Maialino

Mediocre brunch experience. Venue is nice, server was friendly. But tablecloth was dirty, and found hair in the Malfatti. Still tried to charge full price though our dining experience was poor (replacement plate came after everyone else done eating), took it off when we mentioned but shouldn’t have to ask about that at a place like this. Not going back

What a wonderful brunch menu! Two of us split and really enjoyed the pastas «Tonnarelli a Cacio e Pepe» and the «Malfatti» (Braised Suckling Pig & Arugula). The «Porchetta»
Roast Pork & Fried Egg Sandwich was amazing!
For dessert the Frozen Lemon Meringue
Lemon Curd Gelato, Toasted Meringue & Graham Cracker Crust was scrumptious.
What a perfect follow-​up to an amazing vacation this summer to Italy — this meal was just as memorable as any we enjoyed there!

If you like fried and you like artichokes, lunge for them. Order them as soon as you sit down. Cover them in lemon juice and eat them. Eat them quickly. Order the Fegato and resist the urge to smear it all over your face. It’s too good to waste.
My experience here has been very solid over several visits. The service team handles their responsibilities with efficiency but without rush. With attentiveness but without harassment. My water glass rarely empties.
Maialino’s fare represents solidly across the board. I have yet to meet a dish that I didn’t enjoy. My most recent visit featured the Pappardelle alla Bolognese and Scaloppine. The only reason I didn’t finish it was because it was more food than I could handle in one sitting.
You may want to try everything on the menu. And you should keep coming back so that you can do so.

Ricotta pancakes with kumquat compote and maple syrup: I can safely say this is the best stack of pancakes I’ve ever had. So good that I didn’t even need any toppings or maple syrup, but the yummy kumquat compote (basically tiny tangerines) was great too. The pancake batter was perfect — the outside was browned just right, and the insides were soft and fluffy. Each pancake was the right height; and the pancakes were all consistently browned and fluffy.
Malfatti pasta with braised suckling pig & arugula: «Wow» was the first word out of my mouth once I finished chewing. The pasta is very wide and soaked in the delightful juices of the suckling pig with the nice little spice from the arugula. Yum yum yum. I almost finished the whole plate in one go, even though I was supposed to be sharing it :)
Counter culture cold brew coffee — pretty good cold brew, but didn’t blow me away or anything.
I’ll have to come back and try their porchetta sandwich!

Probably one of my favorite dining experiences in awhile!
Let’s start with the ambience, buzzing, warm and looks like Pottery barn! Love it!
The service was extremely friendly, from the host that greeted us at the door, to the bartender that stirred our drink while waiting for our table, to our lovely waitress… who was attentive, knowledgeable and very friendly!
The food was on point! The 3 pastas we ordered, all gluten free, were perfection! Couldn’t even tell the difference! Wine selection was amazing, the whole team is extremely knowledgeable of this extensive list, ask for suggestions you won’t be sorry!
The chocolate almond cake, naturally gluten free was great! And our waitress ended the meal perfectly by sending one scoop of the coffee gelato as compliments (as we were torn on dessert choices)…BEST COFFEE ICE CREAM ever!!!
Thanks Danny! We will be back!

Danny Meyer does brunch. Foodporn! Adjacent to the swanky Gramercy Park Hotel with windows overlooking Gramercy Park, Maialino is a relaxed, semi-​casual Italian café with great food and top notch service. Truth be told, I’ve only had brunch here on the weekend… at least half a dozen times. It’s my favorite spot to linger, and the menu offers exactly what my oft hungover and/​or exhausted self needs. No greasy eggs or cheap toast. The good stuff.
I generally double fist their kickass coffee from Counter Culture (also available for takeout at their coffee counter) and a perfectly spiced Bloody Mary. The menu is fairly focused and seasonal. The pastries are all to die for, but you must– I repeat, MUST get the olive oil muffin. They do offer a pasty basket if you’d like to sample several. If you do, grab the muffin quick. Trust me here. Sure, all of the pastries are incredible. But nothing, and I mean nothing compares to their olive oil muffin! Whew, glad we got that clear. I’d also be remiss not to urge you to order the most delicious (and fattening) item on the brunch menu: the pancetta. The thickest, most delicious pepper bacon I’ve had the pleasure of eating.
It is possible to eat healthfully here. Salads, granola and yogurt, oatmeal. But where’s the fun in that? Like I said, I come here on the weekend so I go right for the good stuff. As far as larger plates, I recommend the pork hash, the pork and fried egg sandwich, and the Malfatti. You can’t come to Maialino and not order pork. They even have a pig embossed on their leather check holders. Details.
Service is always friendly and efficient, and the staff is well versed on all menu items and specials. You can always tell when a chef has the staff to a tasting. It really makes all the difference. The by the glass wine selection is quite good, as are the house cocktails. You truly can’t go wrong here. Danny Meyer did it again!
NB: Use OpenTable to snag a table here.

I was between a 3 star and a 4 on Maialino but I think the service put it over the edge.
I went on a Tuesday night with a friend from out of town. Even though it was TEN degrees outside, the restaurant was still completely packed, which was impressive.
We were hungry so we decided to split three pastas (stop judging me). We ordered the spaghettini alla vongole, the tonnarelli a cacio e pepe, and the cavatelli. I will say that the menu appears to change a lot.
The pastas are all very reasonably priced for a good portion of food. They ranged from $ 18 to $ 24 when we went.
Our server was very sweet and had the kitchen stagger the pastas into mini «courses» so that the food didn’t get cold. They also pre split them for us which was great. Everything was served al dente (obviously).
Spaghettini alla vongole — this came out first and we were impressed. A bed of garlicky, buttery pasta with tons of little fresh clams. It’s a very simple dish but we enjoyed it a lot.
Tonnarelli a cacio e pepe — very plain, long spaghetti pastas with pepper and cheese. We didn’t love this since neither of us are a fan of plain pasta dishes, however I’m glad we ordered this. Since the dish is not super intricate, you can really taste the homemade pasta. If you want to experience the texture of the pasta, this is your dish.
Cavatelli — this was a cavatelli dish served with sausage and rapini in a red sauce. We probably didn’t need a third pasta but YOLO, right? We really enjoyed this dish as well. It had more ingredients than the others. The sauce was light and the cavatelli was perfectly formed.
I like Maialino but I think it’s a better experience if you really go all out. I saw some great things coming out of the kitchen but a lot of those items were the pricier fish dishes. Take your parents with you.

Our family party came in after Christmas and we were very pleased with the food and service (and our group ranged in age from 23 to 81). The rosemary pig was as delicious, flavorful, and tender as we had hoped, and the pasta dishes made a great complement. The lobster pasta was wonderful — the best of the bunch.
Our only issue, and it is a very small one, is that the bread that first arrived at our table was room temperature and a little doughy, as though it has sat around all day. We had ordered the duck rillettes and asked for extra bread, and the second basket was warm and tasty — seemed to be fresh out of the oven. When bread like this is available, at this price point, the fresh warm bread is what is expected. Toss the old stuff.
The desserts were good but not as memorable as the mains. In retrospect, I would have preferred more lobster pasta!

Just walked out of this place after sitting at the bar, being ignored by the two on duty staff who were both more interested in trying drinks with another patron.
I would expect better service at this price point.

I hated my experience at Maialino. Gramercy Tavern is one of my top 3 restaurants in the city, and I’m a huge fan of the Modern, but I’m extremely disappointed by both the food and the service at Maialino. It really didn’t meet the reputation as one of the Danny Meyer’s restaurants.
First of all the food was very disappointing. We had an appetizer– molluschi which I thought the sauce was good but the clams didn’t taste fresh or flavorful– it felt like two separate dishes… I had the spaghettini alle vongole for my pasta. I thought you couldn’t go wrong with seafood spaghetti with garlic, but I was wrong… It’s way too salty, the clams were again not fresh, and the pasta was not cooked well. I mean we didn’t try the meat and cheese and other stuff on the menu– they might have couple good stuff I don’t know.
What really agitated me was their service. Our waitress dropped the sparkling water bottle on the table and broke two of our wine glasses and the wine bottle spilling wine all over my friends with shattered glasses everywhere. No one got hurt, and she was extremely apologetic. It was an accident and things happen– that’s fine. However, the manager handled the situation very inadequately. He transferred us to another table brought us a new bottle of wine and just disappeared. He was a little rude about the whole thing, and we waited for a long time to have someone come to take our orders– they basically just ignored us for a while…
And the coat check service– It was just awful and unpleasant. At first there was no one there so we had to wait for a bit, and the coat-​check girl was extremely rude and didn’t follow the order of first come first serve. She was extremely slow– brought my coat and hat on two separate trips… And the whole process took more than 15 minutes… By then I just wanted to get out of there…
Not going back again for sure, and our dinner cost 300 dollars, which was not worth it at all.

I came here for the first time with my father, he’s eaten here several times, with high expectations but regrettably, left very disappointed.
We had artichokes and octopus with vegetables both in Roman style. They were okay, but this was the beginning of what felt like a factory experience.
Next was the pork fettuccini, which I thought was excellent but lacked personality.
And finally we had The Maialino, which is a Rosemary roasted suckling pig. We ordered the half but our server insisted that we get the whole. The server described the whole as a much better experience because you get cuts of the pig that you would not normally get with the half. If that was the case, it went unmentioned upon arrival, and unnoticed. As you might have guessed, the whole was merely two halves.
Maybe it was the holiday season, busy, in and out mentality, but we both felt that he meal was impersonal, felt factory driven, and lacked anything special– besides the view of Gramercy Park.
This being said, I would imagine this was a 1-​off bad experience considering that I’ve only heard excellent things from every other person I’ve talked to about the restaurant.

YUM. I went with a friend. Started with the Holiday Manhattan which wasn’t my favorite but was an interesting play on an old favorite. Split the fritto misto which was really fresh. Then I got the Cacio e Pepe which was unbelievable. I would go back and just eat that. Perfectly flavored and balanced. Danny Meyers. You are a rock star.

I’ve been here twice, once for dinner and once for a private party in the backroom and both times the food was EXCELLENT. Maialino reminds me of wine country with their décor and old country style interior. On the exterior, the restaurant looks very classy, but once you step in you realize this is not that type of restaurant. I wouldn’t call it trendy, but it has a casual feel to it without being TOO casual. When you get in, you notice alot of wood furnishing from the bar table, seats, wine cellar to the tables, decorative accessories and flooring. I especially love the plaid dining table clothes.
As for food, during the time I was here for dinner I ordered the Funghi mushrooms, white wine & anchovy; Coda Alla Vaccinara oxtails, carrot & celery; and Pollo Alla Diavola peppered half chicken & pickled chili. None of these dishes will overwhelm your appetite as they are not huge, but each had very distinct flavors. The Funghi had a very fresh taste to it as the white wine really gave it a nice alcohol kick. The oxtails were marinated in tomato sauce with the stew of the carrot & celery and I really liked the tanginess of the flavor on the stew. The half chicken was very simple, but extremely juicy and moist. I could tell it was intensely seasoned because it was full of flavor from the first bite!
Maialino is a simple restaurant that has a very cozy feel to it. It’s located in the quiet area of Gramercy Park and easy to get to. There’s usually parking around the area so it’s never a problem to drive to either. Nothing on the menu will be shockingly out of the ordinary, but the food is real solid and extremely flavorful here. Also, it’s great that anyone can have a casual one on one dinner here or if they want they can have a private celebration as there is a backroom for a large party.

Great ambiance and service, tucked away by Irving in the Gramercy Park Hotel.
(+) fresh bread and you can ask for their freshly made gluten free bread on request too
(+) serves gluten free pasta at no extra charge
(-) pasta portions were ~10oz for $ 18-​$ 20.

Cacio e pepe was solid (last time it had too much pepper).
The ricotta pancakes were good but too «wet» for my liking.
The duck hash was not as rich and decadent as I expected for a dish with duck confit (no crispy bits). Rather it was a small and light dish.
Thick cut pancetta was delicious but chewy.
My favorite toffee brioche bun was overly reheated and too soft (last time was perfection).
I actually prefer my neighborhood joint, LIC Market, which I personally think has tastier and fluffier pancakes and a more flavorful duck hash. Would only return for the pasta.

I just kind of love Maialino. I’d been for breakfast a couple of times, but just had my first dinner experience last week. I was really hoping I would like it, because the atmosphere is spot on day and night. Alas, the food was awesome and I can confidently give it five stars. There are not a lot of places I don a five-​star experience, but Maialino is one that delivers ambiance and food spot on. Our party of six didn’t have a bad thing to say and with two vegetarians, you never know how it will go.
Really the only thing that is annoying is that they over service you… especially with the wine. Just pour me a full glass so you don’t have to come back every three minutes when my two sips depletes the glass to empty.
Anyways it is expensive, so I’ll be back, but probably only when my parents come to town.

There’s breakfast and there’s breakfast at Maialino. Nothing comes close to what Maialino achieves at breakfast. Wow, still impressed by the dishes that I was served this morning.
So the dining room is calm and cozy, but still with the fine dining atmosphere. Friendly service from start to end making it a perfect morning pleasure.
Food was outstanding. Really. I can not tell you have much I loved it. I haven’t had better scrambled eggs than the Cacio e Pepe eggs from Maialino. Creamy, soft and pretty much a piece of heaven. The thick-​cut pancetta is a must order as a side dish. Again, I haven’t had better bacon like this.
Well, just go here. I have to go back soon anyway.

After wanting to go to this place for a long time, I had brunch here with a couple friends. The space is gorgeous. It strikes the right balance between trendy and warm. We started off with croissants and coffee along with some fresh pressed vegetable juices. The pistachio croissant deserves a special mention because it was gone in less than 60 seconds. You know they made it that day. The coffee is also outstanding.
Among the brunch dishes, I think Contadino was the standout dish at our table, who would have thought corn and eggs can taste so good. The way the corn was seasoned along with the gooey yolk from the perfectly poached eggs was just great. We also had the cacio de pepe, pork hash and frittata Bianca, it was all good. They were out of sausages and the olive oil cake which we really wanted to try. We had the Pancetta and potatoes which were also excellent. The service was amazing.
We will be back to taste the divine looking pastas

We came to NYC this time to see Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga at Radio City. The next day the wife and I had just finished touring the observatory at the Freedom Tower and viewing the ⁹⁄₁₁ memorial. We made lunch reservations at Maialina in advance after seeing a segment on the cooking channel show «The best thing I ever ate» highlighting their spaghetti carbonara. What a perfect progression, Maialino is an elegant space in the Gramercy Park neighborhood with a sumptuous décor of wood and wine. That is to say their wine collection is prominently displayed in a way that makes it an integral part of the fabric of the room. We were greeted and seated right away setting the tone for the excellent service that was to follow.
The excellent service continued with their wine guy helping us to choose a wonderful chianti to accompany our meal. Oh my, and then the food! We started with a selection of cheeses and the uovo salad. The cheeses were wonderful, as was the crispy fried soft boiled egg over a bed of fresh greens. For entrées we had the lamb ragu over pappardelle pasta, which was rich but nicely balanced. The fresh pasta was perfectly tender and delicious. We, of course, had to sample the spaghetti carbonara which was also nicely balanced and scrumptious. We were treated to a nice mini cookie plate to finish.
So, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, or if it’s not too out of the way, definitely stop in here for a great Italian meal.

One of my most memorable birthday dinners ever! I thought I was having dinner with a friend but I was surprised by a table of 10 of my closest friends. I think even if the food was terrible, I still would have had a fantastic experience just b/​c of the company.
The evening started out great when I sat down and there was a personalized menu wishing me happy birthday. Extra star for that Maialino. The waiter recommended an amazing wine which half my table was raving about for the remainder of dinner. We even had him write down the name so we could purchase it ourselves. The food was great. We ordered many little plates to share. I wasn’t too hungry so I had the carbona which was super yummy. To be honest I don’t really remember all the food b/​c I was still so happy from the surprise. I did have a taste of my friend’s suckling pig and that was great.
I’d definitely come back to try all of the other great menu options. (and more wine of course)