitchen? Thankfully they were hot and delicious all around, but being that we were the only table I am not so sure what took so long. I got the chicken picatta which was very good and just the right amount of food. Everyone else got a variety of pastas including the bolognese, all of which they enjoyed! We cleaned our plates.
I’d certainly come back and maybe sit at the bar with my boyfriend one night, but they do need to get their service and wine-​pouring consistency up to par. Maybe we just had an off day, but at least the food did not disappoint!

I was working at Pier 92 last week and was looking for a decent place for lunch. Crispin’s was close by — two blocks east on 10^th Ave. The place was almost empty. I sat at the bar since I was dining alone.
One of the owners was behind the bar and was in a talkative mood. Nice guy. Told me all about his trip s few days before to Tuscany on a culinary tour. I complimented him on the décor — more wine bottles on display than I have every seen in a restaurant. Very attractive — good spot to take a date.
Crispin’s does a $ 18 lunch special — a starter, entrée and dessert. So with a glass of wine, it cost me just over $ 30 before the tip. The Caesar salad was fine. The pappardelle Bolognese was excellent. They make that pasta on premises. I want to go back for another try but it quite a distance from my office. If you live in the area, you should stop by.

Wow. I went to Crispin’s on a whim and it completely took me by surprise. I had walked passed a few days before and had noticed that they had a 3 course lunch pre-​fixe for $ 18. It’s hard to find a deal like that anywhere, so I told my boyfriend that we simply HAD to stop by one day. Luckily for us, he got out of work early today and we met up at a completely empty Crispin’s.
The restaurant is well decorated and I could see it being a good spot for a romantic evening. It is a bit dimly lit, an interior design choice I’m never a big fan of, but luckily we got seats near a window. There was only one person working but considering we were the only ones in the restaurant it was no issue.
I ordered the insalata mista, salmone al limon, and sorbetto. My boyfriend got the calamari fritti, pollo parmigiano, and gelato. It took us about 15 minutes to get our starters and initially we were skeptical of the dishes, but once we started digging in we couldn’t stop. The calamari was perfectly crisp and just the right size. I’m not the biggest marinara fan so I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it, it was definitely made well. Some places have a tinned tomato taste, but that was NOT the case at Crispin’s. My salad was fresh, with apples and almonds. I HATE it when a salad is overdressed and thankfully Crispin’s had put the perfect amount of vinaigrette.
I had initially ordered the salmon for my main, but the server told me it wasn’t available and gave me the choice of replacing it with either branzino or scallops. I chose branzino. When our dishes arrived I was a bit disappointed, my fish looked tiny in comparison to my boyfriend’s giant serving of pasta and chicken parmesan. BUT THEN… I had a bite. It was the most perfectly cooked fish I’ve had in a long time. Moist, but with the crispiest skin. I proceeded to shovel the rest of it into my mouth. It was absolutely delicious, the spinach and capers were the perfect accompaniment. My boyfriend wasn’t disappointed with his order either. The chicken was moist with a great crust and the pasta was cooked al dente, I actually found it very tasty despite not being a big chicken fan. He did say that the next time he came into Crispin’s he would order the branzino instead. I would like to come back and see if they can cook their salmon as amazingly as their branzino.
By the time we finished eating we were both utterly content. I couldn’t say more positive things about this lunch special. It was a delicious meal, in a beautiful venue, for an unbelievable price. If you have the time, I would suggest coming to Crispin’s for lunch, it will be a great experience. If you don’t have the time, I’m sure dinner is lovely as well. But from what I could tell it’s definitely a romantic spot, so impress your date?

I randomly stopped into Crispin’s with a friend while walking around hell’s kitchen… The place looked clean and had a nice menu so we decided to go in for dinner. The wait staff was very proper and nice. We had multiple people stop by our table and refill our waters and checking up on us throughout the night.
We got the pappardelle Bolognese and the Gnocchi… Both dishes came out pretty fast and piping hot. Initially, I was a little worried that I was going to be disappointed (this was my first Italian meal after coming back from Italy) but I was not! The Bolognese was pretty good and the gnocchi was nice and soft. The flavors could have been a bit more delicate but it was just good overall.
4 stars — great atmosphere (clean and comfy), good wait staff and solid food.

Brunch here was an abomination.
We had an 11:30 reservation last Sunday for a party of nine. We arrived on time and were the only group eating at that time. Despite being a party of nine, there were only eight place settings. One member of our party politely asked for a ninth to be set up four times. Despite the fact that we were there alone, the staff was more interested in polishing the glassware. I ended up setting the table myself.
We placed our orders around 11:45. The waiter couldn’t answer any questions about the brunch whatsoever. Not stupid, Portlandia-​like questions such as, «What was the hen’s motivation in laying the eggs we will be served?», but simple, do-​you-​even-​work-​here questions like «how many pieces of French toast do I get?»
For the next 30 minutes, we did not see the waiter, get any water, or get checked on. Only one other table sat down. At 12:15, all of the music in the restaurant shut off. A few minutes later when we asked the waiter if he could put it back on, he spent a minute trying to convince us that the silence was just a lull in the song.
Everyone in our party ordered eggs Benedict or pasta, nothing fancy. We got our food at 12:35. Nearly an hour to make eggs and pasta in an empty restaurant.
Every single egg we were served was overcooked. It wasn’t that they were less runny than we would like, it was that they were so hard boiled and rubbery that forks were no match for them. They also brought one person the wrong food.
We eventually got well-​cooked replacements (over an hour after ordering), and the waiter, only then, started being a bit more attentive with drink refills. We never got any apology or acknowledgement about the service issues, let alone any kind of comp. We didn’t bother asking for one.
Had the food been better I would have given them two stars, but it was average. My French toast was one and a half pieces of bread, in case anyone was wondering. I wouldn’t go here again unless I got to make the food myself.