Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

Bottom Line: Good food, decent service and way overpriced. All hidden in the basement of the Club Quarters Hotel.
Pros: Extremely convenient and easy to find. If you are in the hotel which is geared toward repeat business travelers it has the feel of a club. A haven while traveling for work. Comfortable and more intimate feeling without being a cave (basement aside!) It is well lit and the service is good. Better in the restaurant than the bar, but I can’t really blame them for focusing on the regulars and I was not neglected. The food is better than average, tasty and filling.
Cons: The price and lack of view. Basement establishments can be kind of normal in NYC and they have done a good job of brightening, lightening and disguising it, but a window is nice. The main con is simply the overpricing. Some of that is NYC Midtown as well, but $ 25 for a glass of table wine is a bit extreme — just one example.
TIP: Try the Prix Fixe weekday dinner to control the pricing and then you can just enjoy the ambiance, relaxing atmosphere and good service.

Had the 28oz long bone ribeye, $ 59. Have had far better ribeyes elsewhere. Ordered it medium rare, waiter convinced me I should order it medium because MR is starved with a cold red center. Big mistake. Steak was over cooked to my liking. Was bland. Served with 3 sauces which were tasty and much needed.

Having a party of 7, my family and I very much enjoyed our recent dinner here. With mixed tastes among us, I was glad to find a great restaurant that offered a variety of steaks and pastas under the same roof… it’s something that’s harder to find than you might think! It was exactly what I was looking for, and I already knew the Davio’s in Philly was very popular.
Being a Sunday night, the restaurant was welcomingly quiet, but I’m assuming it gets considerably busier during the previous two nights, or weekday lunches, etc. The steak I ordered (a 10 oz filet, at medium+) was done perfectly, and thoroughly delicious. We ordered a few sides as well, and they were equally good (each seemed large enough for 2 – 3 people). All-​around, the service was great, and our server, Andres, was exceptional; among the best I’ve ever had.
Make no mistake, this place is very deserving of the term «high-​end restaurant», but the prices are not outrageous… they’re quite fair for what you’ll get. With so many restaurants in Manhattan, it’s hard to eat at the same place twice, but I’d definitely go back again.

Fantastic food, great wine list. Do I need to say more? Had an excellent rib eye, some of their homemade spaghetti pasta and a lovely Barolo. Heaven. Also, restaurant is beautifully done with great service. Highly recommend.

We went there for Happy Hour and they provide GOOD Italian wine for happy hour. We had Burrata Cheese, Pasta and Steak, all dishes are delish. Steak came out perfection, so as pasta was aldente. Next time I’m in town, I will definitely come back.

Excellent food and service. Our waiter gave us excellent wine suggestions and the servers were attentive and kind. They even gave me a complimentary birthday dessert. Atmosphere is very nice, not too noisy but busy.

The food at Davio’s is INSANE. So absolutely amazing!
As soon as we arrived, we were seated and the waiter brought us big, fluffy challah-​esque rolls and whipped butter. He brought our drinks to us a couple of minutes after ordering as well.
To start, we had the Philly cheese steak and buffalo spring rolls. I highly suggest the buffalo! Then the waiter offered us a sampler, which consisted of fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and ciabatta toast and octopus with black risotto and plum sauce. Then the waiter brought a complementary sample of the butternut squash and coconut soup; which was sweet and delicious! Then came the pasta! Pasta with bolognese and what I think was gnocchi (I’m not sure but it was SICK!) with black truffles and fresh shaved parmesan. Then we had our filet mignon; which was cooked perfectly, with mashed potatoes, fingerling potatoes and asparagus. Then I had the chocolate molten cake for dessert. Needless to say, we were soooooo full but so happy!
Not only was the food spectacular, the service was pristine. We didn’t go 20 minutes without fresh plates, flatware and beautifully folded napkins. They were so attentive and made sure everything was perfect. If I could give Davio’s 100 stars, I would!
Thank you for the wonderful evening!!! I can’t wait to come back!

Rock star great service. Our waitress was on top it all !!
We went with friends for one of the restaurant week night specials (flat rate with fixed items.)
Three choice for each of the three courses.
I had the soup with marscapone cheese. Melt in your mouth wonderful winter warmer.
Entrée was the hanger steak — cooked to perfection and a very hearty portion.
Dessert the citrus cheesecake with devils food and fresh berries. With side of sorbet. Wow !!! Flavors just exploded and didn’t feel like you were eating a dessert.
Great environment. Nice layout. Reservations a must.
They had a lot of areas closed off for private dinner parties. This looks like a great venue for business or special events.

Went in early this Sunday evening with a friend. The service was as good as it gets. Napkins refolded after a trip to the bathroom, water always refilled timely and finely, smooth order taking and deft delivery of plates. No inappropriate waiting. No hovering. The waitstaff seemed seasoned and comfortable. They even came over and asked if the music was a bit too loud. It hadn’t bothered me when I sat down. But I listened. It was a tad loud and they promptly lowered the volume.
Atmosphere and décor just right. And most important, it was quiet. Lighting perfect; not too bright, not too dim. Table spacing is great.
I have a lot of food allergies, all require strict adherence. This is my 3^rd time here and every time they get it right. Not only that, but they make wise decisions on substitutions to avoid ingredients my body can’t have. In fact, they have a special gluten free menu. So for anyone avoiding gluten I highly recommend this restaurant.
Lastly, the quality of the food was tops. I had the chicken dish. Simply excellent. The portion was generous which is important for me as I have a pretty healthy appetite.
All in all, this my favorite mid-​town restaurant and now ranks in my top 3 in the entire city.

Came here on a Friday night for date night, my boyfriend had made reservations for 8 oclock but we got there a little early, at 7:45. They readied our table for us, took our coats/​scarves/​bags, and hung them in a coat closet for us and gave us a tag. The hostesses were super friendly and kind and really set the tone for an excellent evening.
Our waiter came over immediately and brought us water which he refilled multiple times throughout the evening withour ever being asked.
We ordered the prix fixe menu which included an app, entrée, and dessert for $ 39 each — not a bad deal at all! For an appetizer I ordered the pea soup with crème fresh and bacon. We were brought a special appetizer (free of charge) from the chef which was butternut squash soup which was perfection. The plating was top notch as was the taste. We were also brought deliciously fresh and crunchy rolls. We ordered two glasses of wine each and they brought us a wine glass and individually decantered wine which they poured into our glasses for us.
The pea soup was a great consistency and had subtle flavors which were enhanced by the crème fresh. In between our appetizers and entrees, they came and wiped crumbs off the table and changed out the silverware. I very much felt as though I were royalty, that’s how good the service is.
Next came the steak. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good that steak was. I order mine medium rare and this was truly cooked to perfection. I want that steak to be my last meal on earth so I can die elated.
Lastly came dessert. We both ordered flourless chocolate cake which came with banana gelato and something akin to bananas foster on top. The combination of flavor was perfect — the banana was not overpowering and rather complemented the cake.
We were not rushed at all, and treated exceptionally well. My compliments to the staff, the chefs, and management for an incredibly well done job.

Located in Midtown East, this seems like a businessman/​woman and tourist spot located next to all the hotels and offices in the area. The atmosphere is more upscale and located in the basement of the hotel but still is well lit and you don’t feel as if you are in the basement.
Getting to the food, we tried a mix of the spring rolls (chicken parm, shrimp, buffalo chicken) to start, all of which were ok in flavors. For my main, I tried the seared Mediterranean Branzino, that was served with acorn squash, shrimp stuffed peppers and had a piquillo sauce on the bottom (the fish skin was a bit soggy and not crunchy so the dish overall seemed to lack any texture as the sides were all soft as well).
Overall, the service was a bit spotty but friendly and the food was ok. If I come back, I would definitely like to try other things on the menu as some of the other dishes (pasta and meat) seemed to be the way to go here (shock as you look at the name of the place). I am not sure what the price-​point per person came out to be, but I would guess it was close to $ 70 or so after a drink and tax/​tip for lunch.
Buon appetito.

I absolutely LOVE Davio’s. I was looking at restaurants for a large group and stumbled upon Davio’s since my group was torn between steak and Italian. The restaurant feel is very classy and welcoming. At lunch the place was getting packed so I thought this must be good ?!
I tried the spinach salad with goat cheese, peppers, and mushrooms and it was SO flavorful.
Next THE CRAB CAKE– Oh my it was so delicious and full of crab. I don’t think I tasted a single breadcrumb… Crab cakes like this are hard to find.
Also Unilocal worthy the breadbasket had homemade chips with Parmesan cheese on them omggggggg I want these again.
The service was also outstanding and they were extremely helpful in booking my reservation for a large group. I will 100% be back here soon !!

Very very nice classy business-​y restaurant located underground, kind of slow-​ish service, but very very polite and courteous. Food was amazing. Kind of bourgeois cuisine, it was kind of a splurge for me, but I’d definitely come back! My friend and I came for dinner last night, and we both quite enjoyed ourselves!

I had an amazing experience at Davio’s. We came to this place for our third anniversary. We had reservations for 8:00pm, which we had to push back to 8:45pm (because of me). We got there early and were immediately seated. Rather than just dropping a dirty glass on your table with warm water, they ask you what kind of water you’d like, that’s a nice touch.
I do not speak Italian, so I was a little confused about the sections on the menu, but our waiter explained it all to me. Even after that I still had a little bit of trouble. We ordered a spring roll sampler for our appetizer which was absolutely amazing! My favorite was the Reuben. I ordered the Bolognese with the Braised Veal, Beef, and Pork for my main. I liked it but I was not completely blown away. My boyfriend had the rib eye with fries, mashed potatoes and something else that I could not quite remember but his report on the steak, fries and mash were a thumbs up… The other thing not so yummy. It was similar to grits, maybe it was grits lol. Throughout the night I was sipping on pinot Grigio that my boyfriend ordered, I really like that as well. The brand they use was very tasteful.
We topped it off with warm chocolate cake dessert which tasted great! It was kinda like the one from Dominos (the pizza company).
Overall I had a great experience and would come back again, but only for a special occasion. It was also brought to my attention that they have weekday happy hour with $ 6 glasses of wine and free appetizers, I will definitely check that out!

Fancy date or business dinner and not sure of their dietary restrictions? This is your spot! There are tons of vegetarian and gluten-​free options, even a separate gluten-​free menu.
Atmosphere: you do a good job of making this place feel large and open, even though it is in the basement of a hotel. It has a wonderful fine dining five, white tablecloth’s included.
Staff: expertly trained and exceptionally accommodating, I can’t say enough wonderful things about the service we had here. The hostess noted gluten and nut allergies when she checked us in so all staff were aware. They serve gluten-​free crackers for a substitute.
Food: hold the salt please! Wowza I still had my watch indention well into the next day from all of the water retention. The good– fresh pop-​over bread that is warm, buttery, crispy on the outside, doughy in the center. Free amouge busche– either a salmon cake or roasted beet skewer. These were both delicious bites. The spicy sausage app is a little oily but perfectly cooked. The pumpkin cheesecake over a pistachio crumble cookie was that perfect meeting of sweet and savory (though I wasn’t a fan of the masala whipped cream). Not-​so-​good: the «spicy» broccoli rabe was bland and couldn’t even be called mild. The truffle polenta was salty and heavy on the truffles.
Definitely the service that bumped this up to a 4 star review. Hopefully next time the seasoning is more balanced.

Not bad. Got prefix menu. Ordered salad, premium saloin steak and dessert. Like the steak here. Well cooked and yummy taste. Salad was okay. Dessert is above average compared to other steak house in the city. Would come back if I am close by.

Steak here was okay. Got the filet mignon and it was cooked properly just not as flavorful. The restaurant is decorated nicely but nothing special.
The place was okay, it’s just that there are tons of better places for this price point.

Came here for a gluten-​free lunch. Having recently been diagnosed with gluten allergy, I’ve been looking up gluten-​free lunch joints around my work area and came across this. The restaurant has outdoor seating, and indoor seating is downstairs (fear not, ladies in stilettos: there’s an elevator). It looks somewhat upscale but the restaurant isn’t that big. It looks a bit spacious than it is thanks to the optical illusion the large mirrors create on the walls. I made a reservation on open tables, and we were promptly seated when we walked in. There were a lot of businessmen, understandable in this neighborhood, but it wasn’t cramped. The food took FOREVER. If you have a gluten-​allergy, ask for gluten-​free crackers (which they offered to me) to fill the void for the hour long wait. The service was prompt and attentive, but the food was just not that good.
My pasta was a bit too salty for my taste. While I would come here for a business lunch, I wouldn’t make this a personal date or catch-​up spot. You can see the kitchen from the seating area, and there’s also a bar closer to the entrance.
The gelato/​sorbet mix ice cream was good, but that was about it. I’m trying to get used to my gluten-​free diet, and this is one of my first fails. I guess I’ll just keep on looking.

Had an enjoyable «Restaurant Week» pre-​pixe lunch today with friends. The chef at this Davio’s (there are several — 2 in Boston area; 1 in Philly) is the former sous chef from Del Posto. The selections for Restaurant Week excluded a meat selection and were not terribly ambitious in my opinion which was a bit surprising to me. Nevertheless, I was very pleased with my chicken breast atop a bed of caponata. Delicious. Likewise, my friends enjoyed their pasta selection of a simple San Marzano tomato sauce over spaghettini and the off pre-​fixe selection of spinach salad with grilled shrimp. The salad selections were three — we enjoyed the faro and quinoa salad. Healthy, yes, but delicious too! The dessert selections of sorbet or gelato with chocolate mousse were a nice finish — we all went with various flavors of gelato.
Looking forward to coming back to this convenient location for friends and I working in Midtown East.
Last note if Davio’s happens to read this: Let’s see some more flair in the next «restaurant week» season’s pre-​fixe selections!

I will dream frequently of the meal we had until my next visit, which I hope will happen very soon (we already have plans to return for my birthday next summer).
My dining companion and I are experienced, knowledgeable, yet fair diners. Between the two of us, we have traveled to a large portion of the globe. We both agreed that this was one of the best meals we’ve had in a very long time. I personally rank this as the single best meal I’ve ever had in NYC, and among my top five internationally.
Service was outstanding across the board. Management was beyond accommodating. The open kitchen is impeccably clean. All staff communicate respectfully as they seamlessly execution of near perfect dining experience.
Chef Brown personally greeted our table various times throughout the meal. Firm handshake, genuine eye contact, personable, charming, and truly invested in our overall experience, down to adjusting the tasting and plating to suit our individual levels of hunger.
The specialty cocktails were perfect in presentation, portion, strength, composition, bouquet, and finish.
I was intrigued in a good way that they presented the Pinot Noir in miniature decanters rather than bottle presentation. It was poured slightly chilled, which brought out more of its smokey nature. As it came to room temperature, more of the floral aspects were present. It was an enjoyable vintage at all temperatures, which solidified our trust in the Sommelier.
Every food course had its own merits of excellence:
Opening Amuse Bouche and bread basket: perfectly pickled spouts, the most delish butter, wonderful aioli, and every option in the bread basket was lovely, with the rosemary focaccia taking the prize, both when paired with butter and the aioli.
La Lavanda was a perfect balance of lavender and spirits. I could have ordered one simply to sniff throughout the night, and still have been in heaven. The Great Pumpkin was unique in its well-​executed use of cardamom.
I’ve always boycotted foie gras due to the way it is made. One taste of Chef Brown’s presentation forced me to end my boycott. The dish offered the added perfection of duck prosciutto and roasted chestnuts… and the celery root purée? I had to close my eyes to properly respect and savor. Gorgeous.
The Beet Salad was a lovely presentation. I do not like beets, but it was one of few preparations of the vegetable which didn’t offend my palate. My dining companion, who loves beets though rarely offers to finish my leftovers, assured me that my uneaten portion would not go to waste! The hazelnut-​crust Gorgonzola, however, was lusciously RIGHT up my alley!
The grilled octopus dish is only second best to that which I’ve had prepared by ancient Greek grandmothers dressed all in black… and it still gave their dishes a run for their money.
The clam linguini was the only dish where the ingredients, when tasted individually, did not impress… but this was because they were meant to be wed in a perfect bite. That marriage was pure gold.
The Caramelle dish was so divine that we both put our hands to our chests at first bite. And we had no shame in lapping up every drop of the silky butter sauce.
I’ve never had better endive or more perfectly cooked scallops. As you’ll see, two pictures were necessary!
Chef Brown has made me rethink the possibilities of a New York Strip (usually my least favorite cut). Perfectly crusted, perfect temperature, perfect accoutrements. I could not leave one bite on the plate.
The single best molten chocolate cake I have ever enjoyed. Brilliant pairing with the burnt orange garnish.
The panna cotta offered a lovely textural play. Creamy, crunchy, and that phenomenal burst of the gooseberry. I devoured this by the glutenous spoonful.
As if the spiced red wine ice cream atop chocolate dust wasn’t perfection enough, the Greek yogurt «cheesecake» paired with the poached pears couldn’t have offered a more perfect end to a more perfect meal.
We were stuffed… yet couldn’t refuse the finishing amuse bouche, in all of its tiny perfection.
Do yourself the service of making a reservation immediately. Book your company breakfasts/​lunches/​dinners/​events here, whether in their dining room, or on the year-​round roof top. Take your out-​of-​town visitors. Make a reason to go frequently.
Simply put: Do NOT miss out on the amazing culinary artistry that Davio’s and Chef Brown have to offer.